Translated by: La0o9
Edited by: Dr.Lock
Proofreader:? Arya
The wind began to howl.
Noticing a cultivator attempting to break through, the Laws of the world responded accordingly.
Unlike other worlds, within this lost world of the Old Gods, the Element of lightning was the strongest.
It represented the will of the Gods, capable of destroying everything.
It was Godâs punishment!
Because of thatââ
Although Gu Qing Shan hadnât actually begun his breakthrough, the dark clouds had gathered so much that it extended all the way up to the horizon.
The entire world was plunged into darkness.
Gu Qing Shan also felt that a bit unexpected.
Normally, Tribulation clouds would naturally cover a large enough distance to ensure that it would strike the cultivator without fail.
But this was the first time he saw Tribulation clouds so huge it covered the entire sky.
In just a few moments, the Tribulation clouds had become so thick that the occasional flash of lightning arcing across the sky would seem like a ferocious beast hiding among the clouds.
The majesty of Lightning gradually showed itself to the people below.
âOh my god, thereâs no way anyone would be able to take this level of Lightning Tribulationâ one Bramble Bird guard commented.
Hearing that, Laura couldnât help but ask: âIlya, youâve sparred with him before, I need you to make an objective judgment. Can he survive this level of Lightning Tribulation with his current strength?â
Sensing the power gathering in the sky, Ilya gave her evaluation: âIf it maintains at the current level, I think he can still take it, however, I heard that a cultivatorâs Lightning Tribulation would become stronger step by step during the processâŠâ
âWhy did he choose to break through in a world with Lightning Tribulation this strong? I donât understand!â Ilya was also confused.
Laura bit her lip, unable to say anything.
The wind was getting stronger.
The bracelet of bells hovering in front of Gu Qing Shan began to ring with clear and resounding chimes.
Looking at the bracelet, Ilya suddenly trembled.
âI got it!â she muttered.
âWhat?â Laura instantly asked.
Ilya replied: âThe way for a cultivator to become stronger is to steal and siphon resources from nature to supply themselves and increase their own strength. Thatâs why whenever they break through, the sky would rain lightning and all sorts of evil creatures would show up to interfere, this is the same fate that every cultivator of every world has to faceâ
She took a deep breath before continuing: âThatâs why heâs currently using the common Law of all worlds and that bracelet in an attempt to summon the Tianmaâ
âIf it works, even without paying any price, the Law of the world itself will unleash the Tianma to try and kill him!â
âReally⊠how does one even come up with such a solution?â she sighed.
Laura wasnât at all relaxed: âBut the Lightning Tribulation here represents Godâs punishment, its power is magnified significantly, and Tianma are creatures that feasts on the soul of humans, wouldnât they just eat him alive?â
âLetâs keep watching, he wonât do things that pose too much of a risk to himselfâ Ilya told her.
âThatâs not the case at allâ Laura smiled bitterly: âEver since I met him, this guy has been doing only the most dangerous things possibleâ
While they talked, another unnatural phenomenon had already occurred.
From the void of space around the plaza, a purple-glowing imp suddenly appeared.
This wasnât a Tianma, simply an evil creature that happened to notice a cultivator breaking through.
Back in the cave system of Shen Wu world, Gu Qing Shan had already seen these types when he broke through at the time.
From a certain point of view, the responsibilities of these monsters and the Tianma were the same: to interfere with a cultivatorâs breakthrough.
They were called âevilâ simply because they were a cultivatorâs natural enemy.
ă Ah, a cultivator, hak hak, delectable food full of spirit energyâŠ? ?ă
The imp spoke while drooling.
The Earth sword flashed, showing itself from the void of space.
In the blink of an eye, it had already taken the impâs head.
Gu Qing Shan opened his eyes and said: âDonât take their lives, if we cause too much strife, it wonât be good for business negotiationâ
ă Is that so? Alright? ăthe Earth sword replied.
It slowly flew back, silently hovering by Gu Qing Shanâs side.
Another evil creature came out from the void of space.
Countless skewers of bones protruded from its body, shaking to the wind as if they each had their own sentience.
Compared to the previous one, this fiend seemed much stronger.
ă Ah, a little one thatâs about to breakthrough Sainted realm, just enough for todayâs meal? ă
The fiend muttered as it completely exited the void of space.
This time, the Earth sword didnât move quite as fast as before.
It silently flew forward and lightly struck the fiendâs head.
The fiend instantly turned into a panicked shadow, slipping into the void of space and disappeared.
For the next while, every evil creature that showed up was âgently returnedâ by the Earth sword.
The strangest thing was that even after an incenseâs worth of time, there were still no Tianma that appeared.
The Tianma Empress didnât show up either.
There were a few times when Gu Qing Shan faintly sensed some Tianmaâs presence, but they were apparently afraid of something as they quickly fled.
What are they afraid of?
Gu Qing Shan was silently surprised.
It shouldnât be this way at all since the Tianma had already appeared in this world once before, all sorts of other evil creatures had shown up and the Laws of the world had even invoked the strongest level of Tribulation!
This meant that Gu Qing Shanâs Tribulation had already been recognized by the world itself.
Soââ why hasnât any Tianma showed up yet?
Gu Qing Shan couldnât think of any reason on the spot.
But he maintained a clear mind and continued his near-breakthrough state, constantly using his inner sight to monitor the bracelet.
The chimes of the bell resounded in the air.
Time slowly passed.
At a certain point.
Finally, the void of space was disturbed.
In a flash, a faint but glorious light of the sun set appeared, illuminating the entire plaza.
Within that light, countless faint female voices resounded.
They all sung:
âLittle doe sing faint, eating apples on the field;
We have a guest, the metal drums beat;
A moon so bright, when will it fade;
A worry so far away, it canât be clearedâ
Gu Qing Shan was shocked.
He had seen the Tianma descend many times before, but never in such a grand manner.
Just who came this time?
While he was thinking, a crack had opened in the void of space.
Flower petals scattered everywhere as music played.
A mature, beautiful woman stepped out from the crack in space.
She wore a jet black robe, her eyes sharp and clean, her body soft and slender, a beauty among beauties.
But unlike other Tianma, this black-robed womanâs expression didnât contain a single bit of charm or allure, only solemnity and majesty.
With a flower born from each of her steps, she slowly landed in front of Gu Qing Shan.
She silently observed him.
Gu Qing Shan opened his eyes and carefully looked.
The one who came wasnât the Tianma Empress.
Gu Qing Shan spoke apologetically: âIâm sorry, I didnât mean to call you here, I was actually waiting for someoneâ
ă You were waiting for someone?? ăthe black-robed woman asked.
âYes, I was waiting for another Tianmaâ Gu Qing Shan replied.
ă Ah? Then what is the relationship between you and that Tianma?? ăthe black-robed woman asked.
Gu Qing Shan froze a bit.
What kind of relationshipâŠ
For some reason, he felt that he had to answer this as truthfully as possible.
This was his instinct, a sense of intuition that transcended all rationale.
âAh, she and I have a cooperative relationshipâ Gu Qing Shan sincerely answered.
ă Cooperation? ...but what could a human and Tianma cooperate for?? ăthe black-robed woman shook her head.
âMutual benefit, I pay her the asking price so that she helps me win against an enemyâ Gu Qing Shan replied.
Hearing that, the woman stared at him for another long while.
Gu Qing Shan really couldnât understand at all.
But this Tianma felt so unique that even when the Earth sword had silently asked him if it needed to attack, he still had it hold back.
He continued: âThen, if thereâs nothing else, can you please leave? I still need to wait for my business partnerâ
ă Business partnerâŠ? ăthe black-robed woman muttered.
She thought for a bit, then waved her hand.
The chilling Tianma bracelet suddenly chimed in joy and flew into the womanâs hand.
Gu Qing Shanâs eyebrows raised and quickly stood up.
Even if his intuition was telling him not to do it, this bracelet was the Tianma Empressâ token, he couldnât just let others take it away for no reason.
Gu Qing Shan took the Earth sword in hand and sincerely spoke: â Maâam, Iâm very sorry, but I canât let you take that bell braceletâ
ă Why not?? ăthe black-robed woman asked.
She was still observing him, the look in her eyes seemed as if she was looking at some sort of monster sheâs never seen before.
âThis bell bracelet belongs to someone elseâ Gu Qing Shan replied.
The black-robed woman spoke: ă Of course this bracelet belongs to someone else, I know that very well. But what I donât know isâ-? ă
She finally went into the main issue: ă As a cultivator, what is it you need that you took my daughterâs token and tried to summon her so secretly for?? ă
DaughâŠter?
This is her daughterâs token?
Gu Qing Shan froze.
Although he had prepared a lot of countermeasures, with several hand seals prepared in silence, he still couldnât quite maintain his calm.
The group not too far from them all heard the black-robed womanâs words.
Laura froze.
Ilya froze.
The guards all froze.
They all looked at Gu Qing Shan.
Wha-what are you calling a small debt? This clearly seems like⊠another sort of debt.
Wait a minuteââ
This guy⊠and a TianmaâŠ
Is he crazy? Or did he hit his head somewhere?
Just look, even the mother had personally come!
The crowd looked back at the black-robed woman.
She kept standing there without saying a word, not releasing even a little bit of presence or emotions.
She simply put the bracelet away, placed both hands behind her back and looked at Gu Qing Shan without blinking.
Seeing that, Gu Qing Shan silently put his sword away.
He canât cause more misunderstandings.
To confirm, he asked again: âYou said, this is supposedly your daughterâs personal item?â
ă Indeed I am? ăthe black-robed woman spoke without changing her expression, ă this is my daughterâs Tianma Bell that had been with her since birth, never lost nor given to anybody before, so Iâm extremely curious right now? ă
ă Tell me clearly, how did my daughterâs little bell come into your hands?? ă
Gu Qing Shan has never actually panicked before in his life.
But right now, his composure, calm or anything resembling that all disappeared without a trace.
âAbout that, erm, itâs a long story⊠I can explainâŠâ
He suddenly gulped, unable to think of the words to say.
The current situation almost seemed to be more dangerous than facing the [Demon King Order].