Chapter 1, Eating walnuts on the nuclear boat

He Lingxiu nodded slightly, seemingly in agreement with what he said, but still muttered, "However, there may be exceptions to everything, just like I know that in Beiming Continent, there is a fish called Kun that flies in the sky"

At the summit of the highest peak in Zhongshenzhou, amidst the desolate and cold void extending three thousand zhang above, there is perpetually a swirling mass of bluish-yellow primordial energy

The expression on Wu Yang's face was somewhat unpleasant, and before he had the chance to speak, He Lingxiu had already smiled and bowed to the people of Qingyang Town, saying: "Greetings, Master Qingyang."

In addition to these bright points of light, this painting also features more points that emit dim gray flames, as well as halos that are constantly entwined with black or hazy gray auras

This at most indicates that my example was inappropriate The real person Wuyang was immediately provoked and felt a surge of anger

The sound of "ka-cha" echoed twice.

Opposite him, a massive black canvas was suspended

Smashing walnuts, what else can be done

He Lingxiu was aware of his thoughts at that moment and instead let out a sneer, "Master, there is no need for us to hide anything from each other. We should speak plainly. Although our Huayang Sect is ranked among the seventy-two orthodox sects of the Little Jade Continent, what status does the Little Jade Continent hold among the various realms? Our Huayang Sect is originally a branch of the Earth Lung Mountain in the Central Divine Continent, and for five hundred years, no one has achieved the Nascent Soul stage. The entire Huayang Sect does not even have a suitable spiritual land for crossing tribulations, and we are still worried that the grand calamity will damage the many formations of our mountain gate. Old Ancestor Tonghui chose such a remote place to secretly cross the tribulation, likely fearing being taken advantage of by others. The sect leader has permitted you to bring me to witness his tribulation, which is certainly a case of keeping the benefits within our own ranks, allowing me to gather as many advantages as possible."

This peculiar golden hue appeared only for a brief moment in the eyes of this cultivator, and did not draw his particular attention

A golden robbery cloud emerged within that point of light

He turned his head to take a look, and his eyes immediately widened, "Lingxiu, what are you doing?"

This old master is Elder Wu of the Huayang Sect, known as the True Man of Huayang. In a radius of three thousand miles, he is considered a formidable figure. Ordinary disciples of the Huayang Sect do not even dare to breathe in his presence. However, at this moment, he is truly at a loss when facing He Lingxiu, saying, "At your age, how can you still be associated with childhood innocence?"

This nuclear vessel has been refined for at least several hundred years, and its entire body is enveloped in a thick, purplish-red patina formed by the infusion of spiritual energy

"Do not!" The old master looked at the girl with increasing speechlessness. "He Lingxiu, oh He Lingxiu, among all the disciples of the Huayang Sect, your talent is the most outstanding in the past five hundred years. If today, the ancestor Tonghui cannot break the Dan to give birth, then the hope of the Huayang Sect achieving the Yuanying stage will rest solely on you. You must take yourself seriously and refrain from such strange behavior for no reason."

Cultivators refer to the continent most suitable for their survival as the Central Divine Continent

This elderly Taoist priest has white hair and beard, a gaunt face, and an ethereal demeanor that exudes the essence of immortality and the elegance of Taoism

The light emanates from the cultivators within these continents

The monks of Xiaoyuzhou also never belittle themselves

"Master, do you think there is a possibility of misjudgment occurring during this calamity?" He Lingxiu suddenly became serious, appearing as if she had completely transformed into a different person

This black temple stands majestically and anciently, filled with an indescribable ethereal charm

Although among the more than seventy vast continents, the level of spiritual energy in Xiaoyu Continent ranks eighth from the bottom, there have been many truly significant figures in the history of cultivation documented within the territory of Xiaoyu Continent

The main characters in this painting are the constantly changing blacks and the occasionally flashing peculiar lights

The round-faced old man looked at Master Wuyang and He Lingxiu with a beaming smile, though his expression was somewhat awkward

It truly appears to be indescribably strange and peculiar

At its center, there is a seat of law formed by a mass of cyan-yellow vitality, upon which sits a cultivator dressed in a black robe

The girl is cracking walnuts

Qingyang Zhenren did not expect He Lingxiu to be so courteous to him. Just as a look of joy appeared on his face, He Lingxiu had already turned to the five true disciples behind him and said: "I do not care how you learned that Ancestor Tonghui is here to undergo tribulation, but if you try to seize anything from me later, regardless of our familiarity, I will not be polite."

These are by no means the main characters in this painting

You ... ... "The real person Wuyang was instantly rendered speechless

Master Wuyang frowned and said, "What are you thinking about this time?"

These respectively signify the Land of Chaos, the Land of Despair, and the Land of the Unknown

The cultivation skills of the Five from Huayang are quite commendable. Hearing her such blatant threat, they merely smiled faintly. The eldest brother among the five, Qi Jianzu, smiled and said: "Junior Sister He, we just happened to encounter the old ancestor coming out of seclusion, which is how we learned..."

There is not a sound in the hall of law, an absolute silence

It is surrounded by many gray and black flames, seemingly on the verge of being completely extinguished in the darkness, yet it remains as bright as ever

What a coincidence, Junior Brother Wuyang is also here

However, these continents scattered across this vast canvas occupy only a small portion of the painting.

What does it mean

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by He Lingxiu. This girl, who could change her expression in the blink of an eye, pointed to the surrounding sky and mocked, "It seems that there are indeed too many passersby; does our sect leader have some peculiar preference for secretly revealing our sect's secrets to others?"

The Real Person Wuyang was slightly taken aback. Following He Lingxiu's gaze, he saw a sudden emergence of a bluish hue in a white cloud to the left front, as if a large jade-green gourd had materialized out of thin air.

A tiny bright light suddenly reflected in the eyes of this cultivator

Under the onslaught of the fierce wind, flying magical artifacts appeared continuously in the surrounding sky, shimmering with brilliant light, with at least several hundred in number. From a distance, it resembled a sea of stars suddenly descending around this desolate mountain.

Behind him stood a graceful young girl dressed in a blue robe, with large eyes, long eyelashes, and a hint of youthful innocence

You ... ...

The girl, seemingly unfazed by the ghostly old Taoist, said, "Smashing walnuts on the boat is quite normal. This is a Lingtai walnut given to me by my third master uncle. Do you want to eat some?"

These are the regions where cultivators are most concentrated and hold control

So you mean a chance encounter while passing by

At this moment, above a desolate mountain in a certain area of Xiaoyuzhou, a nuclear boat approximately one zhang in length quietly hovers amidst a white cloud

The Real Person of Wuyang and the Real Person of Qingyang felt a bit of a tingling sensation on their scalps

The fall of a great master signifies the return of countless essences of heaven and earth to the universe, much like the phenomenon of a whale fall in the ocean, which often brings immense benefits to the cultivators present at that moment

Some practitioners with unique abilities can foresee tribulations in advance; wherever these tribulations occur, they immediately rush there to await the benefits

A total of six people stood on the large gourd, among them was a round-faced old Taoist dressed in a golden robe, while the other five were young men and women slightly older than He Lingxiu

At the center of this vibrant energy, there stands a black temple of magic

Surrounding the Central Divine Continent, there are more than seventy regions with extraordinary spiritual energy in the four cardinal directions of east, south, west, and north

These imply the existence of more planes and laws that are not in contact with this world

However, under normal circumstances, when a Golden Core cultivator secretly undergoes tribulation, it would be quite remarkable if at most a dozen pursuers could arrive by the time the heavenly tribulation truly descends. How could it be possible for so many people to appear in advance?

"I began my practice at the age of five, and in the following ten years, I spent at least eighty percent of my time in training. Excluding that time, I am at most equivalent to the mentality of an eight or nine-year-old. How can that not be considered childlike innocence?" He Lingxiu said while picking at the walnut meat to eat.

He Lingxiu said earnestly: "A cultivator can have many different facets. Master, you may not understand me, perhaps even the laws of heaven do not comprehend?"

He is the Qingyang Zhenren and also an elder of the Huayang Sect. The five young men and women behind him are all his direct disciples

Only those cultivators who can truly settle within this black temple will see that this black temple is constructed from countless tiny black ants

These ants are all different, each with its own unique posture, as if suddenly frozen in time and space. However, the ground they form is even smoother and more level than a mirror, with not a single gap.

Robbers have existed since ancient times

Do not indulge in heretical thoughts! The expression on Master Wuyang's face had turned icy. The seven major realms of cultivation—Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation, Void Return, and Great Ascension—each require one to face a corresponding heavenly tribulation. This is the most fundamental law of the heavenly Dao, with no exceptions. Just as a normal person would not ponder why fish swim in water rather than in the sky, you should not waste your time on such nonsensical musings.

The Yin Lei Umbrella, a legendary spiritual treasure that is said to have fallen into our Huayang Sect, seems to have never been seen by anyone in the Huayang Sect. It turns out that the ancestor Tonghui truly possesses such a spiritual treasure.

The anger in Wu Yang's eyes completely vanished. After listening in silence for a moment, he said: "Since you have thought this through so thoroughly, if the Ancestor Tonghui truly failed in his tribulation, you need not concern yourself with his other possessions, but there is one item, the Yin Lei Umbrella, that you must acquire without fail"

The Real Man Wuyang and others were taken aback. In the blink of an eye, the clouds in the sky were constantly changing, and countless strands of fine lightning appeared in the mirror-like sky. Meanwhile, in the surrounding sky, groups of radiant light accompanied by fluctuating spiritual pressure continuously emerged.

In the black canvas, there are many bright points of light. When his gaze falls upon a particular point of light, it continuously expands within his pupils, evolving into countless mountains and rivers, transforming into vast territories that seem to have no end.

Master Wuyang could not help but shake his head again, and he no longer wished to argue with her

The old man, originally gazing solemnly at the undulating desolate mountains below, had a flicker of movement in his eyes, as if lost in thought. However, suddenly, a crackling sound emerged from behind him.

There are a total of two people on this boat, and at the front of the boat stands an old Taoist priest dressed in a black robe

As she finished speaking, she crushed two walnuts in her hand

Golden calamity clouds continuously appeared in the high sky, and at the center of these golden calamity clouds, a gigantic funnel seemed to emerge in the higher void, constantly drawing in air from all directions. The terrifying suction created countless visible gusts of wind in the sky.

No more talk about that. He Lingxiu waved her hand, as if she had no interest in the topic she had raised. "When the old ancestor Tonghui fails to transcend the tribulation, is he really hoping that I will take the opportunity to collect some thunderbolts, or is it to gather fragments of some unique treasure of his?"

If it were just a matter of smashing walnuts properly, that would be one thing, but this young girl has both arms dangling outside the boat, using her chin to crack the walnuts.

That light spot corresponds to Xiaoyuzhou, located on the black scroll, to the east of Zhongshenzhou, and among all those bright light spots, it is situated at the very edge.

... ...

Although Qingyang Zhenren's cultivation is slightly inferior to that of Wuyang Zhenren, he entered the sect several decades earlier than Wuyang Zhenren. Moreover, the true disciples he has accepted over the years are exceptionally outstanding within the Huayang Sect. If we were to discuss the progress in cultivation, He Lingxiu undoubtedly deserves the title of the foremost in the Huayang Sect. However, before He Lingxiu emerged, the most distinguished practitioners among the Qi Refining stage cultivators of the Huayang Sect were the five true disciples standing behind him at this moment

Before He Lingxiu entered the sect, his five true disciples had already earned the title of the Five Sons of Huayang. Therefore, prior to the time when the real disciple He Lingxiu was established by Master Wuyang, Master Qingyang's status in the Huayang Sect was indeed above that of Master Wuyang

He Lingxiu nodded slightly, a smile that seemed neither here nor there on her face, "However, Master, did you not say that only the two of us came to Huayang Sect?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the remarkably graceful young girl with a snap struck a walnut with her forehead and weakly said, "How can this be considered strange? At most, it can be regarded as innocence."