Chapter 1617 - 475: Fifth Brother, Why Are You Here? (First Update)

"To become a Supreme being, one must first undergo the purifying trials of the Celestial Tribulation..." These were the words Shen Juefeng said to Zhou Qing.

A true Supreme Supreme must endure not only the tempering of the body but also the honing of the Dao Heart.

Only by using the body to withstand the tribulation lightning, and the Divine Soul to experience heavenly might, can one forge the ultimate Tao Foundation.

At that moment, the fourth green thunder silently arrived.

Though this thunder seemed gentle, it contained a terrifying life-stealing force.

Second Uncle’s skin shriveled at a speed visible to the naked eye, in the blink of an eye becoming a horrifying figure of skin and bones.

The crimson Dao Flower burst forth one last glow, barely protecting a sliver of vitality in his heart.

"Boom!"

The fifth cyan thunder followed closely.

This thunder was sharp like a knife, directly severing Second Uncle’s broken body at the waist!

The lower half instantly vaporized, while the upper half was blown off by the thunder’s aftermath, embedding heavily into a distant mountain.

"Uncle!!" Zhou Qing’s eyes widened with rage, instinctively wanting to rush forward.

But he forcibly halted his steps—recklessly intervening now would only amplify the power of the Celestial Tribulation.

He could only watch helplessly as the broken tri-colored Dao Flower wobbly flew towards the mountain ruin.

With no time to lose, Zhou Qing frantically took out the tribulation survival guide given by his father-in-law before leaving, hoping to find a remedy.

Suddenly, his expression changed dramatically, and he spun around—

"Wasn’t it said this place is rarely frequented?" Zhou Qing cursed inwardly; the commotion from the tribulation had indeed attracted unwanted guests.

He quickly took out a puppet, and with a shake of his figure, his appearance completely changed.

In the blink of an eye, an old man with a sinister face and terrifying aura appeared where he stood—it was the impression of the Yan Family’s Fifth Ancestor, Yan Wuming!

During preparation for the tribulation crossing, Second Uncle specifically gave Zhou Qing a dozen puppets infused with the amplifying power of his Nascent Soul.

These puppets were different from ordinary disguise masks, allowing one to perfectly transform into the likeness of anyone seen, even mimicking the aura to an uncanny degree.

He had used them several times before in the Holy Martial Dynasty, and was quite familiar with them.

"Such terrifying Nascent Soul amplification is like cheating."

At this moment, transforming into Yan Wuming’s likeness, even the oppressive aura of the Late-stage Ultimate Venerable Realm was perfectly simulated.

In this Third Tail land, the Yan Family was a feared overlord, enough to deter any miscreant.

Just as he completed the disguise, a white silhouette suddenly appeared not far away.

After recognizing the newcomer, Zhou Qing’s pupils shrank, barely suppressing his killing intent.

For the person who arrived was none other than Yan Family’s Ninth Ancestor, Yan Wuxin.

The man in white, with rouge on his face, stood in the air, curiously observing the tribulation scenario.

When he noticed "Yan Wuming," he clearly hesitated, then swiftly moved closer.

Zhou Qing forced down the urge to retreat, maintaining the dignified demeanor of the Fifth Ancestor.

"Fifth Brother, why are you here?" Yan Wuxin asked in a soft voice.

Zhou Qing’s mind raced, and with a faint smile replied: "What do you think?"

Yan Wuxin glanced at the distant lightning tribulation, laughing slyly: "This must be the eighth one, right? Fifth Brother’s luck is truly unmatched by Ninth Brother."

Zhou Qing’s heart tightened—what eighth one?

He maintained a composed front, standing with hands behind his back.

Yan Wuxin then unleashed his Supreme Realm Divine Sense to scan the surroundings, clicking his tongue afterward.

"Again a poor old guy with no protector, not even a Tribulation Transformation Map, such a pauper... Wait! Is that..."

His face abruptly changed, his voice altered in pitch: "Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown?!"

In the ruins, atop the bloodied figure’s head, a broken tri-colored Dao Flower was tenaciously emitting light.

Zhou Qing’s hand behind his back had quietly clutched the tetanus, but after a brief consideration, he withdrew it.

Reason made him suppress his killing intent.

After all, he was merely in the Late-stage Spirit Severing Realm; although he had a record of defeating Ultimate Venerable Realm in the past, that was only with thorough preparation.

Recklessly striking now, if it forced Yan Wuxin into the tribulation area triggering anomalies in the heavens, then Second Uncle would be harmed instead.

More troublesome was, the only Extreme Dao Weapon, the Eternal Sin Fire Mirror, had already been left for Second Uncle’s protection.

Relying solely on two Inscription-level Divine Techniques to swiftly deal with someone like Yan Wuxin, victory odds were truly slim.

"I can only wait and see..." Zhou Qing forced himself to calm down.

On the other side, Yan Wuxin, upon confirming that Second Uncle was indeed in the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown, was so thrilled that he danced with joy.

"This is a windfall! Being able to recruit a Supreme Realm with Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown is like heavenly fortune for my Yan Family!"

Zhou Qing forced himself to fake calm and spoke: "Look at you all happy, stay calm."

"Must stay calm!" Yan Wuxin rubbed his hands, eyes flashing with greed.

"But Fifth Brother, this time, we must remember, unlike before, don’t directly kill. Your luck was good in the past seven times, always encountering those in the Spirit Slash Realm Perfection..."

Zhou Qing’s heart was shocked, finally understanding what "eighth one" meant—so Yan Wuming has been hunting tribulation-crossing cultivators!

"Some successfully crossed tribulations, and unable to invite them, you strike them while severely injured; others failed, and the remains and Storage Bags left behind are treasures..."

Yan Wuxin kept chattering, unaware that the "Fifth Brother" beside him was clenching fists tightly.

Indignation surged in Zhou Qing’s heart, these cultivators reaching the step of crossing tribulations, who hasn’t gone through countless hardships?

Yet in their weakest moment, they were preyed upon by scum like Yan Wuming...

Yan Wuxin continued analyzing: "This Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown hasn’t used a Tribulation Transformation Map yet, either too arrogant or too poor to afford it."

"I lean towards the latter—without even a protector, what else could they be but paupers?"

"Once he’s done crossing the tribulation, let’s offer Elixirs and pretend to protect, then invite with Yan Family Tributor’s position, success rate is high!"

Zhou Qing forced himself to nod with disgust: "That’s exactly what I was thinking."

But his gaze anxiously fell on the blood-soaked Second Uncle, inwardly praying: Uncle, you must hold on...

At this moment, the sixth azure thunder, wrapped in piercing coldness, struck with a roar, freezing the space around it into a spiderweb of ice patterns.

Second Uncle’s remaining half-body instantly transformed into an ice sculpture, and the tri-colored Dao Flower was enclosed in a giant ice crystal, its light nearly extinguished.

At this critical moment of life and death—

"Crack... Crackle..."

Faint cracking sounds suddenly came from within the ice crystal.

Inside the ice, Second Uncle suddenly opened his eyes, murky pupils containing black thunder light flowing!

The ice-bound Dao Flower trembled violently, the cracks in its petals emitting strange black light, starting to ravenously devour the surrounding Power of Ice.

"Break it—Old me!!"

Accompanied by a hoarse roar, the black thunder cultivated from the Inscription-level Divine Techniques "Nine Tribulations Thunder Talisman Scripture" within him erupted with a bang!

At the moment the ice crystal shattered, his broken body began to reform at a speed visible to the naked eye, in the new flesh, black thunder light coursed.

Though the tri-colored Dao Flower was broken, the cracks in its petals transformed into ancient Dao Patterns, exuding an eternal and ancient sense.

Just then, the final purple thunder finally descended...