Chapter 185: Crossing the Tribulation

Just one sword strike.

This Han elder changed Uncle Pang's life and death, and the situation on the field, with a single sword strike.

Beside Lei Chi, that old man had a short stature, his hair bun on his head was loose and messy, and the expression on his face was lazy.

He was just looking at that bronze coffin, a smile on the corner of his mouth, seeming unwilling to strike again.

He looked extremely lazy.

The demonic sect elder inside that bronze coffin seemed to have encountered an indescribable great terror; the coffin lid seemed to have tightened by another third, as if he wished to weld it onto that bronze coffin.

That bronze coffin drifted in the air, moving incredibly fast, as if it regretted not having grown four wheels.

Uncle Pang was already exhausted, his dharma body empty.

Unable to act to block it.

He looked at the old man beside Lei Chi.

That old man glanced at him, then looked at Yan Wushuang in Lei Chi, pouted, and three words appeared on his face:

Too lazy to move.

Uncle Pang pressed his lips together, trying not to look at the expressions of that group of disciples in Lei Chi, and even less willing to think about his wretched Five Dragon Tiangong; he fled to the side of Lei Chi and respectfully said to that old man:

"Could it be the Immortal Han, the Sword Immortal of the Setting Sun?"

"It is me." That old man looked at Uncle Pang and nodded.

"The grace of saving my life is beyond words..."

"... I didn't save you for free." That True Person Han, his face a bit sour, said bluntly: "Do you have a junior nephew named Zheng Fa?"

"Yes."

"He has already paid."

Zheng Fa inexplicably felt that Uncle Pang's gaze at him was a little strange—

It was gratitude mixed with a tiny bit of resentment, but a resentment so pent-up he didn't know how to voice it.

"This True Person Han?"

Sun Daoyu spoke up: "The Sword Immortal of the Setting Sun, I have heard of him... a famous late-stage Nascent Soul grand cultivator, said to be only one step away from Soul Transformation."

His tone held a bit of disbelief, and even his gaze towards Yan Wushuang was somewhat cautious.

Zheng Fa couldn't help but feel a deep respect for Yan Wushuang.

Could this guy actually command such a powerful figure?

"Han Lao is an elder of our sect." Yan Wushuang smiled: "Now that I have come out to travel, he feared I might encounter danger, so he simply accompanied me all the way."

Hearing this, Sun Daoyu's face showed even more envy.

"True Disciples traveling must have a grand cultivator follow them? Is this the Weiwuda Sect?"

Zheng Fa also felt a sense of awe in his heart.

Late-stage Nascent Soul; when his own master bragged about his formation talismans back then, he only dared to claim they could kill before the late-stage Nascent Soul...

Bringing a big shot around to show off had always been Zheng Fa's hobby!

"Don't misunderstand, I don't have one."

That Chu Tianque from Rishan explained with a stern face.

"I don't have one either."

That Xue True Disciple from the Supreme Dao followed and said.

Zheng Fa inexplicably felt that the tone of these two actually contained a similar envy, jealousy, and hatred to his own.

"Then..." Zheng Fa guessed: "Is it because Brother Yan's talent is astonishing that the Tianhe Sect values him so much?"

Yan Wushuang nodded vigorously.

Those two pouted wildly.

"All the elders in the sect and my father say my talent is good! I must be careful when going out." Yan Wushuang said proudly.

"... Your father?"

"My father? Oh, my father is the Tianhe Sect Leader." Yan Wushuang waved his hand: "It's not important, not important; what's important is that they say my talent is good."

... This isn't important?

You should have said so earlier!

If you had said so earlier, we would be brothers by different fathers and different mothers; what's there to talk about cooperation or not!

"Then Brother Yan..."

Zheng Fa couldn't help but feel a bit confused; he remembered this person was very short of money.

"My father didn't want me to travel outside, nor did he want me to start any organization." Yan Wushuang seemed to have explained this a thousand times before: "Han Lao usually doesn't act."

Zheng Fa understood a little.

A second-generation immortal rebel wanting to break away from his own sect to start a business.

The old father didn't support it, but feared he would play himself to death.

"Then... this True Person Han today..."

"If he doesn't act, I must act." Yan Wushuang smiled proudly.

... A help-seeking method of 'die in front of you'?

No wonder the Sword Immortal of the Setting Sun's face was so sour.

After the great battle, half of the Lei Chi market collapsed; although Uncle Pang's Five Dragon Tiangong looked unchanged on the outside, it was actually even more troublesome.

The collapsed market district could be rebuilt within a day or two.

The Five Dragon Tiangong's recovery might take a hundred years.

"It's already a miracle to have survived," Uncle Pang sighed. He then looked at Li Nuo and said gently, "I never expected it to be you who saved me."

Had Li Nuo ever been so highly regarded by a Nascent Soul cultivator before?

He stammered, not knowing what to say.

Sun Daoyu and the other disciples of Uncle Pang exchanged glances, then suddenly rose to their feet and bowed to Li Nuo in perfect unison.

"You mustn't..." Li Nuo said in panic, "It was all thanks to Zheng Shidi."

He looked at Zheng Fa as if seeking help.

Zheng Fa shook his head.

In the past, Li Nuo had been met with nothing but cold stares in the market district.

Now, at last, bitterness had given way to sweetness.

"This is what you deserve," he said softly to Li Nuo, "and what your father deserved as well."

Li Nuo froze, saying nothing.

He stared blankly at the senior and junior brothers before him, as if recalling something.

His eyes gradually turned red.

"Since the Sunset Sword Immortal has arrived, the Great Zizaimo Demon Sect probably has no time to deal with the matter of Junior Sister Zhang."

Zheng Fa said, somewhat puzzled, "That Elder Han is merely at the late Nascent Soul stage..."

"What do you mean 'merely late Nascent Soul'?" Uncle Pang spat. "Even your master, with his talisman arrays, wouldn't dare claim he could escape before him."

"They're both Nascent Soul stage..."

Zheng Fa couldn't quite understand.

"The truth is, forming a Nascent Soul is difficult; Soul Transformation is even harder," Uncle Pang sighed. "Why are late Nascent Soul cultivators called Great Cultivators? Because their power spans a vast gap. Some are only slightly stronger than mid Nascent Soul, while others are merely so because they lacked opportunities."

"Then who is this Elder Han?"

"You can understand it this way: he is the previous Junior Sister Zhang."

Zheng Fa suddenly saw the light.

The meaning was this—

This person possessed extraordinary talent, but just as Junior Sister Zhang was stuck at the Jin Dan stage, he was stuck at the Nascent Soul stage.

But on the other hand, Junior Sister Zhang was someone who could rival a Nascent Soul cultivator while still at the Jin Dan stage...

"Does the Great Zizaimo Demon Sect have no Soul Transformation cultivators?"

"They do, but True Persons at the Soul Transformation stage and above generally do not act lightly; there seems to be some taboo," Uncle Pang explained. "For example, our Baixian Alliance also has a Soul Transformation cultivator as our guardian, yet they almost never involve themselves in worldly affairs. I have only seen them twice."

"In that case, Junior Sister Zhang's formation of a Nascent Soul should be without worry."

With someone like the Sunset Sword Immortal wandering outside, the Great Zizaimo Demon Sect probably truly couldn't spare attention for Junior Sister Zhang.

"Without worry..." Uncle Pang sighed, "It still depends on how she handles it herself."

The five-colored clouds in the sky gradually solidified into a glass-like form. The color grew ever more intense until a huge, purple-black eye appeared.

"Junior Sister Zhang's Nascent Soul Tribulation has begun," Uncle Pang said.

Zheng Fa, Uncle Pang, and others stood at the edge of the Lei Chi, in the position closest to Junior Sister Zhang.

He activated the Void-Piercing Spirit Eye to look toward where Junior Sister Zhang was.

He saw her gently lift her gaze, looking up at the purple-black tribulation clouds above her head. As if sensing something, she glanced toward where Zheng Fa and the others stood, a slight smile touching her lips.

One stick of incense later.

A bolt of tribulation lightning descended from the heavens, striking directly at Junior Sister Zhang.

But it was blocked by the Xuanguan Jian.

That giant eye seemed enraged by the Xuanguan Jian.

The next bolt of tribulation lightning was much thicker.

The Xuanguan Jian let out a mournful cry and was directly struck down beside Junior Sister Zhang.

Without the protection of the Xuanguan Jian, Junior Sister Zhang's figure was enveloped by the tribulation lightning; even the Void-Piercing Spirit Eye could no longer see her form.

Zheng Fa's heart involuntarily tightened.

Junior Sister Zhang's formation of a Nascent Soul was of utmost importance to the Jiushan Sect.

But to him, it was even more important—she was his most crucial pillar of support, and even a fellow Daoist, in the Xuanwei Realm.

Bolt after bolt of tribulation lightning fell, seeming never to cease.

Until nine days and nine nights later.

The giant eye in the sky slowly dispersed, revealing Junior Sister Zhang's figure.

"Go quickly to guard Junior Sister Zhang!" Uncle Pang's expression turned grave. "Now that the Xuanguan Jian is damaged, Junior Sister Zhang must undergo the Heart Demon Tribulation. This is the Great Zizaimo Demon Sect's final opportunity."

Zheng Fa was already prepared. Following the plan, he suddenly activated the Du E Boat, carrying the various senior brothers as they rushed toward Junior Sister Zhang's location.

What gave them relative confidence was that during the lightning tribulation, no cultivator of any cultivation level dared approach Junior Sister Zhang.

Plus, the Sunset Sword Immortal was nearby.

The people of the Great Zizaimo Demon Sect could only cower; it would be hard for them to reach the spot faster than this group.

Indeed, upon reaching the vicinity of Junior Sister Zhang, they encountered no bold members of the Mo Sect.

But Junior Sister Zhang's condition was not good.

Her eyes were closed, her brows slightly furrowed, as if she were experiencing some nightmare.

In just a few breaths, Sister Zhang's expression shifted a thousand times.

Surprise, anger, sorrow, despair.

Her face grew colder and more ruthless.

Finally, a look of determination seemed to appear.

"Is Sister Zhang crying?"

Zheng Fa suddenly heard Yang Shixiong say from the side.

He raised his eyes and saw indeed: two clear streams of tears flowed from Sister Zhang's eyes.

"Have you... ever seen Sister Zhang cry?"

"No..."

"I wouldn't even dare to imagine it."

Yet Sister Zhang seemed trapped in a Heart-Demon Tribulation, unable to extricate herself. From the perspective of the Void-Seeing Spirit Eye, Zheng Fa could even see her spiritual energy gradually turning turbid, showing signs of falling into demonic paths.

"Junior Brother, what should we do now?"

Yang Shixiong beside him asked anxiously.

Zheng Fa himself was also unsure; a Heart-Demon Tribulation can only be overcome by oneself—how could others help?

"How about you call out to Sister Zhang a couple of times?"

Yang Shixiong's words left Zheng Fa somewhat speechless.

Could she be awakened like that?

"You two are the closest. If anyone can help Sister Zhang, it can only be you... I've heard that during a Heart-Demon Tribulation, one is not entirely unaware; sometimes fragments of outside speech can be heard. If there is someone they care deeply about, perhaps it could stir up some deeply ingrained memories..."

As Yang Shixiong spoke, his voice grew quieter.

He too seemed to feel this rumor sounded somewhat baseless.

Zheng Fa gritted his teeth and suddenly took out several books.

"Sister Zhang, yesterday we discussed..."

The other senior brothers nearby exchanged glances, not quite understanding Zheng Fa's actions.

But as they listened, their expressions all turned pained.

They glanced at one another and quietly stepped two paces away from Zheng Fa.

"Senior Brother," a junior brother beside him said, "Listening to this, I feel like Sister Zhang hasn't passed her Heart-Demon Tribulation, but mine has arrived?"

Everyone nodded.

They looked as if they desperately wanted to plug their own ears.

"Look at Sister Zhang!"

As Zheng Fa recited, Sister Zhang's expression suddenly calmed, showing signs that she might truly be overcoming the Heart-Demon Tribulation.

"This... is using poison to fight poison, using demons to control demons?"

Beside him, a junior brother said blankly.

"Then Zheng Shidi Brother's demon is the more powerful one..."