Chapter 1188: Crossing the Tribulation Again
Prince Xia’s face showed a contemplative expression as he said, “It seems that the Sect Leader’s Wife is indeed a remarkable figure. It would be worth meeting her. Who exactly is she, I wonder?”
Subsequently, Prince Xia instructed Elder Yuan Gui to send a message to that Sect Leader’s Wife of the Blood God Sect, intending to meet her in person. If the two sides could cooperate and take over the Blood God Sect together, that would naturally be the best outcome.
Elder Yuan Gui took out a Message Light Talisman, inscribed a passage of text, infused it with Saint Qi, and launched it.
“Whoosh——”
The Message Light Talisman turned into a streak of light, crossing ten thousand miles of mountains and rivers, entering the Eternal Ancient Snowy Mountains, and flying into Moyou Valley.
The Sect Leader’s Wife sat cross-legged on a suspended stone platform, her robe as red as blood. Her brows twitched slightly as she sensed the incoming Message Light Talisman. She elegantly extended two fingers and pressed forward.
The next moment, a jade talisman appeared between her fingers.
Zhang Ruochen and Demon Ran Princess stood below the stone platform, watching quietly, wondering who had sent the message to the Sect Leader’s Wife.
After reading the content of the Message Light Talisman, the Sect Leader’s Wife let out a light laugh. “Prince Xia of the Yellow Heaven Tribe wants to meet me. What do you two think?”
Her gaze fixed directly on Zhang Ruochen, observing his expression.
Zhang Ruochen understood clearly that the Sect Leader’s Wife was testing his stance, ready to reveal her hand.
Feigning confusion, Zhang Ruochen lowered his voice and asked, “Madam, you have connections with the Undying Blood Clan?”
The Sect Leader’s Wife’s body surged with blood-red mist, forming a blood cloud that enveloped her entirely. “Divine Son is not an outsider, so I might as well tell you. I, too, am a member of the Undying Blood Clan. Are you interested in joining us, Divine Son?”
Without any hesitation, Zhang Ruochen knelt on one knee. “As long as Madam helps me ascend to the position of Sect Leader and grants me Lady Mo Yin, I will serve you wholeheartedly, sparing no effort, even unto death.”
Demon Ran Princess’s lips curled into a charming smile.
“You are a man who knows when to adapt,” the Sect Leader’s Wife said, retracting the blood mist into her body. “Empress Chi Yao has likely fallen, and the human race’s momentum is waning. The weak among humans will only become food and slaves. Only the strong can choose their fate—either join the Undying Blood Clan or… die.”
Zhang Ruochen trembled all over, sweat beading on his forehead and dripping to the ground. Of course, this was all an act to lull the Sect Leader’s Wife and Demon Ran Princess into complacency.
“There’s no need to be so afraid. As long as you serve me diligently, you will still be above others in the future. No one will dare look down on you for being human,” the Sect Leader’s Wife said, crushing the Message Light Talisman. “Since Prince Xia of the Yellow Heaven Tribe wants to cooperate with me, you will go meet him on my behalf.”
“Prince Xia wants to see you, Madam. It might not be appropriate for me to go,” Zhang Ruochen said.
“You are now the Divine Son of the Blood God Sect and will be its Sect Leader in the future. Your status is sufficient for a direct dialogue with him. If their terms are favorable, we can still cooperate. After all, we have the strength to control the Blood God Sect on our own, but it would require more effort and involve some risk,” the Sect Leader’s Wife said.
Zhang Ruochen nodded and smiled. “I understand! If our two sides can work together from within and without, it will be easier to eliminate the conservative faction within the sect and fully seize control of the Blood God Sect.”
“Exactly,” the Sect Leader’s Wife said. “You may withdraw now. I still have some instructions for Mo Yin. She will accompany you later to meet the cultivators of the Yellow Heaven Tribe.”
Zhang Ruochen stepped back and left the cave dwelling, letting out a long breath only after he was outside. His eyes showed a hint of doubt. “This Sect Leader’s Wife is not on the same side as Elder Yuan Gui and the others. Which tribe does she come from? The waters of the Blood God Sect are deeper than I thought. One wrong move, and I’ll drown.”
Even with the information he had gathered so far, Zhang Ruochen felt immense pressure, as if he could barely breathe. The truths yet to be uncovered might be even more shocking.
Inside the cave dwelling, Demon Ran Princess stood respectfully below. “Disciple believes that Gu Linfeng is only submitting out of fear of death, not necessarily willing to join the Undying Blood Clan’s camp.”
“What does it matter? Once he enters the Undying Blood Clan’s camp, he can never turn back. Even if he tries, human cultivators will see him as a traitor and refuse to accept him,” the Sect Leader’s Wife said.
Demon Ran Princess replied, “Master is right. We should indeed let him sink deeper, until he can no longer retreat and has no choice but to obey us.”
The Sect Leader’s Wife said, “Sending you two to meet the Yellow Heaven Tribe this time is also a test for him.”
Demon Ran Princess’s eyes flashed with a cold light. “What if he tries to leak our identities?”
“If it’s the first time, just teach him a lesson. No need to kill him. Humans are no different from animals—they need to be tamed to obey. After a few lessons, he’ll learn to behave. Even if you treat him like a dog, he won’t dare defy you,” the Sect Leader’s Wife said.
Demon Ran Princess nodded and smiled. “Disciple will not disappoint Master. I will do my utmost to tame this fierce dog, Gu Linfeng.”
Demon Ran Princess had already reached the Upper Realm Saint level, so dealing with a First Tribulation Quasi-Saint was effortless. In the Sect Leader’s Wife’s view, with Demon Ran Princess watching over Gu Linfeng, no matter how capable the boy was, he couldn’t cause much trouble.
…
Zhang Ruochen and Demon Ran Princess rode a Blood Soul War Chariot out of Moyou Valley, soaring into the sky until they disappeared among the blue clouds and white sky. The war chariot flew at incredible speed, crossing over a hundred thousand miles and leaving the Blood God Sect’s territory.
Zhang Ruochen sat in the chariot, lifted the curtain, and glanced down. Below were countless verdant peaks, layered and uninhabited—a vast primeval forest.
“This is the place,” Zhang Ruochen muttered to himself.
Demon Ran Princess, who had been watching Gu Linfeng closely, was startled by his words. “What do you mean, Divine Son?”
“Crossing the tribulation,” Zhang Ruochen said.
He spread his arms, and a surging wave of Saint Qi erupted from his body, tearing the Blood Soul War Chariot to pieces in an instant.
Demon Ran Princess’s heart jolted. Thinking Zhang Ruochen was about to attack her, she immediately retreated at full speed, activating all her Saint Qi.
Zhang Ruochen stood in midair, his long hair fluttering. A powerful Saint Qi fluctuation surged out, forming a massive vortex dozens of miles in diameter. The fragments of the war chariot spun within the vortex, whistling through the air.
Above Zhang Ruochen’s head, the Heaven and Earth Rules grew denser and denser, coalescing into a pitch-black Tribulation Cloud. The cloud spread, covering hundreds of miles of sky. Thick bolts of lightning shuttled through it, releasing a terrifying power.
“He’s crossing the tribulation again!” Demon Ran Princess was shocked, finding it hard to believe.
After all, it had only been a few days since Gu Linfeng crossed his first Quasi-Saint Tribulation. In such a short time, most cultivators hadn’t even stabilized their cultivation base, yet Gu Linfeng was already attempting his second Quasi-Saint Tribulation.
“This kid is incredibly reckless. Is crossing a Quasi-Saint Tribulation really that easy? The second tribulation is far more powerful than the first.”
Feeling unsafe and fearing she might be drawn into the thunder tribulation, Demon Ran Princess retreated further. She stopped five hundred miles away, at the edge of the Tribulation Cloud, and used her Saint Eyes to peer into the center, wondering if Gu Linfeng could survive the second tribulation.
In truth, Zhang Ruochen was under immense pressure and had no choice but to attempt the second Quasi-Saint Tribulation. Only by crossing it could he have a certain chance of breaking through the final aperture and achieving a Saint Body through physical cultivation.
Once his body became a Saint Body, Zhang Ruochen’s combat power would skyrocket, allowing him to contend with Demon Ran Princess. Moreover, only with a Saint Body could his physique withstand the Qiankun Realm.
When the Scroll World evolved into the Qiankun Realm and merged with his physical body, Zhang Ruochen could then harness the power of the Qiankun Realm and the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree. Even against cultivators at the Thorough Earth or Heaven-Connecting levels, he would have nothing to fear.
Zhang Ruochen knew that attempting the second Quasi-Saint Tribulation in his current state was too hasty. Thus, he was extremely cautious, striving to clear his mind of all distractions as the Saint Qi flowed faster and faster through his Saint Meridians.
“Boom!”
A lightning pillar as thick as a water barrel descended from the Tribulation Cloud like a divine spear from heaven, striking Zhang Ruochen’s head. The scene was awe-inspiring, making one wonder if Zhang Ruochen would be reduced to ashes in the next moment.
The lightning pillar pierced through his head, passing through his body. Some lightning surged out from the pores on his neck, chest, and arms, while more shot out from his feet, striking the ground.
“Rumble!”
The lightning that hit the ground split a mountain over two thousand meters high, melting it into a vast sea of magma that flowed in all directions.
The second Quasi-Saint Tribulation consisted of seventy-two lightning strikes, each more ferocious than the last. And this was only the first.
Even from hundreds of miles away, Demon Ran Princess felt considerable pressure. She muttered to herself, “Gu Linfeng’s Quasi-Saint Tribulation is terrifying. If my own tribulation had been this powerful, even the first lightning strike would have shattered my soul. Can Gu Linfeng survive all seventy-two strikes?”