Chapter 186 Collective Tribulation: Qin Muyan Ascends

The sound spread to every corner. Everyone who came out of the ancient secret realm was first stunned, and then scattered and fled. Some flew on swords, some rode on flying artifacts, and some even flew directly into the air.

Those who left first didn't have the habit of watching others undergo their tribulation. They could tell from the dark clouds overhead that this tribulation was unprecedented in scale, something none of them had ever seen before. To save their lives, it was best to retreat first.

But after they had flown with all their might for a while and still hadn't escaped the area shrouded in dark clouds, some of them lost their composure.

The sword cultivator from the sect, who was flying on his sword, looked up towards the sky, then exclaimed in despair, "This isn't right! How come we haven't even flown out of the lightning tribulation range yet?!"

A fellow practitioner said, "Could it be the Mahayana Thunder Tribulation?"

Another Nascent Soul cultivator from a sect said, "It doesn't look like it to me. This scale is more like an ascension tribulation!"

"Ascension Tribulation? You're joking—" The cultivator, who instinctively liked to retort, was startled by the thunderous sound and swallowed the rest of his words. Damn! This scale... it might really be an Ascension Tribulation!

Many of the fleeing cultivators looked back, wondering which powerful deity was about to ascend!

Those who evacuated first panicked, and those who hadn't evacuated yet also panicked!

Some were undergoing the Integration Tribulation, others the Mahayana Tribulation, and Qin Muyan was even undergoing the Ascension Tribulation. Many people had improved their cultivation to varying degrees. In the later stages of the Ancient Battlefield, their cultivation had not changed for a long time, and they thought they would not break through. However, after leaving the Ancient Battlefield, they caught everyone off guard.

"No, I've broken through to the late Nascent Soul stage?"

"I've also broken through, advancing two minor realms!"

"Stop arguing! I'm breaking through a major realm beyond my current level and about to undergo tribulation! Help! I'm completely unprepared!"

"Fellow Daoists! Family members! I am no match for the seniors, and I only wish to undergo the Nascent Soul Tribulation. Does anyone know a quiet and safe place? If I stay here and undergo the tribulation with the big shots, I will be blasted into dust!"

The scene was chaotic. On the Xianxiao Sect's side, Elder Lian had already taken the initiative to leave the crowd, but even so, his Mahayana lightning tribulation would still affect many people.

Qin Muyan's situation was even worse. His tribulation was an ascension lightning tribulation, with dark clouds pressing down overhead, like an endless giant churning, seemingly capable of swallowing everything in the world in the next second!

His situation was unusual, and he didn't even dare to leave the area easily, for fear that if he went somewhere where people lived, the lightning strike would bring danger to the surrounding area.

This place is different; he had just expanded his divine sense as much as possible, and there were no signs of human habitation around him.

Lou Shuhe released several flying boats and ordered the rest of the Immortal Firmament Sect: "Immortal Firmament Sect cultivators who are not undergoing tribulation lightning, listen up! Everyone board the flying boats and leave this place immediately. There will be ascension tribulation lightning and Mahayana tribulation lightning here. I repeat, all irrelevant personnel must evacuate immediately!"

"Flying... Flying Tribulation!" An Xiwen stammered, startling many others as well.

Those cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage had only one thought: escape!

After Lou Shuhe finished speaking, the next second, the Immortal Firmament Sect cultivators who did not need to undergo tribulation boarded the flying boat and sped towards the sect.

Lou Shuhe, a cultivator from another sect, had no say in the matter and wouldn't interfere; she only needed to confirm the safety of the cultivators from the Immortal Firmament Sect.

Whether it was the patriarch's belated ascension tribulation or Fellow Daoist Lian's Mahayana tribulation, both of them needed someone to protect them.

Originally, he was struggling with which person to protect, but then Song Yin and Shi Heming beside him also experienced a surge in their cultivation! Shi Heming broke through to the early stage of the Integration Realm, while Song Yin's cultivation surged to the peak of the Integration Realm. With a little more effort, she could reach the early stage of the Tribulation Transcending Realm!

Song Yin sensed something and, thinking she should press on, immediately took out several bottles of spiritual energy replenishing pills, poured them into her mouth one after another, and then forcefully circulated her energy to break through again.

"Are you crazy!" Wen Zhiling immediately stopped him. "The Tribulation of Integration is not simple. If you break through to the Tribulation Transcending stage, the power of the Tribulation will only be more terrifying!"

Wen Zhiling was still a step too slow. Song Yin was just one step away from breaking through to the early stage of the Tribulation Transcending Realm, and this spiritual energy helped her make up for that last step.

Song Yin successfully entered the Tribulation Transcending stage at the age of over three hundred, almost four hundred.

Unprecedented!

After seeing off the rest of the Immortal Cloud Sect, Qi Zibo returned to find Song Yin and Shi Heming both breaking through to a higher level. "Are you also going to undergo tribulation? Hurry! Find another place so that their Mahayana or Ascension tribulations don't affect you."

Wen Zhiling: "I will protect Song Yin during her tribulation-stage lightning tribulation, and Qi Zibo, you will protect Shi Heming during his fusion-stage lightning tribulation."

"It's useless for us to go through Senior Qin's ascension tribulation; we can only ask Ancestor Lou to protect him."

Lou Shuhe: "That's the only way." People have varying degrees of closeness or distance, and they chose those they were close to.

Song Yin then raised her hand and interjected, "I think Elder Lian needs protection more. You don't need to worry about Shi Heming and me, because we won't have the ascension tribulation. This is a reward we received a long time ago."

Shi Heming: "Yinyin is right."

The two spoke with absolute certainty. Looking up at the sky, although dark clouds covered the area, they did not appear to be about to strike down on them.

In other words, what the two of them said was the absolute truth.

Lou Shuhe: "..."

Wen Zhiling: "..."

Qi Zibo: "..."

I'm speechless! What kind of person is this?!

"Now is not the time to argue about this. Since you two don't need to undergo the tribulation, then come and help us." Lou Shuhe directly ordered the two to protect the others, because there were still several people in the Immortal Firmament Sect who needed to break through.

Dark clouds shrouded this place as many people undergo tribulation, and a strong wind blew through their clothes and hair.

The cultivators who escaped the area affected by the lightning tribulation immediately spread the news of this place.

That day, thunder roared continuously, as if people thousands of miles away could hear it.

Song Yin was protecting a fellow disciple who was undergoing the tribulation of becoming a divine being. At the same time, she looked in the direction of the patriarch, where her view was unobstructed and she could use her divine sense to observe the details of the situation there.

"Prepare these pills first. I'll protect you. Putting everything else aside, there will be plenty of pills," Song Yin said to the female cultivator who was about to undergo the Nascent Soul Tribulation.

The female cultivator looked grateful upon hearing this and said from the bottom of her heart, "Thank you very much, Elder Song, for helping to protect me and for giving me the pills. I am deeply grateful! I owe Elder Song a favor today."

The female mage had barely finished speaking when lightning struck her directly.

Rumble—!!!

Thunder roared in my ears, and the air was filled with the damp scent of grass and trees.

Song Yin cast several layers of protective barriers around herself, ensuring that no one interfered with the female mage's entire process of undergoing the Nascent Soul Tribulation.

Song Yin guessed that most of the people who remained were probably drawn to the Ascension Tribulation and the Mahayana Tribulation, so they didn't need to worry about the other tribulations being disturbed. Of course, it was also possible that others discovered she was there to protect them, and therefore dared not act rashly.

The tribulation lasted a long time, with thunder never ceasing. During this time, many high-level cultivators who received the news rushed over, just to witness the legendary ascension tribulation.

Golden light enveloped the female cultivator, and Song Yin knew that she had successfully passed her tribulation.

"Congratulations."

The female cultivator stood up and bowed deeply to Song Yin, "Thank you for your help, Elder Song. Without your help, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to survive today's tribulation."

She was telling the truth. Elder Song's elixir made up for her lack of preparation, and Elder Song's protection made up for the lack of a safe place.

Song Yin: "There's nothing seriously wrong with you. Now you can focus on consolidating your cultivation. I need to go check out other places."

"Yes." The female mage watched Song Yin leave.

After finishing her mission here, Song Yin rushed to Qin Muyan's place to watch the ancestral master's ascension tribulation.

The ascension tribulation lasted the longest, so long that even after Song Yin approached, the lightning continued to strike.

When she arrived, she saw a young cultivator facing the heavenly tribulation alone. Beneath the churning, low thunderclouds lay the cultivator's courage to challenge fate and his unwavering belief in moving forward.

The universe is vast, and humans are but a drop in the ocean.

That's why the high-level cultivators who rushed over were all deeply moved.

This is the lifelong pursuit of cultivators, a pursuit they will never give up, even if it means being shattered to pieces!

Song Yin was stunned by Qin Muyan's aura. At this moment, Qin Muyan was displaying his full strength and his aura was fully unleashed. For the first time, Song Yin felt the weight of the words "Grandmaster".

Lou Shuhe was in high spirits from the very beginning, gazing at the figure of her patriarch, speechless for a long time. Soon, she too would face today's scene, alone, resisting the tribulation of ascension!

Unlike others who had worried about his ascension tribulation, Qin Muyan faced the same danger. While his tribulation appeared imposing, its actual power was roughly equivalent to that of a Nascent Soul stage tribulation, something he had ample experience in dealing with. His past deeds hadn't been in vain; he remembered all those who had contributed to the world.

After an unknown amount of time, the dark clouds overhead began to thin, and celestial music resounded from all directions.

The moment the celestial music began, everyone knew: it was done!

"Excellent! This allows me to witness firsthand what the Ascension Tribulation looks like, and what ascension is all about!" A Mahayana cultivator who rushed to witness the event burst into tears, overwhelmed with emotion. It was clear from his appearance that he had been stuck at this realm for a long time. Although he had reached the pinnacle of the Profound Heaven Realm, he had yet to reach the threshold of ascension.

Reaching the Mahayana stage of cultivation but being unable to ascend is the greatest regret for a cultivator. After thousands or even tens of thousands of years of hard work, falling just short by a single step—how ​​can one not feel lifelong regret!

Song Yin was right next to the old man, while the others were further away.

So Song Yin said, "Senior, you've seen cultivators successfully ascend today. Perhaps you'll be the next one to ascend."

The old man was not a cultivator from the Immortal Firmament Sect. He turned his head and let out a long breath. "Thank you. I recognize you. You were the double champion of the Xuan Tian Tournament back then, a true prodigy."

Song Yin: "You flatter me, senior."

Like other tribulations, the Ascension Tribulation is followed by a golden light after successful completion. However, the golden light covering the entire body during the Ascension Tribulation marks the moment a person leaves the Xuan Tian Realm.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Qin Muyan uncontrollably ascended into the air, looking down upon the human world from within the golden light.

Everyone was watching him, some with admiration, some with envy, some with longing, some with curiosity, and so on.

In their eyes, his identity was a mystery; he was an ascensionist who suddenly appeared in the Xuan Tian Realm.

After reaching a certain altitude, the dark clouds that hadn't had time to dissipate turned into colorful clouds, the sky became clear and bright, and Qin Muyan's figure gradually became transparent.

In the final moments, Qin Muyan locked onto Song Yin among the many people.

The old man's heart skipped a beat, thinking that Qin Muyan was looking at him.

"Song Yin".

Qin Muyan's voice was heard by everyone, carrying a hint of newly emerging divinity. All eyes turned to Song Yin, and those unaware of the situation began to wonder about the relationship between the ascended senior and Song Yin.

Qin Muyan called out her name without saying anything else. He raised his right hand, palm up, and a stream of light shot out of the golden light before falling into Song Yin's arms.

The meaning is self-evident; this is a gift left to Song Yin by her ascended predecessor.

"Looking forward to meeting you in the Upper Realm."

After speaking, Qin Muyan's figure disappeared into the golden light, and at the same time, a spiritual rain fell. He had used a large amount of spiritual energy from this place to ascend, and the final spiritual rain nourished this land.

Qin Muyan's last sentence was seen by many as an encouragement to the others present, but only Song Yin and the others knew that it was clearly meant for them.

The patriarch from ten thousand years ago has only crossed paths with them in the present day.

After Qin Muyan disappeared for a while, everyone came to their senses. They saw Song Yin, the only one who had received a gift from the ascended senior, and slapped their forehead hard.

Song Yin: "Oh no! I forgot something important!" I forgot to ask the founder to leave a wisp of his soul in the sect, and now I've lost the benefits I was supposed to receive!

In her heart, Song Yin cried out: "Grandmaster—could you please come back for a moment?!"

Song Yin looked somewhat sad, and the old man next to her thought that Song Yin was reluctant to part with the other person.

Just now, Song Yin kindly advised the old man, and now the old man is also kindly advising Song Yin, "Don't be reluctant, you will still be able to see him again after you ascend."

Song Yin: No! You don't understand what I'm regretting!

Lou Shuhe flew to Song Yin's side and said, "Pack up and get ready to go back." Don't forget that you still have a spiritual vein on you. People who came out of the ancient battlefield were attracted by the ascension tribulation and forgot about the spiritual vein. Now that the ancestor has successfully ascended, they will remember the spiritual vein at any time.

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Author's Note: A short skit unrelated to the main text:

Song Yin: Grandmaster, don't go yet!

Qin Muyan: (I knew the kids would miss me) What is it?

Song Yin: Leave a wisp of your soul to teach us cultivation. Twenty-four-hour workday, unpaid. [Dog head with rose in hand]

Qin Muyan: Hehe, goodbye [clown][heartbroken]

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[Empty bowl]