Chapter 429: Ting Tong Endures Tribulation

"The Five Elements Unify…"

"No wonder this kid's combat power is so strong?"

"So he has such a powerful technique!"

In the grand hall of the Liang imperial palace, the royal ancestor handed the jade slip to Zhen Yu and said, "Big brother… you take a look too!"

"Mm."

Zhen Yu also glanced at it.

After reading it, he fell silent.

"This technique is powerful, but it still falls short compared to our royal family's 【Liang Di Tian Gang】!"

"【Liang Di Tian Gang】 is a non-elemental technique; anyone can cultivate it. His Five Elements Unify is powerful, but it only works for those with Five Element Spirit Roots!"

"Seems… not worth it."

"Hehehe…" The royal ancestor chuckled, "I think it's quite worth it."

"This is called mutual exchange!"

"As long as He Pingsheng swears never to pass on 【Liang Di Tian Gang】 again, it's fine!"

"Of course, obtaining our royal family's Tian Gang technique isn't that simple… this fellow has decent fortune; we must bind him to our Liang family!"

"Hehehe…"

"Huaqiu, he didn't agree to you?"

The ancestor turned to Liang Huaqiu.

Liang Huaqiu said, "I don't know why, but he's been avoiding me."

"Ancestor!" The ninth imperial prince spoke up: "Trade is trade, mutual exchange is fine, but I'm He Pingsheng's closest friend—we can't entertain thoughts of killing him to seize his treasure…"

He truly feared the ancestor would act.

If He Pingsheng dies, I'll never get the Six-Nine Tribulation anymore.

"What are you thinking?" The royal ancestor shook his head. "Things that can be traded—why would I risk attacking a genius?"

"Creating trouble for ourselves? That's what Qi Country does. Our Liang Country isn't that foolish!"

"Then what do we do?" Liang Huaqiu asked. "He won't become our royal family's son-in-law now—our ancestor's technique can't be passed to him!"

"Hehe…" The royal ancestor smiled. "That's easy… Huaqiu, you're looking in the wrong place. Come here—I'll tell you who to find."

…

"Shiiii…"

"Shiiii-shiiii-shiiii…"

On the other side!

In He Pingsheng's cultivation ground, twelve beams of golden light shot out from the 【Gu Xuan Ding】, soaring straight into the sky.

The heavens and earth instantly churned with stormy winds and swirling clouds.

"Fall…"

As He Pingsheng roared, the twelve streaks of light, guided by his spiritual sense, descended back into the elixir furnace.

They transformed into twelve Golden Cores.

He Pingsheng pulled out one.

Mid-grade!

Breakthrough Elixir!

He checked the remaining eleven—all mid-grade.

These were the grade-four elixirs he'd crafted at his utmost limit, and their quality stopped at mid-grade.

But it didn't matter!

I can strengthen them.

One night later, the twelve mid-grade Breakthrough Elixirs were strengthened into supreme-grade Breakthrough Elixirs.

Their number doubled to twenty-four.

He had exhausted all his lifetime's supply of Breakthrough Elixirs—more than enough.

He Pingsheng waved his hand, and a pearl appeared.

Great Freedom Pearl.

Guided by his spiritual sense, the Great Freedom Pearl shimmered, and the phoenix chick Ting Tong leapt out.

"Master…"

Seeing He Pingsheng, she ran affectionately over, nuzzling against him.

He Pingsheng reached out and stroked her belly.

So soft, the downy fur.

He never got tired of touching it.

So adorable.

"Ting Tong…" He Pingsheng held up a Breakthrough Elixir. "You've been out of your shell for over twenty years—your foundation is solid. Can you form a Nascent Soul now?"

"I can!" Ting Tong nodded her head, covered in red down.

"Good!" He Pingsheng said. "I'll find you a place to undergo Tribulation Crossing these days. But before that, I need to get you some magic treasures to withstand the heavenly tribulation!"

Ting Tong shook her head. "Master, no need for all that trouble. Our beast kind's tribulation differs from yours—we don't need magic treasures for protection!"

"Though bathing in the tribulation will injure me, it also strengthens our beast bodies. We rely solely on our own flesh and blood!"

"I see…" He Pingsheng scratched his head. "Alright… let's find a secluded place and begin the tribulation now!"

He Pingsheng teleported instantly, secretly leaving the imperial capital, then flew away on his sword.

Midway, he switched to the Eight Treasures Ship. After flying for a day, they arrived above a desert.

No vegetation. Endless horizon.

Bare, barren, stretching beyond sight.

He Pingsheng tossed the fluffy Ting Tong onto a mountain peak, then handed her a supreme-grade Breakthrough Elixir. "Hope you break through into a giant phoenix—I'll ride you and look awesome!"

"Okay!"

Ting Tong happily took the elixir. "When I grow wings, I'll let Master ride me!"

He Pingsheng rose into the air again, moving ten miles away from Ting Tong.

Simultaneously, his spiritual sense erupted, sweeping across fifty thousand zhang in every direction.

If anyone intruded, he could intercept them instantly.

Indeed, after reaching the tenth layer of the 【Xuan Men Jing Xin Zhen Jue】, his spiritual sense had now reached fifty thousand zhang.

Roughly equivalent to the peak of Nascent Soul.

Ten thousand zhang is about sixty li; fifty thousand zhang is nearly three hundred li.

Three hundred li—all within his spiritual sense.

Boom… boom… boom…

The desert, dried up for countless years, suddenly filled with boundless dark clouds.

Between the clouds, lightning like silver snakes twisted and flickered endlessly.

Bolts of lightning illuminated the end of the world.

Soon, the first heavenly tribulation crashed down, striking Ting Tong, who looked like a red ball of fur.

"Jiujioo… jiujioo… jiujioo…"

A clear cry rang from Ting Tong's mouth.

The sound reached He Pingsheng's ears, lifting his spirit.

It sounded as if it came from the highest heavens.

Crisp, sacred.

At the same time, a massive fire phoenix silhouette appeared on Ting Tong's body.

The phantom stood a hundred zhang tall, absorbing every bolt of lightning.

First wave!

Second wave!

Third wave!

…

One after another, tribulation lightning fell.

After the eighth wave, the dark clouds in the sky finally dispersed.

Simultaneously, golden clouds transformed into transformative light, descending upon the little phoenix.

Ting Tong's wounds from the tribulation healed rapidly.

Then the golden clouds vanished.

He Pingsheng swiftly arrived beside Ting Tong.

After the tribulation, Ting Tong remained exactly the same—fluffy, unchanged.

"This…" He Pingsheng said. "Didn't we agree you'd become a giant phoenix? You're still this tiny thing—I can't ride you!"

Ting Tong's voice trembled with tears. "I didn't know either… I thought I'd grow wings… waaahhh…"

"Enough!" He Pingsheng glanced around. "Let's go quickly—we need to leave here first!"

He Pingsheng sealed the little phoenix inside the Great Freedom Pearl, then teleported away.

Soon after He Pingsheng departed, a figure suddenly descended upon this realm!