Chapter 411

Chapter 411: Heavenly Punishment

Inside the mountains, her divinations became far less accurate. She often needed twenty or thirty casts before she could faintly feel which result was correct. Even though she had already reached late Foundation Establishment Realm and could cast more times each day, she still could not waste them.

One day, Yu Zhi Yi cast thirty times in a row, finally getting a clear result. Before she could breathe out, blood spilled from her lips-truly coughing up blood. She understood at once: thirty times was her limit.

Yu Zhi Yi was never arrogant. On the dangerous edge of the Hidden Realm, she didn’t dare face danger while extremely weak. So after resting one full day to recover, she slowed down. Twenty casts a day let her map out the next stage of the route in about a day and a half. She used the slower travel time to raise her strength.

Arrays were powerful. They could silently kill even someone a full great realm above her, like Immortal Qing Feng-he might not have known he had stepped into a formation before he died. Still, she needed more than tricks.

That day, Yu Zhi Yi sat cross-legged with eyes closed. The Hidden Realm’s Spiritual Energy was dozens of times thicker than the outside world’s. In less than seven days here, her bottleneck had loosened. Now, even without refining the golden light of merit, she could steadily improve.

Speaking of the merit light, it had been growing day by day. Sometimes she gained a few strands, sometimes a dozen. She didn’t need it yet, but she had a feeling it would not go to waste; it would be useful sooner or later.

Suddenly, a crisp crack sounded in a way only Yu Zhi Yi could hear-she broke through! Thunder gathered at once, and Yu Zhi Yi jumped in fright. She hadn’t expected the Hidden Realm’s Spiritual Energy to be so strong. In under seven days, she had advanced directly from Foundation Establishment Realm to Golden Core Realm.

A breakthrough was great, but Tribulation Lightning was a headache. Luckily, to deal with Immortal Qing Feng she had prepared a lot of defensive items. Defensive bracelets-no need to say more-and from his storage ring she had also taken a long-sword magical artifact.

Immortal Qing Feng clearly favored swords; he had many. The best one, of course, was his life-bound sword. Yu Zhi Yi had never used weapon-type treasures before, so she couldn’t judge its grade, but she knew it was extraordinary. Whenever the life-bound sword appeared, the sword intent on the other blades dimmed. She had already erased his spiritual imprint from it but hadn’t dared use it-until now.

Tribulation Lightning was deadly. When she passed the Foundation Establishment Tribulation, she had nearly lost half her life. The Golden Core one would be even worse. She looped two strings of defensive bracelets on each wrist, gripped Immortal Qing Feng’s Life-Bound Sword, and looked up at the sky.

Her black eyes, under the lightning, slowly took on a silver sheen, then were covered by a layer of gold. The gold pierced the silver and shimmered with a strange light. For a heartbeat, Yu Zhi Yi seemed to see many things-and also nothing at all. When her mind cleared, the first bolt of Tribulation Lightning had already fallen.

Crack!

One string of bracelets shattered at once.

Less than a quarter-hour later, the second bolt came down. This time, three more strings shattered. Yu Zhi Yi hissed through her teeth, heart aching. They had been fine jade. With a twist of her wrists, she took out six more strings. Jade was limited. Good jade was even harder to find. She had given some away and used a lot while dealing with Immortal Qing Feng. These six were her last.

If these broke too, she would have to carry the lightning with her body.

The truth proved that, compared to Tribulation Lightning, those six strings didn’t count for much either. When the third bolt fell, all six turned to dust, and a sliver of power still struck Yu Zhi Yi. Being hit by lightning was awful-painful and numb with a burning sting. She even seemed to smell charred flesh.

When the fourth bolt came, with no bracelets left, she raised the sword. She wasn’t good with the sword, but the Heavenly Secret Sect was a top sect in the Hidden Realm; even lay disciples learned basic skills. Before the lightning fell, she charged up to meet it.

Crack!

The bolt struck the life-bound sword, and the Spiritual Energy surging along the blade split the lightning open. Soon the power of the bolt faded, with only a small part landing on Yu Zhi Yi. This time the current was stronger than before, but still within what she could bear.

The fifth. The sixth.

Each bolt was stronger than the last. Luckily, Immortal Qing Feng’s Life-Bound Sword was strong enough. When the sixth bolt scattered, Yu Zhi Yi had only surface wounds; nothing vital was harmed. She had looked worse during her Foundation Establishment Tribulation.

She planted the long sword in the ground and exhaled. Her body hurt, but her heart felt bright and light. She had stepped into the Golden Core Realm. She still couldn’t compare to the Grand Void Sect, and for now she couldn’t match Immortal Qing Feng at his peak, but a start meant progress. [I will stand on my own skill. One day, I won’t have to fear the Grand Void Sect or the Gao Clan.]

Suddenly, something felt wrong. After her last tribulation, spiritual rain had fallen from the sky. Where was the rain now?

Unease surged. She snapped her head up.

Crack-crack-crack-crack…

Terrifying thunder roared as dazzling lightning fell. Yu Zhi Yi’s pupils shrank. She had no time to think and could only raise her sword in a hurry. But the seventh bolt was more frightening than the first six combined. Yu Zhi Yi was not at peak condition and was struck unconscious on the spot.

As she fainted, one thought flashed through her mind: [Heavenly Punishment.]

Her Master had once said that Heaven shows no mercy to those who dare pry into fate. What’s more, she was a three-spiritual-root mediocrity who grew up among commoners. She should have stayed at Qi Refining Realm for life. Yet in less than a year she had leaped from Qi Refining to Golden Core. Heaven had finally made a move. And she… could do nothing.

In that moment, Yu Zhi Yi thought about many things. Cultivation is a path of fighting Heaven, earth, and people. She lost to Heaven. It wasn’t unfair, and it wasn’t shameful. She had believed her blood ties were thin, yet she had found her family, and they were good people. They loved her, and she had no complaints about that. Thinking and thinking, her only regret was that she hadn’t done more good.

[With the Emperor’s care, the people at Yiluan Charity should be able to live well… right?]