Chapter 48 Part 2

At that time, they had just found a safe and comfortable valley in the Blood Yin Secret Realm. The valley brimmed with spiritual energy, with flower clusters and spiritual springs—perfect for cultivation. When Lian Yunzhi ended his session that day, opened his eyes from within the Spirit Gathering Array, stood up, and went to find Mu Cheng, he saw Mu Cheng personally crafting a swing for him.

Lian Yunzhi: “…”

Was this the Blood Yin Secret Realm or a vacation villa?

“What’s wrong?” Mu Cheng paused his work and looked at him.

Lian Yunzhi frowned. “I’m about to advance to Void Refining, but something feels off.”

Mu Cheng walked over and touched his wrist, probing with his own spiritual power. “What feels off?”

Lian Yunzhi shook his head. “It’s not my body. It feels like…”

He lifted his head.

The sky overhead was suddenly shrouded in dark clouds, with purple lights and shadows flickering faintly within the layers of clouds.

At the same time, the energy within Lian Yunzhi’s body surged, on the verge of advancing to Void Refining!

“Thunder Tribulation!”

Lian Yunzhi and Mu Cheng’s expressions changed instantly as they spoke in unison.

Lian Yunzhi reacted first. He shoved Mu Cheng away, returned to the Spirit Gathering Array, and sat down cross-legged in the fastest possible time, assuming the proper posture to welcome the Thunder Tribulation.

Actually, having a Thunder Tribulation was quite normal.

Lian Yunzhi thought that he hadn’t needed to face one before because he was the Dual Cultivation Dao Companion of someone with the Myriad Absorption Spiritual Root. But now that Mu Cheng was no longer afflicted by the Myriad Absorption Spiritual Root, it was only right that he needed to undergo the Thunder Tribulation again.

Though he thought this in his mind, when the first earth-shaking thunderclap fell, Lian Yunzhi still shivered involuntarily and paled.

It hurt so much… Huh, why didn’t it hurt?

Lian Yunzhi secretly cracked open his eyes and saw Mu Cheng, with a darkened expression, fly into the midair. He reached out to block the Thunder Tribulation for him. That bolt of tribulation lightning glowed bright purple with flecks of gold—it was thicker than a giant log that took two arms to embrace. At this moment, it tore through the dark clouds like a raging dragon and struck down, making Mu Cheng’s figure seem minuscule.

Lian Yunzhi’s face instantly turned deathly pale.

The Blood Yin Secret Realm was full of Soul Transformation Cultivators and Void Refining Cultivators. Lian Yunzhi had been here for over a month and had seen Void Refining Thunder Tribulations before, but none were as terrifying as this.

Seeing Mu Cheng’s back gradually bending inch by inch under the pressure of the Thunder Tribulation, Lian Yunzhi grew increasingly anxious—Why was this happening?!

【It’s the Heavenly Dao. It resents you for imprisoning those Celestial Immortals.】

Mu Cheng’s voice rang in his mind.

Lian Yunzhi’s head buzzed instantly.

Was that it? Was that the reason? Just because he had imprisoned those despicable Immortals, because he had made those Immortals suffer the consequences of their actions, the Heavenly Dao wanted to strike him dead with tribulation lightning?!

What did it want from him? Did it want him to release those Immortals?! But why should he?! Those Immortals hadn’t suffered even a fraction of the torment Mu Cheng had endured—why release them?!

Lian Yunzhi trembled all over with rage.

“I’m not ascending anymore!”

As Lian Yunzhi dispersed his cultivation, he shouted hatefully.

“This disgusting Heavenly Dao, these disgusting Immortals—what good is ascending?!”

Mu Cheng’s brow twitched sharply.

Lian Yunzhi’s internal cultivation continuously drained away, and his realm gradually regressed from Half-step Void Refining, falling below the threshold that required a Thunder Tribulation. He was furious beyond measure, heartbroken beyond measure. He glared at the receding tribulation clouds and spat bitterly, “—So even the Heavenly Dao does evil!”

So even the Heavenly Dao does evil.

Mu Cheng looked up and saw that the purple-golden Thunder Tribulation turned black under his gaze.

Evil.

Something stirred in Mu Cheng’s heart. His wrist flipped, and the power he unleashed shifted from resistance to absorption. The dragon-like purple-black Thunder Tribulation plunged straight into Mu Cheng’s body!

Mu Cheng’s aura suddenly expanded several times over. His hair whipped wildly, his robes fluttered with a hunting sound. He looked down and met Lian Yunzhi’s eyes. Lian Yunzhi immediately understood his intent, hurriedly wiped away his tears, and instantly released hundreds of Vines. He meticulously recovered every strand of the spiritual power he had just dispersed and recaptured it into his body.

His cultivation climbed steadily once more, returning to Half-step Void Refining.

Thus, the thunder rumbled on, the dark clouds roiled, and the massive bolts of lightning struck down—only to vanish entirely into Mu Cheng’s body!

One bolt, two, three…

Mu Cheng’s aura grew ever more terrifying. The entire Blood Yin Secret Realm trembled without cease. Rivers boiled, myriad beasts fled, and cracking sounds emanated from the ground.

Until the point where Mu Cheng could pluck the Thunder Tribulation down with one hand and devour it—the Heavenly Dao finally noticed something was wrong. The thunder gradually softened, the lightning bolts thinned to the width of a cup’s mouth, and in Mu Cheng’s eyes, their color returned to normal, no longer tainted with malice.

Mu Cheng raised his brow in disappointment.

Lian Yunzhi, however, excitedly shoved Mu Cheng aside. “Move, move! The Thunder Tribulation’s back to normal. I’ll handle it myself now. Otherwise, if I don’t pass even one bolt, people will gossip after I ascend.”

Mu Cheng: “…”

So he still wanted to ascend after all.

Mu Cheng silently retreated and watched Lian Yunzhi actively fend off the Thunder Tribulation. He couldn’t help but lower his head and chuckle softly.