Li Qingshan leapt up and rushed out of the centre of the mountain, welcoming the first bolt of lightning that descended from above.
Boom!
The dazzling white lightning struck Li Qingshan and he felt a strange numbness all over his body. Even the depths of his soul trembled slightly, shocked by the terrifying might of the world. Only then did he feel a deep pain.
This was a fatal bolt of lightning. It was also the greatest test of the heavens for those who were unwilling to accept their current situation. It was a heaven-sent opportunity for them to break out of their cocoons and become butterflies.
The spiritual energy in his dantian's sea of qi was rapidly consumed by the lightning. At the same time, the impurities were removed and they were fused in a new way.
Different from the first Heavenly Tribulation, the tribulation clouds piled up thickly in the sky. Whether it was the momentum or the pressure, they were many times stronger than before. They hung low above the Lian Yue Mountain Range. Bolts of lightning shuttled back and forth in the clouds, but they were not released. Beneath the violent surface, they contained the mysterious laws of heaven and earth.
The heavens and the earth flickered indeterminately. Tribulation lightning bolts were like divine hammers crafted by the heavens as they fiercely hammered this piece of stubborn iron. If it was able to endure this sort of tempering, then it would be able to become steel that had been tempered a hundred times; if it couldn't, then it would only end up with its bones crushed.
Amidst the intense pain, Li Qingshan's thoughts were extremely clear and calm. If most cultivators could survive the first heavenly tribulation without too much danger, then the second heavenly tribulation was much more dangerous. Countless cultivators had lost their lives at this juncture.
But he was not afraid. After cultivating the Nine Transformations of Demons and Gods, his willpower and the strength of his body had become extremely tough, far exceeding the level of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. If he still could not survive the heavenly tribulation, then he deserved to die.
At the same time, Ru Xin was sitting cross-legged in the Jade-Melting Cauldron, cultivating the Heavenly Tome of Cloud Furnace she had obtained from Chu Tian. Using herself as a pill to refine was not an easy task, but she did not even frown. She was completely naked, like a beauty carved out of white jade.
As the foundation of a cultivator, this cultivation method was even more powerful than she had imagined. In less than half a year of cultivation, she had undergone a tremendous change. Her cultivation also broke through to the middle stage of the Foundation Building realm.
Other than the strength of the cultivation method, it was also because of her own strange talent. Of course, the Jade-Melting Cauldron was a rare magic weapon. It was also a great contribution. Compared to these gains. The pain of cultivation was indeed nothing.
Suddenly, a thunderous roar rang out. It contained the might of the heavens and earth. Even the spirit formation was unable to block it.
"Could it be?"
Ru Xin's heart skipped a beat. Putting away his cultivation technique, he put on his clothes and walked out of the cave. When he saw the figure fighting with the lightning, he felt an indescribable sense of shock.
Although he knew that his actual strength had already far surpassed that of an ordinary Golden Core cultivator. However, there were some differences in cultivation realms that could not be made up for with pure strength. Once he took this step, he would be able to reach a whole new realm and become a peerless genius in the cultivation world of Qingzhou.
The rumbling of thunder was continuous, as if it was roaring endlessly, drowning him completely.
Ru Xin was also unable to look at it directly. She thought to herself, No wonder so many cultivators died under the second heavenly tribulation. There is indeed great danger involved. However, there's no need to worry about him. I've cultivated the Heavenly Tome of Cloud Furnace, so I have some confidence. "
The radiance of the lightning was extremely glorious. Within Li Qingshan's body. With a loud bang, the surging spiritual energy gathered at a single point, converging into a spinning, perfectly round, azure bead. The aura within was vast and deep like the ocean.
Second heavenly tribulation breakthrough! The Azure Sea Pearl was refined!
The clouds dissipated. The sky was blue and the sun shone brightly.
He opened his arms and let out a long roar. The mountains responded.
He suddenly turned back and smiled at Ru Xin in the distance. In that instant, all the sunlight gathered on his face. After going through so many hardships, he had finally taken another step forward.
...
"Congratulations, you didn't get struck by lightning!"
After Li Qingshan reorganized himself, he came to Ru Xin's cave abode. Ru Xin served tea and said with a smile.
"I won't die even if you die. Mm, you've changed quite a bit as well!"
Li Qingshan studied Ru Xin. Her skin had always been extremely fair and delicate, but now it shone with a glossy, jade-like lustre, which made her seem less lively and more otherworldly.
Ru Xin did not hide anything and told him the whole story.
"Heavenly Tome of Cloud Furnace. I didn't think this kid would have such a use. You won't really become a rock in the future, will you? What's the point of that?"
Li Qingshan reached out and poked Ru Xin's cheek. Fortunately, it was still warm and soft.
"Take off your dog paws," Ru Xin said without changing expression.
"Hey, if I capture him and torture him now, do you think I can get more useful things?"
Li Qingshan took an inch and took a mile, turning poking into pinching. He reached out with his other hand and pinched the other side of her cheek, pulling it to both sides. Her peerlessly beautiful face became strange. He chuckled.
Just as Ru Xin was about to explode, he let go. "Here, the Water God Seal we agreed on. But it's best to use it under my control. If the aura inside is accidentally leaked, or the ling energy in the rivers and lakes is used, there might be big trouble!"
The Water God Seal, which was like a coiled dragon, emitted a deep blue light and contained powerful ling energy. Yet Li Qingshan could clearly feel that during this period of time, someone was trying to steal from him, using another Water God Seal to wantonly devour his waters.
If it was any other day, he didn't even need to come in person. He only needed to activate the Water God Seal to expel them. But thinking about it, he knew that this was definitely a trap set by the enemy to lure him out. It was a so-called overt plot. Right now, there was even a risk of being exposed if he used the Water God Seal to gather water spiritual qi for cultivation.
He simply ignored it completely. The Ruyi commandery spanned tens of thousands of kilometers. There were so many rivers and lakes, and he had only managed to unify them so quickly with the divine powers of the spirit turtle.
The ancestral emperor had used the larger pieces of the Water God Seal to forge the nine cauldrons. Even if the enemy's Water God Seal was a generous estimate, it would already be impressive if it could contain a tenth of the water. Whether it was devouring it or nibbling it away, they could forget about threatening his position as a water god without a few years of effort. He would let them do whatever they wanted. There would be a time for them to cry.
"Since there's trouble, then you better be careful. It's fine if the Beast King rips you to shreds, but don't drag me into it." Ru Xin rubbed her face and said viciously, "All the pills I owe you are gone."
In the past, Li Qingshan had given her many spiritual herbs from underground for her to refine. She had refined most of them into pills and split them with Li Qingshan. There was still a small portion, either because she had not managed to refine them in time, or because she could not find the spiritual herbs that matched them, so they could be regarded as unpaid debts.
"If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten about it. I might be prince Si Qing's biggest creditor, so I'm not in need of those things. However, you still have to pay your debts, or you'll just have to pay with your body. Before you turn into stone, I'll let you experience what the pleasure of making love is. "
Ru Xin smiled. "I have four words for you!"
"Wishful thinking?"
"Fuck you!"
Li Qingshan laughed aloud. The Water God Seal flew up from his hand, shining with two streaks of blue light that resembled mist. They enveloped the two of them, and they both absorbed the spiritual qi silently, falling silent for a moment.
Time passed. Their eyes met, and after a while, Ru Xin closed her eyes. Li Qingshan smiled and closed his eyes as well. He looked at the Ocean pearl condensed in his body. It spun as it spun, devouring the surging water spiritual qi like a glutton before refining and converting it into its own power. It was like a bottomless pit.
The demand for spiritual qi at Golden Core sure is startling. If I don't have the Water God Seal and only have to consume pills and absorb spiritual qi to cultivate, the amount of time I'll need will definitely be calculated in years. Once the spirit turtle breaks through to the fifth layer, the amount of water spiritual qi required will definitely be tremendous. It really won't do without the Water God Seal as a foundation.
Ru Xin opened her eyes again and stared at his face before closing her eyes again.
In the blink of an eye, another few days passed. As the saying went, "Sixty years in the mountains". Cultivation would always make it easy for people to forget the passage of time. It felt like they had only taken a nap or spaced out for a while.
Li Qingshan stabilised his cultivation at Golden Core. At the same time, he comprehended the various changes after the second heavenly tribulation.
The breakthrough of human cultivation did not directly increase his strength by much. It only refined his soul and body again, making his soul sense even more powerful. After all, the North Moon who cultivated the Nine Transformations of the Demonic and Divine was far too powerful. The greatest use of the Ocean pearl was to replenish twenty to thirty percent of his daemon qi at crucial times.
However, crossing this major realm of cultivation was crucial, whether it was for humans or daemons. The higher one's cultivation, the closer they were to the ways of the world. No matter how many cultivation methods and wondrous abilities there were, their final objective was to welcome the descent of the heavenly tribulations.
It was as if a heavy shackle had been broken. The Ox Demon, Tiger Demon, and Spirit Tortoise, who had been stagnant all this time, slowly began to grow in strength again. They also gained a new understanding of the usage of their innate abilities. When they completely mastered these understandings, they would have a higher chance of victory against opponents like Jia Zhen and Si Qing.
Ru Xin opened her eyes as well. The exhaustion and comfort she felt after cultivation were gone.
"You seem to be in a hurry to increase your cultivation recently!"
Li Qingshan had found this strange since a long time ago. In the past, Ru Xin had never mentioned using the Water God Seal to cultivate. Although she had given it to him, Li Qingshan had only reached his current level after experiencing countless difficulties and dangers. They were good friends, but she would never take the initiative to ask him for something, let alone something so important.
"I've thought of some old grievances, and I want to settle them as soon as possible."
"What grievances? Tell me!"
"It has nothing to do with you." Ru Xin flatly refused.
Li Qingshan was silent for a moment. He sighed and placed his hand on her shoulder. "If you died, I would be sad." Although they had agreed not to probe each other's secrets, it was inevitable that they would understand each other more and more.
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