One word of "wait," and life and death hung in the balance!
But this time, the one being "judged" seemed to be himself...
The moment Li Changshou uttered that "wait," a flicker of understanding had already risen in his heart.
And when that pressure descended from the heavens, Li Changshou immediately grasped something!
This current situation...
Honestly, he had to shoulder half the blame himself.
The other half could only be blamed on the Lord of the Dao of Heaven, who was supposed to perceive everything!
Hum, hum, hum—
A buzzing sound suddenly filled the air. Above, strange ripples appeared in layers!
This terrifying pressure blanketed everything within a hundred li, causing every living creature in the area to tremble, frozen in place.
BOOM!
Li Changshou looked up again. In the sky, there had appeared a dark cloud only a few dozen zhang in diameter.
At the center of the dark cloud, two slits slowly split open—like two enormous eyes gradually opening. The entire cloud took on the outline of an old Daoist's face, devoid of expression. Its hollow eyes gazed down at Li Changshou.
The Dao of Heaven?
The Ancestor of the Dao?
Li Changshou felt his entire body instantly laid bare, and a powerful premonition of danger surged through his heart.
His spiritual sense was no longer merely jumping—it was shrieking like a kettle of water coming to a boil!
Even the upper half of his body, which had been radiating immortal light, now had its light forced inward!
What to do!?
In his current state, if the Dao of Heaven judged him as a deviation—an anomaly in the Primigenio—he would face the very real danger of being directly erased!
Even if he had done nothing, even if he had accumulated no karma whatsoever!
Gritting his teeth, Li Changshou couldn't worry about so much right now.
Braving the pressure, he proclaimed in a loud voice:
"Disciple of the Daoist path has no intention of offending the might of heaven! It was truly due to carelessness and a momentary oversight! Please, Lord of the Dao of Heaven, wait just a moment!"
What the hell was he saying—asking the Dao of Heaven to wait...
A Purple Dawn Divine Lightning warning, damn it!
Li Changshou hurriedly loosened his Dao robe and stripped off the undergarment beneath—a treasure vest with sixteen cloth pockets sewn front and back—and casually stowed it in his wrist bracelet.
He truly hadn't expected that he would be forced to reveal part of his trump cards under these circumstances.
Having prepared so many contingencies for the Tribulation, he had never imagined...
That the Dao of Heaven hadn't been taking him that seriously after all.
Near his left shoulder, a cloth cord was wound around his arm, tied to a fragment of jade. This jade fragment radiated a faint, inscrutable Dao resonance.
[Nameless Jade Fragment]: When Li Changshou was five years old, a band of grave robbers came to the grassland, trading artifacts they had dug up for cattle, sheep, and gold with his tribe. This jade fragment was treated as ordinary jade. After Li Changshou discovered the ancient character for "fire" inscribed upon it, he obtained it through his boyish charm.
Function: Unknown.
But ten years after Li Changshou entered the sect, he secretly placed the jade fragment beside his master. Using the divination technique he had just learned, he discovered he could no longer locate his master's whereabouts—which he had previously been able to calculate with certainty.
The jade fragment's function was inferred to be the ability to evade divination techniques. From then on, he kept it on his person at all times.
[Cloth Cord]: Originally a piece of linen cloth stained with blood, taken from between the layers of an ancient beast-hide scroll. The scroll recorded the deeds of human sages, and this linen cloth should be a fragment left behind by some great figure of the human race after being wounded.
Function: According to the beast-hide records, humans who wear it receive the protection of human sages—but it was likely purely a psychological effect.
He ripped off the cloth cord and the Nameless Jade Fragment, stuffing them into his wrist bracelet. Li Changshou then drew a dagger from the bracelet and turned to look behind him.
The heavenly pressure descending from above weakened slightly.
Li Changshou felt a spark of joy, but quickly steadied his mind and turned to look at his left shoulder blade. There, an ancient talisman tattooed directly onto his skin was now emitting a faint glow.
Li Changshou slid the dagger across the corner of the talisman. The talisman instantly broke...
Fortunately, once the wound healed, the talisman would naturally restore itself.
[Ancient Wu Clan Secret Talisman]: Ward off calamity, shield from disaster, prevent divination. Created by the Ancestral Wu to counter the demon clans.
It needed to be inscribed on beast hide to take effect, but inscribing it on flesh yielded even better results.
There was another such secret talisman under his right ribs. Li Changshou cut that one as well...
Instantly, the heavenly pressure descending from above weakened once more.
But he wasn't finished yet...
Li Changshou had caught a key phrase—"prevent divination."
He immediately stowed away all the other items he had been carrying on his person.
For example, two small ancient coins sealed in the inner pocket of his trousers.
They were said to be the first coins of the ancient human race, carrying a small amount of merit and possessing the effects of preventing divination and warding off disaster.
A demon bone fragment tied to his ankle. A colorful fish scale affixed to his thigh...
All told, a total of seven peculiar items. Li Changshou had verified them using his master as a test subject—they genuinely could, to varying degrees, evade divination techniques' search...
These items weren't treasure artifacts. They were hard to discover but easy to acquire.
Speaking of the Primigenio, what left the deepest impression besides the various treasure artifacts, divine abilities, and great experts was surely its wondrous divination techniques.
A high-level expert who had mastered the Dao of Divination could, borrowing the power of the Dao of Heaven, calculate with a flick of the fingers and instantly know everything happening tens of thousands of li away.
Li Changshou himself was a "little secret"—having been reincarnated into this Primigenio world with memories of a previous life. His awareness of prevention in this regard was extremely strong. Through hard work and luck, he had obtained these little trinkets.
But he had never imagined...
That even the Dao of Heaven had been fooled by them!
At this point, the pressure had gradually faded. The old Daoist's face on the dark cloud had slowly dissipated, though the cloud still floated above his head.
Li Changshou's entire body broke into a cold sweat. Had his mental fortitude not been fairly strong, he would have collapsed onto the sea surface by now...
He had obtained these things purely to prevent others from divining him through calculation techniques—not to guard against the Dao of Heaven.
*'When one's cultivation realm is too low, any deliberate disguise will attract the attention of experts and bring disaster.'*
He had understood this principle long ago. Within the sect, he always used ordinariness as his camouflage.
How could he deliberately provoke the Dao of Heaven?
Probably...
Maybe...
Perhaps the Dao of Heaven had several different modes?
Standby, energy-saving, full performance, high performance?
Ahem, purely a joke.
The Dao of Heaven monitored the operation of all things between heaven and earth, and didn't pay excessive attention to every living creature—especially those who hadn't yet become immortal and posed minimal destructive power.
The eight-bolt Tribulation Li Changshou had just undergone was simply the Dao of Heaven's response based on his talent—essentially a pre-set program.
Only after the Tribulation ended and something went wrong on his end had he attracted the Dao of Heaven's attention...
Normally, for tribulators like Li Changshou whose personal accumulation far exceeded their "talent expectations," the Dao of Heaven would have adjusted the Tribulation's intensity to provide sufficient tempering. If the tribulator couldn't withstand it, they would simply perish.
But who could have guessed that Li Changshou was carrying all these bizarre "divination-prevention" items? The Dao of Heaven, in its "energy-saving mode," had been deceived...
And when the Dao of Heaven looked closely, this "half-immortal" naturally had no secrets whatsoever.
The pressure that had just descended wasn't an investigation—it was a warning.
A genuine Purple Dawn Divine Lightning warning.
*'Good thing—probably the benefit of being polite earlier.'*
Li Changshou adjusted his breathing, quickly putting on his vest and Dao robe, while considering what words of gratitude he should offer the Lord of the Dao of Heaven.
Suddenly, muffled thunder exploded in the sky. Within a thousand li, the wind and clouds changed color!
Li Changshou had already clasped his hands forward, performing a deep Daoist bow.
He proclaimed once more in a clear voice:
"Disciple of the Daoist path now addresses the heavens! The variable in this Tribulation was truly not this disciple's calculated intention! It was merely a measure for warding off human disasters and calamities! Today's Dao foundation was achieved through this disciple receiving the Daoist scriptures, following the teachings of the Daoist patriarchs, and cultivating day and night with arduous effort! I humbly beseech the heavens to consider this disciple's difficult cultivation, and descend one more lightning Tribulation! I also ask the heavens to permit this disciple to change his tribulation site, to avoid an untimely death!"
As his words fell, the dark cloud in the sky began to slowly expand. From all directions, powerful winds blew in. Across the sea within several hundred li, gray clouds rose and converged overhead.
Li Changshou immediately understood what was happening. He turned and charged toward the water.
He had previously prepared several tribulation sites in case someone interfered before the Tribulation, and had set up formations on the ocean floor to accelerate Escape por Agua.
Who could have predicted that his reason for going to the second tribulation site would not be human interference, but rather...
A second Tribulation!
Two rounds of the Tribulation of Ascension?
This was unheard of...
Indeed, having so many contingencies prepared for the Tribulation was never excessive!
This time, the tribulation clouds shrouded a hundred li of sea surface, and their thickness was ten times what it had been before...
Li Changshou used Escape por Agua to race through the water, while the vast tribulation clouds above drifted eastward at the same speed.
And on those tribulation clouds—above them, the clouds had formed into a towering celestial palace. Before and after the palace were countless gray figures, and seated within was a solemn emperor.
All these figures were formed from the tribulation clouds; no features could be discerned.
Below the celestial palace, two enormous dragon-phoenix sculptures stood. The dragon bared its fangs and claws, the phoenix spread its wings and cried out—each seeming as if they might come alive the next instant and fight each other to the death.
Below the dragon and phoenix were waves of ferocious beasts and imposing human figures—as if enacting a great battle between ancient demons and Wu gods!
At the very bottom, silver-purple lightning spots appeared across the tribulation clouds, rapidly converging within to form a lightning pool ten zhang square!
The lightning within the pool was like liquid, slowly filling.
Li Changshou's second tribulation site was three hundred li away. Along the route, several previously prepared formations continuously accelerated him as he used Escape por Agua.
He had barely arrived at the second island when a boom echoed from above.
Without hesitation, Li Changshou grabbed a treasure pouch and shook it hard. Six folded jaula de lo-que-sea-Faraday were thrown in various directions—this time, he didn't even have time to open them...
Before the pouch hit the ground, Li Changshou's left hand already gripped a carving knife, his right hand clutched a wooden sword, and talismans flew from his sleeves!
Sensing something, he looked up—and his foot slipped.
What was that?
Above, the lightning pool slowly tilted. A "waterfall of lightning" crashed down upon him headfirst...
Countless bolts of lightning instantly illuminated the dark world in blinding brightness!
Li Changshou's left hand flickered with the carving knife, inscribing ancient characters in the air. Throughout his entire body, mana surged. His upper body once again radiated seven-colored immortal light, with immortal qi spread as a shield overhead!
BOOM!
Li Changshou's body was engulfed by the lightning waterfall. The ancient characters shattered almost instantly. His slender form was slammed into the already-molten ground...
Moments later, the lightning faded. Li Changshou leaped out of the square pit in the ground. His Dao robe was reduced to rags, his aura fluctuating wildly and impossible to calm. He couldn't help but bow his head and spit out a mouthful of fresh blood.
So this was his true Tribulation?
Powerful... powerful indeed.
He immediately waved his carving knife, writing character after character around his body. The content of these ancient characters was the "Bu Geng," written by the ancient human sage Shennong.
These ancient characters seemed to form a formation of their own, arranged around him according to the original text's layout, then slowly rose above Li Changshou's head.
At the same time, a mass of Llama Verdadera de las Tres Esencias surged from Li Changshou's body, enveloping him within.
Around him, nine-petaled lotus flowers slowly drifted outward, each the size of a washbasin.
—This was the phenomenon produced when he pushed his mana to its absolute limit!
Come, Tribulation!
Li Changshou looked up. His long hair and Dao robe billowed together. Above, the lightning pool tilted once more—another waterfall of lightning crashed down!
But this time, Li Changshou's knees bent and he rocketed skyward, eyes blazing with divine light, charging directly into the lightning waterfall!
Nine-Bolt Lightning Tribulation!
He had waited far too long for you.
......
"Master, why have we stopped again?"
Above the Southern Sea, a white cloud hovered in place. The girl, being pulled along by the old Daoist, asked softly.
The old Daoist gazed toward Li Changshou's second tribulation site, unable to suppress a sharp intake of breath.
"What... what kind of Tribulation is this? Above, a celestial palace. In the middle, dragons and phoenixes. Below, what appear to be divine demons. Could it be the second-ranked Tribulación Divino-Demoníaca de las Nueve Galaxias?!"
But then the old Daoist shook his head and sighed, "What is happening in the Southern Sea today? Cultivation prodigies scheduling their Tribulations together?"
"What a pity. Another little one is about to perish under his Tribulation. Let's go, let's go—watching this is pointless."
The girl asked softly, "Master, couldn't that person survive this Tribulation?"
The old Daoist asked, "The eight-bolt lightning Tribulation just now—did you sense spiritual qi surging toward the tribulation site?"
The girl immediately shook her head.
"See? Eight-bolt lightning Tribulations are extremely difficult to survive, let alone the thirty-two-beast Tribulation. That tribulator has already been scattered body and soul. Now here comes another one."
The old Daoist smiled bitterly, "When talent is too good, even heaven grows jealous. The Primigenio already has far too many experts. Without the Tribulations to keep them in check, the great calamity could come at any moment." "Let's go. There's no point watching someone else's downfall."
With that, the white cloud continued flying south. But the girl cast one more curious glance at the sea surface a thousand li away.
The enormous tribulation clouds were nearly pressing down upon the ocean itself.