Chapter 205: Chapter 67 Foundation Establishment Realm, Chief Disciple!
Xu Yinglian’s face turned pale.
As a member of a Cultivating Immortality family, she had long understood the terrifying nature of Heavenly Tribulation from various ancient texts.
However, it was only when she truly witnessed the Heavenly Tribulation before her that she realized all the records in the ancient texts had severely downplayed its actual power.
Each bout of Tribulation Lightning was a thick electric serpent, capable of easily tearing through all kinds of Daoist Magic, and could only be shattered with a high-rank Immortal Sword or a powerful Magical Treasure.
And there were hundreds, if not thousands, of such bolts of Lightning at the same time…
As the tribulation clouds grew denser, the serpentine lightning became even more intense, forcing Qiu Changtian and Xu Yinglian to retreat once again, to avoid being harmed by the tribulation’s aftermath.
The means Xu Changqing had used to deal with the Lightning were also gradually overwhelmed by more and more electric serpents, eventually disappearing completely from both their sight.
“Great-grandfather, he…” Xu Yinglian hesitated to ask.
“He’s still alive,” Qiu Changtian consoled her, “otherwise the Heavenly Tribulation wouldn’t still be continuing.”
“But isn’t he nearing his limit?” Xu Yinglian asked anxiously.
By this time, the two had retreated nearly twenty miles away, only to see that the tribulation clouds in the distance had pressed extremely low, and the valley’s floor was almost unseen, completely covered by an ongoing, intensely brilliant “lava ocean.”
In fact, it was an almost limitless accumulation of the terrifying disaster created by layer upon layer of Plain Cloud Golden Lightning.
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Within a few miles of the ocean’s periphery, all the Snow Peaks had been melted and scorched by the immense heat, revealing almost glass-like, dazzling colors on the surface, and the ground continued to tremble incessantly.
The air above was filled with an ominous gale, the hot air from the Heavenly Tribulation rising and causing turbulence, tossing about the two on their Flying Swords.
Qiu Changtian silently watched that ocean, and after a moment of silent estimation, he realized the scale of this Heavenly Tribulation could almost be compared to a nuclear explosion.
And it was the kind of concentrated explosion that involved bombarding the target area with continuous blasts… Is this unreasonable thing what I will have to face when undergoing my Core Condensation Tribulation?
No, no, no, when I face my Core Condensation Tribulation, the Pill Formation will likely reach the Second Grade, and the corresponding Heavenly Tribulation will probably be unsolvable!
He pondered with mixed feelings, while Xu Yinglian was wide-eyed, staring at the apocalyptic scene of the horrific Heavenly Tribulation.
With such a terrifying Heavenly Tribulation, do I even have hope of overcoming it?
For a moment, her will wavered and, almost involuntarily, her eyes flicked to her Senior Brother beside her, only to see Qiu Changtian’s handsome profile marked by surprise and deep thought, but no sign of worry or fear.
Junior Sister Xu immediately felt as if she had found her pillar of strength, and somewhat mysteriously, her confidence was restored.
After years of competing with her Senior Brother, she had developed an almost conditioned instinctive response:
If Senior Brother can do it, why can’t I? I can do it too, and I must, even if I seem unable!
This kind of thought did not require any logical support. In short, if Senior Brother can’t do something, I may or may not be able to; but if Senior Brother can do it, then I must be able to do it too! And I have to do it even better than him.
Thus, all the worries and anxiety were transformed into full-blown fighting spirit.
Qiu Changtian was puzzled, noticing how Junior Sister Xu’s face had initially been pale, but somehow, her spirits suddenly lifted, and he couldn’t help but murmur to himself, this Junior Sister is really something.
The Heavenly Tribulation lasted for about three hours, and as the tribulation clouds gradually dispersed, the “lava ocean” below also began to dry up slowly.
A stream of azure light shot from afar; it was the arrival of the Ziwei Master, who crossed above their heads in an instant and flew towards the center of Thunder Tribulation Valley.
Qiu Changtian and Xu Yinglian exchanged a glance and then followed suit on their Flying Swords.
Upon arriving in the center of Thunder Tribulation Valley, they saw Xu Changqing, who was covered in blood, sitting on the ground, his face tinged with a greenish-purple blackness, constantly casting the Universal Pure Tone Minor Illumination Technique on himself.
Scattered around him on the ground were all manner of fragments—magical treasures, Flying Swords, array flags… Most had turned to dust under the Heavenly Thunder, with only a few remnants left that still bore glowing traces of spiritual power.
Having experience with artifact forging at the Heavenly Craft Workshop, Luo Yan could make a rough estimate at a glance: the number of magic artifacts destroyed in the Heavenly Tribulation was no fewer than fifty.
On one hand, it showed the financial strength of The Xu Family of Southern Heaven; on the other hand, with so many magical treasures and Flying Swords used, Xu Senior Brother still ended up in this state after the tribulation?
How many magic artifacts would I need to prepare for my own Second Grade Golden Core Tribulation in the future? A hundred? Two hundred? It’s useless if they’re not of high enough grade…
He silently calculated in his mind only to see the Ziwei Master cast a few spells, and Xu Changqing’s complexion immediately improved significantly.
“Master,” Xu Yinglian asked softly.
“He’s fine,” the Ziwei Master said indifferently. “His foundation is severely damaged. It’s already fortunate that he’s alive. He will need to go into seclusion to recuperate for a while.”
Xu Yinglian visibly relaxed, while Qiu Changtian watched Xu Changqing’s complexion and thought to himself that this “for a while” would be at least a decade.
“From today,” the Ziwei Master turned towards Qiu Changtian, pointing with the handle of a horsetail whisk, “you are the Chief Disciple of the Foundation Establishment Realm.”
“Disciple is undeserving,” Qiu Changtian said with a clasped-hand salute.
The Ziwei Master didn’t give him a chance to continue being modest and simply waved his hand. Then, wrapping Xu Changqing in a light of sword, he left a message before flying in the direction of the Kunlun Heavenly Pillar:
“This matter is concluded. Hurry to the Kunlun ancestral hall to receive the rites!”
As the sword light disappeared into the sky, Qiu Changtian and Xu Yinglian exchanged a look. Junior Sister Xu then sighed and said:
“Congratulations, Senior Brother.”
“Congratulations to us both,” Qiu Changtian said modestly.
With Qiu Changtian becoming the Chief Disciple of the Foundation Establishment Realm, he would be able to receive personal consultation from the Ziwei Master, which would lead to a qualitative leap in his understanding of the Nine Heavens Clear Entrance True Mantra.
Xu Yinglian and the other junior sisters and brothers usually had their questions answered by Senior Brother Qiu, who would naturally also benefit greatly from this—hence the saying, “When one man attains Dao, his poultry and dogs ascend to heaven.”
After escorting Junior Sister Xu back to Golden Ridge Cave Abode, Yan Zhitui and others had also received the news and came over to congratulate the new Chief Disciple:
“Congratulations to Senior Brother Qiu on taking the position of Chief Disciple of the Foundation Establishment Realm.”
“Senior Brother Qiu is now truly the ‘great senior brother,’ isn’t he?”
Qiu Changtian nodded and thanked each of them, chatting and laughing with his junior brothers and sisters.
Xu Yinglian stood to the side with her lips pursed, simply smiling faintly.
Her great-grandfather Xu Changqing had successfully overcome the Heavenly Tribulation, and Senior Brother Qiu had become the Chief Disciple of the Foundation Establishment Realm. With double happiness gracing them, her mood was also extremely joyful.
Seeing the happiness on her face, the junior brothers and sisters who were unaware of her and the newly appointed Chief Disciple’s grandparent-grandchild relationship thought to themselves how concerned Junior Sister Xu was for Senior Brother Qiu, wondering how far their relationship had progressed…
After bidding farewell to the junior brothers and sisters, Qiu Changtian proceeded to fly on his sword towards the Kunlun Heavenly Pillar.
According to the sect’s regulations, the current Chief Disciple was mainly responsible for internal affairs, but the Chief Disciples of the Foundation Establishment Realm and the Golden Core Realm had to shoulder some of the sect’s external responsibilities, hence the need to formally receive the rites in the ancestral hall.
Arriving at the ancient Kunlun ancestral hall in the Jade Void Palace, Qiu Changtian was surprised to see not only the Ziwei Master present, but most of the Nascent Soul Elders as well, and even several sect Guest Elders who were usually as elusive as divine dragons. They had all gathered in the hall, engaging in pleasantries and casual conversation with the other elders.
It wasn’t for any other reason but to meet the newly advanced Chief Disciple, a once in a millennium peerless genius with a Daoist Heart of Clarity!