Chapter 139: Seeking the Hanging Island

The white-haired crone directed her Pink Rose Sword in a frantic assault against the scroll. The scroll stood upright between heaven and earth, thin and supple, appearing as fragile as if it might collapse in a breeze. Yet, despite ten days of relentless effort, the crone had failed to breach even a corner of the Picture of White Mountains and Black Waters. Just as she was sinking into frustration, the sky suddenly churned; dense, dark clouds surged forth, pressing down heavily until the sky felt unnervingly low. Within the layers of clouds, intense electrical charges flickered.

Before the crone could comprehend what was happening, bolts of white lightning, each as thick as a child’s arm, began to strike in relentless waves. She hurriedly commanded her Pink Rose Sword and her Granny Wang Ghost-Tracing Needles to form two solid layers of defensive shielding, deflecting the lightning bolts one by one. But the lightning in the air only grew more frequent, eventually manifesting as a chain of thunderbolts. Unable to withstand the onslaught, she felt her final layer of protection shatter. In a panic, she cast a seal to invoke a Wind-Walking spell and fled.

"Crack!"

Another wave of chain lightning descended—dozens of bolts striking simultaneously. They hit the white-haired crone with unerring precision. She did not even have time to scream before she was pulverized into dust by the lightning, her very soul shattered into nothingness. Thus perished this late-stage Golden Core expert, who died without ever knowing what had claimed her life.

One day later, a surge of black and white energy erupted from before the Picture of White Mountains and Black Waters. As the mist cleared, two figures emerged. The young man, holding a Nine-Nine Immortal-Shooting Spear in his left hand and a Nine-Treasure Lotus Staff in his right, steered a giant blue lotus disc to shield himself and the girl in red behind him, his eyes flickering with blue light.

After a moment, he bared his small, sharp canine teeth in a wry smile and muttered to himself, "It seems I am getting old. Why have I become so suspicious?" With that, he retracted the Nine-Treasure Lotus Staff and the blue lotus disc, turning his gaze toward the hundred-foot-tall landscape painting. The scroll was now unrecognizable; not only were there scorch marks everywhere, but several tears of varying sizes marred its surface. It appeared this treasure would need to be reforged.

"This... what happened here? Where did that white-haired crone go? Lei Xiang, we should leave quickly. Although you have broken through to the late stage of the Golden Core, your cultivation level may not be enough to defeat her. Look at how she ruined this precious painting..."

Lei Xiang shook his head faintly. "You are mistaken this time, Tian Rui. This was not the work of the white-haired crone. Look at these deep craters on the ground; do you think her spells could have caused these?"

The red-clad Tian Rui looked thoughtful. "That is true. There are dozens of massive craters within a hundred paces. I wonder what powerful artifact caused this? Was there a fierce battle here? Did the Boro Sect and the Xiaoya fight to the death? That seems unlikely; no one in the Boro Sect possesses the power to cause such destruction. What on earth happened?"

Lei Xiang’s expression remained unchanged. "You saw me break through my cultivation realm, didn't you? You also saw my 'Laughing Proudly at the Heavens' technique reach its third layer, my Divine Treasure Mirror reach its sixth, and my Spirit-Splitting Technique grow even stronger. These are the consequences of my advancement."

Tian Rui frowned, still confused. Lei Xiang continued, "This was the Heavenly Tribulation brought on by my upgrade. I’m not sure exactly what kind of thunder tribulation it was, but these craters were caused by it. Oh, and my poor Picture of White Mountains and Black Waters—it shielded me from the tribulation. If I am not mistaken, the white-haired crone perished in it as well. Look at that Ghost-Tracing Needle ten miles away; it belongs to her. Even if she didn't die, she would have been stripped of her very skin."

"Undergoing a tribulation?" Tian Rui stuck out her tongue in surprise. "Don't you humans only face tribulation right before ascension? You haven't even formed a Nascent Soul yet, and you're already undergoing a tribulation. You truly are a freak of nature. But only a Heavenly Tribulation can explain all of this. I never expected that you would..."

"Alright, enough with the sighs. Let’s go check on the great battle between the Boro Sect and the Xiaoya, and then we must hurry to find the Floating Island." Tian Rui cast a helpless glance at Lei Xiang before obediently dissolving into a streak of red light, merging into the blue lotus disc. Lei Xiang stepped onto the Nine-Treasure Lotus Staff and flew toward the back mountains of the Boro Sect.

The back mountains were equally chaotic. Collapsed rocks, blood-stained cliffs, broken artifacts, and human remains were scattered everywhere. Daoist Wu Bo’s robes were so stained their original color was lost; he stood brandishing his Supreme Boro Sword, directing his disciples to clear the battlefield. It seemed the Boro Sect had won a narrow victory.

Seeing Lei Xiang fly in, the old Daoist’s face lit up with excitement. "Young Master Lei, you have finally returned! What happened to that white-haired crone? Your leading her away greatly reduced our pressure. Furthermore, our sect’s divine beast, Boba, engaged the enemy, and we managed a lucky victory. However, both the Boro Sect and the Xiaoya have suffered heavy losses."

Lei Xiang scanned his surroundings, seeing only corpses and wounded disciples. Not spotting Boba or the Xiaoya, he asked, "The white-haired crone was struck by heavenly thunder; her fate is unknown. How did the battle between Boba and the Xiaoya go?"

At the mention of Boba, Daoist Wu Bo’s eyes shone. "Our Boba is invincible, of course! It left the Xiaoya severely wounded and fleeing. Unfortunately, it cannot travel too far from the Boro Sect, so that wretch managed to escape. But with Boba here, you can rest assured about our safety."

"Why can't it leave this place?"

Daoist Wu Bo clearly did not wish to discuss this, offering a vague reply to change the subject. "Can Young Master Lei manipulate heavenly thunder? Truly a young hero! From afar, we saw countless bolts of thunder—the lightning and thunderclaps were dazzling; the power was visible from thousands of miles away."

Seeing that the Daoist would not elaborate on Boba, Lei Xiang offered a brief explanation regarding the thunder and took his leave. Before departing, he specifically urged Daoist Wu Bo to help look after his brother, Dugu Yixiao. Dugu Yixiao had been struggling to break through his bottleneck for quite some time; one could only imagine how terrifying his cultivation would be once he emerged. With the protection of the Boro Sect, Lei Xiang could safely set off to find the Xiaoya’s Floating Island.

Over the boundless ocean, Lei Xiang drifted in flight. Gazing at the deep blue water beneath him, he knew that few people ever came here, or the water would not be so clear and pristine. He did not know what sea this was; he only knew that he had been flying for half a month, and he had yet to see even a large island, let alone the Floating Island. Yet, he had to press forward, for this was the path Tian Rui had set for him.

Lei Xiang communicated with Tian Rui, who resided within the Nine-Treasure Lotus Staff, through his consciousness. "Is this really the way to the Floating Island? How much further is it?"

Tian Rui’s voice was calm. "I have my own secret methods to lock onto the Floating Island. Just keep flying forward."

Lei Xiang sighed inwardly. Tian Rui always gave this same answer. However, seeing her control over the Nine-Treasure Lotus Staff and the blue lotus disc, he felt he should trust her. After all, she was the artifact spirit of these immortal items, and through her sensing of other immortal fragments, she could pinpoint the location with precision.

According to Tian Rui, the fragment of the immortal artifact was on the Floating Island. Her reasoning was that the aura of the fragment kept shifting, never staying in one place, suggesting that the Floating Island itself was constantly moving. By locking onto the fragment, she could track the island.

Lei Xiang had no better plan, so he continued to cooperate with her. Flying on the Nine-Treasure Lotus Staff spared him the fatigue of steering; under Tian Rui’s control, it could find its own way. Lei Xiang decided to use the long journey to consolidate his newly advanced cultivation.