Volume One: Turmoil in the Small Town Chapter 51: Crossing the Tribulation (Part 1)

Fortunately, they were now in the core region of Dragon Burial Abyss, far from the outside world. Those treasure seekers who had entered would not be able to find this place for some time.

Thus, when Zhang Heng and Yan Xueqing arrived, Du Gu Bai and Qian Muyun were still deep in their meditation, undisturbed.

Suddenly, Du Gu Bai and Qian Muyun both rose to their feet. Seeing them emerge from their cultivation state, Zhang Heng was about to go over and offer his congratulations. By now, they had most likely reached the level of Tribulation Crossing experts.

But Yan Xueqing stopped him.

As Zhang Heng looked at her in confusion, he saw Du Gu Bai and Qian Muyun each flying off in different directions. They stood atop two distant mountain ranges, faces grave and solemn.

Yan Xueqing made a gesture for silence, then whispered to Zhang Heng, “Don’t get close. My master and Elder Mu are about to face the Heavenly Tribulation.”

“What’s a Heavenly Tribulation?” Zhang Heng asked—not of Yan Xueqing, but of his system. He had an all-knowing system, after all, so why ask anyone else?

[Beep. When a cultivator reaches the Tribulation Crossing stage, they must undergo the baptism of the Heavenly Dao—the descent of the Heavenly Tribulation. If they fail to withstand it, they perish, with centuries of cultivation reduced to ashes. But if they survive, it means recognition by the Heavenly Dao itself, marking a complete rebirth, a tremendous increase in power, and the right to stand proudly above the world.]

Hmph, isn’t this just like the novels I read in my previous life? I thought there would be some new twist, Zhang Heng scoffed.

But the system’s next words gave Zhang Heng pause.

[Beep. In theory, the stronger a cultivator’s talent and foundation, the more powerful their Heavenly Tribulation. Du Gu Bai and Qian Muyun already possessed tribulation-level power while still in the Nascent Soul stage. The tribulation they will face will be extraordinary and requires meticulous preparation. Now, with this sudden breakthrough and no preparation, they are highly likely to fail.]

That’s right—tribulation crossing is the most important event in a cultivator’s life. Who doesn’t spend decades, even centuries, preparing for it? Yet now the two of them have broken through without warning and must face the tribulation unprepared. Their chances of success are truly slim. No wonder, for all their immense strength, their expressions are so grave.

“Miss Yan, Senior Du Gu and Sister Muyun are in real danger now,” Zhang Heng said anxiously. He had been counting on these two top experts to make it through so he could rely on them as powerful allies.

If both of them failed, losing his ‘backing’ would be the lesser loss—the true heartbreak would fall upon Murong Qingxue and Yan Xueqing.

Yan Xueqing’s face was also clouded with worry. “Though my master has prepared for this for a long time, he never expected to break through under these circumstances. There are bound to be oversights. This is truly bad.”

System, is there any way to help them?

Zhang Heng asked. Though he was only a first-stage body cultivator, he was, after all, a transmigrator! Maybe he’d have some sort of exploit.

[Beep. Facing the Heavenly Tribulation is a matter for the cultivator alone. If anyone else interferes, it is seen as defiance of the Heavenly Dao. The result is that the Heavenly Dao will be enraged and unleash a tribulation ten times more powerful. The helper will certainly die. Thus, in the world of cultivation, no one can intervene in another’s tribulation.]

There was nothing Zhang Heng could do. Now, everything truly depended on fate.

At that moment—

The sky was shrouded in dark clouds, thunder rolling and shattering the heavens. Two bolts of tribulation lightning formed and then crashed silently down.

The first lightning bolt was likely just a test, so both of them managed to withstand it easily, suffering no harm.

The second bolt followed swiftly. It was far more powerful than the first, carrying the full might of the heavens as it descended toward them. This meant the Heavenly Dao was now serious.

This bolt was imbued with terrifying force.

Du Gu Bai had already attained the supreme sword realm, merging man and sword into one. His body was as resilient as a divine blade. He faced the tribulation head-on, flinging the sword he had always kept at his side into the sky. The divine sword burst from its scabbard, its light flashing with overwhelming force, splitting the tribulation lightning in two. The sundered bolts flew off, igniting the distant forests.

But Qian Muyun was not so fortunate. Her cultivation focused on speed, and her physical resilience was far below Du Gu Bai’s. Facing the second tribulation lightning, Qian Muyun conjured countless blades of ice in an attempt to block it. However, the tribulation lightning shattered her defenses. Though its power was somewhat diminished, the remaining force still drove her back again and again.

Watching from afar, Zhang Heng was frantic. This was only the second tribulation bolt, and Qian Muyun was already nearly at her limit! How could she possibly endure the bolts to come?

The Heavenly Tribulation could not be dodged; it could only be endured. Yet this was precisely Qian Muyun’s weakness.

System, please, I beg you, think of something! Zhang Heng’s heart burned with anxiety. If anything happened to Qian Muyun, Murong Qingxue would surely be heartbroken.

[Beep. I have told you, in the cultivation world, no one can intervene in another’s tribulation. However, you, the host, are not of this world.]

Hearing this, Zhang Heng exclaimed urgently, “System, this is life and death—don’t joke with me! Are you saying I can help them? Just tell me what to do!”

[Beep. Because of the host’s unique constitution, any spiritual energy entering your body will simply vanish. Similarly, even the tribulation lightning of the Heavenly Dao will disappear if it enters your body.]

The system explained this calmly.

But to Zhang Heng, it sounded like utter nonsense!

You’re telling me that tribulation lightning can’t harm me? Then how did I get struck by lightning and die, only to have my soul transmigrate to this world? System, I believe you about everything else, but that lightning can’t harm me—this I really can’t accept.

Zhang Heng was speechless. It was a lightning strike that killed him; now the system claimed he was immune to lightning—how could that be?

[Beep. Simply put, your body in the other world did not possess this immunity, but your body in this world does.]

After hearing the system’s explanation, Zhang Heng was half-convinced. It did make some sense—this body wasn’t his original one, after all.

He let it go. The system would never harm him, he reasoned. Saving the two of them was the priority.

System, what should I do? Should I just charge in and block the tribulation for them?

[Beep. Don’t rush. While the tribulation can be deadly, the process is also one of transformation. The more tribulation bolts endured, the greater the bodily transformation and the richer the rewards. Qian Muyun, being from the Sacred Land, can at least endure three more bolts.]

The system explained.

That did seem to match what the novels described.

No need to rush, then; he could wait and watch. Now that he knew he could save them, Zhang Heng was no longer anxious.

While Zhang Heng conversed with the system, Du Gu Bai and Qian Muyun had already endured two tribulation bolts each.

Du Gu Bai, though injured, was still able to stand, his fighting spirit undiminished.

Qian Muyun, by contrast, was in dire straits. She lay motionless in a deep pit blasted out by the tribulation lightning, her breath faint, as if she would not survive the next strike.