Chapter 767: Crossing the Thunder Tribulation, the Return of the Dream God Machine

Yujing City.

The side hall to the east of the Imperial Palace is where the Cabinet ministers share the Emperor's burdens and handle state affairs.

The sky had already darkened, and lamps had been lit throughout the Imperial Palace, shining brightly.

The Cabinet ministers had almost all returned to rest; within the entire Cabinet, only one person remained.

This man had greying temples and a solemn countenance, filled with a sense of composure, as if even if the sky were to collapse and the earth to sink before his eyes, it would not cause him the slightest ripple. His large hands, sketching out memorials, were as white as jade and spotless, yet they gave one the feeling of possessing infinite power, as if grasping the void.

He simply sat there, yet possessed an unimaginable, imposing majesty that made it impossible for others to look him in the eye, leaving them no choice but to obediently lower their heads.

This man was none other than the pillar of the state most valued by the current Qian Emperor: Wuwen Marquis Hong Xuanji, the Peak Martial Saint of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Just then, a burst of footsteps suddenly rang out, and the eunuch on duty outside the door called out loudly: "His Majesty has arrived."

"Your subject pays respects to His Majesty." Hong Xuanji rose, walked out of the room, and bowed deeply.

"Beloved subject, dispense with the formalities." Qian Emperor Yang Pan walked in, wearing a nine-dragon golden crown and a bright yellow embroidered robe.

If one were to observe this pair of the most harmonious monarch and subject in history closely, one would find that Yang Pan, this Great Gan emperor who held the divine artifacts of the world's state in his hands, and Hong Xuanji were extremely similar.

This similarity was not in their appearance, but in their temperament.

An indescribable similarity.

It was only that the Qian Emperor appeared slightly more aged than Hong Xuanji.

The two began to converse simply, chatting about daily life; the Qian Emperor was amiable and pleasant, as if talking with a close friend, displaying the intimate and harmonious relationship between monarch and subject.

"You all withdraw."

After another moment, the Qian Emperor waved away his attendants, his expression turning solemn as he said: "Xuanji, I have indeed come to see you this time to discuss something."

"Your Majesty, please speak."

"The secret technique has been broken; the mark I placed on the Champion Marquis has been erased."

Hong Xuanji furrowed his brows: "Once the secret technique is broken, the Champion Marquis will be able to practice Daoist arts. With his cultivation as a Peak Martial Saint, coupled with the countless resources of the Champion Marquis Mansion, I fear it will not be long before he can even become a Ghost Immortal, increasing his lifespan and coming and going without a trace."

"Indeed, that is precisely what I am worried about."

Qian Emperor Yang Pan nodded. It was true that a Martial Saint was strong, but the threat of a Martial Saint was limited, whereas a Ghost Immortal had a long lifespan and was mysterious and unpredictable; that was the reason for leaving the mark in the first place.

Hong Xuanji pondered for a moment: "There is something suspicious about this matter; I will send men to investigate it thoroughly."

"Good, I trust you in your work, Xuanji. The Champion Marquis is a pawn of the Heaven Beyond Heaven; his personality is overbearing and violent, and he has constant fortuitous encounters. If we cannot control this person, then we cannot show mercy."

Qian Emperor Yang Pan's tone gradually turned icy, as if the Champion Marquis were not his own flesh and blood, but a stranger he did not know: "Kill him!"

"Your subject understands."

Patter, patter.

A rainstorm suddenly descended.

Clouds churned, and dull, rolling thunder flashed from time to time.

"Thunder Tribulation, pure lightning."

Yu Liancheng looked at the sky, his eyes flickering.

His spirit had shed its shell; in the mere few days since recovering his memories, he had already crossed from a pure Martial Dao expert through the realms of Settling Spirit, Shell-Shedding, Night Wandering, Day Wandering, Object Driving, Manifestation, and Possession of the Immortal Dao, even breaking through the barrier of life and death to become a Ghost Immortal.

If nothing else, after achieving the status of a Ghost Immortal, one's soul alone could survive for five hundred years.

Even if the soul were to decay, one could still undergo corpse-dissection and reincarnation.

In the early stages of cultivation, the Immortal Dao was indeed far superior to the Martial Dao.

As the thunder rumbled, Yu Liancheng's spirit vibrated and trembled slightly.

When it rained and thundered, Ghost Immortals below the level of the Thunder Tribulation dared not come out at will.

Otherwise, once the spring thunder sounded, the rolling thunderous intent transmitted from the sky would be enough to shatter the spirit. Those with low-level Daoist arts would be crushed instantly.

"Brother Yu, do you really intend to cross the Thunder Tribulation?"

Standing beside Yu Liancheng were the two great demon kings, the White Ape King and the Xianghu King.

After Yu Liancheng had pierced and exploded the Immortal God King, he had taken note of these two demon kings.

The two demon kings naturally would not offend such a powerful existence and had come to pay their respects. Yu Liancheng had already digested the arrogant and conceited personality of the Champion Marquis, and after concealing his identity, he had easily befriended the two demon kings. Because they all loved wine, the White Ape King even regarded Yu Liancheng as a soulmate, and the Xianghu King was likewise full of goodwill toward him.

Today, these two great demon kings had come to act as guardians for Yu Liancheng.

When crossing the Thunder Tribulation, having no one to guard you was absolutely out of the question. Especially after crossing the Thunder Tribulation, there was a period of weakness; if enemies found out at this time and took advantage of the situation, it would be a disaster.

Even if enemies did not know, encountering other experts who might seize the spirit and refine it into a magic treasure would mean a fate worse than death, with no hope of ever rising again.

"Haha, I will trouble the two of you to guard me."

Yu Liancheng laughed heartily, his physical body and spirit merging into one; with a tap of his toes, the ground exploded, and he soared toward the clouds.

"Brother Yu, why have you even flown your physical body into the clouds?"

"Come back quickly! The power within the thunder, even with your Martial Saint body, you may not be able to withstand it."

Seeing Yu Liancheng crossing the tribulation with his physical body, the two great demon kings could not help but show expressions of urgency.

"Rest assured, do not worry about me."

Yu Liancheng's voice came from within the thunder, without the slightest hint of weakness.

In this world, the Thunder Tribulation was the manifestation of the will of heaven and earth; crossing the Thunder Tribulation meant devouring the will of heaven and earth, subduing them within one's own thoughts, and making the will of heaven and earth submit to one's own intent.

Moreover, since lightning could promote the advancement of the spirit, it could likewise temper the physical body.

As Yu Liancheng entered the dark clouds, countless bolts of lightning crashed down, attempting to shatter his spirit and destroy his physical body. However, with the depth of his current accumulation and the formidable nature of his soul and body, he naturally resisted them with ease. He refined the will of heaven and earth, causing each of his thoughts to become Pure Yang, polishing them until they were crystal clear, like crystal.

Even his physical body seemed to have been baptized, with every acupuncture point taking on a brand-new look.

While undergoing the Thunder Tribulation, Yu Liancheng was also observing the situation within the dark clouds.

He was at the edge of a vast space; the center of this space was constantly exploding and vibrating.

The further one went toward the center of the thunder, the stronger the will of heaven and earth became, and the more violent the explosions were.

Especially in the deepest core, even Yu Liancheng felt a sense of trepidation; he feared that if a single bolt of thunder were to strike, even if he were not to have his soul scattered and his Dao extinguished, he would still be severely injured, with less than one-tenth of his cultivation remaining.

"I can feel it, Brother Yu's aura is growing stronger."

"Is he truly intending to undergo the Thunder Tribulation with his physical body? This is simply too inconceivable."

White Ape King and Xianghu King looked at each other, their eyes revealing expressions of astonishment.

"Since that is the case, let us guard him well."

"I hope everything goes smoothly."

Roar!!

A quarter of an hour later, the air suddenly became scorching hot.

The rain that had originally been drifting down from the clouds was instantly evaporated into nothingness.

And all of this was because of a "fire cloud" that was rapidly flying over from the distant sky.

No, it was not a fire cloud.

This was a dragon, a gigantic Fire Dragon with its entire body radiating flames.

A single dragon claw alone was three or four miles in size.

And on the dragon claw, the scales were entirely fiery red; the color like molten lava was not a manifestation of anything else, but a real giant dragon.

"This... this is the Nine Fire Flame Dragon." Xianghu King's beautiful eyes widened, her heart palpitating as a sense of crisis arose.

"Indeed, it is the Nine Fire Flame Dragon of Sect Leader Meng Shenji." White Ape King swallowed with difficulty.

Both demon kings recognized the origin of this Fire Dragon.

An expert who has passed the seventh Thunder Tribulation is also known as a Creator, because having cultivated to such a realm, one can already create objects out of the void.

And this Nine Fire Flame Dragon was precisely a clone, a body outside of a body, refined by Meng Shenji through immense magical power and the creation of objects from the void.

The dragon-shaped body possessed infinite power; no matter who they were, any Daoist expert in the world would immediately feel fear and reverence in their hearts upon hearing the four words "Nine Fire Flame Dragon."

But what truly made White Ape King fearful.

Was the man standing atop the dragon's head.

Wearing a high crown and grand robes that moved without wind, his pair of eyes were as gentle as jade, and his entire being carried an aura that transcended everything.

——Meng Shenji!

At the critical moment of Yu Liancheng's Crossing the Tribulation, this number one person in the world, the Sect Leader of the Supreme Daoist Canon, had appeared.