Chapter Ninety-Five: Confronting the Heavenly Tribulation

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Zhou Bai chose the hour of midnight, when the yin energy was at its peak, to undergo the heavenly tribulation. He had prepared thoroughly; the timing and location were perfect. Now all that was left was to wait patiently.

Every person’s experience with the heavenly tribulation was different; there was no set guide or precedent. Zhou Bai cleared his mind of distractions, ready to respond calmly to whatever might come.

As time passed slowly, nearing midnight, Zhou Bai sat cross-legged in the center of the spiritual array and released the salted fish as well.

The salted fish seemed uneasy in the unfamiliar environment. After all, this spiritual array was devoid of demonic qi, filled only with the densest yin energy imaginable.

He placed them aside because although the tribulation directly affected Zhou Bai, the thunder also had a refining effect on one’s true essence.

The tribulation of the true body generally came in four waves, each terrifyingly powerful. Successfully enduring them meant stepping through the gateway to the next realm.

If one failed, the spiritual array would be immediately destroyed, dispersing the tribulation. But ending the tribulation prematurely inevitably caused partial demonic transformation.

That was how many half-human, half-demonic creatures at the Underworld Registry came to be.

Zhou Bai closed his eyes to conserve energy, silently counting the time. When the moment was right, he fully activated the spiritual array.

At first, he felt some unease. The path of formation arrays was intricate—one slight misstep could cause the entire effect to fail.

But as the yin energy began to gather, he knew the array had succeeded. Now came the crucial part.

As the yin energy converged, it gradually morphed from thick mist into liquid. Soon, the sky responded.

Thunder roared, and raindrops began to fall, growing from small droplets into a torrential downpour.

Though the spiritual array enveloped the burial ground, it did not block the rain. Within moments, the ground inside became muddy.

The salted fish adapted remarkably well to this damp environment. Under its water control technique, gentle streams danced around it.

Zhou Bai took a deep breath and rose from the ground. He did not waste the yin energy by blocking the rain, but the Ghost Tree thoughtfully shielded part of him with its leaves.

Above, the storm clouds thickened, concentrated over the burial ground, descending lower with each passing moment.

The thunder booming nearby naturally drew the attention of the road-blocking officials below the mountain. But having been warned beforehand, they dared not stir, assuming immortals were performing rites to slay demons atop the mountain.

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Wen Meng and Daoist Hou stood on the city wall of Hangdu, watching as the storm clouds grew denser and lightning flashes multiplied, though no bolts had yet struck.

Daoist Hou had long suspected Zhou Bai was about to undergo the tribulation. Though unaware of the exact link between the heavenly tribulation and the true body, he assumed it was a necessary path for cultivation.

“Damn it, this whole scene looks like some demon about to transform,” Wen Meng muttered.

He didn’t expect a reply. Shaking his head, though he had never embarked on the path of the true body himself, he recognized that Zhou Bai’s tribulation was far beyond the ordinary.

Even from this distance, the might of the thunder struck awe and fear. Zhou Bai, standing beneath it all, bore unimaginable pressure.

Within, his heart was pounding. The Ghost Tree drew upon the yin veins to continuously bolster Zhou Bai’s body.

The salted fish, perhaps recalling its instinctive memories from leaping the dragon gate in a previous life, trembled under the thunder’s assault.

Under such terrifying pressure, more than half an hour passed before the lightning began to change.

Within the dense black clouds, the lightning converged, shifting to a pale blue hue.

“Come then,” Zhou Bai muttered. His right hand rested on the Tang Dao blade. He had not brought the butcher’s cleaver this time, as it was a ferocious weapon likely to be shattered by the tribulation’s thunder.

Boom!

A deafening roar echoed as lightning struck with fierce intensity, spreading through the air like a serpent of blue electricity.

Luckily, the lightning’s speed was slow enough for Zhou Bai to prepare thoroughly. He lifted himself, planted his feet firmly, and leapt into the lightning.

As he neared the strike, the bolt split into one large and two smaller currents. The main target was Zhou Bai; the secondary strikes aimed at the Ghost Tree and the salted fish.

The moment the thunder struck him, a tingling numbness spread throughout his body, causing his muscles to spasm uncontrollably.

This caught Zhou Bai off guard. From what he had read in cultivation stories of his past life, thunder tribulations were purely destructive, and protagonists could usually counter them with spells and treasures.

Yet this bolt knocked him to the ground, leaving him immobile. The yin energy, powerless against such a purifying weapon, dissipated rapidly—more than half vanished in an instant.

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The Ghost Tree and salted fish fared no better. The tree’s trunk bore a deep, jagged scar covered in lightning, preventing easy recovery.

The salted fish was thoroughly roasted; its belly flipped upward, the silver-white body charred black, filling the air with a fragrant aroma.

“Damn you…” Zhou Bai cursed under his breath, barely finishing before the second bolt of tribulation thunder struck relentlessly, now a deep blue and again splitting into three streams.

This time, all the yin energy in his body was completely extinguished. Zhou Bai could have replenished it from the Ghost Tree, but a glance revealed the tree’s branches were more than half broken by the two bolts, its roots scorched to various degrees.

He steadied his mind and examined his injuries carefully. His flesh was melting in many places, entwined by the relentless electricity.

Neither the book and flower in his lower dantian nor the precious pearl in his upper dantian stirred at all. Instead, the beings formed by his mortal techniques panicked.

Zhou Bai knew that from this point forward, he could rely only on himself. Taking a deep breath, he forced calm upon himself.

According to the Underworld Registry’s records on the heavenly tribulation, opinions varied, but mastering the true body under its trial was essential. He had not expected circumstances to be so dire.

Under the tribulation’s power, the postnatal yin vein of the burial ground showed signs of collapse, slowing the Ghost Tree’s yin energy replenishment drastically.

Fortunately, after the two bolts, the third did not come immediately, granting him a moment to recover.

The lightning in the clouds now glowed purple—this next bolt would be no ordinary trial.

Wen Meng’s face had turned ashen. He lowered the soft ladder from the city wall and beckoned Daoist Hou down.

“This tribulation is too powerful. We need to check on the burial ground. I’m afraid Zhou Bai won’t have the strength to destroy the spiritual array, so it’ll have to be you.”

Daoist Hou’s expression stiffened. “I’m just an ordinary little zongzi—am I really up to facing the heavenly tribulation?”