The heavenly tribulation arrived far more intensely than Jiang Xuezhi and Pojun had anticipated.
Merely building a foundation, yes, it was indeed a bit faster. Decades of arduous effort for others, she accomplished in just a few days. But surely it shouldn’t be this harsh on her, right?
If this heavenly tribulation truly struck, it wouldn’t just be comparable to the Golden Core stage; even the Nascent Soul tribulation might not surpass it.
Po Jun had to admit that Jiang Xuezhi was foresighted.
And her courage was immense.
Upon realizing the situation had spiraled beyond expectations and that Xie Wang was still scheming against her, she immediately made a choice.
A powerful expert was right before her, why not make use of him?
Regardless of why Yun Cangming had appeared here originally, he was now being dragged into her mess.
The heavenly tribulation, far exceeding the standard, descended. Even though he had anticipated it, he truly hadn’t expected it to be this severe.
With his high cultivation level, handling such tribulations was no issue. But having no ties to her, it was already generous of Sword Venerable Fu Xue not to hold Jiang Xuezhi accountable for harming Tianyong’s disciples. To expect him to share her tribulation?
That was nothing but a dream.
And Jiang Xuezhi was determined to make that dream a reality.
Just as Yun Cangming was about to leave, Jiang Xuezhi lunged from behind and pinned him down.
The heavenly tribulation instantly struck both of them, forcing Yun Cangming to share her suffering.
The tribulation, which had scorched and shaken the entire secret realm, now assailed him. With his level of cultivation, he could withstand it, but could Jiang Xuezhi, who was on the verge of building her foundation, truly endure it?
It would be better if she couldn’t.
Yun Cangming, pinned beneath her, was forced to endure the tribulation alongside her. His back keenly felt the distinct curves and warmth of a woman’s form. Such audacious behavior within Tian Yong was a crime punishable by death ten thousand times over.
He tried to rise. The tribulation was still ongoing, but it couldn’t hold him back. He could break free at any moment.
Even amidst the tribulation, he could think and act clearly. But Jiang Xuezhi’s condition was far worse.
She had already lost her sanity, only remembering to cling tightly to the person beneath her, struggling to stabilize her spiritual energy.
In an instant, it was as if she had returned to when she was eight years old, a weak child adrift in the foul-smelling waters of a desolate river, with goose-feather snowflakes falling from the sky, soon covering and concealing her body.
Throughout her life, she had faced death many times and had nearly grown accustomed to the feeling. Yet, only that one experience from her youth, whenever recalled, would send chills down her spine and make her tremble uncontrollably.
Jiang Xuezhi was trembling now.
She gritted her teeth, not uttering a single sound.
Despite being in excruciating pain, she endured it silently, her body stiff and shaking, refusing to let out even a whimper.
Yun Cangming tried to break free. In her current state, she couldn’t possibly restrain him. He could leave at any moment.
If he left, she would face everything alone, her soul unstable, her body battered and bruised, and she might perish in the tribulation in the blink of an eye.
Building a foundation was a critical hurdle. Crossing it would make one a true cultivator, granting a lifespan of three hundred years.
Failing to cross it was nothing unusual. If every cultivator in the world could build a foundation, Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators wouldn’t be as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.
Yun Cangming exerted a slight force, and Jiang XueZhi’s body, tormented by the tribulation and toxins, quickly released him.
He could have left without looking back, but he didn’t.
Yun Cangming paused for a moment and glanced back once.
That one glance made it impossible for him to leave again.
She had dragged him into sharing her tribulation, a decision made in a split second, yet all she needed was for him to stay for just a moment.
At the moment the heavenly tribulation struck, her restrained and violated body needed a little help, but only until then.
Amid the rolling dark clouds, she was covered in frost and snow, with icicles forming on her brows and lashes.
For a brief moment, she did clutch onto him desperately, as if he were a lifeline, but it was only for an instant.
Jiang Xuezhi quickly regained her clarity, realizing she was no longer eight years old and no longer needed another Ji Jiuchen to save her.
There would never be such a person again, and she absolutely refused to allow herself to fall into such a passive state again.
Xie Wang wanted to effortlessly take her spiritual power to heal himself?
Well, he’d have to see if he had the capability to endure it.
Jiang Xuezhi’s head throbbed as if splitting apart, her body feeling as though it had been shattered by a giant hammer.
She was so cold that her heart seemed on the verge of freezing, inch by inch encased in ice. The moment she was completely frozen would likely be the moment she truly died.
But she would not die.
No hardship could ever defeat her.
A scorching fire ignited around her, appearing swiftly and suddenly, engulfing the frozen Jiang Xuezhi and Yun Cangming.
Jiang Xuezhi, a somewhat awkward name to pronounce.
The first time Yun Cangming heard it, he had wondered what her parents intended when naming her, but he found no clear answer.
Now, he seemed to understand.
She melted the ice encasing her in the raging flames, and the eyes that opened within the fire were as pure as if woven from snow.
Simple.
Pure.
Deeply soulful.
Her gaze fixed on him, and Yun Cangming found himself unable to take another step.
He stared back at her intently. The two locked eyes amid the blazing flames until, after a few breaths, Yun Cangming made the first move.
He handed her a pill without a word. With just a look, Jiang Xuezhi accepted it and swallowed it without hesitation.
She asked no questions, and a certain understanding spread between them.
The moment the pill was ingested, Jiang Xuezhi felt a soothing coolness spread from her throat throughout her entire body.
Instantly, her mind cleared. The backlash of the medicinal energy surging through her meridians was suppressed and weakened, allowing her to finally focus on building her foundation in peace.
The heavenly tribulation continued unabated, with purple lightning striking down relentlessly. Yun Cangming gave her one last glance before turning and disappearing into the depths of Chaoshan.
By now, everyone in the secret realm knew someone was undergoing a tribulation.
The clever ones had even guessed who it was.
Jiang Xuezhi.
Rumors had long circulated that she advanced from Qi Refining to Foundation Building in just a few days, but some still refused to believe it.
If she were truly that prodigious, why had she remained at the Qi Refining stage for years in the Xuantian Sect?
The purple lightning tribulation forced them to face reality.
She was indeed that prodigious, not only reaching Foundation Building but also attracting the Purple Lightning Tribulation.
The intensity of the purple lightning rivaled that of a Nascent Soul tribulation, implicating all those who had entered the secret realm with her.
In an instant, cultivators scattered and sought cover. Those accompanied by powerful elders fared better, while the rest had no choice but to seek help from the Tianyong disciples.
The Tianyong disciples, realizing something was amiss, naturally took responsibility for the secret realm they had inspected.
They ventured in again to investigate but were soon blocked by an invisible barrier.
A faint chill descended like falling snow, and a pale figure flickered behind the barrier. The disciples sensed something and immediately bowed, retreating without pressing further.
Lin Wanwan also hid herself.
Gazing up at the purple lightning, she felt a mix of astonishment and reflection on her own situation.
She had only just reached the peak of Foundation Building herself, and that was after a near-death experience and a sudden enlightenment that allowed her to advance.
She had endured the Foundation Establishment lightning tribulation before, and it was nothing like the scene before her. This could only mean one thing.
Jiang Xuezhi was far stronger than her.
But how could someone so powerful remain only at the Qi Refining stage after years of cultivation in the Xuantian Sect?
When she first returned to the sect, Jiang Xuezhi hadn’t been like this.
Lin Wanwan didn’t know what had happened to her, but she was certain this was her best opportunity.
To succeed, she had to strike while Jiang Xuezhi was undergoing her tribulation.
The communication talisman at her waist flickered, a signal from her master.
Jiang Xuezhi had a weakness in her master’s hands, and he would send the signal once he made his move.
Now was the time.
Lin Wanwan gripped her sword and dashed toward the location guided by the soul lamp. Nothing was more reliable than this, no matter how Jiang Xuezhi hid, she couldn’t escape the soul lamp, which was forged from the heart’s blood drawn directly from her core. It would never fail.
Lin Wanwan raced through the storm, following the soul lamp’s glow. While others took cover, she alone cut through the thunderclouds, a starkly conspicuous figure.
Amidst the array’s light, a young man avoiding the lightning tribulation caught sight of her and asked his strategist, “Is that someone from the Xuantian Sect?”
The strategist assessed briefly and replied, “Yes, Young City Lord. She appears to be a direct disciple of the Xuantian Sect.”
“If a Xuantian disciple isn’t hiding from the purple lightning and is rushing like this, she must know Jiang Xuezhi’s location,” the young lord declared immediately. “Let’s go, follow her!”
“Young City Lord…” the strategist tried to stop him, but the youth wouldn’t listen.
He slapped the strategist’s shoulder sharply and demanded, “If a woman isn’t afraid, why should you be?”
Stumped, the strategist watched as the youth retracted the array’s light himself. “Chase them! Don’t miss this chance!”
Taking the lead, he and his four followers pursued Lin Wanwan, the group heading straight for Chaosh Mountain beneath the broken cliffs.
Atop Chaosh Mountain, the demonic birds returned to defend their eggs, their piercing cries echoing incessantly.
Even at the mountain’s deepest base, Jiang Xuezhi could hear the shrill calls.
She glanced at the eggs beside her. With the ground shaking and thunder crackling, the nest had been thoroughly tossed.
Birds scattered, eggs broken, a foul stench permeated the air, and she was splattered with egg fluid.
Well, there was no washing this off now, and she wasn’t entirely innocent anyway.
Jiang Xuezhi wanted to recite a cleansing spell to tidy herself up, she disliked the smell, but she was fully occupied fending off the tribulation and couldn’t spare the focus.
So be it. It didn’t matter; no one was around to see.
Wait.
A flash of silver light appeared before her as someone returned, exuding an icy sword aura that warned others to keep their distance.
Yun Cangming lived up to his name, aloof and solitary.
He stood there, his eyes reflecting her battered yet fiercely bright gaze, a subtle ripple disturbing his frozen expression.
Yun Cangming advanced through the dark, filthy nest, slowly making his way to her side.
She maintained her seated meditation posture to endure the tribulation, her gaze involuntarily drifting toward him, a strange warmth stirring in her heart.
The pungent scent of egg fluid filled her nostrils, further muddling her thoughts and causing her to frown slightly.
Yun Cangming leaned forward slightly, raising two fingers and sweeping them gently. Instantly, she was clean, without a speck of dust.
His icy spiritual power carried a wintry chill, much like his demeanor.
Yet, this cold energy inexplicably felt somewhat gentle to her.
Jiang Xuezhi’s brow twitched as she noticed he hadn’t just cleansed her but had also tidied the area around her.
The scattered egg fluid was cleaned up. Though the nest remained dimly lit and the temperature was still somewhat high, it was at least no longer filthy.
Jiang Xuezhi couldn’t help but count in her heart, how many times was this now?
Strictly speaking, three times.
Yun Cangming had helped her three times.
In the original novel, aside from his single appearance when the female lead entered the immortal sect, he only existed in legends afterward.
She had assumed that someone of his stature would carry the typical flaws of the high and mighty, much like the nobles and veteran generals she had encountered.
But he seemed to have none of those traits.
He appeared aloof, sparing with his words, and exuded a bone-chilling coldness, yet every action he took was filled with warmth.
A fluffy snowball tumbled out from his sleeve. Without changing his expression, he tucked it back in, unconsciously smoothing its fur before doing so.
Cold on the outside, warm on the inside.
What a contrast.
Jiang Xuezhi blinked hard, her breathing growing somewhat rapid.
This wasn’t good.
She belatedly realized something was wrong.
Ever since the demon bird’s egg fluid had contaminated her, her entire body had been plagued by a strange, damp heat.
Although Yun Cangming had helped clean her up, it seemed it was already too late.
Dealing with the heavenly tribulation and Xie Wang’s backlash had drained too much of her energy, causing her to overlook the most critical matter.
Her susceptible period seemed to have arrived.
This damned transmigration into a novel, it swapped her body but failed to remove the susceptible period unique to Alphas.
The demon bird’s egg fluid must have possessed some kind of ability, accelerating both her body and spirit. Restlessness churned within her, her pheromones releasing chaotically and without order, filling the depths of the nest with the scent of rust.
When Yun Cangming finished cleaning and caught this scent, he thought she was injured.
He glanced over to assess the situation, only to be locked in place by her blazing eyes.
Jiang Xuezhi’s breath was hot and uneven. Amidst the rolling thunderclouds, she spoke in a hoarse voice, “Come here.”