Chapter 11: The Four Great Tribulations

"Since Ji Ning, you have arrived, and everyone is here, we will set out tonight for the place of tribulation," said the Immortal Diancai.

Ji Ning and the Immortal Wufeng exchanged a glance, then both nodded: "Good, we set out tonight."

The matter of undergoing the tribulation was extremely secret.

Ji Ning and the others could not afford to be careless; even in ordinary times, 'undergoing the tribulation' required utmost caution. And now, in this special time of turmoil in the Three Realms, Ji Ning and his companions were naturally a hundred and twenty times more careful.

When the deep night arrived.

The Immortal Diancai, the Immortal Wufeng, Ji Ning, and the Whitewater Hound quietly performed spatial teleportation and left Anchan City.

…

Above the vast and mighty ocean, ripples of space stirred, and three figures along with a snow-white large dog appeared out of thin air.

"Where is this?" Ji Ning looked around, as the spatial teleportation was performed by his master, the Immortal Diancai, so Ji Ning did not know the location.

"This is the North Sea," said the Immortal Diancai. "The place of tribulation I have chosen this time is a small world I discovered by chance while roaming the North Sea in my youth. That small world is extremely hidden and secret, making it a very suitable place for tribulation. Follow me!"

Mist and clouds immediately appeared around them. The Immortal Diancai cast a spell, leading Ji Ning, the Immortal Wufeng, and the Whitewater Hound as they swiftly flew. Soon, an island appeared in the distance, a scorching hot island with a volcano on it.

"The entrance to that small world is inside the volcano on the island." The Immortal Diancai led Ji Ning and the others as they whooshed up to the high altitude above the island, then dove straight into the volcanic crater.

Inside the volcanic crater, it was strange and extraordinary.

There was even a vast amount of rolling magma.

The Immortal Diancai silently gazed at a corner, a complex look in his eyes, and said softly, "In those days, young and reckless, I roamed everywhere, arrogant and unruly. Now I too am about to undergo the tribulation. The vicissitudes of life are truly wondrous."

Both Ji Ning and the Immortal Wufeng felt that the Immortal Diancai's mood was not right at this moment.

"If I fail in this tribulation, then it will be death!" said the Immortal Diancai softly. "If I die, I will reunite with you, Junior Apprentice Sister."

Deep in his memories…

That brilliant and unrestrained young man, the Immortal Diancai, was once the number one绝世 genius of the younger generation at the Black-White College.

That reincarnated immortal maiden, revered as the 'Drifting Rain Immortal,' attracted the pursuit of countless young men.

They roamed side by side, facing life-and-death situations, traversing millions of miles, whether entering endless mountain ranges or vast oceans, until that day they encountered that ancient Fire God at the Nascent Soul level, that ancient god who emerged from the magma. That parting was a true eternal farewell; beneath the god's flames, the junior apprentice sister had already been scattered, soul and spirit destroyed…

"Master." Ji Ning was startled.

Could it be that his master harbored such thoughts? One must know that when undergoing the Heavenly Tribulation, it was extremely dangerous; even the 'Golden Lotus Primordial Spirit' would be severely wounded. Some, feeling they could not endure halfway through the tribulation, would immediately give up and could still become a Sanxian. Because the degree of damage to the Golden Lotus Primordial Spirit varied, the purity of a Sanxian's elemental power also differed; the powerful could rival a perfected Void Return, while the weakest were only comparable to the elemental power level of early Void Return.

And some Return to Void Earth Immortals, harboring a death-defying resolve, would never give up!

This could indeed increase the chances of successfully undergoing the tribulation.

But if they fought to the end and failed, it would be utter annihilation, soul and spirit scattered!

"You still haven't forgotten," the Immortal Wufeng shook his head.

"Why forget? Why should I forget? How could I bear to forget?" the Immortal Diancai said softly.

Ji Ning said, "Master, leave a thread of hope, and there will be a chance for reincarnation. If this life fails, the next life may succeed."

"Don't try to persuade me," the Immortal Diancai shook his head. "My mind is made up. Let's go, enter."

Splash!

The magma below parted directly. The Immortal Diancai led Ji Ning and the others deeper and deeper, until they reached an extremely deep place, where there were winding tunnels. The Immortal Diancai, very familiar with the way, followed an underground magma tunnel and soon a black cave entrance appeared in a corner.

"Enter." The Immortal Diancai led Ji Ning and the others, flying directly into the black cave entrance.

…

This was a world filled with boundless deathly energy. At a glance, even the mountain ranges were scorched black, the earth was withered and dry, and there was not a trace of green. Ordinary plants could not survive at all; only some pitch-black, thorn-covered, man-high strange plants grew in this world.

Whoosh~~~

The mountain wall of a great mountain rippled, and the Immortal Diancai, the Immortal Wufeng, Ji Ning, and the Whitewater Hound flew out from it.

"Such strong deathly energy?" The Immortal Wufeng frowned at the sight. "How could this small world be like this? Logically, even if it had suffered a catastrophe, under the power of the Lunar Star and Solar Star, it should have recovered."

"This is a world where a Fire God lurked," said the Immortal Diancai. "That god filled this small world with magma, causing all life in it to die. Although that god has already perished, it will take a very long time for this small world to recover."

Ji Ning nodded.

Destroying a small world was easy, but for a small world to recover required millions of years or even longer before countless plants, vegetation, and even animals and birds could be born.

"This small world is extremely hidden and has no living beings, so there is no worry about affecting ordinary creatures. It is very suitable for my tribulation," said the Immortal Diancai. "In ordinary times, hiding in such a secret place to undergo the tribulation would hardly be discovered. But now, the entire Grand Xia world is in turmoil, and it is said that many Return to Void Earth Immortals have been attacked while undergoing the tribulation."

"Yes, the places where Return to Void Earth Immortals undergo the tribulation are all very hidden, yet they are still discovered and attacked," the Immortal Wufeng said solemnly. "We must also be careful."

"Master, rest assured, leave it to me and Brother Wufeng," Ji Ning promised solemnly.

"Mm."

The Immortal Diancai nodded, then flew off into the distance. Ji Ning, the Immortal Wufeng, and the Whitewater Hound quickly followed.

After flying for a while.

On a vast expanse of scorched black ground, the Immortal Diancai landed, then sat down cross-legged and waited silently.

"When eight days have passed and the Heavenly Tribulation arrives, everything will depend on your master himself," the Immortal Wufeng said with concern.

"It can only depend on Master himself," Ji Ning also worried.

When the Heavenly Tribulation came, all external help was forbidden.

Even a Dao Ancestor of the Great Lofty realm would not dare to help someone undergo the tribulation. Whoever dared to help resist the Heavenly Tribulation would immediately face 'Heavenly Punishment' from the tribulation. Even a Dao Ancestor, if they immediately withdrew, would be fine; but if they resisted stubbornly, the Dao Ancestor would be utterly annihilated by the Heavenly Punishment!

Thus, from ancient times to the present, no one had ever dared to help another resist the Heavenly Tribulation.

Secondly.

Pre-arranged formations and restrictions were considered 'external forces.' If the Immortal Diancai set up a formation and he himself presided over it, it would be fine; at most, the formation would be destroyed and the 'Heavenly Tribulation' would increase in power. But if someone else, such as the Whitewater Hound or Ji Ning, controlled the formation, then Ji Ning and the Whitewater Hound would suffer 'Heavenly Punishment'!

This was also why Ji Ning did not let his master undergo the tribulation at Mount Yan.

In this world, there were many places with powerful formations. Some large sects' headquarters had powerful formations. The formations within the Grand Xia imperial palace were even set up by great powers. If formations could be used, temporarily allowing some Return to Void Earth Immortal to control a powerful formation, the Heavenly Tribulation would be too easy!

Therefore…

All external forces were absolutely forbidden! The Heavenly Tribulation was the greatest trial on the path of immortality. Even formation cultivators, like the Whitewater Hound, could only use the magic treasure 'Fuxi Staff Formation' and, when the Heavenly Tribulation truly descended, use the magic treasure Fuxi Staff Formation to deploy a formation for defense.

Formations like the Plow Heaven Sword Formation and the Small Thousand Sword Formation were all types of sword formations.

But those fixed formations, set up using various rare materials, were external forces! The Plow Heaven Sword Formation, the Small Thousand Sword Formation, and the Fuxi Staff Formation were all part of one's own strength.

"Master." Ji Ning suddenly walked over.

"Mm?" The Immortal Diancai looked up at Ji Ning.

"Master, I have here five top-grade immortal flying swords. If Master uses them, the chances of successfully undergoing the Heavenly Tribulation should be greater." With a thought, Ji Ning produced five black immortal swords that seemed faintly ethereal, floating before him. These were the Plow Heaven Immortal Swords. Ji Ning had already withdrawn his elemental power from them, and the five immortal swords had become ownerless objects.

The Immortal Diancai was stunned.

"Five top-grade immortal swords?" The Immortal Diancai was also shocked.

"Top-grade immortal, five of them?" The Immortal Wufeng also showed ecstatic joy. "Excellent, Ji Ning, you really are a master who keeps his talents hidden. This move is truly remarkable."

Ji Ning smiled.

At the level of top-grade immortal flying swords, it was very difficult to simply buy them; they were usually exchanged for other items! Five top-grade immortal swords, all from the same source… were far more precious than all the immortal swords Ji Ning had obtained from killing the demon king and the evil patriarch combined. These were products of the Water Mansion's Treasure Hall, naturally extraordinary.

"Take them," the Immortal Wufeng said with a smile. "Your disciple lets you use them, and you're still being coy?"

"Good." The Immortal Diancai's demeanor also changed. "With these five top-grade immortal flying swords, the chances of successfully undergoing the Heavenly Tribulation are much greater, at least the chances for the first three tribulations are much greater."

The Heavenly Tribulation consisted of four great tribulations.

They were the Wind Tribulation, the Fire Tribulation, the Thunder Tribulation, and the Heart Demon Tribulation!

The first three tribulations had patterns to follow, but they became increasingly terrifying. Almost all Return to Void Earth Immortals failed during the first three tribulations, especially the Thunder Tribulation. As bolts of heavenly thunder struck down, many Return to Void Earth Immortals had their physical bodies shattered and their Golden Lotus Primordial Spirits severely wounded, causing them to despair, give up, and flee to become Sanxians. Back then, the Immortal Suhua also failed to withstand the Thunder Tribulation because he did not have good immortal-grade magic treasures!

If he had had top-grade immortal magic treasures, given the Immortal Suhua's strength and Dao-heart at that time, he might have become a Celestial Immortal.

"Mm, the chances are indeed much greater. But we must still be careful. The Heavenly Tribulation… magic treasures are only one aspect; one must also rely on one's own strength. This Heavenly Tribulation tests more of oneself," the Immortal Wufeng said solemnly.

"I understand." The Immortal Diancai nodded.

Even disciples of True Immortals and Heavenly Gods had failed the tribulation countless times. When disciples of True Immortals and Heavenly Gods underwent the tribulation, they generally had top-grade immortal magic treasures, yet they still failed… Clearly, the Heavenly Tribulation varied from person to person! The more monstrous the talent and the higher the strength, the more terrifying the power of the Heavenly Tribulation.

…

Days passed one by one.

After becoming familiar with the Plow Heaven Immortal Swords, the Immortal Diancai waited quietly. Ji Ning, the Immortal Wufeng, and the Whitewater Hound silently guarded him from the side.

Finally…

"Whoosh~~~" Suddenly a gentle breeze blew, stirring the Immortal Diancai's Daoist robe.

The Immortal Diancai opened his eyes: "Brother Wufeng, Ji Ning, Brother Bai, protect me. The Heavenly Tribulation has begun."

Ji Ning and the others could already feel the fluctuations of 'wind' around them gradually intensifying, and they could not help but watch the seated Immortal Diancai with anxiety.

…