Starcloud Sea, Edge of the Loong Current Waters, Above the Ocean Surface.
Streaks of multicolored light, moving at varying speeds, converged from every direction. They hovered over the sea, meticulously scanning the waters below.
"Humm…"
Suddenly, an anomalous ripple disturbed the air. Every cultivator snapped their gaze skyward. A massive black vortex had materialized in the heavens—as if the sky itself had ruptured. Lightning crackled along its edges, while its center remained an unfathomable void.
Then, pinpricks of light emerged from the abyssal core. Seven radiant orbs, each a different hue, shimmered like distant, ethereal stars.
"What is that?!"
"Is that… Tribulation Clouds? But why do they look like this?"
"Someone's undergoing tribulation?! Where?!"
"The clouds are here, yet no tribulation lightning descends? What's happening?"
"Wait! I've seen this before! The lightning is falling—but it's passing through a spatial barrier! It's manifesting… beneath the sea!!"
"Where those earlier spatial ripples originated! It must be deep below!"
Across the waters, cultivators erupted into speculation. Many deciphered the anomaly and plunged into the churning waves.
Scores of them, guided by the aberrant energy pulsing from the depths, surged toward the location of Blue Moon Island…
...
Meanwhile.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!"
Deafening thunderclaps echoed through a vast, silent subterranean cavern. Above a dome sustained by an ancient formation, illusory tribulation clouds churned. Thick bolts of violet lightning lanced down, striking a valley behind the ruined mountain gates of the Blue Moon Sect.
"Incredible… Is this the Nascent Soul Tribulation?"
An Xiyue stood sheltered behind a boulder, far from the valley's heart. She stared, wide-eyed and awestruck, at the tempest engulfing Lin Feng. Terror warred with disbelief—not just at the tribulation's fury, but at Lin Feng's resilience. Though obscured by dust and lightning, his aura remained terrifyingly potent, unwavering, almost… effortless.
"The fourth wave… The Four-Nine Heavenly Tribulation…" An Xiyue murmured, a flicker of relief easing her tension as the ninth bolt of the fourth wave crashed down. "His aptitude is truly peerless—a supreme-grade spirit root, surely? And likely not singular… To weather the Nascent Soul Tribulation with such ease…"
"Hmm?" Her gaze drifted upwards again. Shock froze her. The black thunderclouds showed no sign of dispersing. Instead, they convulsed violently, veins of iridescent light bleeding through their darkness. In a heartbeat, they transformed into a roiling mass of prismatic tribulation clouds! A deafening crack split the air as a bolt of seven-colored tribulation lightning tore through the sky!
"What?! There's… MORE?! Impossible!!" An Xiyue paled, rooted to the spot by disbelief.
...
"Tch!! So the seventh wave is the prismatic lightning! This is the true trial!!"
Beneath the maelstrom, within a storm of electrified dust, Lin Feng stood wreathed in crackling energy. He glared up at the descending rainbow bolt, his expression grim but resolute.
Its appearance confirmed his suspicion: his tribulation was profoundly aberrant. Not only had it surpassed the standard limit by an extra wave, but this final wave was the legendary, devastating Seven-Colored Heavenly Tribulation.
Yet, this anomaly held a paradoxical advantage. The preceding six waves, unusually manageable, had tempered him. Their energy had primed his body and spirit, making this final, cataclysmic strike survivable—barely. Had the prismatic lightning struck first, he'd have been obliterated instantly.
Prepared mentally and empowered physically—his dantian's golden core had already shattered into a swirling nebula of multicolored energy, coalescing into the nascent form of an infant Nascent Soul—Lin Feng acted.
"Swish!" A shield, large as a door and forged of gleaming gold, materialized above him. It was a peak-grade spirit artifact he'd conserved since the ruins—a final defensive gambit.
"Crack!" The shield met the prismatic bolt. Like rice paper against a blade, the already damaged artifact splintered. The lightning hesitated for a microsecond, then plunged downward, swallowing Lin Feng whole in a blinding corona of seven hues…
...
As Lin Feng faced the prismatic onslaught, at the cavern's northern edge…
"Humm…" A section of the cavern's protective barrier trembled. A hairline fracture snaked across its surface. A figure blurred through the opening.
Qin Huangtian had arrived.
After losing Lin Feng and An Xiyue's trail near the Hundred-Legged Blood Octopus, he'd scoured the depths fruitlessly. Just as despair set in, an anomalous energy surge from below had ignited his hope. He'd tracked it here, discovering the weakened barrier.
No master of formations, Qin Huangtian relied on brute force. It proved sufficient. He hammered a breach into the barrier and stepped through.
Standing at the precipice, gazing upon the colossal island ruins, ecstasy surged through him. "The Blue Moon Sect ruins… Found at last!"
His triumph was short-lived. A flicker of movement drew his eye skyward, toward the island's heart. His face tightened. "Tribulation Clouds? Someone undergoes tribulation here?!"
Realization struck cold. "An Xiyue… It must be connected to her!" Fury ignited in his eyes. With a flick of his wrist, his flying sword materialized. He leapt atop it, slicing through the air toward the distant mountain gates.
At the Ninth Level of the Nascent Soul stage, Qin Huangtian's speed was terrifying. Within moments, the scene ahead clarified. His eyes widened.
"Seven-Colored Tribulation Lightning?! What is this?!"
"Such power… Is it the Divine Transformation Tribulation?!" The sheer energy radiating ahead made him instinctively slow, apprehension coiling in his gut. "No! It lacks that ultimate ferocity… But if it's the Nascent Soul Tribulation… it's monstrous! Who is this?!"
A gnawing anxiety took hold. As he neared the Blue Moon Sect's broken gates, the aura of the tribulation-taker washed over him. His heart lurched. That resonance… it felt hauntingly familiar.
Where had he sensed it before…?
Qin Huangtian's brow furrowed in intense concentration. A memory flashed—sharp, impossible. Disbelief warred with dawning, vicious delight.
"It's him?! Lin Feng!! How?! He was DEAD! How can it be HIM?!"
"So… the one with An Xiyue… was Lin Feng all along?" Suppressing his shock, a predatory grin spread across his face. "Excellent… An unforeseen bounty…"
Decision made, Qin Huangtian poured true essence into his sword. It accelerated, streaking like a comet towards the mountain gates. Behind them, the thunderous cacophony ceased. The prismatic lightning vanished. The churning clouds began to shrink, collapsing inwards…
...
"Did he… succeed?"
Outside the ruined valley hall, An Xiyue stared intently at a swirling vortex of seven-colored spiritual energy slowly contracting on the scorched earth. Relief washed over her, tinged with awe. Lin Feng's tribulation had been a spectacle beyond comprehension. Seeing it end, her heart finally settled.
"Chirp…"
A soft sound came from her arms. She looked down. Xiaoqiu stirred, blinking blearily.
The little creature snuggled deeper into the soft warmth, nuzzling unconsciously. Its eyes fluttered open, filled with confusion. Memory surged back. "Chirp?!" It scrambled from An Xiyue's grasp, landing on the ground, head whipping around frantically, eyes wide with panic.
"Chirp!" Its gaze locked onto the vibrant energy vortex and the potent, familiar aura within. A sigh of relief escaped it, though puzzlement replaced fear. The scene bore little resemblance to its last conscious moments. Still, Lin Feng was safe. Xiaoqiu turned its questioning eyes to An Xiyue.
An Xiyue watched its intelligent reactions, marveling anew at its comprehension. She smiled, about to explain, when Xiaoqiu's fur suddenly bristled. It recoiled as if scalded, emitting a shrill cry of terror aimed behind her!
"Hmm?!" An Xiyue spun. A streak of azure light arced around the Blue Moon Sect's mountain flank—covering the distance in a blink.
The overwhelming, hated aura slammed into her. The figure materializing before them turned her blood to ice. Rage and primal fear warred in her widening eyes.
"Qin HuangTian!!"