Netherworld Painted Skin Scroll

Chapter 320 The Divine Powers of the Great Calamity Star

The river water was already quite cold in early autumn, and it got colder the deeper they went into the Mo River. When the two of them grabbed E Meifeng's carapace and dived to the bottom of the Mo River, Li Wuxiang estimated that the water temperature was only about five or six degrees Celsius.

Although Xue Baoping possessed the cultivation level of Qi Refining, she was still struggling to withstand the strain. Li Wuxiang then transformed himself into a deflated skin and stuck it to her body, serving as a warm cloak.

After diving for more than ten breaths in the deep water, they spotted the entrance from the Mohe River to the underground river. It was only slightly wider than E Meifeng's body. The two of them clung tightly to her and passed by, barely touching the edge.

The water in this underground river was even colder, but fortunately, the riverbed was different from what they had imagined; it was actually an underground karst cave. Dapan Mountain was quite large, and this cave meandered its way to the Heavenly Pool above. Although it flowed against the current, it wasn't very steep. Moreover, since it was a cave, there were many larger spaces along the way, and quite a few stone platforms were exposed. The two of them asked E Meifeng to stop halfway through and went up to one of the stone platforms to rest.

The cave was completely dark, devoid of any light, with only the rumbling sound of flowing water echoing through it. Xue Baoping was nervous, experiencing such darkness for the first time, and the cold made her shiver; she gripped Li Wuxiang's hand tightly.

Li Wuxiang wrapped himself around her back, circulating his inner energy to warm her, and then summoned the small sword. The golden light emitted by the flying sword illuminated the entire cave, making it appear as if it were cast in gold.

E Meifeng revealed his true form, but instead of going ashore, he hovered in the water against the current, wagging his tail. He seemed extremely proud of his skill and asked loudly, "Master! How well did I swim? Hey! Master, how did you make it shiny? When will you teach me, Master?"

Li Wuxiang said, "I'll teach you after you've formed your demon core."

"Sigh! Good! Master, when will I be able to form my demon core?"

"When the time comes, it will naturally come together."

"Master, when will you arrive?"

"We'll get there soon."

"Alas! Master—"

“If you keep talking like that, you’ll become very slow,” Li Wuxiang said. “If you talk less, you’ll be faster.”

The crocodile demon immediately fell silent. Only then did Li Wuxiang ask Xue Baoping, "Are you feeling better?"

His Nascent Soul cultivation was no joke when it came to being a hand warmer; in the time it took to deal with the crocodile demon, Xue Baoping's clothes were almost completely dried by his steam. Xue Baoping stopped shivering and said, "Alright, I'm not cold anymore."

Li Wuxiang then inflated himself: "I'm not cold anymore, let's rest for a while. Xiao E, how much longer until we get up there?"

The crocodile demon rolled its eyes at him, tapping its mouth together. Li Wuxiang said, "You can answer if I ask you."

"Oh, we're almost there!"

Alright, Li Wuxiang then realized he shouldn't have asked. The crocodile demon probably had no concept of time.

At this moment, Xue Baoping said, "Let's not rest anymore. Didn't Li Jianbai say he was going to force the emperor to abdicate if we went up the mountain? What if we're late?"

Li Wuxiang smiled and said, "If he really rushed straight to the palace, then it's too late, I guess I misjudged him. But he definitely won't—Xie Qi may be slow to react, but slow doesn't mean stupid. To cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage, one can't be mentally challenged. The two of them have a good relationship. Although Xie Qi hasn't gone down the mountain in all this time, he must know what's going on on Dapan Mountain. He's more meticulous, and Li Jianbai is more quick-witted, so they won't be that stupid. Rest assured."

Xue Baoping nodded and leaned closer to him. After a moment, she asked again, "Are you really going to make Li Jianbai the sect leader? I was just about to ask you this. Didn't Senior Sister Mei say before that if you can't get the original artifact, you can get the real artifact first? Actually, we could have asked Xie Qi for the real artifact he had."

Are you worried about the three Nascent Soul Sect Masters on the mountain, afraid I can't defeat them?

Xue Baoping sighed: "A little, but I don't think you'll be outmatched. Xie Qi should help you if things get heated. I just think you're tiring yourself out like this."

Li Wuxiang hugged her and paused for a moment: "This is something we should talk about—Senior Sister Mei asked me before if she was unsuitable to be the sect leader, and I told her she was actually quite suitable. Half of that was the truth, and the other half was to comfort her. The fact that she asked me this kind of question means she's starting to doubt herself. If she were a mortal, or someone with a lower cultivation level, it would be fine, but she's a Yang God… To put it seriously, this could be considered a wavering of her mind and an unstable Dao heart."

"Sigh, think about it. Actually, her Yang Spirit is just like my Nascent Soul; neither of us cultivated it ourselves. It was forced out. I haven't reached her level, so I don't know the details, but I know that there are no shortcuts in cultivation. She didn't undergo tribulation when she created her Yang Spirit, but she definitely can't avoid this tribulation. I even suspect that she's undergoing tribulation right now—"

"To give an example, if someone works hard and earns a lot of money, they know that the money was hard-earned and will cherish it. But if a poor person suddenly gets a windfall, they might panic, not know what to do, and might even squander it all. Senior Sister Mei's situation is somewhat similar. She asked me if she was not suitable to be the sect leader. My feeling is that after she emerged from her Yang God form, her power was too strong... so strong that she herself was a little unsure, wondering if she could shoulder such a great responsibility and such great power."

Xue Baoping tensed up: "Is this very dangerous?"

"The higher one's cultivation level, the more dangerous it should be to encounter such a situation. Especially since she's about to fight the Blood God Sect... Fighting and killing are the easiest ways to lose one's mind. That's why you see the people of the Thirty-Six Sects don't like to go down the mountain, and you don't see cultivators fighting to the death every day. It's all because they're afraid of death. When you start fighting, your life hangs by a thread, your hormones are secreted wildly, and your emotions are agitated—is there anything easier to go into a state of demonic possession than that? Senior Sister Mei has cultivated for so many years, she should be able to control herself in this regard, but I'm just afraid that she'll suffer from internal strife."

So you're going to help her?

"Yes. She was already doubting herself, and if things didn't go smoothly with the Blood God Sect, the potential danger would be even greater. So I told her back then, 'Senior Sister, you have excellent judgment of character. Having this ability already makes you a suitable leader.'" Li Wuxiang sighed. "You understand now, right? What I'm doing now is part of her judgment of character—"

“If we subdue these weaker sects more easily, her pressure will be less, she will remember what I once told her, and she will feel more at ease. What we are doing today is actually helping her overcome her tribulation, so we need to do it gracefully and not just use fighting and killing.”

Xue Baoping looked at him and suddenly kissed him on the cheek. Li Wuxiang laughed, "What's wrong? Do I usually look like a bad person?" Xue Baoping smiled and shook her head, remaining silent. But then, as if remembering something, she asked, "Ah, aren't you..."

She glanced at the crocodile demon in the water: "Don't you have a way to help her overcome her tribulation?"

She was referring to the Great Calamity True Lord.

Throughout his journey, Li Wuxiang diligently cultivated, and the calamity star in his divine sense gradually became clearer. This clarity meant a stronger connection between the two, allowing him to draw upon more power, somewhat similar to how cultivators in this world borrow power from the true spirits of Mount Ling.

Li Wuxiang previously told Li Jianbai that he knew when his calamity would come, and this was not boasting.

There are several kinds of tribulations that spiritual practitioners encounter, the most commonly heard of being tribulations of lightning and heavenly tribulations. In fact, these two terms are not entirely accurate, as heavenly tribulations include tribulations of lightning.

He experienced a Heavenly Tribulation when he broke through from Foundation Establishment to Qi Refining in Deyang. A Heavenly Tribulation can be understood as a cultivation being, whether human or demon, whose power far exceeds the normal level of the world, becoming intolerable to the entire world. Thus—according to Li Wuxiang himself—it triggers an immune response in the world, attempting to destroy this being to restore balance to the world.

If you don't survive, you'll either die, be crippled, or your power will drop back to normal. If you do survive, you'll be recognized and become an ordinary member of a new power system.

Therefore, the Golden Core Tribulation, Nascent Soul Tribulation, and Yang Spirit Tribulation of cultivators are actually just different names for heavenly tribulations.

If one cultivates the Lesser Tribulation Sword Scripture or the Greater Tribulation Sword Scripture, one will also experience extremely severe Human Tribulation and Earth Tribulation. These two types of tribulations are actually different names for Heavenly Tribulations—Human Tribulation involves various people trying to kill or harm you, which can be considered an immune response of this world. Earth Tribulation, on the other hand, requires going to the Netherworld to have one's name crossed off from the register, which is also a means of avoiding the immune response of the entire world.

This is why the Great and Small Calamities Sword Scriptures involve more calamities. It can be understood that the stronger the person, the more severe the resulting immune response.

Lightning tribulation is a common form of heavenly tribulation. It's common because the cultivation techniques of the Thirty-Six Sects and independent cultivators are generally weak, frequently triggering lightning tribulations. Therefore, it's safe to say that lightning tribulation is actually the easiest tribulation to overcome. As long as one prepares magical artifacts and elixirs in advance, enduring it is not a problem. The only downside is that while one knows roughly when a lightning tribulation will occur, one cannot predict it with great precision.

If you're unlucky and it happens while you're taking a dump, urinating, or deep in your sleep, then you're in big trouble.

If it weren't for such an ordinary cultivator, what would come might not be a lightning tribulation, but some other calamity that is more difficult to guard against and resist.

For example, the tribulation of human beings is unavoidable; sometimes you don't even know you're undergoing a tribulation. But the tribulation of human beings is also slightly better, because some people are highly skilled and cautious, and fighting and killing are no problem for them.

More perilous are the tribulations of the sea of ​​suffering. These tribulations remind people of all the hardships they have experienced in their lives, gradually eroding their minds and causing them to become addicted. When a person first experiences such a tribulation, they may even be quite happy, feeling that their cultivation is gradually increasing, yet they have not forgotten the hardships of their past practice and have learned to reflect—this is a good thing.

But gradually, he himself became unaware that he was thinking more and more about the past, and it was extremely difficult for him to calm his mind. If he lost focus even slightly, he would recall all sorts of things from the past that made him feel guilty and regretful, and he would be unable to extricate himself from them.

In Li Wuxiang's view, the process of entering the Tribulation of the Sea of ​​Suffering is very similar to anxiety disorder, both lasting for several years and developing gradually in a way that is imperceptible to others. However, the Tribulation of the Sea of ​​Suffering is not comparable to anxiety disorder; it is much more severe. By the time a person realizes that they are already in the midst of the tribulation, it is almost impossible to extricate themselves.

In his view, when Senior Sister Mei asked him if she was unsuitable to be the leader of the Taiyi Sect, it was somewhat in line with that meaning—the heavenly tribulation was unavoidable and would only come in a more dangerous way.

Another type is the Tribulation of Lust. This tribulation is the opposite of the Tribulation of Suffering. Those who enter this tribulation are filled with pride, high spirits, and extreme excitement, amplifying many of their emotions. If they are not careful, they may become almost manic, resembling a demonic possession. This Tribulation of Lust itself is not particularly dangerous, but its danger lies in the fact that it can trigger a Tribulation of Humanity. The combination of the two may not be easier to deal with than the Tribulation of Suffering—Xu Dao, a disciple of the Five Sacred Mountains True Form Sect on Mount Ran, whose life was in his own hands, was very likely simultaneously afflicted by both the Tribulation of Lust and the Tribulation of Humanity.

That night, when they were about to storm into the Great Calamity Mountain, Senior Sister Mei said she had endured long enough and was very unhappy. Li Wuxiang didn't know if she was also going through this calamity.

The other types—the Tribulation of Deluded Mind, the Tribulation of Demonic Mirror, the Tribulation of Emptiness, the Tribulation of Bone Transformation, and the Tribulation of Knowledge Obstacles—are all uncommon and extremely dangerous.

These are insights he gained during his time tempering his divine sense with the Great Calamity Star, and also the supernatural powers he can utilize. He plants the seeds of calamity in people, which can both save and harm them.

Saving people is like what he told Li Jianbai—knowing when and in what form his tribulation will come. He can use the tribulation seed to trigger Li Jianbai's golden core lightning tribulation, informing him to prepare in advance to ensure everything goes smoothly.

But if he were to harm someone, he would secretly plant a seed of calamity for Li Jianbai, and based on his cultivation level, choose a calamity of lust for him. Li Jianbai is bold and energetic, which is a good thing, but if he were to trigger a calamity of lust, he would probably face a near-death experience.

Li Wuxiang told Xue Baoping all this, and Xue Baoping was surprised: "Then Senior Sister Mei may have already entered a tribulation? Can't you help her plant another tribulation seed? The kind that's easy to overcome?"

Li Wuxiang sighed, "If I could just plant a calamity seed at will, wouldn't I be invincible? I can do it freely with those below the Nascent Soul stage, but it's very difficult for me to plant a calamity seed with someone at the Nascent Soul stage. Nascent Soul cultivators have cultivated a Yin Spirit, and they are very sensitive to this kind of supernatural power. I have to see what kind of person the other party is before planting a suitable calamity seed to trigger the calamity. For example, Xie Qi, with that kind of personality, if I were to plant a calamity of lust on him, he would immediately realize that something was wrong with him."

"There are also some people whose temperament and will have been tempered very well. Unless it is a specific time, it is very difficult to place a tribulation seed on such people. So this depends on one's cultivation level and the other on how firm one's mind is and how hard one's mental shell is. For example, Senior Sister Mei is at the Yang God realm. I, with my Nascent Soul cultivation, could not place a tribulation seed on her. When I placed a tribulation seed on True Lord Si Ming on Great Tribulation Mountain, I was still borrowing Senior Sister Mei's cultivation level."

"But don't worry too much. If we really enter the tribulation, Senior Sister Mei will definitely know. Whether we succeed or not depends on her, and also on our help."

Xue Baoping sighed worriedly and nodded. Li Wuxiang patted her hand: "Senior Sister Mei, you don't need to worry, it's useless anyway. As for those three Nascent Soul Sect Masters on the mountain, they're really unnecessary. The practices and cultivation methods of the Thirty-Six Sects have too many flaws in their character; they can be played with as they please."

As the two were talking, they heard the crocodile tapping its mouth in the water again. Even though they hadn't known each other for long, Li Wuxiang had already noticed that the crocodile's tapping sound was similar to a cat's "meow," both expressing anxiety, dissatisfaction, and impatience.

He stood up and said, "Let's go, let's keep going upstream. I want to see what those two can do up the mountain."

(End of this chapter)