"Boy, I have bad news..." Lady Azure's voice was low and heavy, her face darkening like the sky before a storm.
The sound of her words helped Xiao Hua regain a sliver of clarity. Taking a deep breath, he forced a nervous smile, already anticipating what she was about to say. "Sister Azure, please... don't tell me it's bad news..."
"The space around us has been sealed, and I need time to open a spatial tunnel." Lady Azure ignored his plea, continuing with calm determination. Her words caused a wry smile to tug at the corners of Xiao Hua's lips.
"If I break through here, would it be enough to shatter the spatial lock?" Xiao Hua asked softly. He was already considering using the Auto-Cultivation System to ascend his cultivation realm and summon Heavenly Lightning to obliterate the barrier.
"You could, but it would cause the space to be slightly unstable." Lady Azure responded immediately, knowing what he was planning. "Still, we don't have the luxury of choosing our methods. Regardless, we'll need my spatial tunnel to escape this ancient ruin."
"The real question is whether that whale will give us the time for Sister Azure to create the tunnel..." Xiao Hua's frown deepened as he glared at the colossal whale looming above them.
"I would be more surprised if it did. Remember, that whale was once a Half-Step Dou Di. Even though its strength has fallen to the Dou Zong level, it's no trivial foe." Lady Azure closed her eyes, summoning an elegant green flame that danced around her fingers as she began forming intricate hand seals.
"I know. I'll activate the mysterious arrays within the Heavenly Suppression Band..." Xiao Hua sighed, raising his head once more to meet the whale's enormous eye.
His expression was grim, but a cold determination flickered in his gaze. Without hesitation, he stepped in front of Lady Azure, standing protectively before her. His hands moved in a blur, forming seals with practiced precision. As the final seal completed, a low, deep cry reverberated from his body.
"Heavenly Tribulation Body: Embryonic Form!"
The Dou Qi within Xiao Hua's body surged violently, and in an instant, his aura skyrocketed. A moment later, a low, terrifying roar echoed from within him, causing the air to tremble as if it feared his power.
Golden lightning coiled around his body like a serpent, rapidly encasing him in a radiant glow. His skin took on a faint golden hue, as if forged from divine metal. As the lightning fully engulfed him, ancient red runes, mysterious and ominous, emerged across his body like inscriptions of a long-lost era.
His strength soared, leaping from a 6-Star Dou Ling to a 6-Star Dou Wang!
A silvery light flickered across his arms, and in the next moment, silver gauntlets materialized, encasing his limbs in armor. Xiao Hua knew that holding back now would only lead to disaster. Just as he prepared to activate the System to further enhance his cultivation, the space around them trembled violently.
From within a black spatial crack, a small dark-purple light arced downward, streaking toward Xiao Hua with terrifying speed.
The dark-purple light exuded a poisonous energy that left a trail of corruption in its wake. The ground beneath it turned black and foul, the once-precious medicinal herbs disintegrating into a smelly sludge that released a thick, corrosive black fog. Everything it touched melted into nothingness.
The magical beasts unfortunate enough to be caught within its trajectory didn't even have time to flee. Their bodies were instantly reduced to pristine white skeletons, each marked with a black rose symbol at the base of their necks. The poisonous energy was so overwhelming that resistance was futile—their flesh and bones melted away in mere moments, leaving nothing but eerie remnants behind.
The Black Plague Whale, however, wasn't aiming at Xiao Hua. Its true target was Lady Azure, who stood behind him, immobile and focused entirely on the creation of the spatial tunnel. The whale knew she possessed the ability to form a formation array powerful enough to help them escape.
It intended to force her to remain behind until it could fully break free of the seal. After all, the beast was well aware of the deadly Killing Array Formation that the ancient sect had designed, lying in wait to destroy it once the seal was broken.
Since there was no way to dodge, Xiao Hua braced himself to take the strike head-on. He knew that with his current strength, he couldn't possibly withstand the devastating force of the Black Plague Whale's attack. Without hesitation, he pushed his cultivation to its limits once more.
As the ominous dark-purple light, radiating a poison that carried the essence of death, barreled toward him, Xiao Hua's hands moved in a blur, swiftly changing and forming seals.
"Heavenly Tribulation Body: Azure Tribulation!"
In an instant, the golden hue surrounding his body and the blood-red runes etched into his skin began to flicker and disintegrate into countless small, radiant fragments—golden sparks and deep-red shards scattering in all directions. Within moments, these fragments coalesced, merging together into a mysterious tattoo with nine strokes shaped like a majestic, primordial beast.
Originally, Xiao Hua could only achieve this form with Lady Azure's help, but her powerful aura would turn the tattoo entirely green. But after advancing to the Dou Ling realm, Xiao Hua was able to unleash this power on his own. Now, the tattoo gleamed in two distinct colors: one side radiating golden lightning, the other blazing with emerald flames.
His aura surged, growing even more fearsome, and his strength rose to the peak of Dou Huang. With this newfound power, Xiao Hua could now challenge a Dou Zong!
The silver gauntlets on his arms hummed with power, releasing a low cry as they glowed faintly. Without a moment's delay, Xiao Hua formed another seal with his hands and lifted them skyward.
"Mysterious Profound Heaven Array!"
Immediately, four massive, ancient blue arrays materialized above him, exuding a majestic and overpowering force. The arrays hovered in perfect alignment, stacked above one another, each radiating a terrifying and ancient might.
These four protective Spiritual Arrays had been meticulously inscribed by Lady Azure onto the Heavenly Suppression Band, serving as its ultimate defense. She had personally examined the artifact, tinkering with it until she was fully satisfied. Although it was damaged, Lady Azure had said that it remained a high-grade treasure, and Xiao Hua trusted her judgment on such matters.
The moment the black light slammed into the first blue array of the Mysterious Profound Heaven Array, a violent shockwave rippled outward. The sheer force of the impact halted the black light's advance temporarily, but the power behind the strike was fierce and relentless.
"Pffftt—!"
Xiao Hua's body trembled violently as the force shook him to his core. Unable to withstand the full brunt of the shockwave, his balance wavered. A heavy, crushing pressure surged through his body, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. The pain was immense, and for a brief moment, it felt as if his bones had cracked under the strain.
Fortunately, he quickly steadied himself, preventing his body from being flung backward by the overwhelming force. As he looked down at the blood staining the ground, a wry smile tugged at his lips. It reminded him of the time he had coughed up blood during his battle with the Devil Sprouting Fruit.
"I wonder just how much blood I can still afford to lose in this small body of mine..." Xiao Hua mused sarcastically in his heart.
Refocusing, he raised his head with great effort. His eyes were drawn to the first of the Mysterious Profound Heaven Arrays, where a crack had appeared and was rapidly spreading across its surface. The array was on the verge of collapse.
With a deep, shaky breath, Xiao Hua forced his body upright. The violent energy from the black light had finally diminished somewhat after its collision with the ancient array, though the force remained terrifying. Despite this, he couldn't help but feel astonished. These mysterious arrays, even under the relentless assault of the Black Plague Whale—whose strength had once been at the Half-Step Dou Di level—were still holding, albeit barely.
He had expected all four arrays to shatter after just one strike, but they had withstood more than he had anticipated. The fact that the first array was still standing, despite being on the brink of breaking, gave him a slight relief.
Xiao Hua's hands moved swiftly, forming several seals. In an instant, a powerful surge of golden-green Dou Qi erupted from his body, flooding toward the four mysterious arrays. The arrays absorbed the energy, humming faintly as a soft, blue glow emanated from them.
The dark-purple light, filled with ominous power, came to an abrupt halt. The terrifying energy within was temporarily subdued. Yet, before Xiao Hua could even begin to feel relief, the spatial crack trembled violently, sending ripples across the medicinal forest. In the midst of this chaos, the Black Plague Whale let out an eerie, otherworldly bellow that reverberated throughout the surroundings.
Suddenly, the dark-purple light that had stopped moments ago trembled once more. Violent, unrestrained energy surged forth with even greater intensity, its wild force causing the four mysterious arrays to shake under the pressure. Despite this, Xiao Hua's seemingly endless supply of Dou Qi kept the arrays from shattering—barely.
Whoosh—!
A sharp sound sliced through the air. Xiao Hua's sharp eyes detected yet another dark-purple light hurtling toward him. His heart sank—he was in no condition to stop this one. Worse still, the attack wasn't aimed at him but at Lady Azure.
Gritting his teeth, Xiao Hua's gaze turned ice-cold, his eyes gleaming with the ferocity of a cornered beast. He shifted his focus toward the AC System interface. He knew all too well that with his current strength, his chances of survival against this strike were non-existent. Worse, he understood that Lady Azure was its true target.
His eyes flickered to his ACP—112,360 points. Without wasting a moment, he scanned the options for upgrading his cultivation class. The first five upgrades only required 5 ACP each, but after that, the price skyrocketed—multiplying a hundredfold with each subsequent upgrade.
"What kind of twisted system is this? How can the price increase so absurdly?" Xiao Hua cursed inwardly, frustration gnawing at him. Even so, he wasted no time and upgraded his cultivation class seven times, pushing himself to the realm of a 4-Star Dou Wang.
As he activated the upgrades, waves of natural energy surged into his body, elevating his cultivation to new heights. In conjunction with his Secret Technique, the Heavenly Tribulation Body, his strength briefly reached that of a 3-Star Dou Zong. Though a tinge of disappointment flickered in his heart—it wasn't the breakthrough he had hoped for—Xiao Hua remained composed. After all, relying on forceful means such as secret techniques had its limits.
However, for now, this would have to be enough.
As Xiao Hua activated the Mysterious Profound Heaven Array to withstand the first wave of dark-purple light, he propelled himself toward the second incoming strike. Majestic, golden-green Dou Qi surged from within him, coursing swiftly through his meridians. With practiced control, he guided the energy along specific, intricate Qi pathways in his palm, focusing it into his index finger.
The golden-green Dou Qi swirled swiflty around his finger, condensing into a brilliant light.
"Ancient Desolate Hand, First Finger: Imprisoning the Endless Land!"
As the incantation echoed through the battlefield, a blinding glow erupted from Xiao Hua's index finger. His hand thrust forward, and the energy around the finger exploded outward, forming an immense, hundred-meter-tall golden-green finger. This colossal creation resembled a pillar reaching toward the heavens, its surface adorned with countless, intricately woven patterns—symbols of the very essence of nature, imbued with an overwhelming force.
The gigantic finger took form, drawing in the surrounding energy of heaven and earth as it shook slightly under the immense pressure. Without hesitation, it surged forward, ascending rapidly toward the dark-purple light speeding toward Lady Azure.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion echoed across the sky. In that moment, the heavens seemed to tear apart as space itself distorted from the sheer force of the collision. The titanic golden-green finger slammed into the dark-purple light, the two energies clashing violently. Sparks of power scattered in all directions as the battle between the forces of light and darkness shook the heavens.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A soul-stirring force erupted from the point of collision, sending ripples across the lake and unleashing a wild wind that swept through the entire forest. Countless sonic booms resonated across the heavens, echoing with an immense, overwhelming power.
"Suppress!"
Xiao Hua's voice rang out coldly, and an intense wave of energy surged from the golden-green finger of light. Instantly, the air around it hardened, forming a prison-like barrier that ensnared the dark-purple light, rendering it immobile.
"Break!"
A fierce determination ignited within his eyes, the golden-green glow intensifying. With a sudden movement, he stepped forward, pointing into the air once more.
A single finger extended as a torrent of Dou Qi erupted from Xiao Hua's body, unfettered. The natural energy surrounding him swirled around the illusory figure of the golden-green finger, making it increasingly tangible and dense with power.
Resplendent golden-green light spread across the horizon. The enormous finger resembled a world pillar, connecting heaven and earth as it pressed down upon the dark-purple light with a resounding bang.
After a tense moment, the dark-purple light was utterly crushed beneath the might of the golden-green finger, completely obliterated in a display of dominance. Yet, such a victory came at a steep price.
"Ha...! Ha...! Ha...!"
Xiao Hua's face had turned pale, and the corners of his mouth stained with traces of blood. His once-mighty aura diminished, leaving him weakened. His sleeves hung in tatters, revealing his bare arms, which bore numerous faint traces of blood. But the most alarming sight was his finger—the very finger he had used to unleash this devastating technique—now broken and slightly charred.
His appearance was truly miserable. The violent collision had taken a heavy toll on him, and it was clear that the technique he had employed had inflicted severe strain on his body, especially his finger. Despite his victory, he now stood on the precipice of exhaustion, each breath a reminder of the price he had paid for such power.
Xiao Hua landed heavily on the ground, his breath ragged and uneven. His body ached, and he instinctively reached for his Storage Ring, intending to retrieve some medicinal pills. But before he could even act, the low rumble of thunder echoed ominously above him. Startled, he lifted his gaze to the sky, only to witness a spatial ripple slowly unfurling.
The ripple grew wilder and more violent with each passing second. Waves of destructive energy radiated from it, shaking the very air around him. Even the Black Plague Whale, with its immense power, felt its heart tremble in fear and unease.
And then, suddenly—silence.
The wild spatial ripples stilled, and the entire medicinal forest was plunged into an eerie quiet. The destructive energy vanished, leaving behind an unnatural stillness.
The Black Plague Whale, frozen in mid-breath, was caught off guard by the abrupt change. Its massive form quivered slightly, as if embarrassed by its own reaction, confused by the sudden shift in the atmosphere.
But Xiao Hua wasn't fooled. His instincts screamed at him, warning of an even greater danger. He knew all too well that the Heavenly Lightning could pierce through spatial barriers and break into even this ancient sect's domain. The foreboding silence only heightened his unease.
"Child, it's coming! Prepare yourself!"
Lady Azure's voice echoed in his mind, her tone sharp and urgent. Without hesitation, Xiao Hua's eyes snapped upward as an overwhelming pressure descended upon the entire forest. The air itself seemed to tremble under the weight of it.
Crash!
A sound like glass shattering reverberated through the medicinal forest. Above him, an enormous spatial crack tore through the sky, stretching across half the lake. The center of the spatial rift hovered directly over Xiao Hua, casting an ominous shadow upon him.
Upon witnessing the immense spatial crack and the swirling spatial ripples, Xiao Hua's heart trembled with disbelief. It was beyond her comprehension how this medicinal forest had remained intact, standing firm against such chaotic forces.
As Xiao Hua's mind wandered with useless thoughts, a fierce wind suddenly howled into existence, whipping through the air with terrifying force. The wind quickly escalated into a wild storm, swirling ferociously as an enormous black cloud formed overhead. It expanded rapidly, blanketing the entire small island in an oppressive darkness.
The Black Plague Whale narrowed its eyes, feeling the shift in the atmosphere. With the black storm enshrouding the island, its vision was completely obscured. Even worse, its instincts screamed at it not to extend its Spiritual Perception into the storm. Doing so, it knew, would result in disastrous repercussions, potentially leaving it crippled.
Still, it sensed that Xiao Hua and the unique presence that had drawn its attention earlier were both trapped on the island. Neither had fled. It wasn't that they chose to stay—escape had become impossible. The surrounding space had grown chaotic, wild and unstable. Any attempt to create a spatial tunnel, or even traverse through space, would be tantamount to courting death.
Taking advantage of the storm, the Black Plague Whale shifted its focus. It turned its attention toward the seal—the ancient array that bound it to this forsaken realm. If it were to escape this prison, no matter what, the sealing array had to be destroyed.
The storm's presence bought it precious time. With the spiritual chaos masking its movements, it began gathering its strength, preparing to break free from the chains that had held it captive for so long.
In the midst of the brewing chaos, Xiao Hua stood at the eye of the storm, bracing himself for what was to come, while far beneath the surface, the Black Plague Whale plotted its escape.
———|
Within the churning dark storm, Xiao Hua's expression was grim. Thunder rumbled ominously, muffled yet filled with an unmistakable menace. But it wasn't the sound of the storm that troubled him most—it was the crushing pressure weighing down on his body, trying to force him to his knees.
The sensation was as if the heavens themselves had been provoked. As if some great, divine authority had been defied and now sought to reassert its dominance with overwhelming force. It felt like the wrath of the heavens, their fury unleashed upon the audacious mortal who dared to challenge their might.
Occasionally, flashes of orange-colored lightning danced within the roiling clouds. This lightning was unlike anything Xiao Hua had ever seen. Every time it appeared, the surrounding temperature spiked to unbearable levels, scorching the very air. The lightning didn't crackle with electric intensity, but instead exuded a terrifying, domineering heat, like the flames of a sun come to life. Anything it touched would be reduced to ashes, its fiery essence far more destructive than normal lightning.
Lady Azure's brow furrowed as she sensed the growing instability of the space around them. A slight smile tugged at her lips—she had expected this ever since Xiao Hua mentioned breaking through to a major realm. The Heavenly Lightning would easily shatter the Spatial Lock imposed by the Black Plague Whale, but the reckless nature of the lightning's arrival had caused the space to become wildly unstable. From the start, her focus had been on creating a spatial tunnel that Xiao Hua's body could survive passing through.
Yet the space was far more unstable than she anticipated. All because of the Heavenly Lightning.
"This damn Heavenly Wrathful Lightning...! Couldn't you have waited a little longer?!" Lady Azure cursed under her breath, her eyes narrowing at the orange lightning streaking through the sky. Its unique combination of fiery heat and devastating lightning energy left no room for doubt as to its identity.
She sighed inwardly, knowing that with Xiao Hua's condition, she would need to create an even more stable spatial tunnel amidst the chaos. Time was slipping away, and she could only hope that Xiao Hua wouldn't push himself beyond his limits.
Meanwhile, Xiao Hua's skin felt like it was being torn apart by the heat and searing sparks. Each breath he took was agonizing, as if the very air was burning and piercing his lungs, his internal organs screaming in pain. The combined torment of the heat, the lightning, and the suffocating pressure was pushing him to the brink of unconsciousness.
But Xiao Hua gritted his teeth, refusing to yield. His mind hovered on the edge of collapse, yet he fought to remain conscious. He knew that if he fell here, there would be no one left to protect Lady Azure.
He didn't know how much longer he could last, but he swore to endure. He had made a promise to Lady Azure, and even if it cost him his life, he would see it fulfilled.
To him, Lady Azure was far more than just a teacher who had trained him in alchemy due to some contract. In their time together, sharing laughter and struggles, she had become family—an elder sister. And for family, Xiao Hua would persist, even if death itself loomed before him.
Suddenly, a deafening thunderclap reverberated through the sky. Unlike the previous muffled rumbles, this sound was sharp, fierce, and unmistakably wrathful. In the next instant, a primal roar erupted from deep within Xiao Hua's body. His eyes widened in shock as a transparent Lightning Beast, formed of pure energy, emerged from his chest. The beast roared as it leaped from his body, racing across the island with electrifying speed before diving into the dark storm clouds above. Its target: the very heart of the spatial crack.
As the beast entered the dark storm clouds, the thunderous sounds that had filled the sky became muted, and the roar of a mighty creature echoed from within. The oppressive heat that had once made the air unbearable slowly began to fade, and the heavy pressure that had threatened to crush Xiao Hua disappeared, as if it had never been there in the first place.
Moments later, a magnificent orange-colored Lightning Beast emerged from the heart of the spatial crack. As it exited, the spatial crack swiftly mended itself, and the sky above returned to an eerie stillness.
The majestic beast radiated a terrifying heat that made the temperature soar even higher than before. The energy it unleashed was so intense that the lake below, which stretched for hundreds of meters, began to boil violently. White bubbles rolled across its surface before a vast plume of steam rose, and within moments, the entire lake had evaporated, leaving nothing but scorched earth.
Xiao Hua, sweat dripping from his brow, watched the scene in awe. His gaze locked onto the orange-colored Lightning Beast that now floated above the lake's remnants. The sheer power it emanated was overwhelming.
"This heat... this lightning..." Xiao Hua murmured, his eyes wide. "It's as if a fiery sun, born of lightning, has descended in the middle of the lake."
The heatwave send the clouds away revealing what's happening within them to the Black Plague Whale. Upon seeing the majestic Lightning Beast, its heart was in palpation. It could feel the terrifying strength within the Lightning Beast from its mere presence alone.
'What... is that beast? Is it some kind of ancient magical creature? How have I never heard of anything like it?' The Black Plague Whale's thoughts raced in panic. Its soul trembled as the Lightning Beast's indifferent gaze fell upon it. This feeling—fear—was something it hadn't experienced in countless years, a terror it thought had long since been buried.
The orange-colored Lightning Beast regarded the Black Plague Whale with cold indifference. It did not care for the beast, only acknowledging its presence because it recognized the whale as an enemy of Lady Azure. A familial connection, instinctual and undeniable, linked it to Lady Azure, and any enemy of hers was one it would face without hesitation.
Then, its gaze shifted to Xiao Hua. In its eyes, there was a flicker of respect. Xiao Hua, despite being a mere mortal cultivator, had endured both the excruciating pain and the strike of Heavenly Lightning. The beast knew the force of those lightnings well, understanding that even those at the peak of cultivation—Dou Shengs and Dou Dis—could be easily destroyed by their power if they were not careful.
The Lightning Beast truly admired his tenacity.
However, the true value of a test lies in its difficulty. Refining Heavenly Lightning has never been an easy feat. Across the Great Thousand World, countless cultivators have discovered sparks of Heavenly Lightning, but none have succeeded in fully refining its destructive power. Even the smallest spark could unleash energy capable of severely injuring even Earth Sovereigns and Heavenly Sovereigns—realms far beyond the strength of a Dou Di. Yet here stood this boy, having withstood its wrath.
This boy, Xiao Hua, had earned the Lightning Beast's recognition. Without a word, the majestic creature stepped forward, its movements steady but purposeful. When it reached Xiao Hua, its form dissolved into a brilliant orange glow, surging into his body.
Immediately, Xiao Hua's entire being was flooded with the combined energies of fire and lightning. His muscles, organs, Qi Paths, and even his bones felt as though they were being scorched and pierced by an inferno of electricity. His face flushed as he gritted his teeth, enduring the excruciating pain of his body's forced refinement.
But Xiao Hua persevered, knowing the reward that awaited him was well worth the suffering. Lady Azure had once mentioned that such a process, while agonizing, would not last long. True to her words, the searing pain only persisted for three breaths, though each one felt like an eternity.
As the torment subsided, Xiao Hua took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling heavily. Despite the brief duration of the ordeal, it had felt as though time itself had stretched, the pain seemingly unending.
Yet, as he examined himself, he was astonished. The wounds both inside and outside his body had healed significantly. His skin was unmarred, his internal injuries mended, and his vitality was restored. More than that, his body brimmed with newfound strength, his Dou Qi surging with vitality.
He could feel the life-force within him flourishing, stronger than before. The terrifying process had invigorated him, refining his physique, strengthening his foundations, and pushing his cultivation to new heights.
Xiao Hua's heart surged with a fierce determination. This was no mere boon—it was a testament to his will and endurance, a challenge from the heavens themselves, and he had emerged victorious.