The Arrogant Immortal
Chapter 443 - 442: Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation

Chapter 443: Chapter 442: Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation

Xie Jiuniang’s idea to temper her physical body with the Heavenly Tribulation had failed.

The reason was that the thunder above was unusually mild, as if it was playing a joke on her. Tiny bolts the size of strands of hair struck down at her haphazardly, always slightly off-target.

After the ninth strike, it ceased.

Xie Jiuniang gazed into the sky with a discerning look and silently said, "Was my master’s death related to you in any way?"

Crack!

A bolt of Heavenly Tribulation, as though annoyed, struck directly above her head.

It did not hurt Xie Jiuniang, merely blew her hair into a frizzy mess. The lightning coursed through her body, numbingly tingly, somewhat painful but not unbearably so, well within her tolerance.

Yet the death of Chaoyan had left a knot in Xie Jiuniang’s heart.

A severe knot, where suppressed hatred was just that—suppressed, not vanished.

There were two instances out in the wilderness where she might have died; Su He had a golden opportunity where, if he struck, she couldn’t have dodged, but he hesitated. The other was just before she passed out, when Mo Yan struck a blow she couldn’t evade.

Yet, the sword strike veered off.

Was that possible?

For a Divinity Transformation to make an errant strike would be laughable—unless something interfered with their judgment.

Xie Jiuniang could not think of anyone who would help her at that time, the only possibility she could think of was the Heavenly Dao of this world.

Nothing is coincidental, rebirth included.

Xie Jiuniang knew she might be misdirecting her anger and deliberately asked, "You can protect me, so why not protect those around me? My master is gone, and I no longer wish to live, to ascend, to strive, to care about anything. Even revenge doesn’t matter anymore..."

Crack!

In response, another bolt of thunder struck down.

This bolt was slightly more massive than the previous one.

It scorched Xie Jiuniang so badly she seemed about to char, smoke rising from her. Yet only she knew these were superficial injuries that could be healed with a bit of spiritual power.

Then, she cursed a few more times.

After being struck several times in succession, she finally came to her senses.

She indifferently performed the Dust Cleansing Technique on herself, circulated spiritual power through a complete cycle, and the superficial injuries on her skin instantly healed, as did the singed hair, which grew back out again.

She changed into a clean robe.

No longer a half-grown child, but a splendid, jade-like young woman, exuding an ethereal grace.

Previously, she had longed for the Nascent Soul to reconstruct her body, but now that the day had come, there was not a hint of joy.

From a distance, someone noticed the thunderclouds here.

Sensing that someone might be undergoing a Heavenly Tribulation, even if the thunder was somewhat peculiar, they couldn’t help but think of coming over to check. By the time those people arrived, the thunderclouds had dissipated, and the one who underwent the tribulation had vanished without a trace.

"Was someone really undergoing a tribulation?"

The people who arrived surveyed the environment and said with puzzlement, "There’s not a single mark on the ground from the tribulation, no, wait, there is. Look here."

Someone pointed to an area on the ground that was slightly scorched.

It seemed as though it had just been struck by lightning, but it was a very small patch.

...

Xie Jiuniang went to the nearest small city.

The name of the city was Dahuang City.

The spiritual energy in the city was average, and most cultivators walking on the streets were in the Qi Cultivation Stage.

In order not to draw attention, she disguised herself as a handsome young man, dressed plainly, and displayed an outward cultivation base at the Qi Cultivation Stage. She strolled around the city, soon gathering some information.

Dahuang City was not far from the barren plains.

Initially, she had entered the Fusang Secret Realm near the plains, and the place where she was teleported out was also in this vicinity, and half a year had already passed by.

The remote location of Dahuang City meant many incidents wouldn’t reach here. Nevertheless, some major events would still be mentioned by people.

For instance, the Tianxu Sect and certain families had become bitterly estranged.

Every now and then, a few people would die on both sides.

At first, there were assassinations, later it turned into open conflict.

The Tianxu Sect’s mining operations and strongholds outside suffered incidents, and sometimes it was unclear whether a particular family had struck or if other forces were muddying the waters.

"Dear customer, your shredded pork noodles are ready." The server placed a steaming bowl of noodles in front of Xie Jiuniang.

Xie Jiuniang picked up a pair of chopsticks and began to eat quietly.

There were many gossiping in the inn’s main hall, but useful information was scarce. She hadn’t yet decided what to do next, whether to return to the Sect first or to take action on her own in secret. Also, whom should she kill first? With her current abilities, whom was she even capable of killing?

When she finished the noodles, Xie Jiuniang paid the bill.

She asked the innkeeper for a top-class room.

After entering the room and locking the door, she entered the Small Tortoise Shell.

The Small Tortoise Shell was currently empty, devoid of anything.

Standing here again, a flicker of confusion passed through her eyes, and she felt a sense of emptiness in her heart.

It used to be that the presence of a sword and a child was unimportant during their raucous times. Now that they were gone, the silence seemed too profound.

The Demon Emperor and Little Fatty were not present, the Great Sun Golden Flame and Jian Lingyan were in deep slumber, with no knowledge of when they might awaken. Even the Time Leaf seemed to have vanished without a trace, let alone Ao Xu’s dissipated Spiritual Soul.

Those by her side were either dead, injured, or missing.

Sometimes Xie Jiuniang couldn’t help but wonder, was this the destined fate of one marked by destiny?

Was she not meant to have people who cared for her?

As Xie Jiuniang immersed herself in her world, the Pure World Lotus in her Dantian flickered, its gentle glow seeming to cleanse her body, nipping any budding inner demons in the bud. Unfortunately, this was something that the person in question overlooked.

During her time in the Fusang Secret Realm, even if the details of what happened were unclear, she still had a rough idea.

She calculated that she had been unconscious for nearly five months.

The rest of the time was spent in seclusion, undergoing Infant Formation.

Whether Little Fatty had returned to the Tianxu Sect or found Master Chaoruo was still unknown...

The Little Fatty, whose return to the Tianxu Sect Xie Jiuniang was concerned about, encountered eighty-one difficulties on his journey. On the day of his escape, in his rush, he took a wrong turn on the way back to the Tianxu Sect.

Latter on, he had Old He guide the way.

As a result, just a few days after Old He appeared, he was ambushed and chased after escaping.

At the brink of death, it was Little Fatty who saved him again, forcing Old He to retreat back into Little Fatty’s treasury to recuperate. Afterwards, Old He directed the way and Little Fatty hurried on his journey.

Along the way, they encountered deception, capture, and hot pursuit.

For Old He and Little Fatty, it was a journey fraught with untold hardships and harrowing experiences until they finally returned to the Tianxu Sect’s territory. To avoid being pursued secretly again, Old He had Little Fatty bypass Xi’an City and head straight for the Main Peak’s great hall of the Tianxu Sect.

Chaoruo was originally handling Sect affairs.

Suddenly, a plump, chubby child burst in, clung to his leg, and looked up at him with tearful eyes.

Chaoruo blurted out, "Whose child are you?"

"Xixi’s family."

The Little Fatty replied in a milky voice, "Looking for Chaoruo."

Chaoruo’s brows furrowed deeply. Just as he was about to call someone over, he sensed something unusual. Bending down, he picked up Little Fatty to look him in the eye, "You’re crying without tears, and your heart isn’t beating?"

"Here!"

Little Fatty reached out into the air with his small hand.

He grabbed a Storage Ring.

Chaoruo took it with a puzzled look, swept it with his Divine Sense, and his expression instantly changed, his fingers tightening around the ring involuntarily. Inside the Storage Ring lay the bodies of Raoyang and others.

He then looked down at Little Fatty.