Chapter 297: Senior Brother, I Will Definitely...

"How did the Heavenly Tribulation split?"

Jiuyu Shi's somewhat timid voice rang out, and the immortals of Duxian Sect, who had fallen silent due to the tribulation's abnormality, immediately snapped back to attention.

That small gray cloud had already flown above Li Changshou's head. This gray cloud appeared ordinary, but any Qi Refiner who attempted to probe it with their immortal sense would feel a fierce, powerful, and profound Dao aura.

"Heavenly Punishment?!"

Jiang Liner was the first to react. "Ling'e is undergoing tribulation, so why would Heavenly Punishment seek out Changshou?" This stirred up a thousand waves. The many Qi Refiners of Duxian Sect, who had been hiding within the mountain-protecting formation or outside the mountain gate, now began to murmur among themselves.

Such a legendary existence as Heavenly Punishment made them feel extremely peculiar. At this time, the human race enjoyed prosperous fortune, being the protagonists of heaven and earth and protected by the Heavenly Dao, so the possibility of incurring Heavenly Punishment was inherently very slim. Yet today, when Ling'e, the immortal sprout of Little Qiong Peak, was undergoing tribulation, Heavenly Punishment directly targeted Li Changshou, the 'Prime Immortal' of Little Qiong Peak. The relationship between this senior and junior disciple was somewhat inscrutable.

Sect Master Ji Wuyou stood with his hands behind his back, muttering to himself, wanting to offer a few words of explanation for Li Changshou, but he simply couldn't make it up! Nevertheless, Ji Wuyou couldn't allow anything to happen to Li Changshou. He immediately called out in a clear voice, "Changshou, this is Heavenly Punishment! I will help you!"

"Sect Master, please don't worry!" Li Changshou turned and made a Daoist bow, replying thus. There was no way around it; the intensity of the Heavenly Punishment he was currently enduring was something the Sect Master could never withstand. But the primary problem now was how to survive Heavenly Punishment under everyone's gaze without revealing too many of his trump cards!

When this proposition appeared before Li Changshou, he instinctively rejected it. However, the Heavenly Dao, being impartial and operating by rules, would not bargain with him; the divine thunder of Heavenly Punishment, capable of destroying almost anything, was brewing in the sky, its might firmly locked onto him. After a glance, he confirmed it was lightning he couldn't refuse.

But why this time? He should at least be given a reason, right? He remembered his first encounter with Heavenly Punishment during his ascension tribulation; back then, the Heavenly Punishment was very minor, coming and going quickly. He accepted that one because he had obscured heavenly secrets.

During his Golden Immortal Tribulation, twelve bolts of Heavenly Punishment struck him in succession. He also accepted this, mainly because he had "severed his Dao" nine times and "shaken" the tribulation nine times. When he created the Golden Immortal-level paper effigy, nine bolts of Heavenly Punishment struck him wildly. Li Changshou later understood that this was likely a warning not to create a cultivation system based on simplified, direct power absorption. Therefore, Li Changshou begrudgingly accepted it.

But today! Today of all days! With the Heavenly Dao's approval, he had merely summarized previous cultivators' tribulation experiences and used the Taiqing Pill Dao to help his junior sister make a little bit of complete preparation for her tribulation. Why was he being struck?! Why was he being punished?!

How could it be... Wait. Li Changshou blinked and suddenly looked at Ling'e. At this moment, Ling'e was also looking his way, her eyes filled with shock and nervousness. And behind Ling'e, the phantom of a book was slowly floating, becoming more and more substantial, with the character '稳' (steady/stable) on it growing increasingly clear.

Could it be because of this? Li Changshou's lips twitched a few times, and soon... he accepted it again.

Above the gray cloud, the power of Heavenly Punishment was about to strike. The immortals of Duxian Sect behind him, and Ling'e, who was undergoing tribulation, all had their gazes fixed on him. What to do...? What else could he do? Endure it.

Fortunately, having been struck by Heavenly Punishment so many times, Li Changshou had already established emergency response measures for encountering it in the wild. Facing Heavenly Punishment again, he felt a bit more confident. Like a long-suffering patient becoming a doctor, today's Li Changshou could distinguish between a disciplinary Heavenly Punishment and a lethal one. The Heavenly Punishments he endured were naturally disciplinary, otherwise he would have been gone long ago. Judging by the frequency of the Heavenly Punishment's power fluctuations and the total amount of power contained in the gray cloud, this one should also be the same.

Heavenly Punishment waited for no one; it had sufficiently brewed and was about to descend... Li Changshou's left sleeve opened, and a blood-red gem suddenly flew out, shooting off into the distance, covering hundreds of miles in an instant. That gray cloud silently vanished, reappearing directly above the gem, and a divine purplish-red thunderbolt, as thick as a bucket, struck down! The world lost its color, the wind stilled, and the clouds ceased! The gem directly smashed into the mountains below, and that great mountain crumbled with a roar!

All the immortals of Duxian Sect simultaneously changed their expressions. Fortunately, not many within the sect liked to gasp in shock, otherwise the scene would have been truly spectacular. Ling'e seemed to realize something, her gaze fixed with nervousness on the crumbled mountain hundreds of miles away, even neglecting her own Heavenly Tribulation somewhat... "Senior Brother!"

"Focus on your tribulation." Li Changshou's voice transmission entered her ear again, still very calm. Ling'e subconsciously looked five miles behind her, at her senior brother's figure. The one standing there, of course, was Li Changshou's paper effigy; the one thrown out just now was the small box where Li Changshou's true body was hidden after using a transformation spell. Hiding his true body on a paper effigy, and then having the paper effigy go out to cheer for his junior sister, was equivalent to his true body coming in person...

Li Changshou, having just endured a blow from Heavenly Punishment, continued his voice transmission: "Don't worry, I've withstood this kind of Heavenly Punishment many times. Just focus on becoming an immortal quickly." Ling'e quickly agreed, feeling a surge of emotion. 'Though I don't know exactly why, Senior Brother is doing all this for me...'

Rumble! Above Ling'e's head, streaks of lightning flashed, and the massive tribulation cloud, a hundred miles in diameter, slowly pressed down. Within a thousand-mile radius, spiritual energy rapidly boiled. A pool of deep blue divine thunder descended from the tribulation cloud like a bead curtain, a waterfall, directly onto Ling'e's head! Ling'e's face was solemn, the phantom of the book behind her growing clearer. With her slender hands, she manipulated the clouds, moving like an illusion, and according to the power of the lightning tribulation, she mobilized sufficient magic power to form three barriers, protecting herself above her head. As the lightning fell, the dark world was illuminated brightly, pulling the attention of Duxian Sect's immortals back to the scene.

Old Daoist Qiyuan exclaimed, "This... this is Ling'e's first lightning tribulation?" "Nine Thunder Heavenly Tribulation! It's the legendary Nine Thunder Heavenly Tribulation!" "Could it be that our Duxian Sect is about to produce another Golden Immortal! Anyone who can pass through the Ninefold Heavenly Tribulation possesses the potential for eternal life!" "Hahaha!" Jiang Liner put her hands on her hips and laughed loudly, "My grand-disciple has the potential to become a Golden Immortal!"

At the same time, a second purplish-red divine thunderbolt struck down a thousand five hundred miles away... However, only immortals above the Heavenly Immortal realm could perceive this Heavenly Punishment divine thunder. Li Changshou, hidden underground, endured the Heavenly Punishment while simultaneously monitoring Ling'e's tribulation, and extending his immortal sense as far as possible to guard against any powerful experts being drawn by the Heavenly Punishment, posing a threat to him. His junior sister's tribulation... As her senior brother, he was truly exhausted!

At the Duxian Sect mountain gate, Ling'e was safe and sound after enduring the first Heavenly Tribulation, her Dao body now possessing its first wisp of immortal spiritual energy. As her senior brother had instructed, she absorbed this wisp of immortal spiritual energy into her body, guarding her heart meridian directly, and quickly integrating it into her magic power. The ascension tribulation was generally quite swift; after all, a post-natal being becoming an immortal was not a major event for heaven and earth. The second and third tribulations fell in quick succession, each time with the lightning pool overturning and heavenly thunder like a waterfall. Ling'e handled them with ease, having already swallowed pills that continuously restored her magic power, keeping her energy full. Her senior brother had given her so many spirit pills not for her to be frugal. Use them when needed; becoming an immortal was the beginning and foundation of everything!

Meanwhile, a certain disciple of Little Qiong Peak had already fled over three thousand miles away, silently awaiting the third Heavenly Punishment.

In front of the mountain gate, Sect Master Ji Wuyou flew to Li Changshou's paper effigy and asked via voice transmission: "Changshou, are you... alright?"

Although Li Changshou's heart was bleeding and his body was in severe pain, he still honestly made a Daoist bow and replied via voice transmission: "Thank you for your concern, Sect Master. This disciple is fine. However, may I ask the Sect Master to help this disciple conceal the matter of Heavenly Punishment? Due to certain unmentionable reasons, this disciple cannot reveal other identities within the Human Dao Sect... I humbly request the Sect Master's assistance!"

Ji Wuyou couldn't help but show a knowing smile, and said gently, "Rest assured, I understand everything. Tell me, how can I cooperate with you?"

Li Changshou calmly transmitted a few words, enduring the fourth Heavenly Punishment even as he spoke, causing the paper effigy to tremble slightly. The injuries weren't significant, but the pain was real.

A moment later, Ji Wuyou coughed a few times, and his calm voice spread everywhere: "Changshou, that Blood Essence Gem of the Witch Race I gave you was for you to study the Dao of formations. Today, that Blood Essence Gem attracted Heavenly Punishment and even flew away on its own. What is your transgression?"

Li Changshou hurriedly bowed his head and admitted his mistake, "This disciple asks the Sect Master to punish him!" "Hmm, I shall punish you by suspending your monthly allowance for thirty years, and after your junior sister's tribulation, you shall remain secluded on Little Qiong Peak for thirty years. Do you accept this punishment?" "This disciple willingly accepts the punishment for losing the treasure!"

Thereupon, Ji Wuyou nodded and continued to stand before Li Changshou, watching Ling'e undergoing tribulation on the desolate mountain. Li Changshou also breathed a sigh of relief at this moment; his true body glanced at the gray cloud, which seemed to be taking a halftime break. Fortunately, this Heavenly Punishment wasn't too severe. Having withstood four bolts of Heavenly Punishment, Li Changshou's injuries were not too serious.

He finally had the chance to add that sentence... "This disciple willingly accepts the punishment, and thanks the Heavenly Dao Lord for taking time from his busy schedule to admonish him." His heart immediately felt much more at ease.

Following this, Li Changshou lowered his head to look at his charred Dao body, used immortal power to seal his injuries, and raised a hand to swallow a handful of pills. Employing Wind Escape, he quickly moved a hundred miles away to continue receiving Heavenly Punishment.

The fifth Heavenly Punishment arrived belatedly, its power similar to the previous four. Li Changshou endured it, quickly healing himself while also keeping an eye on his junior sister's situation. Not being right beside his junior sister to timely remind her of the order to take pills and use spells made him constantly feel a bit uneasy. Fortunately...

Although he was unexpectedly "cared for" by the Heavenly Dao Lord again, Li Changshou felt somewhat depressed, but Ling'e's performance during her Heavenly Tribulation was all within his calculations. In fact, for every bolt of Heavenly Tribulation that fell, the percentage of magic power Ling'e retained was very close to Li Changshou's estimates. This was indeed the junior sister he had raised himself!

Ling'e's seventh Heavenly Tribulation, a divine thunderbolt with purple mixed in white, leveled the desolate mountain below. Blood seeped from Ling'e's forehead and shoulders, and her clothes were somewhat torn. Yet Ling'e still divided a portion of her magic power to tightly envelop her entire body. Her beautiful eyes revealed an unprecedented determination. Although she didn't know if it was because no one but her senior brother could see her, or because she was determined to pass the tribulation and become an immortal, experiencing boundless joy; but this... was all conviction!

When the eighth Heavenly Tribulation fell, Ling'e inevitably sustained injuries, but a few third-grade and fourth-grade healing spirit pills suppressed the injuries immediately. Overall, it was smooth sailing, without any major scares.

But when the vast tribulation clouds collapsed inward, manifesting nine hundred-foot-tall immortal fairy visions, Li Changshou, who had just withstood the seventh Heavenly Punishment, also felt a bit nervous. There should only be one last bolt of Heavenly Punishment left, and the amount of its power was already low. However, his junior sister's final Heavenly Tribulation, to Li Changshou's surprise, was not strong.

Could it be that the Heavenly Dao Lord, in order to strike him, temporarily diverted a portion of the Heavenly Dao's power to form Heavenly Punishment, thus slightly weakening the power of Ling'e's tribulation? Regardless, this was naturally a good thing.

At this point, eighty percent of Ling'e's Dao body had transformed into an immortal body. According to this estimation, after the last tribulation lightning, her immortal foundation would definitely be complete and perfect. In the air, the nine vaguely outlined fairy maidens raised their hands, and a purple lightning orb, over a hundred feet in diameter, rapidly condensed; as the lightning orb pressed down, the visions of the nine fairy maidens shattered from top to bottom, turning into scattered clouds filling the sky. In a blink of an eye, this lightning tribulation, as if capable of sinking the earth, violently struck Ling'e!

Inside Duxian Sect, countless disciples held their breath. The disciples who had just passed their own tribulations felt their foreheads tingle and uttered various exclamations of admiration. The stronger the Heavenly Tribulation, the higher the potential after becoming an immortal. And with Ling'e's Heavenly Tribulation being so perilous, she was very likely to pass it... The phrases "Golden Immortal potential" and "immortal sprout" were truly well-deserved.

"Senior Brother!" Blue Ling'e, facing the lightning orb overhead, suddenly looked back. Although she vaguely sensed that her Senior Brother here was a paper effigy, she still couldn't suppress the impulse in her heart. Knowing her Senior Brother disliked ostentation, she used a Wind Speech Spell to transmit a soft message into Li Changshou's ear. Then, Ling'e turned to face the falling lightning tribulation in the sky, her graceful and slender figure leaping up from above the desolate mountain. Her dark hair danced wildly, her skirts fluttered; with a delicate hand, she grasped her sword and directly slashed at the lightning! She charged straight into the lightning tribulation, unleashing all her magic power!

"Senior Brother... I will definitely become your Dao companion..."

Over three thousand miles away, in a deep pit. Li Changshou lay at the bottom of the pit, his entire body charred black like charcoal. He opened his mouth and exhaled a mouthful of bloody qi. A tribulation is a tribulation, what's with all the unnecessary emotional drama? And daring to pull a stunt by forcefully charging into the lightning tribulation to look cool? The stone slabs on the mountain probably won't be enough for you to write and erase your immortal life...

Silently, Li Changshou exhaled. His immortal power quickly recovered, and he activated Earth Escape, his figure directly disappearing from the bottom of the pit. He was about to rush back to Duxian Sect, to Little Qiong Peak to safely heal his injuries, but after only escaping a few hundred miles, Li Changshou suddenly let out a soft exclamation. His immortal sense captured something: approximately two thousand miles to his southeast, a black leopard carrying a young girl was continuously galloping through the forest. This black leopard... For some inexplicable reason, a trace of mysterious feeling arose in Li Changshou's heart. However, his true body was currently injured, so he would absolutely not act rashly. He merely casually sent out a Golden Immortal-level paper effigy to see why these two seemingly weak demon-race beings would appear in this location. And why did this black leopard give him a peculiar sense of familiarity?