Chapter 61: Love.
Sang Ying had already come up with the idea of borrowing the Water Moon Mirror Flower from the Demon Lord to create an illusion.
Since the real culprit went to such lengths and went to such lengths, he must have had his own purpose.
Under such circumstances, rashly setting out to the spiritual veins on the southwestern border would certainly attract attention, and might even result in heavy losses.
But if it's an illusion, it's completely different. Not only will there be no loss, but you can also find the real culprit quickly and easily.
Even if none of the people present caused trouble, it eliminated their suspicion and narrowed down the scope, which can be said to be beneficial without any drawbacks.
The real culprit is the Grand Elder... Actually, Sang Ying wasn't too surprised.
She had previously regarded Xu Bai as an enemy and knew all about him, including the Grand Elder.
On the surface, the Grand Elders are all kind and gentle people who are easy to get along with. They also have a clean and upright background and have never had any disputes with anyone.
However, she runs a merchant guild with a vast intelligence network. Through in-depth investigation, she learned that in addition to Xu Baishen and his sister, the Grand Elder had adopted several other children in the previous thousand years. However, all of these children died young, either from being eaten by monsters or from serious illnesses.
At the meeting that day, he delegated authority to her after hearing just a couple of sentences from her. When Laba found out, she was overjoyed and said that she hadn't expected the Grand Elder to be so reasonable, but Sang Ying frowned.
If you really wanted to give her the sect, why didn't you mention it at all for three years and instead had complete control over it?
The fact that he tossed aside the peace treaty on the table without even glancing at it shows that his character was not as "kind" as it appeared.
Something unusual must be amiss, and sure enough, today I saw his true face in the illusion.
It turns out that the children he adopted were all his scapegoats. He used a secret technique to conceal the truth and changed the person undergoing tribulation to a child.
The power of the Fourfold Tribulation doubles each time. He barely survived the last one by losing both eyes. This time, he realized that ordinary Yin-fate children were no longer of any use. So he studied ancient texts and learned that cultivators with lightning spiritual roots could help others overcome tribulations.
But how do you find a cultivator with a lightning spiritual root? Apart from tribulation lightning, there is no other lightning element in the world, and even cultivators themselves don't know that they possess a lightning spiritual root.
Seeing that the calamity was imminent, he came up with this method: to use a secret technique to integrate the calamity clouds into the spiritual veins, so that the entire cultivation world would be filled with lightning elements. As long as the cultivators were not affected, they would have lightning spiritual roots.
His original plan was to have the disciples of the Wuwen Sect distribute the suppressant drugs and then take the opportunity to find the cultivator with the Thunder Spirit Root, but he didn't expect Sang Ying to intercept him and propose a better solution, so he had to change his approach.
...And then came everything that happened to him in the illusion.
However, what he didn't expect was that it was all just a mirage, a fleeting illusion.
Sang Ying thought to herself, "This natal magic weapon of the Demon Lord is really powerful. It can make so many people unknowingly enter the illusion just by Xie Lingyu, who is only at the Nascent Soul stage. If the Demon Lord himself were to use it... no wonder the rumors say that there is no chance of survival."
However, judging from the complex and intense look in Wei Yao's eyes when he looked at this magical artifact, perhaps the origin of this artifact was his deceased wife.
His initial thought was probably just to see her again.
Sang Ying played the recording from the illusion on the field, and everyone saw Xu Bin's inhuman behavior clearly. Most people were shocked, while a small number of people showed an expression of knowing it.
Especially the leader of the Immortal Alliance, Bai, smiled and waved his fan, looking at her approvingly.
But after less than two seconds, he was given a cold glance by the young man behind Sang Ying. He felt a chill run down his spine, quickly closed his fan, coughed twice, and became serious.
He addressed Xu Bin, whose face was ashen, and said, "The evidence is irrefutable, Elder Xu. Do you have anything else to say?"
The man stood in the center, his head bowed, silent ever since the illusion ended.
Xu Baishen and Xu Xuan, standing to the side, looked at him with heartache. Others had only seen the recording, but under Sang Ying's deliberate control, they had personally experienced the incident. Sang Ying was thus certain that the two of them were not colluding with the Grand Elder, but genuinely unaware of the truth.
Xu Xuan walked over and said, "Father, you should sincerely admit your mistakes and reform yourself..."
Seeing the fluctuating aura around Xu Bin, Sang Ying quickly cried out, "Xu Xuan, no—"
Before he could finish speaking, Xu Bin suddenly unleashed a burst of power, grabbed Xu Xuan with one hand, and crushed her shoulder.
Xu Xuan's face turned deathly pale, her expression pained and incredulous, "Father..."
Everyone present stood up, wanting to save the person, but hesitated to act rashly because they had a hostage in their hands.
"Wrong? What wrong have I done?"
Xu Bin chuckled, his crimson eyes sweeping over everyone present. "The law of the jungle, the struggle for immortality, is the survival rule of the cultivation world. Which of you old fogies doesn't have a few lives on your hands? Now you're dusting your clothes and pretending to be virtuous gentlemen?"
Alliance Leader Bai's expression was cold and stern: "The past is the past. This is the current rule of the cultivation world. Otherwise, what's the use of the Immortal Alliance?"
"The essence of cultivation lies in humanity. Elder Xu, you can even harm your own child; you have truly lost all humanity! You deserve divine retribution!"
Perhaps the White Alliance Leader's words came true, for a strong sense of oppression came from above, and in a short while, the restlessness of the thunderclouds was terrifying.
This is... the Forty-Ninefold Tribulation!
Everyone was startled and quickly retreated from the thundercloud range before the heavenly tribulation descended, staying away from Xu Bin under the heavy tribulation clouds.
Many of the people present had experienced the Forty-Nine Tribulations, the most terrifying tribulation. Anyone who entered the area would be implicated, and the higher the cultivation level of the cultivator, the more likely they were to be drawn in.
The power of the Heavenly Tribulation will increase exponentially, and its range will expand, reducing everything within a radius of a hundred miles to ashes. At that time, even those with the highest cultivation will face certain death.
If someone with the cultivation level of a demon emperor were to enter, it would trigger a heavenly tribulation, at which point not only the area within a hundred miles, but the entire Cloud Spirit Realm would be in imminent danger.
Sang Ying was also taken away from the area of the Heavenly Tribulation immediately, leaving only Xu Bin, Xu Xuan, and Xu Baishen within the entire area of the Heavenly Tribulation.
The tribulation lightning had been triggered, and it seemed that negotiations were still ongoing, but the outcome was clearly unsatisfactory. Xu Baishen could only draw his sword to confront them, but he was clearly at a disadvantage and no match for them at all.
Sang Ying frowned, thinking quickly. Xu Baishen was definitely no match for Xu Bin in the Integration Stage. The Xu siblings were also scapegoats raised by Xu Bin, and he would definitely use them now that the tribulation was imminent.
In this situation, the Water Moon Mirror Flower can't be used, and anyone else going in would also die. So how can the two of them be saved?
The young man behind her bent down slightly, his low voice falling on her ear, his tone indifferent: "Junior sister wants to save them?"
Sang Ying paused for a moment, then pursed her lips: "The two of them didn't do anything bad."
"Are you sure it's not because Junior Sister has feelings for 'Senior Brother Xu'?"
Sang Ying: "...Of course not!"
"What time is it for him to still be jealous?" Sang Ying was about to get annoyed when the young man behind her chuckled, "Fine."
Sang Ying watched him walk towards the thunderclouds, her eyes widening, "Xie Lingyu!"
Luo Qing Sword Spirit flicked the tip of its fat tail: "Sang Ying, don't worry, the boss knows what he's doing!"
How could Sang Ying be at ease? She had personally witnessed the power of the Fourfold Tribulation; the tree demon had died under the tribulation lightning without a trace of life.
Moreover... her father, Sang Jingming, also died in the Forty-Nine Tribulations.
Rong Xueman pressed her shoulder from behind, "Little Ying, you can't go. Don't worry, the Tribulation of the Four Nines is a fight to the death, but if the one undergoing the tribulation dies, the tribulation clouds will also dissipate."
Xie Yucang put his hands behind his back and said, "This person is used to taking shortcuts and has long lost the will to cultivate. His cultivation level is also very weak. He must have put a lot of effort into it. He is no match for Xiaoyu."
Those around Xie Lingyu were taken aback when they saw him enter the range of the thunderclouds. As expected, they sensed that the power of the tribulation clouds had increased, and a bolt of cyan-purple tribulation lightning instantly struck down towards the young man.
Sang Ying's heart clenched, but the next second she saw Xie Lingyu's sword moves fly, deflecting the lightning bolt directly at Xu Bin, who was fighting against Xu Baishen.
Xu Bin hurriedly defended, but Xu Baishen found an opportunity and swung his sword at his arm again. Xu Baishen would hold back, but Xie Lingyu certainly wouldn't. She pursued closely, thrusting her sword at his vital points with each strike, her sword as swift as a dragon, each move deadly.
Xu Bin was caught off guard, having to defend against both lightning strikes and sword attacks. He was caught off guard and took a sword strike from Xie Lingyu, injuring his arm.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xu Baishen rescued Xu Xuan, who had been severely injured and unconscious by a lightning strike. He quickly thanked her and then flew out of the circle with Xu Xuan.
Both of them were seriously injured and barely alive. Xie Yucang had already prepared to help them. He used his cultivation to cast a spell that briefly concealed their true nature, severing their breath, and brought them out to see a doctor.
Xu Bin's eyes were bloodshot: "I raised you all for so many years, and this is how you repay me?!"
Seeing that the man had left, Xie Lingyu did not quickly finish him off, but instead stopped.
One bolt of lightning after another struck down, overwhelming Xu Bin. He was caught off guard, scrambling to cope, filled with fear and unease. How could someone like him, who only knew how to take crooked paths, possibly undergo tribulation? Before long, he was charred black by the lightning and suffered terribly.
In contrast, the young man, whose cultivation level was clearly inferior to Xu Bin's, steadily and skillfully withstood the tribulation lightning, clearly demonstrating the difference in their abilities.
Sang Ying: "..."
This guy still has to do bad things at a time like this. He knows that Xu Bin is most afraid of heavenly tribulation, so he uses the way he fears most to end him. Really.
However, she breathed a slight sigh of relief. After a while, only the young man remained standing under the thick thunderclouds. Xu Bin lay on the ground, lifeless.
The onlookers sighed, but showed no sympathy; they believed it was all their own fault.
The lightning stopped, and Sang Ying ran over and punched him right away. "Xie Lingyu! Next time you do something like this, give me a heads-up first. Do you think I have a strong heart?"
Has he forgotten that he is still injured? The surface wounds have healed, but the loss of mental energy over the past century and the internal injuries from the battle with the tree demon have been severe, and his cultivation level has not yet recovered.
"good."
The young man seized her hand and made a move to kiss her. Sang Ying was startled and quickly pulled her hand back.
Shameless! Not only his parents, but so many people are watching!
Xie Lingyu looked down at her, "It's getting late. I'll take care of what happens here. Junior Sister, you should go back and rest."
It was indeed time to rest, and Sang Ying was also sleepy and tired. She nodded and said, "Then come back early when you're done."
The real culprit is dead. All that's left are some trivial follow-ups. There are so many people involved, it's a real hassle. Sang Ying didn't want to deal with any of that, so she took Xiao Yao's carriage back to the Dragon Palace without any objections.
She peeked out from behind the car curtain and saw a dark, gloomy sky in the distance. She squinted in surprise.
Why haven't the calamity clouds dissipated yet?
I remember that after the tree demon's tribulation stopped last time, it quickly dissipated.
"He'll die."
Suddenly hearing a familiar voice, Sang Ying quickly looked for the source of the sound and saw Shen Ying, who was dozing in the clouds, standing next to the car.
Sang Ying frowned. "What do you mean?"
Shen Ying yawned lazily. "Literal meaning. Look, didn't you see that cloud of calamity?"
"I saw it, but the lightning clearly stopped just now."
"The tribulation clouds stopped but did not disperse because he had just reached his tribulation; this was his tribulation of lightning."
Shen Ying rested her chin on her hand and laughed, "Otherwise, why would he be in such a hurry to get rid of you? Isn't it because he was afraid you would be implicated?"
Sang Ying frowned, "But he didn't..."
"Of course, the level of the Four-Nine Tribulation of Xu Bin's is no match for him. He is from the Azure Dragon Clan, a race with unique advantages. He is naturally gifted in cultivation, but he has to pay a different price. His tribulation is not like the childish lightning tribulation of Xu Bin."
Shen Ying looked at her and said calmly, "As for whether it's true or not, why don't you go and see for yourself?"
...
When Sang Ying returned, everyone around her had disappeared, leaving only Xie Yucang and his wife. The place had also been sealed off.
The two were taken aback when they saw her return. "Xiao Ying, what brings you here?"
Sang Ying looked towards the sealed area, but couldn't see anything, not even the aura of the tribulation clouds.
Her expression was cold and she asked directly, "Is Xie Lingyu undergoing tribulation?"
Xie Yucang scratched the back of his head. "How could that be? Didn't he go to handle the aftermath? He's already gone with them."
"Then why is this place sealed off?" Sang Ying pressed.
Xie Yucang froze, then continued dryly, "Because, well, there was a fight here and things were damaged, so we're closing it down for now. It'll be open again once it's repaired."
Sang Ying: "Dad, you're not very good at lying."
Rong Xueman sighed softly, "Xiao Ying, Xiao Yu is indeed undergoing a tribulation. He told us that he wanted to keep it from you because he was afraid you would worry."
She reached out and touched her face. "Don't be so nervous. This is a process that every dragon goes through. Xiaoyu will be fine."
Sang Ying raised her eyes, "But he's still injured, and he hasn't recovered from the fall in his cultivation level yet!"
"It'll be alright." Rong Xueman patted her. "Little Ying, just go back and get some sleep."
Sang Ying was still uneasy because of what Shen Ying had just said. She felt that Shen Ying seemed to know a lot, and that what she said might actually be what was going to happen.
She clutched Rong Xueman's clothes. "Then I'll wait here."
Seeing that she couldn't persuade her otherwise, Rong Xueman let her stay there.
Since the enclosed space made it impossible to see what was happening, Sang Ying's anxiety grew even more. She bit her lip and said, "Rongrong, Mother, I want to see him."
Rong Xueman: "I would like to, but this barrier was set up by himself. If we forcibly break it, it will delay his tribulation."
At this point, Rong Xueman found it somewhat amusing. This kid didn't care about any danger himself, but he cared more about Xiao Ying than anything else, watching her like the apple of his eye, afraid that she would be involved in the Tribulation of the Forty-Nine Heavens and suffer any harm.
Sang Ying clenched her fingers, her mind a jumble of thoughts, both because of Shen Ying's words and because her own father had also died in this calamity. Her mind was filled with anxiety and unease.
What if Xie Lingyu also dies under this calamity?
She doesn't want to...
Sang Ying's fingers clenched until they turned white. The thought of this possibility made her feel breathless, her heart pounded faster, and she was enveloped by immense fear and unease, which constantly tormented her taut nerves.
She could only calm herself down by touching the heart-protecting scale pendant on her collarbone and feeling his heartbeat.
Time passed second by second.
She didn't know how much time had passed, until Sang Ying's vision began to blur and she started seeing double, when the surrounding barrier suddenly disappeared.
Sang Ying thought it was over, but when she looked over suddenly, she saw that the tribulation clouds had not dissipated.
The ordeal she experienced was on a completely different level from Xu Bin's. It was surging and overwhelming, and the oppressive feeling made it hard for her to breathe. She couldn't even make a sound, and she felt that everything around her had quieted down, and the world in front of her was silent.
In the pale light, the young man knelt weakly on one knee, barely able to keep his balance by supporting himself with the sword stuck in the ground.
Above his head, another extremely powerful bolt of tribulation lightning was gathering, about to strike him.
The heartbeat of the heart-protecting scale pendant that Sang Ying was holding between her fingertips became extremely weak, even barely audible, as if it had lost its vitality.
Xie Lingyu... is she going to die?
After a few seconds of bewilderment, Sang Ying came to this conclusion, and then an even stronger sense of bewilderment overwhelmed her.
What should she do? What should she do? How should she do it?
Sang Ying stared blankly at the figure, then unconsciously took a step forward.
"Xiaoying, wait..."
Rong Xueman quickly grabbed her arm from behind, but the moment she touched it, her fingertips went numb and she couldn't move her body.
The stiffness lasted only a second, and the talisman slowly drifted to the ground. But in that one second of hesitation, the girl in front of him had already run into the thunderclouds.
...
Xie Lingyu was undergoing her tribulation when she suddenly felt a strange force suppressing her, leaving her powerless and unable to move.
This force carried a strong sense of pressure, as if it were an irreversible force that controlled the secrets of heaven.
He vaguely heard some sound, which didn't sound human; it was cold and indifferent.
[Key section...strong...in execution...]
[Target Person...Analysis...Probability of Behavior]
[Bai Yue... is dead...]
The power grew stronger and stronger, and one bolt of tribulation lightning after another struck down. Xie Lingyu coughed up blood, his face turned pale, and his vision began to blur.
He could no longer hold on to the sword, and his body was about to fall weakly, but the next second, he fell into a warm and soft embrace.
The familiar aura made Xie Lingyu immediately realize who it was.
She's got a death wish—she even dared to come in during a lightning tribulation!?
He wanted to push her away and send her out, but he couldn't move a single finger or even speak.
"..."
The girl hugged him and whispered, "Xie Lingyu, don't be afraid, don't be afraid, it's alright."
She was trying to comfort him, but he could hear the unease and trembling in her voice; she was afraid, very afraid.
She held him, speaking softly and incoherently, her words jumbled and her voice panicked: "Xie Lingyu, I've never seen my mother since I was born. I always thought she had a difficult childbirth, and I feel so sorry for her. Why are some pages missing from the book my mother left behind? I know now, my father tore them up. He didn't want to."
“Those were Mother’s belongings. He must have been very reluctant to part with them, but he didn’t want them to appear again because that’s how Mother died.”
She was terrified.
Xie Lingyu didn't understand what she was saying, but he wanted to hold her and tell her not to be afraid. However, his vision was getting darker and darker, and his consciousness was becoming increasingly hazy.
"Xie Lingyu, I finally understand. This is my mother's word game. Removing a dot from '矢' (arrow) gives you '天' (sky). Combining '去' (go) with the connected '口' (mouth) gives you '劫' (calamity). And this character is the ancient form of '劫'."
"That is not the 'Knowledge of Departure' Scroll, but the 'Heavenly Tribulation' Scroll."
"I think my mother must have loved my father very much to die for him."
As Xie Lingyu listened to her, she realized that she no longer felt the lightning striking her. Her eyelashes fluttered, and she barely managed to lift her eyes.
What met the eye was a sea of blood.
The girl held him with one arm, her other arm hanging down, blood flowing continuously from the cut on her wrist. Centered on the two of them, a huge, bright red talisman was drawn on the ground.
All the lightning tribulations were transferred to her.
Noticing his gaze, the girl chuckled softly, "Xie Lingyu, no wonder the cinnabar was useless. It turns out that the only medium to unleash the power of this talisman is my bloodline."
Xie Lingyu twitched her fingers.
Her face was frighteningly pale, and her chin rested softly on his shoulder.
"Xie Lingyu, now you don't have to go to the deep sea to retrieve those rocks anymore, it's such a hassle."
"Xie Lingyu, I'm leaving the family to you. As for the sect... if you don't like it, you can hand it over to Xu Baishen. He's actually quite suitable. All the money in the family is in the Chamber of Commerce. Oh, the money you handed over isn't here. It's in the bedside table in the bedroom. The password to that box is our wedding date."
"Xie Lingyu, I like places with flowers, beautiful ones, and preferably with a lake. I think the area around your house is pretty good. If you dare to bury me anywhere, I'll haunt you even as a ghost."
"Xie Lingyu... what I said before was a lie. There's still a long road ahead, and it's tough being alone. If you meet someone you like, go for it. But don't lock her up in a dark room. Normally, a girl would just report you to the Immortal Alliance and have you arrested and imprisoned in the Immortal Prison, understand?"
"Xie Lingyu..."
"Xie Lingyu..."
"Xie Lingyu..."
She leaned completely against him, murmuring over and over again, as if she wanted to call out a few more times, but her voice was already very soft, almost inaudible.
"...I like you so much."
But I... am a little sleepy.
I'm feeling a bit sleepy.
"..."
[Target's vital signs detected have dropped to 10%, continuing to decline; death expected in three minutes]
[Target person sentiment analysis, behavioral verification rate 99.9%]
[Key milestones have been completed]
[World storyline successfully altered. Countdown to departure: 10, 9... Creak, creak...!]
The system was dragged out and met a pair of extremely gloomy eyes.
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