Chapter 86: He Might Be Finished!

“Ding, host’s injuries are too severe. System is automatically activating repair mode—consuming one hundred reputation points per hour!”

“Ding, detected a massive amount of thunder force. Heavenly Tribulation Thunder is automatically activating. Current realm: Ninefold Heavenly Thunder Movement, progress: 20%.”

Electric arcs flashed all around. Each arc flickered and darted about like a snake, vanishing only to reappear elsewhere, as if the thunder had formed a small pool.

Within this pool of thunder, Chen Xiang lay unconscious, eyes closed. He was completely naked, for every scrap of clothing had been reduced to ashes by the thunder.

Yet his skin remained smooth and fair, unscathed, the marble-like definition of his muscles clear but not excessive—full yet refined, neither bloated nor gaunt.

All the thunder in the pool surged toward him, but instead of harming him, the thunder was absorbed into his skin the moment it touched him.

It could be said that Chen Xiang was not so much unconscious as caught in a state between confusion and enlightenment.

He was completing the final step of his advancement—shattering the core to form the infant soul.

But this step required overcoming one more tribulation: the Heart Demon Tribulation.

The deepest obsessions in his heart were his parents, whom he had never met, and his girlfriend from his university days. Now that he had come to the cultivation world, he didn’t know if he would ever see them again.

The only thing tying him to this world was Li Qing’er, and even that was merely a lingering thought, not a heart demon.

Thus, the Heart Demon Tribulation had little effect on Chen Xiang; he could easily overcome it.

While Chen Xiang was undergoing this transformation, a great commotion broke out within the Snow Veil Sect.

The sect leader issued an order to search for someone named Chu Liuxiang—mobilizing the entire sect, searching high and low.

Even the disciple recruitment trials were cut short. This time, they recruited over a thousand inner disciples and more than two thousand outer disciples—two or three times the usual number.

The first task assigned to these new disciples was to search for Chu Liuxiang.

“Isn’t Chu Liuxiang that monstrous genius who broke through the second trial? Didn’t he join the Snow Veil Sect? Why are we still looking for him?”

“No, apparently he did join, and the sect master even announced he wants to take him as a personal disciple. I’m so jealous!”

“So where did he go, then?”

“No idea. Maybe off saving the world! Ah, if only some elder had chosen me as a disciple…”

The whole sect buzzed with talk of Chu Liuxiang. All they knew was that he had achieved the highest scores in both the first and second trials.

The first trial might be luck, but the second was extraordinary. No one had ever heard of a spiritual sense so strong that, with a perfected core formation, one could reach the seventh level—and even step into the eighth! Chu Liuxiang’s name was now recorded in the sect’s annals, making him a legend overnight.

In a grand hall, several elders sat below while the sect master paced anxiously at the center.

It had been seven or eight days since that terrifying tribulation. The dreadful might of it was still deeply imprinted in their minds.

Since then, the entire sect had been mobilized to search for Chu Liuxiang, but he was nowhere to be found.

Logically, after surviving such a tribulation, Chu Liuxiang should have been gravely injured and would need to remain in one place to shatter his core and form the infant soul. Yet, no matter how they searched, not a trace could be found—even secret searches beyond the sect’s boundaries yielded nothing.

A disciple of such talent was not to be given up on. The abilities he had shown rivaled those of the holy sons and daughters of the great sects. If the Snow Veil Sect could keep him hidden and protected, in a few centuries they would shine at the next grand sect gathering.

“Report!”

Just then, a Snow Veil Sect disciple burst into the hall, breathless and flustered.

The sect master and all the elders tensed instantly. The sect master hurriedly asked, “Well? Have you found Chu Liuxiang? Speak!”

The disciple, startled by the sect master’s reaction, shook his head.

Seeing this, the sect master’s interest waned. He waved his hand, “Then what is it?”

“Master, the thunder in the Thunder Pool Forbidden Grounds is dissipating. Already about half is gone, and it’s still fading—faster and faster!” the disciple replied.

“What?” the sect master exclaimed, the elders equally shocked.

“The thunder in the Thunder Pool is dispersing? How can that be? Quickly, to the Thunder Pool Forbidden Grounds!” The sect master could barely believe it. In a flash, he vanished from the hall.

The elders exchanged glances and disappeared after him.

Above the Thunder Pool Forbidden Grounds, the sect master, the grand elder, and the others stood at the very spot where they had watched Chen Xiang undergo his tribulation seven or eight days ago. Their faces showed panic, but they quickly composed themselves.

They gazed into the valley, now completely cleaned up. The shattered stones and craters had been filled in, but the scars on the cliff walls remained—a testament to the breathtaking thunder tribulation that had taken place.

The sect master looked thoughtfully toward the other side, where a massive chasm yawned. Nothing remained inside, but above it, thick clouds still swirled, with occasional flashes of lightning. Strangely, only the area above the chasm was shrouded in thunderclouds; for hundreds of miles in every direction, the sky was clear, making the sight all the more incongruous.

“As expected, about half the Thunder Pool has vanished,” the sect master said gravely.

“Sect master, what’s happening? The Thunder Pool Forbidden Grounds are vital for our disciples' tribulations. It must not be lost!” the grand elder said.

Though disciples usually avoided the Thunder Pool, when the time came for tribulation, all flocked to it. Manipulating the thunder within allowed them to experience the power of tribulation in advance, safely and without fatal risk. Some even used the lightning to temper their bodies and strengthen themselves.

Thus, while the Snow Veil Sect did not have many disciples, every one of them was powerful and robust.

The importance of the Thunder Pool Forbidden Grounds was beyond question.

The sect master frowned deeply. “I have no idea what’s causing this. I must report to the Patriarch and ask him to investigate.”

Hearing this, the grand elder and the others relaxed a little, but couldn’t help glancing up at the thunderclouds above the chasm.

Unbidden, a single thought crossed their minds: perhaps this was the aftermath of that tribulation days ago. The Thunder Pool Forbidden Grounds… might well be finished.

“To be continued…”