89: Chapter 89 Disaster

Under the intersection of lightning and fire.

Zhao Yi had already lost consciousness.

Only a sliver of awareness remained to guard his Spiritual Platform.

Inside his body, lightning and flames ran rampant without restraint.

His Void Refining power could only protect key areas like his Dantian and heart meridians; it was powerless to expel these alien forces.

As time passed, the power of the lightning and fire tribulation finally penetrated deep into his Sea of Consciousness, finding the divine infant hiding within.

The invasion of the Sea of Consciousness by the lightning and fire tribulation power was like splashing cold water into a vat of boiling oil.

It exploded instantly.

This explosion left the newborn divine infant riddled with holes. Suffering such a heavy blow, the last shred of Zhao Yi's consciousness was on the verge of dissipating.

"Am I going to die?"

This was Zhao Yi's final question.

Then, he completely lost consciousness.

Just as the lightning and fire tribulation power was about to occupy the entire Sea of Consciousness,

A Golden Ribbon appeared out of nowhere.

It formed a circle, shielding Zhao Yi's riddled divine infant.

Thereafter, no matter how frenzied or powerful the lightning and fire tribulation power within the Sea of Consciousness became, it could not advance even half a step into the circle.

But with the lightning and fire tribulation power raging, even with the protection of the Golden Ribbon, Zhao Yi's divine infant grew weaker and weaker, gradually becoming semi-transparent as if it might dissipate at any moment.

The Lightning Tribulation outside seemed to sense Zhao Yi's state and became even more violent.

Bolt after bolt of lightning struck, and sheet after sheet of flame descended, as if they would not stop until Zhao Yi was dead.

"It's over."

The Xuanpin Spirit Fox finally gave up hope.

In its perception, Zhao Yi's aura was faint, with only a single breath left; he could die at any moment.

"What a pity. A Genius at mining Spirit Stones is destined to fall after all."

"This tells us that a Death Cultivator is just a Death Cultivator. They should just mine Spirit Stones properly and never think about cultivating again. Otherwise, this is the example."

Among the spectating Cultivators, someone spoke in a heavy voice.

"Let's go."

"There's nothing left to see."

"Only a third of the Hundred Day Fire and Thunder Tribulation has passed. In his state, it's impossible for him to survive it."

Li Yingren shook his head.

Their plans had ended before they even began because of Zhao Yi's tribulation.

Li Yingzhen looked at the tribulation cloud in the sky. She wanted to refute the second brother, but the facts left her powerless to do so.

"You guys go ahead. I'll stay here to see him off."

"What a ridiculous life."

"I took four Top-Grade Spirit Stones from him, thinking I'd have a chance to compensate him later. I didn't expect there would be no 'later'."

Li Yingzhen's face was full of bitterness.

"Alright then."

"We'll head back first."

The spectating Cultivators also dispersed in twos and threes.

The area around Mount Heng soon became quiet.

Only the dark, heavy tribulation cloud indicated that Zhao Yi hadn't kicked the bucket yet.

Li Yingzhen didn't expect that this 'seeing him off' would last for a month.

During this month, it seemed every day that Zhao Yi wouldn't make it, yet every day he pulled through.

"Holy crap, could this guy actually survive the Hundred Day Fire and Thunder Tribulation?"

Li Yingzhen herself could hardly believe it.

But sixty days had already passed out of the hundred. The probability of a successful tribulation had increased manifold.

Ten days later, the Cultivators who had previously left returned.

They even started a betting pool outside the Lightning Tribulation.

They were betting on when Zhao Yi would perish.

"I bet on tomorrow. He'll definitely die tomorrow."

A Cultivator immediately countered, "Forget it. He looked like this half a month ago too."

"I bet he lasts another half month."

Many Cultivators bet on how long Zhao Yi could hold on, but not a single person wagered that he could successfully complete the tribulation.

When it came down to the final three days.

Outside the tribulation cloud, many Cultivators watched the man surrounded by lightning and fire within the tribulation.

His faint aura was like a blade of grass in a storm.

Though his vitality was weak, it was tenacious and unyielding.

The penultimate day.

Many Cultivators clenched their fists and kept their eyes wide open. They were afraid...

Afraid that if they blinked, Zhao Yi's breath would be gone.

On the hundredth day of the Hundred Day Fire and Thunder Tribulation, no one knew how many Cultivators had gathered outside the tribulation cloud. It was packed; people were everywhere, in the sky and on the ground.

The last time there was such a grand scene was when Immortal Qingling underwent Immortal Ascension.

As time ticked away, every Cultivator held their breath, staring intently at the faint figure within the Lightning Tribulation.

Boom!

Boom!

...

The Lightning Tribulation continued, but to the ears of the Cultivators, it was already at the end of its tether.

"He..."

"He really, truly succeeded?"

Li Yingzhen was dumbfounded.

What kind of Cultivator was this, to actually survive the Hundred Day Fire and Thunder Tribulation with a Void Refining cultivation level.

When the final bolt of lightning and the last sheet of flame fell, the tribulation cloud that had shrouded Mount Heng for a hundred days finally dissipated.

"Great!"

Many Cultivators cheered in unison, filled with an indescribable excitement.

"These guys... he's just a Void Refining Cultivator, what are they so excited about?"

Despite her words, the broad smile on her face betrayed Li Yingzhen's true feelings.

"Go."

"Stop those Cultivators. Tell them Zhao Yi has just finished his tribulation and it's not appropriate for him to see them."

She herself, along with Li Yingren and Li Yingzi, rode the clouds down onto Mount Heng.

The once lush green Mount Heng was now a mess, with smoke rising everywhere and the entire mountain turned black.

The former small courtyard had long since vanished without a trace, leaving only Zhao Yi curled up on a large brick.

"Where did such a huge brick come from?"

Li Yingzi's focus was always different from others. While Li Yingzhen and Li Yingren were checking Zhao Yi's injuries, he was focused on the brick beneath Zhao Yi.

However, that brick was indeed quite eye-catching.

Two meters long, two meters wide, and one meter high—it was perfectly square. With Zhao Yi on top of it, there was surprisingly no sense of discordance.

"A semi-immortal artifact?!"

As a prince, Li Yingzi wouldn't be mistaken; this was a semi-immortal artifact.

"Was it because of this semi-immortal artifact that he survived the Hundred Day Fire and Thunder Tribulation?"

"What a pity. After suffering this tribulation, it's no longer possible for this Spirit Brick to be promoted to an Immortal Artifact."

"An Immortal Artifact!"

Li Yingzi's tone was filled with endless regret.

"Alright."

"It's already a stroke of immense luck that Brother Yi could survive the Hundred Day Fire and Thunder Tribulation. Why would he need an Immortal Artifact?"

"One must learn to be content. Eleventh Brother, you're just too greedy; you'll suffer a great loss sooner or later."

Hearing Li Yingzi speak, Li Yingzhen couldn't help but lecture him.

"Sigh!"

"Death Cultivators really aren't favored by heaven and earth. They're treated entirely like pests."

"Even for a Demonic Cultivator, as long as they survive the Hundred Day Fire and Thunder Tribulation, Celestial Rain would fall to help them quickly recover their cultivation."

"A Death Cultivator actually gets nothing."

Li Yingzhen was completely speechless.

She didn't know who first came up with the term 'Death Cultivator,' but it was truly too apt.

"Let's go back."

"Zhao Yi is fine now. We'll wait for him to recover on his own."

If it weren't for Zhao Yi being so special, why would Li Yingren have wasted so much time?

Now that it was confirmed Zhao Yi's tribulation had passed, Li Yingren was going to return to the Great Yin Immortal Capital.

"Alright, you two brothers go ahead."

"I'll set up a place for Zhao Yi to stay."

As Li Yingzhen spoke, she held a thatched hut in her hand.

Her face was slightly flushed; this was already the best dwelling-type Magical Artifact she could produce.

"Go!"

She tossed the thatched hut into the air, and it grew as it met the wind.

It landed over Zhao Yi, its size just right to cover the brick.

"Hehe, Fourth Sister, don't say it, this really is a good fit."

With Zhao Yi's successful tribulation, Li Yingzhen and the others were much more relaxed.

"Old Fox, watch over Zhao Yi. When he wakes up, tell him to go directly back to Anning Prefecture."

"There's no need to go back to the Immortal Capital and toss about anymore."