Prologue – Cut Off
“Lady Nian…”
With an expression of concern, Zhui Yun looks to Nian Yao Yao—who has a nervous expression on her face.
“…I’m fine………”
Answering Zhui Yun with a tone of uncertainty, Nian Yao Yao looks to her left.
“I’m somewhat surprised that you would make your decision this quickly.”
Saying this is the third person who is present, Nian Tao Tao.
Currently, they are in Jing Yao’s office, but the office’s owner is nowhere to be seen, and neither is Jing Yin present.
As for Qing Yue, the moment they returned here, Nian Tao Tao had sent her away—with the task of continuing her Disciplinary Bureau duties, while keeping an eye on Long Hua.
“…”
Responding to her mother’s remark with silence, Nian Yao Yao gathers her thoughts.
Having witnessed the strength that Long Hua had been able to demonstrate back in New Moon Village, Nian Yao Yao can only say—
“That guy is indeed a ticking time bomb. With strength like that, it’s all but inevitable for him to fall under public scrutiny in the future. Once that happens… My company would have a difficult time explaining itself out of the mess—that is my employer-to-employee contract with him. I originally thought it was fine to cut my connection with him five years later—by then, he would be sent off to the frontlines. But… In case his identity gets revealed earlier than that—cutting him off right now, is probably a better call. Even if his identity doesn’t get exposed early, with a five-year gap of no dealings between us—it would make things far more convenient in the long run.”
Ultimately, the employer-to-employee contract must be cut off no matter what. In that case, Nian Yao Yao figured that she may as well do it early.
(I can still hire him under the guise of a mercenary if needed. So, in actuality, nothing’s really changed—other than the fact that he isn’t associated with a Guild on paper.)
The only other concern that is left—is whether or not the termination of their work contract will count as a violation of her main contract with Long Hua, the one that was drawn up with Immortal arts.
(It should be fine. I cut him off on good terms. However…)
If it does count as a violation, Nian Yao Yao can only imagine what the punishment might be.
Turning to her mother, Nian Yao Yao asks—
“And what about you? Any plans to perform an ambush? I seem to recall you sending your other Moon Guards away before we entered the sewers.”
Originally, Nian Tao Tao did have an ambush in mind, but now—
“Against that thing? Throwing good troops at it—is the same as tossing lives into a grinder. Utterly meaningless.”
………
Celestial bodies, as far as the eye can see.
Within the vast voids of space is a lone figure—who is drifting about at random.
The man is dressed in a scale-patterned black robe over a white layer. His flowy black hair—that reaches to his ankles, makes it impossible to see the features of his face.
“Hmm. What a difficult situation to be in. Is this how a mortal child would feel when they have their toy taken away from them?”
Drifting outwards from the man’s right hand is a bundle of red threads—that are as thin as strands of hair. The ends of these threads are connected directly to the man’s palm.
Among the vast quantity of red threads, there is one among them that is stretching off into the great beyond.
As for where the opposite end of this thread is tied to, only the man would know.
If one is able to use a powerful magnifying glass on this thread, they would be able to see numerous V-shaped cuts throughout its body—as evidence of a blade like weapon, having been used to make numerous attempts at severing it.
“No matter.”
Waving his left hand, the man causes the remnant bits of sword Qi—that are on the thread, to dissipate.
“What is cut off can always be mended. And what is mended, will be much more difficult to break.”
Chapter 1
“Right, that’s everything.”
Storing all the items that he had requested for—as a part of their dealing, into his storage pouch, Long Hua smiles with satisfaction.
“Long-xiong, this is also for you.”
Saying this, Zhen Huai slides a folder towards Long Hua. The front of the folder has Nian Yao Yao’s name written on it.
“Hm?”
Opening the folder, the first thing that Long Hua sees is a work contract that’s been voided.
“Ah, this must be why Lady Jing had that expression on her face.”
Getting out of her seat, and looking over Long Hua’s shoulder, Tian Cheng recalls the complicated expression that Jing Yao had made before they entered the sewer network.
Most likely, Jing Yao had been asked by Nian Yao Yao—to print all the necessary documents, to settle this specific matter.
“Lao Long, does this mean you got fired?”
Getting out of his seat, and looking at the document from the opposite shoulder of Tian Cheng, Bai Wen smiles with amusement.
“I suppose. But why only inform me of this now?”
Towards Long Hua’s question, Tian Cheng guesses—
“Perhaps, Lady Nian was still undecided up until the point she saw master’s true strength?”
Contemplating about this, Long Hua closes his eyes.
(If I were her, I would think to cut our connections off after I get sent to the frontlines—since it’s almost all but inevitable that I would get exposed there. The fact that she decided to do so now… I guess, she’s thinking that the sooner she cuts her ties with me, the less she’ll have to explain to the general public—if my identity as a practitioner gets exposed earlier?)
“You don’t seem too angry about this.”
Opening his eyes, Long Hua shakes his head at Bai Wen’s remark, and replies—
“I would be pissed—if she decides to just cut me off without a good parting gift.”
Moving onto the second and third document, Long Hua pulls them out.
The first, is the proof of ownership over the yacht, Fortisa—that is his home. The second, is proof of ownership over the dock space that the yacht is situated in.
“So long as I get a roof over my head, I’m fine.”
Storing these documents away, Long Hua turns to Zhen Huai, and asks—
“Zhen-laoban, your village wouldn’t happen to have some hidden entrances out in the wastelands as well, would you?”
With a smile that befits an opportunist, Zhen Huai replies—
“There are. All of it is drawn on a map—that is being sold for the low, low price of 1,000 spirit stones.”
“Isn’t a map of all your village’s entrances—something that should come with a membership?”
“…”
Seeing the stubborn light in Long Hua’s eyes, Zhen Huai can only sigh, and place a jade slip onto the table.
Since a jade slip is something that can only be read by practitioners—even if it falls into the hands of a Leng Bing Realm denizen, it wouldn’t matter.
Taking the jade slip, Long Hua presses it to his forehead. Immediately, a detailed map of GC012—along with its wasteland areas, appear in his mind. Looking further into it, several more maps of foreign locations appear.
Giving off a sharp gleam, Bai Wen asks—
“The fact that you’re asking about entrances in the wasteland… You plan to make a breakthrough?”
“Naturally.”
With the amount of spirit stones that are currently in his possession, Long Hua has full confidence in being able to make a breakthrough into the Foundation Establishment realm.
Once that happens, a tribulation is sure to follow—he cannot possibly be inside the city when that happens.
“Zhen-laoban, you have any free masks lying around?”
“I do.”
As if sulking, Zhen Huai tosses a Jing mask—often seen in traditional operas, at Long Hua.
“Talk about ugly…”
“Take it, or leave it.”
Storing the Jing mask away, Long Hua rises from his seat, to which, Bai Wen asks—
“Leaving?”
“It’s late, and I’m tired.”
“When do you plan to make that breakthrough?”
“Tomorrow night.”
“I see.”
“Well then, goodnight to you both.”
Cupping his hands to the two, Long Hua turns around, and leaves with Tian Cheng, whereas Bai Wen sits back down.
“How long do you think it will take for him to understand the truth of this realm?”
Looking at the tea in his cup, Zhen Huai raises this question to Bai Wen, to which, the latter answers—
“Hmm. Maybe a year—assuming nothing odd happens? Still, does it matter? He’ll find out eventually. In any case, how long until you finalize your decision to invest in him?”
“I need to confirm if the restrictions of this realm will be applied to him or not. Other than that… Hard to give an exact date, but it will definitely be before the next phase of the clan chief selections.”
“How many months away is that?”
“About seven or so.”
“Hmm. The necropolis will open before that.”
Thinking of the place that Bai Wen is talking about, Zhen Huai sips the tea with narrowed eyes, and remarks—
“Legend says, the Ling Yuan Ancestor left a vast number of treasures in his necropolis. Lao Bai, is the legend true?”
Every now and then, the Ling Yuan family will host an event—where they invite the various talents of the Everlasting Spirit Realm, to come into the Leng Bing Realm, to look for opportunities in the Ling Yuan Ancestor’s necropolis.
“There are opportunities up for grabs; that much is true. But the actual purpose of hosting this event—is to maintain the Leng Bing Realm, and to have it continue to perform its main function. The more people that die during this event, the more plentiful the eventual harvest. In turn, there will be a higher likelihood of an outstanding product appearing.”
Refilling his cup, Zhen Huai’s emerald-green eyes give off a gleam of anticipation, as he says—
“A bloodbath… I suppose that will be when I finalize my decision.”
Savoring the taste of the tea with a smile, Zhen Huai glances at the cane, that is resting by the table, while thinking—
(Weapons and pills of various rarity. If it’s there…? Will I be able to find a medication that can heal my leg?)
Noticing where Zhen Huai is glancing, Bai Wen chews on the pistachio nuts with a sigh, while thinking—
(Lao Zhen, isn’t being able to live peacefully good enough?)
Chapter 2
Other than the rain, no misshapes occurred on the way back to the yacht.
With his bare back facing Tian Cheng, Long Hua asks—
“Well? What do you see?”
“Probably better to see it for yourself, master.”
Snapping a photo, Tian Cheng passes the phone over.
“…”
Looking at the photo, Long Hua frowns.
Around his right shoulder blade, scale patterns had appeared.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
(So, this is the price then?)
Tossing the phone aside, Long Hua picks up a T-shirt, and dresses himself before turning around, and directing his eyes at the floor—where two piles of metal are present.
To avoid drawing unwanted attention from Bai Wen and Zhen Huai, Long Hua had held off on repairing Kun and Bai Zhe until now.
Crouching down, and looming his hands over the two metal piles, Long Hua mutters—
“Tai Xuan.”
Simultaneously, the two metal piles begin to glow, and similarly to clay, the two piles mold themselves into the shape of swords.
As one of the light shrouds—covering one of the swords, dissipates, Kun, that is fully repaired is revealed.
Following Kun’s restoration, the light shroud—that covers Bai Zhe, dissipates a few seconds after.
Picking up Bai Zhe, and holding it in his hand to get a feel for it, the sword gives off a pressure of energy that rivals Kun’s—meaning, it is now a Foundation Establishment realm magic treasure.
(I should have done this earlier, really…)
Storing Bai Zhe into its belt sheath, Long Hua places it to the side—before storing Kun into a blue drawstring pouch.
Compared to his storage pouch, this one is smaller in storage space—about the size of a two-door garage.
The upside to this storage pouch, however, is its ability to be opened without spirit Qi—making it suitable for Tian Cheng to use.
“Tai Xuan.”
Holding the Jing mask—that was given to him by Zhen Huai, Long Hua mutters the same phrase as before, causing its form to change into a taotie mask.
Knocking on the mask, Long Hua gets the impression that it is made from metal, and satisfied with its durability, he throws it into his storage pouch.
Listening to the sound of the rain—hitting the yacht’s deck, Long Hua takes out his final two bottles of cherry blossom wine from his storage pouch.
“Do you plan to drink, master?”
“It’s raining and thundering, I’d say it’s as good of a time as any.”
Turning around, and grabbing a drinking glass, Tian Cheng picks up one of the bottles, and asks—
“Shall I pour for you then?”
“Please.”
Taking the glass, Long Hua reaches it out to Tian Cheng, who pours the wine for him—before sitting down beside him.
“The wine Lao Bai ordered was quite good, but I still prefer this.”
Taking a sip of the wine, Long Hua smiles with faint satisfaction, as the sour taste of the beverage gradually sweetens.
(Come to think of it. This was Dao He Tian Xue’s favorite wine as well.)
Just as Tian Cheng thought of this—
“Thousand years of time, gone… With the last strand of hair. Who stands beneath the tree of yesteryear—when the immortal visits old haunts? The house is gone, and the lands—are devoid of what was familiar. Drown in sorrow as the immortal will. But what is lost, shall never be returned.”
Reciting aloud the poem that he had made up in his mind, Long Hua downs the cup.
“Master, are you planning to drink yourself to sleep?”
Opening her eyes, Tian Cheng notices how the alcohol—that is being downed by Long Hua, isn’t being dissolved by his cultivation base.
“Just for tonight, I want to drink myself to sleep.”
Being able to get drunk is a mortal’s luxury.
As one’s cultivation base increases, it becomes increasingly more difficult for a practitioner to get drunk off wine.
“I see.”
Refilling his glass, Tian Cheng doesn’t say another word.
“The world is kind, but human hearts are cruel. In the Rivers and Lakes, fallen swords are gravestones, markers—that symbolize the end of a warrior’s tale. A sword and a brush, to write out the epilogue of yesteryear’s enemies—along with my own. A white-haired man bids farewell to a black-haired youth. I had a good shizun, but was I a good disciple?”
As rain continues to fall, Long Hua continues to drink, while reciting aloud whatever lines of poetry that he can come up with in his head.
“Wine in hand, soft rain above my roof. Sour at first taste, sweet—with the dissipation of its scent. The wine tastes the same, yet, where are those—who I had shared its taste and scent with, gone?”
Eventually, the first bottle of wine is finished, while only a quarter of the second bottle remains.
As Long Hua finishes his current glass, Tian Cheng pours the remaining wine into the vessel—before setting the emptied bottle onto the ground.
“I…”
Narrowing his eyes, Long Hua’s vision begins to blur.
“I’m afraid… Of not being able to get out of this realm. …I’m afraid of… Whatever curse shizun had mentioned… I’m afraid of stumbling… And falling on the path… I chose. I’m afraid… Of shizun… Not being there to give me advice… I’m… Afraid of my… Cultivation base… Not being able to progress… Quick enough.”
Downing the final glass, Long Hua’s grip loosens, but before the glass could fall, Tian Cheng catches it.
“………I’m afraid of… Not being able to return home…”
Saying this, Long Hua falls back onto the bed
Judging by the steady rate of his breathing, he had fallen asleep.
(Ai, a lot more honest when drunk.)
Placing the glass to the side, Tian Cheng rises from the bed—to dispose of the bottles.
Chapter 3
“…”
Sitting beneath the cover of a badly damaged building, Yao Ying looks up at the raining skies.
It’s been well over a full day, since she’s been tossed into the Leng Bing Realm—by the joint efforts of Qing Ming Yang and Xia Ri’er.
For the most part, her wounds have healed to the point of allowing her movement.
(Cold…)
Hugging her knees to her chest, Yao Ying bites the bottom of her lips.
If she was at home right now, she couldn’t possibly be covered in dirt with her robes torn.
(I want a hot bath… I want a warm meal… I want to sleep in a soft bed under a thick blanket—with a soft pillow to rest my head on…)
Thinking of the luxury that she had access to back home, tears flowed from Yao Ying’s eyes, but more so than that—
(Father, grandpa…)
Compared to her two older siblings, and the younger clansmen—who would only occasionally show some interest in her, her father, along with some of the older generation clansmen, were the only ones to have shown her any care in the Chen Shi family.
On the maternal family side, it was always her grandfather, who would dote on her whenever he was able to visit.
“…”
The coldness of not having anyone she considers her family near, is perhaps far worse than the coldness—that can be felt from the rain and wind.
………
Within the office of DB 06-07—
“Hmm.”
Staring intently at her laptop, Li Xue—who has a pair of headphones connected to the device, clicks her tongue in reaction to the drama that she is watching.
“A-Achoo…!”
As cold wind blows into the office through the building’s breaches, Ye Chen lets out an unsightly sneeze.
“God, it’s cold…”
Rubbing his arms, Ye Chen gets up from his seat, and moves over to the self-serving bar.
Grabbing a paper cup, and pod of instant coffee from the side bin at random, Ye Chen inserts it into the machine, and waits for it to pour.
“…”
“…”
Not paying any heed to Ye Chen’s remark about the cold, Yu Ji and Qing Yue kept to themselves.
Both of them have one earplug inserted into their right ear to listen to music on their phones. Judging by the bland light in their eyes, they’re completely bored out of their minds.
Still, compared to Yu Ji—who is completely out of it, Qing Yue would occasionally direct her eyes towards the person, who is sitting the furthest away from her.
(Mother’s order was to keep an eye on him whenever possible, and to maybe… Maybe take him out, but…)
Having seen what Long Hua is capable of in New Moon Village, Qing Yue has no idea how she could possibly take the former out—even if she is given an opportunity to do so.
“…”
With his arms folded, Long Hua sits perfectly still without moving. As he is currently out in public, his attire consists of a fur-hooded black coat with a pair of dark jeans.
At this time, he has his eyes closed, and is attempting to recall the details—regarding a very specific scripture, one that will allow him to always maintain a calm state of mind.
(Hmm… No luck, I guess I can try again after I make that breakthrough tonight?)
Opening his eyes, Long Hua lets out a weak sigh—before standing up from his seat, and walking over to the self-serving bar.
Similarly, to Ye Chen, Long Hua also takes a pod of instant coffee from the side bin, along with a paper cup.
“Hey, captain.”
“What’s up, 2nd Lieut. Long Hua?”
Grabbing his filled cup, Ye Chen moves over—to let Long Hua use the machine.
“What is the purpose of this self-serving bar?”
“Good question, and to that, I say… It’s utterly meaningless. Whichever bunch was here before us… I don’t know what the hell they were thinking when they brought this.”
Sipping the bitter coffee without adding anything into it because there was nothing to add in the first place, Ye Chen adds—
“My plan right now is to get it removed for a bar counter with a fridge and freezer below.”
To this, Long Hua replies—
“I think your plan to get the walls and roof fixed will have to come first.”
“Ai, if only a high paying job would come in…”
Saying this, Ye Chen turns around, and looks to Li Xue.
Noticing Ye Chen’s gaze, Li Xue raises her head, and answers—
“They should have some details tomorrow.”
As Ye Chen turns back to him, Long Hua asks—
“So, when do you want to head out for that drink?”
Taking his filled cup away from the machine, and pressing it to his lips for a sip, Long Hua shuts his eyes tightly—in response to the coffee’s bitterness.
“I was thinking—the day after tomorrow.”
“Alright.”
As his daily office work—of waiting around for nothing to happen, draws closer to its end, the more excited Long Hua is about taking a trip out to the wastelands to make his anticipated breakthrough.
Chapter 4
Using the teleportation magic array—that was located in New Moon Village, Long Hua and Tian Cheng find themselves inside an abandoned building’s first floor.
The building itself is a part of the wasteland area.
(I see.)
Staring down at the ground, Long Hua narrows his eyes. He can sense the presence of a well-hidden magic array beneath the floor.
Turning his attention away from the magic array, Long Hua dons the taotie mask, and swaps his current attire out for the archaic blue robes.
Having done that, he says—
“Right then, let’s find a suitable place first.”
Holding Kun in her left hand, Tian Cheng nods, while also thinking—
(With the amount of spirit stones in his pouch, it shouldn’t be difficult for him—to hit the mid-stage of the Foundation Establishment realm.)
Moving out of the building, Long Hua immediately feels droplets of rainwater hitting the top of his head.
With an arm’s length of distance between them, Tian Cheng follows after Long Hua, as they tread through the uneven grounds of the wasteland—to look for a suitable place to make a breakthrough.
The ideal location in Long Hua’s mind would be some place far from the city, and is surrounded by tall buildings. Even if they weren’t much, a location of that nature—would still provide a bit of cover from keen eyes.
Moving along, Tian Cheng subtly asks—
“Master, regarding the scale patterns that have appeared…?”
Recalling the photo that was taken last night, Long Hua answers—
“…I’m thinking my Relic isn’t actually a Relic.”
(Oh? So, he’s at least realized that.)
“Shizun mentioned that I had a curse on me. This “Relic” is probably a byproduct of it.”
(So far, he’s correct. But this raises another question…)
Realizing that something was amiss, the Tian Cheng inside of the dreamscape constricts her eyes, while having her vessel ask—
“Then what about master’s branding?”
“…”
Touching his neck, which is covered by a choker, Long Hua frowns.
Hidden beneath this choker is his bar code like tattoo—his branding as a Sinner. Had Tian Cheng not reminded him of this, he would have forgotten about it.
Maintaining his frown, Long Hua replies—
“You have a point. The fact that this bar code exists, means I’m a Sinner. But… I can’t summon my true Relic for whatever reason…”
“Perhaps, it’s because master isn’t considered a true denizen of the Leng Bing Realm?”
Shrugging a shoulder, Long Hua replies—
“Maybe. Still, it doesn’t really answer the question. Also, if I did have a Relic, I wonder what it would be?”
“What would master want it to be?”
“Hmm. A sword would always be nice.”
“I see, a practical choice.”
Realizing something, Long Hua turns his head to the side, and says—
“At some point, I should probably get you a different attire, or two.”
“Reasoning?”
“Your current attire… Wearing it out in public is fine, but you can’t possibly wear that—when on a job, can you?”
“By job, master means mercenary work from NPI?”
“Also, activities on the practitioners’ side of things.”
Understanding Long Hua’s intention, Tian Cheng nods.
A person dressed in an archaic set of robes—with a maid following after him; this combination of theirs, can only be described as odd, regardless of which side of the activity sphere they appear in.
“Then I shall leave the choice to you, master.”
“For the practitioner’s side of things, you would need a robe of some kind, I suppose, I can ask Zhen-laoban for something later. Mercenary work wise, I guess I’ll contact Yao Yao to purchase something to start off with?”
“The Moon Guard’s attire may look odd, but their quality seemed high.”
Having to agree with this, Long Hua replies—
“True. Maybe I should have nabbed one as material when I had the chance?”
“A bit late for that.”
Maintaining their current pace of movement, the two eventually arrived at a four-way intersection.
The roads here are either riddled with cracks, or are covered in dense greenery. And the number of tall buildings nearby for covering seems perfect.
“…”
Sweeping an eye over the area, Long Hua moves to the middle of the intersection, and assumes a lotus seating posture, to which, Tian Cheng asks—
“Here then?”
“Yeah. Watch over the surroundings.”
Nodding her head, Tian Cheng draws Kun out of its scabbard, whereas Long Hua draws Bai Zhe from his sash, and places it onto his lap.
Opening his storage pouch, Long Hua proceeds to dump out a vast amount of spirit stones.
(That new cultivation method that shizun gave me…)
Recalling the details of this cultivation method, Long Hua closes his eyes.
(Heaven Creation Mantra…)
This cultivation realm that he is making a breakthrough into—in accordance with this cultivation method, goes by a different name; the name being—
(First manifestation, bones manifest into vast lands.)
The Earthen Manifestation realm.
Chapter 5
“…?!”
Sensing a vast amount of spirit Qi from somewhere, Yao Ying’s eyes snap open despite her state of drowsiness.
As her cultivation base is already in the Foundation Establishment realm, she already has access to divine senses, and spreading her divine senses outwards—
(I can’t see anything. Must be further ahead.)
Gritting through the pain that emanates from her wounds, Yao Ying rises to a stand—thinking to head for the direction this spirit Qi is coming from.
Just as she takes her first step forward, however—
“Ah…!”
Sensing how quickly that vast amount of spirit Qi is vanishing, Yao Ying’s complexion turns pale.
Looking in the direction that this spirit Qi is coming from, she sees tendrils of lightning beginning to gather in the dark clouds.
(Someone is making a breakthrough. This spirit Qi is probably from spirit stones. Still…)
Moving forth sluggishly, Yao Ying can’t help but feel like something is off.
(What kind of cultivation method are they using? The rate they’re devouring this spirit Qi is utterly insane…)
Although Yao Ying is still inexperienced when it comes to cultivation, she at least knows that an ordinary cultivation method—cannot possibly be used to devour spirit Qi at the rate this person is going at it.
(Ah, whatever, I’ll head over there first. If this person seems decent, maybe I can ask them for help?)
If her grandfather—from the maternal side, had been here to hear Yao Ying’s thoughts, he would surely be against her going towards the source of this commotion, and reprimand her for being so naïve.
………
(This monster…)
Although her vessel’s outward expression is completely stoic without a hint of emotions, the Tian Cheng—inside of the dreamscape, couldn’t be anything but astonished, as she watches the pile of spirit stones beside Long Hua being turned into dust.
Looking at Long Hua—who is thoroughly covered in a dense shroud of spirit Qi, Tian Cheng feels like she is looking at a bottomless black hole.
Upon absorbing most of the spirit stones’ energy into his bones, Long Hua’s cultivation base immediately reaches the peak of Qi Condensation.
(Just what kind of cultivation method is he rotating? …Ai, not like it matters. Knowing Dao He Tian Xue, it’s definitely nothing ordinary.)
Turning her attention away from Long Hua, Tian Cheng looks up at the dark clouds—where tendrils of lightning are moving about like serpents in water.
*Boom! Boom!* as the lightning crackles, one can’t help but think it to be reminiscent of a growling beast—that’s preparing to pounce onto its prey.
*Boom!* with another crackle, a bolt of lightning—that is as thick as a tree’s trunk, descends from above.
Just as the lightning bolt is an arm’s length away from Long Hua’s head—
“…Mountain, mortal realm’s most immovable mass.”
Forming a fist with his left hand, and rotating the Immortal Suppression Palm, Long Hua shatters the incoming lightning bolt with a single strike!
“…”
Rising to a stand with Bai Zhe in his right hand, Long Hua shakes off the bits of electricity—that are sticking onto his darkened left hand.
With this, as a sign of the tribulation’s beginning, Tian Cheng leaps back to put some distance between Long Hua and herself.
Simultaneously, five bolts of lightning descend, but instead of striking Long Hua directly, they form a cage around him.
………
“Hmm.”
Dressed in a black T-shirt with a pair of grey-colored jeans, Bai Wen—who is looking at Long Hua’s tribulation smiles.
“Bai Wen, is that him?”
Standing by Bai Wen’s side is Nuo’er—who is dressed in a black military outfit with a captain-ranked cap, and a pair of black boots.
“Indeed.”
With Bai Wen’s confirmation, Nuo’er’s purple eyes give off a gleam of curiosity.
Currently, they are standing at the top of a distant building—that is half a mile away from where Long Hua is.
………
“…”
Spewing out a breath of air, Long Hua raises his head.
Above this prison—that made up of five lightning pillars, a single orb of dense electricity is being formed.
Shrouding Bai Zhe in sword Qi, Long Hua finishes his preparation.
In the same instance—
*Boom!* as if the lightning prison had been transformed into the barrel of a gun, the lightning orb is shot downwards.
And as the orb descends, Long Hua raises Bai Zhe—to unleash a barrage of slashes!
Upon rending the lightning prison apart with his sword Qi, Long Hua frowns.
(I didn’t notice this last time, but I feel like this lightning tribulation is far weaker than it should be…)
(This tribulation…?)
Observing Long Hua’s situation, the same thought appears in Tian Cheng’s mind.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!* in a rapid manner, many more bolts of lightning descend, while the previous five spread outwards.
This time, the prison is far larger than the first—being made up of 25 lightning pillars in total.
With how wide the prison’s coverage is, the lightning sphere—that is being generated above Long Hua’s head, holds a stature that matches the prison itself.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!* treating the earth as the surface of an anvil, dense lightning pillars are fired from the sphere, and with every additional strike that goes off—the stronger the following strikes become!
Other than the lightning’s increased strength, the interval between each strike is also being shortened.
Originally, it was only around 40 strikes a second, but as time goes on, it quickly grows to be more than 200 strikes a second!
“Uh.”
Slipping through the gaps in his sword swings, one of the lightning bolts—manages to land a direct hit on Long Hua, knocking him back by three steps.
“Impervious to a thousand blades.”
Summoning his Sword Armor, Long Hua uses it to buy himself a bit of time to catch his breath.
Focusing on the remnant lightning energy—that is coursing through his body, Long Hua’s frown deepens.
These traces of lightning energy won’t stay in his body for very long, as they are quick to redirect themselves to his sword.
“…”
Seeing a few black spots on Bai Zhe’s blade, Long Hua thought—
(It’s as if… This tribulation was never designed with a practitioner in mind.)
In the same instance, Tian Cheng also thought—
(Hmm. Earth as the anvil, lightning… As the hammer?)
The way in which this tribulation is set up—reminds Tian Cheng, the way in which a blacksmith would work in front of an anvil.
*Pah!* as the Sword Armor shatters, Long Hua constricts his eyes, as he looks to the lightning sphere.