“Hey, look! It seems like it’s thundering over there. Who knows? It might very well rain soon! When that happens, the rain will extinguish that chick’s flames and we can go in and kill them,” said one of the demon soldiers.
As he spoke, he pointed at a sudden crack of lightning in the distant sky. The battered remnants of the demon army were holed up outside the range of the vermillion bird’s nirvanic flames.
The other demons turned to look at the thunder clouds as well. Then someone a bit more knowledgeable said, “quit dreaming. Ordinary rain can’t even extinguish a phoenix’s flames, much less a vermillion bird’s.”
“There’s fire that even a thunderstorm’s rain can’t extinguish?” exclaimed the first demon soldier. However, no one wanted to pay his ignorance any heed.
“Someone in Dragon City is undergoing tribulation.”
The demon soldier’s conversation reached their superiors’ ears as well. One of the Twelve Demon Sovereigns looked ahead. When he saw the lightning clouds, he immediately proclaimed, “they really are undergoing tribulation.”
The other Demon Sovereigns nodded successively. When Black Dragon, who was inwardly dejected, heard that, he finally looked over as well.
His brows knit even tighter and his tone grew even more somber.
“It’s been such a short amount of time yet someone is already undergoing tribulation. Brother Su, the Four Beasts Formation doesn’t boost the people insides’ cultivation rates, does it?”
After a while, Black Dragon still had yet to hear any response from Su Yiyun. When he turned to look at him, he saw that Su Yiyun’s expression was extremely grave.
“Brother Su?” He lightly patted Su Yiyun’s shoulder.
Su Yiyun finally came to his senses and asked, “What is it?”
“Brother Su, you noticed that lightning tribulation as well, didn’t you?” Black Dragon pointed at the distant thunderclouds and said, “it seems like the one undergoing tribulation is that nine-tailed fox girl. When we fought earlier, her strength was just around the half-step immortal king level, I felt no indication that she was about to undergo tribulation but then, the moment they started placing the Four Beasts Formation, her tribulation started….. Is there a connection?”
If the Four Beast Formation also had the effect of boosting the strength of those inside, there was absolutely no way they could let Beast Region finish placing it.
The Three Realms had an enormous advantage to begin with: they had the leyline to purify their spiritual energy.
If the Four Beasts formation raised their strength in addition to maintaining an invincible barrier, the demons were toast!
“Are you trying to ask me if the Four Beasts Formation has the effect of raising a person’s strength?”
Back when Black Dragon patted his shoulders, Su Yiyun’s gaze had s.h.i.+fted somewhat. Other than that, he hadn’t looked away from the distant lighting tribulation at all, not even once.
“That’s right,” Black Dragon nodded. Inwardly, though he was suspicious. Why was Brother Su so fixated on that tribulation lightning?
“The Four Beasts Formation doesn’t boost spiritual power. Since she’s undergoing tribulation now, perhaps her spiritual power was repressed earlier, just like yours was. Now that she’s unleashed all of her spiritual power, it"s only natural that she’d incur tribulation lightning,” replied Su Yiyun, brows knit.
Then he heard Black Dragon ask in confusion, “then why didn’t I undergo tribulation?”
“You demons don’t need to undergo tribulation,” Su Yiyun said, still staring fixedly in the direction of the lightning tribulation. His fist, resting atop his leg, clenched subtly.
“So that’s how it is,” Black Dragon nodded in understanding. He never would have guessed that they demons possessed such an advantage.
However, mere moments later, he found himself overcome with confusion. The one undergoing tribulation was a nine-tailed fox. Why was Su Yiyun so concerned?
“Grandmaster Su, do you know why that empress’s tribulation lightning is red? Isn’t heavenly lightning usually blue-ish white?” asked one of the Demon Sovereigns.
Su Yiyun didn’t even pause to think. “That’s Heart Demon Lightning. It’s different from ordinary heavenly lightning. This type of heavenly lightning has no destructive power but nevertheless, it’s the type of lightning tribulation-takers least want to run into. Since ancient times, countless outstanding figures have fallen beneath it.”
“Heart Demon Heavenly Lightning is so strong?”
“Even amongst exceptional people, who dares say they have a truly clean conscience? It’s not just that, though. The Heart Demon Heavenly LIghtning seeks out your vulnerabilities and most painful memories and attacks them directly. It’s rare to find someone capable of resisting this sort of attack.”
Thud.
Before he’d even finished his sentence, Su Yiyun tightly grasped the arms of his wicker chair.
The onlookers watched in astonishment as he stood up, pulled a few spirit stones from his pocket, and tossed them into the burning flames surrounding the vermillion bird.
Fwoos.h.!.+
Spiritually conscious shot out in all four directions. Suddenly, a cage appeared, sealing Zhuge Hong within. The waves of heat emanating from her body were sealed completely within; nothing managed to escape at all.
“Brother Su!” When he saw that Su Yiyun possessed this sort of method, Black Dragon frowned and tried to interrogate him. If he had the means to restrict the vermillion bird, why hadn’t he done so earlier?
However, Su Yiyun didn’t answer his question at all. He simply snapped his fingers and vanished from his wicker chair.
Black Dragon and the others watched this play out in utter astonishment. Black Dragon, in particular, frowned deeply.
Then, instantly, he recalled the Four Beasts Formation above Dragon CIty. Countless bony spurs grew from his body as he flew towards the city on wings of bone.
When the Demon Sovereigns and the other soldiers saw this, they didn’t dare delay. They hurried after him.
“Big Sister!”
When Su Zhu and Su Yan saw Su Liu’er’s sudden transformation, they cried out in alarm.
At that moment, a middle-aged man clad in white descended from above.
“Heart Demon Heavenly Lightning. It seems the empress has fallen to her heart demons.”
“Clan Head Bai.”
When he saw the man float down Ye Zichen cupped his hands respectfully.
This man was really the head of the Tiangou Clan.
He hadn’t partic.i.p.ated in the battle since he’d been in deep seclusion. He knew nothing of what was going on in the outside world.
When he left seclusion, the Jail King told him the current status of the Three Realms. He didn’t hesitate at all; he rushed right towards Dragon City, arriving right in the middle of Su Liu’er’s tribulation.
“Big SIster.”
Su Zhu and Su Yan stood not-far off. They were both extremely anxious. Su Liu’er stood in the middle of the lightning, her fair hands sporting sharp claws. As she swung them back and forth, sharp waves shot from her claws, chopping the surrounding ancient trees in half.
“Heart Demon Heavenly Lightning?”
Even though he’d experienced it once himself, Ye Zichen knew nothing about tribulation lightning. When he heard Clan Head Bai say this was “Heart Demon Heavenly Lightning” and, furthermore, that Su Liu’er had fallen to her heart demons, he couldn’t help but ask for clarification.
“If Su Liu’er is lost in her heart demons, how can she break through?”
“It will be difficult,” said Clan Head Bai. He squinted and shook his head. “If I’m not mistaken, Yuan Hong, one of the three kinds of Mount Huaguo, died for the Empress earlier. Their relations.h.i.+p…. Were they lovers?”
“Yes, but does that have anything to do with this situation? “
“It does.” Clan Head Bai frowned. “In truth, I only have a rough understanding of Heavenly Lightning. That said, I seem to recall reading in an ancient text that Heart Demon Heavenly Lightning makes the trial-goer relive their heart’s most powerful obsessions countless times over. If you let your guard down in the slightest and fall for its tricks, it’s extremely difficult to break free. If the empress wants to escape her current situation…..”
Clan Head Bai stopped suddenly, then shook his head repeatedly.
“It will be difficult!”