Liufeng Xin examined Qiao Qiniang and confirmed that she was out of danger, then sat down beside the bed.
When she casually lifted her gaze, a scene in the distance caught her completely off guard.
The woman was looking past her at the man behind her. Her striking features held a rare trace of dazed astonishment. The corners of her eyes tilted slightly upward, yet her gaze remained fixed on him, as though some invisible force had firmly drawn her in.
The man, meanwhile, had his head slightly bowed, his deep gaze resting intently on the person before him, as if she were the only one left in the entire world.
There was no touch, no conversation. They simply gazed at each other in silence, yet the atmosphere between them was so intimate that no one else could intrude. Even the air seemed to have frozen.
What an absolutely gorgeous scene!
Too bad there were no cameras. Otherwise, she would definitely have taken a picture to show her bestie!
It was simply too pleasing to the eyes. So much so that she forgot to restrain herself and stared at them openly.
It was only when the two of them simultaneously turned their gazes toward her that Liufeng Xin hurriedly looked up at the sky, then down at the ground, and began seriously straightening Qiao Qiniang’s clothes.
“Stop pretending,” Lou Yue said as she walked over and sat down beside her.
Liufeng Xin gave two awkward laughs before immediately saying, “Bestie, congratulations! You obtained the inheritance and took a huge step toward your goal!”
“Wait, so you inherited this Ancient Sage Ruins too, right? I knew it! That explains why you suddenly appeared with a ‘whoosh’ earlier, then disappeared with another ‘whoosh.’”
She sighed in amazement again and again. “You’re truly my idol.”
Lou Yue’s lips curved upward as well. After a brief pause, she said, “There are two things I need to tell you.”
“What? Why do you suddenly look so serious?”
Lou Yue looked at Liufeng Xin and said in an even tone, “I killed Cangya Xun.”
“Oh. What’s the other thing?”
“You’re not scared?” As a modern person, killing someone was supposed to be a terrifying matter.
Liufeng Xin’s eyes widened. “Bestie, I’ve been here for years already. Fighting and killing are the norm in this place, aren’t they? Besides, I know you. You wouldn’t have done it unless you had no other choice.”
She tilted her head toward the man leaning against a tree in the distance, quietly watching them. “Besides, even if you hadn’t done it, this guy would have taken him out anyway. What’s there to be surprised or frightened about? Hurry up and tell me the second thing.”
Lou Yue gave a soft laugh. After a moment, she slowly said, “I’m about to undergo my tribulation.”
“Wow, you mean the Deity Transformation Tribulation with sixty-four bolts of heavenly thunder? I can actually witness it with my own—”
Liufeng Xin’s voice abruptly froze. She reached out and grabbed Lou Yue’s hand. “Wait, you’re going to undergo a lightning tribulation?!”
She remembered that when Long Aotian had undergone the Deity Transformation Tribulation in the novel, he had nearly died. In the end, it was only because Red Silk had arrived in time and cultivated dual cultivation with him, helping him stabilize his surging power, that she had managed to save him.
Although the aristocratic families had interfered with his tribulation at the time, the power of the tribulation itself had still been formidable.
If it had been someone unrelated undergoing the tribulation, Liufeng Xin could have brought out a small stool and watched the entire thing from beginning to end. But now it was Lou Yue who would be facing it, and all she felt was unease.
Liufeng Xin licked her lips and tried to persuade her bestie. “Do we really have to undergo this tribulation? Can’t you just remain in the Void Refinement stage?”
“It’s only because the ruins have a barrier that the tribulation hasn’t locked onto me yet. The moment I step outside the barrier, it will find me. Whether I want to undergo it or not, I’ll have no choice,” Lou Yue explained.
After a brief pause, she told her of her plan. “Once I’ve adjusted my condition, I’ll go out. With everyone still inside the ruins, it’ll actually be safer to undergo the tribulation now.”
“That soon?” Liufeng Xin’s fingers began to go numb. “I’m not ready yet. What do we do?”
Lou Yue laughed at her. “I’m the one undergoing the tribulation. What preparation do you need to make?”
“Emotional preparation!” Liufeng Xin sprang to her feet and began pacing back and forth. “No, just thinking about you undergoing the tribulation makes my heart race.”
“Why are you acting just like him? I’m undergoing a tribulation, not going off to die.”
“Him? You mean Long Aotian?” Liufeng Xin stopped and leaned toward her, her eyes instantly gleaming with gossip. “Your tone is strange. It’s completely different from how you used to glare whenever his name came up.”
Lou Yue did not try to hide it from her. “Well, I suppose I’ve started to feel that he has a few redeeming qualities after all.”
“What redeeming qualities? Aside from being handsome, I can’t think of anything special about him.” Liufeng Xin began to complain. “Just look at how he throws murderous looks at an adorable little fairy like me all day long. That proves he has absolutely no compassion.”
Lou Yue pondered for a moment, then said, “Well… does having a good physique count?”
Liufeng Xin stared blankly at her. “Could it be that you’re actually a complete sucker for looks?!”
Lou Yue admitted it frankly. “If someone is attractive, looking at them puts me in a better mood.”
Liufeng Xin glanced at her exquisitely crafted clothes, then recalled how Lou Yue always dressed in splendid, noble attire, whether she was presenting as a man or a woman. She immediately understood.
The next second, she realized what Lou Yue’s words implied. Her face lit up with the excitement of someone who had just uncovered the juiciest gossip. “How do you know he has a good physique? Don’t tell me the two of you have already—?!”
The moment Lou Yue saw that expression, she knew exactly where her thoughts had gone. “Little fairy, could you keep your mind a little purer?”
“Fine, fine. It’s true that you two haven’t even kissed, so how could you have suddenly sped onto the expressway?”
Lou Yue said nothing.
Liufeng Xin did not think much of it either. She sat back down and said seriously, “You’re going out to undergo the tribulation? I’m going with you.”
“Mm.”
“Then exactly when are we leaving? I’ll see whether I have enough time to refine some pills for you.”
Lou Yue replied, “After Qiniang wakes up. We can’t leave her here alone.”
“We should have enough time.”
Liufeng Xin immediately stood up and hurried toward the side chamber to refine pills. Before leaving, she turned back to remind Lou Yue, “Rest properly. You must make sure you’re in peak condition.”
Lou Yue nodded.
A little over two hours later, Qiao Qiniang awoke. Lou Yue told her that she was going outside to undergo her tribulation and asked whether she wanted to stay behind or leave with them.
“Don’t worry. Even if something really happens to me, that tree won’t be affected.”
The moment she said this, Xiao Rangchen’s gaze snapped toward her. It held a hint of coldness, a hint of displeasure, and a tightly wound tension that was difficult to detect.
Qiao Qiniang hurriedly sat up. “I’m going out with you. My spiritual power may only be at the early Golden Core stage, but I’ve always specialized in the arts of plants and trees. I can sense any disturbances within several hundred li. If anyone approaches the place where you’re undergoing your tribulation, I’ll be able to warn you immediately.”
Lou Yue did not agree. “I appreciate the thought, but you’ve only just recovered from serious injuries. Resting peacefully is what matters most.”
“I don’t feel the slightest discomfort now.” Qiao Qiniang immediately climbed out of bed, her tone earnest. “Just let me do my part. Otherwise, I won’t be able to put my heart at ease!”
Liufeng Xin chimed in from the side, “Let Qiniang come along. Having one more person watching over you can only help.”
Lou Yue felt that the two of them were worrying too much, but in the end, she could not withstand their insistence and agreed.
Xiao Rangchen had remained silent ever since learning that she had decided to undergo the tribulation immediately. Only now did he slowly speak. “Have you chosen a place?”
“There isn’t much time. Once we go outside, we can just find a suitable place nearby,” Lou Yue replied casually.
“There is a valley in the northwest of the Wasteland. It is easy to defend and difficult to attack. We should still make it there in time.”
Xiao Rangchen had expected that she would not care much about the details. He had already gone over the terrain of the Wasteland in his mind and deliberately selected this location. If someone truly came to interfere, it would be easier to deal with them there.
“Then we’ll go there. I’ll send you to the outer perimeter of the ruins first, and then we’ll leave together.”
Lou Yue walked up to Xiao Rangchen, decisively seized his wrist, and pulled him away. The two of them vanished from the spot.
She sent him first because, with his high cultivation, he could protect the people there during the process of teleporting the others.
The moment she landed, she released his hand and was about to leave when he caught her wrist from behind.
Xiao Rangchen lowered his eyes to her, his gaze dark and unfathomable, his voice taut. “You have to be safe.”
Lou Yue raised a brow. “Of course.”
Xiao Rangchen released her, slowly.
The corner of Lou Yue’s lips curled up. Deliberately, she teased, “You should know that if an outsider enters during a lightning tribulation, it will immediately draw down the strongest Xuanmetal Lightning. Don’t do anything reckless.”
Xiao Rangchen answered in a low voice.
It was precisely because he could do nothing to help her—could only watch helplessly—that he felt so powerless.
“Most people never get the chance to watch me undergo a lightning tribulation. You should treasure this opportunity.”
“Mm.”
Lou Yue smiled at him, her eyes bright.
Then she moved, and vanished from his sight.
Before long, everyone had arrived.
Yet the instant they stepped out of the ruins, the sky overhead suddenly darkened.
The group said no more and sped toward their destination at full speed.
The tribulation clouds followed Lou Yue as she moved. Deep within the clouds, lightning churned, and a terrifying pressure began to gather high above.
Dull thunder rolled overhead, each boom heavier than the last, like massive hammers pounding against their ears. Their hearts clenched, and even breathing became labored and difficult.
Lou Yue remained calm, but everyone else wore solemn expressions.
As soon as they reached the location, Xiao Rangchen said nothing. He shot away first, and in moments had overturned every demonic beast’s lair within a hundred-mile radius, preventing any accidents.
Qiao Qiniang found a place to sit, closed her eyes, and began establishing contact with the vegetation for several hundred miles around.
Liufeng Xin opened the lid of her firefly container and released all the fireflies. Then she took out a pill the size of a pigeon’s egg and handed it to Lou Yue.
“…You’re not expecting me to swallow that whole, are you?”
“Yes!”
“Can I not take it?”
“No!”
“…”
Liufeng Xin glared at her. “It is a little large, but the spiritual energy inside is exceptionally pure. I specifically made it slow-release, so it can continuously replenish your spiritual energy throughout the tribulation.”
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll choke?”
“If you choke, I can treat you. Swallow.”
“…”
“Hurry up and swallow it. This thing used up all my finest medicinal ingredients. Not a bit of it can go to waste!” Liufeng Xin glared at her.
As the tribulation clouds overhead grew darker and darker and the thunder grew louder, Liufeng Xin kept urging her on.
Lou Yue steeled herself, stuffed the pill into her mouth, and swallowed it in one gulp.
She neither choked nor wasted a drop of it, much to Liufeng Xin’s satisfaction. Liufeng Xin then urged her to sit cross-legged and begin regulating her breath.
After finishing his sweep of the surrounding area, Xiao Rangchen hurried back, his body carrying the stench of blood. Seeing Lou Yue meditating with her eyes closed, he stood silently outside the range of the lightning tribulation, his cold gaze fixed on the nearly black clouds above her head.
Sensing something, Lou Yue slowly opened her eyes.
She rose and looked up at the sky. Xuanba flew out from the contracted-beast mark on her chest and landed on her shoulder.
The ink-colored tribulation clouds hung low and heavy, while purple lightning flashed in and out of sight.
Xiao Rangchen, Liufeng Xin, and Qiao Qiniang instantly grew tense.
The next second—
Boom!
Purple lightning crashed down with the force of ten thousand tons, colliding with the phantom of a golden tortoiseshell that had appeared above Lou Yue. Shock waves immediately sent the surrounding stones flying.
Boom!
One bolt, three bolts, ten bolts…
The heavenly lightning increased with every strike, growing from slender as whips to thick as arms, its color deepening from pale violet to dark purple.
The tribulation clouds rolled without pause, as though they intended to crush everyone below into oblivion.
Spiritual energy boiled around Lou Yue. Layer upon layer of protective barriers formed around her body, shattered, reformed, and shattered again.
Beginning with the twentieth bolt, the barriers could no longer reform quickly enough. Purple lightning struck Lou Yue directly. Her knees buckled, and blood immediately spilled from the corner of her mouth.
Liufeng Xin covered her mouth tightly, afraid to make a sound and distract her.
Xiao Rangchen clenched his fingers until his knuckles turned deathly white.
Yet beneath the thunderclouds, Lou Yue’s brows held not the slightest trace of fear—only a proud confidence that defied heaven and earth.
She raised her left arm into the air, and a longbow forged from frost suddenly appeared in her palm.
Her right hand drew the bowstring downward. In an instant, an ice-blue arrow of light solidified, radiant with dazzling brilliance.
The moment the purple lightning tore through the sky, she released the string.
The ice-blue arrow of light streaked upward, trailing a long, brilliant flame. With the force to split a rainbow, it ripped through the air with a piercing shriek and slammed straight into the descending bolt of heavenly lightning.
Boom!
With a thunderous explosion, the savage purple lightning was blasted apart in midair by a single arrow.
Liufeng Xin’s eyes grew hot, and she was so excited she nearly cried out. Her sister was simply the best!
From that point onward, every bolt of purple lightning was shot apart by a single arrow.
But the power of the tribulation continued to rise at a terrifying pace. By the fortieth bolt, the purple lightning had already turned black.
The arrows Lou Yue fired changed from one at a time to three loosed simultaneously.
At this tense moment, Qiao Qiniang suddenly noticed a group approaching from the south. She hurriedly informed Xiao Rangchen in a low voice.
Brilliant colors spread across Liufeng Xin’s pupils as she added, “It’s the Cangya clan! Five people. The leader is someone who serves their clan head. I’ve seen him before. His cultivation should be at the Dongxu stage.”
“At their current speed, they’ll be here in fifteen minutes. What do we do?” Qiao Qiniang asked anxiously.
Xiao Rangchen’s voice turned stern. “I’ll go.”
He looked toward Lou Yue, who was undergoing the tribulation. She had reached the forty-seventh bolt, and every strike from here on would be more dangerous than the last.
All core members of the Cangya clan possessed soul lamps. Cangya Xun’s death was a matter of the highest importance to the clan. These five were likely only the advance party; the Cangya clan would never let the matter rest.
He was utterly unwilling to leave her. But if he did not go, once the Cangya clan arrived, they would be attacked from both sides, putting Lou Yue in even greater danger.
A muffled, restrained sound rolled through his throat. His lips were pressed into a tight line, the corners nearly bloodless.
At last, he took one deep look at Lou Yue, then turned resolutely and shot away.
The changes outside did not affect Lou Yue. She focused entirely on facing the lightning tribulation.
When the sixtieth bolt of heavenly lightning crashed down, the bow and arrows in her hands instantly disintegrated. The purple-black lightning, as thick as a bowl, struck her like a furious dragon, smashing her down onto one knee.
By the sixty-first bolt, she had already used every magical artifact at her disposal.
By the sixty-second, the blood she vomited had dyed the entire ground before her red.
Liufeng Xin had covered her mouth and was crying so hard she could barely catch her breath, yet she continued staring fixedly at the figure beneath the thunderclouds.
The power gathering within the tribulation clouds only grew stronger.
Lou Yue knew that the final two bolts would combine the might of the first sixty-two. They would descend like swords of heaven, destroying every person who dared defy fate.
She no longer held anything back.
The moment the purple-black lightning streaked with gold descended, the entire area fell silent.
The next instant—
“Dharma Form of Heaven and Earth!”
With a clear shout, a colossal phantom rose into the sky behind her. It looked exactly like her in her current form.
Its features were cold and proud, its crown gilded in gold, and its robes fell like flowing rosy clouds. An ice-blue halo unfurled behind it, making it seem as though a goddess from the Ninth Heaven had descended into the mortal world.
The phantom raised a hand, spread its five fingers, and seized the descending heavenly lightning directly.
The instant the lightning crashed into the Dharma Form’s palm, purple electricity and golden light exploded together. The resulting shock wave sheared half the surrounding mountains away.
Lou Yue slowly tightened her five fingers.
The Dharma Form closed its hand in tandem.
A deafening thunderclap erupted between its fingers. Arcs of lightning thrashed and writhed wildly, struggling for freedom, but the golden phantom held them fast. They could only whimper as they were devoured, transforming into a stream of pure spiritual energy that flowed through the Dharma Form and merged into Lou Yue’s divine soul.
The sixty-fourth bolt of heavenly lightning soon followed the same fate.
As the remaining power of the lightning tribulation was crushed, a golden radiance descended from the heavens. Vast and majestic, it enveloped Lou Yue, mending every wound across her body.
The phantom of her Heaven-and-Earth Dharma Form faded away as the lightning tribulation receded.
Lou Yue lifted her eyes, a smile of utterly unrestrained pride spreading across her face.
She had officially entered the Deity Transformation stage.
“Boo-hoo-hoo! You scared me half to death! Boo-hoo…” Liufeng Xin’s legs gave out, and she sank down, burying her face between her knees. The emotions she had held back throughout the entire lightning tribulation finally snapped, and she burst into tears.
Lou Yue walked over to her and, with an amused smile, bent down to ruffle her hair. “How many times have I told you? You have to trust me.”
“Boo-hoo-hoo… How was I supposed to know you were deliberately holding back your Heaven-and-Earth Dharma Form? Boo-hoo…”
“I just wanted to see whether I could get through it without using my Dharma Form.”
Liufeng Xin threw her arms around Lou Yue’s leg, rubbing her tear-streaked face against her clothes. “I don’t care! You have to make it up to my fragile young heart!”
Lou Yue gently stroked the top of her head. “All right. I’ll make it up to you.”
The moment the words left her mouth, someone suddenly landed beside them.
The next second, she was pulled tightly into a hot, powerful embrace.
