Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 379 366: Void Tribulation

Lin Qianyan stood atop the clouds, her skirt fluttering gently in the wind. She tilted her head and watched Pei Yuhang approach on his sword, a sly smile flashing in her eyes.

"Brother Pei, you're here so early. Were you afraid Sister Liyuan wouldn't want to let you go, so you had to sneak out?"

Pei Yuhang tapped the body of his sword with the tip of his toe and landed steadily beside her.

He shook his head in resignation and flicked Lin Qianyan's forehead with a long, slender finger. "Alright, Qianqian. Stop using Liyuan to tease me all day."

"Don't you worry, Brother Pei. Qianqian has already chased away all the bad women around you.

From now on, Sister Liyuan and I will have plenty of time to tease you~"

Lin Qianyan said with a proud smile.

Her tone was light and cheerful, but her clear eyes were discreetly observing Pei Yuhang's expression.

The normally reserved and composed Lin Qianyan was teasing Pei Yuhang so uncharacteristically today because she wanted him to relax a little.

Pei Yuhang had once witnessed Ye Liyuan nearly perish during her Void Tribulation. That Celestial Tribulation was also the root cause of his own troubles, dragging him into a vortex where he was threatened by wicked women, forced to betray his Dao Companion, and engage in sordid affairs with them.

Now, after countless hardships, Pei Yuhang had finally returned to the Divinity Transformation Peak and was once again on the verge of Crossing the Tribulation.

Lin Qianyan knew that although Pei Yuhang appeared calm, deep down, he might not have completely escaped the shadows of his past.

The Void Tribulation was not just about tempering the body with lightning; more importantly, it was a test of the heart.

This so-called test of the heart meant the Celestial Tribulation would manifest one's deepest fears, creating an infinitely realistic Illusion Realm.

This Illusion Realm forced a Cultivator to face their Heart Demon head-on.

Lin Qianyan's Heart Demon, naturally, was the fear of being unable to find Pei Yuhang.

During the Trial of Heart Tribulation of her own Void Celestial Tribulation, she had searched endlessly for Brother Pei for countless years. Even as her lifespan neared its end, she continued to search without reservation.

When her body finally withered and died, Lin Qianyan felt no regret. Instead, she resolved that even if she became a lost soul, she would find Brother Pei in the endless cycle of reincarnation.

When she opened her eyes again, she had not become a spirit but had already ascended to the Void Refining Realm.

She had conquered her Heart Demon.

'Now, it's Brother Pei's turn to face his Heart Demon. So, what is his Heart Demon?'

Lin Qianyan's expression was filled with worry.

If his mind wavered, the consequences would be unimaginable.

'Especially after what happened with that woman, Lu Ruoxi, just two days ago...'

'The kinder Brother Pei was to Lu Ruoxi and the more he trusted her, the deeper her betrayal must have wounded him.'

'Perhaps Pei Yuhang still hasn't escaped the shadow of being controlled by his senior sister with those candied fruits for so long.'

Lin Qianyan even felt that Brother Pei was being too hasty in trying to break through to the Void Refining Realm now. He should have waited a while longer.

...

...

The Dao Sect's territory was vast, naturally possessing many exceptional Sacred Lands suitable for Cultivators of different attributes.

The Celestial Flame Mountain Range, for example, was a place with active, scorching earth-veins, shrouded year-round in a crimson glow.

Blasts of scorching air periodically erupted from fissures in the rock, burning the very air and causing it to distort. It contained a dense concentration of Fire Yang Qi, making it the most suitable place for Fire Attribute Cultivators to practice.

This was the place where Pei Yuhang would face his Void Celestial Tribulation.

When a Void Refining Cultivator was Crossing the Tribulation, the affected area was immeasurable, and any other Cultivator caught within it would be in mortal danger.

Pei Yuhang had already reported his impending breakthrough to the Sect. Upon learning that the Cold Sun Sword Immortal was about to advance to the Void Refining Realm, the Dao Sect took the matter extremely seriously and had already sealed off the Celestial Flame Mountain Range with an Array.

Now, Pei Yuhang and Lin Qianyan had the entire place to themselves.

"Qianqian, I'm starting."

"Mm."

Lin Qianyan looked at the thick clouds gathering in the sky and didn't dare to linger. She quickly retreated, lest her presence near Pei Yuhang cause the Celestial Dao Will to misjudge the situation and intensify the Thunder Tribulation's power.

Seeing Lin Qianyan move to a safe distance, Pei Yuhang took a deep breath and began to circulate the Yang Emperor Heart Scripture. Using his Giant Sun Saint Body's unparalleled affinity for Fire Attribute Spiritual Qi, he started siphoning the Natural Fire Elements from the surrounding world.

Gradually, Pei Yuhang was enveloped in a layer of crimson radiance. He raised his head to the sky, which churned like a black sea, a hint of hatred in his eyes.

'The Celestial Tribulation... the greatest curse left behind by the Divine Spirits after they were overthrown by the Ten Thousand Races.'

'It was because of this that Liyuan nearly perished.'

'It was also because of this that my strength plummeted, causing darkness to fester in my senior sister's heart and leading Shang Miaoyan to reveal her fangs when I was at my lowest.'

'From there stemmed the mistakes with my disciples, the entanglement with Ji Xichan, and a whole series of absurdities.'

'Everything was because of that blood-red Celestial Tribulation!'

Before the Thunder Tribulation could descend, Pei Yuhang actually drew his sword first, furiously slashing at the heavens!

...

...

Dense black clouds blotted out the sun, and every sword in the entire Dao Sect began to tremble.

In the Cold Palace Sword Mansion, Qing Yueqiu was carefully polishing her Luminous Shadow Sword with sword oil. When she felt the Glazed Treasure Sword in her hands begin to tremble, she looked out the window at the black clouds in confusion.

She finally realized this was no ordinary change in weather, but the aftershock of a Celestial Tribulation.

'Someone is Crossing the Tribulation, and the range is terrifyingly vast! Even the Cold Palace Sword Mansion, located in a remote corner of the Dao Sect, is covered by the black clouds!'

'And this pure sword essence... who could it be?'

Qing Yueqiu soothed Luminous on the table. A thought struck her, and her eyes suddenly widened.

"It's... Master?!"

"He's Crossing the Tribulation to break through to Void Refining! Why didn't he tell me?!"

Qing Yueqiu recalled his gentle smile when she had said goodbye to her Master the previous night, and she immediately pursed her lips.

"Master is a big liar... He didn't even tell me something so important! How am I supposed to have the confidence to wait for you..."

...

「In the Dan Yun Pavilion.」

Chen Sixuan watched the torrential rain and hail begin to rage outside. She hurried over to latch the doors and windows, not wanting to disturb her Master, who was passed out drunk on the bed.

But just as her fingers were about to touch the window, a hand landed on her shoulder, stopping Chen Sixuan in her tracks.

"Leave it open."

"I won't have the chance to see him again... At least let me feel the wind he's stirring up."

Lu Ruoxi gazed toward the edge of the pitch-black sky, as if seeing a dashing figure in white within the endless darkness.

As the cool raindrops blew against her pale, beautiful face, her sorrowful brows relaxed for the first time in days.

'Junior Brother Pei, you must succeed in Crossing the Tribulation.'

...

In a pitch-black space, countless Honglians bloomed and withered one after another, as if rising and falling with someone's breath.

HAAAAH—

A seductive and lazy sigh echoed, as if lamenting that she was still a step too slow.

The next moment, an even grander Honglian blossomed. Faintly, shameful moans that were difficult to bear could be heard, rising and falling in layers like a grand symphony.

Amid the decadence, there was also a faint trace of holiness.

"Xiaohan, I'm almost ready... During this seclusion, I've thought for a long time. As I expected... I have no more patience, and I don't want to play these games of love anymore."

"The next time we meet, I will possess you completely! Even if it's just a..."

Within the heart of the Honglian, Shang Miaoyan cupped her feverishly flushed cheeks, her thin lips curling into a smile that was infatuated, beautiful, and utterly terrifying.

...

「In the sky.」

Golden lightning and vast Sword Qi collided and annihilated each other.

The Void Thunder Tribulation consisted of forty-nine strikes.

Pei Yuhang had already cut down half of them with just his sword.

Having cultivated once before, his foundation was already much stronger than that of other Cultivators at his level. Combined with the endless Vitality Power from his Giant Sun Saint Body, even after fighting fiercely in the sea of lightning for an hour, his aura had not diminished in the slightest and remained at its peak.

Pei Yuhang shook his sword's hilt, dispelling the arcs of lightning on the blade.

However, his gaze was even more solemn than before.

The further the Thunder Tribulation progressed, the more dangerous it became.

'The main event is next.'

'The next bolt of lightning should be the Heart Inquiry Thunder.'

The Heart Inquiry... a tribulation that was both the easiest and the hardest to pass.

Unlike Cultivation, one's Dao Heart Will could not be quantified. It was ethereal and intangible, yet it constantly influenced a Cultivator's Great Dao.

And Pei Yuhang believed his Dao Heart was firm.

'I was able to break out of A Thousand Years of Great Dream. I refuse to believe I can't overcome this Heart Tribulation!'

Watching the majestic lightning begin to gather, Pei Yuhang charged straight into it.