Chapter 268: Can Its Former Glory Be Reclaimed?
Crack! Crack!
Endless blood-red lightning fell from the heavens, like countless ancient dragons intertwining head to tail, merging into a single whole that sealed the world itself—intent on grinding the one undergoing tribulation into nothingness.
Everywhere the eye could see, under the heavenly tribulation, nothing remained intact. The land was shattered beyond recognition, split open into colossal ravines as the sea of lightning continued to expand—vast, boundless, and magnificent in its fury. It was an apocalyptic sight.
"Too terrifying!"
"So this is the Ninefold Heavenly Tribulation?"
"If it were me up there, I'd have been reduced to ashes by the first few waves alone!"
"The Ninefold Tribulation isn't something ordinary cultivators can endure. Normally, surviving such a calamity brings unimaginable rewards—but unfortunately, today's tribulation bearer is an Ancient Immortal Sacred Physique cultivator."
Watching the horrifying spectacle from afar, everyone felt chills run down their spines. Amid their shock, some couldn't help but sigh, feeling pity for Lu Qingxian.
Whether she could gain any benefit from surviving this tribulation was uncertain.
But just the ordeal before her was already nightmarish enough.
After all, she had already been marked for death by the Golden Crow Clan. Even Xiao Zhan of the Xiao Clan had challenged her publicly, and many other factions were also eyeing her, waiting for a chance to strike.
Even if Li Xun wanted to lend her aid, he had no justifiable excuse to intervene.
Those who would attack were all geniuses of the Life and Death Realm—Li Xun could stop the old monsters, but not these rising stars. Lu Qingxian alone would have to face the entire younger generation of the great powers.
In anyone's eyes, this was a hopeless situation—a battle of certain death.
Yet within the storming sea of lightning, Lu Qingxian stood proudly, unyielding.
Let the thunder rage and the lightning dance—she showed not a trace of fear. Her slender hand waved the exquisite pagoda she held, shattering countless bolts of divine thunder.
Boom!
Suddenly, at the heart of the lightning sea, Lu Qingxian surged upward against the heavens, piercing through the storm and vanishing into the tribulation clouds above with a deafening explosion.
"This—!"
Many onlookers paled in shock.
The Ninefold Heavenly Tribulation was already that terrifying—yet instead of staying on the ground to endure it, she dared to rush into the tribulation clouds themselves? Was she seeking death?
"This Ancient Immortal Sacred Physique cultivator is extraordinary. Just her courage alone surpasses every generation of her kind throughout history!"
A Holy Lord's eyes lit up slightly as he spoke in admiration.
To step into the tribulation clouds themselves—that was an act defying the heavens. It was also proof of absolute confidence in one's own strength. Without true power, she would never dare such a thing.
"The tribulation clouds aren't a place anyone can tread. Fellow Daoist Li Xun, do you think this cultivator can make it out alive?"
Fang Yin turned his head toward Li Xun, whose expression remained calm and unshaken, and asked curiously.
"She certainly can."
Li Xun's reply was firm, brimming with unshakable confidence.
His gaze pierced through the clouds as though seeing everything within. Even as Lu Qingxian faced the heavenly tribulation, she was simultaneously refining her treasure. Under the baptism of lightning, the exquisite pagoda in her hand had already ascended to the level of a Dao Weapon.
And not an ordinary one at that—its materials were far too rare and precious. Moreover, the fact that it endured the cleansing of heavenly thunder only elevated its power further.
To still have the composure to refine her treasure amid such a calamity—this alone proved that the tribulation posed little true danger to her.
If nothing unexpected occurred, she would safely overcome today's heavenly ordeal.
Time passed, it was already deep into the night.
Outside the Crape Myrtle Holy Land, the world for hundreds of miles around was still blazing with crimson light. Heaven and earth glowed blood-red, filled with a terrifying power that made hearts tremble.
'They say that after an Ancient Immortal Sacred Physique cultivator survives their tribulation, they always bear wounds that never fully heal. I wonder what will become of Lu Qingxian after hers,' Li Xun thought to himself.
A wisp of his spiritual sense extended outward as he glanced at his storage ring.
Inside the ring lay many rare pills and elixirs—among them, several of saint-grade quality, capable of restoring a damaged Dao Foundation. If Lu Qingxian ended up needing such medicine later…
Perhaps he could invest in her again.
Just earlier, that very investment had rewarded him with a Supreme Bone. He was quite curious—if he were to invest a few saint-grade elixirs next, what kind of return would that bring him?
'Maybe…'
The corner of Li Xun's lips lifted slightly, a thoughtful glimmer in his eyes.
'For me, the best outcome would be for Lu Qingxian to emerge from her tribulation injured, but still alive.'
Boom!
Thunder continued to rumble.
It sounded like divine war drums beating in the heavens, shaking the very mountains and rivers. Faraway peaks collapsed under the shockwaves, the ground split open into countless fissures—utter devastation.
Such was the power of heaven and earth—terrifying beyond imagination.
By this point, everyone present knew the tribulation was nearing its end. This was the final heavenly strike.
If Lu Qingxian survived, it would mean yet another Ancient Immortal Sacred Physique cultivator had successfully ascended to the Life and Death Realm.
Yet what everyone truly wondered was: after breaking through, would her Dao Foundation remain flawless?
If hidden injuries lingered, then her fate might mirror that of the Ancient Immortal Sacred Physique cultivators of old—brilliant, yet destined for a tragic end.
Rumble—!
Another deafening explosion split the heavens.
Dragons of lightning tore across the sky—not one or two, but tens of thousands, each bolt as thick as a mountain ridge, writhing wildly through the void. This was the final tribulation.
The moment it appeared, heaven and earth were drowned in red. The light seemed almost liquid, as though it could drip blood. The destructive aura felt like the end of the world itself, chilling all who witnessed it.
Even early-stage Divine Palace Realm experts felt their hearts pound in terror.
"Is this… truly the Life and Death Tribulation?"
One could only ask—how many cultivators of the Life and Death Realm could possibly endure something like this?
Even if a Divine Palace Realm powerhouse were to step into that storm, they might not make it out alive. Many could very well perish within it.
No one knew how much time had passed.
It might have been just an instant—or an eternity.
At last, the thunderclouds in the heavens began to slowly disperse. From the sky descended a faint, narrow beam of divine light. The radiance was similar to that seen when one survived three or fourfold tribulations—nothing overly dazzling.
Silence fell. Yet within that silence, countless hearts rippled.
A heavenly light descending meant only one thing—Lu Qingxian had survived the Life and Death Tribulation.
From this moment onward, the world once again had an Ancient Immortal Sacred Physique cultivator standing among the Life and Death Realm!
"I wonder…" someone murmured softly, "can this Ancient Immortal Sacred Physique cultivator restore the former glory of her kind?"
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