Chapter 589: To Stand Guard
A heavenly tribulation! After weathering such a trial, cultivators would ascend to immortality!
Almost three months remained until Lu Yun’s own, so for him, there was still a certain mystique to these tribulations. Although Huangqing, Feinie, Yuying all possessed memories of passing theirs, they’d faced vastly different ones from those of this day and age.
Nowadays, the path of cultivation had been mended with the return of the void realm, so the intensity, and even the form of heavenly tribulations had greatly changed. Therefore, he urgently needed to observe one and familiarize himself with them.
He’d seen Mo Yi go through hers, but.. what kind of person was she? One who’d coasted through her tribulation with the turn of a hand and then left by tearing a rift through space, that was who.
He made his way toward the thunder and lightning with the Wandering Step.
....
historical
Pitch-black clouds ensconced an area fifty kilometers across like a lid, terrifying thunder and lightning rampaging amidst them.
Numerous immortals and cultivators had gathered for the occasion. Quite a few of the latter had plunged the depths of the celestial master tomb and reaped a primordial legacy from its many opportunities. Now poised on the threshold to immortality, they wouldn’t miss a chance to study a void ascension tribulation for anything in the world.
The subject of their scrutiny was a young man roughly eighteen years old, clad in a set of green robes flapping in the wind. Sword in hand, he hovered in the air and stared unblinking at the brewing tribulation of thunder and lighting.
He was a little nervous, as a matter of fact. His trial had come too abruptly, and far ahead of schedule. He wouldn’t have picked this location to endure his tribulation otherwise.
“Most people nearby are up to no good. They’re waiting for the tribulation to arrive so they can interfere and prevent me from achieving success!” His palms were slippery with sweat from the pressure of having to defend himself on two fronts. He had to guard against the tribulation with one eye, and be ready to respond to possible ambushes with the other.
To enter the ranks of void-ascended immortals was to lift the curtains on the next act of the times. The earlier one reached immortality, the greater their advantage. No matter who, no one was willing to see the emergence of a formidable rival. Therefore, the immortals nearby made no secret of their murderous intentions. As soon as the lightning struck, they’d kill this powerhouse-in-the-making before he could succeed.
....
“Just who is this young man?” someone whispered.
“He wasn’t one of the prominent geniuses at the Sovereign Ranking Battles. He seems to have been relatively unknown before today.”
“These kinds of people are the scariest. They usually keep their heads low, but they’ll become an overnight sensation at a critical juncture.”
This young man had certainly participated in the Sovereign Ranking Battles to reach his height of today. But he must’ve been one of those who kept a low profile and stayed out of most struggles, so no one knew of his name.
At the same time, some void realm cultivators who were also on the verge of becoming immortals felt rather envious. They, too, could sense their impending tribulations.
A void realm cultivator’s tribulation was different from the ones in olden days.
With the absence of the void realm, cultivators who’d reached peak transformed spirit realm could force the arrival of their tribulation to break through. If they survived it, they’d set foot into the true immortal realm.
But after reaching peak returned void realm, one was fated to grapple with the heavenly tribulation. Cultivators could sense its inevitability, as well as how long they had before the day of reckoning. They had to spend their time wisely on advance preparations before the appointed hour arrived.
Once upon a time, when to face the tribulation was at the cultivator’s own discretion. They only needed to increase their cultivation to a certain degree before dictating when they would face their trial, but now, it was something preordained by the immortal dao.
“It looks like he’s here all by himself. There’s no one to stand guard over him..” A peerless immortal looked at the young man with naked malice.
The young man shuddered when he heard those words. He wished nothing more than to whip around and flee back to the underworld not too far away.
Lightning bolts in the sky flashed ever brighter and the terrible thunderstorm looked ready to rip apart space itself. Meanwhile, the previously lid-shaped tribulation clouds shifted into a massive vortex. The tribulation, it seemed, was finally finished amassing its power.
Bang!
Space suddenly trembled.
A young man clad in white appeared out of nowhere, black water jar in hand. About seven meters wide and ten meters tall, the jar elicited dull thumps when it connected with the air. “Who says there’s no one here to stand guard for him?” Lu Yun’s lips curved slightly upwards. “Little brother, you just focus on your tribulation. If there’s anyone who dares disturb you.. this young master will smash them so completely that their own mother won’t recognize their bone dust!”
As the jar’s demonic energy enveloped Lu Yun, his aura belched balefully outward and swirled into a giant vortex. Like the advent of a demonic titan, it made all of the nearby immortals flinch.
The young man shook when he saw Lu Yun, a trace of happiness appearing on his face.
“Many thanks for your assistance, senior brother Lu!” he shouted. Every cell in his body on high alert, he stared at the rumbling lightning above.
Soon after, Lu Yun sensed immense goodwill from the young man flowing into the Sal Tree of Life and Death inside his dantian. The tree shook slightly, the bright yellow tinge on it growing more pronounced.
....
“Lu Yun, don’t go sticking your nose in someone else’s business!” A returned void realm cultivator lambasted with a frosty glare. “We’re not in Dusk Province anymore, and there’s no inheritance tower here. Do you really want to make an enemy out of all the immortals in the world?”
This cultivator had obviously participated in the great battle of Dusk Province. When Lu Yun had activated the inheritance tower, he’d almost pissed himself in fright and took off running. Ever since then, he’d been nursing a grudge against Lu Yun.
Moreover, he was also at peak returned void realm and had already sensed his upcoming tribulation. No formations of heaven and earth were needed for him. In fact, though no one ever brought it up other than as hushed whispers, all void realm cultivators fervently wished for Lu Yun’s death.
If formations of heaven and earth were never to appear, then the future.. and even the present would belong to them!
But with formations of heaven and earth readily available, the nigh-obsolete immortals would obtain the power of void-ascended immortals as well. For void realm cultivators, this created an enormous hindrance that would nullify all of their advantages.
For that reason alone, these returned void realm cultivators wanted nothing more than for Lu Yun to die.
“Hehe.” Lu Yun couldn’t help but a grin as he scanned the surroundings with an eagle eye. “I really do feel like pissing off all immortals in the world today. Don’t like that? Feel free to step forward!”
Swish!
Many immortals backed off in unison, unwilling to come to blows. After all, they still needed his formation of heaven and earth. In contrast, quite a few void realm cultivators took to the air, raring to fight.
The last time, Lu Yun had used the ancient lord’s inheritance tower to scare them off, a pill that these geniuses found repulsive to swallow. Now that they’d obtained great benefits from the celestial master tomb, many of them sensed their upcoming tribulations. They were about to become immortals! When they ran into Lu Yun next, they were going to show this former number one youth sovereign who was boss.
“I’m not scared of you.” A dazzling golden avenue slowly extended from the void, admitting a young man holding a golden spear wreathed by subtle dragon howls.
Wu Tulong.
Wu Tulong was here again.
“Lu Yun, dare you fight me?” He brandished the gleaming spear in his hand, pointing it straight at Lu Yun.
Rumble!
Just then, the roiling, churning clouds in the sky transformed into a giant wave of lightning and descended from the heavens, ruthlessly pouncing on the young man.