*Rumble* *Rumble* *Rumble*
The tribulation cloud in the sky grew to a staggering size of three hundred meters in one go!
Yang Su gulp nervously as he flipped over his palm and took out the wooden sword.
The previous tribulation in the Outer Academy was three hundred meters as well but that was when it peaked. This one reached that size despite just appearing, anyone could tell this tribulation was something that no ordinary Sea Expansion Realm cultivator could survive.
But this was heaven's way of saying, ‘since you decide to break the norm and have strength of this magnitude in the Sea Expansion Realm, it is only fair if you face a tribulation befitting of that power.’
Even Foundation Construction Realm cultivators would flinch back upon seeing such heavenly fury gathered in one place.
Xi Shen’s body floated to the side but was still using his Divine Will to keep Yang Su in the air. It would also act as a protective shield if he were to falter when confronting the tribulation.
Normally, this would have been impossible for other cultivators, as the Heavenly Tribulation would see this as him helping Yang Su and turn to attack him as well. But as a sort of consciousness or entity appeared within the clouds, it seemed to completely ignore Xi Shen’s presence as if it couldn’t be bothered to deal with him.
*Tremble* *Tremble* *Tremble*
A pressure so great it caused the entire volcano to tremble fell from the sky.
This was known as heavenly pressure and was something that occurs during tribulations. It was a sort of warning for people who entered this area of space, that they would take part in the tribulation as well.
The Heavens might want Yang Su’s existence, or rather the abomination of a Dantian that goes against its natural order to be eradicated, but it wouldn’t want to cause damage to any of its other creations if it had to. That would through things off balance too much.
But as this pressure appeared, Xi Shen was casually looking up at the tribulation clouds completely unaffected by it, or rather it didn’t dare to affect him after sensing an aura of pampering around him.
Fang Chen and Fei Yin had retreated some distance away from the volcano when they saw the tribulation.
The three demonic disciples they were battling had managed to escape. Fang Chen had numerous opportunities to end the life of the male demonic disciple, but the female demonic disciple would appear from the shadows and interfere.
The 7th stage demonic disciple Fei Yin was battling had suffered a grievous injury during their scuffle but he took some unknown pill and his aura exploded to great heights, so much so even Fei Yin was close to having his heart pierced by his saber.
Both of them were nursing wounds while breathing heavily.
Seeing Xi Shen and Yang Su’s figure above the volcano their eyes widen.
“Wh-why is there a Heavenly Tribulation appearing here?! I heard that only legendary cultivators and old monsters were powerful enough to cause one?! Wait, could it be, brother Su is one of those monster-level geniuses?!”
Fang Chen cried out in shock, but Fei Yin was looking on with a contemplating expression. Unlike Fei Yin, Fang Chen hadn’t sworn a blood oath so he wondered if he could tell him of the fact that Xi Shen could actually cultivate, and even had the Divine Will of a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator.
On the journey back to the Inner Academy when they first met, Xi Shen had briefly mentioned to Fei Yin of Yang Su’s Dao Foundation. He said he couldn’t do the same for him, but with time he could make his affinity with the Wood Element increase. From there it would lead to faster comprehension of Wood-type techniques and maybe in the far future, the Wood Dao was a possibility.
“Brother Fang Chen when this is over you should offer to make a Blood Oath to our young master.”
Fang Chen was taken aback by Fei Yin’s sudden words, but while looking at the strengthening Heavenly Tribulation, he nodded his head. He had his speculations that there was something that Fang Chen couldn’t tell him, so he suggest he made a Blood Oath with Xi Shen.
Fang Chen was thinking that his Faction Leader was even more profound than he had previously thought back in the Battle Arena.
“BANG!!!”
Fei Yin and Fang Chen suddenly jump in shock as a two-meter thick lightning bolt shot from the tribulation clouds toward the mouth of the volcano.
Yang Su's eyes widen and he bellowed out before he swung out the golden glowing wooden sword. Another loud Bang rang out as the wooden sword met the horrifying lightning bolt.
Yang Su was knockdown by the lightning, but when Xi Shen looked towards him he only had a pale face with sparks of lightning dancing on his trembling hand and wooden sword.
Xi Shen smiled before he lifted up Yang Su with his Divine Will. When Yang Su was close to Xi Shen he turned to him and said, “Elder Brother Shen, you don’t have to use your Divine Will to hold me up anymore.”
Hearing that, Xi Shen was taken aback, he asked skeptically, “What do you mean, aren’t you going to fall out of the sky if I don’t hold you up? Yang Su, I expected you to have more sense than that.”
Xi Shen said a little dumbfounded that Yang Su was making such a request.
Yang Su felt slighted by Xi Shen’s words, but he explained his reasoning.
“Elder brother Xi Shen, for a while now I’m getting the sense that if I tried hard enough I can fly on my own.”
“Huh? You can fly?”
“BANG!!”
Another Lightning bolt with the same thickness as the previous one shot from the clouds towards Yang Su. Despite talking with Xi Shen, he was still focused on the Heavenly Tribulation and met the lightning bolt with the wooden sword.
The same thing occurred and Yang Su was pulled up once more by Xi Shen’s Divine Will.
Yang Su then said, “I’m not sure myself elder brother Shen, I just get the feeling that I could. If that’s possible then I want to have the ability to move around of my own will while I face this tribulation.”
Yang Su said with a determined expression, and Xi Shen couldn’t help but agree that was best. But he still said, “I won’t be able to act fast enough if you were to be in danger then, are you sure?”
Yang Su nodded firmly, and with that Xi Shen slowly retrieved his Divine Will from Yang Su, still skeptical about the fact that he can fly.
The ability of flight was only possible in the 9th Stage of the Foundation Realm. The process wasn’t something that was studied in depth by cultivators, and they just take it that their power had become strong enough, and they were moving further away from a normal human to a powerful existence.
But Xi Shen didn’t like that theory and instead carried out his own investigation. This led him to discover several possibilities, but two stood out the most.
One, their capacity of Spiritual Qi in their bodies allows them to float while they instinctively used their movement technique. It could be possible that when they think of flying their brains sends signals to their limps to use a movement technique but the Spiritual Qi reacted instead, and allowed them to float.
A bit out there but there was a possibility. As for the second one, Xi Shen had leaned towards that being the true method of flight, where cultivators themselves had evolved to a degree that their Wills had a tangible effect on the world.
This was a bit hard to explain but simply that cultivators are able to manifest the ability to fly simply from wishing to fly. But for some reason, this was only possible to achieve after reaching the 9th stage of the Foundation Realm.
Xi Shen had his reasons to lean towards this speculation and as he withdrew his Divine Will, he studied to see how Yang Su would accomplish it.
As soon as Xi Shen’s Divine Will retreated, Yang Su dipped a bit but his red hair suddenly glowed softly and he stabilized in the air.
Yang Su excitedly looked towards Xi Shen and said, “Elder brother Shen, I can really fly! Hahaha!!”
Yang Su burst out laughing before he rushed further into the air towards the tribulation cloud. Despite the enormous pressure on his shoulders, he was flying steadily as he went.
Hearing Yang Su's excited shout, Xi Shen laughed internally while saying, ‘So you weren’t confident you could actually fly?’
The method Yang Su had just used to fly was completely different from Xi Shen’s two speculations. Maybe it was because of his Dao Foundation or that he was in the Sea Expansion Realm, but the Fire Qi in the surroundings immediately gathered around him and embrace his figure to keep him afloat in the air.
It was as if he was being pampered by the Fire Qi between heaven and earth, and it would do anything to keep him pleased. Well, this was somewhat like Xi Shen’s second speculation as Yang Su had willed it to fly and he did, but just that it was the Fire Qi that fulfilled his request and not some mysterious and abstruse force in the Universe as Xi Shen had thought.
Xi Shen looked to the sky from his position at Yang Su who was further ahead. Lightning bolts were striking nonstop but each time Yang Su was knocked back he would push forward bravely.
It was quite domineering if Xi Shen thought about the fact Yang Su was going against Heaven’s Will.
‘Hmm, if I wasn’t here he would have probably become the main character…’
*******
Word Count: 1651
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