"Step back!" Song Qianji turned and shouted sharply.
He had to undergo the tribulation immediately.
The thing he least wanted to happen had still arrived.
Wei Ping refused to leave: "I'll protect you!"
Song Qianji had taken a sword strike from Lin Feiyuan for him, claiming it was only a flesh wound, but his shoulder was still bleeding. Who knew how severe the injury truly was, or if he was just forcing himself to endure.
Ji Chen displayed unprecedented firmness, forcibly pulling Wei Ping away:
"Trust Brother Song! If you go over to help him withstand the lightning, he'll have to split his focus to protect you!"
The Thunder Tribulation was a trial from the Heavenly Dao, ignoring any Protective Array, and also a blessing from the heavens, containing immense energy.
After emerging from seclusion, most cultivators chose to undergo their tribulation in auspicious locations, making it easier to absorb Spirit Qi, with their masters or senior family members guarding them nearby.
Those with greater resources would take "Body Tempering Pills" in advance to increase their lightning resistance, followed by "Lightning Transformation Pills" to absorb as much energy as possible from the tribulation and temper their Meridians.
Though both were struck by lightning, some would emerge with charred skin and bleeding, yet reborn and refined, making their next breakthrough smoother.
Others would exhaust their Mystic Treasures, barely surviving the tribulation, only to be left with severe injuries and no benefits beyond breaking through their cultivation realm.
How much one could absorb from the Thunder Tribulation depended on the cultivator's innate talent, the guardian's experience, and sheer luck.
Gazing up at the thundering Tribulation Cloud, everyone turned pale, their souls trembling. This was the Heavenly Dao's power intimidating cultivators, much like earthquakes or tsunamis intimidated mortals.
Ji Chen gaped: "How can this be? Even my uncle's tribulation clouds when forming his Nascent Soul weren't this terrifying!"
The entire Thousand-Ditch Prefecture was enveloped.
The whole Western Sky Continent witnessed this tribulation.
Thousands of cultivators emerged from their caves and palaces, gathering on mountaintops and rooftops in open areas, channeling Spirit Qi to observe.
Busybodies mounted their Flying Swords to see further.
"Which patriarch is undergoing tribulation?"
"The lightning is light purple—this person's bone age is still young. Which family's junior is facing tribulation?"
"Such a grand spectacle—could it be Ziye Wenshu in the Western Sky Continent?"
"No, this is a Golden Core tribulation! The clouds are over Thousand-Ditch Prefecture!"
On Hua Wei Mountain, Flying Swords stood like a forest.
True Person Xuyun sat upright in the Cosmos Palace, his face darker than the thunderclouds.
By the calculations, today was the day of the assassination.
Song Qianji hadn't died—instead, he was undergoing tribulation.
Deep within the Zhao Family ancestral residence, an aged sigh echoed.
Zhao Taiji knew why the family patriarch sighed—the assassination had failed, and Lin Feiyuan must be dead.
Not daring to enter the room, he stood in the snow-covered courtyard, nearly turning into a snowman, looking up with hatred: "I only hope he's severely injured and lacks the strength to withstand the tribulation."
Having endured countless hardships in his previous life, Song Qianji felt no fear now.
His expression was calm as water, raising both hands swiftly, forming hand seals, and shouting: "Come!"
The thunder gathered momentum, purple lightning flickered, and the black clouds split open, forming a pillar of purple lightning that connected heaven and earth.
This thunder was so immense that if it struck Song Qianji, the entire Thousand Canal Bazaar would likely experience an earthquake.
Participants of the "Harvest Festival" had already been evacuated from the Thousand Canal Bazaar under the guidance of the city defense team, gathering on the main street.
Though the crowd had panicked and jostled during the initial chaos, fortunately, no one was injured.
Ji Xing channeled Spirit Qi, loudly directing the evacuation:
"There are assassins inside, all cultivators, very powerful. Everyone, don't go in…"
"Immortal Official Song was assassinated. If we escape, what will happen to him?" Liu the Carpenter suddenly asked.
The natural fear mortals held for cultivators vanished in that moment. A group of Thousand Canals residents refused to leave, grabbing bamboo poles, brooms, and vegetable baskets nearby:
"Kill the assassins, protect Immortal Official Song!"The crowd was in an uproar. Chief Engineer Tie Sanniu shouted, "Fairy Ji, lead us back to fight!"
"Ah?" Ji Xing was startled. "Th-the assassin has already been subdued!"
When they were usually dredging canals and farming, everyone was honest and hardworking—who would have thought they could suddenly erupt with such momentum.
The sky abruptly darkened, ominous clouds gathered, purple lightning flickered, and a majestic pressure filled the air.
The people of Thousand Canals had never witnessed such a breathtaking phenomenon. It felt as if a single glance had drained all the strength from their bodies.
Ji Xing exclaimed joyfully, "The Thunder Tribulation is here! Senior Brother Song is about to undergo his tribulation! Everyone, stay back and let him focus on his breakthrough!"
Someone pointed at the sky and cried out hoarsely, "Song Xian Guan is a good man—he shouldn't be struck by lightning!"
"Song Xian Guan shouldn't be struck by lightning!"
Ji Xing didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "This is the Thunder Tribulation—it's a good thing!"
Song Qianji looked up.
A massive pillar of purple lightning descended.
It was a descent, not a strike, and it made no sound.
Song Qianji's expression changed as he watched the lightning fall, but a faint golden light rose around him, forming a protective barrier that repelled the thunder.
The golden barrier seemed to have warmth. The descending pillar of lightning melted away like accumulated snow, while wisps of purple smoke penetrated the shield, falling gently like sweet dew or light snow upon his body, shoulders, and face. It seeped through his skin and flesh, nourishing every bone and every meridian.
"Virtuous Golden Light protection!" Wei Ping exclaimed in astonishment.
"Isn't that just a legend from the books?" Ji Chen remained stunned. One moment, he had thought Song Qianji would be struck to the brink of death; the next, golden light surged forth like a sudden turn of fortune.
Legend had it that when ancient Great Adepts underwent tribulation, the virtuous would be protected by golden light, absorbing the full force of the thunder without a single injury.
Song Qianji blankly lowered his hands. Spiritual dew gathered from his meridians toward his Purple Palace, condensing into a rapidly spinning Golden Core.
The Golden Core grew continuously, breaking through the early, middle, late, and finally the peak Golden Core stages in an instant.
He was even more bewildered than the confused mortals.
"Boom!"
The pressure around him erupted as his Golden Core shattered, forming a Nascent Soul!
The Nascent Soul rapidly absorbed the energy from the thunder, radiating brilliant light and continuously transforming.
Song Qianji regained his senses and hurriedly stabilized his aura, forcefully suppressing his cultivation at the mid-stage Nascent Soul level.
The lightning finally dissipated, and the black Tribulation Cloud changed color, transforming into a sky full of colorful clouds.
The fierce wind softened, and it seemed as if music could be heard in the breeze.
"Senior Brother Song actually broke through two tribulations in a row!"
Wei Ping, Ji Chen, and the others rushed over. Surrounded by the crowd, Song Qianji let out a sigh of relief. He opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly, the Pure Bottle within him shook violently.
The Fountain of Immortality, having absorbed the power of the heavenly thunder, surged forth, instantly pulling his Divine Sense into his Purple Palace.
Amidst the anxious cries around him, Song Qianji fell backward.
Before his eyes closed, he had only one thought: I was too careless—even the Fountain of Immortality is coming for me.
...
Song Qianji stood in a field of golden wheat.
The sun was brilliant, a gentle breeze rustled the wheat, and the rolling waves of grain made it seem like a dream.
Song Qianji laughed mockingly to himself, "You've got to be kidding me."
The reason heaven-and-earth treasures were so precious was that they could not only attack and heal but also open up a "Domain" for cultivators.
In his previous life, Song Qianji had been hunted down by a coalition all because of an unfounded rumor:
It was said that he would use the Fountain of Immortality from the Pure Bottle to create his own Small World, becoming its creator and ruler, indifferent to the fate of this world.Once the Sky-Supporting Tree perished, those who submitted to him were enslaved within his Domain, while those who resisted faced certain death.
People refused to believe that a notorious mud-legged peasant could truly save the world.
Song Qianji’s Domain was still but a flickering shadow within his Purple Palace, constantly wavering.
Once the Domain solidified and manifested externally, it would become a world of its own, governed by rules of his creation.
What immense power and authority this represented.
Song Qianji lay in the wheat field for a while, squinting under the illusory sunlight.
"Ancient texts say the Domain of the Thousand Canals King was a chessboard, with the sky as the grid and stars as the pieces..."
"Legend has it that Xian Jianchen’s Domain was a forest of swords, densely packed with blades and strewn with white bones..."
"In the long river of time, Wei Zhenyu’s Domain after reaching the Transformation Stage was a sea of flames, blazing fiercely and consuming all things."
"If I were to fight someone and unleash my Domain—wow, a field of wheat—wouldn’t the enemy laugh at me? Is that appropriate? Does that make any sense?"
Song Qianji sneered three times. The Pure Bottle trembled slightly, and the divine power of the Fountain of Immortality surged forth.
The sky abruptly darkened, and a sudden downpour pelted the wheat field.
Song Qianji wiped his face and grumbled, "Are you throwing a tantrum now? Can’t I even ask a simple question?"
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