The Primordial Chaos was truly… too terrifying…

Amidst tinkling sounds, Ao Yi sat at the edge of his hundred-chi-long luxurious bed, his hands constantly trembling, spilling the nurturing tea he held, with only a little making it to his mouth.

He was shaking, trembling, his entire body quivering;

The reason for Ao Yi’s trembling wasn’t because of the Dragon Mother, Turtle Immortal, and several Dragon Clan uncles before him, nor any fear or dread of them in his heart, nor worry about what punishment he might face.

Though he had only broken out of his shell eleven or twelve years ago, he considered himself rather strong;

Before being sent to the Golden Turtle Island in the South Sea to seek discipleship with the Truncation Teaching’s Great Immortal, he had endured three months of ice pillar and iron spike torture, yet hadn’t shown the slightest submission.

The current trembling happened naturally, beyond Ao Yi’s control.

He felt his body couldn’t muster any strength, like there was a shadow in his heart, this shadow…

Was the source of the trembling!

Just slightly lifting a corner of the shadow, Ao Yi saw the ice-cold face of the human Daoist priest.

How could humans be so devious?

Just thinking of that brief battle, Ao Yi immediately trembled even more severely.

The Dragon Mother hurriedly urged several old dragons to check her second son’s condition, but the repeated conclusion they could draw was only—

Excessive drinking.

Ao Yi’s slightly protruding Adam’s apple trembled up and down as he suddenly gulped the nurturing tea brewed with dozens of precious spiritual herbs, then suddenly spat it out to the side, violently retching.

Several maids hurriedly stepped forward, but Ao Yi suddenly wailed miserably, his eyes full of terror.

“Don’t come over!

What are you trying to do!”

These delicate and beautiful maids hurriedly lowered their heads to beg forgiveness, quickly retreating.

Breathing heavily, Ao Yi covered his forehead, his trembling voice gradually steadying, “Let me be alone for a while, don’t come near me…”

“My son,” called the elegant and beautiful Dragon Mother with graceful bearing, worriedly, “What exactly happened to you!”

Ao Yi slowly put down the empty white jade spirit-gathering glass cup beside him, his hand trembling, accidentally dropping this valuable teacup onto the jade stone-paved floor.

He covered his forehead with both hands, trying to slowly lift the shadow in his heart.

The way to overcome fear was to face it!

Sleeping drugs, powerful sleeping drugs…

A square seal smashed down on his head, he was stunned by the seal, his consciousness completely blacking out…

But his body, his bloodline, retained many memories, many sensations.

In his unconsciousness, he was like a salted fish with its innards removed, repeatedly washed with seawater, inside and out, not missing any detail on his body…

Being coated with some kind of soap powder, continuing to be washed…

During the washing process, seven or eight palms constantly patted, spell after spell smashing onto his body, very much like the Dragon Palace’s head chef patting premium snowflake unicorn beef to perfect the meat texture…

In his unconsciousness, he felt at times that he was going to be eaten by that human who was like a demon!

Moreover, in a way that wouldn’t miss any piece of dragon meat on him, pan-frying, slicing, deep-frying, braising, using every possible method to process his meat, bringing out the ultimate flavor of this dragon meat feast!

This process of being treated as an ingredient was repeated at least dozens of times!

Dozens of times!

That old Daoist wasn’t human, he was the most terrifying dragon-eating fierce beast!

No, that was the humans’ true face!

During his half-month of unconsciousness, Ao Yi repeatedly relived and recalled this. When he woke to see his mother, he thought he was still dreaming, that earlier had just been a nightmare before hatching from his dragon egg…

But this wasn’t a nightmare.

In direct combat, was this how humans fought with the Dragon Clan?

Could this be the root reason why his Dragon Clan didn’t dare go to war with humans?

No chance of victory, definitely no chance of victory.

That old Daoist’s aura clearly didn’t feel strong, should have been much weaker than himself, yet could actually…

Could actually…

Then he heard two uncles speaking softly nearby:

“The protective dragon scale flashed, that thief didn’t deliver a killing blow, just made nephew Ao Yi drink a lot of alcohol. Why hasn’t he come to the Dragon Palace to receive thanks?”

“Probably thinks we’ll go back on our word and break our promise. Sigh, but according to the rules, we must thank them.”

Wh-what?

Does our Dragon Palace still have to thank that dragon-eating fierce human?

Ao Yi stood up tremblingly, just about to speak, but as the words reached his lips, before his eyes seemed to float the scene of that group of cold-faced old Daoists pressing this small dragon to the seabed, summoning endless seawater to repeatedly wash him…

Then the Dragon Clan, his own family, still had to be grateful to this demon, had to give him thanks?

Was all this within that human Daoist’s calculations?

Could any random human cultivator jump out and easily handle him, a dragon prince with Dragon King’s bloodline?

Ao Yi’s legs went weak, sitting back down on the bed edge, taking a sharp breath.

The Primordial Chaos was truly…

Too terrifying.

…

Meanwhile, in the South Sea, on a coral island near the Southern Continent mainland.

Li Changshou, disguised as a cold-faced old Daoist, sat cross-legged in a concave reef rock, his whole body’s aura gently trembling, streams of spiritual energy gathering from the sea surface.

Breathing in and out, free and at ease;

Heaven and earth clear, completely forgetting self.

Shortly after, a green light flashed on Li Changshou’s forehead, and several nine-petaled lotus flowers floated around him, slowly rotating around his form.

The initial green light bloomed then withdrew;

Sounds like mountains calling and seas surging came from within Li Changshou’s body, gradually merging with the sound of surrounding seawater washing against this small island.

Suddenly a thunderclap sounded, strands of green light floated from Li Changshou’s entire body, lotus flowers with nine petals scattered about, and a faint fresh fragrance welled up around him.

Fish and shrimp within ten li came toward the fragrance, those lotus flowers also went toward some rather spiritual beings.

But suddenly, Li Changshou’s eyes opened, filled with green light, those lotus flowers gently shattered, and sea creatures felt intense danger, immediately turning to flee far away…

Enlightening beings in the Primordial Chaos was a good deed, able to receive some merit rewards from the Heavenly Dao;

But once beings he unintentionally enlightened turned into demons harming humans, he would also bear part of the karmic burden, that bit of merit might not even be enough to offset it…

He had broken through.

Li Changshou breathed out, and looked within himself, repeatedly checking for a while.

Even looking with the most critical eye, his foundation was quite solid.

Was he about to face his immortal ascension tribulation?

Li Changshou looked up at the sky, cloudless for ten thousand li, sky azure blue;

Uh, he seemed to still lack some maturity, slightly different from his expectation of facing Heavenly Tribulation immediately upon reaching Return Dao Nine.

After all, he had been preparing for the worst-case scenario before.

Closing his eyes to concentrate, Li Changshou continued sitting in meditation, the small spirit-gathering formation arranged with spirit stones below him continuously emitting spiritual energy, which he absorbed completely without letting any escape.

In various directions within ten li, several paper person copies hid underwater, monitoring all areas, incidentally attracting potential ambushers.

There weren’t many arrangements around this reef rock, as it would certainly be destroyed when the Heavenly Tribulation descended.

He put his arrangements in slightly more distant areas, and they weren’t protective formations but exclusively escape-specialized formations.

Convenient for him to quickly relocate after finishing with the Heavenly Tribulation.

This place was already his ideal location for crossing tribulation, with no cultivator activity within a thousand li; occasionally cultivators passed by in the air, but mostly several hundred li away.

—This was related to the distribution of mortal cities on land.

After sitting in meditation for half a month, Li Changshou suddenly felt restless and uneasy, an obscure and inexplicable dao rhythm appearing around him.

Heavenly Tribulation was approaching.

After entering Return Dao Nine, it had even given him half a month to consolidate his realm, and stabilize the last bit of dao foundation—the Heavenly Dao Lord was quite ‘lenient’.

Li Changshou’s form transformed into a fish, taking advantage of the water escape technique, patrolling within a hundred li twice, then floating back to that reef rock.

Come on, he was ready.

This feeling was quite marvelous.

Like facing a major life test, studying hard for twelve years in his previous life, unable to sleep the night before that final step…

“Must not be restless, calming the mind and concentrating is key.”

Li Changshou mentally recited the mind-calming heart-clearing incantation, soon after taking out the Wuwei Scripture, holding it to carefully comprehend.

One more insight, one more bit of accumulation, his chances of crossing the Heavenly Tribulation would increase by that much.

Three days later, the feeling of approaching Heavenly Tribulation grew stronger.

The heart-clearing incantation had lost effect, and he could no longer calm his mind to gain any insights. Within three li spread an intangible pressure, making other beings subconsciously stay away from this place.

Last time his master’s Heavenly Tribulation was like this, shy and hesitant, dawdling;

He didn’t know if his Heavenly Tribulation would be gentler or would come wild and unrestrained, surging forth…

His Heavenly Tribulation.

Should be… seven or eight heavenly thunderbolts, right?

Li Changshou thought thus in his heart, relaxing his mind, not forcing himself to be calm, but experiencing this unease in his heart, this anxiety.

This was the reaction all beings would have facing Heaven’s might, unrelated to the dao realm level.

The immortal ascension tribulation also called the dao completion tribulation—Li Changshou had been pondering long ago what the two characters “completing dao” meant.

Today he already had the answer.

Qi Refinement, Spirit Transformation, Return Void, Return to Dao—these were cultivators learning from nature, imitating nature, and summarizing their own dao from within nature. This ‘dao’ was the support for becoming immortal and achieving longevity.

The immortal ascension tribulation was the Heavenly Dao’s ‘testing’ of the cultivator’s dao, seeing if this cultivator’s condensed dao qualified for immortality.

At the same time, this tribulation was also training to help cultivators transcend mortality, letting cultivators achieve sublimation through their own dao.

Born as a spirit, transformed to become immortal.

Dao and dao realm couldn’t be generalized; in Li Changshou’s view, giving one’s dao some kind of title was quite inappropriate behavior.

Just like human nature: steadiness is thus, panic is thus, boldness and shyness are thus, anxiety and openness are thus.

Dao was the same.

“I, am the same.”

Li Changshou closed his eyes showing a slight smile, suddenly gentle winds arose around him, turning into whirlwinds rising toward the sky.

Muffled thunder sounded, and the sea surface’s weather suddenly changed, hundreds of zhang high in the sky, patches of grey-black tribulation clouds rapidly surged forth, covering nearby ten li of sea area.

Above the clouds seemed to be mountains, seemed to be treasure pagodas, also seemed to have heavenly soldiers in formation, and giant gods beating drums.

The tribulation clouds showed various strange phenomena, while below the tribulation clouds slowly began rotating, looking from afar like forming a sea waterspout.

But this waterspout only formed halfway, lightning flashing and thunder rumbling within!

Li Changshou slowly stood up on the reef rock, dusted his robes, casually pointed, and twelve Law Lord bird cages had already opened around him, several pills ready in his sleeve.

Greenlight is contained throughout his dao body, primordial spirit power completely condensed.

Expelling a final breath of turbid qi, Li Changshou looked up, and then…

Made a respectful Daoist salute, using the most orthodox ancient etiquette.

Then spoke clearly:

“Daoist disciple now addresses Azure Heaven:

Grateful for Azure Heaven dropping the dao completion tribulation, the disciple sincerely accepts.

Establishing one’s dao, becoming a worry-free immortal.

If when tribulation falls, the disciple cannot bear it, the body dies and the dao disappears, it is simply that the disciple’s dao is insufficient to share longevity with heaven and earth, a heart without complaint.

Great Dao resounding, Heavenly Dao righteous.

Thanks to Heavenly Dao’s care, dropping the immortal ascension opportunity!”

Boom—

The tribulation clouds seemed to respond, yet also seemed not to hear what Li Changshou said, the tribulations might show no change.

In the tribulation cloud vortex, several well-mouth-sized lightning marks flickered, and weak electric arcs appeared around Li Changshou.

His form slowly flew up, twelve Law Lord bird cages also slowly drifting apart on the sea surface, spacing out, prepared for later use.

When Li Changshou flew to nine zhang high, three silver-white lightning marks simultaneously shone, bursting forth with electric snake-like lightning!

These thunderbolts gathered in the middle position into millstone-thick lightning, smashing down toward Li Changshou’s head. Li Changshou’s spiritual sense didn’t feel any danger, yet he still raised his entire body’s spiritual power, contained throughout his body.

His dao body scattered weak glorious light, subsequently swallowed by the lightning!

The first bolt had power roughly equal to the third bolt when the master crossed tribulation.

His Heavenly Tribulation indeed couldn’t be underestimated.

The lightning was completely blocked by Li Changshou, he looked up toward the sky, and then calmly waited.

The ‘striking’ feeling from that lightning just now…

Itchy, numbing, streams of immortal spirit energy already brewing within his body, primordial spirit also soaking in the lightning.

Unexpectedly…

Quite comfortable.