The surroundings shone with a faint silver hue, creating a dreamlike feeling, as if this were a completely illusory dream, utterly inaccessible to the real world.
Everything the longsword touched made a crisp sound, the only thing that made Ming Qi feel he was still in the real world. But even so, he couldn't believe that what he saw before him was real.
Time slipped by little by little. Although a day is still very long compared to a moment, it flew by incredibly quickly during the lengthy search and clueless wandering.
The sky was devoid of sunlight, and the surrounding light was unchanging. It was impossible to judge the time based on this. Ming Qi only had a vague sense that time was running out.
But so far, nothing had been found!
The entire space wasn't infinite; several people had searched several times, yet nothing had been found.
Although no one said anything, Ming Qi could tell that everyone was deeply uneasy.
The Celestial Clan had long lifespans, and while Mo Changli and Wei Silong hadn't changed much, Su Yuan and Xiao Qi had already given Ming Qi a sudden sense of altered appearance.
The surroundings remained a pale silver hue, and the same few people remained: Su Yuan, Xiao Qi, Wei Silong, Mo Changli, and the Di Kui Demon Fox.
The difference was that Su Yuan and Xiao Qi had aged instantly, wrinkles now covering their once-beautiful faces. The instantaneous aging of a girl would be almost unbearable for anyone.
A pale golden glow rose from the bodies of Mo Changli and Wei Silong, as if they were burning something to maintain their appearance. Neither of them had given up, searching fiercely for even the slightest glimmer of hope.
Ming Qi, needless to say, looked like a frail old man. While as an innate cultivator, he wouldn't have lost his vitality and exhausted his lifespan at this age, the short lifespan of an innate cultivator of just a few hundred years seemed too much to withstand the strain of this place.
Though his steps remained steady and his grip on his sword remained strong, Ming Qi knew he was aging uncontrollably.
"Don't give up!"
Ming Qi gritted his teeth, his sword probing the surroundings, hoping to find something.
"Am I really going to be trapped here to death? Grandpa, Xiao Qi misses you so much..."
Xiao Qi seemed to have completely lost the strength to hold on, slumped to the side, his eyes lifeless.
In contrast, Su Yuan was much calmer. Although she felt no hope either, she remained remarkably composed, standing quietly, gazing at the magnificent palace in the distance.
Looking at the group, Ming Qi felt an inexplicable pang of pain in his heart. After all, it was he who had made the final decision to come to the Imperial Mountains, and now he had brought everyone into a desperate situation.
"There's still a chance. Don't give up just yet!"
The Di Kui Fox Demon approached Ming Qi and said, "Our Sky Fox clan's sacred relic possesses extraordinary power. Since you possess it, why not try it out now?"
"Sacred relic?"
Though he didn't hold out much hope, Ming Qi still took out the Loulan Ancient Tree.
The Loulan Ancient Tree was exactly as it had been when Ming Qi brought it from Xiao Qi's home, with virtually no changes. The only difference was that there seemed to be more purple beads on the tree. Ming Qi wasn't sure, as he hadn't carefully counted them, and he'd only watered the tree with jade liquid as a side job. He hadn't really taken the time to study the Loulan Ancient Tree.
However, the moment the Loulan Ancient Tree was taken out, it immediately changed!
First, the purple beads!
At a speed visible to the naked eye, the purple beads that had been hanging from the ancient tree's branches slowly blossomed like flower buds. In just a few breaths, the once round, smooth purple beads blossomed into a riot of purple blossoms.
"The sacred tree blossoms, heavenly thunder strikes the body, and the spirit of the heavens is reborn!"
Suddenly, the Di Kui Fox Demon muttered a few words to itself, then suddenly curled up and coiled around the ancient tree, its entire body shrouded in a faint purple glow.
Seeing this scene, several people gathered around curiously.
Not long after, the previously silent sky suddenly flashed with dazzling arcs of electricity!
"It actually triggered heavenly thunder!"
Ming Qi knew that the Di Kui Fox Demon had failed to transcend the tribulation. Last year, in the Valley of Despair, its strength was weakened after the failure, and it had been dormant ever since. If Yan Dongliu and the others hadn't discovered its whereabouts, it would probably remain dormant in the valley until it could transcend the tribulation again.
Now, with the help of the ancient Loulan tree's power, the Dikui Demon Fox had actually transcended the tribulation. It seemed the so-called sacred relic of the Sky Fox Clan was indeed genuine.
More and more arcs of lightning flickered in the sky. Arcs as thick as arms flickered and gathered, and soon, a dark cloud formed above the Dikui Demon Fox's head!
Seeing the heavenly thunder completely ignore the restrictions of this ethereal space, Ming Qi seemed to see a glimmer of hope.
The power of heavenly thunder was immense, beyond the comprehension of mortals. Now, the Dikui Demon Fox was inducing heavenly thunder to transcend the tribulation in this ethereal space. Perhaps it could shatter the entire spatial confinement and the source power within, allowing several people to escape.
However, transcending the tribulation was not so simple. Even with the aid of the ancient Loulan tree, the Dikui Demon Fox's progress was still very slow.
The long wait was the most terrifying thing. Ming Qi could even feel himself rapidly aging.
In the next few hours, a person's life seemed to have slipped away by decades, nearly a century!
Crack!
Finally, the dense, shimmering serpent of lightning finally broke through the air and surged down towards the Dikui Demon Fox.
A demon beast's growth requires countless tribulations of heavenly thunder. The stronger the strength, the greater the tribulations. Currently, the Dikui Demon Fox was only at the first level of tribulation, and the thunder was only as thick as an arm. Even so, Ming Qi and his companions did not dare to underestimate the power of this thunder.
Seeing the thunder strike, they quickly retreated.
Boom!
The moment the thunder struck, the ancient Loulan tree, which had previously only emitted a faint purple glow, suddenly shone brightly. A deafening sound echoed from within, a distant, profound, and powerful voice that shook the heart.
At the same time, Ming Qi was surprised to see a huge shadow appear above the ancient Loulan tree!
It was a dragon!
Although the phantom appeared incredibly quickly, in the blink of an eye, vanishing quickly after neutralizing most of the thunder's power for the Dikui Demon Fox, Ming Qi still caught sight of it in that instant. It was indeed a dragon!
Although Ming Qi had never seen a real dragon in his previous life, he knew a great deal about them. The dragon, appearing on the ancient Loulan tree, was indeed the phantom of a dragon!
How could there be a dragon on the ancient Loulan tree?
Before Ming Qi could even begin to wonder, the sky blazed with dazzling lightning again, and a second bolt of thunder struck down.
The cultivation of demon beasts is particularly difficult, and the number of thunder tribulations they endure is far greater than that of human cultivators, and the power is even greater.
However, in contrast, every demon beast that successfully survives this tribulation is incredibly powerful, bordering on the unfathomable. If the Dikui Demon Fox succeeds, it will ascend to become a celestial spirit beast, possessing the ability to transform into a human form and awakening new innate magical powers.
This was a mysterious space, clearly separated from the outside world by a vast distance. As powerful heavenly thunder pierced through this mysterious space and struck the Dikui Demon Fox, it also repeatedly shook the entire space. Ming Qi could even feel the space trembling slightly.
A demon beast undergoes tribulation, thirty-six heavenly thunders, each more powerful than the last. If it can withstand these thirty-six thunders, it will emerge from its cocoon as a butterfly, its strength skyrocketing.
The Dikui Demon Fox already possesses the strength of a human cultivator at the eighth level of the Innate Realm. If it succeeds in surviving the tribulation, it will enter the seventh level of the Demon Beast Heavenly Spirit Realm, equivalent to the ninth level of the Innate Realm for a human cultivator.
After successfully surviving the tribulation, not only will its lifespan increase, but its Yuan Power will also surge, becoming even more abundant and powerful.
It is certain that if the Dikui Demon Fox successfully survives the tribulation, its strength will reach the point where it can fully rival a human cultivator at the tenth level of the Innate Realm.
The tribulation process was incredibly long, and several people were visibly restless. Time flew by, and they were rapidly aging. Although powerful thunderbolts continuously split the air, they could not shatter this eerie space. The surrounding silver pattern and the towering palace in the distance remained crystal clear.
An hour passed, and the Dikui Fox Demon had already endured thirty-five thunderbolts, with only the last remaining.
Ming Qi narrowed his eyes, waiting for the final thunderbolt to fall.
Crack!
A dazzling arc of lightning leaped across the sky again, followed by an even thicker electric snake that twisted and spun through the air. The next moment, a column of lightning descended, aimed directly at the Dikui Fox Demon, whose entire body was radiating a pale purple glow.
Now, with the protection of the Loulan Sacred Tree, the Dikui Fox Demon had a perfect layer of protection. Whenever the thunderbolts became too strong, the mysterious dragon figure hidden within would appear to deflect most of the force.
Although Ming Qi hadn't yet transcended the tribulation, he was deeply astonished by the Loulan Sacred Tree's efficacy, which was essentially a heaven-defying cheat.
If the Loulan Sacred Tree could also help humans transcend the tribulation, the consequences would be unimaginable.
The final bolt of thunder descended, sending countless rays of light radiating from the plain. A ball of purple light enveloped the Dikui Demon Fox, ultimately wiping it out of sight.
All that could be heard was the crackling of thunder.
After a moment, the pale purple light began to dissipate, and a sharp, piercing roar emanated from within, followed by a series of laughter as clear as silver bells.
It was crisp and melodious, yet also somewhat disturbing.
It was a sound imbued with immense power. If the Dikui Demon Fox had deliberately magnified its power, even an ordinary cultivator would have bled to death instantly.
"Finally, it succeeded! This is simply incredible..."