Chapter 141: Absolutely Asking for a Beating

Rumble!

"Kid, it's coming."

The sword spirit spoke.

Almost simultaneously, Xiao Yang instinctively gripped the White Tiger Sacred Sword tight.

This clearly showed that it was his first time undergoing the heavenly tribulation, and he was somewhat nervous.

A bolt of tribulation lightning, as thick as a water bucket, descended from above.

Xiao Yang took a deep breath, not daring to let his guard down in the slightest.

"Stop right there!"

Gathering every ounce of strength he had, he slashed forward fiercely with his sword.

In an instant, a white sword qi measuring seventy or eighty feet materialized, charging straight toward the oncoming lightning bolt.

Boom!

The tribulation lightning was shattered on the spot, but the sword qi continued to surge upward at a rapid pace.

"I blocked it! Hahaha!"

Seeing his success, Xiao Yang broke into a joyful smile.

However, the sword spirit was utterly speechless, to the point of deeply questioning its very existence as a sword.

"This tribulation lightning is way too fragile; it shatters at the slightest touch," it muttered under its breath.

"Given this kid's monstrous talent, there should logically be two more bolts of lightning."

Yet, it dared not divide its focus too much, knowing full well that for someone like Xiao Yang, the tribulation typically manifested as a triple lightning trial. Moreover, each bolt of tribulation lightning would be stronger than the last.

However, the sword spirit was soon dumbfounded.

The terrifying sword qi shot straight into the sky and, the next moment, tore the tribulation clouds apart.

In no time, the sky cleared up completely.

This left Xiao Yang, who was bracing himself to continue, slightly dazed.

"Is that it?"

It felt somewhat surreal.

He looked up suspiciously at the sky overhead, only to find that the tribulation clouds truly seemed to have vanished entirely.

"Senior Sword Spirit, is it already over?"

He immediately thought of the White Tiger Sacred Sword's spirit, who clearly possessed far more knowledge than he did.

Yet this time, the sword spirit acted as if it had disconnected from the network, remaining silent for a long, long time.

Deep within the White Tiger Sacred Sword, a ninety-foot-plus white tiger sat blankly on the ground, utterly bewildered.

"The tribulation clouds... slashed apart by a single sword strike? How is this even possible? I must be dreaming."

It clearly still refused to believe this hard-to-swallow truth.

One had to consider how many peerless geniuses and proud prodigies throughout eternity had desired to do precisely this, but their fate had invariably been the same: reduced to ashes by the tribulation lightning.

To a certain extent, the tribulation clouds were the enforcers of the Heavenly Dao. While one might surpass the tribulation clouds in strength, daring to attack them was tantamount to provoking the Heavenly Dao itself. Countless individuals had paid a heavy, agonizing price for this exact folly.

Consequently, an unwritten rule had long existed within the cultivation world: never provoke the tribulation clouds, because in a sense, provoking the tribulation clouds meant provoking the Heavenly Dao. Anyone who tried simply died.

"Ding! The Source Saint's Power has been comprehended to the third layer, unlocking the exclusive martial skill, Whale Swallow!"

"Ding! Cultivation has reached the Martial Marquis realm. The Nine Saints Return to Origin Scripture is automatically comprehending."

"Ding! Comprehension successful. You have mastered the Spirit Saint's Power."

Almost simultaneously, a series of system prompts rang in his ears.

Spirit Saint?

He immediately opened his personal status interface and located the Nine Saints Return to Origin Scripture.

Presently, alongside the Mountain Saint, Source Saint, and Soul Saint, a new entry—the Spirit Saint's Power—had been added.

Name: Spirit Saint's Power
Trait: Grants two additional Martial Dao Avatar slots
Description: The Spirit Saint's Power is divided into nine layers, granting a special ability every three layers.

"If normal people only get one, I should be able to awaken three Martial Dao Avatars."

At this thought, Xiao Yang could not help but gasp softly.

One should never underestimate those two extra slots. Martial Dao Avatars also possessed mutual relationships of restraint; if chosen wisely, Xiao Yang would become an invincible existence. Furthermore, as his realm continued to rise in the future, the number of Martial Dao Avatar slots would increase even further, giving him vastly more options down the line.

Soon, Xiao Yang began pondering which Martial Dao Avatars he should select. After a long moment of contemplation, he made up his mind.

"White Tiger, heed my command!"

With an authoritative shout, and because he had just recently employed the White Tiger Martial Dao Avatar, he summoned it forth with effortless ease.

Almost instantly, a tyrannical tiger roar echoed through the entire underground cavern, and a colossal white tiger standing a hundred feet tall materialized.

"As expected, this kid has awakened a hundred-foot Martial Dao Avatar," the sword spirit muttered faintly, sensing the white tiger's aura.

Though it didn't know what methods Xiao Yang had just used to forcibly elevate his cultivation realm, the fact that he could summon a hundred-foot avatar proved he possessed the necessary potential. Just as it had anticipated, summoning the White Tiger avatar was a breeze for him.

"He's a fine sapling."

Since the white tiger Martial Dao Avatar matched its own true form as a white tiger, it could offer him some guidance in certain aspects.

Right at that moment, Xiao Yang's aura suddenly shifted, causing the sword spirit's expression to change slightly.

"What is happening? Why is the nature of his inner Qi changing again?"

Normally, a person's inner Qi only underwent a transformation upon reaching the Martial Marquis realm, adapting to align closely with their Martial Dao Avatar. Yet Xiao Yang had already awakened his avatar, so why was his inner Qi shifting once more? This baffled the sword spirit completely.

Before long, Xiao Yang's inner Qi transformed entirely into an entirely different kind of aura.

Simultaneously, the White Tiger Martial Dao Avatar slowly grew translucent and soon dissipated into the air. However, tiny points of golden light began to flicker and dance around him, rapidly coalescing.

"Amitabha!"

A resounding chant of the Buddha's name echoed!

The sword spirit's mind trembled violently.

Another Martial Dao Avatar! And this aura... It was undoubtedly another hundred-foot-grade Martial Dao Avatar!

At this moment, the sword spirit plunged straight into a state of utter stupefaction. Having existed for hundreds of thousands of years, it had never once heard of such an absurdity. To awaken two Martial Dao Avatars simultaneously, and for both of them to possess entirely different natures and types—most importantly, both avatars were of the hundred-foot tier!

At this juncture, all words became pale and powerless.

"A freakish monster!"

After a long while, it managed to squeeze out these few words.

By this time, Xiao Yang had already settled his two Martial Dao Avatars. He decided to leave the remaining slot empty for the time being. Of course, the reason was that the only other hundred-foot Martial Dao Avatar he had previously utilized was the Ten Yama Kings. However, the events of last time had left him with a lingering psychological shadow. Therefore, he resolved to wait until his strength grew much greater before considering the Ten Yama Kings again. For now, he would pass. If he couldn't afford to provoke them, he could at least afford to hide from them.

Just then, a head peered cautiously into the cave entrance.

It was none other than the frightened Ice-Crystal White Tiger.

"A freak, an absolute freak, but I love it!"

Going from the second layer of Great Martial Master to the Martial Marquis realm in a single day—if anyone spoke of such a thing outside, they would most likely be called a lunatic. Yet, not only had it, the Ice-Crystal White Tiger, witnessed this speed firsthand, but it was also serving as this person's mount.

Suddenly, a warm, fuzzy feeling blossomed in its heart, and its future suddenly looked full of promise. Becoming an emperor or a deity was no longer just a distant dream.

"The young master should have calmed down by now. Should I go check on him?"

Murmuring to itself, the Ice-Crystal White Tiger crept carefully toward Xiao Yang's location.

One step, two steps!

It drew closer and closer to Xiao Yang, yet still encountered no reaction. It took two more cautious steps forward.

Right at that moment, a voice rang out:

"Back already?"

"I-I'm back, Young Master!"

The Ice-Crystal White Tiger's heart instantly leaped into its throat.

"You actually dare to come back!"

With a furious roar, Xiao Yang lunged straight toward the Ice-Crystal White Tiger.

That fellow had just caused him to lose several million spirit stones; it deserved a beating, an absolute beating!

Seeing that Xiao Yang was coming to thrash it, the Ice-Crystal White Tiger immediately thought of fleeing, planning to hide outside for a few days before returning.

Turning around and running away were accomplished in one smooth, flowing motion.