Summoning the Gods: Start by creating the Eternal Night.

Qingzhou, Qingcheng Mountain.

At the summit, a figure sat cross-legged; it was Yuan Tiangang.

He was surrounded by spiritual energy, which drew in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, forming a visible vortex of spiritual energy.

At the center of the vortex, lightning flickered, clearly making final preparations for the tribulation.

The Tribulation of the Land Immortal! It is the final hurdle for cultivators to challenge the Great Dao.

It is also a test of heaven and earth that cultivators must face when advancing to the terrestrial immortal realm.

Its power is immense; a slight misstep can lead to death and annihilation.

Yuan Tiangang remained calm, his eyes as still as a deep well, seemingly unconcerned about the impending heavenly tribulation.

His hands slowly formed a hand seal, and the Heavenly Gang Technique was activated to its fullest extent; every inch of his skin seemed to breathe.

It greedily absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy, accumulating the last bit of power to overcome the tribulation.

"call out--"

A figure stepped out from the spatial rift and landed a few feet behind Yuan Tiangang.

Dugu Qiubai stood with his hands behind his back, his plain clothes fluttering slightly in the mountain breeze. He glanced around and spoke softly:

"General, the monarch has ordered me to protect you. Focus on your tribulation; with me here, no one can disturb you."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Tiangang rose, cupped his hands in a respectful bow to Dugu Qiubai, and spoke with a hint of reverence:

"Thank you for your trouble, Lord Nan Yu."

"It's alright."

Dugu Qiubai waved his hand, and with a flicker of his figure, he appeared on another mountain peak several miles away.

He pointed his fingers like a sword, and with a light stroke, an invisible sword domain instantly spread out, covering a radius of a hundred miles around Qingcheng Mountain.

Within the sword domain, the slightest movement of grass and trees, the flapping of wings of insects and birds, could not escape his perception.

Yuan Tiangang took a deep breath and sat down cross-legged again.

This time, he held nothing back; his spiritual energy surged wildly within him.

Like a dormant volcano suddenly erupting, it launched an attack on the barrier of the terrestrial immortal realm.

"Boom!"

In an instant, the world changed color.

The once clear sky was suddenly covered by dark clouds.

Electricity snaked through the clouds, accompanied by deafening thunder.

A terrifying pressure descended from the sky, enveloping the entire Qingcheng Mountain.

The rocks trembled, and the trees bowed low, as if in awe of the majesty of Heaven.

The first tribulation has arrived!

"Boom!"

A bolt of purple lightning, as thick as a bucket and carrying an aura of destruction, tore through the clouds and struck Yuan Tiangang directly!

Yuan Tiangang suddenly opened his eyes, golden light bursting from them, and formed hand seals.

"Heavenly Protection!"

A golden shield condensed around him, as tough as a tortoise shell, and steadily withstood the bombardment of lightning.

"Buzz—"

The shield trembled violently, but ultimately did not break.

Immediately afterwards, the second and third bolts of lightning arrived in quick succession.

Each strike was more powerful than the last, the purple lightning weaving into a net that trapped Yuan Tiangang in the center.

Yuan Tiangang responded calmly, occasionally unleashing his "Myriad Transformations Divine Palm".

The palm wind and thunder collided, unleashing a dazzling rain of light;

At times, the fingertips would flick out the "Huayang Needle Technique," golden light like threads.

It precisely pierced the weak point of the lightning, neutralizing its power one by one.

……

at the same time,

Among the top powers in various parts of the Eastern Region,

Those slumbering terrestrial immortals and monsters all sensed it and raised their eyes to look in the direction of the tribulation clouds.

The ancestral land of the Great Qian Dynasty, where Emperor Taizu Qianlong stands with his hands behind his back outside the hall.

His gaze pierced through the clouds and landed on the territory of Qingzhou, his eyebrows slightly raised:

"Hmm? This is the tribulation of a terrestrial immortal?"

He spread his divine sense, sweeping it like a searchlight towards the direction of the tribulation clouds:

"Qingzhou... what power has gained a new terrestrial immortal?"

The old ancestor Qianxuan asked from the side:

"Your Majesty, should we go and investigate who is undergoing tribulation?"

Qianlong chuckled, withdrew his gaze, and shook his head:

"No need."

Whether the person undergoing the tribulation can successfully pass it is another matter.

Even if we survive, to you and me, we'll just be bigger ants.

Wanfo Temple

The abbot suddenly opened his eyes, a hint of Zen flashing in them:

"Hmm? A terrestrial immortal's tribulation!"

"Amitabha!"

"Only one of the shackles of Heaven has been broken, yet a cultivator has already broken through to a higher realm; a great era is not far off..."

He put his hands together in prayer and chanted a Buddhist mantra.

He then closed his eyes and entered meditation again, without delving into who the person undergoing the tribulation was.

Xuanming Sect Hall

Ancestor Xuanming gazed in the direction of Qingzhou and pondered:

"This aura... it's from Qingzhou? Could it be that junior Xuanxiaozi from the Qingyun Sect breaking through?"

Upon hearing this, the cult leader Ming Shang, who was standing to the side, retorted indignantly:

"Ancestor, this is impossible!"

"Xuanxiaozi and I are both at the peak of the Celestial Realm. I haven't even undergone my tribulation yet, so what makes him capable?"

Ancestor Xuanming glared at him, furious, and kicked Ming Shang.

"idiot!"

"Do you think everyone is as useless as you? Not making a single progress in centuries!"

Ming Shang, ashamed and bowing his head after being scolded, asked again:

"Then... should the Ancestor go and stop him from undergoing his tribulation?"

"Hmph!" Ancestor Xuanming snorted coldly.

"It's not confirmed to be him yet. Even if it is, do you think that old dog Jian Xiaotian would just sit idly by?"

"You should focus on your cultivation! Breaking through to the Land Immortal Realm as soon as possible is the most important thing!"

"The five regions will unite, and what follows will be an era of the survival of the fittest. Without strength, one will be at the mercy of others!"

"Yes, Ancestor!"

Ming Shang dared not speak further, bowed and withdrew to devote himself to cultivation.

Meanwhile, at the Qingyun Sect on the border between Qingzhou and Xuanzhou,

Jian Xiaotian, the patriarch of the Qingyun Sect, stood atop the main peak, gazing towards Qingcheng Mountain, a sinister glint in his eyes.

"Who is undergoing the tribulation of a terrestrial immortal? And it's happening in Qingzhou..."

His brows were furrowed.

"Could it be someone from the Star Pavilion? Or... that mysterious force, Eternal Night Heaven, which has a grudge against our sect?"

He released his divine sense and cautiously approached Mount Qingcheng, wanting to find out what was going on.

However, just as his divine sense was about to reach the area of ​​Qingcheng Mountain,

A sharp sword intent suddenly erupted, blocking his divine sense.

"Hmm? They've set up defenses?"

Jian Xiaotian frowned, and then heard a cold shout resound in his mind:

"Hmph! Who dares to spy on the tribulations of those from my Eternal Night Heaven!"

Dugu Qiubai's voice, like a sharp sword, came through the sword domain, carrying a warning.

Jian Xiaotian quickly withdrew his divine sense, his heart filled with shock and anger:

"So it was someone from the Eternal Night Heaven undergoing tribulation! Good, very good!"

"Hmph, since that's the case, I'll give you a 'big gift'!"

A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes as he pulled an ancient-looking talisman from his storage ring.

The talisman was covered with dense lightning patterns, radiating a terrifying aura of heaven and earth.

—It is indeed the "Heaven-Connecting Thunder-Attracting Talisman"!

This talisman is a one-time treasure that can forcibly connect with the Heavenly Tribulation, upgrading ordinary tribulations to "divine punishment level".

Once activated, the tribulation clouds will instantly become violent, and the number of tribulation lightning bolts will double.

Its power surged, and its speed increased; the original Three-Nine Heavenly Tribulation would become a Six-Nine Heavenly Tribulation.

Furthermore, it will mark the person undergoing tribulation with a lightning-attracting mark, meaning the lightning punishment will only recognize that person.

No matter where you hide, you will be precisely located.

"Eternal Night Heaven? Dare to oppose my Azure Cloud Sect? Then you'll taste the bitterness of divine punishment!"

Jian Xiaotian forced out his essence blood from his fingertip, placed it on the center of the talisman, and chanted incantations:

"Using my divine will as the guide, and the runes as the bridge, I summon the heavenly thunder and punishment to descend upon the body of the one undergoing tribulation!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he locked his divine sense onto the tribulation clouds over Qingcheng Mountain and suddenly unleashed the Heaven-Reaching Thunder-Attracting Talisman.

"call out--"

The talisman transformed into a stream of light, breaking through spatial barriers and precisely entering the tribulation clouds above Yuan Tiangang's head.

Dugu Qiubai's divine sense was searching for the person who had just touched his sword domain.

Just then, a talisman was seen shooting like a streak of light from the border between Qingzhou and Xuanzhou into the tribulation clouds above Yuan Tiangang.

"boom!"

The talisman exploded in the tribulation clouds, and a visible lightning-patterned channel shot straight into the sky.

The churning clouds of calamity instantly turned pitch black.

The number of purple lightning bolts doubled, their power surged, and their speed of strike also increased dramatically.

The original Lesser Heavenly Tribulation of the Three Nines was forcibly elevated to a Greater Heavenly Tribulation of the Six Nines!

On a mountain peak several miles away, Dugu Qiubai's expression suddenly changed.

He noticed the unusual change in the tribulation clouds and saw the talisman explode, and instantly understood:

"Oh no! It's a lightning-attracting talisman!"

He tried to step forward to stop them, but then suddenly stopped.

If outsiders intrude within the range of the lightning tribulation, it will only trigger even stronger heavenly might, which will ultimately harm Yuan Tiangang.

"Damn it!"

Dugu Qiubai clenched his fists, his eyes as cold as frost.

He hadn't expected that his first time carrying out Ye Junlin's orders would lead to this kind of trouble.

"How dare you cause trouble while I'm protecting you! Don't let me find out who it is, or I'll make you wish you were dead!"

He could only stare intently at the summit of Qingcheng Mountain, praying in his heart that Yuan Tiangang could pull through.

……