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Chapter 681: Transcending the Tribulation

Chapter 681: Transcending the Tribulation

Inside the cave-dwelling on the lake island.

Sky shattered, golden calamity lightning faintly visible.

The faint hint of power it occasionally released caused the Little Black Tortoise to curl up in the deepest part of the lake, playing the role of a timid turtle.

“Wuwu. . . so scary, so scary. . . ”

“I’m still just a child. . . if I get hit by this golden calamity lightning. . . I’ll surely die, won’t I? ”

Even though it had dared to directly withstand Shape Transformation and Soul Transformation Heavenly Tribulations before.

But before this kind of golden calamity lightning, the Little Black Tortoise, whose bloodline had undergone an anomalous atavism and whose Black Tortoise bloodline was exceptionally potent, felt an intense threat of death!

It couldn't help but deeply retract into a ball, operating its Turtle Breathing Secret Art at full power, like a fossil, to avoid being caught in the crossfire. . .

Fang Xi's expression was slightly dazed, then he suddenly opened his eyes: “What matters a single day to Return to Void? Only by transcending the heart demon tribulation does one truly succeed! ”

His demeanor appeared even more weathered and ancient, clearly having experienced countless cycles of reincarnation within the heart demon tribulation.

Fortunately, Fang Xi's Divine Consciousness was already formidable, he cultivated secret arts for Divine Consciousness, and the All-Heavens Precious Mirror continuously enhanced it.

Coupled with his daily habit of lightly twirling Buddhist beads to nourish his sea of consciousness, his Divine Consciousness was so potent that even during his Soul Transformation stage, it rivaled that of some Return to Void cultivators.

Therefore, when transcending the heart demon tribulation, no matter how many times he reincarnated or what form he assumed, he could always maintain a sliver of clarity in his mind.

With the aid of the ‘Heavenly Heart Liquid’, after a thousand cycles of reincarnation, he finally cut through the tribulation, successfully emerging from it!

“Cultivating for over a thousand years. . . my current mental state, even without relying on auxiliary items, gives me a fifty to sixty percent chance of passing the heart demon tribulation. . . ”

“But. . . a mere fifty to sixty percent chance is simply not my style. ”

“Without at least a ninety percent certainty, the risk would hardly be worth the gain. . . ”

Fang Xi murmured to himself, and a peal of thunder reverberated in his ears!

The Great Heavenly Tribulation had arrived!

Just the initial peal of thunder caused his Nascent Soul to show a look of shock, feeling its spirit unstable.

With a resolute expression, he waved his hand.

The Hunyuan Heavenly Luo Umbrella transformed into a streak of light, firmly grasped by Fang Xi, as he ascended above the lake island.

Crackle!

A golden bolt of lightning, impatient, crashed down!

Around Fang Xi, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth furiously converged, causing the very void to twist, forming colossal shields of light.

Boom!

The golden calamity lightning met the shields formed by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, astonishingly shattering nine layers of them consecutively. Though its radiance had significantly dimmed, its fierce might remained awe-inspiring!

Fang Xi flicked his finger, and the Grand Unity Green Wood Divine Light shot forth.

After his advancement to Return to Void, the power of this divine light had grown once more.

At this moment, it seemed to transform into a colossal green python, entwining with the golden lightning flood dragon in mid-air.

Suddenly!

The golden calamity lightning violently dispersed, wisps of golden electric arcs bouncing across Fang Xi's body, seemingly completely absorbed by the ‘Four Sacred Beast Armor’.

Consecutive heavenly lightning strikes!

The second and third bolts of lightning crashed down!

Fang Xi, likewise, used his Return to Void power to summon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, weakening the lightning layer by layer, then resisted with his own divine abilities and magical treasures.

Splat!

Within a golden calamity lightning bolt, a colossal, earthy-yellow tiger shrieked, actually cracking inch by inch.

The enormous, earthy-yellow jade mountain crumbled, finally transforming into a small seal.

The body of the seal was covered in cracks, then immediately exploded with a loud bang!

This Numinous Treasure, in the end, was completely scrapped under the calamity lightning!

Fang Xi, however, showed no hint of regret. It was merely a transitional spoils of war.

However, seeing the Grand Unity Green Wood Divine Light and his treasures being consecutively shattered, his expression couldn't help but turn incredibly solemn: “Only the third bolt of lightning, and I’ve already been pushed to such a state? ”

For these three golden calamity lightning bolts, he had not used his ‘Hunyuan Heavenly Luo Umbrella’, ‘Four Sacred Beast Armor’, or other lightning-dispelling secret arts and ultimate treasures.

After testing them, Fang Xi finally understood.

Even if ordinary cultivators break through to the Return to Void realm, and even pass the heart demon tribulation, under this Great Heavenly Tribulation, they still face a near-certain death!

No wonder many Soul Transformation Perfected cultivators kept delaying, not daring to break through!

Once one reached Return to Void, their status in the cultivation world became vastly different.

Crackle!

Just as Fang Xi's thoughts raced, the fourth golden lightning bolt crashed down!

Within this lightning bolt, there were also strange golden runes, each one containing an ineffable majesty, though some were incomplete.

Bang!

The massive shield formed by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was torn apart like paper before this golden lightning.

Immediately after, the colossal wooden shield, formed by the Grand Unity Green Wood Divine Light, was directly turned into a charred stump.

After breaking through two layers of defense, the golden heavenly lightning seemed to have barely weakened, crashing down with a roar.

Seeing this, Fang Xi's expression was utterly calm as he unfurled the ‘Hunyuan Heavenly Luo Umbrella’!

The Hunyuan Heavenly Luo Umbrella was a six-rank Return to Void treasure, and now, propelled by his Immortal Origin Qi, it truly displayed its full potential.

Vivid five-colored light flashed, suddenly transforming into a primordial essence, settling upon the smooth surface of the umbrella.

Strands of azure tassels hung down, firmly protecting Fang Xi within, exuding an aura of invulnerability to all techniques.

Boom!

The golden lightning struck the surface of the Hunyuan Umbrella, immediately exploding into countless golden electric arcs.

Innumerable electric arcs bounced, yet they were continuously annihilated by the primordial essence, eventually vanishing without a trace.

The fifth and sixth golden calamity lightning bolts fell consecutively, all completely blocked by the ‘Hunyuan Heavenly Luo Umbrella’.

“No wonder cultivators so eagerly pursue lightning-dispelling secret arts and lightning-dispelling treasures. . . ”

“During tribulation transcendence, they are simply like a second life! ”

Seeing this scene, Fang Xi couldn't help but murmur to himself.

If not for the ‘Hunyuan Heavenly Luo Umbrella’, he certainly wouldn't be so relaxed right now; he might have even suffered direct injuries.

Crackle!

The seventh bolt of lightning crashed down!

Fang Xi's eyes narrowed slightly upon seeing this scene.

The next moment, as the Hunyuan Heavenly Luo Umbrella bore this calamity lightning, its frame began to hum and tremble, emitting sounds of distress.

His expression shifted, and the Immortal Origin Qi-level Withered Glory Chant magical power frantically poured into the Hunyuan Heavenly Luo Umbrella.

Streams of five-colored light converged, transforming into primordial essence, ultimately allowing it to endure.

“Time to go all out! ”

Fang Xi sighed, then fiercely pounded his chest.

The Four Sacred Beast Armor, shimmering and resplendent, rumbled, and the four true spirit illusory forms flew into the air.

The Four Sacred Beast Armor was also a lightning-dispelling secret art, possessing the miraculous effect of weakening the power of heavenly tribulations!

Boom!

The eighth bolt of lightning descended as if tearing the firmament, encountering the four true spirit illusory figures in mid-air.

Scarlet, profound yellow, azure. . .

After several rounds of dazzling light, the calamity lightning's mass seemed to have subtly diminished by almost half, transforming into a golden lightning orb. Within it, a large number of golden and silver ancient seal characters swam like tadpoles, before crashing down upon the ‘Hunyuan Heavenly Luo Umbrella’.

Streaks of electric arcs shot out, leaving tiny pinholes on the umbrella's surface.

The remaining lightning fell upon the ‘Four Sacred Beast Armor’, where it was completely repelled by the armor.

“The final bolt! ”

Fang Xi extended his Divine Consciousness, gazing up at the firmament.

Above the sky, all the dark clouds converged towards the center, vaguely appearing to form the shape of an eye!

Within this eye, there was a golden pupil!

That was the last calamity lightning bolt!

Simply being gazed upon by it, Fang Xi felt a profound sense of awe and an ominous premonition of disaster befalling him.

“Go! ”

A ruthless expression crossed his face as he heavily pounded his chest.

The Four Sacred Beast Armor rumbled, and the four true spirit illusory figures reappeared.

This time, the illusory figures of true spirits like the Qilin and Phoenix all coiled upon the Hunyuan Heavenly Luo Umbrella, forming a sturdy four-colored defense.

With a shake of the umbrella, the primordial essence on its surface surged, actually ascending on its own to meet the ‘Eye of Heaven Lightning’!

Boom!

A colossal golden lightning bolt struck down, sending the ‘Hunyuan Heavenly Luo Umbrella’ flying far away. The umbrella emitted a distressed wail of being overwhelmed, and a crack appeared on its body.

The golden calamity lightning, weakened by less than half, now faced no further obstruction and heavily slammed down upon Fang Xi's head.

Five Thunders Crashing Down!

After a deafening crash, a layer of the cave-dwelling on the lake island was sheared off, leaving a scorched, colossal pit where it once stood.

At the bottom of the pit.

Fang Xi's armor was completely shattered, but a layer of golden patterns now covered the surface of his skin.

Beneath these patterns, his entire body was as verdant as jade, exuding vibrant vitality, as if he hadn't been injured at all by that calamity lightning bolt!

“The Eternal Evergreen Body, haha. . . ”

Fang Xi let out a hearty laugh.

He had actually been severely wounded by the calamity lightning just now!

Although the Four Sacred Beast Armor had weakened some of the heavenly lightning's power, the remaining calamity lightning had surged into his body, damaging his Dantian and Qi Sea, and even threatening to extinguish all life from his Nascent Soul!

Fortunately, at the critical moment, the Eternal Evergreen Body once again displayed its might.

Its golden patterns continuously neutralized the calamity lightning, while the surging life force instantly repaired Fang Xi's Dantian and Qi Sea, leaving his Nascent Soul completely unharmed.

Otherwise, he would have either died or been severely injured this time!

“Good thing I was fully prepared, and still had a trump card up my sleeve in the end. . . ”

Fang Xi chuckled a few times, then rolled over and got up.

With a thought, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth transformed into an azure long robe, draping itself over him.

At the bottom of the lake, the Little Black Tortoise cautiously poked its head out.

Not long after, it quickly retracted back.

Because two Return to Void-level magical power fluctuations were rapidly approaching. . .

...

At Jade Root Plains.

“Nine layers of lightning passed. . . the Great Heavenly Tribulation for Return to Void has been transcended. My Moonlight Immortal City has gained another Return to Void Grand Elder! ”

A Soul Transformation cultivator gazed at the dissipating tribulation clouds, the resonating heavenly music, and the auspicious scene of sweet dew falling. A deep mix of envy and jealousy involuntarily surfaced on his face.

That was a Return to Void Grand Elder!

Even in the Earthly Immortal World, they were unequivocally a middle-to-high-level figure.

“Look at the location of the calamity lightning's core. . . ”

Wang Lingying, however, was filled with shock: “Why does it seem to be on the lake island. . . Could it be. . . that our ancestor’s Return to Void. . . succeeded? ”

He was extremely surprised, and the phrase ‘How is this possible? ’ was almost blurted out, but he forcefully held it back.

Across from Wang Lingying.

Ma Xianzi and Huang Muzi exchanged glances, each falling into deep shock.

“Impossible. . . ”

Ma Xianzi blurted it out, having long forgotten all sense of decorum.

The Return to Void Realm!

This was the realm that generations of Soul Transformation cultivators in their Ma family had yearned for!

Once achieved, one would immediately join the high echelons of Moonlight Immortal City, capable of effortlessly establishing a major power!

If the Wang Family Ancestor was indeed planning to break through to Return to Void, then his previous rejection of the dual cultivation proposal was entirely understandable.

At this thought, Ma Xianzi's gaze towards the nearby Huang Muzi became incredibly complex. . .