Chapter 178 Gong Shirao, from the time she woke up early, ...

Gong Shirao felt uneasy from the moment she woke up.

After agonizing over it all morning, she couldn't resist opening the psychic mirror and sending a message to Jiaoyue.

There was no response for a long time.

But she was in the Southwest Region, and even though she was worried, there wasn't much she could do. She could only force herself to handle her family affairs in an orderly manner as before, watching the spirit stones gradually increase, and comforting herself that no matter what happened to Jiaoyue, at least Jiaoyue wouldn't lack spirit stones.

"Madam, someone wants to see you."

"who?"

"That person said he was the acting patriarch of the Xie clan, one of the four great celestial families in the Buzhou Immortal Realm."

Gong Shirao was speechless: "You have to tell me this kind of thing?"

Should we believe that person or believe she is a reincarnated ascended cultivator?

Gong Shirao waved her hand: "Just send them away. If they seem to have some hidden injuries, you can give them some spirit stones or pills."

The man in black, who rarely left the Buzhou Immortal Realm, tilted his head in confusion after hearing the bowing servant's apologetic words.

Why can't I see it?

don't know.

He unearthed the Xie family nameplate, upon which the powerful and vigorous character "Xie" was engraved. After years of handling, the nameplate had lost its sharp edges, but the character "Xie" still retained its elegance.

He handed it over.

The servant glanced at it and then took out a handful of spirit stones: "So it's an old friend. Are you in trouble? These should be enough to help you out of your predicament."

Although the First Madam's surname is not Xie, she is beautiful, kind-hearted, and loves to make friends. The person in front of her must be extremely moved.

As the man in black watched the door slowly close, he finally understood that he had been mistaken for a poor relative trying to freeload off him.

This was beyond the capabilities of the men in black.

Fortunately, he was never good at handling interpersonal relationships, and now he just has another piece of evidence.

He shrugged, gathered his energy, and vanished from his spot in an instant.

When it reappeared, it was in front of the immortal abode of the Xie family patriarch.

The patriarch, who had anticipated this, was already waiting there, blocking the way for the man in black.

"Didn't we agree that you would never come looking for me?"

The old ancestor squatted on a tree branch, looking rather unseemly, his eyes full of impatience.

The man in black wasn't angry, but his tone was aggrieved: "The Xie clan hasn't had a clan leader for a hundred years."

“One hundred years. We have agreed that you will return to the position of clan leader after one hundred years.”

The patriarch interrupted the man in black: "Don't spread rumors. When the last patriarch died, I said, 'Give me a hundred years, and I will find you a patriarch, not become the patriarch myself.'"

The man in black tried to understand, but ultimately failed: "There's no difference. I'll make you the clan leader."

The phrase "give you to me" sounds like they have some kind of special relationship.

"Stop." The old ancestor quickly covered the black-clad man's mouth and carefully looked around to make sure there were no people holding notebooks before letting him go.

She smiled like a sunflower at noon: "My cultivation has deteriorated to the point where I'm not even as high as that little girl."

She's proud!

She was never fit to be the clan leader. She just wanted to eat, drink, and lie around. What was wrong with that?

Moreover, she was originally a useless person. She was just an ordinary person with three spiritual roots. Her talent points had nothing to do with her cultivation level. If it weren't for her parents being too strong, she would never have been able to have such a high cultivation level.

Things that don't belong to her are better left to degenerate.

Man in black: ?

Don't go too far.

The patriarch rolled his eyes: "Go find her. I'm passing the position of clan leader to her!"

Man in black: ?

That's even more outrageous.

Is this really the case? Is there really nothing wrong with this world?

The demonic energy trapped everyone in this large open space, which had originally made people feel safe, but now made them feel like they had nowhere to hide.

Chu Xingjin had long since become the absolute center of attention. He pointed his long sword in a certain direction, and a series of attacks followed the same point, briefly breaking through the monster's defenses, splashing out corrosive blood, and leaving pools of black water on the ground.

The monster didn't appear to be seriously injured, but it was enraged by the pain, its mouth opening and closing as it emitted piercing screams that assaulted people's nerves.

"Can we really win?"

A murmur, seemingly coming from nowhere, successfully ignited the suppressed fear in people's hearts.

Chu Xingjin's shouts awakened people's courage, constantly adding weight to one side of the scale, barely maintaining the fragile balance.

Until even he realized that they probably really couldn't win.

But he didn't say it aloud. Instead, he continued to encourage everyone around him, making them part of his weapon to attack the monster before them.

He charged ahead, at the very front, amidst the brilliance of magical treasures and the hum of swords. Every move he made was filled with unparalleled courage, the kind of spirit every cultivator aspires to.

All eyes were on him, and a pervasive gray-black demonic aura surrounded him. In a daze, it was impossible to tell whether the demonic aura came from the demonic beast or from Chu Xingjin.

Baili Wu, a disciple of the Baili clan, shook his head when he had this idea. How could that be? Young Master Chu is a man of noble character. Although he has a minor flaw of currying favor, he is still courageous and insightful. Naturally, he would not associate with magical beasts.

He originally thought he would stand in Chu Xingjin's position, but he didn't expect that someone was more valiant and more suitable for this position, leading everyone to face the monsters together.

Perhaps this is why he is not the number one in the Baili clan, and why he is not as good as his brother and cannot enter the top ten in the overall competition.

That feeling between life and death is the most captivating, and it is also the only way for cultivators to break through.

Naturally, Chu Xingjin felt the same way.

What a great opportunity! A battle with a way out, a battle that is both extreme and safe.

The fastest way to improve one's cultivation level is through life-or-death battles.

Chu Xingjin was afraid of death; he didn't want to gamble with his life.

But the opportunity right now couldn't be better.

An enraged monster, and teammates with decent cultivation levels.

And a pre-planned escape route.

Baili Wu was the first to notice the change in the atmosphere.

"The concentration of spiritual energy is increasing."

"What happened?"

"Is someone about to break through?"

Could it be Chu Xingjin?!

Auspicious clouds began to surge within the cloud layer, a mixture of bright yellow and dark orange, rolling layer upon layer until they reached the top of Chu Xingjin's head.

It really is Chu Xingjin about to break through!

Although he is not yet a Nascent Soul cultivator, the fact that he has undergone a tribulation at the late Golden Core stage means that it will be very easy for Chu Xingjin to break through his core and become a Nascent Soul cultivator in the future.

Chu Xingjin couldn't help but laugh. Who could have imagined that his cultivation would progress so quickly?

Those people hadn't lied to him after all; this cultivation method was indeed effective!

"Chu Xingjin, are you crazy?" Xie Jiaoyue shouted amidst the thunder and rain.

Chu Xingjin's breakthrough was too sudden.

What will happen to the others once the lightning tribulation strikes?

Xie Jiaoyue's loud shout startled the shocked crowd. Baili Wu subconsciously looked at the demonic beast and saw that the originally fierce demonic beast was actually suppressed by the power of the lightning tribulation. It was lying on the side warily, and the demonic energy on its body surged. It surrounded its huge body and formed an airtight shield.

Yes, heavenly lightning contains the righteous energy of the world and is naturally able to suppress demonic beasts. They probably couldn't defeat this demonic beast before, but now, there's absolutely no problem!

Some clever little devils have already raised their weapons again, intending to take advantage of the situation and kill him.

"ah."

A sharp scream rang out.

It's human voices, not Warcraft.

Who's screaming?

The source of the scream was kneeling on the ground, blood spurting from the hand holding the weapon. Electricity crackled all over his body, and he trembled uncontrollably in place. The weapon struck the ground rhythmically, making a series of crisp clanging sounds.

He was struck by lightning.

The lightning has no consciousness; everyone within its range will be attacked without distinction.

Warcraft can be attacked, and so can they.

Even if their cultivation level is high enough, they might not be able to withstand the heavenly lightning even with careful preparation. Their cultivation level is insufficient, and they are not prepared. The danger is not only for the demonic beasts, but also for them.

Baili Tungsten ran out immediately.

The monsters have simply sealed it off with demonic energy. They're currently suppressed, but if they go all out, they might be able to carve out a path.

But when he actually got to a place about a hundred meters away from the monster and cast multiple spells, he found that the boundary had changed.

The lightning tribulation, mixed with demonic energy, has completely disrupted the five elements of spiritual energy here, throwing everything into chaos, as chaotic as a swirling storm at sea, with no way to break it.

I can't live without it.

Baili Wu finally realized that they were trapped here. Their cultivation levels were uneven, and they were caught between demonic beasts and lightning tribulations. What should they do?

He felt a surge of resentment; why did Chu Xingjin have to choose this time to advance?

Could Chu Xingjin have done this on purpose?

Chu Xingjin noticed the questioning looks from the others, but he didn't care. What did it matter if he died?

Incompetent people are no big deal.

Even Xie Jiaoyue.

That woman witnessed his shame and trampled his self-esteem underfoot; she deserves to die.

But he had loved her after all, and he would remember to shed a tear for Xie Jiaoyue after his breakthrough.

When another clap of thunder sounded, no one continued to attack the monster. They stood there blankly, caught off guard by the indiscriminate wrath of the heavens.

Lightning so intense it blinded the eye swept across the heavens and earth, piercing through the entire body. A tearing, excruciating pain first came from the top of the head, then seeped into every corner of the limbs, making one wish to smash their head against the ground and end their miserable life.

No, why should it end! I don't want it to end!

Escape! Escape now! Crush the bracelet, trigger the teleportation talisman, activate the lightness skill, and try every possible way to leave this place.

Then, they couldn't leave.

Everyone is experiencing the same despair that Baili Wu just went through.

The inability to leave—that's the cruel meaning behind it all.

After the numbing sensation from the lightning subsided, Gong Shichuo's first reaction was to retrieve the Spirit Mirror, at least to send a message to his sister, telling her where his secret stash of money was hidden.

Although my sister may not be able to see it.

With a flick of her sword, Xie Jiaoyue snatched the whip that had been obediently resting on Gong Shichuo's body into her hand.

"You're using a whip made of pure metal? Can I borrow it for a moment?"

"Never mind, this is your natal magical artifact. Let's get another one. Do you have any magical artifacts made primarily of copper?"

Gong Shichuo, who was engrossed in his text message, looked up and asked: Huh?

Seeing that Gong Shichuo did not reply, Xie Jiaoyue pressed on, "Silver? Gold? Titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel?"

Gong Shichuo: ...

Who would use such an ordinary mortal object to create a magical artifact?

And what exactly is that long string of incantations that follows!