Chapter 297: Senior Brother, I Will Definitely

"Why is the Tian Jie acting up like this?"

Jiu Yushi's voice, tinged with a hint of timidity, broke the silence that had fallen over the Du Xian Gate immortals due to the unexpected change in the Tian Jie.

That small gray cloud had already drifted above Li Changshou's head.

Though it appeared ordinary, any qi refiner attempting to probe it with their immortal sense would feel a sharp, powerful, and obscure Dao rhythm.

"Tian Fa?!"

Jiang Lin'er was the first to react. "Ling'e is undergoing her tribulation, so why is the Tian Fa targeting Changshou?"

Her words stirred up a storm of discussion among the numerous Du Xian Gate qi refiners, who were either hiding inside the mountain-protecting array or watching from outside the gate.

The legendary existence of Tian Fa made them feel...

Utterly curious.

At that time, the human race was thriving with prosperous fate, as the protagonists of heaven and earth under heavenly protection, making the chance of attracting Tian Fa extremely slim.

Yet today, during Ling'e's tribulation on Xiaoqiong Peak, the Tian Fa had directly targeted Li Changshou, the 'Yuan Immortal' of Xiaoqiong Peak.

The relationship between this senior brother and junior sister pair was somewhat puzzling.

Ji Wuyou, the Kong Xu Sect Leader, stood with his hands behind his back, pondering for a moment before considering speaking up to explain for Li Changshou. But he...

Couldn't come up with anything!

No matter what, Ji Wuyou couldn't let Li Changshou come to harm, so he immediately called out loudly, "Changshou, this is Tian Fa. I'll help you!"

"Please don't worry, Sect Leader!"

Li Changshou turned and bowed in salute as he replied.

There was no way around it— the intensity of the Tian Fa he was facing was something the Sect Leader absolutely couldn't withstand.

But the immediate problem was...

How to survive the Tian Fa under everyone's watchful eyes without revealing too many of his hidden cards!

When this dilemma presented itself to Li Changshou, his initial instinct was to refuse.

Yet the Heavenly Dao was impartial and operated by strict rules, offering no room for negotiation; the divine thunder of Tian Fa, capable of destroying everything, was brewing in the sky, its heavenly might locked firmly on him.

He had confirmed with his eyes— this was an unavoidable thunder.

But why this time?

Shouldn't he at least get a reason?

He recalled that during his Immortal Ascension Tribulation, his first encounter with Tian Fa, it had been straightforward and quick.

That time, because he had obscured the heavenly secrets, Li Changshou had accepted it.

Then, during his Golden Immortal Tribulation, twelve rounds of Tian Fa had struck in succession, mainly because he had severed his Dao nine times and evaded the Tian Jie nine times, so Li Changshou had accepted that too.

Creating Golden Immortal realm paper effigies led to nine rounds of Tian Fa striking chaotically.

Later, Li Changshou figured it out— this might have been a warning not to meddle with a cultivation system like 'swallowing a golden elixir into the abdomen.'

So, he had reluctantly accepted it.

But today!

Only today!

Under the Heavenly Dao's approval, he had simply summarized past tribulation experiences and used the Taiqing Dan Dao to make some thorough preparations for his junior sister's tribulation.

Why get struck for that?

Why be punished?

How could it be… wait a minute.

Li Changshou blinked and suddenly looked toward Ling'e.

At that moment, Ling'e was also gazing in his direction, her eyes full of shock and anxiety.

Behind her, the shadow of a book slowly floated, growing more solid, with the character 'stable' becoming clearer.

Could it be because of this?

Li Changshou's mouth twitched a few times, and soon...

He accepted it.

Above the gray cloud, the power of Tian Fa was about to descend.

The immortals of Du Xian Gate behind him, as well as Ling'e undergoing her tribulation, all had their eyes on him.

What to do...

What else could he do? Just endure it.

Fortunately, having been struck by Tian Fa many times, Li Changshou had established emergency response measures for encountering it in the wild.

Facing Tian Fa now, he felt a bit more confident.

From frequent 'treatments,' he could now distinguish whether it was a punitive Tian Fa or a destructive one.

The Tian Fa he endured was always the punitive kind; otherwise, he would have been gone long ago.

Based on the fluctuation frequency of the Tian Fa's power and the total amount contained in the gray cloud, this time seemed to be the same.

Tian Fa waited for no one; it was nearly ready and about to fall...

Li Changshou opened his left sleeve, and a blood-red gem suddenly flew out, shooting far into the distance and traveling hundreds of miles in an instant.

The gray cloud vanished silently and reappeared directly above the gem, unleashing a bucket-thick purple-red divine thunder!

The heavens and earth dimmed, the wind ceased, and the clouds stilled!

The gem plunged into the mountains below, causing the entire mountain to explode!

The immortals of Du Xian Gate all changed their expressions.

Thankfully, not many in the gate liked to gasp in shock, or the scene would have been quite spectacular.

Ling'e thought of something and stared nervously at the shattered mountain hundreds of miles away, barely paying attention to her own Tian Jie anymore...

Senior brother!

"Focus on your tribulation."

Li Changshou's voice transmission reached her again, still calm as ever. Ling'e instinctively glanced toward her senior brother's figure five miles behind her.

The one standing there was, of course, Li Changshou's paper effigy.

What had been thrown out earlier was the small box where Li Changshou's true body was hidden after using a transformation technique.

He had hidden his true body inside the paper effigy, and then the paper effigy came out to cheer for his junior sister— which was essentially like his true body being there in person...

Li Changshou, who had just endured a strike of Tian Fa, continued his voice transmission: "Don't worry, I've handled this kind of Tian Fa many times before. Just hurry up and become an immortal."

Ling'e quickly agreed, feeling a wave of emotion.

'Although I don't know the exact reason, senior brother did all this for me...'

Rumble!

Above Ling'e, bolts of lightning flashed, and the massive tribulation cloud, a hundred miles in diameter, slowly pressed down, boiling the spiritual energy within thousands of miles.

A pool of deep blue divine thunder poured from the tribulation cloud like a bead curtain or a waterfall, directly onto Ling'e's head!

Ling'e's face was solemn, and the shadow of the book behind her grew even clearer. Her delicate hands moved swiftly like illusions, channeling just the right amount of magical power based on the thunder's force to form three layers of magical barriers above her.

As the lightning fell, the darkened world was lit up brightly, drawing the attention of the Du Xian Gate immortals back.

Qi Yuan exclaimed, "This— is this Ling'e's first thunder?"

"Nine Thunder Tian Jie! It's the legendary Nine Thunder Tian Jie!"

"Does Du Xian Gate have another Golden Immortal on the way? Anyone who can survive the ninefold heavenly tribulation has the potential for longevity!"

"Ha ha ha!"

Jiang Lin'er placed her hands on her hips and laughed. "My grand-disciple has the makings of a Golden Immortal!"

Meanwhile, far away, over a thousand five hundred miles out, the second purple-red divine thunder struck…

By now, only immortals at the Tianxian realm or above could see this Tian Fa divine thunder.

Li Changshou hid underground, enduring the Tian Fa while keeping an eye on Ling'e's tribulation, and even extended his immortal sense as far as possible to guard against any experts drawn by the Tian Fa that might threaten him.

His junior sister's tribulation was turning out to be...

As her senior brother, he was truly exhausted!

At Du Xian Gate, after Ling'e safely withstood the first thunder, her Dao body gained its first trace of immortal spirit energy.

Following her senior brother's instructions, she drew that trace of immortal spirit energy into her body, protecting it around her heart meridian and quickly merging it with her magical power.

The Immortal Ascension Tribulation was generally swift, as the ascension of a post-heavenly being wasn't a major event for heaven and earth.

The second and third thunders followed one after another, each like a thunder pool overturning and raining down like a waterfall. Ling'e handled them with ease and had long since swallowed pills to continuously restore her magical power, keeping it full.

Her senior brother had given her so many spirit pills, not for saving them for daily use.

Use them when needed— becoming an immortal was just the beginning and foundation of everything!

By now, a certain disciple of Xiaoqiong Peak had already fled over three thousand miles, silently welcoming his third Tian Fa.

In front of the gate, Sect Leader Ji Wuyou flew to Li Changshou's paper effigy and asked via voice transmission, "Changshou, are… are you alright?"

Though Li Changshou's heart was bleeding and his body in agony, he still bowed respectfully and replied via voice transmission, "Thank you for your concern, Sect Leader. I'm fine.

"However, could I ask the Sect Leader to help cover up this Tian Fa matter?

"Due to some reasons I can't explain, I can't reveal my other identity within Ren Jiao…

"Please help me out!"

Ji Wuyou couldn't help but smile knowingly and said warmly, "Don't worry, I understand. Tell me, how can I assist you?"

Li Changshou subtly transmitted a few words, enduring the fourth Tian Fa as he spoke, causing even his paper effigy to tremble slightly.

The pain was real, even if the injury wasn't severe.

A moment later, Ji Wuyou cleared his throat, his calm voice echoing everywhere:

"Changshou, the Wu Clan blood soul gem I gave you was for studying array Dao.

"Today, that blood soul stone attracted Tian Fa and flew away on its own. What crime should you be charged with?"

Li Changshou quickly lowered his head in admission. "I request the Sect Leader's punishment!"

"Very well, you're fined thirty years of monthly allowance. After your junior sister's tribulation, you'll be confined to Xiaoqiong Peak for thirty years.

"Are you convinced?"

"I lost the treasure and accept the punishment willingly!"

Ji Wuyou nodded and continued standing in front of Li Changshou, watching Ling'e's tribulation on the barren mountain.

Li Changshou finally breathed a sigh of relief. His true body glanced at the gray cloud, which seemed to be taking a break.

Thankfully, this Tian Fa wasn't too harsh.

After enduring four strikes, Li Changshou's injuries weren't too serious.

Now, he finally had the chance to add that line…

"I willingly accept the punishment and thank the Heavenly Dao for taking the time to guide me."

His heart instantly felt much steadier.

Then, Li Changshou looked down at his charred Dao body, sealed his wounds with immortal power, and swallowed a handful of pills.

He cast Wind Escape and hurried a hundred miles away to continue enduring the Tian Fa.

The fifth Tian Fa arrived late, its power similar to the previous four. Li Changshou withstood it, quickly healing himself while still observing his junior sister's situation.

Without being by her side to remind her when to take pills or use spells, he always felt a bit uneasy.

Fortunately…

Though unexpectedly cared for by the Heavenly Dao again, leaving him a little depressed, everything about Ling'e's tribulation was within his calculations.

In fact, for each thunder that fell, the amount of magical power Ling'e retained matched his estimates almost exactly.

This was his junior sister, raised by his own hand!

For Ling'e's seventh thunder, the white thunder mixed with purple leveled the barren mountain below, drawing blood from her forehead and shoulders, and tearing her dress.

Yet she still diverted some magical power to wrap herself tightly.

Her beautiful eyes revealed an unprecedented determination.

Whether it was because she didn't want to be seen by anyone other than her senior brother, or because she had to become an immortal for endless joy…

It was all about conviction!

The eighth thunder fell, and Ling'e inevitably sustained injuries, but after swallowing a few third- and fourth-grade healing pills, they were suppressed.

Overall, it was smooth sailing.

But as the tribulation clouds collapsed inward, manifesting nine hundred-foot-tall fairy illusions, Li Changshou, who had just endured his seventh Tian Fa, felt a twinge of concern.

His own Tian Fa should have one more strike, and its power was nearly depleted.

As for his junior sister's final thunder, its power was somewhat unexpectedly…

Weak.

Could it be that the Heavenly Dao had diverted some of its power to strike him, temporarily turning it into Tian Fa, thus weakening Ling'e's tribulation slightly?

Regardless, this was naturally a good thing.

By now, eighty percent of Ling'e's Dao body had transformed into an immortal body. Based on this, after the final thunder, her immortal foundation would be flawless.

In the sky, the nine blurry fairy figures raised their hands, quickly condensing a purple thunder ball over a hundred feet in diameter.

As the thunder ball descended, the fairy illusions shattered from top to bottom, turning into scattered clouds.

In an instant, this thunder that seemed capable of sinking the earth smashed down on Ling'e!

Throughout Du Xian Gate, countless disciples held their breath, and those who had recently undergone tribulations felt their scalps tingle, letting out various exclamations.

The stronger the Tian Jie, the greater the potential after ascension.

With Ling'e's tribulation being so fierce and her chances of passing it high…

The title of 'immortal seedling' and 'Golden Immortal potential' were well-deserved.

"Senior brother!"

Facing the thunder ball above, Lan Ling'e suddenly turned back, though she vaguely sensed that the senior brother here was just a paper effigy, she couldn't suppress the impulse in her heart.

Knowing her senior brother disliked drawing attention, she used a wind incantation to transmit a soft phrase into Li Changshou's ear.

Then, Ling'e turned to face the descending thunder, her graceful figure leaping from the barren mountain.

Her long hair whipped wildly, her skirt fluttered;

With her plain hand gripping a sword, she charged straight into the lightning!

Bursting with all her magical power!

"Senior brother… I will become your Dao companion…"

Over three thousand miles away, in a deep pit.

Li Changshou lay at the bottom, his body charred like charcoal, spitting out a mouthful of bloody qi.

Just undergo your tribulation— why get sentimental?

And daring to charge into the thunder for a dramatic pose? The stone slates on the mountain won't be enough for your immortal life's writings and erasings…

He silently exhaled, rapidly recovering his immortal power with an escape technique, and vanished directly at the pit's bottom.

He was about to head back to Du Xian Gate and return to Xiaoqiong Peak for a stable recovery, but after escaping a few hundred miles, Li Changshou suddenly let out a soft sound of surprise.

His immortal sense detected a black panther carrying a young girl, racing through the forest about two thousand miles to the southeast.

This black panther…

For some reason, Li Changshou felt a subtle sense of familiarity.

However, with his true body injured, he wouldn't act rashly. He casually dispatched a Golden Immortal realm paper effigy to check why these two not-so-strong demon clan members were appearing here.

And why this black panther gave him a sense of…

Indescribable familiarity.