Chapter Seventy: The Black Steed Faces the Heavenly Tribulation

In the darkness, a cluster of purplish-red shadows shot out from the Yinblood Ginseng and entered the glazed Buddhist beads. With a crystal-clear flash, they returned to their original state.
"You all carry on. I'll get used to this new home first. Heh heh." After Li Chi spoke, he fell silent. The roots that had bound Black Steed dropped naturally, and the Yinblood Ginseng lost its luster, standing quietly in the deep cave.
It felt like a dream. Lin Feng looked around the underground cave, his face alight with joy and surprise. The value of this Yinblood Ginseng far surpassed a Foundation Pill—indeed, its worth was much greater.
"Black Steed, eat it. Just leave me some roots." Lin Feng spoke calmly.
"Big brother..." Black Steed jumped aside and gazed at him with silent eyes.
Lin Feng smiled, "Hurry up, don't dawdle. I'm going to check on Red Wind."
Black Steed's wolfish mouth moved, watching Lin Feng's retreating figure for a long time before turning and pouncing on the Yinblood Ginseng, chewing voraciously.
Red Wind Horse stood at one corner of the cave, munching the scattered roots without invitation.
"You really know how to take advantage, huh? Eat, eat your fill and you'll run faster," Lin Feng laughed, stroking the horse's back, inhaled deeply, and found a clean spot to sit and organize his thoughts.
"Along the way, I must pass through South Gate Pass and Tiger Guard Pass. These two are not as easy as Rongshan Town. There's still some time before the beginning of autumn. With Red Wind, detouring outside the Wild Mountain Pass for several thousand miles is only a matter of ten days or so. I wonder how Pine Seedling is doing with his cultivation; the martial contest comes every three years, and the quota for entering the Inner Sect is limited..."
"Now, I have Da Luo Blade Fist, Tyrant Force, the Fire Departure Technique, Earth Spike Art, plus spear techniques, footwork, and the Puppet Bronze Man. I have absolute confidence against Nangong Ke. This time, the title of top Outer Sect disciple will return to my name!"
He pondered silently, his face radiant, slowly closed his eyes, and circulated his inner spiritual power, forging and consolidating it.
Meanwhile, Black Steed and Red Wind Horse feasted, even though the Yinblood Ginseng tasted woody and was hard to swallow. The two creatures ate with relish.
Just as Lin Feng awoke from meditation, he heard Li Chi wailing, "Why do you have so much junk on you? Being with you is such an embarrassment to me!"
"Junk? Which is junk?" Lin Feng couldn't help laughing. He only had a few items, hard-earned, yet Li Chi called them junk. He wondered what Li Chi considered precious.
"All of it! Maybe there's something useful in that golden leaf, but toss the rest," Li Chi replied carelessly.
"Why toss them? Hmm? Golden leaf? Did you just say there's something in the golden leaf?" Lin Feng hurriedly pulled out the relics left by Yin Chaozong. The golden leaf shone in the darkness, showing no sign of anything unusual.
Li Chi's tone grew more disdainful, "Just a tiny mustard seed storage pouch. Once you reach Foundation stage, you can use it."
"So there's a hidden world inside, wonderful! Yin Chaozong's fortune is all in there. I'll have to study it carefully when I have the chance."
Delighted, Lin Feng stowed the golden leaf and casually examined Cai Yi's jade hairpin and Uncle Liang's gifted stone tiger.
"Hmm? This junk is a bit different... Who gave it to you?" Li Chi's voice came once more.
"How is it different?" Lin Feng countered.
Li Chi was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Heh heh, you don't say, I won't say either. Can't go on, I'm tired, need to rest."
"Old ghost!" Lin Feng cursed inwardly. "Who beat you into this state? Which sect did you study under? Heaven of Ten Thousand Demons?"
But Li Chi seemed to have truly fallen into slumber, and made no further sound.

Black and white alternated; in the blink of an eye, two days passed in the cave. Most of the Yinblood Ginseng had been devoured by Black Steed, and the roots by the thousand-mile horse. Lin Feng began to consider how to leave the cave.
He tore up clothes from his bundle, knotted them into a long rope, tied it to a Splitting Arrow, and fastened the end around his waist, intending to use this crude method to shoot himself out.
"Heh heh, that's hilarious! Idiot! If you leave like this, what about the horses? Truly the dumbest of the dumb," Li Chi suddenly spoke up.
"Then what do you suggest? This cave is a hundred fathoms deep. Are you a rat, digging it so?" Lin Feng rolled his eyes and mocked.
Li Chi scoffed, "Just use a tunneling technique to get out. Such a simple spell and you need me to teach you?"
"If I knew Wind Tunneling, I'd have left long ago."
"Ugh, how unlucky to meet a fool who can't even use Wind Tunneling... Wait, let me recall the incantation. It's been ages since I used it... Hmm, seems like this..." Li Chi muttered for a long time until he finally remembered the spell and passed it to Lin Feng.
"Hmm? Why does this Wind Tunneling differ so much from the Wind Control Method?" Lin Feng pondered, though puzzled, but still gathered his spiritual power, stomped his feet, and shouted "Tunnel!"
Boom! He shot up like an arrow, piercing the darkness, tracing an arc high in the air, and finally landed on the Wildwood Plain after a long time.
"Wow wow! You liar! Li Chi, come out!" Lin Feng, limping and rubbing his bruised head, clutched the string of Buddhist beads, wishing he could crush them.
"Heh heh, I never promised it would be foolproof. Different times, different results. You mishandled it, so who is to blame?"
"You..." Lin Feng was choked with anger. Upon reflection, Li Chi had a point; he had expended a lot of spiritual power. If he had managed it well, a single step could have brought him out of the cave.
Li Chi fell silent once more. Lin Feng spat bitterly and began to cautiously practice Wind Tunneling...
"Always be careful—one Wind Tunnel nearly cost me my life." After extracting Black Steed and Red Wind Horse from the cave, Lin Feng collapsed in exhaustion. The three creatures, all with swollen heads, stared at each other with plaintive eyes.
After resting an hour, Lin Feng mounted his steed and sped toward the ancient road to South Gate Pass. He traveled by day, rested and cultivated by night, maintaining a strict schedule. In a few days, after bypassing South Gate Pass, the remaining Yinblood Ginseng had been completely consumed by Black Steed and Red Wind.
Endless mountain passes—circumventing them was no easy task. Fortunately, with Wind Tunneling, they slipped past two gates undetected, heading straight into the Qiyun Mountains!
One afternoon, Red Wind Horse sheltered beneath trees from the scorching sun while Lin Feng rested with closed eyes. Black Steed also took the opportunity to refine the spiritual ginseng within.
Boom! The sun-soaked sky suddenly turned dark, clouds billowed, and gusts of wind rocked the trees, scattering leaves that lashed against them.
"Hmm? Summer afternoons often bring thunderstorms, but this one came fast," Lin Feng mused, seeing the sky churn with dark clouds.
Lightning split the sky—innumerable golden bolts blasted through the clouds, thick electric serpents darting everywhere. The black clouds were torn apart, swirling into a giant vortex that absorbed the electric snakes and rolled swiftly toward the forest.
"Not good! Run, Black Steed!" Lin Feng knew that if the lightning struck the woods, they would be engulfed in flames and unable to escape, likely reduced to charred remains by the golden thunder.
"Big brother, you must go. Don't worry about me—this is my tribulation!" Black Steed suddenly reared up, staring intently at the pale gold clouds above. His fur bristled, eyes burning with unprecedented intensity, a powerful aura surging forth.
"What!" Lin Feng's heart leapt to his throat. Seeing the massive golden vortex approaching, he gritted his teeth, whipped Red Wind Horse, and fled the woods.
At this moment, no one could help Black Steed. Surviving the tribulation and transforming was up to him alone.

"Heh heh, didn't I say? Eating the Yinblood Ginseng lets you ascend at least one realm. This time, you learned to stay out of trouble," Li Chi appeared again, offering timely commentary.
"Save your sarcasm. Tell me, will he survive the thunder tribulation?" Lin Feng asked.
"Hard to say. Defying fate to change form, the heavenly punishment is enormous. It all depends on his destiny. Neither of us can help."
Just then, the tribulation clouds pressed down. Many trees were ignited by the scorching energy, and the electric serpents grew thicker and thicker, the golden clouds contracting, moving inexorably toward Black Steed's head.
Boom! With a deafening roar, a golden dragon-shaped bolt crashed down from the contracting tribulation clouds, carrying the power to rend heaven and earth, charging straight at the howling Moon Wolf, intent on annihilating it at the outset!
"Roar!" Black Steed threw back his head and blasted a bloody ray from his mouth, clashing with the lightning. Crack! The two beams exploded in midair, showering colorful light and igniting the surrounding trees.
"Success!" Lin Feng, watching from afar, nearly leapt from the saddle with joy.
"Only the first thunder tribulation. The Moon Wolf must endure a second," Li Chi remarked coldly.
"What? It's not over!"
"Keep watching. Whether he survives depends on this step."
In the sky, the tribulation clouds, like a warrior who had just thrown a punch, absorbed more clouds and winds. Thicker golden electric serpents crackled, gathering strength.
In the wildfire, Black Steed stood firm, panting heavily. He had fused the refined Yinblood Ginseng and much of his spiritual power for that last attack, exhausting himself.
Boom! Without respite, the golden lightning crashed down, illuminating a hundred miles, annihilating everything with earth-shattering force!
"Awoo—" Black Steed howled in agony. His lustrous fur, shining like a flying sword, fell away in an instant, turning into countless black rays that collided with the golden thunder. Yet this could not stop the relentless heavenly tribulation; the golden brilliance poured down like a waterfall!
"Black Steed!" Lin Feng cried out in pain as the wolf was engulfed by lightning.
"Awoo—" When the dazzling thunder faded, Black Steed struggled to rise, his skin bloody and scorched, the loss of fur leaving him in a pitiful state.
Yet the clawing golden thunderclouds showed no sign of dispersing, gathering strength once more—this time, even more terrifying than before!
From the horizon, more dark clouds converged, an apocalyptic scene sweeping toward the land, dragon-thick golden lightning roaring and writhing, flaunting its power! The fiercely contracting tribulation clouds turned entirely gold, fire and thunder exploding in waves.
"Why! Why is this happening?" Lin Feng's anger flared. Two tribulations had passed already—why did it never end?
"If heaven wishes to destroy him, how can it care for human feelings... ah!" Li Chi sighed heavily.