The Long Journey to Immortality

Like an ordinary mortal, Elder Haoge raised the umbrella-shaped magical artifact with his hand and opened it, turning his body to the side and looking up at the sky, ready for battle.

As the three colors mixed and blended, thousands of clouds gathered together, and the calamity cloud finally formed.

The three-colored clouds of calamity mixed together, forming an indescribable cloud formation.

Immediately afterwards, rumbling thunder echoed from the clouds in the sky, and the sky, which had been somewhat bright, became completely dark, turning the world from daytime into a moonless night.

The tribulation clouds above Elder Haoge's head became the only source of light in the darkness.

The tribulation clouds changed colors like a carousel, with three colors appearing in turn. Finally, before the first bolt of heavenly lightning struck, the tribulation clouds stopped at crimson red.

"So, the first bolt of heavenly lightning has the attribute of fire?"

"Fire overcomes metal, so lightning tribulation should inherently possess some metal element... However, metal also overcomes wood, this..."

Reciting the Five Elements mantra in her mind, Han Lu couldn't figure out for a while whether the heavenly lightning had increased or decreased in strength according to the changes of the Five Elements.

However, one thing is certain: the tribulation lightning that everyone has been waiting for is finally about to begin.

Chapter 470 When it thunders and rains, you need an umbrella.

The tribulation clouds brewed for about a hundred breaths before the first bolt of heavenly lightning finally struck.

The crimson lightning, in appearance, is not much different from the lightning spells cast by cultivators.

Even with Han Lu's cultivation level of only the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, she couldn't perceive just how powerful this heavenly lightning was.

Based on her facial observations, she could only conclude that the thunder was louder, coarser, and more powerful. That was all.

In weather like this, ordinary people living in the mountains would only think it's a thunderstorm, but this thunderstorm only brings thunder and lightning without rain.

The only target of the heavenly lightning was Elder Haoge, who was located directly below the tribulation clouds. At this moment, only he knew the power of this heavenly tribulation.

Before the heavenly lightning had fully struck, Elder Haoge already felt as if he were carrying a massive boulder weighing ten thousand pounds, causing him to involuntarily hunch over, as if he were about to kneel in worship before the overwhelming heavenly might.

However, Elder Haoge was ultimately a Golden Core cultivator. His willpower, spiritual power, and powerful physical strength allowed him to remain standing under the overwhelming heavenly might and face the heavenly lightning head-on.

In a distance of only ten miles, the lightning bolt took a full ten breaths to make contact with the array set up by Elder Haoge.

The grand formation, which was barely set up at the cost of thousands of spirit stones and a large amount of materials, did not disappoint Elder Haoge and many Zhengyi Sect cultivators.

The pale light curtain and the lightning tribulation were locked in a fierce battle in the air.

Ripples spread across the area where the light barrier came into contact with the lightning tribulation, and specks of lightning spread along the light barrier, reaching the blue stone pillar at the array's core.

As the power of thunder eroded them, these bluestone pillars underwent violent changes. Their originally smooth surfaces became rough at a visible speed, as if the magical artifacts were losing their spirituality.

Clearly, these bluestone pillars are the key to resisting the lightning tribulation.

Elder Haoge, holding the umbrella-shaped magic weapon, had a serious expression on his face, as if he was prepared for the magic array to collapse in the next instant, unable to withstand even a single lightning tribulation, and that he would have to take action himself.

Fortunately, the first lightning tribulation was the weakest of all the lightning tribulations, and the array that was struck with real gold and silver still had some effect in the end.

As the formation was on the verge of collapse, the crimson lightning power was completely absorbed. The heavenly lightning that had just been swaggering in front of Elder Haoge vanished into thin air, leaving only the tribulation clouds still floating in the sky, accompanied by muffled thunder, brewing the next tribulation lightning to descend.

Despite this, the tribulation cloud, which had gathered almost all the spiritual energy in the vicinity, was still "full of vitality." Han Lu estimated that the tribulation cloud could easily unleash another hundred heavenly lightning bolts of the same intensity as before.

"A single bolt of lightning nearly destroyed the formation; Elder Haoge is in grave danger."

Besides Han Lu, this thought also appeared in the minds of many cultivators present at the ceremony.

Even Daoist Lian Yunmin couldn't help but shake his head and murmur a sentence.

Because of the rumbling thunder, Han Lu couldn't hear what Daoist Yunmin was saying. She only knew that Daoist Yunmin believed that Elder Haoge's umbrella was the key to his successful tribulation.

Elder Haoge breathed a sigh of relief after surviving the first tribulation of lightning in this way.

Taking advantage of the gap in the tribulation clouds accumulating spiritual power and preparing for the second tribulation, Elder Haoge quickly took out a number of materials from his storage bag and tried to repair the magic array around him.

Even if this magic array can only help him resist half a bolt of heavenly lightning, all the effort he has put in by spending money will be worthwhile.

Seeing this, Han Lu chuckled to herself, "If a cultivator had enough resources to set up a hundred or so tribulation-crossing formations similar to this one, wouldn't the process of transcending tribulation be ten times easier?"

Looking at Elder Haoge's busy figure in the distance, Han Lu added, "When I undergo my tribulation, I must not skimp on spirit stones in the preliminary preparations."

Repairing the magic array was no easy task. Just as Elder Haoge had repaired one-third of the magic array, which had been mostly destroyed by the lightning tribulation, the tribulation clouds in the sky began to change color again.

There was a full hundred breaths between the first and second bolts of heavenly lightning.

Clearly, at this moment, the tribulation clouds had already mobilized their spiritual power and were deciding which type of heavenly lightning to unleash to test Elder Haoge.

Finally, the tribulation clouds turned cyan, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief for Elder Haoge.

Elder Haoge specializes in wood-attribute techniques, so dealing with heavenly lightning with wood attributes would naturally be a bit easier for him.

Moreover, the lightning itself possesses the metal element, and metal overcomes wood. A lightning strike with this combination of attributes might be slightly weaker than the first lightning strike.

As expected, although the second bolt of lightning took a little longer to condense than the first, its impact when it descended was not as powerful.

The lightning struck, and surprisingly, it fought to a standstill against the magic array that had just been repaired and had only regained half of its power.

Although the heavenly lightning eventually broke through the magic array, causing the several blue stone pillars standing in the array to completely collapse beyond repair.

However, the remaining divine power of the heavenly thunder was insufficient, and Elder Haoge simply raised the umbrella in his hand to neutralize it all.

"Excellent!" Upon seeing this, Daoist Yunmin clapped his hands excitedly and praised repeatedly, "The Free and Easy Umbrella that Senior Wang Han used when he underwent the Tribulation of Transformation is indeed powerful."

Upon hearing this, Han Lu finally understood how the leaders of the Zhengyi Sect knew the origin and supernatural power of this umbrella.

It turns out that this umbrella was historically famous, and even the ancient cultivator Wang Han used it when he was undergoing the Nascent Soul stage tribulation. This was a magical artifact of the spiritual weapon level.

Upon hearing this, Piaomiaozi couldn't help but sigh, "I didn't expect the sect to have such a magical treasure? With this famous Free and Easy Umbrella, Elder Haoge might really be able to live freely under the might of this tribulation."

With the magic array completely destroyed, Elder Haoge did not attempt to repair it during the brief interval when the tribulation clouds condensed the third heavenly lightning.

The lightning bolt he had just witnessed convinced him that the Free and Unfettered Umbrella in his hand was his greatest asset during this tribulation. Therefore, without any hesitation, he activated the Free and Unfettered Umbrella using the activation method developed by the senior members and high-level cultivators of the Zheng Yi Sect over the past few months, attempting to unleash the full power of this "antique" with at least 100,000 years of history.

Another hundred breaths passed, and the third bolt of heavenly lightning struck.

This time, the heavenly lightning that descended carried a hint of earth element.

Han Lu estimated that this bolt of heavenly lightning was at least twice as thick as the first bolt. As for how much more powerful it was, only Elder Haoge, a cultivator who had undergone tribulation, would know.

To conserve spiritual energy, Elder Haoge did not use any flying techniques. Instead, he stood steadily on the flat ground atop the mountain and focused on controlling the Xiaoyao Umbrella to actively engage the enemy.

The lightning struck the Xiaoyao Umbrella in mid-air, but the white umbrella remained unaffected by the lightning's impact.

It was as if there was a huge mouth on the umbrella, swallowing all the heavenly lightning that descended from the tribulation clouds and absorbing it completely.

In less than five breaths, the earth-colored lightning that had been so powerful just moments before vanished under the influence of the magical power of the Free and Easy Umbrella.

The tribulation clouds, seemingly enraged by the ease with which the attack was resolved, unleashed a rumbling thunder.

Unfortunately, the next tribulation lightning bolt still needed time to condense, so at this point, the tribulation clouds could only intimidate Elder Haoge in terms of sheer force.

Chapter 471 The Might of Heaven is Overwhelming

In a short while, Elder Haoge "casually" neutralized the three bolts of heavenly lightning that descended from the tribulation clouds. Many of the Zhengyi Sect cultivators watching cheered for Elder Haoge, just like Sect Master Yunmin had done before.

The origin of the carefree umbrella in Elder Haoge's hand was also passed down by word of mouth.

Several Golden Core elders from the sect who felt they had a chance to advance to the Nascent Soul realm couldn't help but look at the white umbrella with much more fervent eyes.

Clearly, they were already imagining themselves borrowing the Carefree Umbrella from their sect and facing the tribulation of lightning with ease.

Piaomiaozi has little chance of advancing to the Nascent Soul stage, let alone the mid-stage Golden Core stage.

Naturally, after learning the origin of the white umbrella, he focused more on analyzing why the umbrella was so effective against lightning tribulations, and taught it to his two disciples as a piece of knowledge.

"Transcending the tribulation of lightning is when a cultivator uses their own spiritual power as a foundation to employ various methods to defend against the tribulation of lightning or even directly destroy the tribulation clouds."

"It seems that this Free and Easy Umbrella is not only good at protecting against lightning magic, but it is also a high-level magic tool that does not require too much spiritual power to activate when casting supernatural powers."

"Only such magical tools are suitable for use during tribulation."

Following that, Piaomiaozi commented on and analyzed several magical artifacts he knew of in Wen Erya's possession, using these artifacts as examples to explain to his two disciples the importance of using appropriate magical treasures when undergoing tribulation.

The meaning of "Piaomiaozi" is not complicated. Simply put, it refers to the difference between incandescent light bulbs and LED light bulbs when powered on.

Magical items like LED lights with high electro-optical conversion rates are more suitable for use during tribulations.

Some magical artifacts, though requiring a great deal of spiritual energy to unleash incredibly powerful moves, are only suitable for use in combat. Using them during tribulation would only become a burden.

Piaomiaozi's few words opened up a new perspective for Wen Erya, who knew very little about the tribulation.

Han Lu, on the other hand, managed to survive a "thunder tribulation" thanks to Xiaoyaozi's memories. Although her knowledge of surviving thunder tribulations was somewhat outdated, she still had the basics.

For her, Piaomiaozi's words were more like a review, a reminder of important knowledge points.

As they were talking, Jieyun once again mobilized and gathered the spiritual energy within it.

This time, the color of the calamity clouds was no longer a single color but a mixed complex color.

The red and green colors blended into a bright yellow, and this lightning tribulation possessed both fire and wood attributes.

Clearly, this fourth bolt of heavenly lightning will not be as monotonous and simple as before.

However, because of the presence of the Free and Easy Umbrella, none of the Golden Core cultivators present took this bolt of heavenly lightning too seriously.

Even Elder Haoge, who was undergoing his tribulation, held the Xiaoyao Umbrella with great confidence, believing that with his current strength, he had at least an 80% chance of successfully passing the tribulation.

As a cultivator in the late Golden Core stage who is currently undergoing tribulation, Elder Haoge is the most qualified to speak on this matter, and his judgment is correct.

Facing the fourth lightning tribulation, the Carefree Umbrella remained unfazed.

Flying through the air, facing the lightning tribulation.

Under Elder Haoge's urging, the Xiaoyao Umbrella spun rapidly in the air, its handle centered on the umbrella.

The electric light generated by the collision of the lightning with the umbrella surface slid down the slope of the umbrella surface like liquid, and was reverberated by the rapidly spinning umbrella.

Break it down into smaller parts.

The originally powerful lightning tribulation was weakened by the magic weapon and forcibly split into hundreds of smaller lightning bolts.

Faced with these empty shells carrying the might of heavenly thunder, Elder Haoge simply relied on his protective qi to receive and neutralize them all.

This magical artifact with a remarkable history seemed to be toying with the heavenly tribulation in Elder Haoge's hands.

This move was brilliant, and Han Lu heard cheers all around her.

An optimistic atmosphere spread among the people.

Only a few Zhengyi Sect cultivators, like Han Lu, looked solemnly at the tribulation clouds in the sky that were still solid and gathered a large amount of spiritual energy.