"Yang Hong, you're a menace!"
Xuan Yin Immortal Venerable's face contorted as the purple tribulation lightning descended.
She knew it was Yang Hong's tribulation, not hers. But because she was linked to Yang Hong, the lightning's power had been amplified to that of a Grand Unity Golden Immortal tribulation. To make matters worse, her own high cultivation had only slightly diminished the lightning's impact as it struck her frozen form. She bore eighty percent of the tribulation's damage, while Yang Hong suffered less than ten percent.
*Whoosh*
A cascade of five-colored flames erupted from Yang Hong, carving out a space of ten feet around him within moments.
"Move! Use any defensive measures you have!"
Once he could move, Yang Hong urged the still indignant Xuan Yin Immortal Venerable.
"Mmmph..."
Seeing that Yang Hong had melted the ice, Xuan Yin Immortal Venerable raised her hand and struck the surrounding ice, causing it to crack and splinter.
Yang Hong grew more anxious.
"Yin Caiwei, are you an idiot? This ice can weaken the tribulation lightning, why are you destroying it?"
"This... my oversight. Hurry and get off me."
Xuan Yin Immortal Venerable instantly realized her foolishness and stopped her second strike. Her expression, however, darkened as she attempted to pull Yang Hong off her.
"You truly are an idiot. Haven't you realized that by cultivating together, we can rapidly refine the tribulation lightning's energy?"
"You...!"
Xuan Yin Immortal Venerable realized she might have been mentally sluggish for the past century, stuck in a rut of foolish actions. Only now did she recall the need for defensive measures instead of focusing on Yang Hong.
Several immortal artifacts were produced and arranged around her. When space ran out, she used fire elemental spells to burn downwards, creating more room to position the artifacts, moving deeper and deeper. Yang Hong, meanwhile, continued his movements, cultivating and refining the tribulation energy that had accumulated within both of them.
This cultivation lasted for a full day, a span of twelve hours, before the second tribulation lightning struck.
*Pfft, pfft*
Both Yang Hong and Xuan Yin Immortal Venerable spat out blood, splattering their faces. With half of the first tribulation lightning's energy unrefined, the second strike injured them simultaneously!
"Damn it! I have to take a risk."
Cursing inwardly, Yang Hong stopped his movements and looked at Xuan Yin Immortal Venerable, who was wiping blood from her face.
"Yin Caiwei, you take the lead and guide another law."
"Alright!"
Xuan Yin Immortal Venerable knew this was no time for bargaining. As Yang Hong closed his eyes to guide the law, he continued to move his waist, simultaneously activating their dual cultivation technique.
An obscure law emanated from Yang Hong, but it did not spread outwards, instead enveloping the two of them. The tribulation energy within their bodies was rapidly refined. After refining the energy from this lightning strike, Yang Hong's cultivation immediately broke through to the first layer of Grand Unity Profound Immortal, his internal immortal crystal energy exceeding ten units.
"Mmmph... Yang Hong, what's going on? What are you up to? I feel like my cultivation has actually slightly decreased."
"Yang Hong... Yang Hong, is this your doing?"
Unfortunately, no matter how much Xuan Yin Immortal Venerable called out, Yang Hong did not respond, seemingly deep in meditation.
"Damn it! My cultivation has indeed decreased, but why has my magical power become more pure?"
"Could it be that as my magical power becomes purer, my cultivation level drops?"
Xuan Yin Immortal Venerable tried to rationalize it to herself, temporarily ceasing her movements. She slowly circulated her cultivation technique, observing carefully. She felt that the refinement of her magical power was consuming too much.
*Rumble...*
Without giving her time to ponder, the third tribulation lightning descended.
...
The cultivators outside the ice watched the daily, rhythmic descent of the tribulation lightning. Some rejoiced, while others grew increasingly worried, their expressions darkening. Some immortals had already begun to mutter and depart. Any immortal with common sense knew that the Grand Unity Golden Immortal tribulation consisted of eighty-one bolts, lasting eighty-one days. The pattern of lightning strikes in Xuan Yin City had confirmed it was a Grand Unity Golden Immortal tribulation, and a remarkably potent one at that. If Xuan Yin Immortal Venerable survived this tribulation, she would be far stronger than an ordinary Grand Unity Golden Immortal, with a more solid and robust foundation.
The purple tribulation lightning intensified day by day. In the blink of an eye, it was the eightieth day.
"Who is that scoundrel? Get out of the way!"
Luo Shaoshi, the young general who had been eagerly awaiting the City Lord's breakthrough, suddenly let out a horrified roar and charged towards an immortal who had approached the ice block of Xuan Yin City.
"Heh heh... I'm here to give the old witch Xuan Yin a gift."
"Zeng Rongyuqin, it's you! Retreat quickly! This is your master!"
"Alright, I'll retreat now."
Zeng Rongyuqin smiled and stepped back, but suddenly, with a wave of her hand, a thumb-sized object was flung into the tribulation clouds.
"You're dead!"
Luo Shaoshi roared, pulling out a massive hammer taller and wider than her body. She charged towards Zeng Rongyuqin with the intent to kill.
"Stay put!"
As Zeng Rongyuqin flew a hundred miles, she was met head-on by Duan Yujing, who struck her in the face with a brick-like immortal artifact.
*Bang, bang, bang...*
Luo Shaoshi, arriving moments later, swiftly swung her hammer, smashing Zeng Rongyuqin into a pulp. Even her nascent soul, attempting to escape, was directly pulverized!
"All of you, stay away! If anyone dares to interfere with the City Lord's tribulation, I'll smash them!"
The young general Luo Shaoshi's face was filled with murderous intent, her blood-stained great hammers radiating a chilling aura. Duan Yujing, standing beside her with her brick transformed into an inkstone, remained silent, but her aura was even more frigid and sinister than Luo Shaoshi's.
Just then, a bold voice echoed from the western horizon:
"Little doll, you've got a big mouth. Why don't you try smashing this king?"
"Gao Yu Dragon King? You're here too!"
Upon hearing the voice, Duan Yujing exclaimed in shock. As her words fell, a middle-aged man in a golden dragon robe with two deer antlers on his head appeared before them.
"Hmph... it is this king!"
Gao Yu Dragon King wasted no words. With a flip of his hand, a treasure pagoda immortal artifact appeared above their heads. Without giving them a chance to cry out, he suppressed them.
"Don't you know that villains die because they talk too much?"
Gao Yu Dragon King muttered dismissively, then sat down on the immortal artifact pagoda, looking at the stunned onlookers.
"Don't look at me. Do whatever you want; you don't need to mind me. But don't expect me to deal with the old witch Xuan Yin. I don't want to die!"
The onlookers were bewildered by what had happened, but they dared not ask Gao Yu Dragon King for help. In the vicinity of the Xuan Yin Immortal Domain, Xuan Yin Immortal Venerable was universally acknowledged as the strongest. Gao Yu Dragon King, despite his ninth-layer Grand Unity Profound Immortal cultivation, ranked only fifth or sixth. However, he was notoriously unreasonable and fond of sneak attacks. No one dared to offend him unless absolutely necessary.
Xuan Yin Immortal Venerable, within the ice, noticed her most loyal subordinates had been suppressed but was powerless to intervene, as she was still locked by the heavenly tribulation. Furthermore, the number of heavenly tribulations had increased to eighty! The object thrown in earlier was a Golden Immortal-level demon worm. The moment the worm entered the tribulation cloud area, it was locked by the heavenly tribulation, and the tribulation began anew. Although the worm was reduced to ashes by the subsequent lightning strikes, Xuan Yin Immortal Venerable and Yang Hong would now have to endure another eighty bolts of tribulation lightning to pass the entire ordeal. She glanced at Yang Hong, whose eyes remained tightly shut, and a flicker of despair arose in her heart. After eighty bolts of tribulation lightning, her cultivation had been pushed back one layer, dropping to the eighth layer of Grand Unity Profound Immortal. If those scoundrels outside continued this tactic, forcing her to constantly endure the tribulation, she would undoubtedly be reduced to ashes!