The second level is the Five Elements Thunder Tribulation, which not only includes thunder and divine might, but also the five elements of heaven and earth: fire burns it! Ice freezes it! Metal cuts it! Earth covers it! Wood entangles it!
"Compared to this level of the Five Elements, the Peacock King's Five Elements Sword Fiend is simply insignificant! My Burning Heaven Blazing Sun can only be slightly comparable..." Jiang Liu had the "Life Creation Cauldron Body" that combined the Five Elements, so he was naturally not afraid. Instead, he stayed inside for a while to comprehend the rules of the Five Elements.
Take one more step forward, and you will reach the third tribulation area.
As soon as he stepped in, a massive bolt of lightning formed the shape of a giant axe and slammed down on him.
Clean and efficient, without any unnecessary delays.
Like the axe that Pangu used to create the world, or like the brilliant light that shone between heaven and earth at the beginning of chaos!
A clear axe mark immediately appeared on Jiang Liu's primordial spirit, as if it were about to be split in two.
Jiang Liu looked at the axe mark on his chest and couldn't help but feel a chill; that axe blow was truly terrifying.
The enormous light once again illuminated the entire sky, and another lightning strike could be seen brewing within the massive vortex.
This time, a gigantic spear suddenly materialized within the vortex! The enormous spear gleamed with a metallic sheen, its tip flashing with a dazzling, cold light, crackling with electric snakes. A single glance at it was enough to pierce the eyes and soul with its sharp, cold light, revealing boundless oppressive power.
The enormous lightning spear pierced down, swift as lightning and thunderous as a bolt of lightning, piercing through everything in its path.
"The Great Sun Tathagata!"
Jiang Liu unleashed his true form, which coalesced into a golden Buddha statue, radiating boundless light!
Those celestial and terrestrial wills transformed into weapons could not break through the illumination of the boundless light!
Relying on the Dharma form of "Mahavairocana Tathagata," Jiang Liu stepped into the fourth level of the lightning tribulation. One after another, the lightning dragons and lightning tigers roared in, their cries echoing across the four seas and their howls echoing through the heavens and earth.
Flames that could scorch the heavens and boil the seas spread from the Dharma form, and the thunder beasts roared around the golden body, but they were powerless against it. Jiang Liu walked to the edge of the fifth tribulation of lightning, looked at the thunder god with a bird's face and a human body, and looked at the thunder chisel in his hand, but did not rashly step into it.
Instead, they began to comprehend the will of heaven and earth of this fourth tribulation of lightning.
That fifth tribulation lightning in the form of Thor was too terrifying. If he were to fight desperately, Jiang Liu would have the strength to fight it, but that was not suitable for the current situation. Taking a steady and cautious approach was the right way to go.
Chapter 197 Lawlessness
As the spring thunder gradually subsided, Jiang Liu flew out of the tribulation and returned to his true form.
In Su Mu's eyes, Jiang Liu's temperament has changed drastically. If he was a mountain, a Buddha, or a sword that had not yet been drawn before, he is now sharp and piercing, as if a single glance from him would hurt his eyes.
If he were to rein in his sharpness again, his cultivation would surely take another big step forward.
Su Mu gave a wry smile, lowered his eyelids, and quietly put away the magical artifact he had prepared for a sneak attack.
"This tribulation lightning... sigh!"
All my words can only be summed up in a long sigh.
Jiang Liu suddenly opened his eyes, and saw lightning flashing in his pupils, as if two dragons were swimming inside.
"How about I let you undergo a pseudo-thunder tribulation?" Without waiting for Su Mu's reply, a ferocious and monstrous thunder dragon shot out from his pupils. The dragon's horns, scales, and every detail of its body were clearly visible, with lightning flashing around it as it writhed and twisted in the air.
In an instant, the lightning dragon, carrying a trace of heavenly tribulation lightning intent, burrowed into Su Mu's brow and reached his soul.
"ah!"
At the same time, a painful roar came from Su Mu's mouth, and then multiple illusions flashed around her body, "The Bell of the Universe" and "The Tower of the Universe" appeared one after another.
Just as she was about to give up, Jiang Liu flicked his finger, and the thunder dragon emerged, landing in her pupils and disappearing.
Su Mu's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his underwear was soaked through, making him look utterly disheveled. After a long while, he finally staggered to his feet and said in a hoarse voice, "Just now... that dragon... was it the lightning tribulation?"
With a flick of his finger, Jiang Liu said, "Compared to the first tribulation, it shouldn't be worse. Perhaps it lacks a bit of heavenly might, but the power of the lightning is indeed three times greater. If you want a higher success rate in overcoming the tribulation, I'll give you another one once your soul has recovered. You'll definitely pass the tribulation."
"Hehe! What a skill! Even the Silver Shark King Chan Yinsha of the Eight Great Demon Immortals, who inherited the Divine Firmament Dao and possesses and controls thirty-six kinds of Primordial Thunder Control Techniques, is only powerful in attack, but she doesn't have your ability to turn raging thunder into a gentle touch!"
Su Mu sighed, a hint of melancholy in his eyes, but his resolve instantly hardened.
I have the lineage of the Supreme Dao, I am the Holy Maiden of the Supreme Dao, I have comprehended the two scriptures of the Universe and the Cosmos, I have the "Bell of the Ultimate Universe" and the "Tower of the Great Universe", reaching the realm of the Thunder Tribulation is only a matter of time.
"The next time spring thunder roars, I will surely enter the realm of lightning tribulation!" Su Mu said in a deep voice, his tone extremely firm.
"That's good!" Jiang Liu couldn't wait for her strength to increase, and he was just waiting for her to use the two great supernatural powers of Yu and Zhou again so that he could comprehend the mysteries of time and space. He knew he couldn't force her to tell him, but her silence didn't mean he couldn't get the information.
Jiang Liu then thought of the clone technique he had previously mastered, and considered the "God-Splitting Puppet," the foremost of the seven treasures of the Peach God Dao, possessed by Zhao Feier, the sect leader of the Great Luo Sect and one of Hong Xuanji's lovers. Perhaps the Peach God Infant could be transformed into a clone. Whether it would succeed or not, he would have to retrieve it and see.
As for the Marquis of Champion's stone embryo, Jiang Liu decided to take the "God-Splitting Puppet" first, and then seize it later. Compared to the stone embryo, the "God-Splitting Puppet" would definitely be much easier to obtain.
Jiang Liu was heading south, and Su Mu had no choice but to follow. She had already witnessed Jiang Liu's methods; killing the "Eternal Mother" was as easy as slicing a melon or killing a chicken, so killing her would be the same.
At this moment, in her mind, Jiang Liu was already a figure on par with Meng Shenji, perhaps an old monster who had lived for hundreds of years and reincarnated several times.
Even after Su Mu successfully transcended the tribulation and reached the first level of tribulation during the thunderstorm three days later, he still couldn't fathom Jiang Liu's true strength.
At this moment, Jiang Liu had already withdrawn the previously sharp and unrestrained lightning into his body, and his whole person returned to his previous simple and unadorned state. However, his strength was already like that of Meng Shenji, the sect master of the Supreme Dao, as vast as countless stars and as immeasurable as the ocean.
Upon hearing that Jiang Liu was going to the Southern Great Luo Sect, Su Mu rolled her eyes and instantly guessed what was going on. She said, "Are you looking for the sect leader of the Great Luo Sect? To take the seven treasures of the Peach God Path? But you should know that she is Hong Xuanji's woman. Aren't you afraid that Hong Xuanji will be furious!"
Jiang Liu, while working on the acupoints of Xia Jing Bashen, said, "I am all alone. If he wants to kill me, let him search the whole world. I have no ties, and I can do whatever I want. No amount of conspiracy or scheming will work on me. It's the same with you Taishangdao. Although Meng Shenji is strong, if I want to escape, he can't do anything about it!"
Su Mu gritted her teeth and said, "If there were more people like you, the world would be destroyed. Without constraints, there is no fear; without fear, there is lawlessness. Lawlessness—you are terrifying!"
Jiang Liu, having refined another aperture within his body, said with a beaming smile, "Haha! This is an era of great strife; to not advance is to retreat. Hong Xuanji, on his journey to becoming a Human Immortal, has he ever shown even a shred of compassion? You..."
"The Supreme Dao preaches 'Supreme Forgetfulness of Emotions, Supreme Forgetfulness of Self,' yet Meng Shenji single-handedly destroyed the Great Zhou Dynasty, assassinated two emperors of the Great Qian Dynasty, and, in order to refine the Heavenly Origin Divine Elixir, has done no shortage of things like stealing other people's treasures. What compassion do you have! I merely took some magical treasures; what's wrong with that?"
"Nonsense!" Su Mu turned his head away, ending the conversation.
...
In the south of the Great Gan Empire, the Great Luo faction.
Jiang Liu and Su Mu arrived outside the headquarters of the Great Luo Sect and brazenly sneaked inside.
The sect leader of the Great Luo Sect is a woman named Zhao Feier. Although she is in her forties, she looks like a woman in her thirties. She is elegant and noble, with her hair piled high like clouds, her eyebrows as dark as jade, and she wears a green silk robe. Her strength has reached the peak of the Ghost Immortal realm, but she has not yet undergone tribulation, just like Su Mu before.
"Hand over the God-Splitting Puppet, and I'll leave immediately!" Jiang Liu said bluntly, looking at Zhao Feier, who was already on the verge of drawing her sword.
A cold smile appeared on Zhao Feier's face as she looked at Su Mu and said, "Is this the meaning of the Supreme Dao?"
Su Mu smiled bitterly and shook his head without saying a word.
Zhao Feier snorted coldly, and in a flash, a giant bow appeared in her hand, as tall as a person. The bow had delicate fleshy texture on its surface, and at each end of the giant bow were carved two fist-sized, ferocious beast heads. The eyes of the beast heads were inlaid with two gems that shimmered with red light, like fresh blood. Upon closer inspection, the blood inside the gems was layered and ever-changing.
The two ferocious beast heads, besides having blood-red eyes, also had protruding fangs, biting a bowstring.
The bowstring was about the thickness of a thumb, and its entire body was a blood-red color, an eerie red. It was made of some unknown material and was taut, so tight that it stirred a violent killing intent in anyone who saw it.
This giant bow is the Heaven-Shaking Bow, one of the Seven Treasures of the Peach God Path!
In an instant, an arrow was nocked on the bowstring. The sight of the arrow was chilling, as strange runes flowed across its shaft, not as if they were written on, but rather as if they had formed naturally.
This is the Limitless Arrow!
"Fei'er, no!"
Just as the young woman was about to shoot an arrow at Jiang Liu, a man appeared beside her. Five-colored starlight swirled around him, ethereal and uncertain. He placed a hand on Zhao Feier's arm and spoke hurriedly. A few seconds later, the starlight dimmed, completely withdrawing its brilliance and solidifying into a physical form. It was a man wearing a tall golden crown, flowing scholar's robes, and a gentle, scholarly air.
This man exudes the air of a scholar, a great learner, with a calm and composed demeanor, completely unlike a Taoist master.
"Zhenzong, let's join forces and kill this arrogant brat."
This man was Zhao Feier's husband, Yan Zhenzong. He clasped his hands in a fist salute to Jiang Liu, then said with a wry smile, "Feier, give him that God-Splitting Puppet! Even if Hong Xuanji were to join forces, let alone you and me, we might not be able to defeat him!"
"You..." Zhao Feier's expression changed, then she looked Jiang Liu up and down, her eyes narrowing as she exclaimed in shock, "He's the one who caused such a ruckus in Yujing City?!"
Jiang Liu fought Hong Xuanji twice in Yujing and remained undefeated, naturally spreading his fame throughout the world.
Before the words were even finished, a young girl burst in from outside. Before she even arrived, her words were already out: "Father, Mother... who exactly is causing trouble in my Great Luo Sect!"
But the first thing to arrive was a sword, made of a material similar to the bow of the Heaven-Shaking Bow. It was the Yin-Yang Peach God Sword, one of the seven treasures of the Peach God Sect. The one who wielded this sword was a girl dressed in a willow-yellow dress. Her face resembled Zhao Feier by three points, but she looked most like Hong Xuanji.
She is Zhao Feirong, the daughter of Hong Xuanji.
Seeing the "Yin Yang Peach God Sword" thrusting towards him, Jiang Liu stretched out his palm, pinched it between his index and middle fingers, and the sword froze in mid-air, completely still.
With a flick of his hand, the thoughts within the sword were erased, and then he tossed this low-grade human-level immortal artifact into his storage space.
For Zhao Feirong, whose cultivation was still shallow, having her soul erased by the river was no less than a blow to her soul.
"Fei Rong..." Zhao Fei'er cried out and was about to attack, but Yan Zhenzong held her down firmly, shaking his head and saying, "Fei'er, calm down! It's not that I'm afraid of death, but if it really comes down to a fight to the death, neither you nor Fei Rong will have any hope of survival! That God-Splitting Puppet was originally obtained from the Peach God Path. If it's lost, it's lost. As long as we're alive, we can always fight again!"
Zhao Feier stared intently at Jiang Liu, her voice low and menacing, "After taking the God-Splitting Puppet, are you sure you want to leave immediately?"
"I have no interest in killing you. Hand over the God-Splitting Puppet and I'll leave immediately. Don't waste my time anymore. If you don't give it to me, I'll come and take it myself!" As he spoke, lightning crackled across Jiang Liu's palm, accompanied by the roar of a dragon.
"Take it! I hope you keep your word!" Zhao Feier's pupils contracted as she looked at the Thunder Dragon in Jiang Liu's hand. Her hair stood on end, and her heart trembled. Knowing she was no match for him, she could only take out the "God-Splitting Puppet".
With a flick of his wrist, a seven-inch-tall wooden puppet appeared, which he then threw at Jiang Liu.
Chapter 198 If I Become the Azure Emperor in the Future
The puppet was fixed three feet in front of Jiang Liu. It was flesh-colored all over, with very clear eyebrows and eyes. Its hands and body were chubby and elastic, just like a newborn baby.
The infant, held aloft by Jiang Liu's divine sense, moved its limbs slightly and suddenly opened its eyes, staring directly at Jiang Liu.
His eyes were incredibly clear and pure.
It really looks like a baby!
This is the most mysterious magic weapon of the Peach God Path, the God-Splitting Puppet! An infant born from a ten-thousand-year-old Peach God Tree struck by lightning! A true treasure of nature, a life born and nurtured by heaven and earth!
"What a pity!" Jiang Liu said with great disappointment. This thing was shaped like an infant. Although it was conceived, it was born too early. If it had gone through another ten thousand years, it would have been born as the Azure Emperor.
Just like the "Eastern Yi Wood Green Ox" that Jiang Liu obtained in the "Shu Mountain" world, it was peeled open before it was fully formed, still in the state of a fertilized egg; once cut open, it naturally became inanimate. This peach wood infant, on the other hand, is a fully formed, full-term baby. It can survive after birth, but growing up is incredibly difficult. The stone embryo of the Champion Marquis was not only fully formed but also grew and cultivated for countless years, and was born in a teenage form. And someone like Sun Wukong, who has been conceived for countless years, is naturally born with great supernatural powers.
Jiang Liu's regret lies in this; it's not that the "Divine Splitter Puppet" is completely useless.
Therefore, a drop of ruby-like blood overflowed from Jiang Liu's brow and landed on the peach wood baby's brow.
With a slight twitch of his fingers, Jiang Liu completely shattered the thoughts and spells on the "Divine Splitter Puppet".
Jiang Liu brazenly began refining the peach wood, completely disregarding the reaction of the Great Luo Sect. As soon as the blood entered the infant's body, the peach wood baby began to cry loudly.
Blood kept oozing from between the eyebrows, like milk being fed to an infant, almost staining it red, before the peach wood infant finally stopped crying. Jiang Liu also showed signs of fatigue; losing so much essence and blood was too much for him, even with his advanced body refinement.
The blood on the peach wood infant quickly disappeared, and the infant's face began to change, eventually becoming eight-tenths similar to Jiang Liu's. Jiang Liu smiled; this infant had thus established a preliminary connection with him.
It feels like we're connected by blood and flesh!