After recovering from the temporary blindness caused by the pressure of the teleportation array, Guo Xingyue found himself standing in a vast desert, stretching endlessly before him. In the sky, there hung two suns, one strong and one weak. He couldn't help but smile: "Back on Pangu Star, people always said there can't be two suns in the sky. Who knew I'd find two here? How amusing!"
Suddenly, he felt something was off with his body. Looking down, he realized that his clothes had turned to ash, and his only possessions—two crystals—had long vanished. Guo Xingyue scratched his head and chuckled bitterly: "So here I am, completely bare, the only thing I brought from Pangu Star is this sword." He thought, I need to find someone to ask where I am, but I can't just run around naked. I'd better solve the clothing issue first.
As Guo Xingyue pondered where to find some clothes, he spotted a strange beast running toward him in the desert: it had a three-foot-long horn, a mouth full of fangs, sturdy limbs, and was covered in scales with no fur. Guo Xingyue was overjoyed: "Haha, just when I was worried about my clothes, here comes an opportunity!" He released his flying sword and performed the only spell he knew—Sword Control. The sword shot toward the beast like lightning, and he thought, This should be easy; now how do I stitch my clothes together?
Just as he felt proud, the beast's horn glimmered ominously as it unleashed a bolt of lightning that struck his sword. With a loud crash, Guo Xingyue's sword was sent flying back. Although the sword was refined and connected to his mind, this blow turned his face pale, sending shockwaves through his nascent soul and nearly injuring him.
In a panic, Guo Xingyue recalled his sword, flew into the air, and carefully assessed it. Fortunately, it was unharmed. Infuriated, he thought, I was just borrowing your skin, and you dare to strike back! (He didn't stop to think that the beast wouldn't survive without its skin.) What kind of creature is this? A monster? Not quite. No matter; I refuse to believe I can't take you down.
This time, Guo Xingyue was careful. Hovering in the air, he teased the roaring beast while secretly sending his sword around to its back. Then he ordered the sword to speed up and strike the beast's back. To his dismay, the sword only made a small cut, drawing a bit of purple blood without much effect. Frustrated, he recalled the sword and scrutinized the creature: My sword could pierce steel; this beast's hide must be too thick. What to do? I can't leave like this, not when I'm naked! No way! I'm definitely getting those clothes today.
The beast howled in pain from the sword wound and unleashed several lightning strikes, but Guo Xingyue was too high up to be hit, which only made the beast angrier. After two unsuccessful strikes, Guo Xingyue was annoyed to see the beast open its wide mouth, full of fangs, and he snapped, "Why are you howling? You're driving me crazy!" Suddenly, an idea struck him. He commanded the sword to strike the beast from behind again, making another small cut on its back. Then, while the beast was howling in agony, he shot the sword straight into its mouth, letting it thrash around inside the beast's belly for several moments. The creature rolled on the ground, howling in pain, and soon lay still.
Guo Xingyue controlled the sword to fly back out of the beast's open mouth, then walked over and mockingly said, "Let's see if you can still scream now."
Just as he was considering how to skin the beast, he suddenly felt a sense of foreboding: the Thunder Tribulation was coming. Dark clouds quickly gathered above the desert, growing denser and lower. An image of a yin-yang fish appeared in the clouds, resembling a giant eye gazing down at Guo Xingyue.
He felt a pang of fear: "I've only heard about the minor heavenly tribulations in the jade pendant of the Carefree Immortal. I have no idea how powerful this minor tribulation is or how to face it. Since it's a minor tribulation, it shouldn't be too difficult, right? But how do I pass it? I can't hide from it; I'll have to withstand it. I don't have any magical artifacts, so I'll have to use my sword as a shield."
The yin-yang fish in the clouds suddenly flashed, and a bolt of lightning shot down at Guo Xingyue. He yelled and released his sword to meet the descending lightning. With a massive crash, the first bolt was shattered by his sword. Guo Xingyue smiled lightly, thinking, "This minor tribulation isn't so bad; the power is just average."
Before long, the yin-yang fish flashed again and released a second bolt of lightning. Guo Xingyue summoned his sword to block it once more.
However, this time he couldn't smile. The second bolt of lightning was three times stronger than the first, and his sword was knocked down, with the weakened lightning striking him directly. He felt his body convulsing, his hair standing on end like a hedgehog.
With his sword knocked away, his nascent soul was shaken, turning his face pale as he tasted blood in his throat. He thought, "This second bolt is terrifying! If the next one is even stronger, I might really be finished. But surely not, I can't end my journey here!" He resolved, It's now or never!
The yin-yang fish in the clouds began to spin, faster and faster, before a bolt of lightning, five times stronger than the second, came crashing down. Guo Xingyue no longer released his sword but instead gripped it tightly. He executed his ultimate move from Pangu Star—Union of Heaven and Man. The surrounding spiritual energy rapidly surged into him, while his true essence spun wildly upward, gathering in the sword, which burst forth with dazzling golden light to meet the lightning.
After a thunderous explosion, the yin-yang fish vanished, and the clouds dissipated quickly. The two suns continued to shine down on the desert, as if nothing had happened. Guo Xingyue lay on the ground, his entire body charred black, like a roasted fat sheep. The numbness from the lightning left him unable to move anything but his eyes. He used his spiritual sense to check his body: his meridians were somewhat damaged, but not critically. The real trouble was that his nascent soul was seriously injured, hanging its head low, looking dispirited.
This was serious trouble. It seemed that without extensive healing, this injury wouldn't recover. If another creature like that one came back, he wouldn't even have the strength to escape; only death in the beast's belly awaited him. Just as he thought of the beast, he sensed something rapidly descending from the right. He lamented, "Just what I was afraid of, and now what's coming?" He tried to muster the meager remaining true essence within him, but it was so little he couldn't even raise his arm. His mind was filled with a single thought: This time, it's really over!