7: The Tribulation of Transformation

Under the Wutong Tree, Yuan Feng sat on a swing woven from vines, her fiery red figure swaying back and forth.

A pile of rare treasures was stacked beneath the tree.

Most of them were Spiritual Roots and spiritual plants containing the Qi of Qingmu.

Qing Wu had once told her that he was only one opportunity away from Transformation, and she had truly taken it to heart.

Thus, she sought out many Spiritual Roots and spiritual plants, hoping Qing Wu could comprehend that singular opportunity from them.

Seeing such a loyal and affectionate sister, Qing Wu couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion in his heart.

Previously, he had been planning that if Yuan Feng embarked on the path of establishing a race for Dao validation, he would have to cut ties with her.

Fortunately, Yuan Feng did not choose to walk that path.

From this perspective, his early intervention with Yuan Feng had been effective.

At the very least, he had successfully changed Yuan Feng's choice at a critical crossroad.

In this way, Yuan Feng remained his sister.

However, after witnessing the battle between Yuan Feng and numerous living beings, Qing Wu gained a much clearer understanding of his sister.

Don't be fooled by Yuan Feng's gentle yet dignified appearance in front of him.

To the outside world, she fully displayed the aura of a monarch, truly the sovereign of all birds.

And now, Qing Wu began to ponder.

In the current Primordial World, although the Heavenly Dao was not yet manifest, the Great Dao's control over the world was relatively relaxed.

But relaxed as it was, a great trend still existed.

The so-called great trend was the macro-destiny trajectory of the entire Primordial World.

It encompassed the Karma of all living beings, the propulsion of Great Tribulations, the power struggles between various parties, and many other aspects.

Within this, how Karma shifted, when the Great Tribulation arrived, and how the power struggle played out were choices many beings could make of their own free will within the great trend.

But unless one was the 'One that Escaped,' no matter how many beings acted, they ultimately could not change the arrival of the great trend.

Qing Wu did not know if he was that 'One that Escaped.'

Looking at the protagonists of destiny in other books, they either had a System to rely on or possessed extremely deep roots.

Whereas he was merely an Innate Wutong Tree; even Transformation was an extremely difficult existence for him.

How could he dare to presumptuously claim to be the 'One that Escaped'?

For the time being, let's consider whether Yuan Feng walks that path as a minor trend.

What he had changed now was merely a minor trend.

Since Yuan Feng did not take the path of leading the birds, would another person with a monarch's aura appear to take her place?

Qing Wu didn't particularly care.

In any case, the first step had been taken, and it was a crucial one—pulling his sister out of the Great Tribulation.

Moving forward, he was even more filled with confidence and anticipation.

While lost in thought, the vines controlled by Qing Wu gradually slowed down.

"Qing Wu, why have you stopped?" Yuan Feng asked.

"It's nothing, I was just thinking about some trivial matters."

In a daze, Wutong pulled himself back from his chaotic thoughts... In the long days that followed, Yuan Feng relied on Qing Wu's main body to Cultivate.

From her battle with the Thunderbird Ling Ming, she had gained some insights and was currently meditating on them.

Meanwhile, Qing Wu used the many Spiritual Roots and spiritual plants Yuan Feng had brought back to Cultivate.

Although these were all low-grade spiritual items that could never achieve Transformation,

the fragments of the Qingmu Great Dao they contained allowed Qing Wu to gain some comprehension.

Fortunately, Yuan Feng had brought back enough to allow Qing Wu to find the opportunity for Transformation among the numerous fragments.

Furthermore, the more he meditated on the Qingmu Great Dao within these spiritual items, the more he felt a sense of affinity with them.

Gradually, he discovered he could form a mysterious connection with the faint wisp of spiritual consciousness within them.

He could even ask them questions directly.

However, because the spiritual consciousness within these Spiritual Roots was incomplete, establishing contact was very difficult.

Often, a single question would take decades or even centuries to receive an answer.

The answers obtained were also obscure and difficult to understand, requiring multifaceted identification of the information.

Yet Qing Wu never tired of it.

He felt more and more that he could glimpse some of the unknown secrets of the Primordial World through these many spiritual plants.

After engaging in "long-term" conversations with some spiritual plants, Qing Wu gradually mastered the knack.

Starting from this entry point, he began to deduce and gradually refined it into a Divine Ability.

Qing Wu temporarily named this Divine Ability—Qingmu Sound.

Do not underestimate this Divine Ability.

Spiritual plants in the Primordial World lived for a very long time, easily reaching hundreds of thousands or even millions of years.

And those with a rank, the Innate Spiritual Roots, had been born shortly after the opening of the Primordial World.

Some even had inextricable links to Pangu.

Having survived until now, one could imagine how many secrets they contained.

Qing Wu continued to communicate, refine his Divine Ability, and wait for the opportunity for Transformation to arrive... On this day, Qing Wu's entire body was enveloped in a cyan-green divine light.

The sound of the Dao spread out in waves, and his massive branches and leaves moved on their own without any wind.

Yuan Feng, who was sitting under the tree practicing, couldn't help but look up. "Qing Wu, he's about to undergo Transformation!"

Qing Wu did not answer; at this moment, he was pouring all his focus into this opportunity for Transformation.

He had a premonition that if he missed this chance, he might have to wait another countless tens of thousands of years for the next one.

This commotion was not as grand as when Yuan Feng transformed; it could even be called very peaceful.

But within this peace, some hidden dangers lurked.

Qing Wu's leaves rustled and trembled, and the Qingmu divine light swirling around him became increasingly brilliant.

Above the canopy, countless leaves moved without wind, making a rustling sound as he attempted to stir his own Origin and resonate with the Great Dao to achieve Transformation and enter the world.

Yuan Feng stood up, her fiery red skirt dancing lightly in the wind. Her eyes reflected the increasingly intense cyan light, her heart filled with both joy and a faint worry.

The Transformation of an Innate Spiritual Root is not easily tolerated by the Great Dao.

Especially the Transformation of a Supreme-Grade Acquired Spiritual Root with extremely high roots, which is a focus of the Great Dao's attention.

Because they carry the Origin of Heaven and Earth, once they transform, it signifies a loosening of the rules of the Great Dao and may even affect the balance of the Primordial World.

Therefore, the Great Dao often sends down tribulations to prevent their metamorphosis.

Sure enough, just as Qing Wu's divine light reached its Peak, the originally clear sky suddenly darkened.

Thick tribulation clouds gathered from all directions, black as ink. Lightning flickered within the cloud layers, and the dull rumbling sound constantly shook the soul.

"Lightning Tribulation!" Yuan Feng's pupils constricted, and her fingertips unconsciously tightened.

Qing Wu's trunk swayed slightly, as if enduring some invisible pressure.

His main body struggled on the brink of Transformation, but the suppression of the Great Dao was like a mountain of ten thousand tons, making it impossible for him to move an inch.

The heavenly lightning was about to fall.

"I... am ultimately one step short..."

A wave of bitterness came from his spiritual consciousness. Yuan Feng heard it clearly, and her heart suddenly ached.

"No! You must not stop here!"

She looked up at the churning tribulation clouds, a blazing Battle Intent igniting in her eyes.

"Great Dao above!"

Yuan Feng took a step forward, and the Nanmingli Fire around her body erupted.

Crimson-gold flames soared into the sky, transforming into the phantom of a giant fire phoenix, spreading its wings and crying out.

"I, Yuan Feng, am willing to use my own Luck as a guide to help Qing Wu transform!"

As her voice fell, the sky suddenly went silent, and even the tribulation clouds seemed to freeze.