Chapter 53

‘Why was Master having such a hard time trying to survive his tribulation? Was it because he failed to thank the Heavenly Dao?’

Li Changshou was puzzled. He recalled the sensation of the second Heavenly Tribulation he experienced and analyzed the impact the power of the Heavenly Dao had on him.

It should not be because he thanked the Heavenly Dao before the Tribulation Transcendence occurred. The Heavenly Dao was fair. He did that with the mentality of giving it a try, so that should not actually have any effects whatsoever.

He felt that the earlier two bolts of lightning were quite comfortable because they could not cause him any real harm.

This logic was actually quite easy to understand.

For example, many types of customers. who visited a brothel to play, would be flirtatiously hit by a woman who shouted, “Aiya, why did you come only now?”

Due to her professional ethics, she would have placed the same amount of strength behind each hit. However, based upon the strength in their bodies, each customer would feel differently about that hit…

The situation was something like that.

The third Lightning Tribulation was churning above Li Changshou, but he had gained many insights.

The previous two Heavenly Lightnings seemed to have opened a door before him by just a crack, allowing him to take a peek of a mysterious yet profound world.

‘This should be the result of the Great Dao, or the Heavenly Dao, coming into contact with my own Dao.

‘Could this be the key to completing ascension?’

Boom!

The ocean surface rippled as a result of the rumbling thunder’s shockwaves.

Amid the rumbling thunder, several lightning spots flickered. Another coarse bolt of lightning struck!

After being struck by the bolt of lightning, Li Changshou, who was hovering mid-air, dropped by 30 feet before he managed to stabilize his body and block most of the lightning that struck him. Several bolts of lightning cracked and split above his head, striking everywhere on the ocean surface.

Fortunately, the 12 Faraday Cages were some distance away, or else some might have been destroyed as a result.

This time, he sustained some injuries because of the Heavenly Tribulation.

Li Changshou stared at the handful of long hair he was holding. Thankfully, it was still the long white hair he had dyed for completing the disguise.

His Heavenly Tribulation was not any different from that of the other cultivators.

The Dao robe he was wearing became slightly charred.

Before the Tribulation Transcendence arrived, he had removed all metal items he had on him. The charred area on his robe was caused by the explosion of a jade pearl accessory.

Li Changshou’s body was currently covered with small flashing electric arcs.

Immortal aura gathered around his arms and shoulders. A fingernail-sized portion at the top of his head was starting to convert to an immortal body.

He flew back up to 90 feet above the ground. As he called upon all his Dharma powers and the converted Immortal Qi in him, he waited for the fourth Heavenly Tribulation to arrive.

Roars could be heard from the vortex above him, and the Tribulation Cloud was churning continuously.

Various strange phenomena appeared at the Tribulation Cloud once more, as though there were several dozens of ferocious beasts confined within the cloud itself, which were trying to escape their bindings, charge below, and swallow Li Changshou whole.

“Things happen in threes; the Heavenly Tribulation is about to undergo a change.”

A simple, rusty carving knife appeared in Li Changshou’s right hand. However, he hesitated slightly and put it away again, choosing to continue using his flesh body, Primordial Spirit, and Dharma powers to resist against the Heavenly Tribulation. This way, the Great Dao and his own Dao would continue to clash together.

This was the feeling he was seeking!

The door that had just been cracked open was pushed open half-way. He could already see the various beautiful sceneries in front of him, calling for him.

His Primordial Spirit was engulfed in the lightning, entering a mysterious state. It even started to absorb the small electric arcs to promote the transformation of his body.

These situations showed that Li Changshou would definitely be able to ‘ascend’ once he survived the Heavenly Tribulation.

However, the probability of him ascending now was not big. It would all depend on the subsequent Lightning Tribulations to see if he would be able to obtain a greater opportunity.

Sizzle—

Six large lightning spots arranged in a hexagonal shape appeared inside the vortex overhead. An indistinct face of a white tiger could be seen.

In the very next moment, the white tiger roared. Lightning surged violently, condensing to form a lightning pillar that shot down.

The fourth Heavenly Tribulation rained down!

The abundant power of the Great Dao charged below, following the lead of the lightning. Li Changshou grunted as his hovering body was forced down several dozen feet once more.

On a beach several hundred kilometers away, a group of fishermen looked over. Some of them started to prostrate themselves in that direction.

A few immortals and cultivators would occasionally pass by in the 150-kilometer radius. They would also glance over and sense the violent power of the Heavenly Tribulation.

“Who would come to a place like this to undergo their Tribulation Transcendence?”

“Such frightening Tribulation Cloud, to be able to cover such a large area. Could that be the legendary Eight Lightnings?”

One would naturally avoid the area where a Tribulation Transcendence was occurring to prevent themselves from suffering from accidental injuries.

The lightning dispersed. Li Changshou flew back up again.

‘The fourth Lightning Tribulation is not bad. It is powerful and accurate enough, enabling me to gain many insights without causing any injuries to my Primordial Spirit.’

This was quite a wonderful Lightning Tribulation. If the fifth and sixth bolts of lightning remained this way, it would be good.

However, Li Changshou secretly felt disappointed.

After calculating the intensity, the speed at which the Tribulation Cloud was being depleted, and the pattern he derived previously, his Heavenly Tribulation should be the Eight Lightnings Tribulation without a doubt.

He had known that his advantage laid in his understanding capabilities, his provocative thinking, and his flexible learning methods. His own aptitude did not provide him with much of an advantage.

The rule of the Heavenly Dao stated that the aptitude one had upon first starting to cultivate would determine the Heavenly Tribulation they would have to transcend.

Indeed, his Heavenly Tribulation was impressive.

Yet, when the Heavenly Tribulation arrived, he discovered that it was different from the ‘Nine Extremities Lightning Tribulation’ he had been worried about for the past 60 years.

Therefore, he felt slightly disappointed.

Nonetheless, there were also two sides to a coin for everything. Li Changshou should be able to successfully transcend the Eight Lightnings Heavenly Tribulation without any problem, and without revealing too many trump cards.

More importantly, the clash between the Great Dao and his Dao would allow him to gain many benefits, expand his horizons, and obtain a large number of insights.

‘Being able to become closer to attaining ascension is a good thing.’

Boom—

The fifth Lightning Tribulation landed. Li Changshou put in his all to resist it, the amount of immortal energy in his body increasing.

Seven-colored light shone from his forehead. This was the sign that his body was starting to transform faster to become an immortal body!

Then, the sixth…

The seventh…

When looking at this from a distance away, one could see the Tribulation Cloud churning. Numerous ancient ferocious beasts appeared above the cloud.

Such as the Qiongqi, with its wings spread out in preparation for flight, the Qilin covered in a gray layer of flame, the Taotie, which had a huge mouth growing on its belly, and the Taowu, which was covered in long spikes.[1]

There were 32 ferocious beasts in total, which took turns appearing on the Tribulation Cloud.

A huge lightning pillar would appear each time these ferocious beasts clashed, attacking the person hovering mid-air below.

Several kilometers away, an old Daoist priest was heading towards the South Ocean Immortal Island with his disciple to visit a good friend. He looked curiously at where Li Changshou was transcending the tribulation.

The old Daoist priest squeezed his fingers together to make a prediction. With sparkling eyes, he blurted out, “That is… the legendary Heavenly Tribulation, ranked in the fourth place! The 32-Beasts 8-Extremes 8-Desolate Immortal Tribulation!”

The intelligent young lady beside him complained, “Is there something wrong, Master?”

“It is nothing.” The old Daoist priest shook his head and sighed before saying, “A cultivating genius is about to meet their demise because of their Heavenly Tribulation. Han Zhi, let’s go.

“This kind of Heavenly Tribulation… is something impossible to survive!

“Sometimes, it’s not a good thing to possess exceptional aptitude!

“With a superior-class immortal cultivation aptitude like yours, Han Zhi, you will also need to be extra meticulous when dealing with the Heavenly Tribulation you will be facing.”

After he said that, the old Daoist priest continued on his way with Han Zhi.

This was the only immortal who was able to threaten Li Changshou’s Tribulation Transcendence in this whole process.

However, this immortal did not take a second glance and left with his disciple, along with the pity he felt for the cultivator about to die from the Tribulation Transcendence…

He left quietly, having passed by the area coincidentally.

This was, in fact, an affirmation of the preparation work Li Changshou had done before his Tribulation Transcendence. All his efforts put into finding this place was not for naught.

Back at where Li Changshou was, seven lightning pillars fell together. The sound of rumbling thunder echoed, and the living organisms in the nearby area, spanning for several kilometers, became uneasy.

Only five minutes had passed since the Heavenly Tribulation started.

The Tribulation Cloud above had shrunk to half its size, with the feral roaring of the ferocious beasts reverberating in the air. 32 lighting spots flashed continuously in the cloud, in preparation of the last Tribulation Lightning of this Heavenly Tribulation!

Li Changshou, who was situated below the cloud, frowned and took a deep breath to suppress the tremor in his body caused by the clash between his Dharma powers and the immortal power.

Just now, the seventh Dao lightning pillar was already 10 feet wide.

This time, it should be bigger and stronger!

Li Changshou’s Dao robe was already ridden with a dozen holes. However, from his forehead to his neck, he was radiating with seven-colored immortal light spots.

When his immortal base stabilized, this immortal light quickly disappeared.

However…

‘My Heavenly Tribulation is unexpectedly… disappointing.’

This was exactly the way an exceptional Heavenly Tribulation should be, to provide the cultivators with sufficient benefits and a powerful tribulation experience. Thus, it would promote the sublimation of the cultivator, allowing them to become a true immortal.

Li Changshou’s Heavenly Tribulation, however, seemed to be quite weak in strength.

This was far too gentle—only his body from the neck up had become an immortal body.

This was the result of Li Changshou only using his Dharma powers, flesh body, and Primordial Spirit to resist the Lightning Tribulation. He had yet to use the other methods he had prepared beforehand in this process.

‘It’s alright. There is still the eighth Heavenly Lighting.’ Li Changshou consoled himself, but he was starting to have a foreboding feeling.

Lightning spots flashed continuously above as lightning coagulated. The power of the Heavenly Tribulation churned viciously, as though it wanted to tear Li Changshou apart with this very last bolt of lightning.

Various scenes appeared before Li Changshou’s eyes.

The various occasions he had frantically suppressed his cultivation realm, repeatedly accumulated his understanding, and treated every little breakthrough as a huge accomplishment in his life… All the hardships he had endured, all the years he had bitterly cultivated, all the fears he had faced and all the caution he had to practice…

His Dao Body was sturdy like a Dharma treasure, and his essence soul was complete and flawless.

Finally, all his efforts, struggles, and risks he had accomplished would come to fruition today.

The 32 lightning spots flared at the same time. Countless silver snakes and electric serpents danced madly in the sky, condensing into three huge horizontal lightning pillars in the vortex. In a bright flash, they ferociously dropped down toward Li Changshou!

There was only a sea of lightning in the space between Heaven and the Earth.

At the border of the mortal world, above the South Ocean, divine lightning purified the world!

Li Changshou was finally moved. He raised both his hands to welcome the sublimation of his life!

His heart was racing!

It was all because he could already sense that his own Dao would find its place in this world from today onwards!

Today marked the beginning of his immortal path, and tomorrow would bring the adventure of his lifetime!

Crash…

The Lightning Tribulation engulfed Li Changshou completely. The corals below immediately melted, and electric sparks danced on the ocean surface!

A short moment later, when lightning sparks started falling, angelic music could be heard. A small ganoderma-shaped celebratory cloud rose from the ocean surface and stuck itself to Li Changshou’s feet.

A ray of immortal light shone from the Tribulation Cloud, engulfing Li Changshou. He was beside himself.

Immortal, ascended!

Dao, completed!

This was the path for immortals!

This!

Wait, something was not right!

Li Changshou looked down, and his expression immediately turned to that of astonishment!

Only his body from the head to his chest was transformed into an immortal body and emitted seven-colored immortal light. On the other hand, his hands, arms, and the rest of his body below his chest remained the same.

He had gained some immortal energy in addition to his original Dao Body…

In other words, he was just like an incomplete statue, half of him made from supreme-grade rainbow jade while the other half from soil and dirt!

His Primordial Spirit occasionally flowed with seven-colored immortal power, and occasionally… looked the same!

As though it sensed that Li Changshou discovered that something was amiss, the angelic music from above ceased, and the congratulatory clouds dissipated. All strange phenomena disappeared as well.

The Tribulation Cloud, which had turned white, was still in the process of dispersing…

Li Changshou quickly came back to his senses.

‘What’s going on?’

Such a situation was not recorded in the ancient books he had read!

The Heavenly Tribulation was over, but its power was insufficient?

Could it be that his foundation was far too solid, to the extent that the Eight Lightnings Heavenly Tribulation could not affect it, and thus his Dao Body could not be transformed into an immortal body?

‘Sh*t…’

What was he supposed to do now?

Cut off his own limbs and let his upper body ascend?

His lower body was very important, as well!

Moreover, his Primordial Spirit was currently in a half-baked immortal nascent state. There was no way he could slaughter his own Primordial Spirit!

Was it even possible to do that? This was not some form of sword technique that could be removed as one wished!

Li Changshou lifted his head and looked at the Tribulation Cloud that had almost completely dispersed. His mind raced frantically, and he looked anxious.

At that moment, he cared for nothing but to resolve this awkward situation immediately.

He did not wish to become an incomplete immortal!

The door toward the immortal realm was already open. He had successfully transcended the tribulation, but his Dao base was stuck!

Lifting his hand, Li Changshou took two hasty steps forward and quickly hollered at the last bit of the Tribulation Cloud still remaining in the sky,

“Hold on!”

The huge Heavenly Tribulation Cloud paused before speeding up and dissipated.

Li Changshou was rendered speechless.

‘Ran… ran away?’

Before he could curse, he suddenly heard a low ‘dong’ sound, which made his essence soul and Dao Body tremble.

An indescribable oppressive might from the Heaven locked onto him!

[1] Qiongqi, Taotie and Taowu are all famous ferocious beasts of the Chinese mythology.