What is a [Tribulation]?
'That's the light sea's self-immunization mechanism to purge cultivators. However, this mechanism isn't something that becomes easier to sense the more cultivators you kill.'
If it were, wouldn't anyone be able to sense the [Tribulation] just by going on a killing spree?
If that were truly the case, the [Tribulation] wouldn't have remained unattained for so many years, with no one even sensing it. The conditions for this Dao were actually exceedingly harsh.
It didn't target a single cultivator or a single sect.
It targeted the entire population of cultivators.
When cultivators slaughtered each other, how many could they actually kill? Moreover, no matter how many died, it would only be cultivators of the same realm. It wouldn't have the slightest impact on cultivators of higher realms.
'The best way to sense the [Tribulation] is to push the grand momentum. Use a minor event to drive a major event, and then use that major event to drive the death of a higher-realm cultivator. Like dominos falling, a single tug sets the whole mechanism in motion. Only then can it truly be called a [Tribulation]!'
A wave of realization washed over Lu Yang.
'Under a [Tribulation], no matter how monumental your cultivation base is, you cannot escape your fate. The best way to sense this Great Dao is to verify this concept.'
'Therefore, I must kill a Golden Core.'
'Golden Core Perfected Lords sit high above, detached from the mortal dust and manipulating karma. They cannot be shaken by mere providence. That is why [Tribulations] rarely affect Golden Core Perfected Lords.'
Of course, it was only "rarely."
After all, the Thousand-Year Great Tribulation still existed. Golden Core Perfected Lords would fight massive battles, and they would fall like rain. The ones truly sitting securely in the fishing boat were the Nascent Soul Dao Lords.
'But I have no right to mess with the Dao Lords right now.'
'So I have to settle for the next best thing and make a Golden Core Perfected Lord my first target. I'll let a battle at the Foundation Establishment level spill over and affect a Perfected Lord, indirectly causing their fall!'
Doing so would undoubtedly allow him to better sense the [Tribulation].
'In fact, the influence of the inner demons I created has so far been limited to the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining levels. Almost no Golden Core Perfected Lord has birthed an inner demon.'
Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde was an exception.
After all, Patriarch Nether Whisper was too overpowered; one couldn't really blame him.
And even in the case of Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde, the inner demon actually wasn't that strong. After all, Patriarch Nether Whisper had been dealt with by him back then; he was the ultimate victor.
'In the end, it's because there are currently no inner demons at the Perfected Lord level in the world. The [Sea of Bitterness] lacks the corresponding concept, so it naturally cannot affect Perfected Lords. Therefore, if I can help Senior Uncle Chong Guang attain the status of a Perfected Lord through the Inner Demon Dao, I can fill in this missing concept for the [Sea of Bitterness].'
'Thereby drawing a response from the [Tribulation]!'
At this thought, Lu Yang took a deep breath. He then tore open the [Sea of Bitterness] and arrived above the vast ocean where boundless concepts converged in the blink of an eye.
Rumble!
Instantly, he formed a hand seal. The [Divine Firmament Thunder] surfaced at his fingertips, and the newly condensed profound wonder, [Master of Great Tribulations], rapidly spread outwards.
'Modifying a specific concept.'
'The concepts flowing within the [Sea of Bitterness] aren't just objects; they also include events! Time, location, characters... these are all concepts of an event.'
At this moment, Lu Yang was searching for a specific event concept within the [Sea of Bitterness]. This should have been like finding a needle in a haystack, but fortunately, he was very familiar with the people involved.
[Time: Within ten years.]
[Location: Gantang Channel, Jiangnan.]
[Character: Hong Yun.]
..
The Immortal Nexus, Jiangbei, Heaven - Connecting Cloud Sea.
Atop the Sacred Fire Cliff, a Daoist stood with his hands behind his back. He seemed to be the darling of heaven and earth, the focal point of providence. He gazed at the scenery of heaven and earth with a melancholy expression.
'To think I would actually see the day of my return...'
With the emergence of [Sky-shrouding] and the exposure of the Chen Earth reversal, Hong Yun became the only Foundation Establishment cultivator in the entire Immortal Nexus who could seek the [Overturned Lamp Flame] without hindrance.
Consequently, Perfected Lord Qingcheng Feixue abandoned Chong Guang and chose to cooperate with him instead.
Thanks to this, he was finally able to return to the Sacred Fire Cliff after being away for so many years. In the past, he only dared to show his face within the Heaven - Connecting Cloud Sea using an incarnation.
'It's a pity... it's too fast.'
If he could wait another ten years or so, he could fill the void in his destiny and completely restore his cultivation base to Foundation Establishment Perfection. Perhaps then he could seek the Golden Core immediately.
But right now, his cultivation base was only at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. Even the Master of Heaven-Mending Peak dared to bare his fangs at him.
'What should I do?'
Hong Yun pondered inwardly. It wasn't as if he didn't have a method to rapidly restore his cultivation base. After all, he had previously sensed a fragment of his former Grotto-Heaven located in Jiangnan.
'But that Grotto-Heaven fragment is almost certainly a trap, and highly likely one left for me by [Sky-shrouding]. If I rashly try to retrieve it, I'll definitely fall into it. Then it might be another reincarnation for me... Five thousand years! Five whole thousand years, I've been killed like this almost every time I sought the Golden Core!'
At this thought, Hong Yun gritted his teeth furiously.
[Sky-shrouding]! Damn you! I want to kill you a thousand times, and even ten thousand times wouldn't be enough!
However, hatred aside, when he truly recalled [Sky-shrouding]'s methods, Hong Yun couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart. The trauma of being screwed over for five thousand years was simply too immense.
What should he do?
Should he go to this Gantang Channel or not?
If he went and recovered the Grotto-Heaven fragment within, he could instantly restore his cultivation base to Foundation Establishment Perfection, seek the Golden Core, and reclaim his position, preventing any unexpected complications from arising over time.
If he didn't go, he would have to restore his cultivation base step by step. This could take up to ten years. Considering that [Sky-shrouding] would absolutely never allow him to reclaim the [Overturned Lamp Flame], these ten years would inevitably be filled with countless variables. One careless mistake, and he might have to reincarnate and start all over again.
For a time, Hong Yun's heart was filled with hesitation.
'Cultivating bitterly for ten years to slowly recover certainly comes with many variables, but recovering the Grotto-Heaven fragment also carries risks. After all, it might contain a trap left by [Sky-shrouding].'
Both options had pros and cons.
It all depended on which one he chose and how he dealt with it.
As he thought, Hong Yun suddenly fell into a daze. It was unknown how long passed before he jolted back to reality. Then, for no apparent reason, a look of absolute determination surfaced on his face:
'I'm going to Gantang Channel!'
'The risk of ten years of arduous cultivation is still too high. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. It's better to raise my cultivation base first than to remain weak like I am now.'
'Besides, Xue Feihong is on my side now.'
'With her helping me keep watch, even if [Sky-shrouding] really did bury some trick in that Grotto-Heaven fragment, she should be able to sniff it out and resolve it.'
'I'm going all in!'
Of course, just in case, Hong Yun first activated a secret art to calculate the karma and sense the fortune and misfortune of the trip. He then nodded in satisfaction:
'Mm, no anomalies.'
'My destiny is currently at its peak. This trip to Gantang Channelshows an equal mix of fortune and misfortune, perhaps even slightly more fortune. It's within expectations, so there's no need to hesitate!'
Brimming with confidence, Hong Yun left the Sacred Fire Cliff.
…
"Done!"
With a sigh of accomplishment, Lu Yang stood with his hands behind his back. The [Master of Great Tribulations] transformed into intense radiant colors and sank into the [Sea of Bitterness], slowly modifying an event concept.
[Time: Now]
[Location: Gantang Channel, Jiangnan]
[Character: Hong Yun]
[Event: After repeatedly weighing his options, Hong Yun ultimately chose to head to Gantang Channel to refine the Grotto-Heaven fragment and rapidly restore his cultivation to Foundation Establishment Perfection]
—This event had been modified.
In the original sequence of events, Hong Yun's ultimate outcome would have been to give up on refining the Grotto-Heaven fragment. However, Lu Yang used the [Master of Great Tribulations] to alter the course of the event.
'This is the true power of the [Master of Great Tribulations]!'
'Unlike the [Inscribing Heavenly Chapters], the [Master of Great Tribulations] does not establish logical rules. Instead, it directly modifies the underlying parameters. The two merely appear similar on the surface.'
"Their essences are entirely different!"
The most brilliant part was that modifying the course of an event through the [Master of Great Tribulations] did not trigger karma. Not even the spiritual sense of a Perfected Lord would notice anything amiss.
'Just now, using the [Master of Great Tribulations], I initiated a minor tribulation leveraging the conflict between Senior Uncle Chong Guang and Hong Yun.'
'Let alone Hong Yun, even Feixue is completely oblivious to this.'
'This is exactly how a [Tribulation] should be—inescapable. If you could calculate the cause and even find a way to pursue fortune and avoid disaster, how could it still be called a [Tribulation]?'
As this thought crossed his mind, the [Sea of Bitterness] beneath Lu Yang's feet suddenly roared!
Crash!
The boundless waters of concept churned. Faintly, Lu Yang seemed to spot a magnificent Great Dao, similar to the Dharma Body Dao, at the deepest depths of the [Sea of Bitterness].
It was the [Tribulation]!
'I can finally see it, but I still can't touch it... However, as long as I can slay a Perfected Lord with the [Tribulation] this time, I should be able to resonate with it.'
As for who to slay, Lu Yang had already decided long ago.
Perfected Lord Chengtian Zhengde!