CHAPTER 581: CHAPTER 0573: THE COLLECTIVE TRIBULATION

Lin Fan naturally understood his current situation—it would be incredibly difficult to show his face and mingle in the Immortal Realm.

Basically, as long as he revealed himself, anyone with a bit of cultivation would be able to recognize him as Lin Fan. Then, after a series of chaotic events, it would undoubtedly end in being pursued and hunted down. Even those who knew they weren’t strong enough to take him on wouldn’t dare to attack outright but would certainly find ways to alert more powerful experts.

"Sigh!"

"Days like this are really... interesting."

Lin Fan glanced around at the surroundings. After the recent episode of destruction, this place, once so beautiful, had been reduced to ruin. It was truly heartbreaking to see.

If he could help it,

he would gladly become a protector of green environments.

He would place a green wreath on the head of every Immortal cultivator.

"The other side was able to find me just now by tracking the aura I left at the Ten Thousand Soul Demon Sect... it’s indeed a bit troublesome."

"Sever."

Having reached the Immortal King Realm, he could sense the lingering traces of his aura in the outside world. With a decisive motion, he severed that connection entirely. Even if the enemy enlisted an Immortal Emperor to deduce his whereabouts, it would be of no use.

Unless an Immortal Venerable appeared.

Perhaps only then could his location truly be divined.

But was there truly a living Immortal Venerable now?

He was highly skeptical. To him, it was almost certain that they no longer existed.

"Maybe they’ve really faded into obscurity."

"Let’s go."

Lin Fan stepped into the Void and departed immediately. Staying here might invite danger; who could say whether those people might grow increasingly infuriated and summon reinforcements?

In the cultivation world.

The Forbidden Land.

At this moment, the aura in this place had grown incredibly murky.

Ao Wudi had been residing here for a long time. He often spent his time boasting aimlessly with several Daoist friends, finding much joy and camaraderie in the process, even as the outside world remained an uncertain blur of time.

In the past, he had needed to look after the people around Lin Fan, but now they had all grown up, freeing him from that responsibility.

"Daoist Xiong, what’s going on here?"

Ao Wudi noticed that the aura in this place had grown restless, and an overwhelming, alarming force was emanating from deeper within. As an Emperor of the Sky Dragon Clan, he could detect even the faintest trace of danger.

Daoist Xiong gazed toward the depths of the Forbidden Land, his voice heavy, "Something’s off. I’m not sure what it is."

Te Snake and the Scarlet Piglet were just as cautious,

their expressions growing solemn.

"It’s possible the seal is experiencing problems," the Scarlet Piglet suggested.

Ao Wudi, of course, was well aware of the seal in the Forbidden Land. Over the centuries, numerous cultivators had attempted to infiltrate the Forbidden Land to seize the Divine Medicine, yet all had suffered devastating defeats. Thankfully, Ao Wudi had intervened to prevent the local beasts from carrying out utter slaughter, merely allowing them to teach the trespassers a lesson.

According to the Scarlet Piglet, the Divine Medicine growing here could strengthen the seal. If it were taken in large quantities, it would cause irreparable damage to the Forbidden Land.

"Let’s go take a look."

They transformed into streaks of light and shot off into the distance.

These were beings among the most powerful in the cultivation world, legends unto themselves. All the other so-called elites in the world had either ascended or remained too weak to pose any threat to them.

As such, they were now virtually unrivaled in the cultivation world; no one could stand against them.

Before the seal.

Ao Wudi felt a fierce gale blowing incessantly from the seal, causing his robes to flutter wildly.

"What a powerful presence,"

he marveled.

Then, turning to Daoist Xiong, he asked, "What’s the situation?"

Daoist Xiong shook his head and replied, "I can’t see through it. The seal hasn’t weakened, but I have no idea why this is happening."

Suddenly.

A dense purple mist erupted from within the seal.

"Huh?"

Ao Wudi waved his hand, sensing that the purple mist was troublesome. However, his expression quickly turned grim—this purple mist was far from ordinary.

He felt an unusual transformation taking place within his body.

His mana surged uncontrollably.

He even sensed a faint urge to ascend.

"This is bad. Everyone, be careful. This purple mist is problematic—it seems to be forcing us to ascend to the Immortal Realm!"

Ao Wudi, perfectly content ruling over the cultivation world, had no desire to ascend to the Immortal Realm. Yet now, with the purple mist seeping into his very being, he couldn’t shake the feeling.

Daoist Xiong and the others turned pale upon hearing this.

If they ascended to the Immortal Realm, the Forbidden Land would lose its guardians, creating an unimaginable crisis.

"Retreat!"

They swiftly fled in the opposite direction. But it was too late. The mana within them surged violently, and the urge to undergo tribulations for ascension grew stronger and more uncontrollable.

Ao Wudi sighed helplessly, "It seems we have no choice, my friends. We must ascend."

Daoist Xiong’s expression darkened.

Soon after,

they sensed that, elsewhere within the Forbidden Land, other beasts were also absorbing the mist and succumbing to its effects. Unable to suppress their mana, they too prepared for tribulations and ascension.

The purple mist spread beyond the Forbidden Land, beginning to engulf the entire cultivation world.

At the Taiwu Immortal Sect.

Wei You stood at the edge of a cliff, gazing out at the distant horizon. She saw purple mist floating in from afar and sensed tribulations for ascension erupting all across the cultivation world.

"Strange. Normally, no one is willing to ascend, but now everyone seems eager to ascend all at once?"

"Could it be some command from the Immortal Realm?"

Yet she was puzzled—if that were the case, why hadn’t the Taiwu Immortal Sect received such an edict?

If Lin Fan were here, he would’ve bluntly told her that the Taiwu Immortal Sect had already been wiped out in the Immortal Realm.

Before long,

the purple mist had drifted into her surroundings.

Wei You dismissed it as insignificant. Given her current power, what in the cultivation world could possibly pose a threat to her?

But soon, within moments,

she realized something was amiss. The moment she absorbed the purple mist, her long-contained mana seemed to ignite, bursting forth uncontrollably.

"This isn’t good."

She quickly grasped why others had been triggered into tribulations for ascension.

This mist was forcing it upon them.

"Senior Sister... I’m about to ascend for my tribulation. The sect is yours to handle from now on."

When Wei You heard her junior brother’s voice, her expression darkened further. "I’m about to face my tribulation and ascend too. You better sort out the new Sect Leader before you go."

"What?!"

The entire Taiwu Immortal Sect was thrown into chaos. The sudden news that both their Sect Leader and Supreme Elder were going to ascend was terrifying.

And it wasn’t just the two of them.

Other Supreme Elders were facing the same issue.

They emerged from their sect’s restricted areas, all wearing panicked expressions. The inexplicable purple mist had swept through, and no matter what Divine Skills they used, it couldn’t be resisted. Even holding their breath was futile—it seeped through their skin and into their bodies.

Then came the unstoppable tribulations.

BOOM!

On this day, the cultivation world was thrown into utter turmoil.

The skies were instantly shrouded in storm clouds, lightning crackling everywhere, as if the end of the world had arrived. Those below the True Immortal Realm were left terrified and disarrayed.

No one knew what was happening,

or why.

Everyone was utterly stunned.

All they could do was watch as lightning raged across the distant sky.