Chapter 399
Taiyi Tribulation
Before dawn, a figure had already settled on the Star-Picking Platform of Taiyi Peak in Zhongnan Mountain.
His five hearts turned towards the sky, his body radiating flawless immortal light. With each breath, the spiritual energy of the seventy-two caves of Zhongnan Mountain converged like a hundred rivers, as if draping him in flowing ribbons.
Between his brows, a Taiyi Immortal Mark, as radiant as the morning sun, was slowly emerging.
At the same time, the hermits and sages who had been living in seclusion in the Zhongnan Mountains for many years, practicing asceticism and avoiding the world, sensed something and instantly opened their eyes.
These people were almost all semi-immortal masters who had completed the six stages of enlightenment and lived in seclusion in famous mountains and ancient caves. Many of them were famous throughout the world and were recorded in tales of the strange and supernatural.
Now they live in seclusion in Zhongnan Mountain, hoping to glimpse the Great Dao of Tribulation before their lifespans run out, but they have remained silent for many years without success.
"They are immortals! They are on the path of immortality!"
"An immortal is undergoing tribulation here!"
"Hush, we must not disturb them. It is already a blessing that the immortal has allowed us to observe. If we anger the immortal and he refuses to let us watch, I will be the first to fight him to the death!"
Some elderly men with white hair were so excited that they even shed tears.
He didn't have much time left, only three or five years. He thought he would die in the mountains, but unexpectedly, he saw hope again.
"Hiss! It's the Taiyi Immortal Mark! The immortal is undergoing the Taiyi Tribulation!"
In an instant, everyone's eyes were filled with respect. This was not only an immortal who had transcended the tribulation realm, but also someone who was undergoing the fourth tribulation!
"I have heard that although the Taiyi Tribulation is not as earth-shattering as it seems, it requires examining one's heart and is like an undercurrent on a calm surface, which is quite dangerous."
Some people's eyes flickered, and they began to think to themselves.
If this immortal fails to transcend the tribulation, even if he doesn't die, his Dao heart will be shattered. At that time, could we take advantage of the situation and seize the immortal's legacy?
When a whale falls, all things are born.
In their eyes, Zhou Sheng at this moment was like that giant whale; even a wisp of spiritual energy or a strand of immortal light would be enough to benefit them immensely.
At this moment, Zhou Sheng, although he sensed several faint signs of malice, did not pay any attention to them.
Because his entire mind was now focused on the illusory mirror in front of him.
The moment the Taiyi Immortal Mark appeared between his brows, the Taiyi Heart Mirror appeared, its light reflecting off his face, yet unable to show his features.
The Taiyi Golden Flower Secret Manual states, "Taiyi is another name for the Dao, and the calamity is the mirror of the mind's demons."
This fourth tribulation, the Taiyi Tribulation, is a heavenly tribulation without external appearances. The inner mind manifests the "Taiyi Heart Mirror," which reflects all the karmic causes and effects of past and present lives.
This calamity is a question for the heart.
Zhou Sheng gazed at the Taiyi Heart Mirror, and as the light flowed, the first image appeared on the mirror's surface.
That was the figure of an orphan and a widow begging along the street. They were poorly clothed, exposed to the elements, and often violently driven away. Finally, on a snowy New Year's night, they embraced each other and froze to death.
The scene shifts to a blind old woman sitting alone in the sun, her mind unclear, muttering to herself and repeatedly chanting a name: Little Bean.
That was her son's nickname, Xiaodouzi. He worked in the yamen (government office) and was later shot to death by an arrow. The arrow entered through his eye and came out through the back of his head.
That must hurt so much.
After collecting her son's body, she cried until she went blind. Overwhelmed with grief, she became mentally confused and began to forget things.
I often sit for an entire day.
The scenes then shift continuously, showing a widowed woman weeping before her husband's memorial tablet, and an innocent child calling out for his deceased father in his sleep...
He was startled, realizing who these people were.
He had never met these people, yet their fates were inextricably linked to his.
Because all the loved ones they longed for had died at his hands.
Magistrate Zhu's household servants, the constables in the yamen, and the countless enemies he had killed along the way—so many people had died by his blade that he could remember some, and others he couldn't.
In their pursuit of revenge, they forgot that even the most insignificant cannon fodder has people waiting for them to return home.
Zhou Sheng's Taiyi Immortal Mark between his eyebrows trembled slightly, as if his state of mind had been greatly impacted and was somewhat unstable.
He has always been a decisive and ruthless man who values quick revenge and prefers to act rather than talk. Along the way, the blood on his blade is probably long gone.
Although, in his conscience, he believed that those he killed were all deserving of death, such as the servants who participated in the violence against an innocent girl, and the constables who strangled Uncle Xu, who wanted to file a complaint, and threw him into the river.
Looking at the pitiful state of his family in the mirror, Zhou Sheng fell silent again.
In reality, on Zhongnan Mountain, those cultivators who were hiding in the shadows, plotting and scheming, seemed to see an opportunity and were eager to make their move.
As the Taiyi Immortal Pattern fluctuated violently, Zhou Sheng's protective immortal light also began to flicker, his aura became chaotic, and his face turned from blue to purple, showing signs of impending demonic possession.
Finally, someone could no longer suppress their greed and wanted to strike first. They secretly used magic to hide and escape towards Zhou Sheng.
He was confident in his superior escape skills and his target was the purple-gold gourd at Zhou Sheng's waist.
As a seasoned veteran, his insight was extremely keen. He immediately recognized the extraordinary nature of the gourd, which was very likely a storage treasure of this immortal, and must contain countless celestial treasures.
Moreover, he woke up early and knew that there had been unusual activity in Zhongnan Mountain, as if some elixir of immortality had been born, which was very likely also collected into this gourd.
He knew, of course, that he was facing a human immortal with unfathomable cultivation, and that taking advantage of someone's misfortune was extremely dangerous. But faced with such a huge temptation, he was still determined to take the plunge.
He doesn't have many years left to live. He's going to die sooner or later anyway, so he might as well take a gamble!
Snapped!
Without any setbacks, taking advantage of the chaos in the opponent's protective immortal light, he actually managed to reach the opponent's side using his superior escape technique, and successfully placed his aged hand on the purple-gold gourd.
In an instant, his eyes lit up with surprise.
But the next moment-
The old man suddenly screamed, and flames erupted from the hand that was touching the purple-gold gourd, turning it charred black in an instant.
He turned to flee, but then heard a sword cry suddenly ring out in the void.
Then he saw his back, the headless body, from which a jet of blood was gushing out.
"Old Lu has finally fallen."
In the Zhongnan Mountains, countless eyes watched this scene unfold, witnessing the old Taoist being beheaded with a single sword strike, his very soul being annihilated by the sword's intent.
With his cultivation at the Sixth Level, he was a rare master anywhere, yet he couldn't even withstand a single move from that protective divine sword.
"And... she's a sword immortal?"
"Sword Immortals... are the most ferocious and have the strongest killing intent. If we were to investigate them after they break through to the next realm, I'm afraid all of Old Lu's disciples and grand-disciples would be wiped out!"
"We have been out of the public eye for so long. When did such a person appear in this world?"
This sword strike not only killed the old Taoist priest surnamed Lu, but also stirred the hearts of countless secretly watching individuals.
"Go, let's go!"
"Sigh, let's all disperse. The Taiyi Tribulation is about examining the heart; there's nothing to see here. On the contrary, if the other party wakes up and becomes unhappy, they might start a massacre. Wouldn't we be suffering an undeserved disaster?"
"You may leave, but I will stay. I observe that this sword immortal seems to possess the spirit of Lu Zu. Once he breaks through his cultivation realm, I will take him as my master and serve him by my side!"
An elderly man with a pale face and white hair, whose age was almost that of Zhou Sheng's great-grandfather, said this.
...(End of this chapter)