Chapter 2457: A Cultivator’s Stellular Tribulation
"Senior Brother!" Lu Yin yelled. An astral chessboard started to appear beneath his feet, but it was unable to fully manifest given the brilliant golden light. The Ce Secret Art was useless at this moment.
Both of Nutjob Lu's hands struck Mu Xie's body at the same time, causing the man to cough up blood. The attack left two palm prints on Mu Xie’s chest, but he managed to grab hold of Nutjob Lu's arm. Despite being sent reeling, Mu Xie kept a firm grip on Nutjob Lu and fiercely slammed the slipper down.
Nutjob Lu sneered as his Investiture of the Gods shielded his back and blocked the slipper.
Suddenly, the slipper disappeared, only to reappear in Mu Xie’s other hand that he had been using to hold Nutjob Lu in place. The madman stared in astonishment as the slipper struck him.
The slipper landed directly on the man’s right arm, instantly shattering it.
This attack relied entirely on the coordination between Mu Xie and Lu Yin. The Ce Secret Art may have been ineffective, but the Yu Secret Art still worked fine. This did not mean that the Yu Secret Art was superior, but rather that each secret technique had different usages.
In most cases, the Ce Secret Art was far superior to the Yu Sect Art, since board manipulation allowed the user to undo a move by controlling space. It was essentially a technique that was able to turn back time. However, in specific situations, the Yu Secret Art could perform ingenious feats as well.
In the past, it was entirely thanks to the Yu Secret Art that humanity had managed to seal the entrance to the Starfall Sea with Mt. Microcosms.
Lu Yin’s gratitude towards Undying Yushan blossomed from the bottom of his heart. It was true that Undying Yushan had tried to use Lu Yin, but the Yu Secret Art had also provided him with tremendous assistance over the years.
Nutjob Lu and Mu Xie faced each other in midair. The madman’s right arm was broken and could no longer be used, but the Investiture of the Gods still emitted a brilliant golden light from above his head.
Mu Xie was not in much better condition. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and two very clear palm prints marked his chest, close to his heart.
He exclaimed, "Master once told me that, since he has accepted me, it will be difficult for me to find worthy opponents. I never expected that this madman's strength would be so terrifying. He's definitely at the level of a master of one of the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas."
Lu Yin could clearly see that as well. After Nutjob Lu had revealed his Wielder - Indestructible, it had become perfectly clear that he possessed at least the same level of strength as one of the masters of the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas. Even if nothing else was taken into account, Nutjob Lu’s abilities were already far beyond Xia Shenji’s.
Xia Shenji had yet to demonstrate any ability that would allow him to withstand even a single attack from the slipper, whereas Nutjob Lu's Investiture of the Gods had done exactly that. Furthermore, Xia Shenji lacked battle techniques that allowed him to utilize the full potential of his physical strength, such as Wielder-realm battle force.
Senior Brother Mu Xie had been unfazed by Xia Shenji’s strength when they had started fighting, but he was extremely wary of Nutjob Lu’s. Moreover, Nutjob Lu might not have revealed his full strength yet.
This battle was a very difficult one.
At the entrance to the treasury, Wan Zhiyi had already started his stellular tribulation.
Just moments ago, Nutjob Lu had held the upper hand, but the situation was turning increasingly unfavorable for him.
Progenitor Smoke, Nong Yi, and Specter Progenitor were unable to interfere in the battle. There were certain conflicts which were simply not reasonable for them to get involved in, similar to what had happened to Liu Yue.
Above, the dark vortex of the stellular tribulation continued to expand. It was not overly large, given the fact that Wan Zhiyi's strength had been greatly reduced from his peak.
A single finger descended, signaling the start of the stellular tribulation. The finger wielded a power that had appeared in the universe before, and it was being replicated by the universe’s stellular energy as Wan Zhiyi's first trial.
Wan Zhiyi stared at the finger. "You want to crush me like an ant? In the past, I would have shattered this finger."
"Senior, abandon your breakthrough!" Lu Yin's voice called out.
Wan Zhiyi hesitated.
Lu Yin shouted, "As the young master of the Lu family, I command you to abandon your breakthrough!"
Wan Zhiyi looked up once again, his eyes tracing the descending finger. He sighed. In the past, everyone had been absolutely certain that he would become a Progenitor. Even Bai Sheng and the others had treated him with a level of reverence that was normally reserved solely for a Progenitor. He had even frequently visited the Lu Sanctum. Who could have expected him to fail his Progenitor stellular tribulation?
"Senior, if you die to your tribulation right now, how can I ever rely on the strength of the Lu family's vassals again?" Lu Yin's voice rang out once more. He could tell that Wan Zhiyi truly wanted to challenge his tribulation, even if it meant his death. This tribulation was the lifelong goal of every cultivator.
However, while Wan Zhiyi had his own perspective, Lu Yin had a different one. There were times when staying alive was all that mattered. After one was born into the universe, they had to try their best to survive. One did not live only for themselves, but also for their friends and loved ones.
Wan Zhiyi lowered his head. He struck his chest with a hand, damaging his cultivation.
Bai Wangyuan’s eyes narrowed. "I didn't expect you to avoid your tribulation, Wan Zhiyi. You will never become a Progenitor in your life."
Wan Zhiyi looked at Bai Wangyuan's group and replied, "If I can't become a Progenitor, then so be it! Being an ordinary person is fine too."
As Wan Zhiyi abandoned his tribulation, the dark vortex in the sky started to dissipate.
After a great deal of painstaking effort, Lu Yin finally managed to calm the jiao. He then made his way towards the entrance of the Celestial Treasury and brought Zenith Mountain back out. As everyone watched in a daze, Arch-Elder Zen appeared.
"Another one?" Wang Fan was completely fed up with Lu Xiaoxuan. One Semi-Progenitor after another was triggering their tribulations! Just how well-prepared was this guy?
Arch-Elder Zen asked, "Neither of them succeeded?"
Lu Yin looked at the man. "Senior, I hope that you will succeed."
Arch-Elder Zen smiled and shook his head. "I’ll have to give it a try."
Bai Wangyuan and the others all stared at Lu Yin. "Lu Xiaoxuan, this battle should end now. I'm sure that you don't want to see a war between humans. Humanity has already lost so many potential Progenitors, and who will guard Planet Ominion if Nutjob Lu dies? If either you or Mu Xie die, mankind will also suffer significant losses. What will happen to the Fifth Mainland?"
Lu Yin arched a brow. "Enough nonsense."
Inside the Celestial Treasury, Nutjob Lu clutched his right arm. "I won’t be able to use this for a while. What a nuisance."
He looked over at Mu Xie. "The two of you can’t kill me."
"We’ll see about that." Mu Xie's voice dropped low. He was clearly suppressing his own injuries.
Lu Yin summoned E Chi, and Nong Yi’s form emerged from the Investiture of the Gods once again. The Champions' Stage revolved around his body as he spoke. "Senior Brother, we have to take him down today."
Progenitor-level runes shot towards Nutjob Lu, and Mu Xie pushed his śarīra forward so that it crashed into Nutjob Lu at the same time.
The madman just laughed. "I also can't kill you two! Mu Xie, you are just as strong as I expected. Without such strength, you would have never been able to protect this brat back then.
"I'm not playing with you any longer. This will all end as soon as that old man finishes his stellular tribulation." Nutjob Lu glared at Lu Yin. "Brat, you may have escaped from me this time, but Mu Xie won't be able to accompany you forever! One day, I will definitely catch you, and then I’ll drape your skin on my Champions' Stage!"
Lu Yin lifted his chin. "That day will never come. You can die now."
He then lashed out with a palm.
From the moment the battle had started , Lu Yin had not attacked with his own strength even once. He had only relied on his summons and Progenitor-level runes. However, at this moment, he attacked with his own power, and this palm strike also contained the power of Extremes Must Be Reversed.
Not once had Lu Yin used Extremes Must Be Reversed throughout this battle, and it had all been for precisely this moment.
Nutjob Lu no longer intended to kill Lu Yin, as he instead wanted to simply end the fight. He was no longer vigilant, as Mu Xie was also injured. The battle looked as though it was about to truly come to an end. This meant that it was finally Lu Yin’s turn to make a move.
The palm that contained Extremes Must Be Reversed struck Nutjob Lu's body. The man’s pupils constricted as he looked down. The purplish-black battle force that had been shrouding his body completely disappeared in an instant. How was this possible?
The śarīra flew over, but Nutjob Lu quickly blocked it with his Investiture of the Gods.
Mu Xie had been prepared for this, and he evaded the Investiture of the Gods, allowing the attack to land on Nutjob Lu.
E Chi, Nong Yi, and the jiao all attacked in unison, as well as the Progenitor-level runes. While still under the effects of Extremes Must Be Reversed, Nutjob Lu was once again besieged in all directions. This time, he was unable to block them all. His left shoulder was pulverized when it was struck by the slipper, and his back and chest both received injuries. The man’s flesh tore apart, and his blood sprayed into the sky.
Nutjob Lu howled. His Investiture of the Gods wrapped around him like a curtain as he rushed towards the Celestial Treasury’s entrance.
He had not expected Lu Yin to suddenly launch such an attack. If not for Extremes Must Be Reversed, Nutjob Lu would have never suffered these miserable wounds.
Arch-Elder Zen noticed Nutjob Lu rushing towards him, and while he felt a bit helpless, he also felt a bit of hope. He had already triggered his tribulation.
Right as Nutjob Lu approached the entrance, he suddenly froze. He might be insane, but that did not mean that he wanted to die. How could he force his way into a Progenitor tribulation that was about to descend?
At this moment, the effects of Extremes Must Be Reversed finally ended, and the madman’s battle force reappeared.
Lu Yin attacked again, but Nutjob Lu did not allow Lu Yin’s attack to land. He evaded the palm strike and asked, "What kind of technique is this?"
Lu Yin was puzzled. Did Nutjob Lu not know about Extremes Must Be Reversed?
"That's Ku Jie's Extremes Must Be Reversed! Don't get hit by it, or else you'll definitely die," Bai Wangyuan warned.
Extremes Must Be Reversed had left a strong impression on all of the other Progenitors. Even Undying God had been nearly beaten to death by it. It had only been a short amount of time, but Lu Xiaoxuan had already become very proficient with the technique.
Only a few people in the previous era had truly understood Progenitor Ku. Most people had simply seen Progenitor Ku as someone with unbelievable luck, but whose actual strength had ranked at the bottom of the masters of the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas.
Given the countless years of Nutjob Lu’s imprisonment, how could he possibly know about Progenitor Ku? At the time of his release, the Lu family had already been banished, and Progenitor Ku had long since disappeared into Aeternus's territory.
Nutjob Lu was unfamiliar with both Ku Jie and Extremes Must Be Reversed.
He had nearly died the first time he had witnessed Extremes Must Be Reversed. If not for his quick reactions, he might have actually died.
Bai Wangyuan gave another warning, "Be careful of Lu Xiaoxuan. He may not be very powerful, but he uses extremely unpredictable methods. Not only does he possess Ku Jie's Extremes Must Be Reversed, but he also wields the God of Death's power. Don't let him catch you off guard!"
Nutjob Lu shot a vicious glare towards Lu Yin. "Brat, I was wrong. You're even more shameless than Lu Qi."
Lu Yin raised a hand and struck out with another palm strike, despite knowing it was nearly impossible for Extremes Must Be Reversed to land again. With Nutjob Lu prepared for such an attack, Lu Yin's strength meant nothing.
Mu Xie held Origin Tracer within a hand, but just like Lu Yin, the man could not find any openings to attack through.
Inside the Celestial Treasury, Nutjob Lu grew far warier of his two opponents. It was now his turn to try to stall for time. As soon as Arch-Elder Zen finished his stellular tribulation, Lu Yin intended to break out of the Celestial Treasury.
Finally, Arch-Elder Zen's Progenitor stellular tribulation appeared.
When the black vortex of the stellular tribulation appeared, everyone was stunned by its sight. Arch-Elder Zen's vortex was completely different from the previous two tribulations. Neither of the first two men’s tribulations could even measure up to the strength of an average stellular tribulation, as their foundations had been damaged too severely. They had only triggered their tribulations as a means to stop Bai Wangyuan and the others from entering the Celestial Treasury.
However, Arch-Elder Zen was completely different; he truly intended to attempt to break through and become a Progenitor.
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