Chapter Sixty-Two: Crossing Tribulation, Surging Toward Violet

When Zhou Yi cried out, Baozi and Mu Chen immediately awakened from their meditative state. Seeing Zhou Yi’s current condition, they were at a loss, never having witnessed such a tribulation before.

As the two stood bewildered, Zhou Yi suddenly opened his eyes wide, leaped from the ground, and shot out through a karst cave. This cave led directly to the outside world, its exit beneath the water of the Celestial Pool. The tunnel dug by Zhang Zuozheng and Zuo Zhi was too narrow and winding for Zhou Yi’s urgent passage.

Though spiritual energy surged within Zhou Yi, and the pressure threatened to tear his meridians apart with unbearable agony, his mind remained clear. There was, after all, one advantage to undergoing the tribulation within the belly of the mountain: the mountain itself shielded him from the brunt of the heavenly lightning, for the thunder of tribulation would not indiscriminately harm living things. Yet this shelter came at a cost—the impurities accumulated from cultivation could not be purged without the cleansing of heavenly thunder. Even if his blue spiritual energy had turned violet, he could never hope to reach the realm of the Supreme.

Weighing gains and losses in a split second, Zhou Yi decided to race to the surface through the waters of the Celestial Pool, determined to face the three strokes of heavenly lightning. Outside, the sky was already blanketed with thunderclouds, streaks of lightning writhing within. Yet though the storm had gathered for so long, the thunder seemed unable to find its outlet and was about to dissipate.

Just as the clouds began to scatter, Zhou Yi burst from the surface of the Celestial Pool. He had barely emerged when a muffled roar split the air, followed by a crack of thunder. Before he could reach the shore, the heavenly lightning struck. Zhou Yi, filled with restless spiritual energy and nowhere to vent it, braced himself and extended his aura to meet the thunder head-on. But not yet having reached the realm of the Way, how could his spiritual energy withstand a tribulation?

No sooner had he set foot on shore than the thunderbolt struck, sending him flying back into the pool. Gathering energy beneath his feet, he skimmed the water’s surface and returned to land. Looking up, he saw the clouds roiling, already brewing a second bolt.

Baozi and Mu Chen followed him ashore, wanting to help, but powerless to do anything. Both were at the blue aura stage—remarkable among mortals, almost like immortals to common eyes—but before such a tribulation, they were as insignificant as ants.

Zhou Yi had not yet stabilized the rampaging spiritual energy within when the second bolt of thunder crashed down. It exploded beside his ears; he barely had time to cast a fragile shield of aura, but hastily formed, it was weak indeed.

The moment the lightning touched the shield, it shattered instantly, and the thunder struck Zhou Yi square in the chest. This bolt was even more powerful than the first; he flew backward, coughing up a mouthful of clotted blood. His spiritual energy was utterly exhausted—how could he resist the might of a third strike?

His eyes dimmed, and he thought, no wonder there are tens of thousands of cultivators, but only a handful of true tribulation-crossers in all of China—the heavenly trial is indeed terrifying. Looking up, he saw the third bolt already gathering its power, moments from release.

“Am I to die beneath the tribulation?” Zhou Yi closed his eyes in sorrow. This third bolt would be even stronger than the previous two—he could never withstand it. “Am I truly to die?” At this thought, the first image that flashed through his mind was Wu Qian; then he remembered his promise to restore Zhou Dajiang’s memory, a promise he could now never fulfill.

Only at the point of crisis does one realize what truly matters. For Zhou Yi, Wu Qian’s place in his heart had quietly come to equal that of Zhou Dajiang.

A deep rumble sounded, followed by a sharp crack—the third bolt descended. Faint purple streaks flickered within the thunder, marking it as different from the first two. But Zhou Yi had no heart to marvel at such details; gathering the last dregs of his spiritual energy, he braced himself to meet the thunder head-on.

“Come on! I’m not so easy to kill—heaven itself will have to try harder!” As the thunder struck, Zhou Yi shouted at the sky, but his voice was instantly drowned by the thunder’s roar.

Unlike the previous bolts, this third thunder did not simply strike and vanish; its might continued to pour down. Three seconds passed and still it did not abate.

As the thunder enveloped him, Zhou Yi felt his body torn apart, then numbness from the lightning spread through him. If not for a thread of spiritual energy protecting his consciousness, he would have been utterly destroyed.

Yet if the thunder continued, annihilation was only a matter of time—perhaps in another two seconds, he would be lost. At that critical moment, Xun Feng flashed forward at incredible speed, leaping into the thunder to shield Zhou Yi.

Xun Feng should have feared the power of the thunder, but loyalty overcame terror. Strangely, as Xun Feng approached, the thunder seemed to avoid the beast, vanishing as if deliberately sidestepping. In truth, the third bolt did not strike Xun Feng at all, but bent away.

Zhou Yi’s whole body was numb, but his mind was clear. Realizing he had survived the trial, he could not help but grin widely. He glanced at Xun Feng, wanting to speak, but lacked the strength even to open his mouth.

Just as everyone believed the ordeal was over, the thunderclouds above surged once more, and it seemed a still greater trial awaited Zhou Yi.

“There’s more?” Baozi gaped. “Damn you, old heaven! I’ll take this one for him!” As he spoke, he lunged toward Zhou Yi. But before he could reach him, the lightning descended—without the deafening roar, without the blinding glare.

Perhaps it could not even be called thunder. This was pure, pale violet aura, enveloping Baozi, Mu Chen, and Zhou Yi together. The one who benefited most was Zhou Yi, for he was the weakest and most in need of replenishment.

This infusion of energy lasted about two minutes, dispersing as the sun reached its zenith. Their business unfinished, they dove once more beneath the Celestial Pool, returning to the mountain’s heart.

After leaving with Xun Feng, a massive turtle crawled from the pool, swiftly absorbing the lingering traces of violet thunder energy from the air.

Back in the mountain, they found the stone egg already beginning to shed its shell; if one listened closely, the sound of blood coursing within could be heard.

“Brother Yi, is it done?” Baozi beamed with delight. If the stone egg hatched a new dragon vein, then Zhang Xun’s promise to deliver three more keys to Zhou Yi would be fulfilled. With two keys already in hand, and three more from Zhang Xun, five of the eight keys would be gathered—a cause for celebration.

Baozi was elated, and Zhou Yi did not wish to dampen his spirits. But he knew it would not be easy to obtain those three keys from Zhang Xun; it was unlikely to go smoothly.

Still, Zhou Yi was unafraid. He had ways to force the restoration ahead of schedule, and could also cut off resources and bring down a nation in an instant.