"You've asked the right person, Fellow Daoist!"
Listening to Daoist Lan's complaints, Daoist Chen Shan smiled faintly. "I have a good friend holding a position in the Heavenly Court. Word on the street over there has been circulating recently."
"It's said that Immortal Lord Du Ye, Master of Tribulations, is about to officially open his sect, named the [Righteous Dao]. Any disciple who joins the Righteous Dao will receive a talisman bestowed by the Immortal Lord. These talismans are divided into four grades: Averting Disasters, Dispelling Misfortune, Eliminating Karma, and Surviving Tribulations. The higher the grade, the weaker the power of the lightning tribulation one faces."
"Not only that, even though the power of the lightning tribulation is reduced, the benefits remain exactly the same!"
"Take you, for example, Fellow Daoist. Although surviving your tribulation this time was arduous and cost you quite a few resources, your spiritual power cultivation post-tribulation is several times higher than before."
"This goes to show that lightning tribulations aren't entirely without merit. As long as you have the capability and the skill, a lightning tribulation will only be a massive stroke of fortune for you, not a death warrant."
"Is that truly the case?"
Hearing this, joy instantly surfaced on Daoist Lan's face. Although he verbally complained about the lightning tribulation, it was primarily because he considered his aptitude mediocre and worried he wouldn't survive it.
However, he was certainly envious of the benefits of surviving a lightning tribulation.
If nothing else, among the Ghost Immortals of the Mystic Spirit World Realm, someone like him who had survived a lightning tribulation would have no trouble fighting three Ghost Immortals who hadn't!
But he quickly shook his head and offered a bitter smile.
"While the lightning tribulation is good, that Inner Demon Tribulation is even more terrifying. Not only does it strike when you are most vulnerable, but it even seems to possess sentience. If you fail to survive it, you will still perish and your Dao will vanish."
"You are absolutely right, Fellow Daoist!"
Daoist Chen Shan laughed out loud. "But if you can think of that, do you really think the esteemed Immortal Lord wouldn't have thought of it? Have you not heard of the [Arctic Exorcism Court]?"
Daoist Lan blinked. "What sect is that?"
Daoist Chen Shan explained, "It was also established by the esteemed Immortal Lord. It sits above the Righteous Dao, much like the difference between the outer sect and true disciples within our own sects."
"It's said that as long as a disciple enters the [Arctic Exorcism Court], they can receive lightning arts for protection. These arts possess an extraordinary, miraculous effect when it comes to annihilating inner demons. Furthermore, the [Arctic Exorcism Court] oversees all matters regarding lightning tribulations. If you manage to get in, who knows, maybe you'll be the one sending down tribulations upon others in the future!"
Upon hearing this, Daoist Lan was instantly stunned.
Truthfully, when he was being struck by the lightning tribulation, he wanted nothing more than to point at the sky and curse, blaming heaven and everyone else. But if he were the one striking others... that would be a completely different story!
It would definitely feel amazing!
Not to mention that joining the [Arctic Exorcism Court] could also deal with inner demons. Thinking of this, Daoist Lan hurriedly asked, "Then how does one join?"
"Go to the Heavenly Court!"
Daoist Chen Shan pointed upwards, then stealthily pulled out a jade tablet and handed it to Daoist Lan. "There is a recruitment office for the Righteous Dao right outside the East Heaven Gate."
"I have connections there. Take my seal, Fellow Daoist, and have the people at the recruitment office register you. I guarantee you'll successfully join the Righteous Dao. However, whether or not you can enter the [Arctic Exorcism Court] will depend entirely on your own aptitude and comprehension. I can't help you with that part."
"Understood, understood!"
Daoist Lan nodded frantically, expressing his profound gratitude to Daoist Chen Shan over and over. After all, just joining the Righteous Dao could reduce the damage of lightning tribulations. He wouldn't be losing out either way.
What's more, this was the Dao lineage of an Immortal Lord!
And it was Immortal Lord Du Ye, Master of Tribulations, no less! The status of this mighty figure in the Mystic Spirit World Realm had already surpassed that of the current Supreme, Immortal Lord Supreme True Overseer of the Profound.
The very Starfall Sea where he currently stood was named because of him.
Ten years ago, the Mystic Spirit World Realm was still a picture of peace. Under the governance of the Heavenly Court, the ninety-nine provinces lived in peace and worked happily. Then, an otherworldly fiend suddenly shattered the boundary and descended upon the Desolate Province.
The Immortal Lord fought a great battle against him.
In the end, the Immortal Lord commanded the thunder, shattering the Desolate Province with a single strike. Seawater poured in; the former landmass was transformed into a vast ocean, and its fragments became countless islands.
Ever since then, because it had been the site of a battle between Immortals, spiritual qi flourished. The formerly desolate land unexpectedly transformed into a rare gathering place of spiritual essence in the world. As a result, a massive influx of cultivators chose to relocate here. And because the islands scattered across the sea were as numerous as stars on a chessboard, countless beyond measure, it was named the Starfall Sea.
"Go quickly!"
Daoist Chen Shan whispered, "You know the origins of the Starfall Sea. This is also the Immortal Lord taking care of us cultivators. You must not let the Immortal Lord's good intentions go to waste."
Daoist Lan nodded repeatedly. "Indeed! Absolutely!"
Following that, he summoned a streak of cloud light and, not daring to delay, flew straight toward the Heavenly Court. Meanwhile, Daoist Chen Shan watched his receding figure.
A moment later, Daoist Chen Shan flashed a toothy grin.
"Another one... Excellent. Time to find the next target. As long as I can pull in enough headcounts this time, I can enter the [Arctic Exorcism Court]!"
With this thought, Daoist Chen Shan was brimming with motivation.
Soon, he located another island where someone had just finished surviving a tribulation. He immediately went over, calling out loudly, "Ah! Another Fellow Daoist has survived..."
Similar scenes were playing out across all ninety-nine provinces of the Mystic Spirit World Realm. With the full cooperation of the Heavenly Court, the number of Righteous Dao disciples began to skyrocket immediately.
And it wasn't even limited to the Mystic Spirit World Realm.
At this very moment, within the boundaries of the Immortal Nexus, Lu Yang's figure manifested. Three feet above his head, the [Divine Firmament Thunder] pulsed with brilliant light, instantly gathering a swath of radiant colors.
"Go!"
With a finalized hand seal, the radiant colors instantly fractured, transforming into countless shooting stars that plummeted into the lands of the Immortal Nexus. The scale was so massive that it practically encompassed all five great regions.
Aside from the mountain gates of the four major factions, which remained untouched, streams of light rained down upon all the other sects, big and small. For a time, almost anywhere in the Immortal Nexus, as long as one looked up, they could see tens of thousands of streams of light falling like a magnificent, dazzling shower of meteors. Behind every single stream of light was a nameless Dharma incantation.
"Today, this seat establishes the Righteous Dao and founds the [Arctic Exorcism Court], officially opening the mountain gates!"
"Regardless of the distinction between immortal and mortal, regardless of the level of your cultivation base."
"As long as you hold my Dharma incantation and are willing to call out my name, you may all join my Righteous Dao. I shall personally impart divine abilities, secret methods, and the arts to annihilate inner demons."
"Oh right, no one from the Pure Land is accepted."
This could truly be called a single stone stirring up a thousand ripples.
Aside from the Buddhist cultivators of the Pure Land, who watched with cold indifference, the hearts of the cultivators in all the other sects, big and small, wavered. Even among the disciples of the Saint Sect, there were subtle shifts.
After all, the disciples of the Sword Pavilion mostly passed down their legacies through generations and were very stable. The Dao Court was primarily structured around official ranks, so no chaos would erupt there anytime soon.
But the Saint Sect... everyone knew how things worked there.
The mere distinction of sect boundaries could not stop the Saint Sect disciples' heart for the Dao. Foundation Establishment Perfected Ones were one thing, but it was hard to say what the Qi Refining disciples below Foundation Establishment would do.
Connecting-Heaven Cloud Sea, Feixue's bedchambers.
Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue stood with her hands behind her back, looking beyond the firmament at Lu Yang's towering Dharma Body above the Mystic Spirit World Realm. She chuckled lightly. "He really did come to poach our foundations."
Behind her, a Daoist with an ordinary appearance—save for an intense sharpness between his eyebrows that seemed to pierce the sky—spoke in a low voice. "Should we forbid this path?"
"...No need."
Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue's tone was calm. She spoke faintly, "Since some paths are blocked, simply switching to a new one isn't necessarily a bad thing."
"I have no objections to it."
Upon hearing this, Chong Guang instantly understood. He took a step back and offered a deep bow. "...Thank you, Perfected Lord. This disciple will take his leave."
"Go."
Chong Guang turned around, not looking at Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue again. He traveled all the way to his cave abode on the Sacred Fire Cliff, then pulled a stream of light from his sleeve.
It was exactly one of the tens of thousands of streams of light Lu Yang had distributed!
"The [Overturned Lamp Flame] is controlled by [Sky-shrouding], and the Yin and Yang of the Chen Earth have been reversed. My path is severed... I wonder if Immortal Lord Du Ye, Master of Tribulations, can help me resume my pursuit of the Dao."
At this thought, Chong Guang hesitated no longer.
With a turn of his hand seal, the stream of light in his hand instantly burst open, enveloping his entire body. It tore open the [Sea of Bitterness] and vanished into it with him in the blink of an eye.