Chapter 122: Small Heavenly Tribulation

True Monarch Chixia gave a light wave of his hand, and the Soul Bead landed before True Monarch Xuanchen as he said:

"Daoist Friend Xuanchen has just achieved Spirit Transformation and still needs to stabilize and improve his realm as soon as possible. We old fellows won't fight you for this Soul Bead!"

True Monarch Xuanchen hurriedly put away the Soul Bead, bowed, and thanked him: "Many thanks to Senior Chixia for yielding!"

True Monarch Chixia waved his hand slightly and said: "In ordinary times, I would naturally suggest a fair auction, but the current situation is not like the past. The two great arrays at Black Wind Ridge and Spirit Fox Valley are both attached to Taiyuan Sect. In the days to come, we will need Daoist Friend Xuanchen to contribute much effort. Moreover, this Soul Bead was originally obtained by you, and your two strikes also consumed a great deal of energy. As for the remaining Soul Beads, Daoist Friend, you should keep them all as well; we will not touch them!"

Having said this, True Monarch Chixia stood up.

The four True Monarchs and Xu Chen also hurriedly stood up to follow.

True Monarch Chixia said: "Now that the matter here is settled, I shall not stay long. Farewell, Daoist Friends!"

"Respectfully sending off Senior Chixia!" A group of people bowed and saluted together.

True Monarch Chixia bowed and nodded slightly, gave his horsetail whisk a light flick, and transformed into a streak of red rosy light that tore through the air, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.

Once the rosy light dissipated, True Monarch Taiwu also bowed and said: "Daoist Friends, I shall take my leave first. As for the matter of guarding the arrays, I will have to trouble Daoist Friend Xuanchen to take care of it in the future. Farewell!"

"Safe travels, Daoist Brother Taiwu!" The group of people bowed and saluted once more.

True Monarch Taiwu nodded slightly and took a step out. Only a gust of cold wind could be heard sweeping out from the great hall, and after a few wisps of fine snowflakes drifted down, he was already nowhere to be seen.

True Monarch Baiyun and True Monarch Yuyang also followed suit, bidding farewell and preparing to leave.

Xu Chen recalled something and hurriedly said: "Two Seniors, this junior has heard that Yuqing Hall possesses a Seven-Star Golden Toad, but it has currently degenerated and is difficult to use as medicine. I wonder if you could gift me a pair? If I can raise them well in the future, I can share the toad molts with Yuqing Hall!"

True Monarch Xuanchen's expression changed, and he hurriedly scolded: "Chen'er, show no disrespect!"

True Monarch Baiyun, however, waved his hand, his expression strange as he said: "Daoist Brother, there is no need for that. The Seven-Star Golden Toad is not some extraordinary thing, but does Little Friend Xu have the confidence to raise it well?"

Xu Chen laughed dryly: "This junior has no such confidence; I am simply curious. Furthermore, this junior likes to raise some spirit pets in his spare time. This Seven-Star Golden Toad is a rare spirit beast of heaven and earth and has great utility, so I wanted to try raising one. If the two Seniors think it inappropriate, then consider this junior presumptuous!"

Baiyunzi twisted his beard and shook his head: "Treasures of heaven and earth should be possessed by those with virtue. Although the Seven-Star Golden Toad is precious, it is not much more valuable than other top-tier Second-Tier Spirit Medicine. The truth is that raising this creature is not only exhausting, but the investment is also enormous. Just finding various spirit insects and spirit medicines to feed it every year is an extremely troublesome affair. It is not impossible if you wish to raise it, little friend, but do not come crying to abandon it in the wilderness later; that would be a waste of heaven's gifts."

Upon hearing this, Xu Chen felt quite conflicted, but in the end, he gritted his teeth, saluted, and said: "I ask the two Seniors to grant this. Whether I succeed or not, this junior will certainly take careful care of them and will absolutely not discard them recklessly."

Baiyunzi pondered for a moment before nodding: "Since that is the case, when you have leisure in the future, little friend, go to Yuqing Hall to pick a pair and bring them back to try. However, a word of warning: Longmen Mountain once spent a great deal of wealth to purchase two pairs to raise, but they never succeeded once."

Yuyangzi, however, smiled from the side and said: "Why wait until you have leisure in the future? You'er will return to the mountain tomorrow; you and she can travel together. It is better for you peers to communicate than to be so restrained when speaking with us old fellows. Besides, little friend, your fortune is extraordinary, and I am also extremely looking forward to you achieving success."

Xu Chen was overjoyed upon hearing this and hurriedly bowed in thanks. The two True Monarchs did not linger any longer, each performing their divine movement arts, and in the blink of an eye, they left Taiyuan Sect.

In the great hall, in an instant, only True Monarch Xuanchen and Xu Chen remained.

As expected, they are all a bunch of old, cunning foxes!

True Monarch Xuanchen's facial muscles twitched slightly.

He felt that compared to these veteran True Monarchs, he was still far too green.

Of course, there was one more word: poor.

When a person is poor, their ambitions are short, and even their speech lacks conviction.

He could barely produce a single item comparable to the gifts the four True Monarchs had given.

And as for their purpose in giving these items, True Monarch Xuanchen naturally knew: the drunkard's heart is not in the wine. If Xu Chen truly achieves success in his cultivation in the future, reaches Golden Core and Spirit Transformation, this favor will naturally be repaid twofold; they would absolutely not make a loss.

Furthermore, he understood True Monarch Yuyang's intention very clearly; he had even mentioned it to him face-to-face yesterday.

However, this matter also left him very conflicted.

His disciple Zhao Xuan and Xu Chen were very close. Originally, he had the intention to let it develop, and they might eventually become Daolu, which would allow him to firmly bind Xu Chen to Taiyuan Sect.

But now it seemed that there were many variables in this matter, and he could not control Xu Chen's future development.

After all, the foundation of Yuqing Hall was more than a hundred times deeper than that of Taiyuan Sect.

"Great Elder, these Magic Treasures gifted by the several True Monarchs..."

Xu Chen stood to the side, feeling quite anxious, and hesitantly took out the Qinlan Fengguang Jing and the Xuanqing Thunder Fire Pestle, along with a storage bracelet.

True Monarch Xuanchen hurriedly waved his hand and said kindly: "Wealth should not be flaunted. The Magic Treasures and techniques gifted by the several True Monarchs naturally belong to you, but remember not to reveal them easily, lest you invite disaster."

Xu Chen immediately took back all three Magic Treasures, saluted, and said: "This disciple will strictly follow the Great Elder's teachings!"

"Mm, you may go first!"

"Yes, this disciple takes his leave!"

Exiting Taiyuan Hall, Xu Chen let out a long breath, but his heart was surging with waves.

Today's harvest was truly too great.

The wealth came so fiercely that his Dao heart, cultivated for five years, could barely suppress even the Blue Light Treasure Bottle. He wanted nothing more than to stand on the mountain peak and roar a few times to vent the joy and excitement in his heart.

At this moment, the top of Zhaoyang Peak was still bustling with noise and excitement. The trading assembly had not weakened in the slightest due to the departure of the four True Monarchs; instead, it had become even more active.

Xu Chen had originally wanted to stay a while longer to see if he could find any Magic Spells or Jade Slips for alchemy or artifact refining suitable for his own cultivation, but currently, carrying so many heavy treasures, he felt a bit of heart palpitations, so he rode his sword and slipped back to his small wooden hut.

The Dharma should not be lightly transmitted, and wealth should not be exposed; this is the most basic understanding of how to conduct oneself in the world.

Xu Chen wanted to take advantage of his free time today to quickly figure out the functions of the few Magic Treasures and Magic Spells he had obtained and master them as soon as possible.

However, not long after he returned to his hut and was just studying the storage bracelet, a heart-palpitating fluctuation of energy suddenly came from the top of Zhaoyang Peak, and clusters of green clouds began to condense above Taiyuan Sect.

"This is... Heavenly Tribulation!?"

Xu Chen was stunned; he hurriedly put away the bracelet and stood up to watch, his face full of shock.

At this time, all several hundred cultivators throughout Taiyuan Sect were also alarmed by this aura. While looking up in fear and trepidation, they were also whispering to each other in astonishment.

"Daoist Friends, there is no need to panic. Our sect's Elder, True Person Xuanhe, is forming his Golden Core and triggering a Small Heavenly Tribulation. I ask that you all temporarily leave the top of Zhaoyang Peak and quietly wait for the Heavenly Tribulation to end." True Monarch Xuanchen's voice echoed in the minds of all the cultivators.

"Whoosh~"

The entire Zhaoyang Peak was instantly in an uproar, while the group of Taiyuan Sect disciples cheered and jumped for joy in excitement.

A moment later, colorful streaks of Escape Light soared into the sky from the top of Zhaoyang Peak, heading in all directions, and then all hovered in the air several miles away from Zhaoyang Peak, watching excitedly.

As for the group of Danyuan Realm powerhouses who were guarding the two great arrays and presiding over the Soul Pill exchange, they rode their swords and fled far away, not stopping until they had run ten miles away in one breath.

Xu Chen's location was still about three miles from the mountain peak, so he was not worried about being drawn into the Heavenly Tribulation. However, his location instantly became a place where many cultivators landed to watch the spectacle.

One could see streaks of Escape Light arriving in an instant. Cultivators, both known and unknown, arrived one after another like a school of fish crossing a river. In a blink, the open space in front of the small wooden hut was packed full, and even more people kept arriving; there were people everywhere, even on the roof, in the big trees, and on the cliffs.

The group of Taiyuan Sect disciples naturally crowded in front of Xu Chen's small wooden hut, each of them jumping up and down excitedly like macaques, gesturing and talking loudly with the group of cultivators.

Xu Chen was naturally even more excited; after all, with his master undergoing tribulation, he would henceforth be a person protected by a powerhouse of the Danyuan Realm, and as a Personal Disciple of Xuanhe Zhenren, his status would naturally rise with the tide.

The Golden Core Heavenly Tribulation, commonly known as the Small Heavenly Tribulation, has at most three bolts of Tribulation Lightning fall, and its power is not great; basically, any cultivator undergoing the tribulation can successfully endure it.

However, even so, the Small Heavenly Tribulation is not common; the entire Great Song might only encounter one every few decades.

All outer sect cultivators and rogue cultivators were full of anticipation, especially those cultivators at the True Essence Late Stage, who were all filled with envy.

For ninety-nine percent of cultivators, being able to form a Golden Core and step into the Danyuan Realm in this life, gaining three hundred years of lifespan, is already considered attaining immortality and the Dao.

Spirit Transformation is something they dare not even imagine.

It is not just a matter of aptitude; cultivation techniques, medicinal pills, destiny, and opportunities are all indispensable, and it also requires the heavens to open their eyes.

As for the power of the nine bolts of lightning in the Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation, who knows how many Golden Core late-stage cultivators have fought with their lives when their lifespans were nearing their end, only to die as expected and be completely blasted into fly ash by the Tribulation Lightning.

However, although the Golden Core Heavenly Tribulation is not very powerful, it is still a manifestation of the power of the balance of the laws of heaven and earth; the person undergoing the tribulation might be fine, but if a bystander is dragged into it, those without sufficient strength will be blasted into slag.

Furthermore, if a Golden Core cultivator is dragged into the Heavenly Tribulation, the situation becomes even more complex; it is possible that upon sensing the presence of a Danyuan Realm aura, the Small Heavenly Tribulation could upgrade into a full-fledged Great Heavenly Tribulation, in which case not only would the person undergoing the tribulation be implicated and wiped out, but the Danyuan Realm cultivator dragged into it would also surely die.

However, with Xuanchen Zhenjun presiding today, there will be no accidents.

(End of this chapter)