Chapter 17 Risking Life and Death "Have you thought about what we're going to do next...?"
On a desolate Quebec land, changes are taking place today.
Dark clouds churned above the inn, flashes of lightning crackling around it. The building, meant to shelter from the wind and rain, seemed diminished by the dense fog, as if it were about to collapse.
Sensing something unusual, Tang Huairou quickly broke free from her meditation, stood up, walked to the window, and, disregarding whether she would be noticed, looked up at the sky. The previously dimmed sky was now obscured, but it hadn't lost its color; instead, a new hue had been added to the flowing sunset clouds, the changes in brightness rising and falling slowly like breathing, presenting an exceptionally beautiful scene.
Simmons noticed the change in her surroundings later, woke up from her dream, walked to Tang Huairou's side, and followed her gaze to the sky.
"Isn't this just a normal tribulation of lightning? All cultivators have to go through it..." she mumbled, confused. "It's the first time I've seen stars so early in the sky, so bright they're like the moon..."
The illusion in her dream had barely dissipated when she was still recovering. As soon as she finished speaking, she seemed to realize something was wrong and slapped her forehead: "Wait a minute! We're still in Kuizhou! Your fellow disciple is in such a hurry, undergoing tribulation right now?! Now those things down there will be waiting for their meal!"
Her words hit the nail on the head. At this moment, the ghosts and monsters in the state, no longer shielded by the sunlight, had turned deathly pale, their canines bared, and their backs bent. They sensed the spiritual energy and saw the tribulation lightning surging in the sky, and their faces lit up with wild joy.
It's a cultivator. A cultivator undergoing tribulation—if they fail and perish, they'll have a feast. The spiritual energy within the cultivator's body... a cultivator transcends the mortal body...
They crawled with their withered limbs, drool dripping from the corners of their mouths, and swam rapidly toward the inn in a contorted manner.
Hearing the commotion outside, Tang Huairou's already unpleasant expression worsened, and her pale eyes filled with anxiety.
She paced back and forth, whispering, "Our mission is very important. Junior Sister Qiao must have suppressed her cultivation for a long time, and now she can no longer suppress it, which is why she broke through. Putting aside the ghosts and monsters on the outside, the tribulation she has to overcome this time is extremely dangerous."
Just now, as she gazed at the horizon, she saw that flowing purple light amidst the clouds. Individually, it wasn't particularly vibrant, but hidden in the dark clouds, it was breathtakingly eerie. Tang Huairou had already been astonished that Qiao Yanshen, a Qi Refining cultivator, could control a sword—most cultivators, even at the late Qi Refining stage, struggled to wield their swords, let alone fly. If Qiao Yanshen's spiritual power wasn't exceptionally pure and vast, then his sword must possess something special. She had already confirmed on the way that the longsword he used was merely an ordinary iron sword, not even a low-grade magic weapon.
Unexpectedly, her fellow disciple gave her a big surprise upon arrival—no, it should be called a big shock.
Who would encounter such purple tribulation lightning on their first tribulation?! Although she knew little about it, she had heard her master say that some cultivators were blessed with extraordinary talent, and the tribulation lightning they encountered was of an unusual color, being the most dangerous divine lightning sent down by the Heavenly Dao.
When this was mentioned, she remembered that her master's expression was subtle, and he added, "In fact, our Emperor Taihui also had such a student, but... well, the past cannot be recalled."
Master probably never expected that not long after she brought this up, a second strange phenomenon during her tribulation would appear.
Just how much have these two junior sisters been hiding from her? Could it be that they have some deep-seated, bitter past, or some rebellious thought that led to divine retribution?
Remembering what Simmons had said, Tang Huairou looked back at the sky and saw a star appearing on the eastern side of the heavens. Even though night had not yet fallen, it emitted an unusually bright white light, shining brilliantly. Beside the star, there seemed to be some tiny, fragmented stars, appearing and disappearing, enveloping the main star.
Alright, now there's more than one strange phenomenon.
Qiao Yanshen seemed to realize that disaster was imminent. His brows furrowed and his face paled. He said, "The first one is coming down soon."
Seeing that they were drenched in cold sweat even though they weren't screaming, Shen Lixia knew something was wrong and immediately realized the severity of the situation. It seemed that her senior sister was about to be struck by ordinary lightning.
However, she had no spiritual energy in her body, so what could she do for her senior sister? Shen Lixia suddenly regretted not trying more in the past few days—why didn't she go and pluck all the spiritual herbs and stuff them in her mouth? Maybe she could have gained some cultivation.
"What if..." Shen Lixia leaned closer and asked cautiously, "What if you fail to transcend the tribulation?"
Tang Huairou sighed, "They will be annihilated and cease to exist in this world. I won't say more. You all guard the surroundings. With the divine thunder here, those evil spirits will not dare to approach rashly, but once its power weakens, I'm afraid the wooden door of this hut will not be able to withstand a few knocks."
After saying, "I'm going to protect Junior Sister Qiao," she sat down not far from Qiao Yanshen and began circulating her spiritual energy, adding layers of protective qi to him. Healers possess profound spiritual energy; while their offensive power is somewhat weaker than that of ordinary cultivators, they are better able to protect and heal. Left aside, Shen Lixia watched Qiao Yanshen, whose body was enveloped in azure spiritual energy and whose eyes were a clear, bright color. The anxiety in her heart returned, tinged with a hidden pain that deepened with each heartbeat, making her momentarily feel as if she couldn't breathe.
Simmons pulled her close, shoved the sandalwood incense into her hand, and said helplessly, "Help me set up the formation. Luckily, I not only learned cultivation techniques in Buddhism, but also some basic life-saving methods..."
As if resigned to her fate, she sighed deeply, muttering, "Today we're truly in this together. Fellow Daoist, please light the incense; I'll come back later to replenish the rest... We can't lose this only one who can fight..."
Indeed, two of them in this group have no cultivation, while one is a medical cultivator. When it really comes down to a battle, Qiao Yanshen will definitely be one of the important forces.
Shen Lixia sighed, reluctantly withdrawing her gaze from Qiao Yanshen. She prayed in her heart that her senior sister would be safe and sound, and began to arrange the formation around the room according to Simmons' instructions. Just as she took a step, Qiao Yanshen's gentle voice came through her divine sense:
"Don't be afraid."
She felt a lump in her throat. Turning around, she saw that although Qiao Yanshen's face was somewhat pale, his blue eyes were still gentle and clear as a mirror, showing no fear, as if she were not the one standing before life and death.
How could she not be afraid? She only had one senior sister in this world; if she lost her, where would she find another? "Soul scattered"—four simple words, yet they represent an irreversible end. Shen Lixia wouldn't be able to retrieve even a single fragment. In this place, her senior sister was her only support; although they had only spent half a month together, they had already developed a considerable connection. Tang Huairou was indeed a good person, but she was different from Qiao Yanshen—Qiao Yanshen was special.
He was someone she never wanted to let go of again.
The thought popped up strangely, and Shen Lixia touched the corner of her eye. The spot she touched was already burning hot, as if tears were about to fall.
She turned her head away to continue setting up the formation. The overwhelming footsteps outside were alarming, and she had no time to think.
Tang Huairou poured all her spiritual power into the lightning, and summoned a longsword engraved with runes, intending to block most of the tribulation lightning for Qiao Yanshen. She had never seen the Purple Heaven Divine Lightning before, so she could only do her best to help Qiao Yanshen reduce its power.
When everything was ready, the first bolt of lightning struck through the roof and crashed down, flashing purple lightning. In an instant, everything in the world was illuminated by white light, silently watching this terrifying power descend.
With her protective aura dissipating most of its power, Qiao Yanshen circulated her spiritual energy to resist the aftershocks of the tribulation lightning that had seeped into her meridians. This was the first time she had experienced such a sensation; it felt as if this sharp, blade-like aura was about to shred all her spiritual veins. Yet, it also contained a vast amount of spiritual energy originating from the Heavenly Dao, forcing her to resist and absorb it. Normally, cultivators seeking only survival during tribulation, merely expelling the lightning's power, but she used her spiritual energy to envelop her meridians, trapping the remaining power of the tribulation lightning within her body. This power was slowly eroded by the gentle, water-like blue spiritual energy, eventually assimilating and merging with the surging current.
She continued to dissipate the tribulation lightning in this way, and felt the previously turbulent spiritual energy, like boiling water, settle down. Her cultivation, which had been fluctuating after breaking through to the next realm, gradually became stable.
As the third bolt of lightning struck, everyone present heard a slight cracking sound. Tang Huairou's expression changed, and she quickly held her longsword beside Qiao Yanshen.
The protective aura that seemed to hold up for a few more moments shattered completely in an instant.
The formation was in place. Shen Lixia watched this scene and suddenly felt that the first two bolts of lightning were like the Heavenly Dao testing whether the environment was suitable. It struck casually twice first, and only started to get serious after confirming that everything was in order.
The third bolt of lightning, no longer a fleeting flash, now possessed terrifying power, rushing forth almost endlessly. The previously faint flashes of electricity beside him intensified, revealing a clearly visible surge of bright purple light. It pierced through his protective aura and struck Qiao Yanshen directly, even deflecting the longsword that was blocking his attack.
Before Qiao Yanshen could dispel the violent aura of the tribulation lightning, he heard another boom, and two more bolts of tribulation lightning struck down in succession.
As the lightning pierced her body, causing excruciating pain, a thought flashed through her mind—could it be that because she did not belong to this world, the Heavenly Dao was determined to destroy her?
However, the pain left her no time to think. Although her body wasn't covered in burnt residue like other cultivators who had been struck by lightning, the lightning's power penetrated deep into her meridians, flowing into her body along with her spiritual energy. It not only ravaged her recently stabilized cultivation but also caused everything to boil over once more, as if it were slowly dismantling her and boiling her in a never-ending stream of water. Crimson lines appeared on the young cultivator's body, crisscrossing like fine tree branches or cracks in parched earth, quickly winding up to her neck, a horrifying sight.
Her spiritual veins are dissolving.
Qiao Yanshen realized this and quickly cut off all perception of his surroundings, focusing his mind on his body. In the pitch black, he held his breath and tried his best to regulate and resist the excruciating pain brought by the rampaging lightning. Cold sweat kept seeping out, only to be evaporated by his excessive body temperature. His icy water elemental energy also seemed to be ignited, with the two extreme temperatures constantly clashing.
"Why is Heaven doing this?!"
Tang Huairou gritted her teeth and continued to inject spiritual energy, almost losing control of the amount due to her chaotic emotions. Seeing that Qiao Yanshen's condition had not improved, she made a firm decision and forcibly extracted more pure spiritual energy, causing the color of the string of green leaves in her hair to dim slightly.
Even if it costs me my cultivation, I can't let my junior sister perish here.
On the other side, Shen Lixia grabbed Xi Mengsi's shoulder and shook her frantically. Xi Mengsi was so confused by her and shocked by the power of the tribulation lightning that she couldn't say a word. She could only hold the Buddhist beads and hope that the gods in the sky would show their power.
This isn't a mental demonic tribulation; even her dream-creating techniques can't help her!
As the sixth bolt of tribulation lightning was about to strike, Tang Huairou gasped for breath, supporting herself on the ground with one hand; her magical artifact had turned a withered yellow. Each bolt of lightning was more powerful than the last, striking with incredible speed, truly happening in the blink of an eye. Qiao Yanshen raised his hand to his chest, his brows furrowed, and suddenly a stream of blood spilled from his lips, splattering onto his snow-white robes.
Her body was now covered in lightning, a sharp aura swirling around the originally gentle water elemental energy, each flow burning away a portion of her meridians. Her consciousness seemed to be affected; she could no longer control her five senses, and the darkness that had been brought about by her previous voluntary shutdown was gradually becoming uncontrollable, as if something deeper was dissipating.
It's probably a soul.
However, unable to speak, they could only cling to their last slim chance to resist.
Seeing that Tang Huairou was no longer able to help, Shen Lixia released the Simmons mattress and rushed over to tightly embrace Qiao Yanshen, whose eyes were closed and whose breath was weak, the instant the lightning struck. The lightning illuminated her face, making her resolute expression clearly visible.
It also made the bright red color in his eyes appear as hot as a flame.
Simmons had just recovered from her daze when she witnessed this scene, and her vision went black.
Okay, one damages their own cultivation, the other directly sacrifices themselves—this is the so-called demeanor of proper cultivators. Even after being thrown into a pot by the ghouls and cooked through, their bones will still be hard.
No, bones are naturally hard.
She took a deep breath, focusing her energy in her lower abdomen.
In the flickering, dim chaos, a panicked and angry voice broke through the shackles, almost drowning out the roaring, vast lightning.
"Have you even thought about how we're going to survive?!"
A note from the author:
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Master Xi: I need compensation for emotional distress, payment for services rendered, reimbursement of spirit stones, overtime pay... (counting on his fingers)
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