CHAPTER 429

"Xuankong Mountain."

A faint chill flickered in Lu Qing’s eyes.

He had never forgotten the sect that had repeatedly sent assassins after him.

Previously, Xuankong Mountain had withdrawn into its hidden realm, leaving him temporarily unable to deal with them. But now, he felt it was time to settle this score.

The reason for his confidence, aside from having stepped into the Golden Core Realm...

With a thought, a small, palm-sized, ancient silver flying boat appeared in Lu Qing’s hand. Despite its somewhat battered exterior, the aura it exuded was extraordinary.

Staring at the silver flying boat, Lu Qing’s face revealed a peculiar expression.

Over the past month, he had already sorted through all the treasures left behind by the Mo Hu brothers.

Although the items were impressive, very few caught his eye. Among them, the one that intrigued him the most was naturally the silver flying boat known as the Void Flying Boat.

After all, his spiritual powers had identified it as a fragment of a Dao Artifact. Even in its damaged state, its power rivaled that of a mid-grade Spiritual Artifact.

Not long after acquiring the Void Flying Boat, Lu Qing had refined it. Through experimentation, he discovered its extraordinary properties.

The material of the flying boat was exceptionally unique, utterly indestructible.

Even with his current cultivation level, pouring all his strength into it, he couldn't leave a single scratch.

It was no wonder the gray-robed man had risked everything to try and escape into the boat. If he had succeeded, Lu Qing might not have been able to subdue him.

However, the Void Flying Boat's material could not integrate with a physical body. Despite refining and controlling it, Lu Qing could not store it within himself and had to keep it in a spatial artifact.

Even his spiritual abilities couldn’t determine the boat’s composition. Whether his insights would deepen with his future cultivation progress remained unknown.

Aside from its indestructibility and formidable defensive capabilities, the Void Flying Boat had only two other functions.

The first was its incredible speed—blindingly fast!

The flying speed of the Void Flying Boat was so astonishing that the golden flying boat Lu Qing had previously obtained from Elder Jinchong of Xuankong Mountain wasn’t even a tenth as fast.

Moreover, this wasn’t the Void Flying Boat’s limit; it was the limit of the Small World they were in.

When he initially refined the Void Flying Boat, Lu Qing had tested its speed. Out of curiosity, he pushed its velocity higher and higher.

Eventually, he was met with a warning from the Heavenly Dao rules of the Small World. If the flying boat continued accelerating, it would surpass the world’s tolerance, resulting in his expulsion from it.

Only then did Lu Qing realize that each world had a speed limit.

However, pushing the Void Flying Boat to the world’s speed limit required an enormous expenditure of spiritual power. Even with Lu Qing’s Perfect Golden Core, it couldn’t be sustained for long.

Aside from its breathtaking speed, the Void Flying Boat had another even more terrifying ability.

It could traverse the void.

This ability enabled it to perform spatial jumps, leaping millions of miles in an instant.

Moreover, it could pierce through space, ignoring restrictions and barriers, moving freely.

This void-traversing ability was Lu Qing’s trump card for confronting Xuankong Mountain.

"Xuankong Mountain," he muttered. "I’d like to see if your greatest reliance, your hidden realm, can stop my Void Flying Boat."

Lu Qing gazed toward the west, his eyes seeming to pierce through space.

Moments later, a streak of light shot up from the mountain and sped toward the western horizon.

...

In the depths of the Ling Mountain Range in the Western State, thunder rumbled, and a swirling gray tribulation cloud hung high in the sky, emanating a powerful heavenly might that spread in all directions.

Someone was undergoing a Thunder Tribulation.

At the perimeter of the tribulation cloud’s aura, several figures stood nervously, watching the scene unfold.

They were elderly monks clad in weathered robes.

Had Lu Qing been present, he would have immediately recognized one of them as Elder Chixin, the red-faced monk who had narrowly escaped death during their previous encounter.

"Elder Chixin," one monk asked, unable to suppress his anxiety as he felt the terrifying aura of the tribulation. "Do you think Elder Jinchong can successfully overcome this tribulation?"

"He should have no trouble," Elder Chixin replied calmly. "The abbot succeeded yesterday, and Elder Jinchong has benefited from his guidance and witnessed the previous tribulation. This one shouldn’t be too difficult."

Elder Chixin’s aura was steady and unyielding, showing that he had completely recovered from the grievous injuries inflicted by Lu Qing’s Li Huo Cauldron during their last confrontation.

Hearing Elder Chixin’s reassurance, the other monks relaxed slightly.

An old monk chuckled and said, “Elder Chixin, once Elder Jinchong successfully passes his tribulation and achieves the Golden Core Realm, it will likely be your turn next, won’t it? Among all of us, your foundation is now the deepest.”

The other monks nodded in agreement.

Elder Chixin, after suffering severe injuries during his last encounter, was not expected to recover his vitality for years.

However, the Abbot utilized a treasured artifact from the monastery’s depths to heal him.

Unexpectedly, not only did Elder Chixin fully recover, but he also gained insight into the principle of breaking through limitations to achieve growth. His cultivation advanced further, and his foundation deepened significantly.

“I am in no rush,” Elder Chixin said, shaking his head, his tone calm. “I still need more time to consolidate my gains before considering my tribulation.”

The red-faced old monk was clearly not eager to hasten into his own tribulation either. He had only recently recovered and was unwilling to push himself too quickly.

Moreover...

This time, his injuries had provided him with a rare opportunity to understand the principles of "destruction before creation" and the cycle of life and death. Combined with the monastery’s treasured artifact, he had solidified his foundation.

He planned to fully digest and internalize the insights he had gained, converting them into the core of his cultivation.

When he eventually faced his tribulation, not only would he be more confident in overcoming it, but he might also attract red clouds of tribulation, or even the legendary golden tribulation clouds.

The red-faced old monk gazed at the gray tribulation clouds in the sky ahead, a strange glint in his eyes.

According to ancient texts, the color of the Tribulation Clouds during the Golden Core Tribulation signified the qualitative strength of the tribulation and the cultivator's potential post-breakthrough.

Golden clouds were the most powerful, followed by red, and then gray.

Yesterday, during the Abbot's tribulation, faint red clouds had appeared.

After achieving the Golden Core Realm, the Abbot’s aura had grown so powerful that he scarcely displayed any period of weakness afterward.

Witnessing this, the red-faced monk developed his own ambitions. How could he be content with merely gray clouds?

“When Elder Jinchong completes his tribulation successfully, Xuankong Mountain will boast two Golden Core cultivators. By then, not only will the other three Major Secret Realms have to acknowledge Xuankong Mountain as their superior, but even those mysterious Golden Core experts in Zhongzhou will no longer pose a threat to us!”

Another monk interjected, “Speaking of which, who exactly are those two mysterious experts that appeared out of nowhere?”

“Could it be as the Abbot calculated—that they are truly otherworldly invaders?” one monk asked in confusion.

“No matter where they come from, it’s clear they’re not benevolent,” another replied. “The moment they appeared, they annihilated several Zhongzhou sects and seized multiple newly-emerged Hidden Realms.

“Their intention to claim all the world’s resources is evident. These two are formidable enemies we must eradicate to unify the world!”

“Indeed, they’ve been absent for over a month now,” another monk added. “They’ve likely gone into seclusion to absorb the resources they looted from those Hidden Realms.

“When they reappear, they will undoubtedly be even stronger. We cannot afford to underestimate them!”

“No matter,” said another, dismissing their concern. “If not for their seclusion, the Abbot wouldn’t have had the opportunity to undergo his tribulation.

“They are only two, while Xuankong Mountain has many.

“As long as we all successfully pass our tribulations, we will have no reason to fear them.”

“And don’t forget, there’s one individual who must be eliminated above all others,” the red-faced monk suddenly said, his tone filled with venomous hatred. “The Ghost-Masked Man must be found and executed, even if we have to search every corner of the heavens and earth!”

“Indeed! That Ghost-Masked Man!”

“If we do not subject him to the most excruciating punishment, the souls of Xuankong Mountain’s fallen disciples will never rest in peace!”

“Once the Abbot stabilizes his cultivation, we will immediately ask him to use Celestial Calculation to locate the Ghost-Masked Man’s hiding place. With his Golden Core cultivation and the power of spiritual artifacts, I refuse to believe we cannot find him!”

The other monks chimed in, their tones equally cold.

The Ghost-Masked Man had slain many disciples of Xuankong Mountain, including some who were their personal protégés.

Such deep hatred could not go unavenged!

Suddenly, a loud boom echoed.

As the monks were deep in discussion about tracking down the Ghost-Masked Man, the whirlpool of Tribulation Clouds ahead unleashed its final bolt of Tribulation Lightning before slowly dispersing.

The monks' faces lit up with joy.

“Elder Jinchong’s aura remains strong—he has successfully passed his tribulation! He is about to achieve the Golden Core Realm!”