“Master, why hasn’t your tribulation ended yet?”

Staring at the swirling black-and-white tribulation cloud, Yan couldn’t hold back his question.

“My tribulation isn’t quite the same as others,” Lu Qing replied casually.

The wounds on his body were still healing at an astonishing speed.

Ever since he had cultivated the Heavenly Witch Body, his vitality had reached a level beyond reason.

Even if his head was shattered, as long as his life force was not extinguished, he could recover swiftly.

The final strike of the five-colored tribulation cloud had been terrifying indeed.

Even his body had nearly been torn apart, and his vitality was reduced by nearly thirty percent in an instant.

Yet it was that very bolt of lightning that pushed his body into the realm of “destruction and rebirth.” After reconstituting, his vitality became even more vigorous.

Not only had his body grown stronger, but more importantly, it was as though a hidden shackle had fallen away.

The invisible rules that had been suppressing him, preventing his body from advancing further, had been shattered.

Lu Qing understood. His body had passed the tribulation and stepped into an entirely new realm.

By the path of the witches, this was the True Witch Realm—the equivalent of the Nascent Soul Realm of the Daoist lineage.

But this was only a breakthrough of the flesh.

Next, he still had to endure the tribulation of law and the tribulation of soul. Only when his body, Golden Core of Spiritual Power, and divine soul all stepped into the Nascent Soul Realm would he truly succeed.

“Next comes the Law Tribulation.”

He gazed solemnly at the new black-and-white tribulation cloud forming within the whirlpool above.

The five-colored cloud had conjured lightning of all Five Elements, aiming to utterly destroy his flesh.

Now he wondered how the Law Tribulation would target his Golden Core.

As the thought crossed his mind, the black-and-white cloud condensed its first strike.

With a thunderclap that shook heaven and earth, a bolt of intertwined black-and-white lightning fell.

In an instant, it bypassed Lu Qing’s flesh entirely, as though piercing through space, and appeared within his dantian, striking directly at his Golden Core!

Boom!

The lightning struck his flawless Golden Core. Waves of black-and-white light filled his Qi Sea, intent on obliterating it.

Caught off guard, Lu Qing’s body shuddered and he let out a muffled grunt.

But he quickly stabilized himself. His Golden Core pulsed once, and the entire Qi Sea was anchored. No matter how the lightning raged, it could not destroy it.

“So this is the Law Tribulation—it ignores my flesh, appearing straight in my Qi Sea to target the Golden Core.”

Under the reflection of his spiritual sense, every change in his Qi Sea was clear.

At last, he grasped the essence of this second trial.

“But this level of power still can’t shake my Qi Sea.”

Had it been another Golden Core cultivator, their Qi Sea would already have collapsed into nothingness.

But Lu Qing’s Qi Sea was suppressed by his Life-bound Artifact, the Five Elements Gourd. More than that, he had cultivated the Perfect Golden Core, reaching the twelfth transformation, the pinnacle of perfection.

That flawless Golden Core blazed like a great sun, hanging in the center of his Qi Sea, suppressing all.

The lightning was fierce, but under its radiance, the storm gradually dissolved into black and white yin-yang energy, seeping into the Qi Sea.

Lu Qing sensed the subtle shift immediately.

With the fusion of the yin-yang energy, the space of the Qi Sea—which had long reached its limit—now stirred faintly, showing signs of expansion.

“So that’s it. The lightning both destroys and refines.

Fail, and your Core shatters and your Qi Sea is gone.

Endure, and the lightning transforms into Yin-Yang Energy, nourishing the Core, strengthening the foundation, guiding transformation.”

His understanding deepened, and his heart settled.

With the Five Elements Gourd and the Perfect Golden Core, he was confident in surviving.

And indeed, the black-and-white cloud kept striking.

Each bolt stronger than the last.

By the fourth, cracks appeared in his Qi Sea.

By the seventh, it was splitting apart.

At the eighth strike, his Qi Sea exploded into emptiness.

Only the Five Elements Gourd and his Golden Core remained, both covered in cracks.

He frowned. “There’s still one final strike. Even if the Golden Core survives, the Gourd may not.”

The Five Elements Gourd was his Life-bound Artifact, tied to his very soul. Losing it was unthinkable.

“Then I’ll use it.”

With a thought, a gray pearl appeared—his Chaos Pearl. It fused into the Gourd in a streak of light.

The gourd trembled, cracks sealing as its aura surged.

The Chaos Pearl was born of a collapsing secret realm, condensed of space and primal chaos. It could elevate artifacts to a higher grade.

Now, as the ninth bolt brewed, the Gourd was evolving.

“Even nine bolts?”

Outside the valley, the Nascent Soul experts of both races were speechless.

This tribulation was beyond comprehension.

Why was it so strong? Why were there two clouds? Why had Lu Qing not been destroyed already?

No one could answer.

At last, the ninth strike fell.

Unlike the five-colored lightning of pure destruction, this one carried a terrifying, strange pressure.

On the valley’s peak, Lu Qing sat cross-legged, all focus turned inward.

Within his Qi Sea, the lightning became a massive grinding mill, pressing down on his Golden Core and the Gourd.

Cracks spread. Even the Perfect Golden Core was faltering.

Yet Lu Qing’s heart was clear. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

“Destruction to create. Just like my body before—shattered, then reborn stronger.

So too must the Core be shattered, to give birth to the Nascent Soul!”

He seized the insight. With no hesitation, he invoked the great formation beneath him.

The power of heaven and earth surged, shielding his body and his inner void.

Resolute, he spoke a single word:

“Explode.”

Boom!

The Perfect Golden Core detonated, blasting the lightning mill to pieces.

The Five Elements Gourd shattered as well.

Even with his control, the backlash left him gravely injured, his flesh cracked and fragile.

But his gaze shone bright. He had grasped the hidden thread of fate.

“Gather.”

At his command, within the void where his Qi Sea had been, a point of light appeared.

It devoured all remnants of the lightning, swelling rapidly.

Soon, a new Qi Sea took form, vaster and tougher than before.

And at its center sat a tiny figure—his Nascent Soul, identical to him, seated in meditation.

In its hands rested a gourd.

Its body was black and white like yin-yang fish, but within its eyes glimmered five-colored light.

It was none other than the reborn Five Elements Gourd.

I hope you enjoyed this breakthrough chapter as much as I did. If you’re liking the story, please drop a rating on NovelUpdates—it really helps more readers discover this gem!

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