In Penglai, it’s common to see a Core Formation lightning tribulation, so it normally wouldn’t attract much attention.

However, today’s lightning tribulation was exceptionally different, drawing extraordinary natural phenomena.

Beasts crouched low, flocks of birds were startled into flight, the sky rumbled, and deep purple lightning flashed intermittently.

The lightning bolts were as thick and massive as tree branches, as if trying to tear the sky apart. Looking up, one might genuinely believe that heaven was enraged, making people feel both physically and mentally overwhelmed.

The lightning tribulation continued for a long time without descending, but its momentum grew stronger and stronger. Ancient secret realms and caves from all directions were casting hidden glances toward this direction.

Elders from the Fifth family had appeared, driving away the watching disciples and setting up protective barriers to prevent the lightning tribulation from harming others.

The young immortal-grade disciples, represented by Fifth Yingjun, were driven to a small secret realm. No matter; they left their bodies behind but kept their hearts there, watching the commotion of the lightning tribulation above the Qingyuan Waterfall with their copper bells.

“Little Yingjun, pay close attention and don’t forget our bet!”

Earlier, when they were discussing how many turns of lightning tribulation Qin Ruqing’s Core Formation would face, Fifth Yingjun had confidently claimed it would be nine turns. The others had laughed and ended up making a bet with her.

“Little Yingjun, don’t say we’re bullying you. We’re betting that the lightning tribulation for your Fairy Ruqing’s Core Formation won’t exceed five turns. If it does exceed five turns, we’ll each give you one month’s allowance. If it doesn’t exceed five turns, you’ll need to give us half a year’s allowance to be split among us. What do you say?”

There were about a dozen of them, so if Fifth Yingjun won, each would give her a substantial sum. Thus, the bet was not a loss for Fifth Yingjun. She agreed immediately.

Yet, they still thought she was foolish. Creating a bet that seemed like they were at a disadvantage surely meant they had a high chance of winning! How could it possibly exceed five turns? After all, the ancient nine-turn tribulation was a figure of speech!

If it’s ancient, it implies no one in the current world can achieve it! They were happily preparing to collect their money.

Above the barrier near Qingyuan Waterfall, two figures quietly hovered.

One wore a flashy, peony-patterned robe of bright blue—naturally, this was Fifth Lingyu; the other wore a dark robe, with a crown, eyes shimmering with light, and a calm, composed face. This was the current head of the Fifth family, Fifth Sheng.

As the head of an immortal-grade family, Fifth Sheng was busy with daily affairs and couldn’t be involved in everything. However, today’s lightning tribulation was so astonishing that, given his office was not far from Qingyuan Waterfall, he came to see for himself.

When Fifth Sheng arrived, he saw Fifth Lingyu standing with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the center of the lightning tribulation. After a moment’s hesitation, Fifth Sheng flew over and stood beside Fifth Lingyu, examining the commotion of the tribulation with a serious expression. He spoke gravely:

“Is this commotion caused by the little girl you brought back?”

Fifth Lingyu responded with a faint “hm.” His attitude towards the clan leader was not as sharp as towards Fifth Youlin; there was still some respect, though not much.

Fifth Sheng observed the Thunder Tribulation for a while and was astonished, concluding, “This is at least a five-transformation Thunder Tribulation, even more impressive than you and Youlin!”

Fifth Lingyu wanted to say, if it weren’t impressive, why would I bring her to Penglai? If the Fifth family had such talent, wouldn’t the Immortal Tomb’s seal be opened by itself?

But he restrained himself and didn’t speak. People who have lived in Penglai for a long time often have this attitude—they might recognize that this seed from the outer realm has extraordinary talent, but knowing it and truly believing it are different matters.

Seeing that Fifth Lingyu didn’t respond, Fifth Sheng realized he might have asked a foolish question. If there wasn’t something extraordinary about her, why would Fifth Lingyu personally bring this seed from the outer realm to Penglai?

After thinking for a moment, Fifth Sheng pondered, “I’ve heard she has obtained two Heavenly Tokens from the Four Prisons. Considering the current Golden Core Thunder Tribulation, her physique might be quite extraordinary. If she can withstand the Thunder Tribulation and successfully condense the elixir, I would like to see her afterward.”

Fifth Lingyu turned to look at Fifth Sheng and said淡淡地：“随你。”

He seemed indifferent to why Fifth Sheng wanted to see Qin Ruqing or what he might say to her.

After a long buildup, the Thunder Tribulation finally descended, striking with a thunderous roar like divine punishment. The space seemed to tremble for a moment due to the power of the Thunder Tribulation.

The group of young people in the small secret realm all shivered at the sight.

“Oh my gosh, such a terrifying Thunder Tribulation, can she really survive this?”

“I also condensed my Golden Core, but why does the Thunder Tribulation I faced seem completely different from this one?”

Fifth Yingjun looked a bit scared too but still raised her chin proudly, saying, “I told you, Fairy Ruqing is very powerful. If you can’t withstand this kind of Thunder Tribulation, it just means you’re not as good as her!”

While belittling others wasn’t nice, it was really quite satisfying! Although the Thunder Tribulation wasn’t over yet, seeing the expressions on these people’s faces, Fifth Yingjun felt a bit of smug satisfaction.

The Thunder Tribulation continued unabated, with each strike even more powerful than the last. Four strikes fell directly without hesitation.

When the fifth strike descended, it finally paused, not as if giving the tribulation survivor a chance to breathe but preparing an even more massive impact.

The sky was dark and overcast, with thick clouds spinning into a vortex of thunderclouds above, resembling the maw of a prehistoric beast ready to devour the entire world.

Seeing the current situation, Fifth Yingjun was about 80% certain that the Thunder Tribulation was above five transformations. This bet was certainly hers to win. But at this moment, she was completely absorbed by the Thunder Tribulation.

Holding her pounding heart, for the first time…

The direct sensation of the heavenly power was due to the Core Formation lightning tribulation of Fairy Ruqing. This tribulation made her realize the disparity between people and allowed her to glimpse the vast power from the Heavenly Dao, though it was only the tip of the iceberg.

After the lightning tribulation surpassed the fifth turn, its color deepened from dark purple to ink black. The sixth bolt took an unusually long time to brew, falling with the intent to split the earth apart.

The young man who had previously made the bet with Fifth Yingjun watched the scene displayed on his copper bell with trembling eyes. He hadn’t faced the scene directly; just the image reflected through the bell was already so astonishing. He wondered what kind of power Qin Ruqing, at the center of the lightning tribulation, was enduring.

The young man murmured, “Is that person, Fairy Ruqing, still alive? Can she still survive?”

Still alive? Can she still survive?

If Qin Ruqing were to hear these questions while undergoing the tribulation, she would likely respond weakly:

“Thanks for asking. I’m still alive, but not for long.”

To be honest, the power of this lightning tribulation was not only beyond the expectations of those outside but also greatly exceeded Qin Ruqing’s own imagination.

Is this really a Core Formation lightning tribulation? I’d believe it if you said it was a Nascent Soul lightning tribulation!

Within Qin Ruqing’s knowledge, there was no concept of a nine-turn lightning tribulation, but as a direct participant in the tribulation, she could tell that this lightning tribulation was abnormal! Each strike was so merciless that it almost sent her to her doom, striking without reservation.

What’s worse, this lack of reservation was from Qin Ruqing’s perspective, but from the tribulation’s own, it clearly had plenty of leeway—because each strike was more intense than the last.

Qin Ruqing was pummeled by the lightning tribulation until she was thrown to the ground. Her once-white immortal-grade robe quickly turned red from the blood, and after being struck multiple times, the robe was reduced to ashes. Her body was a bloody mess, barely recognizable as human.

And the only reason her human form could be maintained was because of the powerful regenerative abilities of her Dao Body.

As Qin Ruqing lay on the ground, she knew that if she fainted at this stage, it would be nearly impossible to recover. To prevent herself from losing consciousness due to the pain, she deliberately tried to find humor in her situation:

“Ha, this waterfall-view hotel seems to be struck down. I hope the Fifth family won’t ask me for compensation. They shouldn’t, because asking for compensation would be quite unbefitting of an immortal-grade.”

This lightning tribulation didn’t seem like a simple one; it must be a renowned tribulation! Once I successfully endure it and change into new clothes, I’ll be able to impress everyone and receive the评价‘This girl must be extraordinary.’

But by the time the sixth strike hit, Qin Ruqing had no strength left to divert her attention or joke in her mind.

The regeneration speed of her Dao Body could not keep up with the destruction caused by the lightning tribulation. If this continued, destruction was inevitable. When enduring the seventh bolt, Qin Ruqing came to this conclusion.

Her mind was devoid of any distractions, focused solely on survival. Any additional thoughts would deplete her energy.

The sensation of life and death returned. Qin Ruqing knew she needed to make a choice before the eighth bolt descended.

—Continue to resist the tribulation with her frail body. At this moment, her body was as fragile as a candle in the wind. If she chose this, she might be extinguished even faster than the eighth bolt of lightning.

Just like before in the Five Colors Sea’s Purple Sea, Qin Ruqing chose to let go of her resistance and instead embraced and absorbed the power. This was almost like courting death, as the difference between the power of thunder and fire, despite their compatible attributes, made all rules and attributes irrelevant.

No matter what, it seemed like death was certain, but Qin Ruqing’s instincts from her training in the Realm of Life and Death told her that choosing to absorb the power might offer a slim chance of survival.

She let the precious green energy of the Azure Lotus Dao Body fill her entire body evenly, not to heal but to silently wait. After some thought, she also summoned her innate fire and let it burn quietly on her body.

Her innate fire had absorbed ice attributes before, so she felt that if it could handle ice, it should be able to handle lightning too.

Qin Ruqing used all the resources she could mobilize and employed every method she could think of. Then she began to quietly wait for fate’s judgment.

The eighth Thunder Tribulation descended.

Strangely, this Thunder Tribulation didn’t cause Qin Ruqing any severe pain. It was hard to describe; it felt like experiencing quietness amid a grand commotion. Qin Ruqing felt time slow down, and she could clearly sense her life slipping away.

This fleeting moment of life’s passage seemed very short, like heaven was showing her how brief human life could be. Comparing life to a candle, it only burns for so long.

But Qin Ruqing felt this time was still too short, so she chose to negotiate with the heavenly way. Don’t think of it as daring; when you’re about to die, what else is there to worry about?