For a time, the sound of explosions was incessant, and massive rocks broke away from the mountain. The gigantic mountain visibly grew shorter and smaller.
Yet Li Mingyao merely watched without intervening.
It wasnât that he didnât want to stop it to quickly pass the Thunder Tribulation, but rather that he was powerless to do so.
Having used the Secret Technique, Li Mingyao was now pale and weak, with a languid aura. He was seizing the opportunity to swiftly recover his own mana.
With his own safety ensured, he couldnât afford to pay much attention to the outside world.
Half an hour later, the tribulation thunder shrank considerably, but the towering mountain had already been reduced to a small hillock, which would soon be completely destroyed!
But just then, Li Mingyao had recovered a large amount of mana, so the small hillock didnât disappear; instead, it quickly grew in size.
Although there was an obvious gap compared to the original gigantic mountain, at least it wouldnât be destroyed in a short time, and the power of the tribulation thunder had been worn down significantly.
This way, the two were back in a balanced state, or rather, a stalemate.
However, Li Mingyao had already restored several levels of mana, allowing him to continuously ensure the mountainâs strength, whereas the tribulation thunder, having left the tribulation cloud, was like a rootless weed, constantly consuming itself.
Over time, the power of the tribulation thunder grew weaker and was eventually crushed and shattered by the rolling boulders.
The massive tribulation cloud then transformed into a huge, pure stream of spiritual energy that descended from the sky into his body, passed through his meridians, entered his dantian, and helped his cultivation reach the final step.
Boom!
The pressure from the instant breakthrough was felt by all the clan members, making them feel the weight of the Earth; some with lower cultivation levels even found it hard to breathe.
"I didnât expect to witness such a joyful event right after coming back." A long-lost voice rang above Mount Wanxian, like a breeze in spring, easing everyoneâs pressure.
"Jiu!"
"Ancestor Rui!"
Amidst the expectant shouts of the crowd, the figure of Li Zhirui slowly emerged.
"Congratulations to Mingyao for achieving the Heavenly Immortal status!"
Li Mingyao bowed in salute and said, "Many thanks for Ancestor Ruiâs guidance."
Back when Li Zhirui was purifying the pollution within the Earth Core terrain, he naturally came into contact with numerous Earth Laws. Although he didnât consciously comprehend them, he subconsciously remembered many during that time.
Upon completion and returning to the family, he recorded these Earth Laws into a Jade Slip and gave it to Li Mingyao for comprehension.
If it werenât for this Earth Law, perhaps he wouldnât have broken through to the Heavenly Immortal so quickly, so his gratitude towards Li Zhirui was heartfelt.
"It has nothing to do with me; itâs all your own achievement."
Li Zhirui waved his hand and said, "Go consolidate your realm and cultivation first."
Li Mingyao saluted and then returned to his cave mansion.
"Tribulation Transcendence is over; everyone disperse."
After speaking, he also vanished.
Xiaoqing and Cang hurriedly followed.
The news of Li Mingyaoâs breakthrough to Heavenly Immortal rapidly spread across Shanhai State, known to many cultivators.
Of course, the Li family helped in spreading this as news, promoting such an event was beneficial to the Li familyâs reputation.
Upon hearing the news, everyone was shocked and once again marveled at the astonishing speed of the Li familyâs development, having produced yet another Heavenly Immortal.
"Ha! Can the Li family still be considered a cultivation family now? The power of a Divine is much stronger than that of a cultivator, perhaps theyâve already become a Divine Dao Family." However, there were also cultivators dissatisfied with the Li family who mocked them.
Others looked at him with eyes full of astonishment, as if to say, how dare you utter such words.
The cultivator realized something was wrong and promptly got up to leave.
...
Meanwhile.
On Mount Wanxian, the topic was also being discussed.
"Itâs strange. Clearly an Immortal Tao family, yet the strength of the Divines far surpasses that of the cultivators," Li Zhirui said, thinking of Li Mingyaoâs successful Tribulation Transcendence and breakthrough to Heavenly Immortal.
Moreover, the Li family currently has four individuals with prospects of breaking through to Heavenly Immortal: Xiaoqing, Cang, Li Zhixuan, and Jiang Fengwuâprecisely two Divines and two cultivators.
Even if they all break through, within the Li family, the power of the Divine Path remains superior.
Sitting before him, Xiaoqing and Cang did not respond, merely sitting there silently.
"What? Are you feeling resentful at being surpassed by juniors?" Li Zhirui saw through their inner thoughts at a glance.
Of course, they wouldnât admit to being jealous of the juniors but instead shifted the topic, asking, "Jiu, do you have any methods to help us break through quickly?"
"In matters of cultivation, there are no shortcuts."
If there were a way, the number of Heavenly Immortals wouldnât be so few and certainly wouldnât be revered as Great Ability by the world.
Li Zhirui shook his head and said, "You two are too impatient now, why be so anxious?"
For a moment, the two didnât know what to say.
Reflecting on past years, they realized they indeed were too impatient, not thinking about understanding the Dao practice well, or fulfilling their Divine Position, seeking every possible way for a quick breakthrough.
Many of them were foolish actions that they would later scold themselves harshly for.
"Thereâs no shortcut in cultivation. Maybe you take one now, but someday it might suddenly collapse without you knowing why," Li Zhirui sincerely advised.
They had tried many methods before, and the effects were apparent: they didnât work!
Now, they are beginning to pay the price for their previous desperation.
"After you go back, do not rush into cultivation, think well. If you canât calm down, you may consult with Da Qing; heâs more adept in this regard." Li Zhirui spoke, ushering them away.
In fact, there was a way he could help them both, but given the current situation, rashly helping could worsen things.
Besides, the best method is for everyone to hold on, breaking through their own internal obstacles, although only a few could achieve this.
"Alright, weâll leave for now," said Cang, pulling Xiaoqing away.
"Why are you dragging me away?"
Xiaoqing voiced with discontent, "Jiu clearly has a way to help us. Why sit by and do nothing?"
"Whatâs wrong with you?" Cangâs expression changed, wondering if Xiaoqing was already under the influence of a heart demon.
"Iâm fine."
After quite a while, Xiaoqing spoke in a normal tone, but he also realized his own issue, not daring to linger any longer on the road, fearing being affected again.
Cang stood there, watching Xiaoqingâs hurried figure leave, then turned to gaze at the shut door of the cave mansion, seemingly understanding something.
"Is this a trial for Xiaoqing?"
Li Zhirui heard his question, thought for a moment, and replied, "Yes, during my interactions with Xiaoqing, I realized his heart demon influence was deep, yet he was unaware."
"So I helped him slightly. Now itâs up to him whether he can break through, rebuilding from the broken state!"
Cang frowned, worriedly saying, "But if he fails, wonât Xiaoqing be consumed by his heart demon?"
"Donât worry, Iâve hidden a Purification Lotus Seed in the depths of his Sea of Consciousness. If he encounters a situation where he canât defeat the heart demon, a contingency plan will automatically trigger."
Li Zhirui continued calmly, "However, with this, it will also make future breakthroughs much more difficult for him."
As if the risk were that of a stranger, unconnected to oneself, not the family who accompanied him for years.
In reality, the situation is more severe than spoken, without special opportunities, when the Dao Heart is damaged, oneâs path is almost entirely cut off!
After listening, Cang stood in place for a long time, saying nothing, and quietly left.