The blood-colored Lightning Sea overturned like the sky, and ten-thousand-foot Lightning transformed into a torrent, crushing down with the force of destroying heaven and earth!
Xue'er's eyes flashed with cold light, her Nine Tails danced in unison, and ice lotuses bloomed at their tips, forming a giant Ice Lotus Formation above her head.
As the formation rotated, it released an extreme cold force, colliding head-on with the rolling Thunder Waves!
“Boom—!”
Heaven and earth fell silent, space shattered!
The Ice Lotus Formation trembled violently in the Lightning Sea, its surface quickly covered with spiderweb-like cracks, but it still stubbornly withstood the destructive impact.
The Mysterious Ice Dao Armor's silver radiance surged, and Star Power circulated frantically, absorbing the Lightning energy and converting it into cold essence, which was then fed back into Xue'er's body, preventing her Foundation from shaking amidst the violent Lightning Tribulation.
The Five Elements Talisman Treasure's five-colored spiritual light intertwined, forming a Five Elements Domain that diverted some of the Lightning power into it, grinding it away; the Azure Lotus Soul Lamp's blue flame flickered, resisting mental erosion and protecting her Divine Soul from heavy damage.
The Purple-Gold Origin Token, meanwhile, emitted a low hum, as if sensing a life-and-death crisis; the Dao patterns on the token rapidly flowed, and a faint Five Elements Origin appeared, ready to act at the most critical moment to bear a portion of the Tribulation's power for its Master!
Xue'er gritted her teeth and endured, silver blood spilling from the corner of her mouth, her demonic Qi surging wildly within her body, not retreating a single step.
The next moment, she suddenly let out a long howl towards the sky, the fox 紋 on her brow brightening abruptly, and an ancient Heavenly Fox's roar echoed from the depths of her Sea of Consciousness—that was the sound of Legacy within her Bloodline!
“Roar—!”
In an instant, her nine fox tails simultaneously ignited with silver-blue demonic flames, like a heaven-burning silver flame, illuminating the entire Tribulation Cloud.
“Crack,” one after another, terrifying bolts of Lightning struck down, instantly converging into a Lightning Sea.
“Nine Extremes of Cold Domain · Ice Seal Nine Heavens!” Xue'er cried out, her Nine Tails fluttering like a waterfall, and the ice lotuses at their tips successively burst, releasing layers of superimposed extreme cold force, actually carving out an Ice Domain within the Lightning Sea!
The Lightning Sea was frozen, the Lightning solidified, and the sky full of Lightning actually stagnated in the air in an instant, transforming into countless blood-colored Lightning Orbs suspended all around!
But the next instant, these Lightning Orbs exploded simultaneously, transforming into an even more violent Lightning tide that swept out!
Xue'er's face paled, the True Essence within her body violently shook, the starlight on the surface of the Mysterious Ice Dao Armor dimmed by three points, and the Five Elements Domain darkened.
“Not good!”
Xue'er sensed the lingering power of the Lightning Tribulation approaching, and the purple-gold token in her embrace suddenly burst forth with dazzling light, its token phantom rising into the air, blocking the most destructive wave of Lightning tide!
“Boom—!”
The Origin Token bore a fatal Lightning strike, its Dao patterns dimmed, but it did not shatter.
Xue'er gasped for breath, but her eyes burned with an even stronger Battle Intent.
The seventh bolt of Tribulation Lightning was already brewing!
Deep within the Tribulation Cloud, nine blood-colored fox shadows for the first time roared in unison, as if responding to the Heavenly Fox Blood within Xue'er's body.
In the sky, the Thunder Clouds began to condense into a giant blood-colored fox head, fangs bared, surrounded by Lightning, its pressure like mountains and seas overturning.
The nine blood-colored fox heads opened their enormous mouths wide, and deep within their throats, nine dark-red Lightning flashes were condensing.
That was not ordinary Lightning, but the “Bloodline Tribulation” unique to the Heavenly Fox clan—the Lightning contained the grievances of ancient Heavenly Foxes when they fell, specifically targeting their own Bloodline!
Xue'er's pupils constricted, the ice lotuses on her Nine Tails suddenly bloomed, she formed hand seals, the fox 紋 on her brow burst forth with dazzling cold light, and a giant Heavenly Fox Dharma Idol appeared behind her!
“Heavenly Fox Ancestral Shadow · Extreme Cold True Body!”
The Dharma Idol roared towards the sky, its nine fox tails unfurling like glaciers, each tail hair condensed with ten thousand years of Profound Ice, forcefully propping up an ice crystal barrier under the Lightning Tribulation!
This Dharma Idol was a thousand zhang tall, entirely composed of pure demonic power and cold Qi intertwined.
As its Nine Tails danced, heaven and earth changed, and nine illusory ice lotuses appeared beneath its feet.
As the ice lotuses rotated, a layer of extreme cold power spread out.
“Boom—!”
Blood Lightning descended!
The moment the Lightning struck, Xue'er's entire body trembled violently, blood seeped from her seven orifices, she gritted her teeth, and forcefully withstood this strike!
However, the grievances contained within the blood-colored Lightning drilled into her Sea of Consciousness like venomous snakes, and the wails of countless fallen Heavenly Foxes echoed in her ears:
“There’s no escaping… The Heavenly Fox clan is destined for extinction!”
“Give up!”
“Die!”
…
Endless voices, as if from ancient times, carrying endless despair and curses, directly targeted Xue'er's Divine Soul Origin.
Her Sea of Consciousness churned, and the blue flame of the Azure Lotus Soul Lamp flickered violently, almost extinguishing!
“Mere grievances, dare to disturb my Dao Heart!”
Xue'er let out a sharp cry, suddenly bit the tip of her tongue, and spat a mouthful of vital blood onto the Soul Lamp!
“Azure Lotus Burning Soul · Illuminating All Evils!”
The Soul Lamp's blue flame suddenly surged, transforming into a giant Azure Lotus, incinerating all the grievances that had invaded her Sea of Consciousness.
As the Azure Lotus rotated, it released pure Soul Power fluctuations, dispelling the gloom in her Sea of Consciousness and instantly clearing Xue'er's mind.
However, the Tribulation Cloud did not give her a chance to breathe—
The eighth Tribulation, the Soul Devouring Lightning Tribulation, was fully brewed.
Deep within the Tribulation Cloud, the Lightning suddenly turned from red to black, and nine pitch-black Lightning Pillars, like nine Underworld Dragons, twisted and attacked from different directions!
This Lightning did not harm the Physical Body, specializing in devouring the Divine Soul; once struck, the Primordial Spirit would instantly be annihilated!
The Tribulation Lightning was a hundred zhang thick, its surface entwined with ink-black electric snakes, emitting a suffocating aura of death.
They moved through the air, intertwining with each other, forming a huge Lightning net that sealed off all escape routes.
The world suddenly fell into dead silence.
Even the howling gale solidified.
The next moment, the Soul Devouring Lightning Tribulation struck down, roaring and tearing, directly piercing Xue'er's brow!
This Tribulation did not destroy the Physical Body, only annihilated the Primordial Spirit!
The power of the Tribulation Lightning passed through all magical resistance, directly striking Xue'er's Sea of Consciousness.
The Azure Lotus Soul Lamp in Xue'er's Sea of Consciousness actively protected its Master, its lamp flame suddenly surging, transforming into a giant Azure Lotus barrier to shield its Master from harm.
However, the Soul Devouring Lightning Tribulation was terrifying to the extreme, and with one strike, the Azure Lotus barrier shattered.
Xue'er's eyes suddenly constricted, and within her Sea of Consciousness, the Azure Lotus Soul Lamp cracked in several places, its lamp flame almost extinguished by the might of the Lightning.
Her Divine Soul felt as if it were being sliced by ten thousand blades; each black Lightning bolt transformed into a hideous evil spirit, tearing at her Divine Soul, seemingly wanting to utterly shred her consciousness!
“Ah—!”
Xue'er howled in pain towards the sky, blood seeping from her seven orifices, her silver hair wildly dancing, her demonic power uncontrollably rampaging.
The ice lotuses on her Nine Tails crumbled inch by inch, the Mysterious Ice Dao Armor completely dimmed, the spiritual light of the Five Elements Talisman Treasure dissipated, and even the Purple-Gold Origin Token emitted a mournful cry, seemingly unable to resist this Tribulation that specialized in severing the Divine Soul!
“…Am I going to die?”
In her blurred consciousness, Xue'er seemed to see countless fox spirits gazing at her in the darkness, those of her kind who had fallen under the Heavenly Tribulation, now coldly sneering and awaiting her demise.
However—
Just as Xue'er's Divine Soul was about to be devoured by the black Lightning, deep within her Sea of Consciousness,
“Om—!”
Deep within Xue'er's Sea of Consciousness, a point of Chaos Star Power suddenly lit up!
The Star Power was initially as faint as a firefly, but in an instant, it expanded, transforming into a vast Star Sea!
Within the Star Sea, a tall figure slowly stepped out, white robes fluttering, black hair like ink, eyes deep as an abyss, surrounded by a Chaos aura, as if transcending all Dao!
—Li Mu!
To be precise, Li Mu, who was observing the Tribulation outside, had acted; a Chaos mark left in Xue'er's Divine Soul, sensing her life-and-death crisis, had to personally intervene.
Li Mu's Divine Soul actually transformed into a ten-thousand-zhang giant, stepping on stars, and with a single thought, the Sea of Consciousness was filled with countless star-lights.
Those black Lightning evil spirits tearing at Xue'er's Divine Soul were instantly entangled by chains flying out from the endless Star Power!
“Why are you still 愣 ing, embrace the Origin and guard the One, gather the Soul and transform into a star!” Li Mu reminded her.
Xue'er suddenly awoke, enduring the severe pain in her Divine Soul, forming hand seals, and hastily circulating the Star Observation Method Divine Sense Cultivation Technique.
Her shattered Sea of Consciousness suddenly churned, countless Divine Soul fragments surged back like shooting stars, re-condensing under the guidance of the Chaos Star Power!
“Condense the Soul into a star, and see the true self!”
Soon, Xue'er's originally shattered Sea of Consciousness, with countless Divine Soul fragments, converged inward, forming a brilliant light core.
That light core was initially only the size of a grain of rice, but it frantically devoured the surrounding Star Power and Tribulation Lightning power, rapidly expanding!
Seeing this, Li Mu slightly exhaled in relief, and with a thought, released his restraint on the Tribulation Lightning.
The endless Tribulation Lightning broke free from its restraints and instantly surged towards Xue'er's Star Soul, being forcibly dragged into this light core, becoming nourishment for forging the star!
In an instant, countless fine Lightning flashes appeared on the surface of the Star Core, trembling violently, like a star about to explode.
Xue'er's Divine Soul consciousness gradually blurred, feeling herself transforming into a star—cold, vast, eternal.
Xue'er's Sea of Consciousness completely collapsed, replaced by a blazing star!
This star was entirely silver-blue, its surface burning with terrifying Star Flames, yet internally it contained an extreme cold force, ice and fire intertwined, forming a strange balance.
A Stellar Soul!
The power of the eighth Soul Devouring Lightning Tribulation was completely activated; the nine black bolts of Tribulation Lightning could no longer attack Xue'er's Divine Soul, instead being frantically devoured by this newborn star!
Lightning like Dragons, entwining the star, each strike making the star more solid, more brilliant!
Xue'er successfully passed the eighth Tribulation Lightning, however, the Tribulation Cloud seemed to be enraged, and the ninth Tribulation Lightning quietly descended, causing heaven and earth to lose their color.
The already turbulent Tribulation Cloud suddenly became still at this moment; it was a strange silence, as if the entire world held its breath, awaiting the descent of the ninth Lightning Tribulation.
The blood-colored fox heads deep within the Tribulation Cloud emitted a low wail.
Above the sky, the Lightning Sea churned like ink, but no longer roared, instead slowly, eerily beginning to rotate, forming a giant vortex.
At the center of the vortex, a pitch-black, abyss-like bolt of Lightning slowly condensed—it had no color, as if it had devoured all light and vitality; it had no sound, yet it made one's heart stop and Divine Soul tremble; it had no shape, yet it made all things submit and heaven and earth fall into disorder!
On the Tribulation Transcending Platform, the thousand-zhang Nine-Tailed Snow Fox opened her eyes and stared at the Thunder Clouds above her head, her eyes showing no fear.
Dozens of miles away from the Tribulation Transcending Platform, the high-ranking members of the Seven Profound Sect gathered, a dozen or so of them fearfully staring at the Thunder Clouds, their faces filled with shock and dread.
Lin Maoshan, Su Hongxiu, and Zhao Tianchen's gazes all fell on the young man's figure near the Tribulation Transcending Platform, who was none other than their Master - Li Mu.
Their Master, he, stood quietly below the Tribulation Transcending Platform, forming hand seals, as if performing a secret art.
His green robe fluttered in the strong wind, his sleeves billowing like rolling clouds, his dark long hair gently swaying with the wind, unable to conceal his deep, abyss-like eyes—within them seemed to be hidden ancient Star Rivers, Chaos undivided, heaven and earth unsettled.
At this moment, heaven and earth were in turmoil, and the ninth Lightning Tribulation was about to descend, yet he stood there unblemished, calmly, like a thread of Karma transcending the heavenly secrets, neither within the Tribulation nor outside it.
His figure appeared slender, yet it was integrated with heaven and earth, surrounded by a profound Chaos aura—that was the Origin power that existed even before heaven and earth, formless and intangible, yet capable of devouring myriad phenomena and evolving all heavens.
Vaguely visible Dao patterns emerged in the Void Realm, outlining scenes of extreme profundity.
“Master, he, seems to be helping Mistress Undergoing Tribulation!” Su Hongxiu seemed to sense something, saying in shock.
“How is that possible!” Lin Maoshan's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief, and he said in shock, “For an outsider to help someone Undergoing Tribulation, wouldn't that violate the great taboo of the Heavenly Dao? It would surely trigger 'Heavenly Dao Punishment', and the power of the Lightning Tribulation would increase several times over! Moreover… Mistress is Undergoing Tribulation of the Demonic Emperor Lightning Tribulation, its power is extremely terrifying, how dare he lightly get involved!”
“It is indeed so, Master must have used some method to deceive the Heavenly Dao, and is helping Mistress Undergoing Tribulation!” Zhao Tianchen boldly extended a wisp of Divine Sense and accurately perceived Li Mu's spellcasting situation.
Lin Maoshan did not believe it, and at the risk of his Divine Soul being affected by the Lightning Tribulation, he also released a wisp of Divine Sense to investigate.
However, when his Divine Sense touched Li Mu's surroundings, it was as if it crashed into an boundless Chaos, with neither heaven nor earth, no past nor future, only vast Dao rhythm flowing, seemingly real yet illusory!
“This… what Realm is this?!” Lin Maoshan's mind was greatly shaken, his Divine Sense felt like it had fallen into an abyss, almost getting lost within it.
Just then, Li Mu seemed to sense something, slightly turned his head, his gaze deep as an abyss, and swept over them faintly.
“Do not pry.”
Just four words, yet they were like a Heavenly Dao decree.
Lin Maoshan's Divine Sense was instantly bounced back, and he staggered back several steps, his face pale, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
“Senior Brother!” Su Hongxiu quickly supported him.
“Cannot look directly… cannot fathom…” Lin Maoshan murmured, his eyes filled with shock, “Master's Dao is already beyond what we can comprehend!”
—
At the same time, deep within the Tribulation Cloud, the pitch-black Lightning Tribulation finally fully condensed and struck down silently!
The pitch-black Lightning slowly descended, seemingly slow, yet it seemed to cross the boundaries of time and space; the moment it appeared, it had already arrived overhead!
“Boom—!”
Silence was louder than sound.
All sounds between heaven and earth disappeared, the wind stopped, the thunder ceased, even the air no longer flowed; at this instant, it was as if the entire world had fallen into dead silence.
The Lightning struck Xue'er's body, without exploding, without roaring, just quietly devouring everything.
Her body was instantly enveloped by black Lightning, as if crushed by an invisible force; her flesh and blood, bones, demonic power, and Divine Soul were all on the verge of disintegration at this moment!
Within her Sea of Consciousness, her Divine Soul, as stable as a star, was now also violently trembling from this bolt of Lightning, seemingly on the verge of disintegrating at any moment.
“…”
Xue'er opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but no sound came out.
She felt an unprecedented sense of oppression—this was not destruction, but annihilation.
It was not to destroy your existence, but to make it as if you had never existed.
This Tribulation, formless and intangible, directly targeted the Dao Heart!
In an instant, Xue'er's consciousness was pulled into the Lightning Tribulation illusion. (End of this chapter)
