Chapter 314: Heavenly Tribulation

Whatever is not taken seriously must be the truth. Lin Bai looked at the Green Wood a hundred miles away, grumbled in his heart, and prepared himself to face the tree spirit.

The Green Wood towered into the clouds, taller than many of the surrounding mountain ranges.

Even from a hundred miles away, with a wide field of vision, Lin Bai could not see the top of the tree; from two-thirds of the way up the trunk, it was obscured by clouds.

The Green Wood had thick branches, and many wooden houses were built upon its broad leaves. Clouds and mist swirled between the branches, as beautiful as a fairy kingdom in a fairy tale, or the legendary bridge between heaven and earth—the Jianmu.

It was not at all strange that such a divine tree would give birth to a tree spirit.

The Blood Sect's Xuehai was also naturally formed, but its current scale was largely due to human intervention later on; to be precise, its formation was half-natural and half-artificial.

Yet the Green Wood was clearly a naturally formed divine tree. The Shengji Sect relied on it to establish their sect, and its prestige was leagues above the Xuehai; it was well-deserved to be called the number one of the Demonic Five Sects.

……

"The Shengji Sect actually fled in its entirety, without even putting up a fight. They are simply a disgrace to the Demonic Five Sects." Within the Fengqiuhuang Group, a Great Vehicle Realm cultivator loudly expressed their dissatisfaction.

This Great Vehicle Realm cultivator was named Song Xu, and he was performing a headstand, already having been upside down for a day and a night.

His cultivation was profound, so even after standing on his head for a long time, he would not suffer from blood rushing to his brain like an ordinary person.

But after such a long time, being able to see only calves and feet, and having to view the scene outside only through the gaps between other people's legs, was truly something he could hardly endure.

Everyone had a different personality; Song Xu liked quiet, but those around him were either singing or shouting, and there were even people from the Justice Alliance using him to practice some "Word Follows Law," which had long since made him impatient.

The only reason he had endured until now was the hope that the Shengji Sect would liberate him, allowing him to go and fight Lin Bai to the death.

Who would have thought that after finally arriving at the Shengji Sect, he would see such a desolate scene? His lungs were about to explode with anger, especially when he thought about how he didn't know how much longer he would have to continue performing the headstand, and a despair of life being meaningless rose from the bottom of his heart.

Ancestor Tuohai and the others also had disappointment between their brows, but there was still a glimmer of hope in their hearts. The Green Wood was the foundation of the Shengji Sect; abandoning it meant the sect's heritage would be severed right there. To not make any move at all was truly not the style of the Shengji Sect.

The members of the Blood Sect each had their own thoughts.

Suddenly, from behind the Fengqiuhuang Group.

Hundreds of uneven voices suddenly rang out: "Lin Bai, Lin Bai, boundless magic power, invincible in attack, victorious in every battle."

Once the shameful slogan was shouted out.

The corners of Ancestor Tuohai's eyes twitched, and his gaze toward Lin Bai grew increasingly cold. He had long since made up his mind: as long as this damned Fengqiuhuang stopped, he would risk his old life to draw down the Heavenly Tribulation and perish together with everyone. Those guys behind who brought shame to the Blood Sect did not deserve to remain in this world.

Just as Lin Bai had anticipated.

The hearts of the Blood Sect were not united.

Those at the Void Refinement Realm and above were not afraid of death, but there were still Spirit Transformation Realm cultivators below. Performing talents was one thing, but if the time dragged on, they would really die...

On one side was losing face, on the other was losing face and losing their lives.

In the face of life, what was dignity worth?

Moreover, since they had already lost face, they might as well use the slogan to drag the ancestors in front down with them completely; perhaps there would still be a chance to survive.

More and more Spirit Transformation Realm cultivators joined the ranks of shouting the slogan.

Gradually, the chanting of the slogan became uniform, and they actually shouted it with momentum. Even when shouting the slogan and performing talents, they no longer felt ashamed...

……

Lin Bai turned back, winked at Ancestor Tuohai and the other black-faced Tribulation Transcendence Stage ancestors, activated the Water-Cloud Mirror, shrouded it over everyone's heads, and stepped toward the Green Wood.

……

At this moment.

Behind the Green Wood.

A withered-looking female Tribulation Transcendence Stage cultivator, exuding deathly aura from her entire body and looking like a thousand-year-old zombie, looked coldly at the Justice Alliance's team. Her pupils were as calm as an ancient well, as if the singing and dancing Blood Sect cultivators could not affect her state of mind at all.

Beside her, more than a dozen female Great Vehicle Realm cultivators stood scattered. Some were as beautiful as flowers, while others, like the Tribulation Transcendence Stage ancestor, were wrapped in deathly aura, pale and eerie, as if statues of zombies were standing there.

The Great Vehicle Realm cultivators clearly did not have the composure of the Tribulation Transcendence Stage ancestor. Upon seeing the Fengqiuhuang Group, their brows twitched one by one, not knowing what expression to make.

"Fengqiuhuang is too insulting; they simply don't treat cultivators as human beings." A female Great Vehicle Realm cultivator frowned repeatedly. "If such demons are not eliminated, it will not be enough to appease public anger."

"Senior Sister Mingyan, Lin Bai's Binding Immortal is an even greater insult to female cultivators." A female cultivator next to her, who looked like a zombie, said coldly, "This is a good thing for us. If Cen Qing is beaten to death, the several ancestors of the Blood Sect will surely share our hatred for the enemy."

"Enough with the nonsense." The withered-looking Tribulation Transcendence Stage ancestor suddenly spoke, her voice like a shovel scraping across a stone slab, harsh and unpleasant. "You already know Lin Bai's divine ability. Later, I will strike first to trigger the Heavenly Tribulation, dragging Lin Bai and his Justice Alliance into the Heavenly Tribulation. Cen Qing's Water-Cloud Mirror cannot block several Heavenly Tribulations. Once she dies, the lightning tribulations of those old ghosts like Tuohai will also be drawn down."

"With more than a dozen people undergoing the tribulation at the same time, and tens of thousands of people being swept into the lightning tribulation, the power of the lightning tribulation will surely destroy heaven and earth. Lin Bai's Puppet troops will definitely not be able to escape, and this old woman will have no reason to survive either."

"However, Lin Bai is freakish and cannot be judged by common sense. In case he escapes from the lightning tribulation, that will be the moment for you to strike. Do not let him escape again, and do not let this old woman die in vain."

"We obey Ancestor Tao's order," the female cultivators said respectfully.

Ancestor Tao was at the Tribulation Transcendence Realm.

However.

When she was at the Great Vehicle Realm, because she and her Dao companion practiced a strange technique together, both of them suffered a cultivation deviation.

Her Dao companion died on the spot, and she damaged her Spirit Soul foundation. Relying on the Green Wood Fruit to prolong her life, she barely managed to enter the Tribulation Transcendence Realm, but she had no possibility of ascending anymore; once she underwent the tribulation, she would surely die.

When Lin Bai invaded the Shengji Sect, everyone knew that luring Lin Bai into the lightning tribulation was the best method.

But human nature is selfish. Many Tribulation Transcendence Realm cultivators had practiced for thousands of years, and they were one step away from ascending. Even if the chance of ascension was only two or three in ten, no one was willing to waste a lifetime of cultivation and perish together with Lin Bai...

Ancestor Tao, whose ascension was bound to fail, was the best choice, but the people below could not take the initiative to persuade her to die.

Therefore, everyone could only start from the Great Vehicle Realm, thinking of ambushing Cen Qing, rescuing the Blood Sect's Tribulation Transcendence Realm cultivators, and luring them to fight Lin Bai to the death...

All strategies were discussed around this plan.

Everyone even worked out a shameless strategy based on Lin Bai's personality: once it failed, they would let these Great Vehicle Realm cultivators take the initiative to join the Justice Alliance to preserve their lives, and then secretly look for new opportunities.

Who knew that at this moment, Ancestor Tao would take the initiative to stand out, stating that she had no possibility of ascending and had long wanted to follow her Dao companion, and that she would take this opportunity to be the one to lure the lightning and help the sect overcome the disaster...

Thus.

The current scene came to be.

And the previously decided Great Vehicle Realm plan was relegated to an auxiliary role.

Players hid in the hidden parts of the Green Wood, ready to livestream at any time.

Both inside and outside the game, everyone's eyes were focused on this crucial battle.

The Beggar Sect players knew nothing about this.

……

To prevent a possible sneak attack, Lin Bai did not throw out the Magpie Bridge to enter the seemingly calm Qingmu directly, but chose to fly in instead.

This way, if there were any unexpected situations, he could react at any time.

There were still eighty miles to the Shengji Sect.

Suddenly.

A piercing voice came from above Qingmu.

"Lin Bai, die."

Immediately following.

A black shadow seemed to break through time and space, appearing directly above the Justice Alliance Army.

She ignored Lin Bai, reached out and slapped downward, and a huge Black Claw hooked toward Cen Qing under the Cloud Water Mirror.

As the claw fell, the space around Lin Bai seemed to be imprisoned.

The surrounding air temperature dropped by more than ten degrees in an instant.

Black Qi permeated the air, winding toward everyone in the team like strands of long hair.

This fierce offensive was stronger than anyone Lin Bai had encountered before; the circulation of Spiritual Power became sluggish, as if the will of heaven and earth had been temporarily stripped away.

"Ancestor Tao." Ye Song looked up and saw the black shadow in the sky, exclaiming, "Alliance Leader, retreat quickly, she is in the Tribulation Transcendence Realm..."

Cen Qing's expression changed abruptly.

Ancestor Tuohai and the others showed joy, but immediately after, the joy turned into terror.

Ancestor Tao was attacking with all her might; such power would surely trigger the lightning tribulation, and since they were in the middle of it, they would inevitably be affected, and in the end, not one of them would escape.

But triggering the lightning tribulation to perish together with Lin Bai was one thing when they thought about it themselves, and another when someone else did it; when the lightning tribulation was imminent, the fear of death instantly gained the upper hand.

Having cultivated for thousands of years, to turn into fly ash just like this—they were too unwilling.

The Shengji Sect never intended to let them live at all...

Regret spread in the hearts of Ancestor Tuohai and the others.

If they had known this, they might as well have surrendered to the Justice Alliance directly; perhaps they could have safely undergone their tribulation. Before, the female cultivators of the Blood Sect who surrendered to Lin Bai—Lin Bai didn't seem to have made things difficult for them...

Crack!

With just one strike.

The Cloud Water Mirror developed cracks, and the defensive array vanished into thin air.

The Black Qi coiled toward the Great Vehicle Realm cultivators around Lin Bai and the players responsible for the live broadcast with no room to spare.

The players had the lowest cultivation.

The moment the Black Qi touched their bodies, their life force was drained; their bodies became like dried corpses and fell into the forest below.

Several of Lin Bai's Great Vehicle Realm Puppets protected Xiaobai and the others, Ancestor Ziyi used a Sword Qi to split the Black Qi around Lin Bai, and Ye Song unleashed a burst of Spiritual Power to protect Ye Lan beside him...

Several Great Vehicle Realm cultivators were unscathed under the attack of the Black Qi.

Lin Bai's reaction was the fastest, giving Ancestor Tao no chance to use a second move.

His mind stirred.

A Red Rope flew out.

This time, he did not use the Red Rope to connect marriages, but used it as a tool for Binding Immortal.

A Tribulation Transcendence Realm cultivator going all out was far more powerful than a Great Vehicle Realm cultivator.

The rope he had refined before would likely not be able to trap her at all.

A Red Rope was still a rope; if it could connect marriages, it could be used to tie people up...

Four Horses Binding.

The Red Rope appeared before the world for the first time; a slender rope hung the zombie-like Ancestor Tao in mid-air.

Black Qi erupted from Ancestor Tao's body, and she struggled hard, but the seemingly slender Red Rope did not move at all.

Binding Immortal was beautiful and moving most of the time, but trapped on Ancestor Tao, it looked as if Lin Zhengying had tied up a zombie with a red rope, showing not a hint of beauty...

"Master, let's go! A Tribulation Transcendence Realm cultivator going all out will surely trigger the lightning tribulation. With so many people undergoing the tribulation at once, I don't know how big the lightning tribulation will be; I'm afraid none of us will survive." Ye Song did not relax because Ancestor Tao was trapped; he looked up at the sky, becoming increasingly anxious.

Xiao Yu, Ancestor Ziyi, and others also urged Lin Bai in a panic.

Currently, they could no longer avoid the lightning tribulation with their own personal strength, and everyone pinned their hopes on the Magpie Bridge.

"Too late!"

Ancestor Tao struggled several times but could not break the Red Rope, so she simply stopped struggling, hung upside down, looked down at Lin Bai below, and grinned hideously, "The lightning tribulation is formed; no one can escape."

Before the words had even faded.

Above everyone, a large mass of dark clouds gathered rapidly, and lightning shuttled through the clouds, forming a dense web of electricity that could strike down at any moment.

At the same time.

The sense of spatial imprisonment was reinforced once again.

Seeing the Tribulation Cloud above their heads, Ye Song and the others felt their hearts turn to ash, with only one thought remaining: it's over!

In the Fengqiuhuang Group, there was a chorus of wailing.

Ancestor Tuohai looked at Ancestor Tao in the sky and cursed loudly: "Madwoman, does the Shengji Sect want to break completely with the Blood Sect?"

At the same time.

Ding.

The War God System in Lin Bai's mind popped up a new task: 【Unyielding War God: There are only War Gods who die in battle, no War Gods who run away. Survive the current lightning tribulation; Reward: War God Body】

War God Body?

What kind of thing is that?

No matter how good the reward is, you have to be alive to use it!

The pressure in the sky made Lin Bai's heart palpitate; at a time like this, how could he still care about any rewards?

With a wave of his hand.

Lin Bai released Pei Yanzong, and a Magpie Bridge extended from beneath his feet, connecting to Li Zhenren of the Blood Sect, heading straight toward the Blood Sect.

Everyone was overjoyed and scrambled to step onto the Magpie Bridge.

The next instant.

The group had already returned to the Blood Sect.

But before they could even heave a sigh of relief, the Tribulation Cloud actually gathered above their heads once again.

Damn it!

Lin Bai's expression changed instantly.

No wonder the War God System gave such a mission; it turns out the lightning tribulation comes with a lock-on feature, and there is simply no escaping it.

He had once thought that a Tribulation Transcendence Realm expert might drag him down to die together; at the time, he thought the Magpie Bridge could evade everything, but he hadn't expected...

Seeing the Tribulation Cloud above the Blood Sect about to form, and the Cultivators within the Blood Sect still blissfully unaware, Lin Bai did not hesitate and dragged everyone back to the outskirts of the Shengji Sect.

The Cultivators within the Blood Sect were at most at the Spirit Transformation stage; the Tribulation Lightning, which only those at the Tribulation Transcendence Stage could withstand, would likely turn the people of the Blood Sect into fly ash before they could even endure a single wave.

The foundation he had worked so hard to accumulate could not be ruined just like that.

Watching Lin Bai and the others return, the Peach Ancestor laughed arrogantly: "Just wait obediently for death. If the lightning tribulation were so easy to escape, would it still be called a lightning tribulation?"

The Magpie Bridge was actually unable to escape the lightning tribulation; Ye Song and the others looked ashen.

Xu Longyun, Jiang Qingqin, and the little white fox exchanged glances and all snuggled up beside Lin Bai; their cultivation levels were the lowest, and there was almost no possibility of survival in the lightning tribulation.

However, being able to die by Lin Bai's side, they were content.

"Lin-lang, use Phoenix Seeks Phoenix on that old hag above! Phoenix Seeks Phoenix can grant immunity to damage; presumably, it won't hurt you before the lightning tribulation strikes her dead. Don't worry about us." Xu Longyun smiled freely, hugged Lin Bai, and pressed her lips gently against his face.

"Having been with Master for such a long time, Xiaobai is already very satisfied." The little white fox reverted to her demon form and burrowed into Lin Bai's embrace, "It's just a bit of a pity, I haven't had enough of being the king of the Demon Race yet!"

"I have no regrets." Jiang Qingqin imitated Xu Longyun, hugged Lin Bai, kissed him on the cheek, and said softly.

Under the lightning tribulation, all living things are equal; at this moment, she was no longer jealous of Xu Longyun's excellence.

Lin Bai knew that Phoenix Seeks Phoenix could grant immunity to damage, but could he really abandon these women who shared his fate and survive alone?

"Don't talk about dying or living. Not to mention whether the lightning tribulation can strike us dead," Lin Bai said relaxedly, "Even if you were truly struck by the lightning, I have at least two ways to make you survive."

"Master, I knew you would have a way." The little white fox poked her head out from Lin Bai's embrace and said excitedly.

Xu Longyun wore a smile and cast a questioning look at Lin Bai.

Lin Bai said: "The first is cards; I will seal you into cards. As long as I don't die, you will never die. The second is Butterfly Transformation; in the event that you are struck dead by the lightning tribulation, you can simply change your identity and live again..."

Xu Longyun was stunned for a moment. She looked up at the sky and said without hesitation: "Lin-lang, seal us into the cards. That way, you can focus on dealing with the lightning tribulation and won't have to be distracted by looking after us."

As soon as these words were spoken.

Cen Qing, Zuo Lan, and the other Great Vehicle Realm experts who had originally resisted becoming Lin Bai's Puppets with all their might, hurried over one by one: "Alliance Leader, we are also willing to be sealed into cards and become your Puppets..."

I have things to do tonight and will be going out, so I'm posting this first.

(End of this chapter)