Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1345: 725: Refining Treasure, Enlightenment, and Heavenly Retribution (2)

"…A Principle Crystal?!" Zhao Sheng cried out, his complexion turning ghostly pale with shock.

He had never anticipated that this session of treasure refining would produce such an incredible windfall; describing it as a stroke of divine luck would be an understatement.

In that instant, flashes of inspiration sparked within Zhao Sheng’s consciousness. With a rapid motion of his hands, he conjured multiple layers of protective barriers upon the walls of the Dao Field, sealing the entire area hermetically.

Zhao Sheng retrieved a bottle of Dragon Tiger Rejuvenation Pills, extracted a single azure elixir marked with dragon patterns, and consumed it. He immediately circulated his internal energy to digest the medicinal essence, and within moments, a deluge of mana began to replenish the Core Energy Sea inside his Dantian.

Sitting cross-legged upon the floor, Zhao Sheng focused on two tasks: internalizing the insights gained from the refining process and absorbing the medicine to restore his exhausted mana reserves.

A short while later, a boundless sea of lightning and thunder manifested within the Dao Field. Deep inside this tempest, a massive and imposing silhouette flickered, looking like an Immortal God descended upon the mortal realm.

…

Years drifted by in the silence of seclusion, and time vanished like a fleeting shadow.

Before long, the winter season had arrived at the Cloud Mist Mountain Range.

On a day marked by swirling blizzards and piercing gales, the newly established Zhao City—which spanned hundreds of miles—suddenly shuddered with violence as evening approached. A colossal pillar of azure light erupted from the city's heart, soaring upward until it pierced the very vault of heaven.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth within a radius of three thousand miles began to converge upon the city like a frenzied tide, whipping the falling snow into a cyclone and causing the weather to shift erratically.

Great expanses of obsidian clouds materialized from nothingness, swiftly blanketing the sky and forming a dense canopy that cast the city below into total gloom.

Following this, arcs of lightning and peals of thunder burst from the heavens. Countless Thunder Snakes writhed through the air, accompanied by the deafening roar of celestial fury.

The inhabitants of the city were stunned by the sight at first, but their confusion quickly transformed into radiant joy.

A Heavenly Tribulation!

The Heavenly Tribulation had finally come!

“Haha! I wonder which of our venerable ancestors has reached the peak of perfection and decided to face the tribulation today? Judging by this magnificent display, it must surely surpass even a standard Nascent Soul Thunder Tribulation!”

“Wait, this is disastrous! Everyone, flee for your lives!”

“Hurry, find cover, or the lightning will strike you down!”

“May the Heavens have mercy! New Zhao City could be leveled in a single day! What kind of monster chooses to undergo a tribulation inside the city? If I discover their identity, I will rip them limb from limb!”

“…”

Half of the city’s millions of residents began to curse the person undergoing the tribulation, their insults growing increasingly foul.

Since the dawn of time, those in the Cultivation world have sought out desolate lands to face their trials, mostly to ensure the safety of the innocent.

By choosing to face the tribulation within New Zhao City, the individual had blatantly ignored one of the most sacred taboos of the Cultivation world, sparking the collective fury and resentment of the Zhao clan.

However, almost no one realized that the target of their vitriol was actually the most honored and respected figure in the family, Ancestor Zhao Menghan.

Truthfully, even Zhao Sheng had not expected to stir up such a massive disturbance.

He had only just finished refining Zhao Menghan’s Nascent Soul into the Spirit Core when the Heavenly Dao above reacted with rage, instantly summoning divine retribution.

Zhao Sheng looked up at the gathering spirit clouds and frowned in silence. He suddenly snatched the Spirit Core Crystal Pearl from the air and, in the blink of an eye, vanished from the subterranean Dao Field.

Once he had departed, the tribulation clouds seemed to lose their focus. The number of Thunder Snakes dwindled rapidly, and the thunderclaps grew faint and infrequent.

It wasn't long before the dark clouds dissipated, and the sky regained its former peace.

This celestial phenomenon, from its mysterious arrival to its sudden conclusion, had lasted only a hundred breaths of time.

The residents of the city were left in a state of total bewilderment, except for a few high-ranking members who were now consumed by worry and desperate to enter the underground Dao Field.

“What has transpired? Is it possible… has the ancestor failed?”

“Third Brother, do not be impulsive! We must wait for Qi Tian to emerge before we do anything.”

“Sigh, the chances were slim to begin with. It appears the ancestor was unfortunate and could not change his destiny this time!”

“Be quiet! How dare you speak such cursed words? If there is a failure, I will hold you personally responsible!”

While seven or eight Golden Core Masters of the Zhao family argued, Zhao Lian’er, dressed in a long lotus-colored gown, looked toward her mother and whispered, “Mother, can you feel the ancestor’s—”

“The presence of the Cold Ancestor has disappeared, but his soul lamp remains lit,” Zhao Xingyu, a young woman clad in azure, replied with a composed expression.

The words of the family’s newest ancestor immediately silenced the group. They looked at one another, uncertain of how to proceed.

Since the lifebound soul lamp of Ancestor Menghan was currently in Zhao Xingyu’s possession, her statement was undeniable.

“Phew~ It is a relief that the ancestor still lives! My heart is finally at ease,” remarked a golden-robed elder with a ruddy complexion. This was Zhao Boci, the current patriarch of the Zhao family and a Great Master at the Ninth Stage of the Golden Core realm.

Upon hearing this, the tension left the group, and they began to offer prayers for the ancestor’s fortune, quickly calming their anxieties.

An hour passed before the heavy stone doors of the Dao Field finally creaked open. An immense, suffocating pressure surged outward, causing the Golden Core Masters waiting outside to turn pale and fall to their knees in unison.

Zhao Xingyu’s expression shifted violently. She grabbed her daughter’s hand and leaped back several paces before she could regain her footing.

A low, resonant laugh drifted from behind the stone gate. Then, a massive puppet emerged, standing over three zhang tall with the head of a tiger and the body of a man. A brilliant, wide greatsword was strapped to its hip. Each step it took caused the earth to shake, and the very air seemed to tremble under the force of its presence.

As the Spirit Puppet appeared, the tribulation clouds began to gather in the sky once more.

This time, however, the clouds were different. Their size had decreased significantly, spanning only a few thousand li, which was consistent with a Divinity Transformation Thunder Tribulation.

“A Divinity Transformation Thunder Tribulation? It seems the Heavenly Dao of this Lower Realm is indeed imperfect; even its laws have flaws that can be exploited…” Zhao Sheng pondered as he "watched" the clouds above, then shifted his gaze to the Tiger Head Spirit Puppet.

There was no doubt that Zhao Menghan was now the one inhabiting and controlling this Spirit Puppet.

Zhao Menghan looked up at the impending storm with zero fear. With an arrogant tilt of his head, he launched himself upward, smashing through the stone ceiling and leaving a massive hole in his wake.

Boom!

The earth shattered as the Tiger Head Spirit Puppet soared into the sky, charging directly into the heart of the tribulation clouds and disappearing from sight!

In the following moment, the clouds began to churn wildly. Explosions of thunder lit up the darkened world with blinding intensity.

A radiant sword light sliced through the darkness, followed by thousands of white blade-auras that bloomed like flowers, tearing the vast clouds into shreds.

A barrage of tribulation lightning struck the Spirit Puppet repeatedly, but the strikes were utterly ineffective.

The Tiger Head Spirit Puppet was completely unharmed. Its movements became smoother and more lethal, and the sword lights it swung grew in power, easily cutting through the fabric of space and leaving terrifying black Abyss Marks across the sky.