Chapter 38: Nirvana

Beneath the blossoming flowers, their radiance burned bright. In that brief instant, the heart and soul of this host were subtly moved, and an urge arose to reach out and claim it as his own. Yet his true cultivation had long since reached the Grand Luo realm; he was well aware of the crude nature of such enchantments and remained unmoved.

When the petals had entirely dispersed, on the pedestal at the center, there lay nine tiny dolls—eight large, one small—scattered about, their expressions twisted in bizarre laughter and tears. As he gazed at them, he could clearly sense lingering traces of tribulation energy upon them.

The figure in silver armor, ever wary of Red Cloud snatching the prize, had already pushed his cultivation to its peak within the bounds of this demon treasury. Yet, to his surprise, Red Cloud made no move to seize anything from beginning to end.

He knew well, however, that now was not the time for pondering such things. Using the illusory full moon held aloft by the image beneath him as a tray, he carefully lifted the nine dolls—these life-extending tribulation elixirs. Then, producing the compass he had brought, he pressed it atop them, gave it a slight twist, and his form gradually faded, vanishing from sight.

“This demon treasury has already traded its treasures for life-extending elixirs through the offering to heaven and earth. In but a short while, it will collapse. Whether you obtain what you wish depends entirely on your own abilities.”

……

Who would have expected that these two remnant spirits of tribulation would sever this place from the Treasure Vase World in such a way?

Red Cloud watched the other’s figure vanish, then returned his gaze, expression calm as ever. Feeling the force that tugged at his own vitality, he remained unmoved, lifted his hand to remove his mask, and opened his eyes.

“Capture.”

With that single, icy word, the two remnant tribulation spirits that had been absorbing the essence of this place suddenly froze, then were inexorably drawn into Red Cloud’s eyes. Once inside, they dissolved entirely—the tribulation energy surged, even causing this host’s physical body to falter for a moment. One eye grew misty, the other glowed with vibrant life.

Capture successful: Mist Tribulation Spirit, Life Tribulation Spirit. Gained 100 Tribulation Points.

On the panel in Red Cloud’s sea of consciousness, the tribulation points leapt from 120 to 220.

Having already claimed previous rewards, he now noticed a new line of text:

Reward available: True Solution to the Mist Tribulation Spirit and Life Tribulation Spirit.

Seeing this, Red Cloud gained some vague insight, though not yet complete understanding. Observing the instability of this demon treasury now that the two spirits were gone, he took a single step and departed.

…..

Red Cloud opened his eyes and looked around, only to find himself lying beside a waterfall. After some contemplation, he realized he had drifted nearly a thousand miles off course and couldn’t help but marvel inwardly:

The deviation is truly vast…

Yet, this was not necessarily a bad thing. Surely the Moon Rabbit clan of Yin Sha were lying in ambush, waiting for him to appear. Even he had no idea where he would emerge—how could anyone else possibly know?

For now, his power at the Treasure Body realm was still insufficient. There was no better time than the present; after all, the anomaly of the Treasure Body realm was meant to summon kin, but the Nirvana realm’s tribulation required no such conditions.

So he sat down, hands pressed together, and raised a full moon overhead.

The waning moon manifestation, which had gradually grown complete with the rise of his cultivation, now shone bright.

The fifth realm of the Treasure Vase World: Nirvana. The entire anomaly washes over the body, transforming flesh into image, image into self. Through this tempering, one can regrow severed limbs, traverse earth and sky, enjoy a lifespan of five hundred years, and reign supreme!

With a gentle urge, the barrier of Nirvana shattered like a fragile windowpane.

Thunderous tribulation descended, but any wounds were instantly healed by the surging vitality around him. More than that, he could sense the host’s soul elevating bit by bit.

Now, with his wealth of 220 tribulation points, he casually expended 20 to enhance the physical body. As the tribulation thunder rained down, he remained utterly unafraid, even somewhat drowsy.

The Nirvana tribulation tempered his flesh; compared to the Treasure Body realm, it felt even easier.

After this whirlwind experience, he watched the tribulation clouds disperse, their lingering energy feeding back into his body. He reclined in the waterfall, basking lazily in the sun.

When he finally roused from his nap, he opened his panel.

Tribulation Master Talent: Cage of All Worlds

Tribulation Master Realm: Grand Luo Golden Immortal (Late Peak)

Current Abilities: Will Projection, Spiritual Treasure Projection / Used

Host: Zhao Jingcheng

Realm: Nirvana

Host Talent: Eyes of Tribulation Insight

Gate of All Worlds Return Requirement: Fulfill Host’s Obsession / Unfulfilled

Gate of All Worlds Main Quest: Capture the Treasure Vase World’s tribulation spirits / Unfulfilled

Gate of All Worlds Side Quest: Resolve the Three Personal Life-and-Death Tribulations / Unfulfilled

Below the panel, a line of small text made Red Cloud take a deep breath.

Current life-and-death tribulations resolved: 2

Tribulation Points available: 200 (100 gained for each resolved life-and-death tribulation)

Rewards available: True Solution to the Mist Tribulation Spirit and Life Tribulation Spirit

It seemed his journey through the demon treasury counted as one such tribulation. Moreover, he now had an additional host talent…

Red Cloud’s brows arched slightly as he studied the panel. A hint of anticipation flickered in his heart, and he chose to claim the available reward.

In an instant, a surge of tribulation energy detonated in his sea of consciousness, transforming into streams of intuitive understanding, flooding his mind.

……

Had Red Cloud received such knowledge with his true body, it would have amounted to little more than trivial anecdotes. Yet within the consciousness of his current host, the onrush of information was overwhelming, his head threatening to split apart.

Several hours passed before he slowly opened his strange eyes once more. Though weary, excitement shone through his exhaustion: he had deduced the true nature of the tribulation spirits in this world!

The Mist Tribulation Spirit—concealing all, blurring all. Though ever-present, it eludes direct perception.

The Life Tribulation Spirit—nurturing life, yet also stealing it. Brimming with vitality, but at its deepest core lies death.

The life essence shrouded by mist is no ordinary thing—it is lifespan itself, the lifespan of all living beings in the Treasure Vase World!

According to his calculations, the normal lifespans should be: mortal’s seventy years, acquired cultivator’s one hundred, innate cultivator’s two hundred, Condensed Gang’s five hundred, Treasure Body’s thousand, Nirvana’s five thousand, and at the Butterfly Transformation realm… at least ten thousand years.

But in this world, the Treasure Body lasts three hundred years, Nirvana only five hundred, and the higher realms are easily imagined.

Thus, it could be inferred: the Treasure Vase World is home to a lifespan tribulation spirit!