Chapter 132 – Thundering Heavenly Tribulation, I See Destiny!

“Law of Heaven and Earth?!”

Witnessing the sudden appearance of the colossal Divine Manifestation,

Rong Gongming and the others immediately fell into the same misconception as Gu Liqing and his companions had before.

They all thought that the Five Spirits Communion unleashed by Lu Chen was akin to the Law of Heaven and Earth wielded by Nascent Soul Stage cultivators.

However, after carefully sensing the nature of this Divine Manifestation, Rong Gongming and the others quickly realized the truth.

Although this Divine Manifestation bore a striking resemblance to the Law of Heaven and Earth,

the two were fundamentally different at their core—they merely looked similar.

Even so, the emergence of this Divine Manifestation imposed significant pressure on Rong Gongming and the others.

After all, ordinary Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators were incapable of breaking through their ‘Protective Qi.’

Yet, the Five Spirits Communion that Lu Chen had just unleashed undoubtedly possessed the power to do so!

Once their Protective Qi was shattered, it would mean… they were in grave danger.

“Retreat!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Rong Gongming, who stood the farthest away, shouted the command immediately.

He swiftly retreated, mounting his Outer Path Yao Beast and fleeing with remarkable speed—clearly, he had prepared for this in advance.

The second fastest to react were the Altar Lords of the Black Lotus Sect’s Southern and Northern Altars.

Though not as well-prepared as Rong Gongming, their cunning nature had led them to hold back some reserves.

As a result, the slowest to escape was naturally the weakest in cultivation and the most straightforward in mind—the Black Lotus Sect’s Western Altar Lord, Tuoba Yu.

But no one could blame the others, for he was also the first among the four to charge at Lu Chen!

Even the Outer Path Yao Beast summoned by Rong Gongming hadn’t rushed forward as quickly as he did.

His eagerness to claim credit was far too obvious!

However, in his pursuit of this achievement, Tuoba Yu was about to pay a bloody price.

For he had become the first—and only—unfortunate soul to experience the might of Lu Chen’s Five Spirits Communion.

Facing the descending purple flame greatsword with no means of evasion, Tuoba Yu crossed his arms to block.

Outer Path Divine Ability… Furious Vajra!

In an instant, Tuoba Yu’s body swelled dramatically,

reaching a height of thirty meters in a very short time.

And almost at the exact moment he activated this Outer Path Divine Ability, the purple flame greatsword of Lu Chen’s Divine Manifestation came crashing down upon him.

Boom!

First, Tuoba Yu’s Protective Qi was shattered by a single strike.

Then, his massive Vajra body collided head-on with the purple flame greatsword.

In that instant, Tuoba Yu felt the terrifying force transmitted through the greatsword.

Despite his Golden Core Stage cultivation, he could barely withstand the power emanating from the purple flame greatsword and was forced to his knees on the spot.

Sizzle!

As the blade of the purple flame greatsword tore through his Physical Body, a deep, bone-revealing wound immediately appeared on Tuoba Yu’s arm.

Though severely injured, Tuoba Yu ultimately managed to block Lu Chen’s attack, albeit forced into a kneeling position, temporarily suppressed by Lu Chen and unable to move.

While Tuoba Yu survived, the ordinary Black Lotus Cultists around him were not so fortunate.

[You have killed a Black Lotus Cultist (Foundation Establishment Stage Fourth Layer/Ninth-Grade Human Dao Foundation Establishment), gained 4000 experience points…]

[You have killed…]

A dense stream of messages flooded Lu Chen’s panel, but he paid them no mind.For at this moment, he had gathered all his power into his Azure Lotus Eyes.

In the sky, dark clouds began to silently converge.

In the distance, Rong Gongming was astonished to see Tuoba Yu withstand Lu Chen’s sword strike.

His surprise wasn’t due to Lu Chen’s strength, but rather that Lu Chen seemed… far too weak.

He clearly remembered the terror of Shangqing Daojun who had appeared on the Azure Cloud Sect’s battlefield back then.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say “with a wave of his hand, the sword formation emerged, and the Immortal Fiends turned to dust.”

Though the current Lu Chen shared the exact appearance of that Shangqing Daojun,

and even possessed similar abilities,

compared to the Shangqing Daojun of that time,

the present Lu Chen was vastly inferior in terms of cultivation realm, completion of his sword formation, and the power of his Shangqing Cloud Sword magic treasure.

Thinking this, Rong Gongming immediately realized the reason.

Could it be that what stood before him now was Shangqing Daojun’s strength during his Foundation Establishment Stage?

No matter how powerful Lu Chen might become in the future, at this moment… he remained merely at the Foundation Establishment Stage!

And attempting to defeat a Golden Core Stage cultivator while at Foundation Establishment was no easy feat.

Even if Lu Chen was a reincarnated True Immortal, even if he was facing the weakest among their group—Tuoba Yu—

the vast gap in their realms couldn’t be easily overcome!

As long as they prevented him from awakening his True Immortal memories, they could win this battle!

Seeing that Lu Chen couldn’t even instantly kill the weakest Tuoba Yu, Rong Gongming suddenly felt his confidence return.

Shangqing Daojun? He wasn’t living up to that title at all!

Just an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator!

But just as Rong Gongming prepared to strike with full force and eliminate Lu Chen before his True Immortal memories awakened,

a low rumble of thunder suddenly echoed through the sky.

Hearing this, everyone belatedly looked up.

They saw a massive dark cloud had somehow appeared above their heads.

Though the Ancient Fiend Power within the Imperial City had greatly suppressed the cloud,

Lu Chen’s vast spiritual power had nourished it, allowing it to finally take form.

When Rong Gongming recognized the nature of this cloud, he cried out in terror, “He-Heavenly Tribulation?!”

“How can a Foundation Establishment cultivator summon Heavenly Tribulation!”

Meanwhile, on the square, Tuoba Yu—who was being suppressed by Lu Chen—also saw the tribulation clouds forming above them. His expression turned so grim he nearly burst into tears.

Seriously? A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator actually summoned Heavenly Tribulation?

Are you the Heavenly Dao’s favorite son or something? How is anyone supposed to compete with this?!

While ordinary cultivators feared Heavenly Tribulation, it was even more terrifying for their kind—the Immortal Abominations.

Because Heavenly Tribulation perfectly countered the Ancient Fiend Power within them.

Beyond suffering far greater damage than ordinary cultivators when struck by tribulation lightning,

the other reason Immortal Fiends feared Heavenly Tribulation was that if killed by it, they couldn’t revive within the Buddha Realm!

The Heavenly Tribulation would eradicate both them and the Ancient Fiend Power within them!

Realizing this, Tuoba Yu immediately shouted, “Save me!”

He couldn’t withstand this heavenly lightning—someone needed to lend a hand quickly!

But to Tuoba Yu’s despair, after his cry for help, not only did Rong Gongming and the others not come to his aid… they actually retreated even faster!

Watching their fleeing backs, Tuoba Yu cursed them vehemently in his heart.”We agreed on four against one, so why has it suddenly become one-on-one!”

Facing Tuoba Yu’s venomous glare, Rong Gongming and the others simultaneously showed apologetic expressions toward him.

Lend a hand?

Brother, this is the Heavenly Tribulation, understand? The Heavenly Tribulation!

If we lend a hand, we might just get struck down along with you.

Better the Fellow Daoist perish than the poor Daoist—you go first and test this cultivator’s capabilities for us.

Once we figure out his methods, we will definitely avenge you!

Confronted with these shameless individuals, Tuoba Yu once again experienced the treacherous nature of the Black Lotus Sect.

We agreed to attack together, but in the end, I’m the only one going in, while all of you are just watching from the sidelines, right!

Trust?

The Black Lotus Sect… has no trust!

Because they couldn’t immediately determine the similarities and differences between the Heavenly Tribulation summoned by Lu Chen and a genuine one,

Rong Gongming and the others all chose to cautiously avoid its sharpness.

This forced Tuoba Yu to face Lu Chen alone.

And all of this was entirely within Lu Chen’s plan.

This was exactly the effect he wanted!

Not giving Rong Gongming and the others time to think, Lu Chen used his Divine Manifestation to suppress Tuoba Yu while allowing the Heavenly Tribulation above to descend.

Boom!

A massive bolt of lightning fell from the sky, striking Tuoba Yu fiercely.

Since his Protective Qi had already been broken by Lu Chen’s Divine Manifestation earlier,

Tuoba Yu had no choice but to withstand this Heavenly Tribulation with his physical body.

But the Heavenly Tribulation, specifically designed to counter Demonic Heresy, inflicted several times the terrifying damage of other attacks when it landed on him.

“Ahhh!!!”

Tuoba Yu let out a miserable scream. Not only were large areas of his skin charred black, but the Ancient Fiend Power within him was greatly weakened, leaving him severely injured.

Afterward, he could no longer continue to resist Lu Chen’s Divine Manifestation, allowing the giant purple fire sword to descend further.

Squelch!

The giant purple fire sword of Lu Chen’s Divine Manifestation severed Tuoba Yu’s arm and landed squarely on his head.

Whether it was because the giant purple fire sword was too sharp or because Tuoba Yu’s body was no longer as strong after being struck by the Heavenly Tribulation,

He was actually cleaved directly in two by Lu Chen’s sword.

If it were an ordinary person, they would surely think Tuoba Yu had been killed by them.

But when Lu Chen realized he hadn’t received any notification of Tuoba Yu’s death from his panel,

He immediately sensed something was wrong.

This was either because, due to the Black Lotus Buddha Statue, even if Lu Chen’s sword killed Tuoba Yu, it wouldn’t count as truly killing him,

Or because Tuoba Yu… wasn’t dead at all.

Once this thought occurred to him, Lu Chen naturally began carefully observing his surroundings.

Before long, behind Tuoba Yu’s charred, massive corpse, he spotted a small old man hiding.

It turned out that when Tuoba Yu realized he seemed unable to withstand Lu Chen’s Heavenly Tribulation, he immediately decided to play a trick—a golden cicada shedding its shell.

Hoping to deceive Lu Chen.

But he never expected that Lu Chen could rely on his game panel to determine whether he was truly dead.

After locating Tuoba Yu’s true form, Lu Chen gave him no chance to escape.

Divine Ability… Purple Fire Furnace!

The half-human Divine Manifestation behind Lu Chen clasped its hands together.

A massive Divine Furnace immediately appeared above Tuoba Yu’s true form.

Such an enormous Divine Furnace directly covered all possible escape routes for Tuoba Yu,

Leaving him with no opportunity to flee.

“No!!!”

Amid Tuoba Yu’s agonized screams, his body was directly suppressed by the Divine Furnace and began to be continuously refined.Moments later, Tuoba Yu not only died, but died in a truly miserable fashion.

For not only was his physical body destroyed, but even the Ancient Fiend Power within him was refined by Lu Chen, becoming part of Lu Chen’s cultivation base.

[You have killed Black Lotus Western Altar Lord · Tuoba Yu (Golden Core Stage First Revolution/Ninth-grade Mortal Golden Core). You have obtained 200,000 experience points, Soul Crystal Shard (Purple)*1, External Path Divine Ability · Fierce-Eyed Vajra…]

[Current Experience Points: 500,000]

A Golden Core Stage Tuoba Yu, combined with the numerous Black Lotus Cultists accidentally killed by his purple flame greatsword earlier, had brought Lu Chen’s current experience points to the 500,000 milestone.

If this were an ordinary game, Lu Chen could simply keep reviving to farm experience points. But unfortunately, in True Immortal Cultivation, you only gain experience the first time you kill an enemy after an instance opens.

Therefore, even if Lu Chen revived and killed Tuoba Yu or other Black Lotus Cultists again later, he wouldn’t obtain any more experience.

Yet despite this, Lu Chen could still see the dawn of reaching a million experience points in this instance.

It wasn’t much – he just needed to kill two more Golden Core Stage Black Lotus Altar Lords. That would be enough to reach approximately one million experience points.

And this amount of experience was sufficient for him to elevate one Sword Intent to the Harmony Realm.

However, killing another Golden Core Stage Altar Lord so easily wouldn’t be that simple from now on.

Because although Tuoba Yu had died by Lu Chen’s hand, Rong Gongming and the others not only felt no sorrow, but instead felt an indescribable sense of relief.

They felt that Tuoba Yu’s death… wasn’t a loss at all!

After all, it was Tuoba Yu who used his own life to let them clearly see Lu Chen’s true strength!

Admittedly, whether it was ‘Five Spirits Communion’ or ‘Summoning Heavenly Tribulation’, these were methods far beyond what a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator should possess.

But they had clearly identified the weaknesses of these two techniques.

The former might appear spectacular, but since it was merely a Divine Manifestation, this divine form would shatter upon contact and was easily broken.

As for the heavenly tribulation in the sky, that too was just for show.

Unlike a real heavenly tribulation that grows stronger the more you resist it, Lu Chen’s heavenly tribulation only had a single attack.

Once the attack ended, the heavenly tribulation disappeared.

And if it was just one heavenly tribulation strike, they had far too many methods to easily neutralize it.

With this intelligence, they almost instantly figured out how to deal with Lu Chen.

And what they knew, Lu Chen naturally understood as well.

Although Lu Chen couldn’t immediately reuse the heavenly tribulation copied through his Azure Lotus Eyes, and the weakness of his Divine Manifestation had been exposed to Rong Gongming and the others, this didn’t mean he was out of options.

One must remember that his Minor Immortal-Trapping Sword Formation had been continuously active from the very beginning.

During this process, the Minor Immortal-Trapping Sword Formation had not only absorbed the spiritual power of numerous Black Lotus Cultists, but had also absorbed some of the spiritual power from Tuoba Yu, a Golden Core Stage Altar Lord.

Therefore, his next sword strike might not be at the Golden Core level… but it would surpass it!

“Don’t let his sword formation accumulate any more power! Everyone, attack together!”

Hearing Rong Gongming’s words, the other two Golden Core Stage Altar Lords immediately nodded.

Although they weren’t as knowledgeable about the Immortal-Trapping Sword Formation as Rong Gongming.It was unclear that what Lu Chen was currently displaying was merely the rudimentary form of the ‘Minor Immortal-Trapping Sword Formation’—a significantly weakened version of the true Immortal-Trapping Sword Formation.

However, with their Golden Core Stage insight, they could still perceive the extraordinary nature of this sword formation to some extent.

Even though it was only a rudimentary form.

But the power of this sword formation… was equally not to be underestimated!

If he continued to absorb more spiritual power, perhaps relying solely on this sword formation, Lu Chen could directly slay any one of them.

At this point, no one wanted to become the second unlucky one after Tuoba Yu.

One person dying was enough—they intended to be the last ones standing!

Without any hesitation, the three Golden Core Stage cultivators struck simultaneously.

Rong Gongming’s Outer Path Demonic Hound charged headfirst toward Lu Chen’s Divine Manifestation.

Its frenzied appearance seemed to disregard defense entirely, prepared to trade injury for injury.

In response, Lu Chen knew he had only one chance to strike.

And he reserved that opportunity for Rong Gongming, the strongest among the three.

Because he sensed that this man was different from the others.

His strength might surpass the combined power of the other three.

Minor Immortal-Trapping Sword Formation… Sword from Lotus!

In the plaza of the Black Lotus Sect’s East Altar, as Lu Chen closed his eyes.

The spiritual power from countless corpses on the ground transformed into lotus petals, flowing into the Shangqing Cloud Sword suspended in mid-air.

Soon, a massive, tightly closed cyan lotus appeared before the eyes of Rong Gongming and the others.

Upon seeing this enormous closed lotus, a sense of crisis immediately arose in the hearts of Rong Gongming and his companions.

“Scatter!”

Almost as soon as Rong Gongming spoke, the other two Black Lotus Altar Lords immediately dispersed in different directions.

Each unleashed their divine abilities, launching attacks toward Lu Chen.

In response, Lu Chen, with his eyes closed, showed no intention of evading or defending, wholly focused on the massive lotus above his head.

When Lu Chen reopened his eyes, his gaze locked directly onto Rong Gongming.

In that instant, Rong Gongming’s hairs stood on end, and he immediately summoned his Body Protection Magical Treasure.

A bizarre mirror resembling conjoined mother and child embracing each other.

As Rong Gongming activated his ‘Mother-Child Soul Mirror,’ the lotus above Lu Chen’s head… bloomed.

“Slay.”

With that word, a giant sword slowly emerged from the lotus platform and descended toward Rong Gongming.

But Rong Gongming was no Tuoba Yu.

Though he appeared to be only at the Golden Core Stage, his vision and methods were beyond what latecomers like Tuoba Yu could match!

“Soul Protection!!!”

As the Mother-Child Soul Mirror was activated.

A massive, illusory woman appeared around Rong Gongming, embracing him in her arms.

Using this, he sought to withstand the Lotus Spirit Sword that Lu Chen had been gathering for so long.

Boom!

When the Lotus Spirit Sword approached within a certain distance of Rong Gongming, its speed suddenly slowed.

As if blocked by something invisible.

But this stalemate did not last long.

Crack…

Accompanied by a sound like shattering glass, countless fissures began to appear on the massive illusory woman embracing Rong Gongming.

Simultaneously, identical cracks appeared on Lu Chen’s Lotus Spirit Sword.

Snap!

As the illusion of the ethereal woman surrounding Rong Gongming shattered, Lu Chen’s Lotus Spirit Sword… shattered along with it.At the same moment, the divine abilities of the other two Black Lotus Altar Lords also arrived before Lu Chen.

Facing this scene, Lu Chen remained utterly calm.

Although he had failed this time, it didn’t mean he would fail again next time.

Even if he failed the next time, there would always be another attempt after that.

For Rong Gongming and the others, Lu Chen could fail countless times, but they… could only fail once.

Boom!

With a series of divine ability explosions, the entire Black Lotus East Altar completely vanished from the Imperial City.

In its place was a massive crater nearly one kilometer in diameter.

[You have died]

“Azure Lotus Daoist, Lan Yan is here… wishing the Daoist smooth progress in all endeavors.”

Upon reopening his eyes, Lu Chen heard a familiar voice beside him.

He then ignored Lan Yan’s peculiar gaze and closed his eyes in deep contemplation.

Seeing this, Lan Yan showed no surprise but instead revealed excitement.

She had witnessed this reaction from Lu Chen before.

And every time Lu Chen engaged in such contemplation, no matter how dire the circumstances, he could always resolve them.

As Azure Lotus Daoist had once explained to her:

When Azure Lotus Daoist falls into this strange state of reflection, it proves he… has glimpsed destiny!

That one possible future among countless impossibilities!

(End of Chapter)