Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 292 Lu Xingzhou's Cloud Tribulation

This description easily reminded Lu Xingzhou of Pei Chuyun's background, especially with the line "she can benefit from her husband's family," making the feeling even more pronounced.

The mother took over the daughter's body... What if Pei Chuyun's mother hadn't died, and it was just an illusion? What if her mother was Xuan Nu herself?
Doesn't some of the details of the mystery surrounding his origins make more sense back then?
Of course, this isn't necessarily concrete evidence. The people of Tianyao Holy Land also believe that Xuan Nu might not dare to choose this approach again; the chances are indeed slim. But even if Pei Chuyun isn't the second type, is it possible she is the first?

Since even outsiders in the Tianyao Holy Land have records of Xuan Nu's virtues, does the Hehuan Sect itself know about them? If Pei Chuyun knows but doesn't take it seriously, she must have other reasons for judging that she has nothing to do with it, which is fine.

But what if she didn't know?

Although Pei Xiaomao is clever, she is really inexperienced. If the sect deliberately keeps things from her, she may not know many things.

Lu Xingzhou was distracted and had no more interest in searching for information. He quickly stood up and found the steward: "I want to send a letter to the Pei family in the capital. Can you help me get it delivered quickly?"

The steward was very polite: "No problem, the sect leader instructed us to cooperate with you, young master. This is a small matter, and we will take care of it."

Lu Xingzhou quickly wrote a letter, sealed it, and instructed the trustee to deliver it: "It must be delivered to Miss Pei Chuyun personally. No one else is allowed to give it to her, not even Prime Minister Pei or the Crown Prince."

The steward accepted the order and left.

Lu Xingzhou sat there for a while, his mind unsettled. There was nothing he could do but remind her. He hoped that Pei Chuyun would be alerted by the reminder. With her abilities, as long as she was on guard, it wouldn't be so easy for her to be possessed.

Distracted by this, Lu Xingzhou turned back to look at the mountain of documents, which were completely obscured by Anuo's small figure... He felt a bit breathless and too lazy to look anymore, so he simply took out "The Burning Sun of the Prison" to read.

The names given by ancient people were quite poetic and picturesque. Changing "Smoke and Rain at Sunset" to "Fiery Prison" completely reversed the meaning, highlighting a more ferocious and deathly connotation. However, the original name still seems to retain the poetic imagery of "Smoke and Rain at Sunset," resulting in a beautiful form that, while graceful and elegant, unleashes a terrifying destruction.

It perfectly matches Lu Xingzhou's aesthetic; the more he looks at it, the more he likes it.

This technique completely fills the gap in Lu Xingzhou's flame combat style, breaking away from the previous template that relied entirely on passively adding flames to the fire bones. It also combines the annihilating golden fire to form a powerful burst, making it extremely powerful. However, it utilizes its own characteristics and does not rely on the so-called "external circulation of heaven and earth spiritual energy," making its nature very similar to martial arts cultivation.

Demon Warrior?
They are quite close.

Relying solely on the core techniques inherent in the Yin-Yang Ultimate Skill is clearly insufficient, as it lacks powerful ultimate skills and everyday usable abilities. While the "Infernal Remnant Sun" technique is excessively aggressive and of a lower grade than the Yin-Yang Ultimate Skill, it is an excellent supplement to daily combat.

As Lu Xingzhou watched, he unknowingly entered into an internal vision cultivation state.

Libraries... places like scripture repositories have always been among the places with the richest spiritual energy in a sect, because many people have achieved enlightenment and breakthroughs while reading and cultivating here. Sects must consider this and provide the best place for spiritual energy.

Lu Xingzhou was engrossed in introspection while reading, which seemed perfectly normal to the observing disciples, though they were somewhat envious.

This is clearly a display of exceptional talent. Not everyone can gain enlightenment just by reading books. Many people are taught by their masters and still remain clueless.

"Who is this person? Such talent!"

"I don't know, anyway, the sect leader brought it personally, but he didn't say who it was."

"I heard that she is my junior sister's disciple."

"Junior sister? Which one? Does the sect leader have a junior sister?"

"There's a taboo name, one that's forbidden to mention. Apparently, there is such a person. My grandmaster vaguely mentioned him... It seems he lost the power struggle with the sect leader back then and later went to establish his own sect?"

"The sect leader is so righteous. She failed in the struggle for the throne and started her own sect. How is that any different from being a traitor? The sect leader even guides her disciples."

"That's ultimately a grudge from the previous generation, and has nothing to do with the next. I think this person is extremely talented, and may return to the clan someday."

"Exceptional talent is not necessarily true. There are plenty of people who can enter a meditative state while reading. Judging solely on this is too much..."

Before the words were even finished, the speaker's voice caught in his throat.

Everyone stared in horror at Lu Xingzhou's direction, at a loss for what to do.

Ah Nu blinked, watching her master's aura grow stronger and more powerful, as if a hurdle had been torn open with a "crack," and the yin and yang energies spiraled upwards, rushing straight to the crown of the head and breaking through the Mingtang (a point in the face).

The mind opens up, and heaven and earth are connected.

A seemingly ethereal figure danced between his brows, while a Tai Chi-like energy swirled within his abdomen.

Use your body as a furnace, and use Qi to create the elixir.

The iconic node of the Inner Alchemy Path, the so-called "Realm of Soaring Clouds" in ancient times, where destiny unites the universe and nature awakens the Yin Spirit.

"Boom!"

Dark clouds suddenly appeared in the originally clear sky, as if thunder and lightning were about to condense above.

"Minor Heavenly Tribulation, Rank Three!" The person who had just been saying "even with exceptional talent, it's not necessarily true" completely fell silent, staring blankly at the sky.

If there are many people who can enter a meditative state while reading a book, can you find someone who can suddenly break through the Cloud-Soaring Barrier while reading a book?

That's no ordinary hurdle; it's the Cloud Pass, a test that determines whether one's cultivation has reached a higher level, a trial that even the Heavenly Dao must set forth! In a broader sense, being able to fly and maintain an ageless appearance means one can be considered an immortal... This hurdle is a very typical example of the broad distinction between the mortal and the immortal realm.

"No..." someone finally realized, "He's undergoing tribulation! What about the Sutra Repository? Where's Steward Wang? Where did he go..."

"It seems like they just sent a message." "What are we going to do? If a lightning tribulation comes down, our Scripture Pavilion will be reduced to ashes! Grandmaster Feng, Grandmaster Feng, stop reading and come help!"

The old man in the library smiled slightly but did not respond.

What do the disciples know? The Scripture Pavilion is a crucial location with top-level array formations and restrictions. Let alone the Lesser Tribulation of Cloud Ascension, even the Great Tribulation of Immortality probably wouldn't be able to shake the Scripture Pavilion.

Furthermore, the details of the Ascension Tribulation are unknown, but the Cloud Ascension Tribulation is generally unblockable by others. In other words, even if you are protected by multiple layers of protective formations and restrictions, the lightning tribulation will still bypass all protections and strike you on the head.

Whether you can handle it or not depends on yourself.

"Someone is undergoing tribulation?" Ye Tinglan and the elders, who were in the middle of a meeting, couldn't continue. They stared in astonishment at the direction where the tribulation clouds had solidified: "That's... the Scripture Pavilion? Which disciple is undergoing tribulation?"

Ye Tinglan's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately stood up: "I'll go take a look."

"Let's go together! What if it's a promising young talent? Then we'll have more options for the competition!"

"Dream on, he's probably just an old face in his forties or fifties..."

The high-ranking officials rode away on clouds, looking down from above, and saw another group of young disciples rushing over.

When someone undergoes tribulation, it's not done in their own cave but in public, which easily attracts onlookers.

"Senior Brother Zhang, Senior Sister Xiao, you've arrived too?" The handyman disciple was overjoyed to see people coming. "Quickly, let's see what to do about this person undergoing tribulation here."

Zhang Qingxiang, the disciple whom the elders had just described as stronger than Dugu Qingli, said calmly, "There's nothing we can do. The Scripture Pavilion can't be destroyed by this kind of tribulation cloud. Everyone, just evacuate and watch it from here. Hmm, you've all been here. Do you know who you are?"

"They are outsiders brought by the sect leader. They are said to be disciples of the sect leader's junior sister, and they also have a connection with him."

"A mere outsider? Hmph..."

"Senior Brother Zhang, do you think this person can withstand the heavenly tribulation?"

Zhang Qingxiang said calmly, "No matter what, this person has connections to the Holy Land, so ordinary tribulations shouldn't be a problem for him. How many times has our Holy Land failed a tribulation?"

These words sound like they look down on "outsiders" undergoing tribulation. If you succeed, it's because there's no precedent of failure in the holy land. If you fail, then you're really trash.

"Boom!" A thunderbolt as thick as a child's arm struck down, as if the Sutra Repository did not exist at all, breaking straight into it and hitting Lu Xingzhou on the head.

Even though Ye Tinglan knew the young man wouldn't cause any problems, she still couldn't help but feel a pang in her heart.

This tribulation is no ordinary one; it's a double tribulation within a single tribulation, with thunder and fire fused into a single bolt of lightning, bringing both scorching heat and annihilation. Is this the corresponding result after Lu Xingzhou fused with the Annihilating Golden Fire?

“Senior Brother Zhang, this person’s tribulation lightning seems to be thicker than yours back then, and why is there dark red in this purplish-blue lightning? It looks terrifying.”

Zhang Qingxiang's cheek twitched: "It's just appearance, what do you know?"

Not far away, a young girl in white with white hair stood quietly by the mountainside, coldly saying, "Ignorance."

Zhang Qingxiang glanced at it and gritted his teeth, saying, "This person might not be able to withstand it at all."

Dugu Qingli's gaze fell on the main hall, where Lu Xingzhou sat cross-legged, slightly raising his head to watch the lightning strike, but then lowering his eyes and ignoring it, as if the tribulation lightning did not exist at all.

Amidst the disciples' horrified exclamations, a terrifying bolt of lightning struck Lu Xingzhou on the head, the lightning flashing across his body before disappearing into the ground.

Lu Xingzhou even had a comfortable expression on his face, as if the lightning had just given him a full-body massage.

Everyone was dumbfounded, bewildered, and unable to comprehend how this had happened.

Ye Tinglan smiled slightly. Of course, she knew that Lu Xingzhou had used the Void Reincarnation technique to force the attack, then transferred all his power into the ground. But he didn't need to use this method at all; it was purely for show.

"Senior Brother Zhang, he held on! Wait, does that count as just holding on?" the disciples asked one after another. "Does that mean he's overcome it? Is it really that simple?"

Zhang Qingxiang snorted coldly: "With such a severe tribulation, there shouldn't be a second tribulation..."

"Boom!" As if providing a voiceover, violent flames shot up from the ground, and in the blink of an eye, the entire library was engulfed in flames.

The flames were so intense that they formed the shape of a blooming lotus flower.

Zhang Qingxiang's mouth dropped open.

This time, without him saying it, many people recognized it: "Red Lotus Hellfire Calamity!"

Among the fire calamities, this was definitely the most ferocious, and many elders watched in terror.

Because if they were still at the third rank back then, they probably wouldn't have been able to withstand this calamity!
Lu Xingzhou opened his eyes amidst the sea of ​​fire, his eyes seemingly flickering with flames.

That fleeting scene resembled a smiling demon or Buddha within a lotus throne.

(End of this chapter)