Chapter 83 Tribulation
Qing Zhenling stroked his beard and stopped Qing Huan from leaving the house.
"There's no need to remind anyone; this lightning won't hurt anyone else."
"Huh?" Qinghuan glanced at the elder, then at the suddenly dense, dark clouds, and said worriedly, "But the weather looks..."
“This isn’t weather, it’s a tribulation of lightning,” Qingzhenling said solemnly. “It’s striking down from the ninth heaven. Whether he can withstand it depends on his own fate.”
"...A tribulation of lightning?? Who needs to undergo a tribulation of lightning? Why at this crucial moment? The Immortal Lord hasn't returned yet..." Qinghuan was taken aback and said, "Yes, the Immortal Lord needs to undergo a tribulation?"
Qingzhenling simply said, "It seems the matter at Qianlun Mountain is over."
"Elder! The Immortal Lord...!"
Qingjue's cultivation level is very high, but the scale of this lightning tribulation is a bit too exaggerated... Moreover, why is it after the Qianlun Mountain matter has been resolved?
“…Why?” Qinghuan frowned and said, “Could it be that the Immortal Lord did something wrong…”
"On the contrary, he has already done everything he could. This tribulation is his final test. Let's stay where we are and do our jobs, and let him focus on getting through this tribulation."
Not far from Shuiyun Lake, Qingjue and Jiezhou watched the thunderclouds in silence.
Finally, Jie Zhoujian couldn't help but speak up: "Master..."
"Ah, they're after me, aren't they?" Qingjue said.
It's actually quite surprising that he was only struck down now, considering he violated the rules of this world and did so many outrageous things.
"But this kind of tribulation is really... Speaking of which, could it lead to ascension to immortality? If so, wouldn't I become the first person to do so?"
Qingjue remained relaxed, taking a step forward and saying, "Then I'll stay here. There are no civilians nearby, so there's no need to worry about harming innocent people. During the day, you go back and report on the situation on our side. After I'm done..."
“Master!” Xie Zhoujian interrupted him, saying, “You know perfectly well what this means!”
Even he might not be able to withstand a heavenly tribulation of this magnitude.
You will die.
"..." Qingjue's smile suddenly froze.
Yes, why did he have to go through all this? He's just a time traveler. Logically, after completing these tasks, he should have returned to his original home, not encountered something like this.
And even if he pulls through, can he continue to stay in this world?
Will the real Immortal Lord Wu Qing switch places with him? Will he only enjoy all the honor and peace that Wu Qing brought him after he has overcome his tribulations?
I'm really a little unwilling to accept this.
He couldn't even properly respond to his apprentice's feelings.
Lost in thought, another deafening roar erupted, and thunder rumbled in, drawing ever closer to the Pure Technique.
"...Quickly, let's go during the day."
"Absolutely not! Even if it were lightning striking down from the ninth heaven, I would choose to stand with my master during the day!"
"You brat! This lord..."
He was about to say something harsh to drive away Jie Zhoujian when suddenly a white light flashed before his eyes—whose teleportation array was that?
Jie Zhoujian recognized the people before him and exclaimed in surprise, "...Heavenly Language and Spiritual Sounds? Aren't you going back to Beishan?"
"Master! Senior Brother!"
As soon as Ruan Linglai arrived, she saw the dark clouds filling the sky and rushed over to hug Qingjue.
"Tianyu is right! These dark clouds are indeed heading for Master! We'll be back soon, and Linglai will stand with Master to face them!"
"You ugly girl... don't suddenly resort to this sentimental act!" Qingjue glanced at Wen Tianyu: "How did Tianyu guess that?"
Wen Tianyu said, "It was Ayan who sent a message saying that when you left, you saw the dark clouds over Qianlun Mountain disperse. You recalled your past memories and heard from your clansmen that your mother had also survived a lightning tribulation when she was very young, and the situation was very similar to what happened now, so you guessed it."
"...So, you told Ayan and Aju too?"
Wen Tianyu nodded: "Yes, Ayan and the others should arrive a little later. We are all determined to spend this time with Master."
“Oh,” Qingjue nodded helplessly, “I overlooked the fact that you are all top geniuses in the cultivation world, with reaction speed and insight that are above ordinary people.”
He patted Ruan Linglai's head and said, "Alright, then I agree."
Ruan Linglai was surprised: "Really? When we made this decision, we thought that Master would definitely not agree, but we just couldn't bear to see Master suffer alone."
Although Jie Zhoujian sensed something was amiss, he still said, "This tribulation is no small matter; I just don't know when it will begin..."
Wen Tianyu frowned and said, "I just observed the celestial phenomena in other places, and I think it's almost here, about a quarter of an hour."
After he finished speaking, Yan Shiqun and Aju also appeared.
As the teleportation talisman burned out, Aju shook the remaining ash off his hands and saw that the others were already standing on the mountaintop.
"Master," Aju said, "how are the other senior brothers and sisters? Should we tie Master up?"
"You bunch of brats think you can tie me up?"
“…Uh, hehe…” Aju glanced at the dark clouds overhead, feeling a little weak in the knees from fear, but still tried to change the subject by pretending to be relaxed: “We are indeed no match for Master, but we should still have lofty ambitions.”
This time, Yan Shiqun did not respond. Instead, he said, "Is this tribulation really aimed at you? I experienced it before, but the degree was far greater. I still suffered excruciating pain. So, this level is definitely not something one person can withstand alone. We came here specifically to help you get through this tribulation."
Even he's using honorifics, so this matter must be of utmost importance.
Ruan Linglai released the Qingjue and nodded seriously: "Yes, fellow disciples are meant to share joys and sorrows. I believe my family will understand me too, Master, we..."
"I won't listen to any polite words," Qingjue said, turning his back. "After all, I've never really liked these kinds of team spirit moments."
The people behind him suddenly found themselves unable to move, and he raised his hand and opened his fan.
Jie Zhoujian knew Qingjue well and knew that his quick agreement was definitely a trap. He had been on guard the whole time, but he never expected him to do something like this...
This was no simple immobilization spell; I could feel pain in my bones and heart. Qingjue had used a deadly technique.
"Remember to seek treatment from your Senior Sister Qingfeng for any injuries," Qingjue said without turning his head. "But thank you Tianyu for estimating the time for me. It'll be almost a quarter of an hour, right?"
"No..." Jie Zhoujian endured the pain and spoke, "You can't...!"
“I can,” Qingjue turned around, his tone firm and concise: “Even if I become a different person after this calamity, you will not be allowed to use your abilities to do bad things.”
"I have protected you for half my life, and I have protected this world for half my life. If I am no longer here, you must not let me down."
A flash of white light appeared before their eyes, and the next second, the group of people were thrown heavily through the Qing family's gate.
They all coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Ah! You...!" Qinghuan was just discussing this matter with the elders when she saw several of the Immortal Lord's proud disciples being thrown over from mid-air. She quickly stepped forward.
Not only were they physically injured, but their spiritual veins were also sealed.
"..." Qinghuan heard a loud bang beside her ear and saw the dark clouds and lightning flashing in the sky, and said, "Could it be..."
It was Qingjue who threw them back.
Another loud bang exploded in their ears, and a bolt of lightning blinded them.
The tribulation of lightning has begun...
Qinghuan gritted her teeth and reached out to pull Jie Zhoujian, who was getting up. He couldn't use his spiritual power or even fly on his sword. Even if he rushed over, it would be too late.
Ruan Linglai: "...Master..."
Yan Shiqun clutched his chest and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth: "He actually dared to... bastard...! Now he's playing by the rules instead!!"
"Clear Technique—!!"
Jie called his name during the day, the sound carrying beyond the thunder to the highest heavens, but the person in the very center of the lightning could no longer hear it.
Because all he felt was pain, his ears were throbbing from the enormous sound, his body and bones felt as if they were being ripped open alive, and all his meridians and spiritual energy vanished in that instant.
It is even more indescribable than the erosion by Gu worms or the tearing apart of the soul.
He had to be completely focused on feeling the pain, and couldn't even spare a thought to whether he was taking the brunt of the pain for someone else.
If I really become a different person, others will definitely notice.
...No, they might not even notice.
He went from being the Immortal Lord of Mist and Green Clouds to the current Qing Jue, and no one noticed, did they? Didn't he also impersonate someone else in the beginning?
It's ridiculous; he might end up like all the mountain guardians throughout history.
In fact, it seems that he wasn't originally called by this name.
Time seemed to stretch on endlessly at that moment. Ordinary people felt it was a horrifying spectacle, with several bolts of lightning striking in the same direction. If there really was a person standing there, it was as if that person had committed some heinous crime, and the most painful and suffocating torment of the nine heavens was being inflicted upon him alone.
Jie Zhoujian's voice became hoarse, and he called Qingjue's name countless times. Qinghuan couldn't bear to see this, but she still held him tightly.
Yun Yuelin completed her mission ahead of others and returned to the Yun family to report the situation to her father.
Who would have thought that the next day, when the father was idly divining, the divination results were so perplexing that the Yun family head couldn't decipher them at all.
Yun Yuelin was initially puzzled that there was a divination he couldn't even decipher, even though his own father was capable of predicting the location of the descendants of the Heavenly Eye.
Could it be that there really is something wrong with Qianlun Mountain?
Then I had a vague feeling that something was wrong.
No, it shouldn't be Qianlun Mountain.
...Where could the problem be...?
Yun Yuelin sent a letter to Qingjue, in which she mentioned her father's divination, but she did not receive a reply for a long time.
The sky over Liuchun was clear and there were no unusual signs.
...Surely the problem isn't with his close friend who's not replying to his messages.
Qingjue opened his eyes amidst a tremendous feeling of suffocation and pain, and didn't know how long it took for his vision and normal perception to return.
It was a room that felt both familiar and strange.
...Did he encounter another bug, or is he really...?
A wave of sadness washed over me.
The door opened, and a face that resembled his own came into view.
"...It's you? You suddenly disappeared last time, and now you've suddenly reappeared. Has something happened in the cultivation world again?"
...Bu Qingwu? The original Immortal Lord Wu Qing?!
He's still here; have the two of them switched back?
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