Translator: AnubisTL
It wasn't that Li Qing had violated any heavenly laws!
Thunderclouds were gathering relentlessly in the sky, brewing a terrifying heavenly tribulation!
Watching this scene, Li Qing's scalp began to tingle, utterly baffled.
"Heavenly tribulation... Wait, when you woke me up earlier, did you refine the nether marrow outside the Dao Platform?" Wu Chong asked, his voice stunned.
Li Qing's lips twitched slightly before he replied, "In that desperate situation, I couldn't afford to be cautious. Seeing that we were about to be trapped forever, I immediately refined the nether marrow for you and fled!"
Hearing this, Wu Chong recoiled as if he'd seen a ghost, darting away from Li Qing.
Li Qing's lips twitched even more violently, finding Fatty Wu's betrayal of his comrade unbearable.
But the next moment, Wu Chong seemed to sense Li Qing's thoughts and quickly explained:
"Since ancient times, heavenly tribulations must be faced alone. If outsiders get too close, they'll be tainted and suffer undeserved calamity!"
"There's one more thing I forgot to mention: the nether marrow absorbed in the netherworld doesn't belong to the yang world. It must be refined while seated on the lotus dao platform."
"If you refine it outside the lotus dao platform, you'll face a thunder tribulation upon returning to the yang world. The Great Dao will use it to purge any lingering underworld energies from your body."
Li Qing's heart turned ice-cold at these words.
So, my first heavenly tribulation is upon me, completely out of the blue!
"Fatty Wu, you've really screwed me over this time!" Li Qing gritted his teeth, glaring up at the thick thunderclouds gathering in the night sky.
Dense, crackling lightning bolts crisscrossed the pitch-black clouds like writhing thunder serpents, their presence terrifying.
It was clear this would be a thunder tribulation of catastrophic proportions.
"I'm just a core formation realm cultivator! What merit do I possess to warrant such a heavenly tribulation?" Li Qing's mind raced, his thoughts in utter chaos.
Normally, cultivators only face tribulations when condensing a nascent soul, and the greatest threat during that stage is the Inner Demon Tribulation.
Heavenly Thunder tribulations like this are typically reserved for demon beasts breaking through to the fourth-tier and undergoing transformation.
Beside him, Wu Chong's lips trembled slightly as he spoke:
"Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise! I've heard tales of extraordinary cultivators in ancient times who faced massive thunder tribulations even when condensing their nascent souls!"
"You're only at the core formation realm, yet you're already facing a thunder tribulation! If you survive this, your future achievements might surpass even those of the most powerful cultivators!"
These words would have sounded like mockery coming from anyone else, but Li Qing knew Wu Chong meant them sincerely.
"Fatty Wu, stop with the nonsense! Help me figure out how to avoid this thunder tribulation!" Li Qing urged anxiously, his mind racing. He sensed the thunderclouds gathering in the night sky, ready to strike at any moment.
Whoosh!
A sudden gale swept across the West Mausoleum Divine Mountain, shaking the entire peak with its force.
In the next instant, an blindingly bright light flashed across the night sky, illuminating the darkness in an instant.
This was followed by an earth-shattering roar that nearly shattered eardrums.
Boom!
A bolt of blue lightning as thick as a wooden barrel crashed down, striking Li Qing's body with pinpoint accuracy.
"Golden Jade Garment!"
Without hesitation, Li Qing activated the defensive magic treasure he wore.
This Heavenly Thunder was far more powerful than the probing strikes from earlier, its destructive force amplified tenfold!
Even the Golden Jade Garment couldn't fully protect Li Qing. Dense, crackling thunder and lightning instantly assaulted his fleshly body.
Cracks immediately appeared across his body!
This was just the beginning, yet Li Qing had already been wounded.
As the searing pain coursed through his body, Li Qing's heart sank.
This thunder tribulation descending from the heavens wasn't merely purging the netherworld energy from his body; it was clearly trying to obliterate him entirely!
Li Qing had no doubt about this.
Before he could even process his thoughts, three more thunderbolts struck in rapid succession.
Boom!
Lightning flashed, striking Li Qing in less than the blink of an eye!
Only Li Qing's exceptionally robust fleshly body, combined with the protection of the Golden Jade Garment, allowed him to withstand the assault.
Had an ordinary core formation realm cultivator endured these strikes, they would have suffered grievous injuries. A few more blows would likely have proven fatal.
Refusing to resign himself to death, Li Qing noticed that the thick thunderclouds above showed no signs of weakening, remaining as ominous as ever.
Enduring the onslaught head-on would likely lead to disaster.
With this realization, he soared into the air, attempting to evade the relentless strikes.
Yet this Heavenly Thunder was aimed squarely at him. Even if he fled to the ends of the earth, the thunder tribulation would relentlessly pursue him like a shadow.
Rumble!
As if sensing Li Qing's true intentions, the thunder flashed even more intensely.
Rumble!
This time, five bolts of Heavenly Thunder, each hundreds of feet long, struck down simultaneously, instantly engulfing Li Qing as he tried to evade them.
"Hiss!"
Li Qing, having taken the full force of the attack, gasped sharply and ground his teeth.
Pain! Agony!
The five thunderbolts had injured him to the bone.
If this continues, I'll be struck dead for sure. I need to find a way out. Calm down. Stay calm!
Li Qing took deep breaths, adjusting his true essence.
Magic treasures... Yes! I'll use my natal magic treasure to intercept the Heavenly Thunder. Maybe I can even use this opportunity to imprint some Heaven and Earth dao Patterns onto it.
In an instant, Li Qing thought of his Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer!
With this thought, he seized the moment between thunderbolts and spat out a gray, misty hammer.
The Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer shot forth and rapidly expanded, soon becoming as large as a small mountain.
This was his natal magic treasure, essentially an extension of himself.
Li Qing had read in several ancient texts on artifact refinement that using one's natal magic treasure to withstand a heavenly tribulation was possible.
A heavenly tribulation, representing the will of the Heavenly Dao, naturally contained the dao patterns of Heaven and Earth.
Successfully imprinting these patterns onto a magic treasure would weave together the principles of Dao and Reason, greatly enhancing its power.
This was likely the third most direct method of boosting a magic treasure's power, after nourishing it with one's true essence and incorporating other spiritual materials.
However, there was a significant problem: this method was almost exclusively used by cultivators at the nascent soul realm or higher!
Normally, how could a core formation realm cultivator ever experience a heavenly tribulation?
Even Li Qing himself had no idea what the consequences of this action would be!
Wu Chong, observing from afar, was stunned. He murmured, "A core formation realm cultivator's natal magic treasure is going to withstand a thunder tribulation head-on? This is defying the heavens! I doubt many cultivators throughout history have ever managed this."
Under his astonished gaze, Heavenly Thunder struck again.
This time, a hundred-zhang-long bolt of thunder as thick as a water bucket crashed directly onto the Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer.
Crackling!
Thunder and lightning instantly erupted across the hammer's surface, engulfing it from handle to head.
"Cough, cough!"
Below, Li Qing, who was manipulating the Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer, coughed softly.
This was his natal magic treasure, intimately connected to his life force. If the treasure were to shatter one day, he would perish along with it.
Therefore, when the Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer was damaged by the Heavenly Thunder, Li Qing naturally felt the impact as well.
"It seems to be working! The Peerless Hammer now has a faint dao pattern!"
Li Qing's voice suddenly surged with excitement. His eyes blazed with spiritual light, his heart pounding with unrestrained joy.
Though the change was subtle, he could clearly sense that the Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer's power had genuinely increased by a fraction!
This was the kind of painstaking progress that would normally require over ten days of meticulous nourishing, yet it had been achieved with a single strike of Heavenly Thunder.
"This method must be related to the Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer's material," Li Qing surmised. "The Primordial Chaos Stone itself is an unparalleled spiritual material with exceptional compatibility. Its capacity for assimilation is immense, allowing it to easily imprint the dao patterns from the Heavenly Thunder."
Having confirmed this, Li Qing once again proactively used his natal magic treasure to confront the Heavenly Thunder.
Perhaps perceiving Li Qing's actions as a challenge, the Heavenly Thunder's color abruptly shifted.
The previously azure lightning now transformed into a crimson red, its oppressive aura intensifying and radiating an even more perilous energy.
Boom!
The crimson thunderbolt descended, striking the Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer once more.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
This time, Li Qing's coughing grew more violent. He felt his true essence trembling, as if on the verge of shattering.
Hiss, that was terrifying! I almost couldn't withstand it!
Li Qing's breathing quickened, a hint of apprehension flickering in his eyes.
The Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer, struck by the crimson Heavenly Thunder, had sustained minor damage, its spirituality slightly diminished.
Yet the gains were substantial!
At that moment, the originally dull, gray hammer now bore several eerie crimson dao patterns etched across its surface.
Without a doubt, the Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer had grown even stronger!
Li Qing's heart was torn between joy and worry. He feared the Peerless Hammer might not withstand the onslaught, yet he craved the power bestowed by the Heavenly Thunder.
Amidst this turmoil, the Thunder coalesced once more, crashing down from the heavy clouds.
Crimson Heavenly Thunder struck the Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer again!
Each time the Peerless Hammer endured a blow, Li Qing felt the impact.
This time, streaks of blood coughed from his mouth.
"Cough, cough, cough! Cough, cough!"
"I can't take much more. Two or three more strikes at most, and I'll reach my limit. The Peerless Hammer can't keep absorbing the tribulation for me indefinitely; it'll break."
Li Qing's eyes flickered with renewed anxiety.
I need to find another way. What else can I do to survive this heavenly tribulation unscathed?
As Li Qing racked his brain for solutions, the heavenly tribulation showed no mercy, unleashing wave after wave of crimson Heavenly Thunder.
Boom! Rumble!
Heavenly Might was unpredictable, and the Thunder crashed down relentlessly.
Suppressing the violent tremors in his true essence, Li Qing's mind raced.
That's it! Maybe I can use the Black Furnace to take the brunt of the attacks!
Li Qing's eyes lit up at this thought.
He had personally experienced the Black Furnace's formidable defenses, which could withstand even void turbulence. He reasoned that it should have little trouble withstanding the heavenly tribulation.
He allowed the Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer to endure the final wave of the tribulation. Just as the hammer neared its limit, Li Qing swiftly retrieved it.
Immediately afterward, he summoned an ancient, black forge and flipped it upside down, covering himself with it.
With the Black Furnace's protection, Li Qing felt an immediate surge of security.
"Phew, finally safe," he sighed.
As soon as the words left his lips, Li Qing calmly awaited the thunder's descent.
Yet after a long interval, the expected cataclysmic roar and violent tremors never came. The outside world fell eerily silent.
"What's going on? Is the heavenly tribulation over?" Puzzled, Li Qing lifted the Black Furnace and peered into the night sky.
Instantly, a crimson bolt of lightning struck him before he could react!
Boom!
The terrifying power of the Heavenly Thunder instantly charred part of his body black, and the faint scent of roasted meat wafted through the air!
Li Qing was too dazed to fully grasp the situation. He was still reeling from the sudden onslaught and struggling to understand what was happening.
Soon, Wu Chong's voice echoed from outside the Black Furnace:
"Li Qing, you can't hide! You can't escape the heavenly tribulation!"
"This tribulation is meant to eradicate the netherworld aura within you. It won't cease until every trace of that aura is gone."
"If you don't emerge from that forge, the thunderclouds will persist indefinitely!"
Hearing these words, Li Qing finally understood the gravity of his predicament.
"Heaven cannot be deceived," he realized. "This tribulation must be faced directly."
"The Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer, being my natal magic treasure, earned Heaven's Will's recognition. But this Black Furnace isn't my natal magic treasure, so it can't deceive Heaven's Will."
"But how am I supposed to survive this tribulation? Even a third-tier demonic beast might not withstand such devastating Heavenly Thunder!"
Li Qing's heart sank. If he tried to endure the lightning head-on, his current fleshly body would be utterly destroyed, reduced to charred ash by the terrifying Heavenly Thunder.
"Should I try hiding in the World of Eternal Night?"
The thought had barely formed when Li Qing suppressed it.
As he'd said before, hiding wasn't a solution unless he never planned to return.
Moreover, the spatial passage he'd used to return from the World of Eternal Night had collapsed. The current state of that world remained unknown.
Even setting those concerns aside, the heavenly tribulation was an incarnation of the Heavenly Dao's will. Although the World of Eternal Night was in the End of Dao Era, it likely still possessed a vestige of the Heavenly Dao's influence.
Even if he fled there, he'd likely still face the heavenly tribulation.
And the World of Eternal Night lacked spiritual energy. Any depletion of his true essence would be difficult to replenish, making even healing a formidable challenge.
"The only good news for now is that hiding within the Black Furnace will temporarily shield me from the Heavenly Thunder. I can catch my breath and devise a proper strategy to weather this tribulation!"
With that, a storm of thoughts erupted in Li Qing's mind as he meticulously considered his options.
Could he use heavenly spirit fire to counter the Heavenly Thunder?
Unwise!
Heavenly spirit fire was an equally domineering and volatile force. No one could predict what chaos might erupt if it clashed with Heavenly Thunder.
If the Heavenly Thunder ignited the Earthfire, amplifying the tribulation's intensity, he'd be doomed.
"The Heavenly Thunder has damaged my fleshly body. If only my physique were stronger..."
Li Qing narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Now that things have come to this, I have no choice but to try this body refinement secret technique!"
(End of the Chapter)
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