Chapter 231: Heavenly Tribulation Heat

Although Wen Jing Dao Ren had successfully been misled, Li Changshou found himself truly caught in a crisis.

The Western Jiao had now set its sights on killing the Nan Hai Hai Shen, and the simple persona of the Nan Hai Hai Shen as a follower of Ren Jiao was starting to feel unstable...

Fortunately, he had always kept his true identity hidden.

Looking back, the effort he had put into separating his three identities—Ren Jiao's young cultivator, Nan Hai Hai Shen, and Du Xian Men disciple—had not been in vain.

Now, while there were still no guarantees and risks remained—such as Ao Yi being soul-searched, Ao Yi being mind-controlled, or Ao Yi being thrown into a boiling oil pot—it was still far better than having Li Changshou himself directly exposed to the gaze of the Western Jiao's experts...

In the midst of this great sect's vortex, how could he better protect himself?

Li Changshou knew that his current passive position ultimately stemmed from his shallow years of cultivation and insufficient accumulation, which prevented him from fully leveraging his abilities in such turbulent events.

He fell into deep thought.

To protect himself, he needed to "hide deeply," "run quickly," "understand the greater trends," and "cling to strong allies."

Simply avoiding everything wasn't reliable; only by proving his value could he truly secure a strong ally, so he had to navigate the edges of this vortex...

It was like a vicious cycle.

If the Western Jiao pulled out a Lock God Butterfly today, who knew if they'd come up with a Lock Life Insect tomorrow...

Who could handle that?

What scheme could he devise to divert their attention away from himself?

At that moment, Wen Jing Dao Ren was likely reporting back to the Western Jiao.

To protect this future asset on his side, Li Changshou hadn't had Wen Jing Dao Ren destroy the Lock God Butterfly. Instead, he instructed Wen Jing Dao Ren to give a detailed account to the Western Jiao's deputy leaders about how he had searched for the Nan Hai Hai Shen and gotten it wrong eighteen times upon returning.

Although they probably wouldn't back down out of difficulty, at least they might not charge ahead recklessly and could try a different approach...

Truth be told, as long as it didn't threaten Li Changshou's true body, they could destroy as many paper effigies as they wanted.

At worst, he could develop more in the future... perhaps some beans... or immortals...

Rumble—

"Heavenly Dao power?"

In the secret chamber, Li Changshou was startled by the muffled thunder.

His immortal sense swept outward and detected over a dozen figures hovering around the Du Jie holy ground outside the mountain gate—a certain nameless peak.

A fellow disciple was undergoing tribulation.

Li Changshou's eyes lit up, temporarily setting aside his worries. He left the underground chamber and sent a voice transmission to summon Ling E.

If the Western Jiao made another move, he could just have the Great Mage appear and stage a big show for him.

As long as it made the Western Jiao wary and reluctant to touch the Nan Hai Hai Shen, that would be enough.

No need for everyone to compete directly and cut off the opponent's connection—that would be going too far.

Before long, Li Changshou rode the clouds with Ling E and Xiong Lingli, heading toward the edge of the protective mountain array. Through the thin, transparent light barrier, they watched the disciple's tribulation.

At the same time, many other disciples from the sect had gathered, coming to observe the heavenly tribulation and boost their own confidence for future tribulations...

Today's tribulator was an acquaintance.

It was Liu Si Zhe, a disciple of Du Xian Men's Du Lin Peak. He had once clashed with Wang Qi over love on Xiao Qiong Peak, the very person involved in the emotional mix-up with "Yan Er Shijie" and "Qi Qi Shidi."

The top ten or twenty promising talents in Du Xian Men had been preparing for their tribulations in recent years, and who went first wasn't based on sect rankings...

After all, heavenly tribulations didn't care about faces or arrangements.

Outside the protective array, on the nameless peak, winds howled and clouds churned as spiritual energy surged in, forming tribulation clouds.

In Li Changshou's view, the power of these tribulation clouds...

Wasn't all that strong—somewhat lackluster, which indirectly proved that Liu Si Zhe had truly worked hard in his cultivation, though his innate talent was only average.

Li Changshou glanced at his junior sister's expression.

Facing this might of heaven and earth, Ling E's fair face had turned a bit pale, and she couldn't help but purse her lips...

"Junior sister, what do you think of this heavenly tribulation?"

From half a zhang away, Li Changshou transmitted his voice: "You'll have to face something like this eventually. Under the tribulation, if your own Dao isn't solid, it's annihilation."

Ling E bit her lip and looked at Li Changshou with a pitiful expression, then turned her worried gaze back to the one undergoing tribulation.

Tsk...

If he didn't give this little girl some pressure, she'd keep messing around with Jiu Jiu Shishu and never amount to much!

"Senior brother..."

"Hmm?"

"This... it's fine."

Ling E sighed softly in her heart. If not for the people around, she might have asked:

Since it's like that, could you fulfill one of my little wishes before my tribulation?

But she'd probably just get punished with copying scriptures or something.

The Cheng Xian Tribulation didn't drag on. Once the tribulation clouds were ready and the person stood in the air, lightning spots gathered below the clouds, and a bolt of thunder struck down!

"Wow," Xiong Lingli whispered, "it's really striking down."

Li Changshou calmly transmitted to the two: "Of course it is—otherwise, what's the point of a heavenly tribulation?"

Just then, the protective mountain array temporarily opened, and the vast heavenly might rushed over!

Clearly, the sect elders wanted the disciples to feel the tribulation more directly...

Lightning spots formed again under the tribulation clouds, and another thunderbolt fell, but Liu Si Zhe stood steadily in the air.

Xiong Lingli asked, "How many strikes do you have to endure in a tribulation, cousin?"

"For Liu Shidi's lightning tribulation, it should be seven," Li Changshou replied.

He looked at the faint anomalies above the tribulation clouds but couldn't name this type of lightning tribulation.

What a shame there wasn't a Jie Jiao immortal here—the explanation would have been perfect.

Bolt after bolt of lightning fell. By the fifth strike, immortal spiritual light was flickering around Liu Si Zhe.

Li Changshou nodded slowly—Liu Si Zhe seemed to have this one in the bag.

The sixth heavenly thunder struck, sending Liu Si Zhe crashing onto the mountaintop and shattering a swath of rocks. The clash between his magical power and the tribulation force erupted in a strong shockwave!

Ling E couldn't help but tense up;

She wondered what it would be like for her own tribulation and whether she could withstand such power.

Soon, Liu Si Zhe jumped up unsteadily, gathering his magical power in front of him to face the final strike!

Lightning spots flashed across the tribulation clouds, and the last surge of tribulation power condensed into a thunder pillar, engulfing Liu Si Zhe's figure and illuminating the night like daylight!

"Ah—"

In the thunder pillar, Liu Si Zhe roared toward the sky, his long hair whipping wildly!

Ling E frowned as she watched...

When the lightning faded, melodious immortal music echoed through the heavens.

Visions appeared in the air: cranes soaring, fairies dancing, and an old man offering peaches. A lingzhi-like auspicious cloud lifted Liu Si Zhe slowly upward, his eyes closed as he savored his new realm, a look of ecstasy on his face.

This tribulation didn't lead to ascension.

Ling E let out a soft breath. "Senior brother, is that what becoming an immortal is?"

"Yes," Li Changshou said with a smile, "that's becoming an immortal, the first major checkpoint on the path of cultivation."

Ling E's bright eyes showed a hint of longing.

Li Changshou breathed a sigh of relief in his heart...

At least, he had shifted Ling E's interest from mere superficial curiosity to a bit more focus on cultivation...

"Senior brother, let's head back," Ling E said softly. "I'll work hard on my cultivation from now on and face the tribulation as soon as possible!"

Li Changshou smiled contentedly, about to turn, when he suddenly looked to the side and transmitted: "Wait a bit longer—someone else is about to tribulate. Watch another one and reflect carefully."

"Huh?"

Ling E blinked in surprise. Could tribulations really come in bunches?

Sure enough, as soon as Liu Si Zhe's heavenly visions dissipated and he was reflecting on his experience, another disciple laughed loudly.

"My heavenly tribulation has arrived!"

No sooner had he spoken than the scattered spiritual energy gathered again toward Du Xian Men.

The disciple quickly stepped forward, flying to the nameless peak where Liu Si Zhe had been, who promptly made way and offered a few words of encouragement.

Rumble—

Thunder rolled, and heavenly might warned!

The second wave of tribulation began, also seven strikes—the average level for sect talents.

Ling E was less nervous this time and watched with interest. Seeing the person succeed, she felt even more confident.

However, it seemed the Du Xian Men disciples were challenging the heavens today.

After the second person finished, another jumped out, triggering yet another tribulation...

Group tribulations did have some logic to them.

Seeing one or two succeed, other disciples on the brink gained confidence and thought they could do it too.

"He can do it, so can I!"

Thus, a slight fluctuation in their Dao hearts directly summoned the tribulation.

After the third, two more promising talents flew out—Xiao Ling Peak's Wang Qi and his Dao companion from Du Lin Peak, Liu Yan Er—both successfully tribulated.

Qi Qi Shidi and Yan Er Shijie had become a true immortal couple.

For a moment, the sect disciples were fired up, and the sixth person leaped out to face their tribulation—only to...

Die.

This disciple, from Po Tian Peak and around the same age as Li Changshou, either hadn't prepared enough or erred during the tribulation. He couldn't withstand the final lightning strike, leaving a mangled corpse on the mountain...

The disciples who had gotten carried away were suddenly doused with cold water.

The deceased disciple's master could only sigh deeply, stepping forward to collect his beloved student's remains for burial.

Ling E's face, which had been full of joy, excitement, and confidence, now looked pale and uncertain.

Li Changshou said calmly, "The time you waste on frivolity is the risk you'll face during tribulation."

"Senior brother..."

Ling E clutched the corner of Li Changshou's robe, biting her lip, unsure what to say.

About the three-chapter rule...

Forget it. Seeing that Ling E was shaken, Li Changshou unusually softened his tone:

"Heavenly tribulation is a test, not a complete slaughter.

Of the six who tribulated today, five became immortals and one perished—that's a decent success rate.

Still, tribulation is a personal matter; others can't help much. From now on, you must cultivate steadily, solidify your Dao foundation, and handle it with ease."

"Okay," Ling E replied obediently, glancing back at the nameless peak, which had been shortened by several dozen zhang, her emotions mixed.

Maybe she should fulfill her personal wish first, then face the tribulation.

Ling E pondered quietly, scheming how to make her move...

Li Changshou led Ling E and Xiong Lingli back gracefully.

Taking his junior sister to watch the tribulations was just a minor interlude, but it would instill more reverence for cultivation in her—that was a good thing.

It was a pity about that Po Tian Peak senior brother who died; with a few more centuries of preparation, his chances might have been higher.

The next twenty years would likely be the peak period for this batch of Du Xian Men disciples to tribulate, so he needed to arrange a trip out and "accidentally" undergo his own.

He didn't have to go in person—just send a paper effigy.

As long as he returned showing the early Yuan Xian realm, it would perfectly cover his tracks...

Sigh, if only he could delay until his Jin Xian tribulation, that would be ideal.

If so, when he went out, the sect would think he was tribulating for immortality, but in reality, he'd have the Great Mage protect him and cross his longevity tribulation in some hidden spot.

When he returned, if anyone asked, he could say he accidentally succeeded—that wouldn't be a lie.

Li Changshou chuckled lightly, then gradually sobered, sitting in the rocking chair in front of the pill room, pondering how to counter the Western Jiao's moves.

A counterattack?

Not feasible yet—it was their turn after he had disrupted them first.

As everyone knew, schemes in the Hong Huang were often turn-based.

After thinking for a few days, Li Changshou had a couple of countermeasures in mind.

Just as he was about to put them into action, two groups of visitors arrived one after another at the Nan Hai Hai Shen temple...

The first was the Dragon Palace's gift delegation.

A group of immortal flood dragon soldiers carried six hundred chests of treasures, descending from the sky under watchful eyes and piling the chests in the main temple of An Shui City.

This was a thank-you gift for the Hai Shen, with another portion sent to the Heavenly Court.

Because of this, Dong Mu Gong hurried over to consult the Hai Shen's opinion: Should the Heavenly Court accept the Dragon Palace's gifts?

Li Changshou pondered for a moment and asked Dong Mu Gong:

Does the Heavenly Court lack them or not?

If they need treasures, accept them—training heavenly soldiers requires more than just merit power. If not, reject them righteously.

After all, the Heavenly Court is a proper, direct Heavenly Dao institution managing the Hong Huang!

Dong Mu Gong immediately understood and rushed back to the Heavenly Court to handle it.

As Dong Mu Gong left, Li Changshou finished tallying his gains and calculating how much progress he could make on Xiao Qiong Peak's comprehensive defense system, when a figure arrived on clouds from the north.

Huang Long Zhen Ren?

This elder true person wore an earthy yellow robe, his face full of worry, sighing repeatedly—clearly troubled by something.

Honestly, when did his Hai Shen temple become the Dao Men advice hub?

Why did everyone with problems come to this Ren Jiao junior for venting? Didn't Chan Jiao have anyone else?

Li Changshou scanned with his immortal sense and, relieved to see no sign of Zhao Gongming, breathed easier.

Although Zhao Gongming's sister was stunning, Zhao Gongming himself was an unpredictable factor.