Chapter Fifty-Four: The Heavenly Calamity of the Ninth Heaven!
"Just hold on a moment, life and death are two judgments! But it seems like this time, I'm the one being 'judged'..."
As Li Changshou uttered these words, he couldn't help but feel a glimmer of understanding deep in his heart. And when that pressure descended from the sky, Li Changshou suddenly realized something!
In this situation... it seemed like he was really going to bear half of the blame himself.
As for the other half of the blame, it could only be given to the Heavenly Dao Lord, who should have scrutinized everything!
Buzz, buzz, buzz—
Suddenly, a buzzing sound filled the air, and strange ripples appeared in the sky! This astonishing pressure directly enveloped an area of a hundred miles in diameter, making the creatures here tremble with fear and dare not move.
Boom!
Li Changshou looked up again and saw that a dark cloud had appeared in the sky at some point, with a diameter of only tens of yards. In the center of the dark cloud, two cracks slowly split open, resembling two huge eyes slowly opening. The entire dark cloud also formed the outline of an old Daoist's face, expressionless, with hollow eyes staring at Li Changshou.
The Heavenly Dao?
The Ancestral Dao?
Li Changshou felt like he was being thoroughly examined, and a strong sense of danger arose in his heart.
His spiritual sense was not just fluttering, it was now as noisy as a boiling kettle!
Even the immortal light that had been flickering on his upper body was now forced back into his body!
What to do!?
In his current situation, if he was considered a deviation by the Heavenly Dao and seen as a loophole in the primordial chaos, there would definitely be a risk of being directly annihilated by the Heavenly Dao!
Even if he hadn't done anything, even if he hadn't incurred any karma!
With a firm resolve, Li Changshou couldn't care about so much anymore.
Facing the pressure, he spoke loudly, "Disciples of the Dao Sect have no intention of offending the Heavenly Might! It was just carelessness and negligence on my part! Please, Lord Heavenly Dao, wait a moment!"
Damn it, what was he saying, asking the Heavenly Dao to wait a moment...
The warning of the Purple Heaven Divine Thunder!
Li Changshou quickly untied his Daoist robe, took off the treasure-lined short robe worn inside, and casually stored it in his bracelet.
He truly didn't expect to expose some of his cards in this situation.
He had prepared so much for the tribulation, but he never expected that...
The Heavenly Dao was not really paying that much attention to him.
Wrapped around his left arm near the shoulder was a piece of cloth rope, with a broken jade tied to it emitting a faint and obscure Dao rhyme.
[Nameless Broken Jade]: When Li Changshou was five years old, a group of grave robbers came to the grassland, carrying a batch of relics they had dug up and exchanged them for cattle, sheep, gold, and silver with their tribe. This broken jade was treated as an ordinary piece of jade, but Li Changshou found that there was an ancient character 'fire' written on it and stubbornly took it back.
Function: Unknown.
However, ten years after Li Changshou entered the sect, he secretly placed the broken jade beside his master and found that he couldn't detect his master's whereabouts as easily as before using his basic divination techniques.
The function of the broken jade was inferred to be able to evade divination techniques, so he had been carrying it with him ever since.
[Cloth Rope]: Originally a piece of linen cloth with blood stains on it, taken from an ancient animal skin scroll. This linen cloth should be a fragment left behind by a prominent figure of the human race after being injured.
Function: According to the records on the animal skin, wearing it can obtain the protection of human race sages, but it should be purely psychological.
He pulled down the cloth rope and nameless broken jade, stuffed them into the bracelet on his wrist, and then took out a dagger from the bracelet, turning to look behind him.
The pressure from above immediately weakened slightly.
Li Changshou felt a slight relief, but quickly stabilized his mind and turned to look at the ancient rune tattooed directly on the skin of his left shoulder. At this moment, it was faintly glowing.
Li Changshou slid the dagger across the corner of the rune, and it instantly shattered...
Fortunately, as long as the wound healed later, the rune would recover on its own.
[Ancient Witch Clan Secret Rune]: Avoid disaster, protect against calamities, prevent divination, created by ancestral witches, used to resist the demons.
It needs to be inscribed on animal skin to take effect, but it works better when inscribed on flesh.
There was another one under the right rib, and Li Changshou also tore it open...
Instantly, the pressure from above weakened again.
But this wasn't over yet...
Li Changshou caught the keyword—'prevent divination'.
Immediately, he collected the several other items he carried with him.
For example, two small ancient coins sealed in the pocket of his underwear;
They were said to be the first version of ancient human coins, with a small amount of merit on them, as well as the ability to prevent divination and avoid disasters.
A fragment of a demon bone tied to his ankle, and a colored fish scale stuck to his thigh...
Various strange and rare items, a total of seven, were verified by Li Changshou's master to indeed be 'oddities' that could to varying degrees evade divination techniques...
These things were not treasures, difficult to find, but easy to obtain once discovered.
Speaking of the primordial chaos, what left a deep impression on people, apart from various treasures, various magical powers, and various masters, should be the mysterious divination techniques.
As a 'little secret' himself, reincarnated with memories from his previous life into this primordial world, Li Changshou had a strong sense of vigilance in this regard, and with hard work and a bit of luck, he acquired these little trinkets.
But he never expected...
That even the Heavenly Dao could be fooled!
At this moment, the pressure gradually disappeared, and the outline of the old Daoist's face on the dark cloud also slowly dissipated, but the dark cloud still floated above his head.
Li Changshou broke out in a cold sweat, if not for his strong mental resilience, he would have collapsed on the sea surface by now...
He collected these things purely to prevent others from calculating him through divination, not to guard against the Heavenly Dao.
"When one's cultivation realm is too low, any deliberate disguise will attract the attention of experts and bring disaster." Li Changshou had long understood this principle and had always used ordinary means to disguise himself in the sect.
How could he deliberately antagonize the Heavenly Dao?
Probably...
Maybe...
There are several different modes of the Heavenly Dao?
Standby, energy-saving, full operation, high-performance?
Ah, just kidding.
The Heavenly Dao supervises the operation of all things in the world, but it doesn't pay excessive attention to all living beings, especially those who have not yet become immortals and pose no threat.
"Before Li Changshou faced the Eight Tribulations, it was just the Heavenly Dao sending them down based on his qualifications, kinda like some pre-set program or something.
It wasn't until he screwed something up on his end after facing the tribulations that he caught the Heavenly Dao's attention...
Originally, for others like Li Changshou, who had accumulated way beyond the 'expected qualifications' for facing the tribulations, the Heavenly Dao would adjust the intensity of the Heavenly Tribulations to provide enough challenge. If the person couldn't handle it, they'd kick the bucket.
But who would've guessed that Li Changshou had so many weird 'anti-calculation' things on him that even in 'energy-saving mode,' the Heavenly Dao missed some crucial details...
And when the Heavenly Dao took a closer look, being just a 'semi-immortal,' he naturally had no secrets whatsoever.
The pressure that just came down wasn't for investigation, but more like a warning.
A real deal Purple Heaven Divine Thunder warning.
'Well, thankfully, maybe it's because of the politeness from earlier.'
Li Changshou adjusted his breathing, quickly put on his short shirt and Taoist robe, pondering in his heart what words of gratitude he should say to the Heavenly Dao.
Suddenly, a muffled thunder resounded in the air, and the weather changed within a thousand miles!
Li Changshou had already clasped his hands together, bowing deeply.
He shouted again:
'Disciples of the Dao, today we open the heavens! The variations in facing the tribulations were not calculated by the disciple on purpose! They were just means for the disciple to avoid man-made disasters! Today, receiving this Dao Foundation, it's truly due to the disciple obtaining the Daoist Canon, following the teachings of the Daoist ancestors, and persevering in cultivation day and night! Please, Heaven, remember the disciple's hard work in cultivation, and send down the tribulations once again! Also, please allow the disciple to change the place of tribulation, to avoid calamity!'
As his words fell, the dark clouds in the sky began to slowly expand, strong winds blowing from all directions. Within hundreds of miles, gray clouds emerged on the sea, converging towards Li Changshou's head!
Li Changshou immediately understood what was happening and rushed towards the sea.
Previously, in order to prevent interference during the tribulation, he had deliberately found several places for tribulation and arranged acceleration formations underwater.
Who could have expected that he went to the second place for tribulation not because of human intervention, but...
To face the second Heavenly Tribulation!
Facing the Ascension Tribulation twice?
This is unheard of...
Indeed, no matter how many preparations one has against the Heavenly Tribulation, it's not excessive!
This time, the tribulation clouds covered an area of hundreds of miles, and the thickness of the tribulation clouds was ten times that of before...
Li Changshou swiftly water-escaped in the seawater, and the vast tribulation clouds above moved at the same speed.
Looking at the tribulation clouds above, they condensed into a towering celestial palace, surrounded by countless gray figures. Inside the celestial palace sat a dignified emperor.
These figures were all condensed from the tribulation clouds, with no discernible features.
Below the celestial palace, there were two huge dragon and phoenix sculptures. The dragon bared its teeth and claws, while the phoenix spread its wings high and cried, as if they were about to turn into living creatures and fight each other in the next moment.
Below the dragon and phoenix, there were groups of fierce beasts, and bulky figures that seemed to be evolving into great demons and witches in a great battle!
At the bottom, silver-purple thunder patterns appeared everywhere in the tribulation clouds, swiftly converging into a ten-zhang-square thunder pool!
The thunder in the thunder pool flowed like liquid, gradually filling it up.
Li Changshou's second tribulation site was three hundred miles away, with several formations arranged along the way, constantly accelerating him in his water escape.
Almost as soon as he arrived at the second island, a rumbling sound came from the sky.
Without thinking too much, Li Changshou grabbed a treasure bag and vigorously swung it, throwing six folded Daoist birdcages in all directions, none of them had time to be opened this time...
Before the treasure bag landed, Li Changshou's left hand already gripped a carving knife, his right hand held a wooden sword, and talismans flew out from his sleeves!
With a feeling in his heart, he looked up, and Li Changshou immediately stumbled.
What is this?
In the air, the thunder pool tilted slowly, and a 'thunder waterfall' poured down on him...
Countless thunderbolts instantly illuminated the dim world!
Li Changshou's carving knife moved rapidly, carving ancient characters out of thin air, and his mana surged. Seven-colored celestial light flashed again on his upper body, and his celestial aura was laid on top once more!
Boom!
Li Changshou's figure was engulfed by the thunder waterfall, the ancient characters almost shattered in an instant, and his slender figure was pressed onto the melted ground...
After a while, the lightning dissipated, and Li Changshou jumped out of the square pit on the ground, his Taoist robe in tatters, his breath fluctuating and difficult to stabilize, he couldn't help but lower his head and spit out a mouthful of blood.
This is the real Heavenly Tribulation?
It's... it's powerful enough.
He immediately waved the carving knife, writing one ancient character after another around him. The content formed by these ancient characters was a passage from the ancient human clan's sage Shennong's "Plowing Cultivation"; these ancient characters seemed to form some kind of formation around him, following the original layout of the text, and then slowly rose to the top of Li Changshou's head.
At the same time, a mass of Samadhi True Fire surged around Li Changshou, enveloping him.
In various places around him, lotus flowers with nine petals floated slowly, each the size of a basin.
—These were the visions that appeared when he exerted all his mana!
Come on, Heavenly Tribulation!
Li Changshou looked up, his long hair and Taoist robe fluttering together. Above him, the thunder pool tilted again, and another thunder waterfall fell!
But this time, Li Changshou bent his legs, soared into the sky, his eyes sparkling, actively facing the thunder waterfall!
The Nine Thunder Tribulations!
I've been waiting for you for too long.
...
"Master, why did we stop again?"
Above the South China Sea, a white cloud stopped, and the young girl being led by the old Daoist asked softly.
The old Daoist looked at Li Changshou's second tribulation site, couldn't help but inhale a breath of cold air.
"What, what kind of Heavenly Tribulation is this? There's a celestial palace above, dragons and phoenixes in the middle, and it looks like gods and demons below. Could it be the second-ranked Nine Heavens Divine Demon Tribulation!"
But then, the old Daoist shook his head and sighed, "What's up with the South Sea today? Are all the talented cultivators gathering to face their tribulations? Too bad, another young fella's gonna bite the dust under the heavenly tribulation. Let's go, let's go, no use sticking around for this."
The girl asked softly, "Master, can't people survive this kind of heavenly tribulation?"
The old Daoist replied, "Did you feel the spiritual energy surging towards the tribulation site during the eightfold thunder tribulation just now?"
The girl immediately shook her head.
"Well, there you go. Eightfold thunder tribulations are extremely difficult to pass, let alone the thirty-two calamitous tribulations. The one who just faced the tribulation has already kicked the bucket. And now, here comes another one."
The old Daoist sighed bitterly, "When your talent's too good, jealousy from the heavens kicks in. There are already too many heavyweights in the primordial era. If they're not put under heavenly tribulation pressure, major disasters might come knocking in the blink of an eye. Let's go, no need to witness people's downfall."
With that, the old Daoist continued flying south on the white cloud, while the girl couldn't help but curiously glance a thousand miles away at the sea. That huge tribulation cloud was almost about to press down onto the sea surface.