The Arrogant Immortal
Chapter 206 - 205: The Thirty-Nine Heavenly Tribulations

Chapter 206: Chapter 205: The Thirty-Nine Heavenly Tribulations

Just as Xie Jiuniang was feeling anxious, she suddenly saw a tall figure dart out from the mountaintop.

The air around him was rich and substantial, swirling with dense spiritual energy that blurred his features, casting a veil over his entire being. Those familiar with him could easily recognize the figure as Chaoyan.

At this moment, the pressure emanating from him was astonishingly intense.

It fluctuated wildly, beyond his control.

One moment it reflected the Great Perfection of Nascent Soul, the next the beginning stage of Divinity Transformation.

Xie Jiuniang immediately jumped behind Chaoruo.

The overpowering pressure that caused her blood to surge diminished greatly. Once she caught her breath, she realized there was another person standing beside her—the Sect’s senior brother, Kuangguan. It turned out that she was not the only one using Master Chaoruo as a shield.

Chaoruo shouted loudly, "Junior brother, go to the back mountain to undergo the Thunder Tribulation! The Defensive Array prepared by Master is there."

As soon as these words were spoken,

Chaoyan looked as if he glanced over at the space above Zhengyang Peak.

Then, his form shifted, and he teleported towards the back mountain in an instant.

There was a special area on the back mountain designated for cultivators to breakthrough, to face the onslaught of Heavenly Tribulation. Otherwise, the Thunder Tribulation of Divinity Transformation would reduce Zhengyang Peak to ruins.

"Is he really about to advance to Divinity Transformation? This..."

"Let’s go to the back mountain to see."

The Nascent Soul Elders itching for a spectacle all followed suit.

Xie Jiuniang was just about to fly there on her sword,

when someone grabbed the collar of her dress, and in a blink of an eye, she was at the site of the Thunder Tribulation on the back mountain.

It was Sect Master Chaoruo who had casually brought her along. Normal Foundation Establishment cultivators would not enjoy this treatment, let alone have the chance to witness a Divinity Transformation breakthrough up close.

Next, Chaoruo placed her at a relatively safe distance and raised his hand to create a Spiritual Power Barrier for her, protecting her within.

Indeed, the pressure on Xie Jiuniang eased.

The indiscriminate impact of Chaoyan’s breakthrough could no longer affect her, allowing her to watch the proceedings in peace.

At the site designated for facing the Heavenly Tribulation, several Divinity Transformation cultivators were already present.

Among them was the rarely-seen Lord Qiansha.

The Divinity Transformation cultivators joined forces to set up a formidable array to withstand the Thunder Tribulation.

When Chaoyan flew into the center of the formation, the array surged to life in an instant.

Almost simultaneously, Lord Qiansha threw something at Chaoyan, "Take this! Don’t you die on us."

"Do not worry, Master. I am not so easily killed!"

Chaoyan caught the item, which was a shield.

It was a top-grade Spiritual Artifact!

It could block at least two or three strikes of the lightning, and seeing this brought a joy to Chaoyan’s heart.

Searching through her belongings, especially the items left by Daoyin, Xie Jiuniang frowned and communicated telepathically with her Sword Spirit, "Daoyin was at the Divinity Transformation stage, right? How come there’s not a single magic artifact to withstand the Thunder Tribulation? This doesn’t make sense."

The Sword Spirit Jian Lingyan replied, "Daoyin’s Spiritual Soul fled, abandoning the physical body."

In the desperate moment between life and death, Daoyin’s Spiritual Soul had escaped, naturally leaving behind some possessions. Plus, having reached Divinity Transformation, Daoyin would have bequeathed unneeded items to his clan or rewarded his juniors with them.

The Sword Spirit reminded her, "Do not cause trouble."

"I’m not causing trouble, I just want to help Master."

"Is it your place to do so? With a bunch of Divinity Transformation experts here, should something truly happen to Master Chaoyan, your grandmaster would also intervene. It’s not the place for a mere Foundation Establishment to act, and even if you wanted to, you lack the capability. Keep in mind, even a touch of the Heavenly Thunder from the Thunder Tribulation will reduce you to ashes..."

Jian Lingyan chuckled mockingly at Xie Jiuniang.

It wasn’t often that he saw her anxious enough to lose her wits, so of course, he would make the most of teasing her thoroughly.

Initially startled, Xie Jiuniang soon narrowed her peach blossom-shaped eyes.

Indeed, it wasn’t her place to intervene.

There were several Divinity Transformation experts present, and the other Divinity Transformation cultivators from the Sect would surely be paying attention.

The clouds of thunder accumulated in the sky grew thicker and darker, obscuring the sun and the sky.

Within the dense cloud layer, flickering lights signaled the presence of Heavenly Thunder, ready to cleave heaven and earth, an extraordinarily hazardous sight.

Xie Jiuniang raised her head to look at the thunderclouds in the sky, a faint unease stirring in her heart.

"Little Jianjian, do you think my identity as the Child of Destiny will be of any use under the Heavenly Tribulation?" Xie Jiuniang suddenly asked.

Jian Lingyan was stumped by the question, "I don’t know."

Even for the Child of Destiny, there was no reasoning with it, She could not guess.

But even the Heavenly Dao that favors the Child of Destiny must follow certain rules of heaven and earth.

Not wanting his master to drag him into a reckless death, Jian Lingyan conservatively said, "Cultivators defy the heavens in pursuit of eternal life, and the Thunder Tribulation is inevitable, Child of Destiny or not."

So, master, don’t court death!

Xie Jiuniang looked ahead without speaking.

The first strike of thunder was unleashed, blocked by the great array.

Chaoyan within the formation remained safe and unharmed.

"Yuanxi, with our ancestors as protectors and your mentor by our side, Uncle Master will surely succeed in crossing the tribulation."

The voice beside her startled Xie Jiuniang.

It was only then that she realized someone had been behind her all along.

Kuangguan comfortingly patted her shoulder, having noticed her earlier. His junior sister was even more tense than the uncle master facing tribulation; at least Chaoyan inside the formation appeared composed and undisturbed.

"Judging from the clouds above, it’s just a standard Thirty-Nine Heavenly Tribulation."

The cultivation annals recorded nine major types of Heavenly Tribulations.

Normally, Golden Core cultivators face the Nine Heavenly Tribulation, Nascent Souls face the Eighteen, and Divinity Transformation faces the Thirty-Nine. However, the severity of Heavenly Tribulation is not fixed. Speaking of Divinity Transformation, some face the Thirty-Nine, and some face the eighty-one strikes.

No one has ever survived the eighty-one strikes.

That was also the reason Kuangguan sought to reassure Xie Jiuniang.

Then Kuangguan continued with a puzzled tone, "When Uncle Master was breaking through to Nascent Soul, it seemed he also encountered the Thirty-Nine Heavenly Tribulation. Logically, breaking through to Divinity Transformation should mean a higher tribulation, right? How come it is still Thirty-Nine..."

Xie Jiuniang glared at him.

Kuangguan awkwardly touched the back of his head, "Junior sister, I mean no harm."

"You better not."

Xie Jiuniang was especially on edge, not open to any negative commentary.

Another strike of Heavenly Thunder crashed down at that moment.

It struck straight at the barrier of the great array.

The Array Barrier quivered from the impact but stabilized shortly afterward.

Xie Jiuniang saw Chaoyan standing in the center of the formation, braced for action.

Yet another strike of thunder descended, each one more massive than the last, growing increasingly formidable in strength. Each bolt that struck the great array felt as if it was striking Xie Jiuniang’s own heart, causing it to tremble with each hit.

Under the ninth strike of the Thunder Tribulation, the great array burst apart with a roar.

Dust and smoke billowed, and flashes of lightning flickered.

Even the ground seemed to be flashing with electric light.

Amidst it all, Chaoyan’s figure flickered in and out of view, but Xie Jiuniang kept her gaze fixed to the front, afraid of missing her master’s figure.

Chaoyan raised a shield, blocking the remaining lightning.

Then another, even larger bolt of Thunder Tribulation crashed down, leaving no time for breath. Xie Jiuniang saw a tall figure rise into the air to meet the tribulation head-on.

The figure seemed to be swallowed by the lightning in an instant.

The crowd could only see a mass of electricity in the sky, the brilliance blinding.

Everyone held their breath, forgetting everything around them, their eyes fixed on that great figure within the lightning.