Chapter 127: Mortal Tribulation
Chapter 127: Mortal Tribulation
When Li Si, Xu Shen, and Mi Zhou’er stepped out of the Palace Ruins Secret Realm, they saw Jiuxuanzi who had rushed over in haste. Though her face showed no urgency, her speed in arriving clearly demonstrated how deeply she cherished her disciple Mi Zhou’er.
Comparatively, that old crone inside the Hall of Fate was practically the archvillain.
Li Si felt a moment’s sympathy for Xu Shen.
“You three are truly reckless! Dare to run wild like this again, and you shall face severe punishment!”
No sooner had they seen her, Jiuxuanzi swept them up with her wide sleeve without even giving them a chance to speak, and whisked them away.
“Do not reveal that you’ve obtained the Dao Heart Spirit Lamp. Others might foolishly follow suit. This is extremely dangerous. A single misstep could shatter your souls. Remember, these are perilous times. If youngsters like you meet harm, it could easily lead to another Muan incident. Henceforth, do not lightly return to the Hall of Fate. Go.”
Whoosh, whoosh! Xu Shen and Mi Zhou’er were directly sent back to the Mortal Realm. Li Si was left behind. Jiuxuanzi then took him to an unfamiliar place—the sector she guarded within the Illusory Realm.
Here, too, lay the vast ruins of a city spanning over a thousand miles. Unlike the area guarded by that crone, there was no colossal thousand-foot tall form conjured by Jiuxuanzi. Instead, only a fiercely murderous sword formation stood guard. Sword radiance rose within it, surrounded by shimmering clouds and mist, forming extraordinary and stable scenery that securely blocked the Evil Entities and Evil Spirits from the void.
Because of this, Jiuxuanzi even had the leisure to clear a small courtyard within the huge city ruins. Within the courtyard stood a Stone House. It looked desolate yet possessed a subtle elegance.
Li Si was unceremoniously dumped there. Jiuxuanzi stared at him with a smile, not speaking, like a big, bad wolf.
What could Li Si do?
He could only clasp his hands and address her composedly, “I pay my respects to Fellow Daoist Jiuxuan. This humble Daoist, Kaoshanzi, greets you.”
“Hahahaha!” Jiuxuanzi laughed heartily, pointing directly at Li Si. “Bold lad! Are you attempting to defy your superiors?”
“Why not?” Li Si was equally blunt. He knew that scheming was useless before someone of Jiuxuanzi’s stature. Trying to hide his little thoughts was pointless.
Beautiful was beautiful. Any man would think so, especially given Jiuxuanzi’s unique, spirited demeanor paired with exquisite features. Denying it, or claiming no thoughts stirred within, was simply lying to oneself.
“Boy, you haven’t grasped the Mortal Dao Heart yet.”
Jiuxuanzi wasn’t angered. She continued, “The seven emotions are the foundation of human nature. Cultivators traverse these seven emotions to sever them. Each emotion corresponds to a type of Dao Heart. Sounds simple? But it requires a lifetime to cross. Brat, my disciple may be hundreds of years your senior, but her mind is merely determined, not yet tempered. She is like unpolished jade in the mortal world. You saved her this time, and yet you harbor such ill-intended thoughts. Her Mortal Tribulation is likely doomed because of you. As her master, I cannot stand by and watch my disciple step into the abyss. Hence my intervention. I hope you bear no resentment.”
Li Si remained silent for a long time before speaking. “You have seven kinds of Dao Hearts; you must have passed the Mortal Tribulation.”
“Not truly seven. Six and a half. Because I severed my Mortal Tribulation.”
“Severed?”
“Yes, severed. Exactly how you imagine it.” Jiuxuanzi smiled, sending chills down Li Si’s spine. This woman was genuinely terrifying.
Li Si stayed quiet. Jiuxuanzi pressed on, “You too have incurred a Mortal Tribulation. But yours hangs upon my junior sister, Zhao Qingxie. You shattered one of her Dao Hearts not long ago, didn’t you? You’ve got spirit, kid!”
Li Si’s scalp prickled, his heart filling with dread.
“Don’t mistake this for praise, lad. I pity you. My junior sister, though perhaps not my equal in talent, is ruthless. Sensing the danger, she chose to shatter one Dao Heart just to sever this ill-fated entanglement, discarding a layer of Causality. But you? The seven emotions have already taken root within you. The Mortal Tribulation has arrived. Vain is your claim to cleverness, unaware you are ensnared.”
“The Mortal Tribulation knows no bounds of status, position, or race. Once its threads entangle you, who can break free? Your future shall be wretched. Loved but couldn’t obtain; gained but found no peace; drowned in melancholy; left alone and solitary… Ultimately, the tribulation’s backlash will come. Your cultivation will stagnate. You’ll be left to spend what remains of your life in endless misery and bitter despair.”
“Do you desire such an end? Therefore, I counsel you: before the Mortal Tribulation manifests fully, sever it! Hmm… I happen to possess the perfect scripture for this—the Spiritual Sword Heart Sutra. I shall impart it to you first. Only… ten red packets.”
Seeing Jiuxuanzi’s deadly serious expression, Li Si felt only speechless despair. He didn’t even bother cursing internally.
“Ah, don’t tell me you think I’m here just to trick you out of a few red packets, Brother Kaoshan.” Brother Kaoshan? Did her attitude warm up? Ah, it must be because she hasn’t yet gotten the red packets. “Brother Kaoshan,” Jiuxuanzi said with deep concern, “you are already caught within the tribulation. Turn back before it’s too late!”
Jiuxuanzi sounded genuinely earnest. Unable to withstand it, Li Si could only quietly produce one hundred Magic Power red packets. Watching the other instantly snatch them up like an overjoyed puppy, his speechlessness compounded.
“Brother Kaoshan is truly generous! Here! The complete Spiritual Sword Heart Sutra! Transaction complete! Fair trade! Godspeed!”
Whoosh. Li Si was summarily shown the door, instantly flung back into the Hall of Fate.
“Ah, junior sister… This is all the help I can offer. Mortal Tribulation… How did you incur a Mortal Tribulation? All your lifelong cultivation… did a dog eat it?”
Inside the small courtyard, Jiuxuanzi’s face clouded with worry, her mood far from light.
“Mortal Tribulation? What nonsense?”
Back in the Mortal Realm, Li Si completely dismissed Jiuxuanzi’s attempt to hoodwink him. Playing this kind of trick? What was the point now?
Better to spend his energy pondering what life would be like after Muan became an Evil God.
When the end came for everyone, maybe having an “eternal wave of love” before death wouldn’t be so bad.
“Closed Door Cultivation. Break through to the Nascent Soul Realm first.” Li Si had a very clear goal. For the next month, he truly kept to himself, cultivating day and night.
His progress in the Heaven-Turning Scripture’s fourth layer reached 2.5%. This speed was astonishing, given its purpose was advancement toward the Nascent Soul path.
He also found time to cultivate the third layer of the Scripture of Heaven Mending and fully master the first three layers of the Jade Tome of Creation.
Currently, including the Lamp-Lighting Void-Crossing Scripture, the fusion success rate of these four scriptures calculated by the Fate Forge had reached 82%. However, the cost for deduction had also ballooned, now requiring one Azure Fortune.
Li Si remained noncommittal about this.
Nevertheless, the effects of three Golden Cores and one Spirit Journey were exceptional.
His current Magic Power / Soul Power composition was thus:
Heaven-Turning Magic Power: 106,100 points.
Heaven-Mending Magical Power: 100,000 points.
Creation Magical Power: 100,000 points.
Lamp Lighting Soul Power: 100,000 points.
Among them, Heaven-Turning Magic Power and Lamp Lighting Soul Power could help replenish the flame consumed in the Soul Lamp and also be used to cast the Primal Divine Ability “Clear Heart Spell”.
Heaven-Mending Magical Power could power the Medicine King Cauldron.
Creation Magical Power served as the operational energy source for the Mountain Guardian Deity.
Yes. This was crucially important.
Near the Yunhua Sect’s current base, the only powerful defense remaining was that one Mountain Guardian Deity. A single Clear Heart Spell from Li Si had completely suppressed its demonic thoughts, but that also robbed it of the necessary energy to keep functioning.
Forced by this dilemma, Li Si had hurriedly cultivated the Yunhua Sect’s Jade Tome of Creation. The resulting Creation Magical Power could now precisely fuel the Mountain Guardian Deity. One hundred thousand points of Creation Magical Power could sustain the Mountain Guardian Deity for a full year. But… one significant battle could completely exhaust it.
Even so, this solution remained highly worthwhile. Maintaining a Mountain Guardian Deity with power equivalent to the Nascent Soul Realm was always a profitable venture.
Over that past month, restless elements within several hundred miles kept wanting to stir up trouble. Perfect timing to release the Mountain Guardian Deity to impose order.
And now, Li Si took out the Dusty Flying Sword, preparing to purify it.
“Consume 1000 White Fortune or 10 Azure Fortune to purify?”
Li Si tried injecting 10 Azure Fortune. But the next moment—BANG!—the Fortune flared and vanished. The Dusty Flying Sword remained unchanged, dusty as ever.
“Purification failed. Cause unknown.”
“What?” Li Si was stunned. For the first time, Fortune, usually unfailingly effective, had failed dismally. So Fortune wasn’t omnipotent after all!
“No wonder that wretched old hag Jiuxuanzi was so generous, handing me this Dusty Flying Sword,” Li Si fumed inwardly. “That crone even spouted nonsense about loving care for juniors. Love care, my foot! This thing definitely has issues. It’s utterly wrecked, the completely useless kind!”
Seething, Li Si swiftly recalled the scattered Fortune.
Yet, when his gaze fell upon the Dusty Flying Sword again, the ethereal vision of the red-robed maiden gracefully wielding her sword shimmered faintly once more… His heart softened immediately. What sin was the sword guilty of? How could the fault lie with this weapon?
Let me cherish you instead. Li Si carefully wiped the blade. A subtle, unique sheen flowed upon its surface, like river water beneath the setting sun, flowing gently. His heart calmed with it. This Dusty Flying Sword always brought him a profound sense of tranquility. He often saw visions within it: the maiden practicing her swordplay in a valley, beneath moonlight, atop glacier peaks, amidst blooming flowers.
It was beautiful.
Li Si couldn’t bring himself to put it down.
“Sword Intent +1!”
Unnoticed by him, a long-absent notification appeared.
Li Si didn’t pay it much mind. He only carefully stored away the Dusty Flying Sword. His heart felt deeply lucid, clear as an unclouded sky. His Crystal Clear Dao Heart had deepened.
Yes, he understood now. A Dao Heart was like the maturity of a flame. A newly grasped Dao Heart was like being “three parts cooked”. He had taken a shortcut before, using Little Mushroom to eliminate his Inner Demon. That only counted as “one part cooked”. Now, he should be “five parts cooked”. When he reached “nine parts cooked”, he could return to the Palace Ruins Secret Realm, refine his Dao Heart, and obtain a Crystal Clear Spirit Lamp.
“Huh?”
At that moment, Li Si’s heart twitched. His spiritual sense instantly swept over a thousand miles, locking onto a particular hilltop. There he spotted Senior Sister Mi Zhou’er, still as thin and dark as ever, leaping nimbly over mountain slopes like a monkey. Why was she here?
Could it be that Jiuxuanzi and the others were moving their base?
Li Si swiftly pinpointed her location and simultaneously commanded the Mountain Guardian Deity to approach for support. The Yunhua Law Seal was ready to deploy immediately.
“Hmm? She seems to be searching for something?”
Li Si watched calmly. Mi Zhou’er’s current position was slightly to the west, just entering the suppression range of the Yunhua Law Seal. But it was still a full 1800 miles from Kaoshan City.
However, if the Jiuxuan Sect intended to travel in a straight line westward… they would pass right by the site of the former Yunhua Sect.
“Still,” Li Si pondered, “if my assumption holds, Jiuxuanzi likely has her true body within the Mortal Realm encased in a Blood Coffin too. Their migration journey must be fraught with immense hardship.”
Despite thinking this, Li Si took no further action. Simply Mi Zhou’er’s presence suggested the Jiuxuan Sect might genuinely be approaching the end of their arduous journey.
“Buzz, buzz, buzz!”
Flies?
Without any warning, an uncontrollable wave of chilling apprehension exploded within Li Si. He completely forgot about observing Mi Zhou’er. Whoosh! He teleported directly back to the Quiet Room within Kaoshan City. His Soul instantly Left the Body, diving straight into the Hall of Fate.
Dammit! What was happening?!?
At the same moment, amidst the wilds…
Mi Zhou’er, searching intently for something, abruptly froze.
A tiny fly… burrowed into her forehead…