We made you practice martial arts, and you've mastered the Great Golden Body?

"Ah~~"

The heavenly tribulation, intertwined with purple lightning, was like nanometer-sized steel knives, cutting back and forth within Shen Bailian's body. Even his spirit seemed to take on a tangible form in the face of that purple lightning, and he too suffered pain akin to having his bones scraped and being healed.

Do not!
This level of pain is far more than this; it is hundreds, even thousands of times more painful than the legendary bone-scraping treatment!
Even the baptism of divine blood that Shen Bailian experienced in the central city of Bozhou was nothing compared to the pain he suffered today.

It's just a single hair on a cow.

Furthermore, due to the unique nature of Earth Origin Star warriors, whose divine bodies are fused into one, when the purple lightning exerted its effect on the soul, the pain suffered by Shen Bailian's body was multiplied once again.

However, every bit of pain he endured was rewarded on the panel.

"Heaven rewards diligence; every bit of effort brings its reward. Coupled with the passive skill [Iron Body], every bit of pain I endure will be properly compensated!"

"Powerful! Getting more and more powerful. I'm only one step away from breaking through..." Shen Bailian roared in pain, veins bulging on his forehead, like a wild beast undergoing electric torture. He stared at the notification messages that appeared before him, his thoughts drifting like willow catkins in the sky.

In fact, if he did not want to suffer this pain, there was more than one way to escape this calamity.

The simplest, but also the most costly, method is to commit suicide and then use the skill "咫尺天涯" (Close at Hand, Yet Far Apart) to teleport directly back to the Earthly Star Universe.

The Heavenly Dao of this world is very strong, a fact that Shen Bailian has to admit. However, this does not mean that the Heavenly Dao consciousness of this world can lock onto Shen Bailian, who is located in the Earth Origin Star Universe, across the vast Sea of ​​Origin.

However, this method comes at a very high price.

This means that Shen Bailian will lose tens of thousands of points of divine matter directly or indirectly, and all his previous plans in this world will be in vain.

This is a completely counterproductive approach.

Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, Shen Bailian would not risk significant losses by using the [Close at Hand, Far Away] skill to teleport himself back to the Earth Origin Star Universe.

Sudden.

"Ah~~!!!"

A deafening roar of agony suddenly emanated from the pillar of lightning shrouded in purple mist. The violent collision of the sound waves transformed the surrounding air into a turbulent ocean, wave after wave.

Unbeknownst to them, the Heavenly Tribulation had already entered its third stage, which was the final Three-Nine Heavenly Tribulation stage.

The accumulated Purple Heaven Divine Thunder underwent a dramatic change in power in the very first strike of the Tribulation of the Three Nine Heavens.

The power of this Tribulation of the Three Nines is not simply double that of the previous Tribulation of the Three Nines; it is increased by a factor of zero.

That is, an improvement of an order of magnitude!

And in the outside world.

"Bang bang bang..."

Although they were far apart, Bai Suzhen, through her perception of the sound waves and the chaotic spiritual energy around her, had a general idea of ​​what was happening. Her heart began to beat faster and her blood began to rush.

"It's over, it's all over, this time it might really be the end..." Bai Suzhen's thoughts flashed rapidly like lightning, cold sweat appeared on her forehead, and her whole body trembled.

She felt that she might have really gone too far this time; even the last time the floodwaters overflowed Jinshan Temple, it wasn't as outrageous as this one.

Because if her assumption is true, then she might really lose Xiaoqing, and it wouldn't just be a matter of waiting for hundreds of years.

Instead, they will never see each other again for all eternity.

A permanent loss!
At the thought of this, Bai Suzhen's body trembled uncontrollably, her mind went blank, her lips trembled, she wanted to speak but couldn't, and her expression became increasingly desolate. Even her originally bright eyes had dimmed.

She could lose the chance to transform into a dragon, or even the chance to become a god... She could lose everything except Xu Xian, but Xiao Qing was the only close person who would always be by her side.

There is none other than it, and it is irreplaceable!
"I..." Bai Suzhen breathed, the scales on her neck rubbing together and making a metallic clanging sound. She had seen Shen Bailian undergo the Tribulation of the Three Nine Heavens before.

Last time, Shen Bailian only let out a scream when the last bolt of heavenly lightning struck.

This time, only the first strike of the Three-Nine Heavenly Tribulation had landed, yet Shen Bailian let out such a hysterical roar, which was enough to show how terrifying the Purple Heaven Divine Lightning was.

Now, this Tribulation of the Three Nine Heavens has only just brought down the first bolt of heavenly lightning, and Shen Bailian has already become like this. How will he survive the next eight bolts of heavenly lightning?
In Bai Suzhen's view, Shen Bailian was struck dead by lightning. At most, she would shed a couple of tears and make a cenotaph for him. That would be the most she could do.

But what about Xiaoqing?
Even Shen Bailian couldn't withstand the Tribulation of the Three Nine Heavens, so how could Xiao Qing, a snake demon with a cultivation level of less than a thousand years, possibly withstand the terrifying power of the Purple Heaven Divine Lightning?

It will definitely be blasted to ashes by the Three-Nine Heavenly Tribulation, which is tainted with a trace of Purple Heaven Divine Lightning. Even its soul will suffer the same fate as its body.

Transforming into a dragon? It's more likely to turn into ashes.

"Sigh~" Compared to the dejected Bai Suzhen, Xiaoqing was much calmer at this moment. She looked at the terrifying lightning pillar several miles away and just sighed softly.

That's it.

"Has this day finally come?" Xiaoqing's lips curled up slightly as she turned her head, forcing herself to give Bai Suzhen a warm smile.

Although Xiaoqing is usually quite lively and restless, she doesn't seem nearly as mature as Bai Suzhen.

In reality, Xiaoqing is sometimes more mature than Bai Suzhen, especially in the matter of ascending to immortality, she has a clear understanding of herself.

Given Bai Suzhen's talent, she had the opportunity to ascend to immortality through her own efforts.

But her?
There is almost no possibility of ascending to immortality, unless one waits for Bai Suzhen to ascend and then "her chickens and dogs" ascend to heaven together, in which case there is still a sliver of hope of becoming an immortal.

However, the Heavenly Court/Spirit Mountain system has now been completely stabilized, and with the addition of the registered immortals and gods, unless they violate the Heavenly Laws and Commandments, they are practically immortal to some extent.

Therefore, there will be almost no vacant positions. This path to immortality, where one person attains enlightenment and all their relatives and friends benefit, has been effectively ended, though in a sense it isn't completely severed; things won't be taken to such an extreme.

For example, if Xiaoqing is Bai Suzhen's mount, then it would be reasonable and justifiable for them to ascend to the Heavenly Court/Ling Mountain together and become immortals.

Of course, all of this is based on one premise: that Bai Suzhen must become a deity with an independent divine position, rather than becoming a false god by taking advantage of some powerful figure.

According to the original plot, Bai Suzhen should have gone mad at this point, and apart from Xu Xian, she no longer cared about anyone else.

Including her best friend Xiaoqing.

"I never expected this day to come so soon." With a thought, Xiaoqing transformed into human form, looked up at the sky, and quietly enjoyed everything. All the past events appeared before her eyes like a black and white movie.

Many demons are originally various animals, but after transforming, they usually take human form unless they are going all out.

As for the specific reason, it's actually quite laughable.

Because in this world, the overall potential and lifespan of the human race are far inferior to those of the various spirits and monsters in the world, and compared to those races with innate extraordinary abilities, they are like a hair on a cow.

There is simply no possibility of comparison.

However, the human race is the only race in this world that has been favored by the Heavenly Dao. Therefore, not only those demons with Daoist cultivation, but also the countless immortals and gods, generally appear in human form after they have the ability to transform.

And most of the time, they will transform into human form, especially when cultivating. Compared to their original forms, their cultivation speed in human form can be half to ten percent faster.

This slight increase has little effect on most humans.

However, it has great significance for spirits and gods, since even the lowest-level spirit can have a lifespan of hundreds of years.

A naturally immortal species.

The increase that can be brought about by the superposition of such time scales—hundreds of years, thousands of years, or even tens of thousands of years—is extremely terrifying.

A deity who can transform into human form and cultivates for ten thousand years is, in a sense, equivalent to a deity who cannot transform into human form cultivating for eleven thousand years.

In this world, the lifespan of immortals and gods is almost infinite.

Therefore, no deity would give up such an easy boost.

"Though life is but a dream, and a hundred years like dew, this love will endure until the seas dry up and the rocks crumble, endless and boundless..." Although death had not yet arrived, Xiaoqing could already feel its approaching presence. She couldn't help but recall a sentence Bai Suzhen had once spoken, and murmured it softly, letting out a soft laugh:
"Sister, can your relationship really last forever?"

Xiaoqing stretched out her hand, and the white mist in front of her instantly condensed into water droplets, crystal clear, like a magnifying glass, reflecting Xiaoqing's vertical, cold-blooded pupils so clearly.

She's not stupid; she just likes to pretend she doesn't understand anything. She doesn't like to keep her worries to herself and just wants to live each day happily.

Now that things have come to this, how could she not know the urgency of the situation?
Xiaoqing certainly knew, but she only knew the urgency of the matter. If it weren't for an extremely urgent moment, Bai Suzhen wouldn't have been so eager to urge her to undergo the tribulation of transforming into a dragon, shedding her mortal form and becoming a dragon.

Even with Shen Bailian's help, the success rate wasn't 100%; there was still a certain chance of failure.

For example, like this now.

"However, logically speaking, the intensity of this Tribulation of the Three Nine Heavens should be the same as the last one, even if it is not weaker than the last one. Why is there purple lightning?" Xiaoqing noticed the purple mist around the towering lightning pillar and her eyes showed a trace of confusion and deep fear.

Due to her personality and the fact that Xiaoqing's century-long plan did not include undergoing the Heavenly Tribulation of Transformation into a Flood Dragon, she naturally did not have a deep understanding of the Purple Heaven Divine Lightning.

Moreover, given her condition, she will never encounter the Nine Heavens Divine Lightning in her lifetime, unless she has a moment of madness and causes the destruction of a country.

Of course, to achieve the feat of destroying a country, Xiao Qing's cultivation level must be at least three thousand years. Otherwise, even the long dragon of human destiny of any small country would find it difficult to contend with her.

How can you talk about destroying a country?
Although Xiaoqing didn't know the name of the swirling purple mist, the moment it came into view, every muscle and cell in her body began to tremble.

A deep chill, like a surging wave, rose from the depths of her heart and shot straight to the top of her head.

Horrible! So horrible!
Xiaoqing quickly looked away, but even so, her body was still trembling uncontrollably, as if she had lost control of her own body.

"Something's not right, this is definitely not right!" Although Xiaoqing hadn't experienced it firsthand, based solely on that fleeting glimpse and the painful roars emanating from the towering lightning pillar, she bit her tongue hard, trying to calm herself down and force herself to stay composed.

The most important thing right now is to stay calm!

Only by remaining calm can one find a glimmer of hope in a desperate situation, even if that glimmer of hope has nothing to do with the person who yearns for hope.

No one wants to die, and Xiaoqing is no exception.

If one can live a good life, who would seek death? Xiaoqing still wants to see her sister Bai Suzhen ascend to immortality and witness the enduring love between Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian!

I can't die, I absolutely can't die!

"That's it! I understand now! Everything makes sense!" A flash of inspiration struck Xiaoqing like lightning. Overjoyed, she wept with happiness. A shocking idea emerged:
"He is indeed not an ordinary martial artist. When ordinary people or monsters suffer from heavenly tribulations, their condition, cultivation level, and strength will all decline to a certain extent, but he will not."

After suffering the heavenly tribulation, his strength will not only not decrease, but will actually benefit from it, increasing rather than decreasing!

Once Xiaoqing thought about it this way, everything became clear.

The intensity of the Heavenly Tribulation does not increase without reason. Behind the operation of the Heavenly Dao's will lies a complete, powerful, and unchanging logic.

If the intensity of the Heavenly Tribulation increases, it means either that the person facing the tribulation has committed an evil deed that angers both Heaven and man, or that the Heavenly Dao's consciousness has detected an increase in the strength of the person facing the tribulation!

The will of Heaven is infallible! (End of Chapter)