Chapter 473: The Tribulation of Form Transformation

In the Eastern Sea Immortal Realm, in the waters near Tianlan Xiancheng.

The sky was densely packed with jet-black dharma ships from the Blood Nether Realm; sinister yin energy emanated from these giant vessels as they continuously unleashed world-submerging spells.

Various demonic methods of immense power—bloody light, demonic flames, gale winds, and black water—continuously tore across the firmament, striking the luminous curtain formed by Tianlan Xiancheng's island-protecting great array.

Had Qin Ming not transmitted the intelligence to the Tianhai Alliance in advance, Tianlan Xiancheng would likely have already fallen under a demonic surprise attack of this scale.

Xia Yuangong and Long Yangzi stood respectfully behind a silver-haired middle-aged man dressed in white feathered robes, his hair bound by a wooden crown with a single crimson tuft atop his head, radiating the cultivation base of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

"Elder Canghe, I never expected Fellow Daoist Qin to possess such great divine abilities; the intelligence he secretly transmitted turned out to be true."

This man was none other than the Great Elder of the Star Palace—Venerable Canghe, the highest-cultivated individual aside from the Soul Transformation Venerables.

With the ever-shifting situation in the Eastern Sea and the involvement of a major figure like Lord Tianhen from the demonic path, the Tianhai Alliance could not simply stand by and watch.

"Mm, continue maintaining contact with the Southern Desolate region; it appears this Venerable Wangyue has planted an extremely high-status spy within the demonic path, capable of obtaining strategic intelligence of this caliber." Venerable Canghe's eyes flickered slightly as he nodded gently, expressing strong agreement with their words.

"I have been in closed-door cultivation for years seeking an opportunity to break through to Soul Transformation; I never expected that after hundreds of years underground, such talent would emerge in the outside world—truly a pity that I could not witness it personally."

Long Yangzi explained, "This old man once heard Fellow Daoist Qin mention that he had left marks on two demonic cultivators; I never expected them to prove so crucial at this critical moment."

"Mm, the affair of Long Yuan Island back then also seemed somewhat related to these two individuals," Xia Yuangong nodded. "It's just that we didn't anticipate at the time that Liu Yu, who enjoyed Venerable Zhiyang's great favor, would betray us, making it impossible to prevent Long Yuan Island's fall."

"Venerable Zhiyang committed a grave error and has already returned to the sect to willingly accept punishment," Venerable Canghe said lightly, gazing at the distant demonic ships and sails. "Mm, since matters have come to this, further talk is useless; what I did not expect, however, is that several major sects from the Blood Nether Realm would join forces this time, with Lord Tianhen manipulating the situation from behind the scenes."

"This old seat also knows a little about this person's deeds; he is by no means a benevolent figure, and it is said he stands among the elite even within the Blood Nether Realm."

"The time has come; order the counterattack."

Following Venerable Canghe's command.

Xia Yuangong and Long Yangzi immediately set out to execute it.

Boom-rumble! The demonic cultivators outside Tianlan Xiancheng were still driving their dharma boats to attack the great array when suddenly a sound like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami erupting burst forth.

Upon the peak of Tianlan Shengshan, a massive orange orb of light suddenly ignited, rising like a sun ascending into the sky.

Blinding light illuminated everything, making it impossible for anyone to look directly! Immediately afterward, six smaller suns lit up successively above the sacred mountain, while countless golden runes wove together in midair, connecting to the two sky-piercing stone pillars at the city gates.

Boom! A massive beam of orange light erupted from the seven small suns, instantly sweeping across the opposing fleet of demonic boats, reducing countless demonic cultivators and their vessels alike to ash and fragments with overwhelming force.

Even the Nascent Soul Demonic Lords aboard the black dharma ships revealed looks of horror, disregarding everything else as they employed various methods to flee for their lives.

The power of this light pillar far exceeded the spells and divine abilities of Nascent Soul cultivators; it even sliced the seawater in half, creating a massive trench dozens of miles wide and unfathomably deep.

This was the foundation that allowed the Tianhai Alliance to stand unshaken for ten thousand years in the Eastern Sea Immortal Realm—the Brahma Great Sun Divine Light.

It was an all-out strike powered by a terrifying quantity of high-grade spirit stones, combined with a fourth-tier high-grade great array and the spiritual vein foundation of Tianlan Shengshan.

Immediately afterward, countless sea race and human race cultivators emerged from the surrounding waters, surrounding the remaining demonic forces in an encirclement and launching a one-sided slaughter.

"Not good! We've walked into an ambush! Retreat quickly!"

A bald Nascent Soul Demonic Lord issued the order to withdraw, his heart filled with reluctance.

The great demonic army of the Blood Nether Realm reacted instantly, scattering like birds and beasts, scrambling to escape along any available route.

Mo Abyss Island.

Inside the main hall of the Blood Demon Palace, the atmosphere felt somewhat congealed.

The Nascent Soul Demonic Lords from the Blood Refinement Demon Sect, Ghost Domain Palace, Longevity View, Measureless Mountain, and Ten Thousand Souls Cliff were all sizing each other up with grave expressions.

"The Mo Alliance's surprise attack on the Tianhai Alliance's main city has failed; should not those among you present who were responsible for overseeing this operation give this old seat an explanation?"

Lord Tianhen's cold words rang out through the main hall, causing the temperature to plummet abruptly, making the various Demonic Lords feel as though they had fallen into an ice cellar, chilled to the bone.

A middle-aged monk from Measureless Mountain rose from his seat, holding prayer beads and pressing his palms together to bow respectfully to Lord Tianhen before explaining, "Om Mani Padme Hum, Alliance Lord, this plan was indeed our miscalculation; we never expected to fall into a trap set by the human and sea races instead—they had clearly prepared a great array ambush in advance."

"Some link below must have gone wrong... leaking the top-secret intelligence regarding the surprise attack plan, resulting in such massive losses."

"This old monk bears undeniable responsibility for this matter."

A green-robed Daoist from Longevity View also rose to make excuses for the monk:

"Alliance Lord, Great Master Wuxiang did indeed do his utmost..."

Lord Tianhen's eyes turned cold; he snorted coldly and said, "If in the future whenever something goes wrong you all offer such excuses, where does that leave this old seat's dignity?"

Suddenly.

Between Lord Tianhen's eyebrows, a powerful divine soul force erupted explosively; an invisible giant hand dozens of zhang in size abruptly appeared above the main hall and casually grabbed toward Great Master Wuxiang of Measureless Mountain.

Bang!!

The middle-aged monk's face filled with terror, yet facing the spiritual pressure of a late-stage Nascent Soul great cultivator, he was firmly suppressed, unable to muster any resistance.

Under the horrified gazes of everyone in the main hall, Great Master Wuxiang's physical body was forcibly crushed, exploding into a mist of blood.

A golden, shimmering Nascent Soul shot out swiftly, its face filled with dread, disregarding everything as it attempted to teleport out of the main hall.

Great Master Wuxiang's Nascent Soul teleported hundreds of miles away in succession; just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief.

A cold, familiar voice reached his ears: "With merely your abilities, you think you can escape from beneath this old seat's Five Finger Mountain?!"

Upon hearing this, Great Master Wuxiang suddenly turned his head, his expression of shock freezing on the tiny face of his Nascent Soul.

He discovered that despite running for so long, he remained atop five giant void palms... "Alliance Lord... spare my life!"

A trace of contempt flashed through Lord Tianhen's eyes, devoid of the slightest mercy.

His five fingers closed together, instantly crushing Great Master Wuxiang's Nascent Soul, annihilating both form and spirit on the spot!!

Hiss~ Inside the Blood Demon Palace's main hall, the various Demonic Lords felt their hearts turn ice-cold, inhaling sharply in unison.

They had not expected Lord Tianhen to be so ruthless and cruel, recognizing no kinship, killing a Nascent Soul Demonic Lord without hesitation over a single disagreement.

In an instant.

The air became filled with a suffocating sensation; no one even dared to lift their heads to meet his gaze directly.

Qin Ming secretly pursed his lips; he could only blame the Nascent Soul Demonic Lord from Measureless Mountain for being unlucky, assigned such a task only to be sold out by him in the blink of an eye... However, after this incident, the upper echelons of the Mo Alliance would surely investigate such events strictly, making it difficult for him to secretly transmit messages in the future.

Having done all this, Lord Tianhen acted as though it were a trivial matter, casting a cold glance around at everyone. "If such matters occur again in the future, it will not be as simple as annihilation of form and spirit."

"This old seat's Weeping Soul Tower happens to lack some fuel; your Nascent Souls will serve perfectly as substitutes."

Upon hearing the name "Weeping Soul Tower," everyone felt their scalps go numb.

Rumor has it that this is the famed demonic treasure of Lord Tianhen, an ancient artifact inherited from the Demonic Realm.

Once a Nascent Soul is locked within, it will suffer endless erosion by gale winds and poisonous fires, becoming fuel for the demonic tower, forever barred from reincarnation, and enduring ten thousand years of soul-burning agony.

After dealing with the person in charge of the incident, Lord Tianhen's eyes flashed; he turned to address "Qishang Mojun," saying, "Elder Qishang, why don't you take charge of the East Sea affairs? I am not at ease handing them to others, so you should set aside the Southern Wilderness matters for someone else first."

Upon hearing this, Qishang Mojun frowned slightly yet spoke unhurriedly, "Great Elder Tianhen, I have already made deep deployments in the Southern Wilderness; I fear I absolutely cannot spare myself at this moment."

Lord Tianhen nodded upon hearing this, then swept his gaze around the great hall again, pointing out the next lucky fellow among the other Nascent Soul Demonic Lords; naturally, none dared refuse Lord Tianhen's task assignment openly as Qishang Mojun had.

They could only obediently await dispatch.

……

Three months later.

Above Moon-Gazing Island, a streak of black light shot across the sky; the great island-protecting array automatically opened a gap, allowing the black fleeing light to pass through the light curtain at extreme speed and land on the island.

As the fleeing light dispersed, the gray figure of Shi Tian Shu was revealed.

With a joyful expression, it marched vigorously and proudly into the Green Wood Pavilion.

"Master, I have returned!!"

Qin Ming set down the teacup in his hand, looking at its excited demeanor with great interest: "Seeing how your tail seems ready to poke the heavens, have you perhaps gained some advantage again?"

"Ehehe! Nothing escapes your wise eyes, Master~" Shi Tian Shu approached him and explained, "Previously, did you not send advance word to Brother Gushan and the other Demon Saints that demonic cultivators from the Longevity View would come to cause trouble and plot treachery in the Beast Cry Mountain Range?"

"Thanks to your warning, the demon race and the Alliance for Upholding Justice set an ambush in the Beast Cry Mountain Range, heavily injuring their people; two Nascent Soul Demonic Lords nearly perished on the spot."

"However, they ultimately managed to escape."

"I followed behind and picked up some scraps, hehehe!"

"Besides that, I also learned a rather powerful transformation technique from Silver Moon Demon Saint."

Having finished speaking, Shi Tian Shu shook its small hand, producing several storage bags, all bulging full; "Hmm, prepare on the island; within the next half-year, begin working on breaking through to the Transformation realm," Qin Ming nodded.

"Yes, Master!"

Subsequently.

Qin Ming instructed Mo Lingwei to dismiss the cultivators on Moon-Gazing Island, having them temporarily relocate to the Star-Moon Market City for a period.

This was to prevent the Transformation Lei Jie from descending and affecting them.

For these low-ranking cultivators, even the slightest carelessness meant that merely the aftershocks could cause them to vanish into smoke and ash.

Mo Lingwei accepted the order and went to carry it out; as she walked, she pondered silently, and being exceptionally intelligent, she quickly grasped the crux and reason behind the matter.

She then subconsciously started, thinking to herself, 'Could it be that the island master's third-stage peak Demon King is about to use the island's spiritual vein to advance to the fourth-stage Transformation Demon Saint?'

Thinking of this.

Mo Lingwei soon complied, dismissing the cultivators and spiritual farmers on the island with the utmost speed.

Several days later.

Qin Ming arrived at the cave where Shi Tian Shu was in seclusion and released his divine sense to sense it slightly.

He saw that its essence, qi, and spirit—the three treasures—had been nurtured to their peak state; the black demonic core within its body was perfectly smooth and unobstructed, its timing ripe.

Qin Ming brewed a pot of "Great Dao Lei Jie Tea," then drove his magic power to deliver it before Shi Tian Shu, instructing, "This fourth-grade superior spiritual tea will aid your transformation; it can not only deepen your comprehension of the Great Dao but also shield you to withstand a few more bolts of heavenly tribulation."

"Compared to using the Profound Spirit Armor to resist the heavenly tribulation, if you can seize this opportunity to temper your physical body with heavenly lightning, your future potential will be far greater."

"However, the specific situation still depends on your own choices and performance in the moment."

"The Transformation heavenly tribulation is unlike any tribulation you have faced before; whether you leap over the dragon gate to become a Demon Saint in one go, or perish with your Dao extinguished in a single morning, all hinges on this occasion."

Qin Ming did not forget to admonish it, after all, he could not guarantee one hundred percent that Shi Tian Shu would successfully cross the tribulation.

The path of immortality is long, with tribulations coming one after another; the trials of the Great Dao are extremely cruel, and he dare not claim that all can be crossed safely.

Since ancient times, among the demon race, demonic beasts that have successfully crossed the Transformation heavenly tribulation and advanced to become Transformation Great Demons are even rarer in number than human Nascent Souls.

If it succeeds in advancing this time, naturally, I will have another great helper under my command.

"Master, rest assured; this time I have more than a fifty percent chance of success."

Shi Tian Shu patted its chest, speaking with full confidence.

Qin Ming nodded and patted its shoulder.

Now it possessed numerous methods to protect its path, and with him, a Nascent Soul Qin Zhenjun, watching over it from outside, if it still failed to achieve the position of Demon Saint.

It would simply be intolerable to heaven's principles! Even the Profound Water Crocodile and the Yin Yi Shuangfeng had rushed over; the two beasts' eyes brimmed with thick envy as they offered Shi Tian Shu some words of encouragement.

"Enough, Second and Third."

"This Great Master shall definitely let the world see that the street rat once cursed by everyone also has a day to rise above others!"

"No need for more sorrowful words; today, just listen to the dragon's roar!!"

Shi Tian Shu waved its small hand, its face showing a look of firm resolve; with every gesture it displayed commanding power, its emotions passionate and stirring! ……

Three days later.

Above Moon-Gazing Island, the sky, originally clear and sunny, suddenly saw winds rise and clouds surge, immediately turning dim and dark.

The spiritual qi between heaven and earth, like a gigantic vortex shaped like a funnel, crazily converged toward the spiritual island.

The range of the spiritual qi rosy clouds began to gather larger and larger, starting from ten li, then several tens of li, then a hundred li, finally reaching a massive scope of eight hundred li.

It was no less impressive than the scene when Silver Moon Heavenly Fox Yue Lingyan crossed her tribulation back then.

After all, Shi Tian Shu had followed Qin Ming for over two hundred years and could be considered to have deep foundations.

Amidst the surging wind and clouds, a shocking aura of a Demon King erupted from Moon-Gazing Island, sweeping outward in all directions.

Furthermore, as spiritual qi continued to pour in, the demonic evil qi kept climbing.

Such heavenly signs of impacting the Transformation Great Demon immediately attracted the attention of surrounding cultivators.

"Look! Such a powerful spiritual qi tide; a Demon King is crossing the Transformation heavenly tribulation."

"It's from the direction of Moon-Gazing Island; I heard that a while ago all the cultivators on the spiritual island moved out, never expecting a Great Demon was crossing a tribulation!"

"Then nine times out of ten, it must be the spiritual pet under True Lord Moon-Gazing, about to cross the Transformation tribulation."

"Indeed, indeed. This old man once heard that under True Monarch Wangyue serves a Heaven-Devouring Mouse Demon King of extremely high bloodline talent, which has acted repeatedly to rescue our Southern Wilderness."

"Going far back, it supported the ghost calamity at the Taihu Ruins in Liang Kingdom, repelling and slaying Jin Dan cultivators from the Modaoliu Sect."

【122】 "More recently, it supported Wei Mengzhu's Four-Nations Alliance in clearing void anomalies, successively slaying several powerful Jin Dan demonic cultivators, yet it rarely shows itself before the crowds."

"He was close enough to assist the Four-Nation Alliance supporting Wei Mengzhu in purging the void anomalies, successively slaying several powerful Jin Dan demonic cultivators, yet he rarely appeared before the crowds."

"Truly, after the deed it flicks its sleeves and departs, deeply hiding its merits and name."

"So that is how it is; truly worthy of being the spiritual pet under True Monarch Wangyue."

"Its style of conduct is just as low-key as that of Senior True Monarch."

"Then if the Heaven-Devouring Mouse King successfully breaks through to become a fourth-rank Demon Saint, does that not mean our Southern Wilderness is about to give birth to another powerful combat force?"

"Next, it is highly probable we will safely weather this round of the Great Heavenly Demon Tribulation!"

For a moment, all eyes in the Immortal Realm converged once again on Wangyue Island.

Inside the cave dwelling.

The Heaven-Devouring Mouse closed its eyes, sitting cross-legged on the ground in a human posture, forming a strange hand seal with its fingers, while demonic power and murderous qi surged violently upon its body, and the dark-colored demon core within its body was wreathed in a layer of black halo.

The next moment.

A strange silver rune between its eyebrows suddenly bloomed open!

(End of Chapter)