Ye Qiu glanced around and noticed several hidden sentries around the villa, all Dragon Gate disciples.
At the entrance, he encountered a few patrol teams.
“Gate Master!”
The Dragon Gate disciples bowed respectfully upon seeing Ye Qiu.
“Good work,” Ye Qiu nodded slightly.
Just then, Xiao Zhan emerged from the villa, saying, “Boss, I was worried Hu Zi’s commotion might be too much, so I stationed some Dragon Gate disciples to keep watch.”
“Well done,” Ye Qiu asked, “With this much ruckus, it won’t scare the neighbors, will it?”
Xiao Zhan replied, “Don’t worry, Boss. This villa district was developed by our Dragon Gate company. The surrounding villas haven’t been sold yet, so there are no neighbors.”
“Good,” Ye Qiu looked up at the black clouds over the roof, asking, “How long has this been going on?”
“A full week,” Xiao Zhan said. “Hu Zi went into his room a week ago and hasn’t come out since. Then these black clouds appeared. Looks like he’s been cultivating.”
“Boss, the technique Hu Zi’s practicing is definitely an evil one.”
“I’m worried if he keeps this up, he’ll run into trouble.”
Ye Qiu said, “That technique is tied to the Life-and-Death Talisman on his back. I haven’t figured out the talisman’s secret yet, so we can only take it one step at a time.”
“But don’t worry too much. With me here, he’ll be fine.”
Inside the villa, Ye Qiu saw more Dragon Gate disciples in the courtyard.
They saluted respectfully upon seeing him.
After greeting them, Ye Qiu sat down in the courtyard.
“Boss, should I call Hu Zi out?” Xiao Zhan suggested.
“No need, let him keep cultivating,” Ye Qiu knew that even if Hu Zi came out, he wouldn’t have answers, as Hu Zi himself didn’t understand the Life-and-Death Talisman.
“Boss, when are you going to visit my sister? She’s been talking about you lately,” Xiao Zhan said with a grin.
Ye Qiu hadn’t seen Xiao Yiren in a while and said, “Now that you mention it, I miss her cooking.”
Xiao Zhan said, “My sister’s learned some new dishes recently, and they’re pretty good.”
“Really?” Ye Qiu said, “I’ll have to try them sometime.”
“Why wait? No time like the present. Let’s go today. I’ll call her now.”
Xiao Zhan pulled out his phone to call Xiao Yiren when suddenly, a suffocating aura swept over them.
“What’s happening?” Xiao Zhan’s face paled.
Ye Qiu looked up, seeing the once-clear sky now shrouded in dark clouds.
“Bad news, Hu Zi’s about to face his tribulation.”
“Xiao Zhan, get everyone in and out of the courtyard to back off now.”
Ye Qiu and Xiao Zhan hurriedly left the courtyard, stopping a few hundred meters away.
Soon, the dark clouds in the sky turned into thick thunderclouds, churning endlessly.
“Boom!”
Suddenly, a purple bolt of lightning, thick as a bucket, descended from the heavens, aiming for the roof.
At that moment, a figure shot into the sky—it was Hu Zi.
Bare-chested, his muscles bulging like small hills, Hu Zi exuded a wild, domineering aura.
“Boom!”
The first bolt struck Hu Zi, but black mist surged from his body, instantly swallowing the lightning.
“Hm?”
Ye Qiu’s eyes twitched, “Hu Zi devoured the tribulation?”
Boom!
The second tribulation descended.
This time, it wasn’t a single bolt but a sea of purple, engulfing Hu Zi.
“What a powerful tribulation!” Xiao Zhan’s scalp tingled.
“This is the King’s Realm tribulation. If Hu Zi survives it, he’ll become a King-level master,” Ye Qiu said.
Honestly, he was surprised.
His own martial talent was already prodigious, but Hu Zi’s was terrifying too.
Not long ago, Hu Zi was only at the Foundation Establishment stage. Now, he was already challenging the King’s Realm.
Such cultivation speed was monstrous.
“It’s probably due to the Life-and-Death Talisman,” Ye Qiu activated his Heavenly Eye, piercing through the black mist and endless lightning to see Hu Zi battling the tribulation.
Hu Zi, caught in the tribulation, punched relentlessly at the lightning.
Ye Qiu noticed the Life-and-Death Talisman on Hu Zi’s back seemed alive, flowing and glowing with strange light.
Minutes passed.
Hu Zi burst out of the tribulation, bloodied but not gravely injured.
“Boom!”
The third tribulation descended.
Lightning surged like a tide, a sea of electricity, its blazing light connecting heaven and earth, as if to shatter everything.
The thunder’s roar threatened to burst eardrums, like a dam breaking, crashing down.
It was overwhelming.
Xiao Zhan and the Dragon Gate disciples, watching from afar, felt chills.
“Hu Zi, you got this!” Xiao Zhan shouted.
“Boom!”
The tribulation struck Hu Zi, sending him flying, black blood spraying as wounds appeared across his body.
Yet, despite the injuries, Hu Zi showed no despair. His blood surged, and he charged back into the tribulation.
“Not bad. Hu Zi’s combat strength has grown, and his body’s much tougher,” Ye Qiu remarked.
A few more minutes passed.
The lightning faded.
Hu Zi endured.
Then, a fierce wind rose, and the thunderclouds above swirled into a massive vortex.
Lightning crackled within.
A greater tribulation was coming.
Ye Qiu noticed the Life-and-Death Talisman on Hu Zi’s back glowing purple, spreading across his body.
In an instant, Hu Zi’s wounds healed.
“Come on, let the tribulation hit harder!” Hu Zi roared, black mist billowing like a demon king, arms spread to embrace the tribulation.
“Boom!”
A massive bolt tore through the sky.
A colossal lightning, like a dragon unleashed, pierced heaven and earth, terrifyingly powerful.
This time, the lightning was stronger and more abundant, instantly submerging Hu Zi.
His bones cracked, black blood sprayed, as he endured the tribulation’s relentless assault.
Hu Zi stood tall, his face defiant, fists pounding the lightning.
Soon.
“Crack!”
His bones began to break, wounds multiplied, and black blood covered him.
“Crack!”
More bones shattered, some protruding from wounds, a ghastly sight.
Xiao Zhan asked worriedly, “Boss, can Hu Zi make it?”
Ye Qiu wasn’t sure if Hu Zi could survive. He was ready to intervene if things went south, even at great personal risk, to save Hu Zi’s life.
“I believe the heavens favor the fortunate…”
Before Ye Qiu could finish, a sudden change occurred.
