Hello, dear readers! Here's chapter 145 part 2! Enjoy the read!
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Bright Star City, Bright Star Island, Flowing Stars Archipelago, Earth
Omniscient P.O.V.
With a nod of her head, Bryn interjected.
"We might not be able to hide ourselves for long, but since there's no downside no matter which way we choose, I think your plan makes a lot of sense, Darling."
Hearing the word 'Darling' being uttered subconsciously by the notoriously shy redhead, Demian's mind froze for a brief moment.
Sera and Liya, however, ignored her 'slip-up' completely, though no one but them knew if it had been done purposefully.
Instead, the two were contemplating Demian's explanation, with Liya acquiescing.
"I think it's safer that way. Not only that, but for our own Tribulation, we might want to leave the Island and find somewhere isolated enough so no one can discover our identities."
Truly, two heads were better than one.
Although Demian had scraped together a vague plan, he still missed a few important details, details that were immediately discovered by the astute middle-aged redhead.
Letting out a humming sound, Sera replied.
"Putting it that way, I guess it makes sense. We'll just have to ask Uncle Sergei and my teacher to bring us away from the Island."
Noting the mix of annoyance and resignation on her face, Demian knew she was still bothered about not being able to come, not because of childishness, but because his tribulation was bound to be extremely dangerous, and she would not be able to support him during the ordeal.
With a playful grin, he remarked.
"Why do you look like it's the end of the world? Even if you don't come, Liya and Brynn can send you the information in real time, so it'll be as if you're there."
What he did not mention was that every cultivation Tribulation was personal, and no one else could participate unless they wanted to be instantly struck dead by a few Heavenly Lightning Bolts.
To be fair, everyone around knew about that fact, so there was no need to point out the obvious, especially since it would just irritate the female dark elf.
Letting out a sigh, she replied softly. "I know, I'm just a bit irritated. It'll pass, don't worry."
Nodding his head, Demian remarked.
"In any case, we've got a few hours left, so we can stay a bit longer in bed. Unless any of you want to leave...?"
The three shook their head simultaneously, with Liya even protesting.
"No way! Your body is too comfortable."
The somewhat suggestive words, though his dirty mind may be at fault for thinking that way, triggered a reaction in his lower body, redirecting his blood flow toward his spectacular longsword.
Letting out a sigh, he wondered how she could utter those kinds of stimulating words while sporting such an innocent expression.
Well, seeing the glint of mischief in her eyes, he also knew she was doing it on purpose, prompting him to curse inwardly.
'Succubus!'
Having a wife like that, the young man felt both blessed and exasperated at the same time.
Rolling his eyes, he would not play her game and instead chose to say.
"Alright, then. Let's just stay in bed for a while longer."
Seeing the disappointed look on the redhead's face, both Demian and Sera chuckled, as even the latter noticed the hidden tease in her mother's words.
Thus, the four stayed in bed for a few more hours, at times chatting seriously, while other times found the four teasing each other.
Sweet nothings said in whispers, gentle caresses on their silky, long hair, or smooth backs, each of them felt blissful, forgetting the outside world and its problems for a few hours, while basking in a relaxing peace.
Around 10 a.m., in front of the Mikhailov's Courtyard.
Sergei, seeing the determined look on Demian's face, asked, his characteristicly calm smile visible on his face.
"Are you ready for your Tribulation?"
With a confident grin, the young man replied.
"As ready as I'll ever be. It's just the lowest level of Tribulation, after all."
Shaking his head slightly, Sergei then said, in an amused tone.
"No matter which level it is, it's better for you to take it seriously. But I'm certain I don't need to remind you, do I?"
Seeing him shake his head, the middle-aged man instructed.
"Since you're ready, let's leave for the Plateau. The faster we arrive there, the faster you can go through and successfully pass your Tribulation."
With a thought, a miniature Yang Leaping Fish appeared, floating behind him.
In a brief moment, the toy-sized river boat grew tens of meters in length and height, leaving plenty of room for tens of people to ride on it comfortably.
Before Sergei could fly on the boat, though, Demian interjected.
"Teacher. Sera won't come with us. She'll stay here instead."
Stopping in the air, the older man glanced slightly at the elven woman before turning toward Ling and suggesting.
"Why don't you stay with Xiao Zi, Wife?"
With a slight nod, the Eastern-looking woman replied.
"Sure. Just let me know how it's going."
Having made all the preparations, Sergei, the three Mikhailovs minus Seraphine, and the same guards as for Bryn's Tribulation a few days prior, embarked on the flying vessel before their figure disappeared from the two women still left in the Courtyard's wide entrance.
After a brief moment, Ling turned her gaze toward Seraphine, noting her worried looks, which prompted the former to say a few reassuring words.
"There's no need to worry, Xiao Zi. Xiao Lan [A/N: Little Blue] will be fine. Don't forget he's the most talented cultivator the Federation has ever seen. If he can't pass a Nine Lightning Tribulation, then no one else can. Also, don't forget about his powerful Healing Factor. With those kinds of advantages, I'm sure it'll go swimmingly for him."
After staring at the empty sky for a brief moment longer, the dark elven woman, a forlorn expression appearing on her face, let out a sigh and turned toward the other woman before replying, her tone slightly downcast.
"I know all that, Teacher. It's just... I can't help but worry for that silly man. When I think about the possibility of losing him forever, my Heart feels like it's getting crushed... I know it's stupid, but..."
Before she could add another word, Sera fell into Ling's tight embrace, the older woman gently stroking the younger woman's smooth purple hair while saying reassuringly.
"Love can make you do silly things or think silly thoughts, but it just shows you care very much about him, and that's not a bad thing in my book. The only thing you need to be aware of is to avoid letting those emotions overwhelm you. Experience them, and let them go, that's the secret."
A hint of mist started blurring Sera's grey 'eyes', though her special vision was not really affected, as the young woman hugged her teacher tighter, letting out a muffled sound of agreement.
The two then fell silent for a while, one comforting and the other comforted, though both enjoyed the tranquil atmosphere, the breeze rustling the leaves around them, the sun's warmth on their skins, and the discreet animal sounds resounding further in the forested area of their Mansion.
As the two women were growing closer to each other, the other group riding the Leaping Yang Fish was quickly approaching the Tribulation Plateau.
After all, travelling a few hundred kilometers for an average Core Formation would merely take a few minutes, let alone one riding a Peak Tier 3 Flying Boat.
Of course, using Void travelling would reduce that amount to a mere few seconds, but there was no need for Sergei to do so, not only because the Plateau had been booked for the whole day, so a few more or less minutes would not matter, but also because travelling through the Void was extremely demanding on Mana.
Sergei and Ling may both be prodigies whose comprehension of Void Intent was superior to many Void Seed cultivators who had been immersed in that Rank for decades or more, but at the end of the day, they were still Core Formation cultivators and thus their Mana reserves were still too small to waste it on unnecessary Void Travel.
As the Southern Nexus Plaza started appearing in his pupils, the middle-aged man contemplated.
'My preparations are mostly finished. I think I'll be able to go through my own Tribulation in a few days. Once I break through to the Void Seed Rank, many things will become easier, many problems will become easy to resolve...'
Shaking his head slightly, he then shoved those thoughts to the side and focused on the gigantic Heaven Tree, its canopy so expansive that it almost seemed as if its branches and leaves had replaced the entire sky.
Above that enormous canopy was a wooden platform with some mystical roots connected to the tree beneath, the platform's size as impressive as the tree it rested on.
In his vision, the figure of a bearded man wearing an official uniform materialized right above the platform before vanishing and reappearing again on the boat, in a way that was impossible for his senses to catch.