The Primordial was truly... too terrifying...
In a cacophony of clinking sounds, Ao Yi sat on the edge of his hundred-foot-long luxurious bed, his hands trembling incessantly, the nourishing tea in his hands spilling everywhere. Only a small amount made it to his lips.
He was shaking, trembling, his entire body quivering.
The reason for Ao Yi's trembling was not fear or dread of the Dragon Mother, the Turtle Immortal, or the several dragon elders present, nor was it worry about what punishment he might receive.
Though he had only hatched eleven or twelve years ago, he considered himself fairly resilient.
Before being sent to the Golden Turtle Island in the Southern Sea to apprentice under a Jie Teaching great immortal, he had endured three months of ice pillars and iron spikes without the slightest sign of submission.
This trembling was happening naturally, beyond Ao Yi's control.
He felt as though his body had no strength whatsoever, as though a shadow had settled in his heart—and this shadow...
Was the root of the trembling!
When Ao Yi lifted a corner of that shadow, he saw the cold face of a human old Daoist.
*How could humans be this cunning?*
Just thinking of that brief battle made Ao Yi tremble even more violently.
The Dragon Mother beside him hurriedly urged the old dragons to examine her second son's condition, but the conclusions the old dragons repeatedly reached could only be—
Excessive drinking.
Ao Yi's recently prominent Adam's apple bobbed up and down. He suddenly took a large gulp of the nourishing tea—brewed from dozens of rare spiritual herbs—only to spray the spiritual tea to one side and retch violently.
Several handmaidens rushed forward, but Ao Yi suddenly let out a miserable howl, his eyes filled with terror.
"Don't come near me!
What are you doing?!"
The delicate, beautiful handmaidens hurriedly bowed in apology and retreated.
Panting heavily, Ao Yi clutched his forehead. His trembling voice gradually slowed: "Let me be alone. Don't come near me..."
"My son," the dignified, elegant Dragon Mother called with worry, "what on earth is wrong with you?!"
Ao Yi slowly set down his empty white jade Tranquility Cup, but his hand shook and he accidentally dropped the expensive teacup onto the jade-paved floor.
He clutched his forehead with both hands, trying to slowly peel back the shadow in his heart.
*The way to conquer fear is to face it!*
Sleeping potion—a powerful sleeping potion...
The square seal had crashed down on his head, stunning him, his consciousness falling into total darkness...
But his body, his bloodline, had retained many memories, many sensations.
In his unconscious state, he had felt like a salted fish with its innards removed, being repeatedly washed with seawater—from the inside out, not a single detail of his body spared...
He had been coated in some kind of soap powder and continued to be washed...
During the washing, seven or eight hands kept striking him, spells and techniques slamming into his body—exactly like the Dragon Palace chefs tenderizing premium Snowflake Aurochs beef to make the texture more perfect...
In his unconsciousness, he had once felt that he was about to be eaten by that human who was like a demonic monster!
That sort of preparation where not a single piece of dragon meat was spared—pan-fried, sliced, deep-fried, braised—they would use every possible method to prepare his flesh, bringing the flavor of this dragon-meat feast to its absolute peak!
This process of being treated as an ingredient had been repeated at least dozens of times!
*Dozens of times!*
*That old Daoist isn't human—he's the most terrifying dragon-eating beast!*
*No—that's the true face of humanity!*
During his half-month of unconsciousness, Ao Yi had repeatedly relived and replayed these experiences. When he awoke and saw his mother, he had thought he was dreaming—that everything before had been a nightmare he'd had before hatching from his dragon egg...
But this was no nightmare.
When engaging in direct combat, was this how humans fought dragons?
*Could this be why the dragon clan doesn't dare go to war with humanity?*
*There's no chance of winning. Absolutely no chance.*
*That old Daoist's aura—I clearly felt it wasn't strong. He should have been much weaker than me. Yet he managed to...*
*To...*
He heard the two elders speaking in low voices nearby:
"The Protective Dragon Scale flashed, and the culprit didn't deliver a killing blow. He only administered a great deal of wine to our nephew Ao Yi. Why hasn't he come to the Dragon Palace to claim his reward?"
"Perhaps he feared we would break our word and violate the agreement.
Sigh, but according to the rules, we must express our gratitude to him."
*Wh-what?*
*The Dragon Palace still has to thank that dragon-eating fiend?*
Ao Yi stood shakily, about to speak, but the words caught in his throat. Before his eyes, the images surfaced again—those cold-faced old Daoists pinning him, a small dragon, against the seafloor, summoning endless seawater to wash him repeatedly...
And then the dragon clan, his own family, would have to be grateful to this demonic monster and offer him gifts?
*Was all of this part of that human old Daoist's calculations?*
*Can just any human cultivator step forward and easily overpower a dragon prince of the Dragon King's bloodline?*
Ao Yi's legs went weak and he collapsed back onto the bed, drawing in a sharp breath.
The Primordial was truly...
Too terrifying.
......
Meanwhile, on a coral island near the Southern Continent in the Southern Sea.
The cold-faced old Daoist that Li Changshou had transformed into sat cross-legged in a hollowed-out reef. His aura trembled gently as wisps of spiritual energy converged from the sea surface.
Breathing in and out, naturally and at ease;
Heaven and earth were clear, and he was utterly lost in himself.
After a while, a green light flickered on Li Changshou's forehead. Several nine-petaled lotuses drifted from his body, slowly orbiting around him.
The green light bloomed briefly before withdrawing.
From within Li Changshou's body came waves of sounds like mountains roaring and seas surging, gradually merging with the sound of the surrounding seawater lashing against the small island.
Suddenly, a thunderclap rang out. Threads of green light drifted from Li Changshou's body as nine-petaled lotuses scattered outward. A faint fragrance also wafted from his surroundings.
Fish and shrimp within ten li of the sea were drawn by the scent, and the lotuses drifted toward some particularly spiritual creatures.
But suddenly, Li Changshou's eyes snapped open, brimming with green light. The lotuses gently disintegrated, and the sea creatures, sensing intense danger, immediately turned and fled into the distance...
Bestowing sentience upon creatures in the Primordial was actually a meritorious act, earning a small amount of karmic merit from the Heavenly Way.
But if any creature he had inadvertently enlightened later transformed into a demon and harmed the human race, he would also bear a portion of the karmic debt—and that small amount of merit might not even cover it...
He had broken through.
Li Changshou exhaled, examined his interior, and inspected himself repeatedly.
Even by the most exacting standards, his foundation was rock solid.
Now to face his Ascension Tribulation?
Li Changshou looked up at the sky—clear and blue for ten thousand li, not a cloud in sight.
*It seems I'm still a bit short... My situation is slightly different from what I'd expected—that upon charging into the Return to the Dao, Ninth Stage, I would immediately face Heaven's Tribulation.*
After all, he had always prepared for the worst-case scenario.
He closed his eyes in concentration and continued meditating. A small Spirit-Gathering Formation arranged with spirit stones beneath him continuously emitted spiritual energy, which he absorbed without letting a single wisp escape.
Hidden in the seabed at various directions within a ten-li radius, several paper incarnations stood guard, monitoring all areas and attracting any potential ambushers.
There weren't many arrangements around this reef. When the tribulation fell, this place would certainly be destroyed.
He had placed his formations further away, and they weren't defensive formations either—purely escape-oriented arrays.
To allow him to relocate quickly after surviving his tribulation.
This was the ideal tribulation site he had found—within a thousand li, no cultivator activity. Occasionally, cultivators flying overhead were hundreds of li away.
—This was related to the distribution of mortal cities on land.
After half a month of meditation, Li Changshou suddenly felt a restless, uneasy sensation. A strange, ineffable Dao resonance enveloped his surroundings.
Heaven's Tribulation was approaching.
After entering the Return to the Dao, Ninth Stage, he had been given half a month to consolidate his realm and solidify his final trace of Dao foundation. The Lord of the Heavenly Way was quite "tolerant."
Li Changshou transformed into a fish and used the Water Escape to patrol the surrounding hundred li twice before drifting back to the reef.
*Come. I'm ready.*
This feeling was actually quite wondrous.
It was like facing a major life test—like the night in his previous life before the final exam after twelve years of hard study, when no matter what he did, he couldn't fall asleep...
"Must not be restless. Calm the mind and focus."
Li Changshou silently recited the Heart-Clearing Incantation. Shortly after, he produced the Wuwei Scripture and held it in his hands, studying it carefully.
One more insight, one more bit of accumulation—one more fraction of certainty in surviving the tribulation.
Three days later, the premonition of the tribulation's arrival grew stronger.
The Heart-Clearing Incantation had lost its effectiveness. He could no longer calm his mind to study anything further. Within three li, a faint, almost imperceptible pressure permeated the air, subconsciously driving all other life forms away from the area.
Last time, his master's tribulation had been like this—shy, hesitant, dragging its feet.
*Who knows whether my tribulation will be gentle, or wild and fierce, crashing in with abandon...*
His own Heaven's Tribulation.
It should be seven or eight strikes of heavenly lightning.
Li Changshou thought to himself, relaxing his mind. He didn't force himself to be calm but instead savored the unease, the anxiety in his heart.
This was the reaction all living beings had when facing the majesty of heaven, regardless of their Dao realm.
The Ascension Tribulation, also known as the Dao-Forming Tribulation. Li Changshou had long pondered what the words "forming the Dao" truly meant.
Today, he finally had his answer.
Qi Refinement, Spirit Transformation, Return to Void, Return to the Dao—these were the stages by which a cultivator learned from nature, emulated nature, and within nature, formulated their own Dao. This "Dao" was the pillar supporting one's immortal longevity.
The Ascension Tribulation was the Heavenly Way's "test" of a cultivator's Dao—examining whether the Dao the cultivator had crystallized was qualified to ascend to immortality.
At the same time, this tribulation was the trial that aided a cultivator in transcending the mortal, allowing the cultivator to sublimate through their own Dao.
Born as spirits, transformed into immortals.
Dao and Dao realm could not be conflated. Giving one's personal Dao a specific title was, in Li Changshou's view, highly inappropriate.
Just as with human temperament—calm was one way, flustered another; bold or shy, anxious or magnanimous—all equally valid.
The Dao was the same.
"As am I."
Li Changshou closed his eyes with a faint smile. Suddenly, a gentle breeze rose around him, spiraling upward into the sky.
A muffled thunderclap sounded. The sky above the sea changed dramatically. Hundreds of zhang high, masses of gray-black tribulation clouds surged in, blanketing the surrounding ten li of ocean.
The clouds above seemed to contain mountain ranges, pagodas, rows of heavenly soldiers, and giant deities beating war drums.
The tribulation clouds displayed various strange phenomena, while the clouds below began to slowly rotate—seen from a distance, it looked as though a sea waterspout was forming.
But the waterspout had only half-formed when lightning blazed within it, accompanied by deafening thunder!
Li Changshou slowly rose on the reef, shook out his robe, and with a casual flick of his finger, twelve Far-Whatever Birdcages deployed around him. Several pills were already prepared in his sleeve.
His Dao body radiated faint green light, and the power of his primordial spirit had fully condensed.
Exhaling his final breath of turbid air, Li Changshou looked upward, and then...
He performed a formal Daoist bow—the most orthodox ancient greeting.
And declared in a clear voice:
"Your disciple of the Dao Sect now addresses the firmament:
In reverence, I receive the Tribulation of Dao-Formation bestowed by the heavens. Your disciple accepts it in earnest.
To establish one's own Dao, to become an immortal free of worry.
Should the tribulation fall and I prove unable to withstand it, perishing with my Dao—that would simply mean my Dao is insufficient to endure alongside heaven and earth. I hold no resentment.
The Great Dao resonates true; the Heavenly Way stands upright.
Thank you, Heavenly Way, for your benevolence in granting this opportunity for ascension!"
*Boom—*
The tribulation clouds seemed to respond—or perhaps they hadn't heard a word Li Changshou had said. The might of the tribulation remained unchanged.
Within the tribulation cloud vortex, several lightning spots the size of well-mouths flickered. Faint arcs of electricity appeared around Li Changshou's body.
His figure slowly rose into the air. The twelve Far-Whatever Birdcages also drifted apart across the sea surface, spreading out to serve as contingencies later.
When Li Changshou reached a height of nine zhang, three silver-white lightning spots ignited simultaneously, erupting into serpentine bolts of lightning!
The lightning converged in the center into a pillar as thick as a millstone and smashed straight down upon Li Changshou. His spiritual sense detected no danger, yet he still channeled all his mana, distributing it throughout his body.
His Dao body emitted a faint luminescence before being engulfed by the lightning!
The first strike's power was roughly on par with the third bolt of his master's tribulation?
His own tribulation truly couldn't be underestimated.
Li Changshou withstood every last bit of the lightning. He looked up at the sky above, then waited patiently.
The "post-strike sensation" from the lightning just now...
It was tingling, numbing, and wisps of immortal qi were already brewing within his body. His primordial spirit was also bathing in the lightning's glow.
Unexpectedly...
It felt rather pleasant.