Chapter 101: Seizing the Foundation

“Indeed, the sons of noble houses are not to be spoken of in the same breath as ordinary men... Is the heavenly tribulation about to descend?”

In a remote mountain wilderness, Lin Hao gazed up at the boundless, gathering storm clouds overhead, his expression grave.

The clouds were profoundly dark. In barely two breaths, they had swelled across several thousand feet, and within them blood-red bolts of lightning flickered in waves. The thunder carried a crushing, almost tangible pressure, bearing down savagely upon Lin Hao.

An endless, suffocating aura spread through the air, and within the depths of those clouds, a power of destruction seemed to be brewing...

“Tenth level of Qi Condensation, and heaven does not permit it... Is the world truly determined to leave me no path to survival?”

Lin Hao stared at the vast black cloud overhead. His throat moved almost imperceptibly, and his eyes were filled with solemnity. In his senses, the power contained within the tribulation cloud far surpassed what he presently possessed. Worse still, the oppression emanating from it grew ever stronger, as though this very moment it intended to grind Lin Hao to dust on the spot.

BOOM!

The destructive lightning within the cloud seemed to have gathered to a peak. With a thunderous detonation, a streak of blood-red light suddenly tore through the sky and crashed violently down upon Lin Hao.

It was upon him in an instant.

A violent crack rang out. Within ten paces of where Lin Hao stood, the ground instantly collapsed into a deep crater. Lin Hao, too, coughed up a mouthful of blood; his skin faintly split open, and his aura became wildly disordered.

“Several times stronger than the tribulation lightning in the secret realm...”

Wiping away the blood at the corner of his mouth, Lin Hao’s whole body surged with qi. The ruthlessness in his eyes gradually replaced the earlier solemnity.

He would fight.

Even before such overwhelming heavenly might, he refused to sink into defeat.

“Fight!”

With that single word, Lin Hao’s body power roared to life. He drove the lightning-bone within him to its limit, and a fierce, frenzied, overbearing will erupted in the crater. In a burst of lightning, he shot upward toward the heavens.

All of this occurred in the blink of an eye.

BOOM!

Another blood-red bolt of destruction crashed down, carrying limitless might, as though it intended to utterly annihilate Lin Hao.

“Demonic Transformation!”

Feeling the terrifying pressure in the blood-red lightning flashing toward him, Lin Hao’s eyes turned wild. An overbearing intent burst skyward around him.

He took two steps forward; his combat power surged. His Demonic Transformation Fist met the terrifying blood lightning head-on.

The instant they collided, a deafening blast erupted. Thunder, like a beast long suppressed, roared in all directions. The rumble of rolling thunder seemed ready to swallow this entire place. Under Lin Hao’s punch, the blood lightning shattered violently, splitting into several strands that fell to the earth. Great swaths of trees exploded and were reduced to ruin, never to grow again.

Lin Hao, after trading that blow, spat another mouthful of blood and was sent plunging downward.

Yet the strange power of the Undying Asura Scripture spread through his body, and his injuries healed at astonishing speed. The moment he steadied himself, the madness and resolve in his eyes surged once more. Gathering every ounce of strength within him, he blurred and charged back into the heavens.

BOOM!

This descending blood lightning seemed far stronger than before. Lin Hao looked up as a terrifying force of destruction, vastly exceeding the earlier strikes, bore down rapidly upon him. Yet the madness in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

Though his blood still churned violently, he still took the second step of the Spirit-Immortal path. His aura erupted in an instant, and with the Demonic Transformation Fist, reinforced by the formidable power of the lightning-bone, he smashed toward the blood-red tribulation lightning.

At the instant of impact, Lin Hao was flung downward like a broken kite. In that same moment, the tribulation above seemed determined to wipe him out at a single stroke. Endless lightning flashed as another blood-red bolt descended with overwhelming force, intent on swallowing him whole.

BOOM!

One after another, two blood-red bolts followed. Like twin giant dragons, they came crashing down on Lin Hao amid boundless destructive power.

Instantly, beneath the endless black clouds, a blinding burst of blood light erupted. Amid a series of earth-shaking booms, a massive crater formed at once. The trees within the range of the tribulation were all destroyed by the overwhelming force of ruin. When the blood glow slowly faded, all that remained was a barren stretch of scorched earth steeped in death.

“The ninth tribulation of Foundation Establishment is much stronger than that faced by ordinary cultivators... Just as I expected: his body already contains beast aura, and after long-term consumption of beast cores, the spiritual energy within him has nearly become beast power. Beast power is violent; though stronger than spiritual energy, it also strengthens the power of the tribulation. With his body as the foundation, surviving this calamity should not be difficult. We must only keep an eye on the others... At this point, the beast power within him should also be nearly forced out... It is time to deal with the boy of the White family as well...”

At the outer edge of the thousand-zhang tribulation cloud, an elderly man with white hair and beard, dressed in a Taoist robe and looking every bit the immortal master, stood watching the crater below the lightning tribulation. Light and shadow flickered in his eyes as though he were lost in thought.

At the same time, far above the place where Zhong Ming stood, two figures, one old and one young, stood quietly in the sky.

The old man seemed lazy and indifferent, his eyes filled with disdain, while the young man’s gaze was as deep and unfathomable as an abyss. They were Yin Tiannan and his protector.

“This man seems to bear hidden injuries. Could he be trying to seize that boy’s foundation?” The old man looked down at Zhong Ming below and muttered with a strange expression.

“Uncle-Master, it seems Lin Hao is much stronger than before,” Yin Tiannan said, gazing at Lin Hao in the crater below, where blood-colored qi roiled around him. His voice held no discernible joy or anger, only a faint edge of mockery.

“His spiritual energy has become beastlike, that is all. This Chu Ridge region lacks little else, but beasts are plentiful. It seems he swallowed many beast cores in order to raise his cultivation. If the beast aura is not removed, then after this round his cultivation will be difficult to advance any further. Conveniently, his bones can be taken and forged into a treasure for you. That, too, may count as your chance.”

The old man regarded Lin Hao below with complete calm and spoke casually, as though discussing something trivial.

After that, neither of them spoke again. They simply watched in silence.

“The spiritual energy is becoming even more violent... and the foundation platform has turned violet-red as well...”

Lin Hao looked inward at the base of his dao foundation, which was gradually taking on a red hue, and his heart grew heavy. As his wounds healed visibly, the pupils of his eyes also began to redden, while a stronger force seemed to be rising endlessly through his body.

“This is strange... I must first survive this tribulation.”

After a brief consideration, Lin Hao’s aura rose rapidly. A power even more formidable than before erupted from him. Blood light flashed in his pupils, and frenzied, domineering intent filled his body as he blurred and charged toward the heavens once more.

BOOM!

The moment the thought arose, the sixth and seventh tribulations in the sky descended together. Two enormous blood-red bolts, each carrying boundless destructive power, instantly struck Lin Hao’s body. His flesh split open in many places at once, blood splashing everywhere, and a force that sealed spiritual energy spread outward.

“Bad!”

Feeling that sealing force envelop him in an instant, Lin Hao’s eyes filled with shock. Yet at that very moment, two towering blood dragons, which seemed to have been brewing overhead for ages, suddenly crashed down upon him with overwhelming force, as though intending to annihilate him in one stroke.

“Demonic Transformation!”

Feeling the endless force of destruction pressing down from above, while his own spiritual power was being completely sealed, Lin Hao’s eyes were already bloodshot, his pupils fully transformed into crimson. In those scarlet eyes, an eerie light flickered as madness spread without limit.

He took two steps forward, an unyielding, tyrannical will bursting from him. The Demonic Transformation Fist, carrying the endless thunder of the tribulation cloud, suddenly blasted upward toward the two blood-colored dragons.

BOOM!!!

A thunderous explosion unlike any before resounded. The shattered tribulation lightning cast a blinding blood glow across the entire region. Even a thousand miles away, one could faintly see that mournful red light at the horizon.

Crack...

After the ninth bolt of tribulation lightning, the heavy clouds above began to disperse slowly.

But Lin Hao coughed up another mouthful of blood, and his aura instantly weakened. Though his sensitivity to spiritual energy had returned, this tribulation was far stronger than the previous one. More of the surviving destructive force had entered his body, relentlessly damaging his meridians and internal organs. Even with the restoration prowess of the Undying Asura Scripture, he would still need months to recover fully from such destruction.

“At last... I have survived this ordeal. I wonder where Ling Er is now...”

Looking at the slowly dispersing tribulation cloud above, Lin Hao let out a slight breath of relief. Enduring the severe pain within his body, he laboriously rose and sat cross-legged on the ground, drawing in spiritual energy to regulate his condition.

Yet just then, an unexpected figure slowly appeared before him.

“Lin Hao, having survived such a dreadful tribulation, I believe it will not be long before your name is known throughout Chu Ridge. Truly, you are a model for all disciples of our Heavenly Profound Sect.”

The newcomer wore a white Taoist robe, with white hair and a long beard, looking every bit the immortal elder. It was Zhong Ming.

Although his face was full of approval, deep within his eyes lurked a thick greed. His words sounded praising enough, yet they carried a hidden meaning.

“Come now. Since you have brought honor to the sect, this old man is also pleased. Take this pill; consider it my reward to you.”

With a flick of his hand, Zhong Ming produced a black pill rich with medicinal fragrance and slowly presented it before Lin Hao, wearing a benevolent smile.

Lin Hao’s heart sank the moment he saw the man appear. Yet his expression revealed nothing. After taking the pill, he placed it directly into an empty storage pouch. Then he cupped his fists and bowed to Zhong Ming.

“Elder Zhong’s concern is deeply appreciated by this disciple. Thank you for your generous gift. My injuries are not severe, so I shall keep the pill for later use. Please accept my gratitude for your kindness.”

“You fear my pill is poisoned, do you?”

Zhong Ming looked at Lin Hao with calm eyes, though a trace of malice flickered in their depths. As his aged voice slowly fell, he formed a hand seal and pointed at Lin Hao.

Spiritual energy surged around him, and a beam of golden light shot from his fingertip, carrying an extremely fierce and murderous intent as it streaked toward Lin Hao in an instant.

Thud!

A dull impact sounded. When the golden light dispersed, a bizarre, extremely broad weapon stood before Lin Hao. It was entirely silver-white, yet strange blood-red patterns flowed through it, giving off an endless, ferocious aura.

“I knew all along you old fossil were no good!”

A vicious glint flashed in Lin Hao’s blood-colored pupils, and his cold voice drifted out. Rising quickly, he caused the Heavenly Punishment in his hand to transform into a savage battle blade. The moment the blade formed, killing intent flashed in his eyes. He took the second step of the Spirit-Immortal path and slashed down at Zhong Ming.

“Hmph...”

Looking at Lin Hao’s ferocious killing intent, Zhong Ming’s eyes flickered with disdain. With a cold laugh, his figure suddenly became illusory.

The Heavenly Punishment battle blade passed straight through Zhong Ming’s body. Yet it felt as though it had sliced through empty air. Seeing this, Lin Hao’s pupils shrank.

“Dark Yin Heart-Sinking Palm!”

The moment that aged voice rang out, a powerful sense of life-and-death peril exploded in Lin Hao’s heart, and his eyes filled with shock. Turning around, he found that Zhong Ming had suddenly appeared behind him. Spiritual energy surged around the old man as an apparently casual palm strike descended upon Lin Hao’s back.

Lin Hao felt a profoundly sinister force erupt within his body, rampaging through his meridians before converging toward his heart, as if it meant to destroy his heart together with everything else.

But at that moment, the blood lotus at his chest suddenly released an utterly eerie radiance. Endless blood intent flooded outward, directly scattering that strange power.

The brief clash of the two sinister forces within his body instantly triggered the still-unresolved tribulation lightning power lingering inside Lin Hao. The destructive force left behind by the tribulation lightning raged wildly at once, as though made even more violent by the earlier suppression, tearing at his organs and meridians in incessant destruction.

“Pfft!”

He spat out another mouthful of blood. His face darkened as if water could drip from it, and the blood-colored pupils in his eyes flickered with an eerie gleam. Endless coldness spread from him as he stared fixedly at Zhong Ming not far away.

A hoarse voice, like iron grinding against iron, emerged from his throat.

“Zhong Ming, I have never offended you. Why would you seek to harm me?!”

“Tsk, tsk...”

Zhong Ming wore a peculiar expression. With great interest, he studied Lin Hao before him. After two soft clicks of his tongue, nostalgia flashed through his eyes.

“This old man’s dao foundation was wounded by a great beast during the sect war decades ago. In this lifetime, I can go no further than the perfect Foundation Establishment realm. I am unable to break through to Core Formation...”

“A body that harbors beast power! Your appearance has given this old man hope!”

Zhong Ming’s eyes suddenly shone with fierce brilliance. He looked at Lin Hao with unrestrained greed, and even his body began to tremble uncontrollably. An excited voice slowly spilled from his mouth.

“Your physique naturally contains beast aura. So long as enough beast cores are obtained, once it accumulates to a certain degree, it can break through on its own. In the end, it may even condense a beast foundation! If I refine your foundation platform, the dao wound within my body will surely heal itself!”

“So that is how it is...”

Lin Hao let out a soft sigh. A trace of desolation flickered through his scarlet pupils. Yet when he looked at the Heavenly Punishment in his hand, a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth, and a wild, overbearing will suddenly surged skyward around him.