Time flowed by second by second, and terrifying Lightning Tribulations struck down one after another.
Li Mu’s eyes were wide, and his hands were tightly clenched into fists, his fingernails digging deep into his palms, yet he felt no pain.
He stared intently at Xue Er, who was Undergoing Tribulation, anxious and uneasy, wishing he could take her place.
Under the endless Lightning Tribulation, Xue Er’s fur was now scorched and curled in the lightning, and bloody, mangled wounds were exposed beneath her skin.
Blood and lightning intertwined, a gruesome sight that was shocking to behold.
Each bolt of the Xenomorph True Spirit Thunder Tribulation contained terrifying destructive power.
Xue Er seemed to be in an endless purgatory, her body swaying precariously under the ravages of the Lightning Tribulation, and her six fox tails broke off one after another.
The breaking of each fox tail was like cutting off a part of Xue Er’s Divine Soul, doubling her pain and despair.
“Xue Er, take the purple jade dao pill, quickly!”
Li Mu waved his hand, throwing out a Spirit Pill that landed in front of Xue Er, urging her with his Divine Thought.
However, Xue Er was deaf to his words.
She simply looked at Li Mu, a hint of determination and reluctance flashing in her eyes, and time seemed to stand still at that moment.
As Xue Er’s last fox tail was struck off by the Lightning Tribulation, it seemed to herald the end of this Lightning Tribulation.
Li Mu looked at the scene before him in disbelief, his heart feeling as if an invisible hand was tightly clutching it, and his breathing became difficult.
Qingyang Zi’s brows were tightly furrowed, and a look of regret appeared on his face.
He shouldn’t have persuaded Xue Er to forgo the aid of a Dao Artifact, which led to her tragic death under the Lightning Tribulation.
“No way! Miss Xue Er failed her Undergoing Tribulation!”
The three Elders of the Seven Profound Sect felt a mix of emotions, their faces filled with disbelief.
They all looked at Li Mu, filled with worry.
The relationship between the Sect Master and Xue Er was extraordinary; if she were to perish, it would undoubtedly be a huge blow to him.
However, they soon noticed something unusual.
The worry and sorrow on the Sect Master’s face suddenly vanished, replaced by a look of pleasant surprise.
Seeing this, the three of them all looked up towards the Tribulation Transcending Platform.
At this moment, the aura between heaven and earth suddenly underwent a subtle change.
The rampant Lightning Tribulation had stopped, yet the thunderclouds had not receded, as if an even more powerful force was brewing within them.
Could it be that Miss Xue Er had not perished?
Indeed!
Under the terrifying Lightning Tribulation, Xue Er, though covered in wounds with six tails broken, had not fallen.
Her eyes were tightly closed, her face serene, as if she was immersed in some profound meditation.
A warm and gentle silver light suddenly surged around her, and her body radiated a different kind of vitality.
Her originally scorched and battered body actually began to slowly recover under the action of this mysterious power.
The wounds healed at a visible speed, and the scorched fur gradually fell off, replaced by softer, shinier silver fur.
Even more astonishingly, the six broken fox tails miraculously regrew under the nourishment of this power, and they were even thicker and stronger than before.
Five tails, six tails, seven tails, eight tails, nine tails!
Nine tails unfolded behind Xue Er, and her body was gradually enveloped by a faint silver glow, like the most dazzling spirit under the moonlight, exuding a sacred and inviolable aura.
“No destruction, no construction; breaking the cocoon for Rebirth.
The Heavenly Fox Bloodline has been successfully activated!”
Qingyang Zi was overjoyed.
He hadn’t expected Xue Er to be able to be Rebirth in such a desperate situation and unleash the full potential of the Nine-Tailed Sky Fox.
The three Elders of the Seven Profound Sect were also deeply shocked.
They looked at each other, their eyes filled with pleasant surprise.
Not only did Xue Er not die under the Lightning Tribulation, but she also completed the Awakening and transformation of her Bloodline during the Lightning Tribulation, advancing to become a true Nine-Tailed Sky Fox.
This True Spirit Thunder Tribulation was very likely to be overcome.
“Xue Er…” Li Mu called out softly with joy, his voice trembling slightly.
Xue Er slowly opened her eyes, and her gaze met Li Mu’s.
No words were needed between them; everything was understood without speaking.
“Li Dage, I’m fine.” Xue Er smiled slightly, sending a mental message back to Li Mu, and then looked up at the thunderclouds above her head, fully immersing herself in Undergoing Tribulation.
After a brief silence, the terrifying thunderclouds suddenly surged again, but no longer in the previous wild and chaotic manner.
Instead, they moved with a strange rhythm, and more powerful lightning was brewing in the clouds, as if it wasn’t just simple destructive power, but more like a test and recognition from heaven and earth for a strong Cultivator.
“Crack!” A crimson bolt of lightning suddenly streaked across the sky and struck down fiercely towards Xue Er.
Xue Er shifted her posture, gathering her nine tails around her entire body, wrapping herself up like an eggshell, and the silver glow of her fox tails formed a light shield.
“Boom!” With a loud bang, the lightning collided with the light shield, erupting in a dazzling light that illuminated the entire world as if it were daytime.
The light shield trembled violently but was not broken by the lightning.
Instead, it became even more stable under the terrifying impact.
Crimson lightning danced on the light shield, and crimson lightning snakes coiled around it, attempting to penetrate the seemingly fragile barrier.
However, the power of the Nine-Tailed Sky Fox was far from simple.
The silver glow shield seemed to possess life, containing endless vitality.
“Crack!” Another bolt of lightning struck down.
The second, the third….
In a short while, Xue Er was once again submerged by countless crimson lightning bolts.
Xue Er closed her eyes and concentrated, the Bloodline Power of the Nine-Tailed Sky Fox within her boiling to the extreme, engaging in a fierce confrontation with this endless lightning power, while simultaneously enduring the lightning striking her body.
At this moment, Xue Er was fully immersed in the baptism of the Lightning Tribulation, using it to temper her Physical Body, feeling the terrifying power of each bolt of Lightning Tribulation, which was also the purest energy between heaven and earth, an excellent opportunity to temper the Physical Body and sharpen the will.
As the lightning continuously struck, the Heavenly Fox Bloodline seemed to be completely awakened, and warm currents of power surged within her Bloodline, intertwining with the lightning power, forming a subtle balance.
Her body continuously contracted and expanded under the stimulation of the lightning, reshaping her Physical Body and making it even more indestructible.
“Sect Master, there’s no need to worry too much.
Xue Er is exceptionally intelligent.
At this moment, she is using this Lightning Tribulation for Body Tempering to completely activate the hidden Heavenly Fox Bloodline within her!”
Seeing Li Mu’s nervous expression, Qingyang Zi smiled slightly and quickly reassured him.
Upon hearing this, Li Mu’s tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed a little, but the worry in his eyes had not completely dissipated.
The True Spirit Thunder Tribulation was so terrifying that even though Xue Er was now showing astonishing recovery and transformation, he couldn’t completely let go of his worries.
“I hope so…” Li Mu murmured, his gaze never leaving Xue Er’s lightning-shrouded figure.
He could also feel the increasingly powerful aura within Xue Er’s body; however, the True Spirit Thunder Tribulation was only halfway through, and even if Xue Er had been Rebirth from her cocoon, the challenges ahead were still incredibly arduous.
Time passed bit by bit, and the might of the Heavenly Tribulation grew stronger and stronger.
Crimson lightning gathered frantically in the clouds, as if even the sky had been dyed blood-red, and a heart-pounding pressure enveloped the entire Tribulation Transcending Platform.
This wave of Lightning Tribulation seemed to be nearing its end.
“Crack!” The last thick crimson bolt of lightning struck down from the thunderclouds, heading straight for Xue Er.
“Boom!” With a loud bang, the crimson lightning collided with the silver net, erupting in a deafening roar that shook the entire Tribulation Transcending Platform incessantly.
Xue Er unfolded her nine tails, releasing the nine-tailed protection.
As crimson electric snakes moved across her body, a pair of reddish-yellow vertical pupils gazed at the thunderclouds above, sensing something.
An unprecedented energy fluctuation surged within the thunderclouds, completely different from the previous lightning.
This power seemed to directly affect the depths of one’s mind, bringing a sense of fear that made Xue Er very uncomfortable.
Xue Er already knew the challenge of the next wave of Lightning Tribulation – the Heart Demon Tribulation.
The Heart Demon Tribulation was the most dangerous stage for countless Cultivators Undergoing Tribulation.
It directly acted upon the depths of one’s mind, drawing out the Cultivator’s deepest fears, desires, and regrets, causing them to get lost in illusions, and even self-destruct.
“This… this is the Heart Demon Tribulation!” Seeing this, Qingyang Zi’s expression also became solemn.
He knew the terror of the Heart Demon Tribulation deeply; even he had almost died under this tribulation during his own Undergoing Tribulation.
Li Mu’s expression tightened, and he quickly transmitted a firm belief to Xue Er with his Divine Thought: “Xue Er, stay clear-headed, don’t be trapped by the Heart Demon!”
Xue Er smiled slightly at Li Mu, calmed her inner turmoil, and focused her mind, preparing to face the test of the Heart Demon Tribulation.
Soon, the Heart Demon Lightning Tribulation descended, causing no physical harm to Xue Er.
Instead, illusions, as if real, emerged in her mind.
The scene of her clan being annihilated by Demon Cultivators was the first to flood Xue Er’s mind.
Flames soared into the sky, her clansmen wailed across the land, and blood stained the entire snowy ground.
That was the deepest pain in her Heart-Nature.
Xue Er witnessed firsthand the scene of her clan being destroyed by the Nine Demon Sect, watched her mother die in her arms, and saw her kin fall one by one, yet she was powerless.
Anger, sorrow, and helplessness surged like a tide, almost drowning Xue Er.
However, Xue Er quickly returned to her normal expression, looking indifferent, ignoring the scene before her.
She knew the power of the Heart Demon.
However, the Nine Demon Sect had already been annihilated by Li Dage, and the Demon Abyss forces had been re-Seal, and the blood feud of her clan and mother had been avenged.
She would not be blinded by hatred.
This was the cunning of the Heart Demon, a trap set to break her will.
Xue Er closed her eyes, temporarily sealing away those painful memories, successfully constructing a mental defense line.
The first Heart Demon Tribulation was successfully resolved by Xue Er, and soon, another Heart Demon Tribulation transformed.
This time, the illusion was no longer about external cruelty and hatred, but turned to the softest part of Xue Er’s Heart-Nature — the emotional entanglement between her and Li Mu.
The scene shifted, and Xue Er found herself in that cozy little room in the Treasure Mansion, with various Spirit Flowers and exotic grasses outside the window, and inside, it was the sweet time she spent with Li Mu.
But as time passed, the scene began to distort, Li Mu’s face became blurred, his eyes revealed coldness and aloofness, and finally, he turned and left, leaving only a cold sentence: “Xue Er, let’s end here!”
This scene was like a bolt from the blue, instantly sinking Xue Er’s heart to the bottom.
She couldn’t believe that Li Mu would abandon her so easily.
Fear, loss, and despair intertwined, as if to devour her.
…
“No, this isn’t real!” Xue Er cried out in her heart, desperately trying to break free from the illusion’s shackles, but every effort was like hitting cotton, powerless and pale.
However, at this moment of despair, a force deep within Xue Er’s Heart-Nature quietly Awakened.
She recalled Li Mu’s Heart-Nature, and the hundreds of Years they had spent together, relying on each other through life and death, those moments of knowing glances and unspoken understanding.
“Li Dage, I believe in you, and I believe in our feelings.” Xue Er silently recited in her Heart-Nature, her eyes gradually becoming firm and clear.
As Xue Er’s inner belief strengthened, the illusions around her began to gradually blur until they completely dissipated.
She reopened her eyes, finding herself still standing on the Tribulation Transcending Platform, the thunderclouds still surging above her head, but her state of mind was completely different.
She felt an unprecedented calm and confidence, a power originating from the depths of her Heart-Nature, enough to resist any Heart Demon’s intrusion.
The Lightning Tribulation was overcome, and Xue Er and Li Mu resumed their normal lives.
Years flew by, and in the blink of an eye, several hundred Years passed.
However, the spiritual Qi between heaven and earth became increasingly thin, like a dried-up riverbed, no longer able to nourish all living things.
Countless Cultivators found it difficult to advance their cultivation, and even more, their cultivation regressed, plunging the entire Spirit Realm into a state of panic and despair.
As the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth dried up, the Seal Grand Formation suppressing the Demon Abyss Channel suddenly developed cracks, breaking through the Seal and descending upon the Spirit Realm.
…
Above the Tribulation Transcending Platform, the thunderclouds in the sky were like a surging ink sea, constantly changing, sometimes condensing into the shape of a ferocious beast, sometimes tearing into dazzling lightning, indicating the ongoing Lightning Tribulation.
The Nine-Tailed Sky Fox in the center of the Tribulation Transcending Platform stood motionless, her eyes unfocused, as if bound by invisible chains, her body stiff.
Her originally agile and ethereal aura now became unusually chaotic, sometimes strong, sometimes weak, as if she was experiencing a fierce struggle deep within her Heart-Nature.
“Damn it! Xue Er has fallen into this Heavenly Tribulation’s Dao.”
Li Mu’s face changed drastically, having already realized that Xue Er, who had easily overcome the previous Heart Demon Tribulations, was now deeply trapped in this last Heart Demon Tribulation, facing an unprecedented predicament.
Li Mu’s brows were tightly furrowed, and complex light flickered in his eyes.
He was experiencing a fierce struggle deep within his Heart-Nature.
On one hand, he urgently wanted to help, to rescue Xue Er from this endless nightmare; on the other hand, he deeply understood the special nature of the Heart Demon Tribulation.
Any external intervention could become a catalyst, not only failing to rescue Xue Er but potentially dragging her deeper into the mire.
For a moment, Li Mu was in a dilemma, unable to decide.
Seeing this, Qingyang Zi sighed lightly, stepped forward, and advised: “Sect Master, do not be impetuous.
Xue Er’s current tribulation is indeed extremely dangerous, but it is also a necessary tempering on her cultivation Dao.”
“Miss Xue Er has a pure Heart-Nature, but precisely because of this, in certain extreme situations, it might also become a soft spot for the Heart Demon to attack.
However, it is precisely these soft spots, if successfully overcome, that will transform into her most solid armor.
Sect Master, at this moment, please choose to trust her!” Qingyang Zi looked at Li Mu and added.
Upon hearing this, Li Mu sighed, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes, and his hand, which had been preparing to cast a spell, weakly dropped. (End of this chapter)
