A chilling sword light slashed toward them. Shen Ciyu instinctively recalled his longsword to meet the strike, but Sang Dai pushed him aside.
The sword cultivator held the Qingwu Sword in one hand, slashing horizontally to intercept all the blade lights sent by the elder of the Immortal Alliance.
The collision of sword light and blade light scattered killing intent everywhere. The fierce winds sliced through Sang Dai’s hair, and a strand of black hair drifted quietly to the ground.
Another elder from the Sword Sect arrived on the mustard seed boat and shouted sharply, “Shen Ciyu, why aren’t you attacking yet?”
There were still members of the Shen family on the dozens of mustard seed boats, and many of them looked at their young master, signaling him with their eyes to act quickly. Otherwise, the Immortal Alliance would certainly use this incident against him in the future.
Sang Dai remained motionless, holding her sword with one hand as she stood on the mountaintop. Shen Ciyu stood slightly behind her.
“Shen Ciyu!”
He slowly raised his eyes. Out of the corner of his gaze, he saw Sang Dai’s calm profile. Even when faced with a deadly encirclement, she showed no fear.
For the first time, Shen Ciyu found the sword in his hand unbearably heavy.
He stared for a long time, and when the Sword Sect elder called him again, he closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.
Then, he stood shoulder to shoulder with Sang Dai.
“This matter is doubtful. The Immortal Alliance’s kill order cannot be issued.”
The elder’s eyes widened, and the members of the Shen family on the mustard seed boats were thrown into panic.
“Young Master! Are you out of your mind?”
With so many disciples present, how could he dare say such a thing?
But Shen Ciyu, stubborn as always, repeated himself: “I am not mistaken. There are too many suspicious points in this matter. I request the Immortal Alliance to rescind the kill order and reexamine the case.”
The Sword Sect elder’s expression darkened.
No, if the case were reopened, the truth about the sacrificial offering would surely be uncovered. Sang Dai had to die here today!
He growled lowly, “Ignore his nonsense. Kill her first—”
Before he could finish his sentence, thunder roared.
Thick clouds capable of engulfing the entire Burning Heaven Realm suddenly appeared, forming so swiftly it seemed instantaneous.
The overwhelming pressure caused many people to cough up blood on the spot.
Standing beside her, Shen Ciyu was the first to sense the terrifying pressure radiating from Sang Dai.
“Lightning tribulation…” Shen Ciyu shouted sharply, “Sang Dai, are you attempting to transcend the tribulation for the Grand Ascension Stage here?”
The disciples’ hearts trembled with fear.
“This is a lightning tribulation, the tribulation for the Grand Ascension Stage…”
“Sang Dai… is Sang Dai about to transcend her tribulation?”
“We cannot let her succeed. If she does, all of us will—”
Boom!
The first tribulation lightning streaked through the clouds, and the cold wind swirled, sending Sang Dai’s robes fluttering wildly. Her black hair was blown into a disheveled mess.
The fierce wind even caused the mustard seed boats in the air to sway dangerously, nearly throwing several disciples off.
Sang Dai did not lift her head to look at the tribulation lightning in the clouds. Instead, her cold eyes met the gazes of the disciples on the mustard seed boats.
Shen Ciyu thought she was mad. “The Grand Ascension tribulation lightning is not something an ordinary person can endure. You have no magical artifacts, no immortal pills to sustain your life. How do you intend to survive the Grand Ascension?”
Sang Dai shoved him aside, grabbing his sleeve and throwing him onto the mustard seed boat. “That’s none of your concern. If you die here, the Shen family will trouble me later.”
Her movements were too swift. Before Shen Ciyu could react, he had already been pushed far away by Sang Dai.
The disciples on the mustard seed boat quickly caught Shen Ciyu.
Realizing what was happening, Shen Ciyu, without hesitation, tried to jump off the boat. “Sang Dai!!”
Sang Dai didn’t even glance at him. Her expression remained calm from beginning to end.
The elders on the mustard seed boats roared angrily, “Retreat to the Burning Heaven Realm’s entrance! Do not stay here! This is a Grand Ascension tribulation lightning!!”
The pressure alone was terrifying. Many disciples could barely hold on. The highest cultivation present was Shen Ciyu, a peak Nascent Soul cultivator, while the majority were merely at the Golden Core or Nascent Soul stages. Even with their numbers, they were no match for the Grand Ascension tribulation lightning.
The mustard seed boats retreated quickly. Meanwhile, Sang Dai raised her eyes to the void. Heaven and earth were shrouded in darkness, and within tens of miles, all vengeful spirits were wiped out by the overwhelming pressure of the Grand Ascension tribulation lightning.
Amid the vast and deep canopy of the sky, flashes of lightning streaked suddenly.
Thunder roared, yet she stood unwavering. The fierce wind did not cause her stance to falter even slightly. Even though the sword in her hand was not her natal sword, even though she wielded only a long blade as her magical weapon, and even though she lacked protective spiritual herbs or elixirs, she stood beneath the tribulation lightning granted by the Heavenly Dao without a trace of fear.
Amid the raging wind, she saw Ling Yin.
Ling Yin stood on a distant mountaintop, white robes fluttering in the wind, her loose black hair concealing her face.
She was very quiet, very composed, as if watching this great battle to its end—watching to see if Sang Dai could withstand the Grand Ascension tribulation lightning, if Sang Dai could stand alone against the entire Immortal Realm.
Watching to see if Sang Dai was truly the turning point of this destined fate.
Sang Dai suddenly raised her eyes, gazing at the heavy clouds.
She had always been close to lightning and had never feared heavenly lightning. Each tribulation she endured made her feel significantly stronger.
In the past, heavenly lightning was a gift from the Heavenly Dao. But now, this lightning carried boundless killing intent.
Sang Dai said, “From the beginning to the end, all I’ve ever wanted is justice. If even the Heavenly Dao cannot grant me that, then I’ll have to seek it myself.”
Facing the entire Immortal Realm and the Heavenly Dao alone was no different from an insect trying to shake a mighty tree.
But Sang Dai had never feared death.
The thunder grew even more frenzied.
The first tribulation lightning struck fiercely at that moment, slamming directly into Sang Dai.
Massive boulders were pulverized into dust, and the mountaintop was flattened entirely.
Far away at the Red Sand Spring, Su Xuan suddenly froze.
Liu Lixue was puzzled. “Sovereign Lord, what is it?”
“…There’s thunder.”
“What?” Liu Lixue was surprised. “I didn’t hear anything.”
The Red Sand Spring was surrounded by this ghostly fire. In truth, this was not just ordinary ghost fire; it was a barrier personally set up by Ling Yin, cutting off all connection to the outside world.
This ghost fire was not something that Su Xuan’s hellfire could suppress on its own. They had to find the array’s weak point to break through the formation; otherwise, escaping would be nearly impossible.
Liu Lixue frowned, thinking Su Xuan was too anxious and had misheard. But then he saw the shadow before his eyes vanish.
The howl of a fox rang out, deafening.
Su Xuan had transformed into a nine-tailed fox… and charged straight into the ghost fire.
He intended to use his true form as an ancient divine beast, relying on soul power to resist and endure Ling Yin’s ghost fire head-on, forcibly breaking the array without searching for its weak point.
Liu Lixue’s heart nearly stopped. “Sovereign Lord!”
Meanwhile, Sang Dai had already withstood three tribulation lightnings.
Although the Grand Ascension tribulation consisted of only nine bolts of lightning, it originated from the Celestial Lightning of the 49 Heavens, distinct from the Nine Heavens Profound Lightning she had encountered before.
The Upper Realm is divided into 81 layers of heaven. Before the Grand Ascension, the lightning tribulation descended as Nine Heavens Profound Lightning. But once one attempts to ascend to the Grand Ascension stage, it becomes a qualitative leap.
The nine bolts of Grand Ascension tribulation lightning originate from the Celestial Lightning of the 49 Heavens.
The seven bolts of the Grand Tribulation originate from the Celestial Lightning of the 81 Heavens.
This was personally bestowed by the Heavenly Dao.
But her tribulation lightning sought to kill her.
Sang Dai swallowed the blood pooling in her throat. Her spiritual energy surged wildly as she reversed its flow through her body. The long blade she held protected her like a fine layer of silk and brocade, wrapping her in its defense.
“Why do you want to kill me? I’ve never taken a wrong step. I am not at fault!”
Another bolt of tribulation lightning struck.
The mountaintop was sliced down further.
“I only seek justice. What fault is there in that?”
The fifth bolt of tribulation lightning struck.
“Even if you strike me thousands upon thousands of times, I’ll still say the same: I am not at fault!”
It seemed as though the Heavenly Dao was venting its fury. One bolt of tribulation lightning after another descended without giving Sang Dai a moment to breathe.
From the distant mustard seed boats, everyone was horrified.
Ordinary cultivators undergoing tribulation would always have a pause between strikes; the tribulation lightning would stop for a while before the next bolt descended. Tribulation lightning was never meant to kill cultivators but to help temper their bodies.
But Sang Dai’s Grand Ascension tribulation lightning was entirely different.
One bolt followed almost instantly after another, giving her no time to recover. The spiritual energy shields around her were shattered one after another.
The distant mountaintop was already buried under layers of dust. With each strike of the tribulation lightning, the sound of crumbling stone echoed, and the towering mountain sank dozens of meters lower.
Every bolt of tribulation lightning carried with it the decree of the Heavenly Dao.
— You deserve to die.
“I will not die.”
— You must die.
“I absolutely will not die.”
— I want you dead.
“Then I will kill you.”
Sang Dai raised her hand to grip her sword. The back of her pale hand was covered in dark bloodstains. Her hairpin had long since shattered, leaving only a loosely tied ribbon holding her disheveled hair together.
The Qingwu Sword buzzed and hummed, its killing intent fully awakened under the oppressive pressure of the Heavenly Dao.
Vast spiritual energy surged as Sang Dai struggled to her feet, swaying unsteadily.
Blood dripped down her chin as her dark, profound eyes fixed on the sky, where the final bolt of tribulation lightning was brewing.
“I only seek justice. If you won’t give it to me, then I will fight my way to the 81 Heavens and demand it from you myself!”
She steadied her wrist, forcing the flow of spiritual energy to reverse through her body. The sword’s radiance transformed into an immense sword shadow, nearly blotting out the sky. The biting cold of her sword intent made the legs of those watching tremble uncontrollably.
“Qingwu, cut!”
Boom!
The final bolt of Grand Ascension tribulation lightning from the 49 Heavens descended with furious, murderous force, as if determined to annihilate her entirely.
The lightning clashed with the sword’s radiance!
On the mustard seed boats, all the disciples simultaneously spat out blood. The elders joined forces to form a protective array, barely resisting the pressure of the final tribulation lightning.
The towering mountain crumbled into the earth, entirely flattened. Massive rocks piled up, dust surged into the sky, and the residual shockwaves rippled outward, shaking the mustard seed boats violently.
Shen Ciyu’s legs gave out beneath him as he struggled to hold himself upright. His heart pounded wildly as his gaze remained fixed on the ruins where the mountain once stood.
“Sang Dai… Sang Dai…”
The pale light of the lightning finally subsided. The swirling black clouds lingered for a while, faintly glimmering as though trying to confirm whether Sang Dai had truly perished.
All eyes turned to the collapsed ruins.
Time dragged on. Nearly a quarter of an hour passed, but there was no movement.
The disciples whispered among themselves:
“Could it be… she’s dead?”
“Is Sang Dai… gone?”
“Why is there no sign of life?”
The Grand Ascension tribulation lightning had passed. Even though the thunderclouds seemed unwilling, they could only slowly dissipate. The mountain’s ruins remained eerily silent, as if no one alive was left.
Panic welled up in Shen Ciyu’s heart. Ignoring everything, he prepared to leap down and search for Sang Dai.
“Sang Dai, Sang Dai, you can’t die…”
At that moment, an ear-piercing fox’s howl shattered the air, shaking the ground as though an earthquake was underway. A silver-white figure raced forward at lightning speed, and from the mustard seed boat, Shen Ciyu locked eyes with a pair of enormous, glassy beast eyes.
Even though they were on the mustard seed boat, those beastly eyes were level with their own.
It was…
A nine-tailed fox, its true form as large as a small mountain!
A dazzling sword light suddenly broke through the dawn, splitting open the ruins of the collapsed mountain. The oppressive force sent shattered rocks flying in all directions, some striking the mustard seed boat and knocking several disciples unconscious.
The elders hastily formed a defensive array. Shen Ciyu stepped forward to the edge of the boat, his gaze fixed on the scene in the distance.
A figure cloaked in blue burst forth from the swirling dust. Her black hair was tied back with a single ribbon, her once-pale face now covered in ash, yet her eyes remained clear and bright.
“Su Xuan!”
A familiar call rang out.
The nine-tailed fox seemed to hear the summon and dashed toward her. The sword cultivator clad in blue leaped gracefully onto the ancient divine beast’s back.