Chapter 276 A Glimmer of Hope (Part 9)
The moment the jade flute entered Jiang Gu's hand, a vast amount of spiritual energy surged into his dantian. Even more powerful than this spiritual energy was an aura of extreme purity, clearer and lighter than the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. It permeated his limbs and bones, completely dissolving the hidden injuries that had previously defied the healing of countless divine artifacts and divine power. The cracks in his primordial spirit were also filled, and the petrification he had used to replace his bones was completely eradicated.
New bones began to grow from the spot where Xiao Dan had removed the immortal bone, and the spiritual energy continued to increase.
The thunderclouds gathering above the Yaoyan Temple grew larger and larger. This time, Jiang Gu clearly felt the operation of the laws of heaven and earth. He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to circulate the surging spiritual power within his body. The huge golden Dharma image behind him slowly appeared from the void. He glanced at the tragic battle outside the side hall and then fixed his gaze on Wei Feng in the center of the Binding God Formation.
This wasn't the first time Wei Feng had seen Jiang Gu's Dharma Image, but usually they were fighting and running for their lives, so he had never had a chance to examine it closely. Now, in the Binding God Formation, he looked up at the majestic and towering golden Dharma Image before him. His face was expressionless, like a statue in a temple that coldly watched over all living beings, something that could only be admired from afar and not allowed to be desecrated by the dust and mud.
The chaotic core within his body began to operate wildly, while the refined vine umbrella did its best to conceal the aura of the chaotic core on his body. He patiently reminded himself that it was not the right time yet.
The tribulation lightning, rising with immense force, gathered above the temple, causing the heavens and earth to change color. Chang Ping'an, the Grand Elder, and many other half-immortals who were fighting outside the temple also sensed the pressure from the Heavenly Dao. The massive Dharma forms that were battling in the mountains were inevitably suppressed.
"Junior Uncle, we're here!" Ci Jun rushed over with Ci Chunshen and the others.
Chang Ping'an shouted, "Form ranks!"
Countless streams of light crashed into the mountain-protecting formation. The half-immortal, dressed in golden disciple robes, rode his sword to the sky, his figure shifting and condensing into a mysterious giant magic array. In an instant, multicolored spiritual energy exploded in the sky.
"Men, follow me to break the formation!" The Grand Elder stood with his sword in hand, and countless black-clad disciples gathered behind him. They used offense as defense, relying on the original mountain-protecting formation, and unleashed their divine weapons to attack the half-immortals of the Changning Temple.
Behind them, at the boundary between the void and reality, the Dharma Form also formed a great array. With so many Dao Ancestor Realm cultivators gathered in one place to fight, in just a few breaths, the lake was filled in, the deep sea shifted, mountains and rivers reversed, and even the void began to tremble uncontrollably. Centered on Shenyao Lake, the entire Shenyao Continent was in turmoil, and countless races within it were alarmed and began to flee.
Meanwhile, on the ruins of Wangyue Continent, the divine power of countless temples broke through the passage restrictions set up by Jiang Yinzhong and others, surging towards Chen Yaobo. In the ancient temples, the statues with lowered eyes opened their eyes as if they had come to life, all looking in the direction where Jiang Gu was.
The people of Pingze Continent were filled with astonishment and uncertainty. The world was filled with unprecedented spiritual energy, and many cultivators were even inspired by the Heavenly Dao to achieve enlightenment on the spot. There were also many who directly broke through several levels. Meanwhile, the ghost tide in the far south was more active than ever before, and the withered bones at the bottom of the sea surfaced one after another.
The Continent of Shenyao, the Shroud of Shenyao.
Jiang Xiangyun, wielding the Xuan Yang Halberd, led the way, breaking through the entangled half-immortals with unstoppable momentum. Xiao Dan held the Red Crystal Pagoda, with eighty-one Soul-Binding Nails floating behind him. Feng Wuyou and Chan Lin stood on either side, blocking the divine artifacts that tried to stop them. Wen Hanjiu transformed into a giant vine that spread out in all directions, blocking most of the cultivators who wanted to rush over.
"Wen Xiuji, stop them!" The First Elder was the first to notice something was wrong and immediately sent a telepathic message to Wen Xiuji.
The ear-piercing sound of weapons clashing rang out as the Xuan Yang Halberd shattered the window and slammed heavily into Wen Xiuji's longsword. Jiang Xiangyun's Dharma Image, wielding the halberd, swept across the entire side hall, instantly leveling the ancient palace to the ground. He shouted, "Seventh Brother!"
Wen Xiuji appeared in his Dharma form, and upon hearing his words, he suddenly realized what was happening and turned to look at Jiang Gu: "Fellow Daoist Jiang?!"
Jiang Gu had already left the tribulation-crossing formation they had prepared beforehand. With his long sword standing behind him, he looked down and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Fellow Daoist Wen and Yaoyan Temple. However, transcending tribulation and ascending to immortality is a major event. I can set up the formation myself."
He had never trusted the people of the Yaoyan Temple from beginning to end. After obtaining the jade flute, he became even more certain of his thoughts—the Yaoyan Temple and the people behind them definitely had ulterior motives. Therefore, he was even less likely to undergo tribulation in the formation they had set up.
"However, I still want to thank you all for doing your best to heal me during this time." The Dharma image behind Jiang Gu quickly formed hand seals, bringing up the Binding God Array in the side hall along with Wei Feng within it. "I won't bother you any longer."
"Jiang Gu, how dare you play us like this!" Wen Xiuji was immediately enraged.
They poured all their resources and spiritual energy into the entire Yaoyan Temple, only to find that Jiang Gu had tricked them!
This is absolutely outrageous!
He laughed angrily, "Jiang Gu, you've really got a good plan!"
Jiang Gu humbly replied, "You flatter me."
Not only did he diligently provide Jiang Gu with the divine artifact for half a year, but he also visited Jiang Gu rain or shine, always at his beck and call. Wen Xiuji was driven mad with anger.
Even so, he still managed to maintain his composure: "Since you don't believe in the formation we've set up, then let's set up another one, and we'll still protect you."
The Grand Elder had already broken through Chang Ping'an's obstruction and rushed in with his sword drawn. Upon hearing this, he shouted sternly, "Jiang Gu, do you want to ascend to heaven or build this road to the heavens?!"
When Xiao Dan barged in with the Path to Heaven and the Chaos Core, he sensed something was wrong. Jiang Gu's demeanor didn't seem like he was about to ascend to immortality at all.
Xiao Dan, Wen Hanjiu, and the others also looked at him.
The most nervous of them all was Wei Feng. Although he knew in his heart that Jiang Gu would never give up on ascension, he still couldn't help but hold onto a sliver of hope.
“Of course I will ascend,” Jiang Gu said. “However, I will not trouble you all with the details.”
The Grand Elder and Wen Xiuji both breathed a sigh of relief.
Chang Ping'an arrived late. He exchanged a glance with Jiang Gu, and everyone was about to retreat when the Grand Elder shouted, "Fellow Daoist Jiang, please wait!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a short, sharp note came from the jade flute in Jiang Gu's hand, which shattered instantly. The tribulation lightning, which had been gathering momentum in the dark clouds, crashed down, giving no one any time to prepare.
The first lightning bolt was incredibly powerful, almost engulfing the entire mountain range and catching everyone present completely off guard—no one had expected that this ascending lightning bolt would have such earth-shattering power.
Jiang Gu drew his sword and formed a battle formation, showing no fear whatsoever.
"Retreat!" Chang Ping'an made a decisive decision, ordering all the disciples of the Changning Divine Palace present to retreat more than tens of thousands of miles away. Even so, the massive lightning tribulation still seemed to be right in front of them.
The Grand Elder almost simultaneously withdrew his Dharma form and transmitted his voice: "All disciples, put away your Dharma forms and immediately hide in the divine artifacts to leave this place!"
Such tribulations of ascension don't care whether you're undergoing tribulation or not; the entire area within a radius of ten thousand miles where Jiang Gu is located will be attacked indiscriminately.
Jiang Xiangyun, Feng Wuyou, and the others threw all their divine artifacts to Jiang Gu and transformed into streaks of light to escape the range of the lightning tribulation. Even so, they still nearly lost half their lives.
Wen Hanjiu and Xiao Dan seized Wei Feng's Binding God Formation, intending to take people away. However, Wei Feng would not allow them to hold him hostage. He had already reached his limit, and the chaotic energy spread out, tearing the Binding God Formation to pieces. Wen Hanjiu and Xiao Dan were thrown away. The two looked at each other and ultimately wisely left.
The first lightning tribulation was not to be underestimated. Jiang Gu didn't know how long it took for him to regain his senses. He knelt on the ground, supporting himself with his sword. Countless divine artifacts floated in the air around him. Blood slowly flowed down his nose. When he raised his head, he saw Wei Feng, dressed in red, holding a white umbrella wrapped with green vines, standing steadily in front of him.
"Let's go." Jiang Gu stood up, leaning on his sword.
The first step of the test was successful, and he was certain that he would eventually make it up. But for Wei Feng, he still hoped that the other party would choose the safest path.
“This tribulation doesn’t seem to be forcing you to ascend; it’s more like it’s trying to kill you right here.” Wei Feng gripped the umbrella handle tightly. “Master, I won’t leave. Even if you can’t ascend, I can still protect your life.”
As soon as he finished speaking, thirty-six lightning bolts struck down simultaneously, their blinding white light almost enveloping the entire Chenyao Continent. Jiang Gu was shaken to his core, and the green vine umbrella and the surrounding divine artifacts instantly turned to dust.
A breath turned into an infinitely long period of time. Jiang Gu looked around and saw only endless white. He couldn't remember who he was, what he was supposed to do, or where he was. He couldn't hear any sound either, only endless silence.
He took a step forward, and golden ripples spread out beneath his feet.
He began to walk slowly forward. He didn't know where he was going, or how much time had passed, when a magnificent ancient tree appeared before him, its branches laden with blossoms stretching for miles, the flowers falling softly in the wind.
Why should I undergo a tribulation of love?
"Because you are heartless."
"Isn't being ruthless a good thing? If I were to indulge in personal feelings like those people, how could I unify the Three Realms and comprehend the Dao of Heaven?"
"You can't see other people, and you can't see yourself. In the end, all you have is your own desires."
"I have enough power."
"That's far from enough. Do you see that tree?"
"I saw it."
What's up there?
"flower."
"Anything else?"
"Branches and leaves, tree trunk, spirits."
"Come closer and take a look."
Jiang Gu frowned, took a few more steps toward the tree, lowered his eyes, and saw the gnarled roots on the ground and the soil nourishing the roots. In an inconspicuous crevice, a small, dark, filthy creature was curled up in a ball, fast asleep while hugging a petal.
Like a dirty little lump of mud.
What did you see?
"root."
Jiang Gu waited for a long time, but the other party did not speak again.
The ancient tree in front of him gradually turned into a blurry red. He focused his mind, and the red figure transformed into Wei Feng, who was struggling to hold on with a long sword in his hand.
Wei Feng's face was covered in blood. When he saw Jiang Gu open his eyes, he grinned at him.
Ten thousand miles away, Feng Wuyou, Jiang Xiangyun, and Chanlin quickly completed the final step of the tribulation-crossing formation. This formation stretched for tens of thousands of miles, almost encompassing the entire Yaoyan Divine Palace. The three of them took up three positions and began to protect Jiang Gu. The Heavenly Dao seemed to sense this, and the laws that had been deliberately blocked reappeared. The dozens of lightning bolts that were originally prepared to strike down all at once were forced to strike Jiang Gu in the center of the formation in sequence.
Jiang Gu had almost no chance to catch his breath. The vine umbrella had vanished, and Wei Feng refused to leave no matter what. But unexpectedly, the moment Feng Wuyou and Jiang Xiangyun formed the tribulation-crossing formation, the lightning seemed to ignore Wei Feng and was only aimed at Jiang Gu.
"Master!"
Wei Feng suddenly discovered the Crimson Crystal Tower, which had appeared in his sea of consciousness at some unknown time. He had become the core of the entire Tribulation Transcending Array, along with the Crimson Crystal Tower. He could even clearly feel the turbid air from the Endless Swamp and the spiritual energy from the Moon Gazing Temple flowing into his body. The chaotic energy generated by his body was then sent into the Crimson Crystal Tower and then dispersed throughout the entire array, supplying divine power for Jiang Gu's tribulation. It was as if he had completely become a container for the chaotic core, and he himself was completely unable to resist.
Jiang Gu heard his words, looked up and met his gaze coldly.
Outside the Tribulation Transcending Formation, the half-immortals of the Yaoyan Divine Palace and the Changning Divine Palace stopped fighting and closely watched Jiang Gu and Wei Feng's every move in the center of Shenyao Lake. Although they were thousands of miles apart, this was nothing to the half-immortals at the Dao Ancestor Realm. In addition, there were many cultivators who were not afraid of death and came to watch the show, gathering in the distance and whispering among themselves.
Wen Xiuji and the Grand Elder exchanged a glance, unsure of what Jiang Gu was up to. Chang Ping'an and Xiao Dan, who had previously spoken with Jiang Gu, were equally unsure of his intentions. Jiang Gu had directly designated Wei Feng as the core of the tribulation-crossing formation, which didn't seem like he intended to build a path to heaven. Instead, it appeared that he was using Wei Feng and the chaotic core within him, along with the power of the path to heaven, to help himself ascend to immortality.
No matter how puzzled or how much they speculated, at this moment they could no longer change anything and could only watch what Jiang Gu did.
But unseen by the crowd, far above the heavens, countless eyes were watching Jiang Gu's every move—
Under the spotlight and amidst the lightning tribulation, Jiang Gu walked step by step toward Wei Feng.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
