The final heavenly tribulation lasted for exactly half a shichen.

The tribulation clouds, bearing a trace of “abnormal performance” and unwillingness, seemed desperate to squeeze out their last bit of power to eliminate the cultivator who dared to enter the tribulation zone below…

But truly, not a single drop remained…

Li Changshou sat cross-legged suspended above the magma lake, surrounded by dense immortal light. His divine soul maintained the same posture as his Dao body, now completely immersed in golden light, revealing mysterious Dao rhythms.

In comparison, the small Sea God’s Trident—ahem, the Sea God’s Divine Authority Treasure—beside him appeared much dimmer.

Transcending tribulation to achieve longevity was Li Changshou’s elevation in the immortal path, having little connection with the divine path.

Three illusory twelve-petaled azure lotuses appeared from his chest, lower abdomen, and forehead, slowly floating behind him, gathering and blooming above his head as they rotated gently.

Li Changshou’s mind was completely clear, his personal Dao transforming imperceptibly, continuously extending throughout heaven and earth…

It was as if there existed a wall in this world where countless names had been inscribed since ancient times, and now Li Changshou was carving his name upon it.

Five-colored qi circled his chest, transforming into pure five elements qi, returning to various parts of Li Changshou’s Dao body, allowing his Dao body and divine soul to merge perfectly.

Three Flowers gathered at the crown, and Five Qi returned to origin.

So this was the Golden Immortal realm?

His Dao body felt light and ethereal as if it might drift away with the wind, while his divine soul seemed carved from immortal jade.

His immortal consciousness slowly expanded, now able to detect things ten thousand li away.

Heaven and earth drew near to him, all things lived as one with him.

Fate no longer bound him, the Great Dao resonated with him.

From now on, he had leaped out of the cycle of reincarnation, his name would no longer appear in the mortal registers.

The Five Elements and Yin-Yang were born together, returning to Supreme Clarity in perfect freedom.

Li Changshou felt a sense of peace in his heart, and even… a bit moved, with his nose tingling slightly.

He had finally become a Golden Immortal.

Although he still had no real ability to protect himself in the Primordial World, and no powerful magical treasures for protection, he only had a few minor abilities and spells that would allow him to handle some uncomplicated battles.

But he had obtained the fruit of longevity, qualifying him to officially become a Saint’s treasure-bearer…

With a bit more effort, finding a corner to hide in, he could somehow manage to survive.

Becoming an immortal was like an ant growing wings;

Achieving longevity meant finally taking human form, and becoming a third-rate expert in the Primordial World…

This journey had truly not been easy.

Every day worrying about being crushed by the Western Saint, fearing being drawn into the great tribulation, and for this purpose recklessly scheming and calculating, firmly holding onto the Orthodox Unity School’s thigh.

No more words needed;

So touching!

Sending hearts to his Saint and Great Master…

Li Changshou spat out the Nine Transformations Golden Pill from his mouth, but after thinking for a moment, swallowed it back.

No rush, wait a bit longer.

If it wasn’t needed this time, he could wipe it clean and save it for Ling’e’s immortal tribulation.

After all, he had saved it himself!

From the beginning of cultivation, immortal aspirants seek their own Dao before becoming immortals, step onto their path after becoming immortals, and when reaching the peak of the Heavenly Immortal realm, their Dao fruit “matures,” awaiting Heaven’s test…

After passing the Golden Immortal tribulation, it proved this path could stand firm between heaven and earth, and the cultivator could achieve immortality through their personal Dao.

Entering the Primordial World, taking a master, cultivating Non-Action, obtaining Supreme Clarity…

Images flashed through Li Changshou’s mind, and those memories his true spirit carried before entering the Primordial World gradually became clearer;

Many things he had forgotten were reflected through the Great Dao, falling back into his heart.

Enlightenment slowly arose in his heart, and that door of myriad mysteries that had once opened for Li Changshou showed a crack before his eyes once again.

Next, he only needed to push through, and like the ascension after becoming immortal, he could take another small step forward after achieving Golden Immortal status…

But Li Changshou wasn’t in a hurry to push through the door at this moment.

He was waiting…

The shattered tribulation clouds in the sky transformed into boundless spiritual energy, converging towards Li Changshou.

That small divine soul opened its mouth and inhaled, and this pure spiritual energy poured into Li Changshou’s Dao body, completely consumed by his Dao body and divine soul, supporting his continued transformation.

At this moment, rosy clouds covered thousands of li, and golden rain fell from the sky. Any living being touched by this light rain would be cured of illness and disaster, while the elderly would become vigorous with life.

Within the golden rain, figures of immortal maidens, elderly immortals, and heavenly generals appeared. The maidens danced gracefully, the elderly offered congratulations, and the heavenly generals performed battle formations in the sky.

There were also auspicious cranes, and several golden phoenixes and silver dragons continuously circled in the sky;

A cloud of celebration slowly lifted Li Changshou, while lotus flowers and treasure pagodas slowly descended from the sky, as if crowning Li Changshou.

But Li Changshou was still waiting, not rushing to push open that great door and enter the state of enlightenment…

It wasn’t that he feared any danger after entering the enlightenment state, as the Great Master was nearby;

He was waiting, waiting for…

It came!

A gray cloud appeared out of nowhere, squeezing into the midst of the various phenomena, pressing down towards Li Changshou, hovering at a height of ten thousand zhang.

On this gray cloud, an ethereal elderly face once again condensed, gazing at Li Changshou.

The heavenly phenomena continued, but Li Changshou couldn’t help feeling somewhat anxious, carefully considering what he should say…

A hundred li away;

The tribulation observation team had all stood up.

They had planned to go forward to congratulate Li Changshou, but seeing this gray cloud appear, they all stopped in their tracks.

“More tribulation?” Qiongxiao frowned and asked, “Is the Heavenly Dao going to make it so difficult for this disciple to achieve longevity?”

Yunxiao reprimanded, “Don’t speak carelessly, these are all Fellow Daoist Sea God’s opportunities.”

Great Master Xuandu held the Taiji Diagram and calculated with his fingers, soon smiling and saying, “No worries, this is because Changshou’s cultivation advanced too quickly, not conforming to the normal principles of Heaven’s Dao, so heavenly punishment descends.

Such heavenly punishment is to give him more tempering, and won’t harm his life.”

Just as Great Master Xuandu finished speaking, the elderly face on that gray cloud dissipated, and a purple divine lightning bolt fell from the sky!

Blue light flashed around Li Changshou, condensing into a cocoon of light…

He directly utilized the newly elevated Golden Immortal power!

But when that divine lightning fell, it didn’t break through the myriad phenomena, ignored Li Changshou’s immortal power protection, and struck directly on Li Changshou’s chest, leaving him with split skin and flesh, creating a terrifying wound on his chest!

However, this injury wasn’t too serious, and Li Changshou’s divine soul remained intact.

“Thank you, Heavenly Dao, for the punishment!”

Li Changshou shouted, his form swaying as if about to fall, yet he persisted in making a Daoist bow.

Perfect, without this final heavenly punishment phase, he would have felt something was missing.

At this point, Li Changshou finally felt at ease…

Eh? Why hadn’t the gray cloud dispersed? Ah, it seemed it would strike him twice.

Seeing this scene and hearing these words, the Great Master and the Three Xiao sisters showed different expressions.

The Great Master and Yunxiao both nodded with smiles, while Bixiao and Qiongxiao beside them were confused.

On Li Changshou’s side, another bolt of heavenly punishment lightning fell, causing Li Changshou to spit three sheng of blood and kneel on one knee in the air.

“Thank you… Heavenly Dao… for the punishment!”

Li Changshou shouted, then frowned as he stared at the gray cloud in the sky.

After two strikes, why hadn’t it dispersed?

Sharing the same confusion, the Great Master activated the power of the Taiji Diagram, calculated with his fingers, and soon said:

“This is punishment for his previously entering the tribulation during his transcendence.”

Yunxiao nodded slightly and asked, “Then why hasn’t the punishment cloud dispersed?”

“Hmm…”

The Great Master pondered for a moment, calculated again, and said, “The heavenly mechanisms show it’s to punish him for his previous nine times of Dao-severing realm, defying heaven’s mandate…

It seems it won’t just be three strikes.”

A hundred li away, the third bolt of heavenly punishment lightning struck down, this time directly knocking Li Changshou onto the celebration cloud, making his whole body convulse.

That gray cloud still hadn’t dispersed!

The Great Master and Yunxiao exchanged glances, and both instantly transformed into streams of light, appearing at Li Changshou’s left and right in the blink of an eye.

At this moment, Li Changshou dispersed the immortal power around the Nine Transformations Golden Pill in his mouth, and the pill gently vibrated, transforming into streams of golden light that entered various parts of Li Changshou’s body…

After suffering three consecutive heavenly punishments, Li Changshou was already in a daze;

Now sensing the presence of the Great Master and Immortal Lady Yunxiao, his heart inexplicably felt more stable, though his mouth still didn’t forget to say:

“Thanks to the Heavenly Dao Lord… for taking time from his busy schedule to strike me…”

Yunxiao, who had been wearing a serious expression, couldn’t help but laugh upon hearing this, while the Great Master beside her held his forehead.

Next, Yunxiao and the Great Master acted simultaneously, the former’s golden dipper turning and growing to half a zhang tall, directly drawing Li Changshou inside.

Meanwhile, the Great Master’s long sleeve danced, and an illusory image of the Taiji Diagram covered the Mixed Origin Golden Dipper.

But what caught Yunxiao and the Great Master off guard was…

Above, that tribulation cloud trembled slightly and directly vanished without a trace.

A ‘crack’ sound suddenly came from within the Mixed Origin Golden Dipper!

A small piece of gray cloud appeared above Li Changshou’s head inside the Mixed Origin Golden Dipper, unleashing divine lightning tribulation at him once again!

“This!”

The Great Master and Yunxiao looked at each other in dismay, both being extraordinary figures, they naturally knew what this meant.

This heavenly punishment couldn’t be blocked, and was truly unstoppable!

“Senior Brother Xuandu!”

“Don’t worry, he used the Nine Transformations Golden Pill, this heavenly punishment force isn’t too concentrated, it can’t destroy his divine soul, only severely wound him.”

Yunxiao frowned and asked, “But, why like this?”

Great Master Xuandu pondered for a moment, but this time he directly sat down cross-legged, his hands quickly forming seals, then placed one hand on the Mixed Origin Golden Dipper while calculating with the other.

Behind Great Master Xuandu, a three-chi diameter black and white Taiji Diagram appeared as a shadow.

This time, Xuandu sensed a somewhat unusual heavenly mechanism, and after careful consideration, some messages appeared in his heart…

Looking at the situation inside the Mixed Origin Golden Dipper at this moment;

The previously unconscious Li Changshou was jumping around clutching his head from the heavenly punishment, relying on the Nine Transformations Golden Pill to constantly recover from injuries, only to have new injuries constantly inflicted by the heavenly punishment.

Great Master Xuandu tilted his head, and such a scene appeared in his mind…

It seemed there was an angry old Daoist on that tribulation cloud, whipping out lightning at Li Changshou below, shouting with each strike:

‘Will you transcend or not?’

‘Just asking if you’ll transcend or not!’

‘Still saying ninety-eight percent confidence to transcend tribulation, why not just claim one hundred percent confidence and directly become a Daluo Golden Immortal! Have I spoiled you?’

— Just imagination, pure imagination.

“Uh…”

Great Master Xuandu’s mouth twitched, his forehead covered in black lines.

Yunxiao hurriedly asked, “Senior Brother Xuandu, how is it?”

“This,” the Great Master pondered for a moment and said, “The heavenly mechanisms cannot be revealed.”

…

The Nine Transformations Golden Pill was still used.

Li Changshou truly didn’t understand, he hadn’t done anything to harm heaven or earth, so why had the Heavenly Dao Lord fixated on striking him with exactly twelve bolts of divine punishment lightning?

Fortunately, he had a Nine Transformations Golden Pill to save his life, and the Mixed Origin Golden Dipper quickly stabilized his injuries and restored his energy, otherwise, he might have become the shortest-lived Golden Immortal in the history of the Primordial World!

The Primordial World was truly too dangerous.

Originally after transcending tribulation, he had repeatedly admonished himself not to float, not to become arrogant, to stay grounded, as the Golden Immortal realm was only middling in the Primordial World.

The Investiture of the Gods tribulation was just ahead, and if there were no variables, even experts like Old Zhao and the Three Xiao sisters couldn’t escape…

However, Li Changshou’s thinking had no significance at all.

Just after passing the Golden Immortal tribulation, he was immediately taught a lesson by the Heavenly Dao Lord!

That successive whipping of heavenly punishment lightning, hovering between life and death several times, made him realize how small he still was, that longevity was but a grain of sand held in one’s palm, lose your grip and it’s gone…

However, speaking of which, Lady Yunxiao’s Mixed Origin Golden Dipper was quite comfortable.

Li Changshou let out a light breath, checking his injuries, the powerful medicinal effects of the Nine Transformations Golden Pill still continuously dispersing, his injuries would heal without attention.

His Dao foundation was undamaged, his Dao fruit intact, just…

Painful.

Regardless, he had finally endured this Golden Immortal tribulation, stepping onto a completely new level.

Later he could slow down his pace of enlightenment, investing energy into merit, pill dao, spiritual treasures, escape techniques, and other aspects, comprehensively improving his strength and ability to preserve his life.

Now he could say:

Golden Immortal realm, secured!

Li Changshou concentrated his mind and pushed open that door of myriad mysteries, stepping inside!

Of course, before this, Li Changshou used his paper avatar to write notes about his upcoming twelve-year closed-door cultivation, placing them in his mansion in the Heavenly Court and under Ao Yi’s statue in the Sea God Temple, and notified the heavenly general guarding his mansion, calling out to Ao Yi once with his divine sense.

When entering the door of myriad mysteries during the immortal ascension tribulation, greatly surpassing realms was called ascension;

Now, even entering the door of myriad mysteries again during the Golden Immortal tribulation, ascension was unlikely.

The Golden Immortal realm had nine grades, with perfection being called Daluo Golden Immortal;

This was a completely new realm, also a brand new level of life, and Li Changshou didn’t know how many steps he could advance, nor was he in a hurry.

Being more steady, this time was just to consolidate his realm, not seeking advancement.

Just as Li Changshou began recuperating and entering closed-door cultivation in the Mixed Origin Golden Dipper…

In the Heavenly Court, within the Lingxiao Hall.

East Wood Lord presented a memorial to the high platform, smiling and saying: “Your Majesty, as per your request, we have organized all the various benefits of holding official divine positions in the Heavenly Court.

I believe this will also hold great attraction for the Dragon Clan.”

The white-robed youth looked down for a while, then quickly smiled and said: “Mm, very good. Remember to fully inform Beloved Official Changshou of the contents of this memorial before making it public.”

“This old servant accepts the command.”

“By the way, Wood Lord,” the white-robed youth looked at the eighteenth item written in the memorial and smiled, “guess what realm Beloved Official Changshou’s cultivation might be at?”

East Wood Lord pondered for a moment and said: “This old servant has only seen the Sea God’s avatar, truly cannot see through it, but at a minimum should be above Golden Immortal, possibly even Daluo realm. The contents of this memorial should be optional for him, which is why this old servant didn’t mention much to him before.”

“I feel the same way, these benefits for official divine positions don’t hold much meaning for Beloved Official Changshou.”

The white-robed youth slowly nodded, moving his gaze from the eighteenth ‘Official Divine Benefits’ item on the memorial, continuing to discuss some unimportant matters with East Wood Lord.

That memorial clearly stated:

Article Eighteen: If one becomes an official divine position holder in the Heavenly Court, they may be exempted from the immortal ascension tribulation, and during the Golden Immortal tribulation, they only need to hold the Heavenly Dao Divine Authority Treasure to be exempted from one level of tribulation.