The Heavenly Tribulation Approaches

At that moment, Cao Xueyan’s heart nearly leapt out of her chest.

She had expected that coming here would invite questioning from Lu Qianyun.

Even insults and rage.

She had mentally prepared herself beforehand.

If needed, she simply would not speak to this woman at all.

After all, one talisman on her body and Lu Qianyun wouldn’t be able to pull any tricks.

But she never expected Lu Qianyun to be this calm.

Not only did she not curse her, but her eyes held an unsettling, almost interested calmness.

Most importantly, Lu Qianyun not only saw that she was not the original Shen Yuemian…

She even saw through who she was and why she came.

Cao Xueyan was no centuries-old monster.

Before someone as ruthless as this demonic Saintess, it was impossible not to slip.

Every subtle expression on her face had been seen clearly.

Suddenly, Lu Qianyun smiled and said:

“In ancient times, there lived the foxes of Qingqiu.

Born in the land of Qingqiu, called by the ancient name Wei Qingqiu Fox.

The women of the clan bore heaven-sent auspicious fortune.

Whoever took their body would be blessed by Heaven.

The Human Emperor once lay with three thousand women, among them dozens of Qingqiu fox maidens, and thus ascended to immortality by daylight.

Am I wrong?”

Cao Xueyan’s face changed drastically.

Even Qin Ximo had never heard of the Qingqiu Fox Clan.

Yet Lu Qianyun’s description matched almost exactly what the simulator described.

How much did this woman actually know?

“I only know this much,” Lu Qianyun said sincerely, even eagerly.

“I always thought the foxes of Qingqiu mentioned in the ancient texts were mere legends.

Even if such fox demons once existed, surely no bloodline remains today.

To be blessed by Heaven, to shine with auspicious fortune… even the ancestor who left this cave heaven never witnessed such a thing.”

“That day, Qin Ximo had only a ten-thousandth of her true strength.

Weaker than an ordinary Qi-Refining cultivator.

Yet you did not resist.

You seemed almost eager to offer your Qingqiu fox maiden purity—something even a Nascent Soul cultivator would go mad for, according to the texts.”

“And you gave it to Qin Ximo so easily.”

“Don’t tell me… you didn’t come here for her?”

Cao Xueyan stepped forward sharply and slapped the talisman onto Lu Qianyun’s body.

The sealing force activated again.

Lu Qianyun’s voice grew strained, but now it carried a chilling venom.

“…Qin Ximo… no matter how gifted… is not the chosen of Heaven… it was you… you used auspicious fortune… and Heaven favored her because of you…

My Hehuan Sect’s decades of planning… were all for someone else’s benefit…

Those things… were originally… mine…”

“I, Lu Qianyun… swear this… I will make you two… suffer a hundredfold—”

Her words abruptly stopped.

Cao Xueyan clutched her chest, still terrified.

Lu Qianyun’s expression remained twisted and icy.

Though the room was tightly closed, an eerie wind seemed to blow through it, chilling Cao Xueyan to the bone.

“Thinking back… Qin Ximo found a technique capable of breaking through Golden Core… by coincidence?

Was it truly just luck?”

“All this time, she never dared attempt the Nascent Soul breakthrough because she lacked the method, didn’t she?”

Cao Xueyan had thought the simulator’s “great benefit” meant smoother cultivation paths.

She never imagined her earlier nonsense explanation—
the yin-yang accident awakening fortune—
would turn out to be real.

“Lu Qianyun didn’t overhear us in the stone chamber.

The Qingqiu Fox Clan… really existed in Hehuan Sect’s ancient texts!”

“Of course.

When it comes to matters of men and women, the Hehuan Sect is more obsessed than anyone.”

“After all, their founder was the Human Emperor who ascended after bedding three thousand women.”

Uneasy, Cao Xueyan checked again that the talisman had fully sealed Lu Qianyun.

Only then did she flee the room in panic.

Returning to the side chamber, even the soft, luxurious bed held no appeal.

She now prayed only that Qin Ximo could break through quickly.

If she did not witness it with her own eyes, she could not calm down.

She checked the simulator panel.

Fifteen simulations left.

Fifteen days.

Her remaining time was almost gone.

She could not suppress her anxiety.

But time was strange—especially for cultivators.

In the blink of an eye, days passed.

That day, Cao Xueyan awoke as usual.

Yesterday she had applied another talisman on Lu Qianyun, and in the remaining two days, she wouldn’t need to visit her again.

After their confrontation, they never spoke again.

Even as the restraints weakened, Lu Qianyun pretended not to notice.

She stood silently each time Cao Xueyan applied a talisman—
with no complaint.

The first two times, Cao Xueyan was terrified.

But when she realized Lu Qianyun would neither move nor speak, she began treating her like a wooden statue.

Slap the talisman.

Turn around.

Run away immediately.

Stepping outside for air, Cao Xueyan admired the sky where sun and moon hung together.

Suddenly, she noticed a few unpleasant black clouds drifting toward her.

She had stayed in this Bihua Cave Heaven for days, yet the weather had never changed.

It was always sunny.

There was never rain.

Everything was still and eternal.

But those black clouds…

The moment they appeared, she felt something was horribly wrong.

It was as though a heavy stone pressed on her chest.

As if something disastrous brewed within the clouds.

Suddenly she remembered—
could these clouds be the herald of a heavenly tribulation?

Cultivation was defiance of Heaven.

The higher the cultivation, the greater Heaven’s wrath.

Golden Core breakthroughs already invited tribulation.

Higher realms invoked even more terrifying punishments.

The three calamities—wind, fire, thunder.

Wind that tore flesh from bone.

Fire that burned beyond agony.

Thunder that shattered body and soul alike.

One misstep meant annihilation.

Cao Xueyan looked toward the Transmission Hall where Lu Qianyun was sealed.

Then she rushed out of the Daoist temple.

Qin Ximo had warned her—
if she saw tribulation clouds, she must flee as far as possible.

Heavenly tribulation spared no one.

Anyone besides the one transcending it—
whether intruding intentionally or not—
would be destroyed.

And these clouds grew rapidly.

In just a few breaths, they spanned miles.

The oppressive aura thickened.

How large would this tribulation be?

Terrified, Cao Xueyan fled in the opposite direction, running as far as she could.

But she did not know—
this tribulation was not only manifesting inside the cave heaven.

Outside, above what was once an unremarkable ravine, a matching black cloud had formed.

Divine light flickered within, brewing a terrifying calamity.

In half a day, it had grown as large as an immortal city.

This horrifying sight naturally drew many cultivators.

Soldiers of the Immortal Dynasty stationed at Gusu Immortal City rode massive tower ships toward the clouds.

But none dared approach too closely.

They only stood guard from afar.

Soon, wandering cultivators and sect disciples arrived.

Seeing the cloud, they instantly recognized a great cultivator undergoing tribulation.

Though they feared heavenly might, such proximity to a tribulation was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

For rogue cultivators, it was a miracle they might never witness again.

This place was close to Qingyun Sword Sect, so they too sent people to investigate.

On a massive sword-shaped artifact, disciples and several Golden Core elders gathered.

At the front stood a gentle-looking fairy—
Xiao Menglan.

But upon seeing the tribulation cloud, unease gripped her heart.

“Have you identified who is undergoing tribulation?” she asked.

“No, Elder.

But with such magnitude, it is impossible for a Golden Core tribulation.

I fear…”

Xiao Menglan inhaled sharply, her heart trembling.

“I fear… it is a Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation.”

“In this age… someone still dares challenge the Nascent Soul realm?”

“Is it unmatched courage?

Or utter desperation?”

“But if a Nascent Soul Dao Lord truly emerges…

The balance of the cultivation world will change entirely.”