"Oh heavens, why do you hate me so? I am trying to break through my shackles and be free from my mortal shell. I have never gone against the Heavenly Way, nor committed heinous deeds. I have saved millions of lives and created many experts. I have not been greedy, imparting my secret arts freely. I am the founder of a school of thought for my demon race. Why have you forsaken me?!" cried a mysterious figure.
Loud thunder echoed throughout the realm. The snowy curtain quickly turned despotic, and an avalanche rapidly formed. With great force, it collided against the tribulation. The heavens, now even angrier, changed colors. The lightning shone like rainbows, turning all the snow into steam. In moments, the snow plains transformed into grasslands. Flowers bloomed, and saplings grew into trees. The once barren trees were now clothed in beautiful jade-like leaves. This was the Seven-Coloured Lightning Tribulation—a rare and awe-inspiring event.
At the center of it all stood a tall man with an auspicious aura. His body was covered in scales, shaped like a deer, with the feet of a horse and the tail of an ox. His head resembled that of a dragon, with two small horns creeping from it, shining with an immortal aura.
Jian Bu was in shock. He was greatly startled by the commotion and nearly lost his life just from the aftermath of the tribulation. "This can't be the legendary—"
The tribulation clouds began to recede, and the mysterious being's horns fully sprouted from its head. An immortal aura now surrounded the being, so profound that Jian Bu felt the urge to kneel. Its body was covered in a blinding light, as if the heavens deemed it disrespectful for mortals to gaze upon it directly. Yet, upon closer inspection, one could see that the being was half-kneeling and out of breath. Multi-colored blood flowed from its wounds, and soft groans escaped its lips.
Jian Bu, with cautious steps, approached the being, hoping to deal the finishing blow and reap the benefits of such a legendary existence. But as if his thoughts had been seen through, the mysterious being appeared directly in front of him and touched his glabella, intending to kill him in one strike. However, after a deeper look, the being hesitated and stopped.
"Brat, your heart is as clear as water to me. It was foolish of you to try and kill me, an immortal being. Now, tell me, how do you wish to die?" the being said in a cold voice.
Jian Bu's expression remained unchanged, but his mind raced to find a way out of this dire situation.
"Sir, I was startled by the commotion. I didn't know what was happening. When I saw your appearance, I panicked and took a risk to restrain you. My clansmen are nearby, and I feared you might attack us. I wanted to deal with the problem before it arose. But now, seeing your greatness, I realize I was wrong. You are an immortal; you would not stoop so low as to attack mere mortals. I apologize for my disrespect. I am willing to pay with my life, so long as you spare my clansmen," Jian Bu said with resolute eyes.
The being stared deeply at him, as if seeing through his facade. After a moment, it spoke. "You're a smart boy. You could achieve something in the future. Now, scram! And don't let me see you again."
Jian Bu heaved a sigh of relief and quickly departed, but not before collecting the blood and flesh scattered around the area.
"His descendants are still alive. I wonder what those old fools would think if they knew..." muttered the mysterious being before disappearing.
'I was so foolish. I shouldn't have taken such a risk... At the very least, I've made some small gains. I don't know what that being was, but its blood must be of immense value. I'll try to create a bloodline activation pill with these remains and see if I can awaken my bloodline ability,' thought Jian Bu.
He sat down and inspected the herbs he still had. 'I'm missing a few core ingredients, but this will have to do.'
As Jian Bu prepared to begin alchemy, he was surrounded by his clansmen and the elders.
"Jian Bu, what was that commotion? What is that in your hands?" demanded an elder.
"It's none of your business. Now, scram," Jian Bu replied coldly.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" The elder rushed at him, aiming to grab his collar and force him to drop what he held.
But Jian Bu was faster. He drew his sword and chopped off the elder's hands, then tore out his heart with sharp fingers. With swift movements, he formed symbols in the air, and a great formation materialized on the ground.
"I sacrifice my clansmen for the chance to activate my bloodline."
Horror filled the faces of his clansmen. They couldn't comprehend how Jian Bu had grown so strong or why he would turn on his own clan.
"Why are you doing this? You are the young clan leader, the hope of our clan! Why are you condemning us to eternal damnation?" cried one of the youths with righteous indignation.
Jian Bu, his face indifferent, replied, "None of you have ever respected me. Don't take this personally. I'm not doing this out of hatred. This is my opportunity to awaken my bloodline and ascend further. You are merely the beginning. I didn't initially plan this, but you saw something you shouldn't have. With the remains of that mysterious being and your bloodlines, closely related to mine, I have at least a 50% chance to awaken my bloodline. For now, I will only kill you."
A young man cupped his hands and said, "Young clan leader, may you revive the clan!"
The other clansmen began to laugh, their faces proud. "Young clan leader, revive the clan!" they chanted. Their horror had vanished, replaced by pride and acceptance.
'They've understood the bigger picture,' thought Jian Bu as he cupped his hands toward his clansmen one last time.
Their blood was sucked dry, their bodies turning into mummified husks. Jian Bu combined the two ingredients, but to his shock, the calm sky quickly gathered clouds, and thunder brewed within. The tribulation clouds turned red—a blood tribulation, triggered only by the sacrifice of one's kin.
Jian Bu's face shifted from horror to delight. "YES!" he screamed. By surviving this tribulation, his concoction would reach 100% potency. The benefits outweighed the risks. If he could endure, his bloodline would awaken.
Jian Bu sacrificed the souls of his clansmen, summoning a being from the underworld to fight for him. A gate of cold iron materialized, and a being of icy malice emerged. It devoured the remains of Jian Bu's clansmen and grew in size. Drawing two hooked swords from its back, it slashed at the tribulation countless times, too fast for the eye to follow. The tribulation collapsed, its energy absorbed into the concoction. The being gave Jian Bu one last look before vanishing through the gate.
"Finally!" Jian Bu exclaimed, a wide smile on his face. No bystander would believe this young man had sacrificed his own kin to devils for the sake of cultivation. He examined the pill, then swallowed it. His cultivation surged with unstoppable momentum—Rank 7, Rank 8, Rank 9. "Oh no, I'm breaking into Foundation Establishment! I need to stabilize my foundation," he muttered, ensuring the energy nourished his meridians. The energy coursed through him, enlarging his pathways until all twelve meridians shone with golden light. He broke through to Foundation Establishment, but the momentum didn't stop.
Jian Bu panicked. A high cultivation realm wasn't enough; he wanted a perfect foundation. He gathered the energy in his dantian and quickly advanced to the Golden Core realm. Tribulation clouds formed again, and Jian Bu used the lightning to temper his body. He allowed the lightning to strike him, healing his wounds with the pill's energy each time. He repeated this 99 times—a heaven-defying feat. The lightning turned rainbow-colored, tearing his body apart, but each time he regenerated, he grew stronger. After nine such cycles, the tribulation ended.
Jian Bu healed his body, ensuring no hidden injuries remained, and used the remaining energy to form a core. His cultivation stabilized at Golden Core Rank 9.
He lay on the ground, catching his breath, a smile still on his face. "I can't believe I skipped almost three entire cultivation realms. What even was that being? Just a few pieces of its flesh and blood pushed me this far. What if I had devoured it entirely? How high would my cultivation be now?" he wondered, shivering at the thought of provoking such an immortal being.
"Golden Core Rank 9 is the perfect stopping point. My realm is high, but my mental state is still at the Qi Condensation level. Even with my knowledge, I'm lacking compared to true Golden Core experts. I could have pushed for Nascent Soul or higher, but my talent would have been consumed, leaving me in mediocrity. Though many would choose that path—Nascent Soul cultivators are rulers of the land, and realms beyond are unstoppable calamities," Jian Bu mused.
"Oh, I almost forgot. What bloodline ability did I awaken?" He inspected his body, his gaze stopping at his dantian, where nine lights of different colors surrounded it. As he tried to approach them with his consciousness, his skin aged rapidly. "What's happening?" he cried, pulling back in fear. He coughed blood, his face distraught but his mind quickly calming.
"Whatever that was, I'm too weak to approach it now. I'll reach Nascent Soul before trying again," he thought, pondering the lights. One seemed to represent time, but as he considered it, a feeling of unease washed over him, as if something was watching. Chills ran down his spine, but the sensation soon faded.
"Some things cannot be spoken of at my current level. It seems I've touched upon a taboo. I must be more careful," Jian Bu concluded, his eyes brighter than ever, yet filled with caution.