Chapter 190
**Chapter 185: Crossing the Tribulation**
"Today, the Jiushan Sect's Pang Qian has slain the traitor Xuan Gui of the Hundred Immortals Alliance and the Great Freedom Demon Cult's Chi Lian Xian right here!" He finished speaking and let out a long laugh, "Not a bad death!"
"Listen up, disciples of Jiushan Sect! There's no need to be sad. Just lie low in the Thunder Pool, endure hardships, and cultivate diligently for the future!"
"Zheng Fa, you and your cousin Zhang must eradicate the Great Freedom Demon Cult and avenge me!"
After saying this, he glanced at Zheng Fa and the others, his eyes softening for a moment, then he smiled at the bone sword hovering above his head.
At this moment, the Five Dragon Heavenly Palace was in ruins, and his talismans had long been exhausted. The self-destruction of his life-bound treasure had left him with no means of escape. Yet, his face remained calm.
"Yan brother!"
Zheng Fa called out, turning his head.
"Old Han!"
"What's the rush? He’s not going to die!" a voice replied. "This Pang fellow is quite moving; let him talk a bit more."
In the sky, it seemed another red sun had appeared, but upon closer inspection, it was a flying sword.
In an instant, the sword was at the edge of the sky, and the next moment, it descended directly onto the head of the malevolent Sword Immortal. Before the evil Nascent Soul could even react, it was obliterated in an instant.
The bone sword in the air lost its master and fell from the clouds.
By the Thunder Pool, an old man yawned, glancing at the bone sword that had dropped beside him with a look of disdain. "This disgusting sword dares to call itself a Sword Immortal?"
Uncle Pang looked at the old man, then at his battered Five Dragon Heavenly Palace. It seemed he recalled the words he had just spoken.
That expression—
It looked as if he was more inclined to sacrifice himself for righteousness.
---
The old man by the Thunder Pool was small in stature, his hair bun loose and his expression lazy. He merely watched the copper coffin with a smile, seemingly unwilling to take action.
The old man inside the copper coffin appeared to have encountered an indescribable terror; the coffin lid seemed to tighten further, as if it wished to be welded to the bronze coffin.
The bronze coffin drifted swiftly through the air, wishing it had four wheels.
Uncle Pang was already exhausted, his spiritual body depleted. He could not intervene.
He glanced at the old man by the Thunder Pool. The old man shot him a glance, then looked at Yan Wushuang in the Thunder Pool, curling his lip with three words on his face:
"Too lazy to move."
Uncle Pang pressed his lips together, trying not to look at the expressions of the disciples in the Thunder Pool, and even less willing to think about his miserable Five Dragon Heavenly Palace. He approached the old man respectfully and said,
"Are you the Residual Sun Sword Immortal, Han Zhenren?"
"That's me." The old man nodded after glancing at Uncle Pang.
"I can't express my gratitude for your saving grace..."
"…It’s not for free." Han Zhenren said bluntly, his face sour. "Do you have a disciple named Zheng Fa?"
"Yes."
"He’s already paid."
---
Zheng Fa felt a bit strange about the way Uncle Pang was looking at him—
It was a mix of gratitude and a hint of blame, the kind of frustration that comes from not knowing how to voice it.
"This Han Zhenren?"
Sun Daoyu spoke up, "The Residual Sun Sword Immortal, I’ve heard of him… a well-known late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, said to be just a step away from becoming a God Transformation."
His tone was filled with disbelief, and even his gaze towards Yan Wushuang was somewhat cautious.
Zheng Fa couldn’t help but feel a deep respect for Yan Wushuang.
This guy can command such a powerful figure?
"Old Han is a senior in our sect," Yan Wushuang smiled. "Now that I’m out traveling, he’s worried I might run into danger, so he decided to accompany me."
Sun Daoyu’s expression turned even more envious upon hearing this.
"True disciples going out on journeys need a great cultivator to accompany them? Is this the way of the five great sects of Xuanwei?"
Zheng Fa felt a sense of awe.
A late-stage Nascent Soul? When his own master boasted about his talisman formations, he only dared to claim he could kill those before reaching late-stage Nascent Soul…
Having a big shot around was always Zheng Fa's dream!
"Don’t get the wrong idea, I don’t have one."
The man from Haori Mountain, Chu Tianque, explained with a stern face.
"Neither do I."
The disciple from Taishang Dao, Xue Zhenchuan, added.
Zheng Fa felt inexplicably that their tones carried a hint of the same envy and jealousy he felt.
"Then…" Zheng Fa speculated, "Is it because Yan brother's talent is extraordinary that the Tianhe Sect values him so highly?"
Yan Wushuang nodded vigorously.
The two of them rolled their eyes.
"The elders in the sect and my father all say I have great talent! I need to be careful when I go out." Yan Wushuang said proudly.
"…Your father?"
"My dad? Oh, he’s the head of the Tianhe Sect." Yan Wushuang waved his hand dismissively. "Not important, not important; what matters is that they say I have great talent."
…Not important?
You should have said that earlier!
If you had said we were like brothers from different mothers, we wouldn’t have to talk about cooperation!
---
"Then, Yan brother…"
Zheng Fa couldn’t help but feel puzzled; he remembered this person was quite short on funds.
"My dad doesn’t want me to travel or start any organizations." Yan Wushuang explained as if he had said it a thousand times before. "Old Han usually doesn’t take action."
Zheng Fa began to understand.
The rebellious second-generation immortal wanted to break away from his sect to start his own venture.
His father didn’t support him but was afraid he would get himself killed.
"Then… what about today’s Han Zhenren…"
"If he doesn’t take action, then I have to." Yan Wushuang smiled proudly.
…Is this a 'watch me die' kind of plea for help?
No wonder the Residual Sun Sword Immortal looked so sour.
---
After the battle, the Thunder Pool market had collapsed halfway, and although Uncle Pang's Five Dragon Heavenly Palace appeared unchanged on the surface, it was far more troublesome.
The collapsed market could be rebuilt in a day or two.
But the restoration of the Five Dragon Heavenly Palace might take a hundred years.
"Just surviving is good enough." Uncle Pang sighed, then looked at Li Nuo and said gently, "I didn’t expect it would be you who saved me."
Li Nuo had never been treated with such importance by a Nascent Soul before.
He stammered, unsure of what to say.
Sun Daoyu and the other disciples of Uncle Pang exchanged glances, then suddenly stood up and bowed in unison to Li Nuo.
"That’s not necessary…" Li Nuo said in a panic, "It’s all Zheng Shidi’s credit."
He looked at Zheng Fa, seemingly seeking help.
Zheng Fa shook his head.
Li Nuo had suffered disdain in the market for so long.
Now, he finally felt like he was reaping the rewards of his hardships.
"This is what you deserve," he said softly to Li Nuo, "and it’s what your father deserves too."
Li Nuo froze, falling silent.
He stared blankly at his senior brothers and sisters, as if recalling something.
His eyes gradually turned red.
---
"Since the Residual Sun Sword Immortal is here, the Great Freedom Demon Cult probably won’t bother with the matter of Cousin Zhang anymore."
Zheng Fa said, somewhat confused, "But this Old Han is just a late-stage Nascent Soul…"
"What do you mean just a late-stage Nascent Soul?" Uncle Pang spat. "Your master wouldn’t even dare to say he could escape in front of him with his talisman formations."
"But they’re all Nascent Souls…"
Zheng Fa couldn’t quite understand. "It’s really hard to reach the Nascent Soul stage, and even harder to transform into a God." Uncle Pang sighed. "The reason late-stage Nascent Souls are called great cultivators is that their power varies greatly; some may only be slightly stronger than mid-stage Nascent Souls, while others simply lack the opportunity."
"So, this Old Han is…?"
"You could say he’s the previous version of Cousin Zhang."
Zheng Fa suddenly understood.
This meant—
This person had exceptional talent, but like Cousin Zhang stuck at the Golden Core stage, he was stuck at the Nascent Soul stage.
On the other hand, Cousin Zhang could stand shoulder to shoulder with Nascent Souls at the Golden Core stage…
"Does the Great Freedom Demon Cult not have any God Transformation cultivators?"
"They do, but God Transformation masters generally won’t act easily; it seems there are some taboos." Uncle Pang explained. "For example, in our Hundred Immortals Alliance, we also have God Transformation cultivators, but they hardly concern themselves with mundane matters; I’ve only met them twice."
"So, it seems Cousin Zhang’s Golden Core stage should be worry-free."
With someone like the Residual Sun Sword Immortal roaming around, the Great Freedom Demon Cult probably wouldn’t pay much attention to Cousin Zhang.
"Worry-free…" Uncle Pang sighed, "It still depends on how she handles it."
---
The five-colored clouds in the sky gradually solidified into a glass-like form, the colors deepening until a massive purple-black eye emerged.
"The tribulation for Cousin Zhang’s Nascent Soul has begun," Uncle Pang said.
Zheng Fa and Uncle Pang stood at the edge of the Thunder Pool, closest to Cousin Zhang.
He activated his洞虚灵眼 (Dongxu Lingyan, a spiritual eye technique) to look at where Cousin Zhang was.
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