“Swoosh!”
A shadow transformed into a streak of light, swiftly appearing above Huzi’s head in the sky.
“It’s that flood dragon!”
The flood dragon had appeared.
Its body suddenly expanded, instantly becoming over ten metres long, with scales across its entire form emitting a faint golden glow.
After appearing, it opened its mouth wide to devour the thunderbolts.
This change startled the Longmen disciples.
“Good heavens, a dragon has appeared!”
“So the legendary dragon truly exists!”
“I always said that the dragon in the twelve zodiac signs was not fabricated by the ancients. I never imagined that in my lifetime I would see a real dragon.”
The flood dragon had two horns on its head, whiskers under its jaw, two claws on its belly, and along with its scales and massive body, it was no wonder the Longmen disciples mistook it for a true dragon.
“A bunch of ignorant fools,” Xiao Zhan said contemptuously.
Ye Qiu’s gaze was solemn. He worried that the flood dragon’s appearance would affect Huzi’s tribulation.
In fact, his concern proved unnecessary.
The flood dragon continuously devoured the thunderbolts. The light on its body gradually became brilliant, and its aura slowly grew stronger.
“It seems that absorbing the thunderbolts is greatly beneficial to it.”
“I just do not know when it will finally shed its form to become a true dragon.”
Ye Qiu began to feel some anticipation. This flood dragon was previously a python. After the heavenly tribulation, it had transformed into a flood dragon. If it were fortunate enough, perhaps one day it really would become a true dragon.
“Rumble!”
At that moment, a startling thunderclap echoed from the ninth heaven. Immediately after, endless thunderbolts like countless falling stars descended madly.
At this instant, Ye Qiu’s expression became unprecedentedly grave.
Even with his current cultivation, he would need to exert his full strength to face such a heavenly tribulation.
“Huzi, hold on. This is the final bolt of the heavenly tribulation. As long as you survive this one, you will succeed.”
Ye Qiu shouted loudly.
At the same time, he summoned four Qiankun Cauldrons, which floated above his head. If Huzi could not hold out, he would immediately charge forward with the cauldrons to rescue him.
Huzi was covered in countless wounds at this point, but facing the powerful heavenly tribulation, he remained unyielding and resolute. Once more, he soared into the sky.
The flood dragon sensed a fatal threat. Its body rapidly shrank, becoming like a loach. With a “whoosh”, it arrived before Ye Qiu.
It was very clever and directly fled the centre of the heavenly tribulation.
“Squeak squeak squeak!”
The medicine marten on Ye Qiu’s shoulder saw the flood dragon and let out a series of cries. It even licked its lips, as if it wanted to devour the flood dragon.
Strangely, upon seeing the medicine marten, fear appeared in the flood dragon’s eyes. It quickly hugged Ye Qiu’s trouser leg with its two claws, raised its head to look at Ye Qiu with pitiful and helpless eyes, as if to say, save me quickly.
“Little one, do not scare it. In future, you two will become good friends,” Ye Qiu said with a laugh.
He felt somewhat astonished in his heart. The medicine marten had no cultivation and was merely an ordinary spirit beast. Why then was a flood dragon afraid of it?
Ye Qiu could not help but think of the egg in his Qiankun bag. When the medicine marten had seen that egg, it was extremely terrified, its appearance somewhat similar to the flood dragon’s now.
“Could it be that the egg is gestating a divine beast?”
Ye Qiu had just thought this when a “boom” of a massive explosion sounded. He hurriedly looked up and saw that the thunderbolts had already engulfed Huzi.
Miraculously, despite the thunderbolts’ power, they did not strike the roof, nor did they destroy a single blade of grass or tree on the ground.
“They all say that the way of heaven is impartial. If the way of heaven were truly impartial, why does it not fall to the ground?”
“Is it that the way of heaven is merciful and does not harm the innocent, or…”
Ye Qiu looked up at the ninth heaven and thought to himself, “Or is someone controlling the heavenly tribulation?”
This idea startled him.
Since ancient times, cultivators had all faced heavenly tribulations, even saints were no exception. If someone truly could control a heavenly tribulation, who would it be?
And what cultivation would they have?
Ye Qiu quickly dismissed his wild thoughts and watched Huzi undergo the tribulation.
The final bolt of the heavenly tribulation was extremely powerful. Huzi did not know how many times he was struck and sent flying. Each time he was sent flying, Huzi would climb back up and continue to resist the heavenly tribulation.
At this moment, Huzi was covered in wounds, his body streaked with black blood.
Fully five minutes passed.
“Puff!”
Huzi suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and plummeted from the sky to the ground. His entire body was charred black, like a piece of dry firewood, motionless.
The thunderbolts vanished.
The sky returned to clear and bright.
“Huzi has failed?” Xiao Zhan’s eyes reddened.
Although he had not known Huzi for long, he had always treated Huzi like a younger brother, and their bond was deep.
Ye Qiu rushed quickly to Huzi’s side. He saw that Huzi’s entire body was almost devoid of any intact skin, with ninety percent of his bones fractured.
Ye Qiu reached out to check and found that Huzi had no breath.
Without the slightest hesitation, he quickly plucked a leaf from the Golden Sacred Tree in his Qiankun bag, preparing to stuff it into Huzi’s mouth.
Suddenly.
“Thump!”
Huzi’s heart beat violently once, as if a divine drum had exploded.
“What is happening?” Ye Qiu was stunned.
Immediately after, Ye Qiu saw a layer of mysterious light appear on Huzi’s body, and his wounds rapidly healed.
“This is the light emitted by the Symbol of Life and Death!”
Ye Qiu then heard a series of “crack crack” sounds. Looking down, he saw that Huzi’s fractured bones were actually regrowing.
Huzi’s new bones became even blacker and harder.
Xiao Zhan said worriedly, “Boss, Huzi, he…”
“Do not worry, he is fine. He is undergoing a complete transformation.”
Ye Qiu was shocked in his heart. What exactly was the origin of the Symbol of Life and Death? How could it be so powerful?
Approximately a quarter of an hour passed.
Huzi’s injuries healed. A wild aura emanated from his body, and he opened his eyes.
The instant Huzi opened his eyes, a flash of blood light passed through his pupils, vanishing in a blink.
Huzi saw Ye Qiu and looked delighted. “Master—”
“You have just passed the heavenly tribulation and need to consolidate your cultivation quickly,” Ye Qiu reminded him.
Huzi nodded, sat cross-legged on the ground, closed his eyes, and began to circulate his technique.
Soon, rolling black mist appeared around him again, and a powerful yin and evil aura spread out. Even Ye Qiu felt a slight pressure.
“Huzi has broken through… to the peak of the King realm?”
Ye Qiu circled behind Huzi and glanced over. He saw that the Symbol of Life and Death now had only six circles left.
“It seems the old man was right in his earlier guess. The Symbol of Life and Death has nine layers in total. Each one unlocked advances Huzi’s cultivation by a realm.”
Beep beep beep—
Ye Qiu’s phone rang. The call was from Real Person Changmei.
“What is it?” Ye Qiu answered and asked.
Real Person Changmei said, “You little brat, come to Kunlun Mountain quickly. I have found the dragon vein…”
“Get lost!” Ye Qiu hung up the phone before Real Person Changmei could finish speaking.
