“Get back!” Song Qian Ji turned his head and shouted sternly.

He had to undergo his tribulation immediately.

The worst thing he feared had finally happened.

Wei Ping refused to leave: “I’ll protect you!”

Song Qian Ji had blocked a sword strike from Lin Fei Yuan for him. Though he claimed it was just a flesh wound, his shoulder injury was still bleeding. Who knew how severe his injuries truly were, or if he was just putting on a brave face?

Ji Chen showed unprecedented firmness as he forcibly pulled Wei Ping away:

“Trust Brother Song! If you go over there to take the lightning for him, he’ll have to divide his attention to protect you!”

The lightning tribulation was Heaven’s test, ignoring any protective formations. It was also Heaven’s blessing, containing tremendous energy.

When cultivators emerged from seclusion to undergo tribulation, most chose places with excellent feng shui to easily absorb spiritual energy, with their masters or clan elders standing nearby to protect them.

Those with greater resources would consume “Body Tempering Pills” beforehand to increase their lightning resistance. Then they would take “Lightning Conversion Pills” to absorb as much energy from the tribulation as possible to refine their meridians.

When struck by the same lightning, some would suffer charred skin and bleeding, but would emerge reborn, making their next breakthrough much smoother.

Others would bring out all their magical treasures, barely surviving the tribulation, only to be left with injuries. Besides breaking through to the next realm, they gained no benefits at all.

How much one could absorb from the lightning tribulation depended on the cultivator’s innate talent, the experience of their protectors, and also luck.

Looking up at the tribulation clouds filled with lightning, everyone’s faces turned pale, their souls trembling. This was the power of the Heavenly Dao intimidating cultivators, just as earthquakes and tsunamis intimidated ordinary people.

Ji Chen stood with his mouth agape: “How can this be? Even when my uncle formed his Nascent Soul, the tribulation clouds weren’t this powerful!”

The entire Thousand Canals County was covered.

The entire Western Continent witnessed this tribulation.

Countless cultivators emerged from their caves and halls, gathering on mountain peaks, rooftops, and other open areas, activating their spiritual energy to observe.

The curious ones mounted their flying swords to see farther.

“Which ancestral master is undergoing tribulation?”

“The lightning is light purple, this person must still be young. Which family’s descendant is undergoing tribulation?”

“With such momentum, could it be Midnight Manjusri in the Western Continent?”

“No, this is the Golden Core tribulation, and the clouds are in the direction of Thousand Canals County!”

On Hua Wei Mountain, flying swords filled the sky like a forest.

True Person Xu Yun sat solemnly in the Qiankun Hall, his expression even darker than the tribulation clouds.

Counting the days, today was the day of the assassination.

Song Qian Ji hadn’t died but was instead undergoing tribulation.

Deep within the Zhao family’s ancestral home, an elderly sigh resonated.

Zhao Tai Ji knew why the ancestor was sighing—the assassination had failed, and Lin Fei Yuan had surely died.

He dared not enter the room, standing in the snow-covered courtyard, nearly becoming a snowman himself, raising his head in bitter resentment: “I only hope he’s already severely injured, with no strength to endure the tribulation.”

Song Qian Ji had grown accustomed to enduring hardships in his previous life, so he showed no fear now.

His face calm as water, he raised both hands, quickly changing formations, forming a magical seal, and shouted: “Come!”

The lightning gathered its power, purple electricity flickering, the black clouds splitting open to form a gap, creating a purple column of lightning connecting heaven and earth.

This lightning was magnificent; after striking Song Qian Ji, the entire Thousand Canals Town would likely experience an earthquake.

People attending the “Harvest Festival” had already evacuated from Thousand Canals Town under the guidance of the city defense team, gathering on the main street.

When the crowd first panicked, people were frightened and bumped into each other, but fortunately, no one was hurt.

Ji Xing activated her spiritual energy and loudly directed the evacuation:

“There are assassins inside, all cultivators, extremely powerful, don’t go in…”

“Immortal Official Song was attacked, we escaped, but what about him?” Carpenter Liu suddenly asked.

The natural fear ordinary people had for cultivators disappeared at this moment, and a group of Thousand Canals residents refused to leave, grabbing nearby bamboo poles, brooms, and vegetable baskets:

“Kill the assassins, protect Immortal Official Song!”

The crowd was in a fervor. Iron Three Ox from the Ministry of Works shouted: “Immortal Lady Ji, lead us back to fight!”

“Huh?” Ji Xing was startled: “The… the assassin has already been subdued!”

Usually when working on canals or farming, these people were honest and hardworking, but who would have expected them to suddenly erupt with such fervor.

The sky suddenly darkened, clouds gathered, purple lightning flashed, and the pressure was immense.

The people of Thousand Canals had never seen such a spectacular phenomenon. It seemed that just one glance would drain all the strength from their bodies.

Ji Xing exclaimed happily: “The lightning tribulation has come, Brother Song is about to undergo his tribulation! Everyone, don’t go in, let him focus on his breakthrough!”

Someone pointed to the sky and screamed: “Immortal Official Song is a good person, he shouldn’t be struck by lightning!”

“Immortal Official Song shouldn’t be struck by lightning!”

Ji Xing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “This is the lightning tribulation, it’s a good thing.”

Song Qian Ji looked up.

The massive column of purple lightning descended.

It descended rather than struck, and there was no sound.

Song Qian Ji’s expression changed as he watched the lightning fall, but a faint golden light rose around his body, forming a protective shield that kept the lightning at bay.

The golden shield seemed to have a temperature; the descending lightning column melted rapidly like snow, with threads of purple smoke penetrating the barrier like sweet rain or light snow, gently falling on his body, shoulders, and face, penetrating his skin, flesh, moistening every bone and meridian.

“Merit Golden Light Protection!” Wei Ping exclaimed.

“Isn’t that just a legend from books?” Ji Chen was still dazed. Just a moment ago, he thought Song Qian Ji would be struck nearly to death, but now this unexpected golden light had appeared.

Legend had it that when ancient powerful beings underwent tribulation, those with virtue would be protected by golden light, fully gaining the power of lightning without being harmed at all.

Song Qian Ji lowered his hands in astonishment as the spiritual dew in his meridians converged towards his Violet Palace, condensing into a rapidly rotating Golden Core.

The Golden Core kept growing, instantly breaking through early-stage, mid-stage, and late-stage, to the Great Perfection of the Golden Core.

He was more bewildered than ordinary people.

“Boom!”

The pressure around his body exploded, shattering the core to form a Nascent Soul!

The Nascent Soul quickly absorbed the energy from the lightning, radiating light, constantly changing.

Song Qian Ji came to his senses, hurriedly stabilizing his breath, forcefully keeping his realm at mid-stage Nascent Soul.

The lightning finally dissipated, and the black tribulation clouds changed color, transforming into colorful clouds spreading across the sky.

The fierce wind became gentle, with what seemed like music playing in the breeze.

“Brother Song broke through two tribulations at once!”

Wei Ping, Ji Chen, and others rushed over. Surrounded by everyone, Song Qian Ji let out a breath. He opened his mouth to speak when suddenly the Pure Bottle inside his body violently shook.

The Immortal Spring that had absorbed the heavenly lightning’s power suddenly gushed out, instantly pulling his consciousness into the Violet Palace.

Amidst a chorus of anxious exclamations, Song Qian Ji fell backward.

Before closing his eyes, he had only one thought: Careless, the Immortal Spring is coming for me too.

…

Song Qian Ji stood in a field of golden wheat.

The sun shone brightly, and a gentle breeze passed through, creating rolling waves of wheat, dreamlike and fantastical.

Song Qian Ji laughed self-mockingly: “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

The reason Heaven and Earth treasures were precious was because they could not only attack and heal but also open up “domains” for cultivators.

In his previous life, Song Qian Ji was hunted down because of a rumor from an unknown source:

It was said that he would use the Immortal Spring from the Pure Bottle to create his small world, becoming its creator and ruler, not caring about this world’s fate.

Once the Sky-Supporting Tree died, those who obeyed him would be brought into his domain as slaves. Those who resisted would only face death.

People didn’t believe that a notorious commoner would truly save the world.

Song Qian Ji’s domain was now just a phantom within his Violet Palace, constantly fluctuating.

After the “domain” solidified and manifested externally, it would become its world, with rules created by him.

Such was the immense power and authority.

Song Qian Ji lay in the wheat field for a while, squinting in the illusory sunlight.

“Ancient texts say that the Thousand Canals King’s domain was a chess scale, with the sky as the board and stars as pieces…”

“Legend has it that Xian Jian Chen’s domain was a sword forest, with countless swords and bones everywhere…”

“In the River of Time, Wei Zhen Yu’s domain after reaching Divine Transformation was a sea of fire, blazing fiercely, burning everything.”

“If I were to fight someone and release my domain, wow, a field of wheat, wouldn’t my enemies laugh at me? Is this appropriate? Does this make any sense?”

After Song Qian Ji’s three cold laughs, the Pure Bottle trembled slightly, the divine power of the Immortal Spring erupting.

The sky suddenly changed, and a heavy rain poured down on the wheat field.

Song Qian Ji wiped his face: “Are you throwing a tantrum? I can’t even ask a casual question?”