Chapter 54: Nine Heavens Divine Demon Calamity

A single "wait a moment" could determine life or death!This time, however, it seemed he was the one being judged...As "wait a moment" left Li Changshou's lips, a realization dawned on him.When that oppressive power descended from the heavens, Li Changshou immediately understood.Given the current circumstances...To be fair, he really had to take half the blame for this.The other half of the blame could only be attributed to the Heavenly Dao, who was supposed to be omniscient!

A buzzing sound filled the air. A sudden buzzing sound reverberated through the air, and strange ripples appeared in layers across the sky above. This astonishing pressure enveloped an area of a hundred li, causing all creatures within to tremble uncontrollably, frozen in fear.

Boom!Li Changshou looked up again and saw that an ominous cloud, only tens of zhang in diameter, had appeared in the sky. Two fissures slowly opened in the center of the dark cloud, like two giant eyes slowly opening. The entire cloud then formed the facial outline of an old Daoist, his empty eyes expressionlessly fixed on Li Changshou.

The Heavenly Dao?The Dao Ancestor?

Li Changshou felt instantly exposed, and a strong premonition of danger surged within him. His spiritual sense wasn't merely throbbing; it was screaming wildly like a boiling kettle! Even the immortal light that had been flickering around his upper body was now forced back within him!

What should he do?!In his current state, if he were deemed a deviation or a loophole in the Heavenly Dao, he would certainly be in danger of direct annihilation! Even if he had done nothing, even if he was free of all karma!

Steeling his heart, Li Changshou couldn't worry about such details at this moment. Enduring the pressure, he called out loudly: "This Daoist disciple had no intention of offending the Heavenly might! It was truly due to carelessness and a momentary oversight! Please, Heavenly Dao, grant me a moment!"

What was he even saying? Telling the Heavenly Dao to wait... Good heavens! He was practically inviting the Zixiao Divine Thunder!

Li Changshou quickly unfastened his Daoist robe and removed the short magical garment he wore underneath, which had sixteen cloth pockets sewn into it. He casually stored it in his bracelet. He truly hadn't expected to expose some of his hidden cards under such circumstances. Despite all his preparations for the Heavenly Tribulation, he had never anticipated... that the Heavenly Dao hadn't actually paid that much attention to him.

A cloth rope was wrapped around his left arm near the shoulder, with a piece of shattered jade tied to it. This jade emitted a faint, obscure Dao essence.Unnamed Shattered Jade: When Li Changshou was five, grave robbers came to the grasslands, trading excavated ancient artifacts with his tribe for cattle, sheep, gold, and silver. This piece of shattered jade was considered ordinary, but Li Changshou discovered an ancient character for "fire" on it and managed to get it back with a childish plea. Function: Unknown. However, ten years after joining the sect, Li Changshou secretly placed the jade next to his master. Using the basic divination methods he had learned, he was surprisingly unable to locate his master, whose whereabouts he could usually pinpoint reliably. He deduced that the jade's function was to evade divination searches, and he had carried it with him ever since.Cloth Rope: Originally a blood-stained piece of hemp cloth, it was found in the interlayer of an ancient beast hide scroll. The scroll recorded tales of ancient human sages, suggesting this cloth was a fragment left by a great human figure after being injured. Function: According to the beast hide, humans who wore it could gain the protection of human saints, though this was likely a purely psychological effect.

He quickly pulled off the cloth rope and the unnamed shattered jade, stuffing them into his wrist bracelet. Then, Li Changshou took a dagger from the bracelet and turned to look behind him. The Heavenly might descending from the sky immediately weakened slightly.

Li Changshou felt a surge of joy but quickly steadied himself. He turned to look at the back of his left shoulder, where an ancient talisman, directly etched into his skin like a tattoo, was now flickering with a faint light. Li Changshou slid the dagger across a corner of the talisman, instantly breaking it. Thankfully, the talisman would naturally restore itself once the wound healed.Ancient Witch Clan Secret Talisman: Created by Ancestral Witches for use against the demon clan, it hides from disaster, protects from calamity, and prevents divination. It needed to be etched on beast hide to be effective, but etching it on flesh yielded even better results.

There was another such talisman under his right rib, which Li Changshou also cut himself. Instantly, the Heavenly might descending from the sky weakened by another degree.

But that wasn't all... Li Changshou had caught the keywords: 'prevents divination.' He immediately put away several other items he carried close to his body. For instance, two small ancient coins sealed in his underwear pocket; these were said to be the first version of human currency from ancient times, imbued with a small amount of merit, and possessing the ability to prevent divination and avert calamities. A piece of demon bone tied to his ankle, a colorful fish scale stuck to his thigh... In total, there were seven peculiar items. Li Changshou had tested them using his master as a subject, confirming they could indeed evade divination searches to varying degrees.

These items weren't magical treasures; they were hard to find but not hard to acquire. Speaking of the Primordial World, what leaves a lasting impression, besides various magical treasures, divine abilities, and powerful masters, is undoubtedly the miraculous art of divination. Great masters with profound cultivation and mastery of divination could, with a flick of their fingers and the power of the Heavenly Dao, instantly know everything happening ten thousand li away.

Li Changshou himself was a "small secret," having reincarnated into this Primordial World with memories of his previous life. His defensive awareness in this regard was extremely strong, and through hard work and luck, he had acquired these small trinkets. But he had never imagined... that even the Heavenly Dao had been fooled!

By now, the oppressive power had gradually vanished, and the old Daoist's facial outline on the dark cloud slowly dissipated. However, the dark cloud still hovered above his head. Li Changshou was drenched in cold sweat. If his mental fortitude hadn't been so strong, he would have collapsed onto the sea surface by now. He had acquired these items purely to prevent others from divining his whereabouts, not to guard against the Heavenly Dao.

"When one's cultivation level is too low, any deliberate disguise will instead attract the attention of powerful figures, leading to trouble." He had long understood this principle, always using ordinariness as his disguise within the sect. How could he intentionally provoke the Heavenly Dao?

Perhaps... Possibly... Or perhaps, the Heavenly Dao has different operating modes? Standby, energy-saving, full operation, high-performance? (Ahem, just kidding.)

The Heavenly Dao monitors the functioning of all things in heaven and earth but doesn't pay excessive attention to every single being, especially those who haven't yet become immortals or possess significant destructive power. The eight thunder tribulations Li Changshou had previously undergone were merely sent down by the Heavenly Dao based on his aptitude, akin to a pre-set program. Only when a problem arose on his side after the tribulation did it attract the Heavenly Dao's attention. Normally, for cultivators like Li Changshou, whose accumulation far exceeded their "aptitude expectation," the Heavenly Dao would naturally adjust the intensity of the tribulation, providing sufficient tempering. If a cultivator couldn't withstand it, they would simply perish. But who knew Li Changshou carried so many strange "anti-divination" items that even the Heavenly Dao in "energy-saving mode" overlooked them... When the Heavenly Dao took a serious look, he, a mere "half-immortal," naturally had no secrets whatsoever. The oppressive power that had just descended wasn't probing; it was a warning. A genuine Zixiao Divine Thunder warning.

*Good, perhaps my earlier politeness helped,* he thought.

Li Changshou adjusted his breathing, quickly donned his short shirt and Daoist robe, and pondered what words of gratitude he should offer to the Heavenly Dao. Suddenly, a muffled thunder exploded in the sky, and the wind and clouds changed color for a thousand li around! Li Changshou immediately clasped his hands before him and performed a deep Daoist bow. He then shouted loudly: "This Daoist disciple now addresses the Heavens! The anomaly during this tribulation was not intentionally calculated by this disciple! It was merely a means to avoid human disasters and calamities! The Dao foundation I have obtained today is truly due to my adherence to Daoist scriptures, following the teachings of the Daoist ancestors, and my diligent cultivation day and night! I earnestly beg the Heavens, considering the difficulty of my cultivation, to send down another thunder tribulation! And I also ask the Heavens to permit me to change the tribulation location, so as to avoid an untimely demise!"

As his voice fell, the dark cloud in the sky slowly began to expand. Strong gusts of wind blew from all directions, and gray clouds emerged on the sea surface within hundreds of li, converging towards Li Changshou's head! Li Changshou immediately understood and turned to rush towards the sea. Previously, to prevent interference before his tribulation, he had specifically scouted several tribulation locations and set up formations on the seabed to accelerate his water escape. Who could have foreseen that his need to go to the second tribulation location wasn't due to human interference, but rather... to undergo a second Heavenly Tribulation! An immortal ascension tribulation, twice? He had never even heard of such a thing... Indeed, it wasn't excessive for him to have prepared so many contingencies for the Heavenly Tribulation!

This time, the tribulation clouds covered a hundred li of the sea surface, and their thickness was ten times what it had been before. Li Changshou swiftly moved through the water. Above him, the vast tribulation clouds floated eastward at the same speed. Above the tribulation clouds, a majestic heavenly palace had formed. Countless gray figures stood before and behind the palace, and within it, a majestic emperor sat. All these figures were condensed from the tribulation clouds; no faces could be clearly seen. Below the heavenly palace, two gigantic dragon and phoenix sculptures appeared. The dragon bared its fangs and claws, and the phoenix spread its wings and cried out, as if ready to come alive and fight each other at any moment. Below the dragon and phoenix were groups of ferocious beasts and sturdy human figures, seemingly depicting a great battle between powerful demons and witch gods! At the very bottom, silver-white and purplish lightning marks appeared throughout the tribulation clouds, quickly converging to form a lightning pool ten zhang square! The lightning within the pool was like liquid, slowly filling it.

Li Changshou's second tribulation location was three hundred li away. Along the way, several pre-arranged formations continuously accelerated him as he moved through the water. He had barely reached the second small island when a roaring sound thundered from the sky. Without much thought, Li Changshou grabbed a treasure pouch and swung it forcefully, tossing six folding "Old Master" birdcages in various directions. This time, he didn't even have time to open them. Before the treasure pouch even landed, Li Changshou's left hand gripped a carving knife, his right hand held a wooden sword, and talismans flew from his sleeves! With a sudden premonition, just as he looked up, Li Changshou stumbled. What was this?

In the sky, the lightning pool slowly tilted, and a "lightning waterfall" crashed down, striking him head-on. Countless bolts of lightning instantly illuminated the dim world! Li Changshou's left hand swiftly moved the carving knife, carving ancient characters in the air. His entire body surged with spiritual power, his upper body again shone with seven-colored immortal light, and he unleashed his immortal aura to cover himself!

Boom!Li Changshou was engulfed by the lightning waterfall; the ancient characters shattered almost instantly, and his slender figure was pressed onto the already melted ground. A moment later, the lightning dissipated. Li Changshou leaped out of the square pit on the ground, his Daoist robe in tatters. His aura fluctuated wildly, difficult to stabilize, and he couldn't help but lower his head and spit out a mouthful of blood.

*Is this my true Heavenly Tribulation? It's… quite something.*

He immediately wielded his carving knife, carving ancient characters around him. These characters formed a text on cultivation, written by Shennong, an ancient human sage. These ancient characters seemed to form a natural array, arranging themselves around him according to the original text's layout, then slowly rising above Li Changshou's head. At the same time, a ball of Samadhi True Fire emerged around Li Changshou, enveloping him. All around him, nine-petaled lotus flowers, each the size of a washbasin, slowly drifted open. This was the phenomenon that appeared when he fully activated his spiritual power!

Come on, Heavenly Tribulation!

Li Changshou looked up, his long hair and Daoist robe fluttering in unison. The lightning pool above tilted again, and another lightning waterfall crashed down! But this time, Li Changshou bent his legs and shot skyward. With divine light surging in his eyes, he actively charged towards the lightning waterfall!

The Nine Thunder Heavenly Tribulation!*I've been waiting for you for far too long.*

...

"Master, why aren't we moving again?"Above the South Sea, a white cloud hovered, and the young girl, being pulled by the old Daoist, quietly asked. The old Daoist gazed at Li Changshou's second tribulation location and couldn't help but gasp. "Wha—what kind of Heavenly Tribulation is this? Above, a heavenly palace; in the middle, dragons and phoenixes; below, it resembles gods and demons. Could it be the Nine Heavens God-Demon Tribulation, ranked second!"

But then, the old Daoist sighed, shaking his head. "What's wrong with the South Sea today? Are cultivation prodigies scheduling their tribulations together? Alas, another young one is about to perish under the Heavenly Tribulation. Let's go, there's no point in watching this."

The young girl quietly asked, "Master, can't one pass this kind of Heavenly Tribulation?"

The old Daoist asked, "During that eight-bolt thunder tribulation just now, did you feel any spiritual energy surging towards the tribulation location?" The young girl immediately shook her head. "Exactly," the old Daoist said. "An eight-bolt thunder tribulation is incredibly difficult to pass, let alone a thirty-two fierce tribulation. The previous tribulation taker already perished, and now another one has come." The old Daoist smiled wryly, "Having too good an aptitude invites the envy of the heavens. There are already far too many masters in the Primordial World; if they aren't suppressed by Heavenly Tribulations, a great calamity might arrive in the blink of an eye. Let's go, no need to witness someone else's misfortune."

After the old Daoist finished speaking, the white cloud continued to fly south, but the young girl curiously took another look at the sea surface a thousand li away. That enormous tribulation cloud was almost pressing down on the sea surface.