“Why did the heavenly tribulation split?”

Yu Shi’s somewhat timid voice rang out, and the Degree Immortal Sect’s gathered immortals, who had fallen silent due to the tribulation’s strange change, suddenly came to their senses.

That small gray cloud had already hovered above Li Chang Shou’s head.

The gray cloud appeared ordinary, but when any cultivator tried to probe it with immortal consciousness, they would sense an intense, powerful, and obscure dao rhythm that was difficult to comprehend.

“Heaven’s punishment?!”

Jiang Lin’er was the first to react, “How could there be heaven’s punishment seeking out Chang Shou during Ling’e’s tribulation?”

Like a stone causing thousand-layer waves, the many Degree Immortal Sect cultivators hiding within the mountain-protecting grand formation or outside the mountain gate now buzzed with discussion.

The legendary existence of heaven’s punishment made them feel…

Rather curious.

The human race’s fortune was flourishing, they were the protagonists of heaven and earth, protected by the Dao of Heaven, and the possibility of receiving heaven’s punishment was extremely slight.

Today, as Lesser Jade Peak’s immortal seedling Ling’e faced her tribulation, heaven’s punishment directly sought out Lesser Jade Peak’s ‘Original Immortal’ Li Chang Shou.

The relationship between this senior-junior pair was somewhat difficult to fathom.

Void Sect Leader Ji Wu You stood with hands behind his back, pondering for a moment, wanting to explain something to Li Chang Shou, but he…

I really couldn’t think of anything more!

But regardless, Ji Wu You couldn’t let anything happen to Li Chang Shou. He immediately called out loudly: “Chang Shou, this is heaven’s punishment, let me assist you!”

“Sect Leader need not worry!”

Li Chang Shou turned and made a Daoist bow, answering thus.

There was no help for it – the intensity of heaven’s punishment he was currently facing was something the Sect Leader could not withstand.

But the primary problem now was…

[On how to weather heaven’s punishment under everyone’s watchful eyes without exposing too many of one’s trump cards!]

When this proposition was placed before Li Chang Shou, he wanted to refuse.

But Heaven’s Dao Lord was impartial and operated by rules, unwilling to negotiate with him. That almost all-destroying divine thunder of heaven’s punishment brewing in the sky, heaven’s might firmly locked onto him.

Checking that gaze – it was thunder that couldn’t be refused.

But, why this time?

Shouldn’t he at least be given a reason?

He remembered his first encounter with heaven’s punishment during his ascension tribulation—back then, the punishment had been naive, coming quickly and leaving quickly.

That time was because he had obscured heaven’s mechanisms, and Li Chang Shou had accepted it.

During his Golden Immortal tribulation, twelve rounds of heaven’s punishment struck in turns, mainly because he had severed his dao nine times and swayed the heavenly tribulation nine times – Li Chang Shou had accepted that too.

Creating a Golden Immortal realm paper person drew nine rounds of chaotic heaven’s punishment strikes.

Li Chang Shou later came to understand – this was possibly warning him not to pursue something like a ‘swallow golden pill into the belly’ cultivation system;

So, Li Chang Shou had reluctantly accepted that as well.

But today!

Especially today!

With Heaven’s Dao’s approval, he summarized previous tribulation experiences and used the Great Clarity pill dao to help his junior sister make some thorough tribulation preparations.

What right did they have to strike him?

Why was he being punished?

How could they… wait?

Li Chang Shou blinked, suddenly looking toward Ling’e.

At this moment, Ling’e was also looking this way, her eyes full of shock and tension.

And behind Ling’e, the shadowy form of a book floated slowly, becoming increasingly solid, the character for ‘Steady’ on it growing clearer.

Could it be because of this?

The corner of Li Chang Shou’s mouth twitched several times, but soon…

He accepted this too.

Above the gray cloud, the force of heaven’s punishment was about to strike down.

The gathered Degree Immortal Sect immortals behind him and Ling’e facing her tribulation all had their gazes fixed on him now.

What to do…

What else could be done? Endure it.

Fortunately, having been struck by heaven’s punishment many times, Li Chang Shou had already established [Emergency Response Measures for Encountering Heaven’s Punishment in the Wild].

Facing heaven’s punishment again, his heart held more confidence.

Familiarity breeds expertise – today’s Li Chang Shou could already distinguish whether heaven’s punishment was disciplinary punishment or killing punishment.

The heaven’s punishment he received was naturally all disciplinary type, otherwise he would have perished long ago.

Judging by the punishment force’s wave frequency and the total amount of punishment force contained in the gray cloud, this time should be the same.

Heaven’s punishment waits for no one, and now it was about to fall having brewed sufficiently…

Li Chang Shou’s left sleeve opened, suddenly releasing a blood-red jewel that shot toward the distance, flying hundreds of miles instantly.

That patch of gray cloud silently vanished, reappearing directly above that jewel, dropping down a purple-red divine thunder as thick as a water barrel!

Heaven and earth lost color, wind, and clouds stilled!

That jewel directly smashed into the mountains below, that great mountain crumbling with a boom!

The gathered Degree Immortal Sect immortals all changed expression.

Fortunately, few in the sect liked drawing sharp breaths; otherwise, the scene would certainly have been quite spectacular.

Ling’e thought of something and anxiously watched the crumbled mountain hundreds of miles away, almost forgetting about her tribulation…

Senior Brother!

“Focus on your tribulation.”

Li Chang Shou’s voice transmission entered her ear again, still very calm. Ling’e instinctively looked toward her Senior Brother’s figure five miles behind her.

The one standing here was naturally Li Chang Shou’s paper person;

What had just been thrown out was the small box where Li Chang Shou’s true body was hiding after using transformation arts.

Having his true body hide on the paper person, while the paper person came out to cheer on his junior sister, could be considered as his true body coming personally…

Right?

Having just taken a strike of heaven’s punishment, Li Chang Shou continued transmitting: “Don’t worry, I’ve endured quite a few such punishments. You focus on ascending quickly.”

Ling’e hurriedly agreed, followed by feeling deeply moved.

‘I don’t know exactly why, but Senior Brother did all this for me…’

Boom! Rumble!

Above Ling’e’s head, streaks of lightning flashed as the hundred-mile diameter massive tribulation cloud slowly pressed down, spiritual energy rapidly boiling throughout a thousand-mile range.

Like a pearl curtain or waterfall, a pool of azure divine thunder from within the tribulation cloud fell directly onto Ling’e’s head!

Ling’e’s expression was solemn, and the book shadow behind her was growing clearer. Her delicate hands manipulated clouds quickly as illusions, channeling sufficient magical power according to the thunder tribulation’s force, forming three magical barriers above her head.

Thunderlight fell, brilliantly illuminating the dark world and drawing back the attention of the gathered Degree Immortal Sect immortals.

Qi Yuan exclaimed, ” This is Ling’e’s first thunder tribulation?”

“Nine Thunder Tribulation! It’s the legendary Nine Thunder Tribulation!”

“Could our Degree Immortal Sect produce another Golden Immortal? Anyone who can pass the Nine Heavens Tribulation has the potential for long life!”

“Hahaha!”

Jiang Lin’er laughed with hands on hips, “My disciple’s grandchild has Golden Immortal potential!”

Meanwhile, fifteen hundred miles away, the second purple-red divine thunder struck down…

However, only immortals in the Heaven Immortal realm and above could see this punishment thunder.

Li Chang Shou hid underground, enduring heaven’s punishment while watching Ling’e’s tribulation. He also spread his immortal consciousness as far as possible to guard against any powerful experts being drawn by the punishment to threaten him.

His junior sister’s tribulation passing…

Exhausted him as a senior brother!

At the Degree Immortal Sect’s mountain gate, Ling’e emerged unscathed after withstanding the first tribulation, her dao body already containing the first wisp of immortal spiritual essence.

As her Senior Brother had instructed, she drew this wisp of immortal essence into her body, directly protecting it around her heart meridian, quickly merging it into her magical power.

The ascension tribulation was generally rather urgent – after all, a posterior heaven being ascending wasn’t considered any great matter to heaven and earth.

The second and third tribulations fell in succession, each time like a thunder pool overturning, heavenly thunder like a waterfall. Ling’e handled them smoothly, having early on swallowed pills to continuously recover magical power, maintaining her power at full.

Senior Brother hadn’t given her so many spirit pills for her to be frugal.

Use them when needed – ascending was the beginning of everything, the foundation of all!

At this time, a certain Lesser Jade Peak disciple had already fled over three thousand miles away, silently meeting the third punishment.

At the mountain gate, Sect Leader Ji Wu You flew beside Li Chang Shou’s paper person and transmitted:

“Chang Shou, are you… alright?”

Though Li Chang Shou’s heart was bleeding and his body in severe pain, he still properly made a Daoist bow and transmitted back:

“Thank you for your concern, Sect Leader. This disciple is fine.

However, might I request that the Sect Leader help conceal this matter of heaven’s punishment?

Due to some reasons, I cannot speak of, this disciple cannot expose other identities within the Human Dao…

Please help, Sect Leader!”

Ji Wu You couldn’t help showing a knowing smile and gently saying, “You can rest assured; this poor Daoist understands everything. Tell me how to coordinate with you.”

Li Chang Shou calmly transmitted several sentences while speaking, even enduring the fourth punishment during this time, and his paper person was unable to help but shudder.

The injury wasn’t too great, but the pain was truly intense.

Shortly after, Ji Wu, You coughed several times, his calm voice spreading everywhere:

“Chang Shou, that Barbarian Race blood essence jewel this poor Daoist gave you was for you to study formation dao.

Today that blood essence stone drew heaven’s punishment and flew away on its own – what crime have you committed?”

Li Chang Shou hurriedly lowered his head admitting fault, “This disciple requests Sect Leader’s punishment!”

“Hmm, I punish you by suspending your monthly allowance for thirty years, and after your junior sister passes her tribulation, you are to seclude yourself on Lesser Jade Peak for thirty years.

Do you accept?”

“This disciple lost a treasure and willingly accepts punishment!”

At this, Ji Wu You nodded and stood before Li Chang Shou, watching Ling’e face tribulation on the desolate mountain.

Li Chang Shou also breathed a sigh of relief now, his true body looking at the gray cloud—the cloud seemed to also be taking an intermission.

Fortunately, this punishment wasn’t too harsh.

After enduring four rounds of punishment, Li Chang Shou’s injuries weren’t too severe.

Now he finally had a chance to add that sentence…

“This disciple willingly accepts punishment, and thanks the Heaven’s Dao Lord for taking time from his busy schedule to discipline me.”

His heart immediately felt much more settled.

Following this, Li Chang Shou looked down at his charred dao body, used immortal power to seal his injuries, and swallowed a handful of pills.

Using wind escape arts, his form rushed a hundred miles away to continue receiving punishment.

The fifth punishment came leisurely, and its power was not much different from the previous four. Li Chang Shou endured it, quickly healing himself while not forgetting to observe his junior sister’s situation.

Not being beside his junior sister to promptly remind her about taking pills and the sequence of using magic, he always felt somewhat unsettled.

Fortunately…

Although unexpectedly receiving another round of care from Heaven’s Dao Lord left Li Chang Shou feeling somewhat depressed, Ling’e’s tribulation circumstances were all within his calculations.

How much magical power Ling’e could retain after each tribulation matched Li Chang Shou’s estimates closely.

This was the junior sister he had personally raised!

At Ling’e’s seventh tribulation, white-mixed-purple divine thunder leveled the desolate mountain below. Blood seeped from Ling’e’s forehead and shoulders, her clothes somewhat tattered.

Yet Ling’e still divided part of her magical power to wrap herself completely.

Her beautiful eyes revealed unprecedented determination.

Though unclear whether due to [Besides Senior Brother, cannot be seen by others] or [I must pass tribulation and ascend boundless joy];

But this…

Was all conviction!

The eighth tribulation fell, and Ling’e inevitably sustained injuries, but several grade three and four healing spirit pills taken quickly suppressed the injuries.

Overall, steady without danger.

But when the tribulation clouds collapsed inward, manifesting nine hundred zhang-tall immortal maiden phenomena, Li Chang Shou, having just endured the seventh punishment, also felt somewhat concerned.

This punishment should have one final strike, as the punishment force’s quantity wasn’t much anymore.

But his junior sister’s final tribulation’s power was somewhat beyond Li Chang Shou’s expectations…

Not strong.

Could it be that because the Heaven’s Dao Lord diverted part of the heavenly dao force to create punishment to strike him, this caused Ling’e’s tribulation power to weaken slightly?

Regardless, this was naturally good news.

Currently, eight-tenths of Ling’e’s dao body has transformed into an immortal body. By this calculation, after the final tribulation thunder, her immortal foundation would certainly be perfect and complete.

In the sky, those nine blurry immortal maidens raised both hands high, rapidly condensing a purple thunder ball over a hundred zhang in diameter;

The thunderball pressed down as the nine maiden phenomena shattered from top to bottom, transforming into scattered clouds across the sky.

In but an instant, this thunder tribulation that seemed capable of sinking the earth ruthlessly struck toward Ling’e!

Within the Degree Immortal Sect, countless disciples held their breath. Those disciples who had recently passed tribulation felt their foreheads go numb as they expressed various praises.

The stronger the tribulation’s power, the higher the potential after ascending.

And with Ling’e’s tribulation being this fierce, yet her having great confidence in passing it…

That praise of Golden Immortal potential, that title of ‘immortal seedling’, was well deserved.

“Senior Brother!”

Facing the thunder ball above, Ling’e suddenly looked back, though vaguely sensing this Senior Brother was a paper person, but still unable to contain the impulse in her heart.

Knowing her Senior Brother disliked showing off, she used wind speech transmission methods to leave a gentle message in Li Chang Shou’s ear.

Afterward, Ling’e turned to face the falling tribulation in the sky, her graceful figure leaping up from above the desolate mountain.

Blue-black hair dancing wildly, skirts flying;

Delicate hands gripping the sword, directly slashing at thunder light!

Charging straight into the tribulation, exploding with all her magical power!

“Senior Brother… I will become your dao companion…”

…

Over three thousand miles away, in a deep pit.

Li Chang Shou lay at the bottom, his whole body charred black as coal, spitting out a mouthful of blood qi.

If you’re facing tribulation then face tribulation, why stir up emotions for no reason?

And daring to play the cool move of charging straight into thunder tribulation – the stone slabs on the mountain probably won’t be enough for you to write and erase throughout your immortal life…

Silently breathing out, Li Chang Shou’s immortal power rapidly recovered as he used earth escape arts, his form directly vanishing from the pit bottom.

He was about to rush back to the Degree Immortal Sect and return to Lesser Jade Peak to heal steadily, but after fleeing just a few hundred miles, Li Chang Shou suddenly made a light curious sound.

His immortal consciousness detected, about two thousand miles away in the southeast direction, there was a black panther carrying a young maiden, constantly racing through the forest.

This black panther…

Inexplicably, Li Chang Shou felt a mysterious sensation in his heart.

However, his true body was currently injured and he absolutely wouldn’t act rashly. He merely casually sent out a Golden Immortal realm paper person to investigate why these two demons of unremarkable strength would appear in this place.

And this black panther, why did it give him…

An indescribable sense of familiarity.