Chapter 276: Great Variable

Xie Yan gazed at her brows and eyes, his heart stirred slightly.

And just then, Yuan Yao's eyelashes, wet with water droplets, twitched slightly, and she immediately opened her eyes.

Through the rain curtain, the girl lifted her gaze toward the boy.

At this moment, a pattering sound came from around, masking their breathing and heartbeat.

The boy suddenly bent forward, extending his long, jade-like, distinct-knuckled hand above Yuan Yao's head to shield her from the pattering raindrops, preventing them from striking her picturesque brows and eyes, and he whispered.

"We won."

Yuan Yao met his deep, pool-like eyes, and suddenly felt that the boy before her was the true Xie Yan, not merely wearing the identity of Xie Zixu.

The corners of her lips blossomed like spring flowers with a pleased smile; meeting his gaze, she blinked like a star.

"Yes."

Xie Yan also smiled.

But soon, the deafening thunderclap seemed about to tear the void.

Xie Yan came to his senses, looked up, and saw that the sky had gathered heavy dark clouds, lightning flashing, giving an astonishing sense of oppression.

Such a mighty tribulation bore no resemblance to an ordinary Golden Core Realm tribulation.

Yuan Yao realized she was about to form her golden core, feeling her body brimming with power, yet her injuries remained.

She quickly took an alchemy pill from her storage space and swallowed it.

Immediately, she rose swiftly to her feet.

But because she rose too fast, she momentarily lacked balance; however, Xie Yan steadied her arm.

Yuan Yao looked at Xie Yan, using her spiritual power to dry her clothes while saying, "The tribulation is approaching, Fellow Daoist Xie, please keep your distance."

"Can you handle it yourself?" Xie Yan frowned slightly, feeling that this golden-core tribulation came too fiercely, somewhat abnormal.

This tribulation is three parts stronger than an ordinary Nascent Soul Realm tribulation.

Either Yuan Yao possesses extraordinary talent, or she hides some secret.

"My tribulation is naturally for me to bear." Yuan Yao lifted her gaze to the tribulation brewing above.

She turned to Xie Yan and said, "Fellow Daoist Xie, to avoid accidental harm, you should move farther away."

Seeing her resolute expression, Xie Yan retreated a distance.

He sensed that Yuan Yao's aura of power had grown stronger.

Moreover, her spiritual power fluctuations were almost untraceable.

Without warning, a torrential downpour fell upon the Ten Thousand Li Plain, startling the human cultivators scattered across it; after all, in their memory, during the period when the demon and monster tribes occupied the Ten Thousand Li Plain over seven hundred years ago, the skies above had always been clear, never seeing heavy rain.

This rain came somewhat strangely.

At this moment, Green City.

Those human cultivators hiding their identities in the dark, gazing at this heavy rain, vaguely felt that a great variable should have arisen in the Ten Thousand Li Plain.

The Flowing Light Secret Realm, tracing back over seven hundred years, could not easily alter the weather.

The only possibility is——

The source of the Flowing Light Secret Realm has been shaken.

Within the Green City Lord's mansion, Qian Yunzhou, disguised as a dog demon, reached out to catch the pattering raindrops, a half-smile appearing on his face as he murmured softly, "Who could it be?"

He vaguely felt that this contest would soon end.

Qian Yunzhou's lips curled slightly.

Soon, the Dog Emperor summoned him away.

From the Dog Emperor he heard the news: the Demonic Venerable Kui Shen and the Tiger Lord had both been slain by human traitors in Healthy City.

Now, among the monster tribe, only the Dragon Lord holds authority; on the demon side, the highest-ranking Demonic Venerable Kui Shen is dead, the great demon prince is dead, Demon Empress Yue Mei remains poisoned and unconscious, Demon Empress Ji Fang was also assassinated, leaving only Demon Emperor Kou Zhang able to manage affairs.

Upon learning that the Demonic Venerable Kui Shen and the Tiger Lord had perished, Demon Emperor Kou Zhang's visage shifted between overcast and clear, his heart secretly alarmed.

In his mind unbidden arose the image of the white-clad youth.

That youth forced him to kill the Tiger Lord's three sons……

He has been uneasy all day, fearing the Tiger Lord will come to settle scores.

Little did he expect that before the Tiger Lord's pursuers arrived, news came of the other's death.

Demon Emperor Kou Zhang both felt the luck of having survived the calamity and could not help but worry that the matter would eventually be exposed.

Demon Emperor Kou Zhang, after careful consideration, still sent word of the events in the Ten Thousand Li Plain to the demon realm, yet concealed his own killing of the Tiger Lord's three sons.

Thereafter, Demon Emperor Kou Zhang reluctantly led his forces together with the Dragon Lord's troops toward Healthy City.

"Someone over in Healthy City is undergoing a tribulation!"

"It must be a human traitor!"

…

Healthy City.

The sky grew dim, the rain fell harder, washing the bloodstains from the city's ground.

Xie Yan looked at the white-clad girl not far off preparing to meet the tribulation; suddenly he seemed to sense something, turned his head, and saw the still-living demon retinue and monster soldiers attempting to sneak away with the corpses of their Demonic Venerable and Tiger Lord.

His fingertip rested on the sword scabbard.

Clang—

As the long sword left its sheath, its light flashed in the rain.

All the survivors collapsed to the ground.

After eliminating all demon and monster forces, Xie Yan realized a problem.

The fact that the Demonic Venerable Kui Shen and the Tiger Lord are dead must already have been spread.

The Dragon Lord and others from Green City will soon come rushing over.

And Yuan Yao now needs to undergo the lightning tribulation.

Even if he were to flee with Yuan Yao now, the lightning tribulation would follow them like a shadow, inevitably exposing their whereabouts.

Xie Yan gazed at her silhouette, his eyes filled with mixed, complex emotions.

The most rational choice now is to abandon Yuan Yao and leave Kang City.

Otherwise, when Long Zun and the others arrive, he alone will surely be unable to withstand their assault.

Being able to defeat the Demon Lord Kui Shen is largely due to the Tiger Lord having consumed most of Kui Shen's strength.

He should stay away from Yuan Yao.

But he cannot move his feet.

As time passed, Yuan Yao felt that the pressure of the lightning tribulation seemed to grow increasingly terrifying.

Yuan Yao silently swallowed her saliva.

This wouldn't strike her dead, would it?

Yuan Yao summoned a Phantom Spirit Sword in her hand.

She suddenly recalled something and summoned the Golden Egg.

Golden Egg: "What did you summon me out for!"

"I want to see if the lightning tribulation can split you open," Yuan Yao transmitted.

The Golden Egg was stunned; it certainly didn't want to be split by the lightning tribulation.

Yuan Yao sighed, "You wouldn't want to watch your master be struck dead by the lightning tribulation, would you?"

Golden Egg: "Waa waa waa, why am I the only one accompanying you to take the strike! Where's the little fox?!"

"Given its strength, I fear it might be accidentally struck to death."

Golden Egg: "That also makes sense."

Meanwhile, the little fox inside the beast-pet space, upon hearing the conversation, quickly transmitted: "Leader, I also want to accompany you."

Finally, it added: "I'm not afraid of lightning."

The Golden Egg exclaimed: "Really? Is that true?"

The little fox hesitated slightly, then said: "I... I seem to be able to absorb lightning."

In the past, within the mustard seed space, a beast leader once underwent tribulation, and at that time it happened to be not far away.

Lightning struck, and the residual shock affected its body.

At that time, it thought its doom had arrived.

But it was only momentarily paralyzed, suffering no serious harm.

Moreover, it faintly sensed that the lightning was being absorbed into its dantian, occasionally sending waves of numbness. It felt that because of this lightning, its mind seemed to become increasingly sharp.

Therefore, it secretly hid in the darkness, occasionally stealing the residual lightning.

The little fox related its experience to Yuan Yao and the Golden Egg.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Yao decided to summon the little fox.

However, she had the little fox run to the outer perimeter.

This way, the little fox would not suffer any mishap from being unable to withstand the lightning tribulation.

Not far away, Xie Yan, upon seeing Yuan Yao release a heterochromatic little fox, frowned slightly.

Her taste remains unique.