This time, Liu Chuan couldn't escape the thunder's punishment either. He could only grit his teeth and endure it. As a plant, thunder tribulation was what he feared the most. If he hadn't absorbed Vernalwood's energy earlier, he'd never survive this round. At least the thunder let him refine Vernalwood's power more thoroughly.
Jian Dan knew her body was already torn open. She was pretty sure her bones were showing through, which was why she asked Liu Chuan through voice transmission in the first place. His answer didn't make sense, so she continued.
"What're you talking about? Can you explain it clearly? I don't want to die without knowing why."
"Did you forget? Back in that corner of the Immortal Realm, you used Xianyuan energy to help that little merman sort out his meridians. Then you used your own body as a conversion station to heal Jian Jun. You didn't absorb much scattered Xianyuan energy, but even that small bit can make the Heavenly Dao mistake you for a Dixian. Besides, your divine sense has already reached that level."
"So what?"
Jian Dan gritted her teeth.
"You're basically a Dixian. Why are you crossing a Mahayana tribulation? Isn't this cheating the Heavenly Dao?"
"Heavens, I really did only cultivate up to Mahayana! My divine sense was pushed back down to Mahayana too! You're the one who said breaking through this time wouldn't be a problem!"
Jian Dan felt like crying. If she'd known, she would've waited instead of rushing a breakthrough.
"You've already broken into Mahayana. Your divine sense being suppressed is just the Heavenly Dao protecting cultivators of this realm, but the Heavenly Dao always takes a bit of interest. Didn't you notice I got dragged into it too?"
"Hmph, this is your first time getting blasted by thunder. Looks like you recovered your strength."
"Uh."
Liu Chuan choked on his words, because she was right. Back in the Immortal Realm, he'd been in his element. With the amount of Xianyuan energy he'd absorbed and the treasure Vernalwood, he had fully recovered. That was why the Heavenly Dao noticed him.
He'd wanted to use Jian Dan's Mahayana tribulation as cover for himself, never expecting that the two of them together would make the tribulation even stronger. Of course, he wouldn't dare say that aloud. Otherwise she'd throw him out to take the thunder for her.
Jian Dan realized he'd gone silent again. She knew he was hiding something, but she didn't have time to care. She needed to survive this tribulation first. The reckoning could wait.
The Yin Yang Taiji Disk inside her dantian sensed her condition. It trembled lightly before she summoned it out.
Once it left her dantian, the Yin Yang Taiji Disk slowly expanded. It hovered above her head and began absorbing the thunder tribulation she couldn't handle. Above the disk, the Mò Xī Jiàn and the Mó Yùe Zhǎn also refined the lightning's power, sharing part of her burden.
Cotton Candy didn't even need instructions this time. The cloud immediately wrapped tightly around her and the Yin Yang Taiji Disk, blocking all divine sense from spying.
With this, Jian Dan's pressure dropped sharply. Since she had protection absorbing the thunder, she focused on untangling her completely scrambled meridians.
Tian Yun and Tian Hong were the first to notice Jian Lu getting enveloped by clouds. Even their divine sense couldn't penetrate.
"This Cotton Candy really is extraordinary."
Tian Yun sighed.
"That's something the Tian Jian Ancestor left behind. Of course it's impressive."
Tian Hong answered and the two sat back down on their meditation cushions to continue their half-finished game of chess.
In their eyes, Jian Lu passing the Mahayana tribulation shouldn't be a problem. They just didn't know Liu Chuan was also involved inside.
Across every peak of the Heavenly Sword Sect, high level cultivators waited, watching to see if Jian Lu would survive. If she did, she'd be a Mahayana Zhēnzūn. If not, she'd die and disappear.
Some hoped Jian Dan would survive. Others prayed she'd turn to ash. Everyone stared at the sky, watching the tribulation clouds that refused to disperse.
Right now, Jian Dan had fully calmed her mind and started repairing her meridians piece by piece. This tribulation lightning, infused with the power of the stars, was unbelievably tyrannical. It had nearly blasted her down to bare bone.
Liu Chuan had also begun recovering. This time, he didn't hold back. He shoved a piece of Vernalwood into her hand, which had already been stripped to white bone by the lightning. He needed her alive. He wasn't ready to replace his partner.
Vernalwood lived up to its reputation as a heavenly treasure. The moment it touched her hand, flesh regrew and her delicate fingers returned as if they'd never been injured. From her hand, the energy seeped into her meridians.
The reconstruction began. Her newly repaired meridians were stronger and far wider than before. After absorbing and refining the star power, they turned crystal clear and shimmered with starlight. Even Jian Dan found them breathtaking when she checked them through inner sight.
Inside her dantian, a purple sea of thunder kept expanding the space, making room for even more spiritual power. When it could no longer stretch any further and most of the lightning's power had been consumed, her dantian transformed into a sea of stars. If anyone probed her with divine sense right now, they'd discover the secret of her Chaos Spirit Root.
Outside, the world's spiritual energy combined with Vernalwood's vibrant life force. The two powers blended perfectly, repairing her meridians and dantian that had been ravaged by lightning. The nearly dying Jian Dan regained vitality.
More impurities even seeped out of her skin, like she was undergoing another round of cleansing. It was an unexpected bonus.
When her aura finally stabilized, she'd already accumulated a small pile of ash at her side. Vernalwood had been completely absorbed, leaving only powder behind.
After gathering strength once more, the sky released another bolt of purple lightning as thick as a baby's arm.