White clouds gather over the serene ravine, and the group of peaks lines up with the distant sky.
Rugged and steep, the stone gates stand tall, while misty veils of incense smoke linger faintly.
The halls retain their red splendor, and the winding steps hang precipitously over the cliffs.
Noble scholars too find respite here, their righteous forms free from the dust of the world.
Should one grasp the profound Dao, impartial action follows forth.
Hearts aligned with what is esteed, why would one shy away from worldly entanglent?
Northern Immortal Sect, Taixuan Tao Mountain.
Suspended in the void, placed between Heaven and Earth, this peak, seeming to have flown in, looms at the very top of the Dao Mountain. Peering down from its summit, one can see rocks rising everywhere, trees enshrouded in mystery, ancient caves abound—a sight of magnificent grandeur, rightly the once foremost Northern Immortal Sect.
Alas, it belongs to the past.
Atop Dao Mountain, an elder and a youth sit facing each other, deeply engaged in a ga of black and white Go.
The elder, with white hair and beard, dons robes whiter than snow, resembling an exiled Immortal untainted by the slightest dust.
The child, with a face like carved jade, is dressed in golden brocade, seemingly naive to the affairs of the world, yet his eyes hold a hint of vicissitude.
Thus, the two play their ga, with the Go board's black and white pieces interwoven, reaching the critical final phase.
However...
The elder, holding a white piece, gazes at the board unable to make his move, ultimately emitting a sigh, "There is no way forward, no way forward at all!"
Having said this, he tosses the white piece back into the box.
The child shakes his head and also returns the pieces into the box, then speaks, "Fifteen hundred years, traversing the Ninefold Celestial Tribulation, since ancient tis, across the Five Domains, perhaps he is the sole example—a figure of such stature..."
The elder lowers his gaze to the board and speaks softly, "Back then, barely stepping into the Tribulation Realm and having beco a Void Immortal, he instantly slew Nine Tribulations Completion Qi Zhengming. Now, having passed through Eight Calamities with the Ninth in sight, who under the vast heavens can stand against him?"
The child shakes his head, sweeps the board clean, and sets it anew, "With his abilities, even if he ascends to the Upper Realm, he will be a first-rate figure. This is a foregone conclusion. We should douse our fervor and await his Ascension."
"I fear he may not be willing to ascend!"
The elder's gaze is solemn as he contemplates the board, "These years, his grand ventures across the seas, exploring the Five Domains of the world, such ambition clearly shows his intention to unify the Five Domains and gather all the resources of the Lower Realm before ascending. Unless his goal is achieved, even with Nine Tribulations Completion, he will not leave. He might even seek to beco an everliving True Immortal, remaining in the mortal world."
"It's inevitable."
Hearing this, the child sighs, "The Ninth Heaven Sword Pavilion holds a grudge of sect annihilation against him; his Upper Realm sect will surely not rest until he's dead. If he doesn't gather the resources of the Lower Realm to strengthen himself, ascending to the Upper Realm would be tantamount to walking into a trap. How could he possibly risk it?"
"Shall we just sit and wait forever?"
The elder's gaze sharpens as he speaks sternly, "It's been rely fifteen hundred years, and our sect is already struggling to advance. If we let him continue to grow and collect the world's resources, then what place will there be for our Taixuan Dao Lineage in the world after thousands or tens of thousands of years?"
"What does it matter if it exists or if it doesn't?"
The child shakes his head, his voice calm, "This is the will of Heaven, and our efforts are in vain. We can only see what Heaven's Will decides."
"Heaven's Will?"
The elder's eyes shift as he probes, "It's been fifteen hundred years; he must have already found passages to the other Four Domains and might've even traversed the seas. Leaving aside the other three, I heard that in the Central Region Divine Land, True Immortals walk the earth, and there are Ancient relics and powerful Heavy Weapons. I wonder if he dares to reach out?"
"Central Region..."
"Divine Land..."
Hearing this, the child hesitates, gazing at the newly arranged board, "When the Demon Star plumted to earth, causing the Divine Land to sink, thus splitting the world into Five Domains, there must have been significant karma and connections behind it. Even our ascendents who have ascended to the Upper Realm gave strict orders not to venture into the Central Region. Such troubled waters..."
He then makes a move on the board and sighs, "Troubled the waters may be, but that might not necessarily trouble him."
The elder, upon hearing this, remains silent for a long while before speaking discontentedly, "Do we just sit and wait for our doom?"
"Sitting might not doom us; acting surely would."
The child raises his gaze, looking into the distance, "Better to wait for the changing tides..."
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Before the words are finished, a sudden thunderous noise arises in the distance.
"Hmm!?"
Both of their expressions turn serious as they lock eyes, shocked.
"Is this..."
"Heavenly Tribulation!?"
As the two words are uttered, their hearts are seized with awe. Both rise to their feet, gazing at the distant thunder, their expressions revealing uncontainable alarm.
...
Northern Region, Central Plains, Ten Thousand Ren Solitary Peak.
The forr site of the Ninth Heaven Sword Pavilion, now the heart of the Wandao School.
Winds surge, lightning flashes, thunder roars, creating an atmosphere like the Great Dark Heaven, looming over the top of Ten Thousand Ren Solitary Peak.
Without a doubt, this is a Heavenly Tribulation.
But what kind?
Returning Void Mahayana?
Crossing Tribulation Immortal Gate?
Winds surge, lightning flashes, thunder roars, shaking the boundaries of all directions, terrifying countless hearts.
Divine Sense after Divine Sense arrives in alarm but dare not probe into the sect grounds, resigned instead to observing carefully from outside Ten Thousand Ren Solitary Peak.
Now that the Heavenly Tribulation has arrived, with thunder rumbling, all formations are absorbed by the Wandao School, leaving Ten Thousand Ren Solitary Peak to face the tribulation of Heaven and Earth.
Witnessing this scene, everyone understands well.
"Has it finally co?"
"So quickly has he reached this step!"
"One thousand five hundred years, Nine Tribulations Completion, Proving the Dao to beco a True Immortal!"
"Since Ancient Tis, throughout the Five Domains under heaven, who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him?"
"Even the legendary Tao Body Immortal Womb must be nothing more than this, right?"
"One thousand five hundred years ago he entered the tribulation, one thousand five hundred years later he achieved perfection, not even two hundred years to pass one Calamity Immortal Pass, until perfection, within this Northern Immortal Sect, not to say that none will co after, but definitely none before!"
"Honored Wandao, Honored Wandao..."
"As expected of the First Immortal of the Northern Region!"
Divine Sense after Divine Sense converged in the void, observing the might of the heavenly and earthly tribulations, even more awe-inspiring and heart-stirring.
Suddenly, on the solitary peak, one man steps forward, facing the tribulation and proceeding.
Wind roared and clouds shifted, lightning flashed and thunder roared, amidst all sorts of anomalies, it was hard for the crowd to see clearly, barely discerning an outline, clothes flaring in the breeze, walking leisurely into the thunderous realm, receiving the trial of the heavenly and earthly tribulations.
"Boom boom boom!"
Subsequently, the intensity of the thunder increased, the might of the heavenly and earthly tribulations beca more severe, myriad colors erged simultaneously, Yin and Yang Qi circulated, many anomalies converged within the tribulation.
"This is..."
"A and B Wood Thunder!"
"Bing Ding Fire Thunder!"
"Earth Thunder!"
"Geng Xin Gold Thunder!"
"Ren Gui Water Thunder!"
"Innate is Yang, Postnatal is Yin, A Bing Wu Geng Ren, B Ding Ji Xin Gui, Innate and Postnatal Yin Yang Five Elents Divine Thunder!"
Watching the converging five-colored thunders within the troubled clouds, even the strongest Divine Senses among the people couldn't help trembling, involuntarily retracting a bit.
"Is this the Ninth Immortal Tribulation?"
"So terrifying, so terrifying!"
"No, even for the Ninth Immortal Tribulation, such intensity is vastly beyond the standard!"
"When Qi Zhengming faced the Ninth Immortal Tribulation, it was rely Innate Water and Fire Thunder, striking down eighty-one tis."
"Qi Zhengming cultivated the Nine Heavens Imperial Thunder True Sword Skill, which is also a top-notch Heavenly Sword Skill, after tens of thousands of years of hard work, the final tribulation was rely Innate Water and Fire, eighty-one tribulations."
"And now, this..."
"Innate and Postnatal combined, Yin and Yang rged with the Five Elents, if there's again the number of ninety-nine, eighty-one tribulations, not to ntion an Eight Calamities Void Immortal, even a Nine Tribulations Completion True Immortal might be reduced to ashes, with their life and Dao extinguished."
"What level has this Honored Wandao's Cultivation reached, to make the Ninth Tribulation so intense?"
"Perhaps it has sothing to do with his fundantal Cultivation thod, I heard he is adept in the skill of Yin Yang and Five Elents, within the Wandao School the Five Colors Divine Light, Five Elents Formation, and even that renowned Innate Five Directions Banner, all originated from him."
"No, he is a Sword Cultivator, a Heavenly Sword True Cultivator, his fundantal Cultivation thod should be so Sword Technique."
"What Sword Technique, that day in the Southern Sea, the terrifying thod that caused Qi Zhengming to experience the Five Declines of Heaven and Man and perish in an instant, was clearly so Great Divine Power involving ti."
"What ti-related Great Divine Power, Qi Zhengming had already beco a True Immortal, sharing life with heaven and earth, resting with the sun and moon, even ti could hardly affect him, the reason for the Five Declines of Heaven and Man was because the Honored Wandao used an abnormal thod to destroy his Three Flowers on the Crown, Five Qi in his chest, causing him to fall to the mortal world, thus perishing."
"Although that thod is unknown, it should have no connection with ti."
"Regardless, having the capacity to slay a Nine Tribulations True Immortal enemy with a body of a One Calamity Void Immortal, it's only natural for such calamities to exist for him."
"Who knows if he will be able to cross..."
Divine Senses crossed, discussions varied, and for a mont, so held a hint of anticipation, a naughty wish secretly playing its role.
During this anticipation, the tribulation of heaven and earth intensified even more.
Innate combined with Postnatal, Yin and Yang rged with the Five Elents, Five Colors Divine Light turned into thunder, striking once again as the tribulation count.
So it went on, for who knows how long, one wave of thunderbolts followed another, one tribulation pass followed another.
"The count of forty-nine has passed."
"The count of sixty-nine has also ended."
"Indeed, ninety-nine tribulations."
"Yin Yang Five Elents, ninety-nine thunder strikes, can he truly withstand it?"
"Back then, Qi Zhengming deeply cultivated the Nine Heavens Thunder-controlling Divine Sword True Spell, had the capability of Heavenly Sword Thunder, even so, he deeply feared the ninefold Immortal Tribulations, after tens of thousands of years only just barely managed to cross, his foundation... how exactly was it built?"
"Could the legends be true, this Honored Wandao is a great being from the Upper Realm, for so reason descending to the Lower Realm to reincarnate and cultivate anew?"
As the eyes saw the tribulations nearing their end, the expected scenario still hadn't appeared, and amidst their disappointnt, conjectures grew.
And so it went, until the final mont, heaven and earth shook thunderously.
"Boom!!!"
Thunder struck, heaven and earth roared mightily, all ten directions were annihilated.
Everyone started, refocusing their gaze, only to see after the clouds dissipated and rain cleared, a lone figure, standing in the midst of the void.
"My Dao, is accomplished!"
A light laugh, yet it exploded in everyone's hearts like thunder, bringing silence across the lands.
"..."
"..."
"..."
At the peak of Taixuan Tao Mountain, two people were also silent, not speaking for a long ti.
Eventually...
"Heaven's Will!"
The boy let out a light sigh, his face returning to calm, and said indifferently, "Prepare the gift!"
Having said so, he turned to leave, regardless of how the elder reacted.
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