Chapter 54: Crossing the Tribulation

Beneath the roiling, ominous clouds charged with an aura of world-annihilating fire, a massive silver-white fox danced, nine magnificent tails swirling behind him. It was clear that for this final strike, Huai Yin intended to face it with his true form. This was also the first time Hansu had seen Huai Yin’s original body. Above, the sky was indigo, layered with churning, oppressive black clouds. Below, the great celestial fox’s silver-white fur gleamed sleek and lustrous, reflecting dazzling light with each flash of intermittent lightning. His form was elegant and striking; nine tails spread wide like an unfurled parasol, swaying in the wind, constantly dissolving stray sparks of lightning.

The ninth bolt of lightning was poised, storing a boundless power, yet hesitated to descend. It rumbled and bellowed from within the clouds, as if hundreds of ancient beasts were rampaging across a primordial battlefield. The pressure swept clean everything within a hundred miles. Under such circumstances, Hansu was forced to unfurl her protective spirit artifact, the Transformation Scroll.

The scroll shielded Hansu as she waited under this immense pressure; a hundred miles away, six Nascent Soul cultivators were already lying in wait. Though the area was remote, the might of Huai Yin’s fivefold tribulation was simply too great. The first to react was the Azure Sky Sect nearby, sending the very Dao Lord who once escorted their disciples when the Hexi Secret Realm opened.

Soon after came Daoist Xuangan, a roaming cultivator who had already reached the Soul Formation stage and happened to be searching nearby for a teleportation array to Fuhai. Catching sight of a beast undergoing tribulation, his heart itched with desire—if he could subdue it as a spirit beast while it was weak after the ordeal, his own power would leap by several levels.

Next arrived four more Nascent Soul cultivators, not all intent on picking up bargains, but close enough. Yet the might of this tribulation was immense—even they dared not approach too closely. Unlike Hansu, these long-lived cultivators bore unknown karmic burdens. To be caught by stray lightning would be courting death.

So Hansu could only vaguely sense several high-level cultivators lurking in the distance, unable to discern their exact intentions. But with the situation so dire, she knew she could not protect Huai Yin alone and began to consider whether to bring him into the Immortal Palace.

As Hansu prepared to communicate with the palace—now that she had advanced to the Golden Core stage, perhaps it would have changed, allowing her to bring someone in for refuge—the ninth bolt finally crashed down. This strike was tinged with gold within its purple, as thick as a barrel—utterly unprecedented.

Seeing the thunder descend, Huai Yin, in his true form, spun his nine long tails, sweeping the surrounding spiritual energy into a colossal vortex, rushing to intercept the incoming lightning.

In that instant, purple-gold lightning, silver-white fox, swirling tails, and whirlwinds of spiritual energy mingled with shredded leaves, forming a breathtaking tableau. Yet this alone was not enough—the lightning, though somewhat diminished, stubbornly struck Huai Yin. There was a crackling sound, the smell of scorched fur, splattering blood as red as flame, and tails white as snow, now limp and lifeless.

The force of the lightning pierced Huai Yin’s full-strength defenses, smashing him to the ground and rendering him unconscious.

“Huai Yin!” Hansu screamed in anguish at the sight of his limp form. Without hesitation, she rushed to check on him, but as she reached out, a small bolt of golden lightning shot down from the sky, and the six high-level cultivators drew near.

As the golden bolt fell, only one thought flashed through Hansu’s mind: she could not let Huai Yin die here. She shielded them both with the Transformation Scroll and quickly summoned her five remaining spirit artifacts, hurling them skyward to self-destruct, hoping to block the lightning.

The five artifacts detonated together, colliding with the golden lightning in the air, producing a thunderous symphony. Yet under such pressure, two faint golden threads thinner than a pinky finger pierced the scroll’s defenses and embedded themselves into Hansu and Huai Yin. The tiny, yet immensely powerful, golden lightning entered their bodies. Miraculously, Huai Yin awakened. “Cough, cough—not… didn’t I tell you… cough, cough, to save those artifacts…”

Hansu managed only to utter, “I kept one…” before she fainted completely.

The commotion left the high-level cultivators dumbstruck. “Damn, whose brat is this, such extravagance—five artifacts self-destructing at once, not even leaving one for me!” Daoist Xuangan cursed loudly, not caring who heard.

The other Nascent Soul Dao Lords had similar thoughts. Artifacts! Even as Nascent Soul cultivators, they each possessed a few, but who would willingly destroy them? Self-destruction left little chance of salvage; even if fragments remained, they couldn’t be repaired without rare materials. Such waste!

Only two voices cried out: “Susu?!” The two were none other than Lanhe and Hengbo Dao Lords, newly returned from their travels in the Shiyu Realm. Clearly, they recognized the artifacts as belonging to their beloved daughter, who had just formed her core. The other cultivators were left speechless.

Still, Daoist Xuangan, ever the rogue, grumbled, “So it’s your brat—no wonder she’s so lavish. Is the tribulation beast her spirit pet? Damn her luck.”

The two parents wasted no time on pleasantries, rushing over to check Hansu’s injuries. Fortunately, Hengbo Dao Lord, who had pursued the path of medicine, managed to save both their lives. Lanhe Dao Lord bowed deeply to those assembled. “My daughter and her friend were undergoing tribulation here and inadvertently disturbed you all. My wife and I offer our deepest apologies. Recently, we acquired four pieces of the Sky Mending Divine Stone in the Shiyu Realm and present them to you, hoping for your understanding.”

The other three, long acquainted with Lanhe Dao Lord, graciously accepted the stones and left. Even if they’d been unwilling, with two Nascent Soul cultivators and their powerful backing, they had little choice. Only Xuangan, the independent Soul Formation cultivator, smiled slyly. “A ninth-rank beast that’s survived tribulation, all for a mere stone? That’s not the going rate anywhere.”

Lanhe Dao Lord, still anxious about Hansu, didn’t argue, instead producing a storage pouch. “Daoist Xuangan, perhaps this will satisfy you.” Xuangan probed the contents with his spiritual sense, nodded in satisfaction, and left, muttering, “Lanhe, you really need to keep your daughter in check. So extravagant, wandering off alone to form her core. She got lucky this time, but next time… who knows how many would covet such a pretty, wealthy young lady.”

Lanhe Dao Lord was left troubled, setting up a formation before approaching his daughter. He held her delicate hand, probing her with his spiritual sense; his refined brows knit with concern.

“She failed to stabilize her core after formation and was struck by golden lightning. Now her meridians are severed, her core cracked, and lightning energy has penetrated it—she’ll need time to recover. The upside is, once she expels the lightning, her core will be tempered, and even future Soul Formation tribulations won’t harm her.”

Hengbo Dao Lord, seeing her usually unflappable husband so concerned, spoke first. “Don’t worry, with ten years of care she’ll recover. As for that celestial fox, I sense no spirit contract with our Susu. His injuries are lighter—after all, he’s a powerful demon with a resilient body and quick recovery.”

She spoke casually, not realizing how her words struck Lanhe. “No… connection…” Could Susu already have a Dao partner? She’s only—oh, she’s already forty-three. Forty-three is still so young! My Susu! Already with a Dao companion?! She didn’t stabilize her core for him, she sacrificed her destined artifacts for him, risked her life for him…

Hengbo Dao Lord, seeing her husband stunned and brooding, had no idea he was already jealous. She simply urged him to carry the two back to Yaohua for treatment. Lanhe Dao Lord scooped up his daughter, his formerly sullen face softening to tender affection, his hands gentle, gaze lingering on her face. “A’tong, look how grown Susu is.”

“Dear, you’ve left the fox on the ground,” Hengbo Dao Lord remarked, stroking her daughter’s hair and gesturing at Huai Yin.

Lanhe Dao Lord ignored her, preparing to summon a spirit vessel to return home. Hengbo tugged at his sleeve. “Dear, Susu would be upset if she knew.”

At this, he finally relented, carelessly flicking his fingers to toss the unconscious Huai Yin into the vessel, where he landed with a thud in the corner.

Hengbo Dao Lord smiled helplessly, following him aboard and arranging blankets and cushions for their daughter.

Even while still in transit, Hengbo sent a jade transmission to Linqing and Linxiu, notifying them of Hansu’s return. Only then did the parents finally relax. Ever since Hansu appeared briefly during the opening of the secret realm, Linxiu had sent word to her teachers. By chance, they encountered their daughter gravely wounded after her tribulation and rescued her.

Had they not been drawn to investigate the commotion caused by the tribulation, Hansu’s fate would have been uncertain. That unpredictable Soul Formation rogue, Daoist Xuangan, might have taken her away as a concubine or furnace.

The parents’ hearts tightened at the thought. What was supposed to be a simple training journey almost became disaster. Thirty years trapped in the secret realm, and barely out before suffering tribulation wounds? Clearly, they couldn’t leave home again soon—it was imperative to heal their daughter and teach her caution, so she wouldn’t court such danger again, even as a new Golden Core.

After all, she was only forty-three and had already formed her core. The celestial phenomenon was rare, a sign of great fortune. Such talent, beyond even their expectations—truly their child.

Leaving aside their tangled emotions, news had already reached Yaohua that Hansu was returning. Though she was still unconscious and unable to receive visitors, several eager acquaintances were already preparing to call upon her.