Several moments later—
the tribulation clouds gathered once more.
Layer upon layer of dark clouds revolved across the heavens.
Purple lightning crawled endlessly through their depths.
The pressure became even heavier.
The fox slowly rolled her shoulders.
The burns covering her body had yet to heal.
Fresh blood still dripped from several wounds.
Yet—
the smile on her face only widened.
She raised her head toward the heavens.
"...Come on."
She grinned.
"...I'll strip away as much of your power as I can."
Her tail swayed lazily behind her.
"...So don't hold back."
"...I still want more."
The heavens answered.
**BOOM!!**
Another pillar of heavenly lightning tore through the clouds.
It descended with even greater ferocity than before.
The fox laughed.
Then—
she leaped directly toward it.
The heavenly lightning swallowed her once again.
---
Far away—
deep within the forest—
Lizarius finished consuming another demon beast.
The last fragment disappeared into his jaws.
**[Evolution Points Acquired: 4,320.]**
Silence.
His gaze slowly shifted toward the distant mountains.
Even from here—
the enormous pillar of heavenly lightning remained clearly visible.
Its radiance illuminated nearly half the horizon.
He quietly observed it for a moment.
*...She's still alive.*
The heavenly lightning remained violent.
Yet—
its fluctuations hadn't become chaotic.
Her aura still persisted beneath the tribulation.
His thoughts remained calm.
*She'll manage.*
A brief pause.
*...If she can't...*
*I'll intervene.*
The conclusion came naturally.
There was no hesitation.
He couldn't allow the fox to die.
Not yet.
His gaze lingered upon the distant pillar of lightning for another breath.
Then—
he turned away.
The invisible white-scaled lizard continued moving deeper into the forest.
Searching.
Hunting.
Waiting.
All while keeping a portion of his attention fixed upon the distant tribulation.
Ready—
to move the instant it became necessary.
---
After some time—
the forest gradually returned to silence.
Lizarius stopped.
His concealment remained active.
Without a sound—
his body rapidly shrank.
His massive frame returned to its tiny form.
The storage ring slid back along the tip of his tail.
His golden gaze remained calm.
*...It's over.*
His thoughts quietly reviewed the hunt.
Everyone who had remained...
Had died.
Several cultivators had managed to escape.
Not because they had discovered him—
But because they had noticed something else.
The surrounding presences...
Had begun disappearing one after another.
Experienced cultivators quickly realized something was wrong.
Rather than investigate—
they fled immediately.
He had pursued them.
Most never escaped.
Only a handful had managed to disappear beyond the limits of his perception.
His thoughts lingered there for only a moment.
Among those he had killed—
two had been Golden Core cultivators.
Far stronger than the others.
Their resistance had merely lasted a little longer.
Nothing more.
Silence followed.
Then—
he spoke inwardly.
*"Current Evolution Points."*
The familiar mechanical voice immediately answered.
**[Current Evolution Points: 642,576.]**
Silence.
"...Hmm."
No excitement appeared in his eyes.
Only calculation.
His thoughts rapidly organized themselves as his gaze slowly shifted toward the distant horizon.
Far away—
another pillar of heavenly lightning erupted into the sky.
The twenty-sixth tribulation.
The surrounding heavens trembled beneath its pressure.
Even from this distance—
he could clearly sense its destructive might.
His eyes remained fixed upon it.
*...The twenty-sixth.*
The tribulation had become noticeably stronger.
Each successive strike carried a qualitative increase rather than a simple increase in power.
The fox's aura still hadn't disappeared.
Which meant—
she remained alive.
His thoughts stayed calm.
*One more.*
*Then the final tribulation.*
He silently watched the distant pillar of heavenly lightning.
Neither approaching...
Nor leaving.
Waiting.
Prepared to intervene—
the moment the situation exceeded her limits.
---
The pillar of heavenly lightning gradually dispersed.
Silence returned.
The shattered mountains no longer resembled mountains.
Everything within several kilometres had been reduced to scorched earth.
The fox remained standing.
Barely.
Her entire body trembled uncontrollably.
Every breath came out ragged.
"...Haa..."
"...Haa..."
Blood slowly dripped beneath her.
The wounds covering her body had long since exceeded what should have been survivable.
Even the refined physique she had painstakingly tempered beneath the tribulation had reached its limit.
Her legs trembled.
Then—
they gave way.
**Thud.**
She collapsed onto the fractured ground.
For several long moments—
she couldn't even lift her head.
Her vision blurred.
The world swayed before her eyes.
Her breathing became increasingly shallow.
*...Twenty-six.*
A faint smile appeared.
Then disappeared just as quickly.
*...I actually made it...*
Another cough.
Fresh blood stained the scorched earth.
*But...*
Her eyelids grew heavier.
*It seems...*
*This is as far as I can go.*
She slowly forced herself to look upward.
High above—
the tribulation clouds continued revolving.
Only one bolt remained.
The final tribulation.
Its pressure surpassed every strike before it.
The surrounding space groaned beneath its weight.
Countless arcs of purple lightning intertwined within the clouds.
Like a heavenly beast...
Preparing its final judgment.
The fox quietly watched.
*...If that one falls...*
A bitter laugh echoed weakly within her mind.
*I'm dead.*
There wasn't the slightest doubt.
She had nothing left.
Her spiritual qi had nearly been exhausted.
Her body had already reached its absolute limit.
Even remaining conscious required every ounce of her willpower.
The final strike...
Was something she could no longer endure.
Her eyelids slowly lowered.
*...What a shame.*
*I was so close.*
For the first time since the tribulation had begun—
something that could truly be called despair quietly surfaced within her heart.
Not because she feared death.
But because she could see it.
Just one bolt away.
Success...
Had been within her reach.
Yet—
her body had failed before the heavens did.
Another weak breath escaped her lips.
Unsteady.
"...Little White..."
Her voice had become almost inaudible.
"...Looks like..."
"...You'll have to..."
She couldn't finish the sentence.
Her consciousness blurred once more.
Above—
the final tribulation cloud continued gathering power.
Patiently.
Silently.
Awaiting the moment...
To deliver its last judgment.
---
Far away—
Lizarius silently watched.
His gaze never left the collapsed fox.
The final tribulation continued gathering above.
The heavens grew increasingly oppressive.
Purple lightning surged endlessly through the clouds.
His expression remained unchanged.
Yet—
a memory quietly surfaced.
---
Another sky.
Another tribulation.
His own.
The final bolt...
Had been different.
It hadn't simply possessed greater destructive power.
It had been a turning point.
A catalyst.
The strike that completed the transformation.
The one that forged his Golden Core.
Without it—
the breakthrough would never have truly been completed.
One could survive.
One could even retain most of their cultivation.
But the result would forever remain incomplete.
A half-step Golden Core.
A flawed foundation.
One that would become increasingly difficult to repair as one's cultivation advanced.
---
The memory faded.
His gaze remained fixed upon the fox.
*...I can't interrupt it.*
If he dispersed the tribulation—
everything would end immediately.
The Heavenly Dao would regard the breakthrough as a failure.
There would be no second chance.
Silence.
Then—
his tail flicked.
A jade bottle appeared from within his storage ring.
Without another thought—
he moved.
The air behind him rippled slightly.
The next instant—
he appeared beside the collapsed fox.
The jade bottle opened.
Its stopper flew away.
The bottle slowly inverted.
Several medicinal pills floated into the air.
Rather than falling—
they hovered beneath the invisible pull of gravity.
One after another—
they drifted toward the fox's mouth.
Lizarius calmly spoke.
"...Swallow."
A brief pause.
"...Unless..."
"...You want to die."
The fox's ears twitched weakly.
Although she could barely move—
her voice still echoed directly within his mind.
*"...You really do have..."*
A faint chuckle accompanied her words.
*"...A strange way of helping people."*
Another weak laugh escaped her.
*"...Not even a little concern..."*
*"...Just 'swallow or die.'"*
Her lips slowly parted.
*"...Still..."*
*"...I'm not refusing."*
With the last of her strength—
she swallowed.
The medicinal pills dissolved almost instantly.
A powerful medicinal warmth erupted throughout her body.
The exhausted spiritual qi within her meridians was immediately replenished.
The violent injuries covering her body rapidly stabilized.
The damage didn't disappear—
but the relentless collapse finally came to a halt.
Her trembling gradually subsided.
She slowly drew in a long breath.
"...Haa..."
Her previously blurred consciousness rapidly became clear once more.
The terrifying exhaustion that had threatened to drag her into unconsciousness receded just enough.
She slowly lifted her head.
Feeling the medicine spreading throughout every corner of her body.
A look of surprise appeared in her eyes.
*...This medicine...*
*It's incredible.*
It wasn't healing her completely.
Nor was it restoring her to her peak.
Instead—
it gave her exactly what she lacked.
Enough strength...
To stand once more.
Enough vitality...
To face what still remained.
Her gaze slowly rose toward the heavens.
The final tribulation continued gathering.
Its pressure had become even more terrifying than before.
She slowly smiled.
"...Looks like..."
"...I still owe you one."
Without another word—
she planted her paws firmly against the shattered earth.
Slowly—
steadily—
the fox rose to her feet once more.
Above—
the heavens rumbled.
The final judgment...
Was ready.