Chapter 284: Tribulation Crossing

Pan Yun knew the place Master Da had mentioned had two routes: one went west from the ancient Dan Well, where a cliff no more than ten meters high stood on the left; a leap upward led to the Tribulation Crossing rock Master Da had described.

But on the right side of that narrow path lay a precipice veiled in mist and clouds, its depth utterly unseen.

Master Xuanmiao and the others had invited her several times to watch the sunset from Ziyan Rock via that path, but Pan Yun had never agreed.

Even Tao Yanbai, whose martial skills were weak, dared leap up the cliff face to that rock under ten meters high, yet she insisted on taking a long detour—first to Qinghui Pond, then across Hanxing Pond, circling around a large platform on the path, before stepping onto the slippery trail to Ziyan Rock.

This time, Pan Yun still ran toward Qinghui Pond; Wang Feiyin stood behind her, frowning deeply, "She's about to break through—why is she still afraid of heights? Will she ever be able to fly with objects like this?"

Master Xuanmiao: "Once she breaks through, just kick her off the cliff a few times—she'll get over it."

Wang Feiyin's face darkened; he turned back and said, "Sister, you don't teach children like that. If she's naturally afraid, you need to be gentler."

Master Xuanmiao turned and walked away. "Then you teach her."

Wang Feiyin opened his mouth, then caught sight of Wang Cong still staring at the fox spirit—he immediately took it out on him. "What are you standing there for? Don't you see your Third and Fourth Masters are severely wounded? Go heal them at once!"

Wang Cong muttered inwardly but dared not show it; he stepped forward to support Tao Ji. "Third Master, where are you injured?"

Tao Ji: "I don't need your help. My injuries are internal—I'll take medicine and meditate on my own. Go help Master Xuanmiao prepare her medicine; she's very heavy."

But in truth, Master Xuanmiao only looked terrible—her internal injuries were minor, most external wounds had already stopped bleeding, leaving only debridement, suturing, and ointment application.

Seeing Miao Zhen and Miao He took over immediately.

The two other sisters were also injured, but their wounds were lighter—they didn't need Wang Cong.

So Wang Cong circled around and returned to the fox spirit's side, watching her lick her own paw with a human head; he couldn't help saying, "Let me treat you."

Sister Hong Yan turned her head, glanced at him, then looked down at her wounded paw, and still extended her paw. "I don't want to be stitched up like her."

Wang Cong brought out a medicine box, opened it, and said, "Your wound is minor—no suturing needed."

Neither the ghost nor the fox dared enter the Sanqing Temple, so both still remained on the temple gate square.

The sky had darkened; thick clouds completely obscured the moon, blanketing the heavens with no trace of light.

Xiao Hong, clad in red, crouched to Sister Hong Yan's right. The darkness gave her great safety—since Wang Cong had been staring at Sister Hong Yan, she'd thought he couldn't see her, so she boldly told Sister Hong Yan: "This fake Daoist Priest is surely bewitched by you—be careful of him."

Wang Cong's hand paused; he pulled out a bottle of medicinal wine, snapped his fingers to the left, and a yellow talisman flared into flame, illuminating the entire area.

Xiao Hong jumped, quietly shuffling backward out of the firelight's range, half her body swallowed by shadow.

With the light, Wang Cong poured the medicinal wine. "This is to clean your wound—it'll hurt a bit. Bear with it."

As Wang Cong finished bandaging Sister Hong Yan's paw, the clouds above finally merged completely, rolling and colliding, silent lightning flashing for an instant—suddenly, all of Mount Sanqing blazed as bright as daylight.

Sister Hong Yan transformed with a bang into her true form, lowering her body, trembling slightly; Xiao Hong beside her shivered in terror.

"Sister Sister Hong Yan, won't the thunder strike us?"

Wang Cong thought for a moment, then said, "Come with me into the temple."

The ghost and the fox both stepped back, watching him warily.

Wang Cong: "... What are you worried about? You can't beat my father, nor my Fourth Master or Little Master. If I wanted to harm you, would I need to trick you?"

The ghost and the fox considered this—true enough.

Wang Cong reached out to pick up the fox, then hesitated, his hand retracting; he turned. "Come on. The temple enshrines the Three Pure Ones—they treat all equally; they won't dislike you just because you're a demon or a ghost."

Xiao Hong finally realized. "You—you can see me?"

Wang Cong turned back, smiling. "Of course."

The fox tore open the spirit-binding talisman right before his eyes—if he didn't use his Heavenly Eye to check, he'd be an idiot.

Wang Cong led them into the temple; the ghost and the fox were quick—they knelt on the prayer mat the moment they entered, bowed three times to the Three Pure Ones, then stood beside Wang Cong at the entrance, looking up at the sky.

Perhaps with the roof and eaves overhead, the ghost and the fox felt far safer; now they watched the churning thunderclouds above as if attending a show.

Beneath the lightning, Pan Yun felt the crushing pressure rolling down from the horizon.

She sat cross-legged on the rock, letting the surrounding spiritual energy surge into her body, activating her technique to circulate it, vast amounts of energy condensing into primordial force and pressing into her Lower Dantian.

As the primordial force compressed, her aura grew stronger; the thunderclouds crowded toward her, as if finally confirming she was the one—clouds churned, furious, brewing lightning...

The pressure slammed down on her; Pan Yun sat upright, back straight, cross-legged—but Pan Xiaohei couldn't bear it, yowling in panic, darting in frantic circles.

Pan Yun absorbed spiritual energy while glancing down at it. "Hurry up and leave."

Pan Xiaohei: "Let me in—I've only undergone Tribulation Crossing once since my birth." (And failed.)

Pan Xiaohei omitted the outcome, circling Pan Yun urgently: "Besides, the Spirit Realm needs lightning refinement—it's my true body. No one can channel lightning to refine it better than me." Pan Yun stared down at it; human and cat locked eyes in silence. After a moment, she said: "Don't cause trouble."

Pan Xiaohei raised a paw. "I swear—I won't cause trouble."

Pan Yun: "Keep that fur of yours far away—don't get struck."

Pan Xiaohei immediately turned and sprinted toward Ziyan Rock, only to see Wang Feiyin standing by the path, arms behind his back, gazing upward.

Cat and man met head-on; Pan Xiaohei had nowhere to hide.

For the first time, she thought Mount Sanqing was terrible—everywhere were cliffs and precipices, not a single hiding spot.

Wang Feiyin glanced down at her, then pointed to a small pine beside a rock. "Wait there. Don't wander far."

Under his gaze, Pan Xiaohei dared not run again; she walked step by step to the pine, stiffly lying down.

After lying there a while, seeing the thunderclouds sink lower, lightning flickering like interwoven ribbons of silver-white silk, she knew the Tribulation was about to strike.

She no longer hesitated; her cat eyes half-closed, her spiritual awareness left her body—shhh—flying straight toward Pan Yun.

She plunged directly into Pan Yun's forehead, entering the Niwan Palace—and found it utterly transformed.

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No time to be astonished—she was immediately shoved into the Spirit Realm.

Spirit and body merged, but Pan Xiaohei felt unaccustomed—she seemed more suited to her cat body.

This briefly depressed Pan Xiaohei.

But soon she had no time to think—Pan Yun suddenly lifted her head, and the lightning in midair could no longer hold back; as another cloud collided, a gap opened—and a bolt as wide as the Milky Way crashed down with a crack.

Pan Yun's primordial force surged wildly; the spiritual energy around her instantly spiraled upward.

All happened in an instant—the lightning split into two as it struck Mount Sanqing, as if the Milky Way had been cut in half by a pair of shears: one part struck the nearby Fenglei Tower, the other, with lightning speed, slammed toward Pan Yun.

The lightning pierced straight through her body. In an instant, Pan Yun turned charred black, her hair standing on end with a sharp crackle, and the spiritual energy and yuan force shields around her were blasted to smithereens, leaving not a single trace behind.

But… Pan Yun survived!

Only after this bolt of lightning passed did she hear the rumbling thunder, and the thunderclouds in the sky were still churning, though they looked far less furious now.

Pan Yun's mouth parted slightly, and she exhaled a breath of black air. Only then did she feel her body tingling and numb; her meridians, Upper Dantian, and Lower Dantian all flickered with lightning.

She dared not be careless. She immediately circulated her cultivation method, replenished her yuan force, and began to brace herself for the next bolt.

She looked up at the sky, sensing that the lightning was almost ready. A flash appeared at her brow, and a gold-white point spun out from it. The moment it left her body, it grew larger and larger, larger and larger.

First it was the size of a thumb, then the size of a fist. By the time it spun its way in front of Pan Yun, it was already as big as a lantern.

A magical artifact shaped like a three-petaled lotus flower, its petals slightly curled, pure white and flawless, gleaming with a soft luster.

Wang Feiyin was startled, but in the blink of an eye, the second bolt of lightning came crashing down.

Pan Yun looked up and raised her hand with a sweep. The lotus-shaped artifact instantly flew above her head. The lightning, however, split in two in midair—one bolt passed through the lotus artifact and struck Pan Yun's head.

Pan Yun turned even blacker. A faint whiff of scorched hair drifted over. Wang Feiyin, not sure what had come over him, couldn't help touching his own head, the left side of his face worried, the right side gloating as he looked at Pan Yun.

The lotus artifact had only been struck once before it whooshed back into Pan Yun's brow, hiding itself and refusing to come out.

The last bolt of lightning now.

Wang Feiyin tightened his fists slightly. Glancing to the side, he saw the black cat lying beneath the tree, and he steadied his breathing—he hadn't expected himself to grow so anxious and indecisive.

He gave a soft, self-mocking laugh and waved his hand lightly, sending a gentle stream of yuan force onto the black cat.

The black cat, whose breathing had been faint, now rose and fell steadily in its belly, its breath evening out.

He turned his head to look at Pan Yun, and saw that she had already stood up, gazing up at the thunderclouds churning in midair.

Breaking through to the First Marquis brings three bolts of lightning; the Second Marquis, five; the Third Marquis, seven; and so on.

Now she had only the last bolt left. Though she had taken two strikes, at this moment she felt strength coursing through her whole body, a surge of yuan force with nowhere to spend, immensely powerful.

She could feel the spiritual energy of Mount Sanqing streaming toward her from all directions without pause; even the stone beneath her feet was continuously lending her a stream of energy for support.

Let's just call it Earth Force for now.

Though Pan Yun didn't fully understand it, she knew this was the power her master, Pan Gong, had given her.

With the Wind Thunder Tower aiding her ahead, her master below, her senior brother behind, and her own strength to boot—what was there for her to fear?

So when the third bolt of lightning was brewing to come crashing down, Pan Yun leaped up, charging straight toward the thunderclouds.

Wang Feiyin's eyes went wide, and he couldn't help stamping his foot. "Audacity! You reckless brat!"

(End of this chapter)