Chapter 20 Tribulation Storm

"The treasure left behind by Revered Master?" Luo Li was slightly taken aback, her eyes filled with confusion.

"Junior Sister, come with me." Luo Hongyi took Luo Li's delicate hand and walked toward a wall deep inside the inner palace. She formed a hand seal and cast a mysterious mark. The wall silently slid open, revealing a secret door that led to a deep, downward-stretching staircase.

The two sisters walked down the stairs and arrived at a secret chamber surrounded by powerful Restrictions. In the center of the chamber stood a small white jade altar, with an object hovering above it.

It was a palm-sized jade pendant with an exceptionally archaic design. Its entire body was the color of Chaos, neither quite jade nor stone. Its surface was engraved with countless golden runes so fine they were invisible to the naked eye. These runes seemed to possess a life of their own, flowing slowly and exuding a mysterious aura that transcended the Laws of this world. It hovered silently, as if all surrounding auras and light were being absorbed and isolated by it.

"This is..." Feeling the mysterious and powerful aura emanating from the jade pendant, Luo Li's peach-blossom eyes shimmered with brilliance.

Luo Hongyi's expression was solemn, her tone carrying a hint of reminiscence: "This object is called the 'sky-shrouding jade'. Before Revered Master disappeared, she secretly entrusted it to my care. Revered Master once said that this object does not belong to the Xuanhuang Continent and very likely... originates from the Upper Realm."

"The Upper Realm?" Luo Li's heart shook violently.

"Correct." Luo Hongyi nodded, her tone grave, "Revered Master once said that this jade can obscure the heavenly secrets. If worn during a Breakthrough, it can exempt one from the baptism of the Lightning Tribulation and, furthermore, isolate one from all deductions and calculations."

Luo Hongyi gently took down the "sky-shrouding jade" and handed it to Luo Li, her eyes firm: "Junior Sister, with its help, you can Breakthrough with peace of mind. The Soul Transformation Heavenly Tribulation will not descend, and those monsters and demons within the Sect will not be able to detect a thing!"

Luo Li took the jade pendant, nodded slightly, then sat cross-legged to begin her Breakthrough.

Seeing this, Luo Hongyi cast a few more Restrictions around the area and sat cross-legged to one side to act as her Protector.

Outside the Vice Sect Master's palace, the leader of the green-clad guards from War Demon Peak flashed a cunning glint in his eyes. He silently retreated into a dark corner, and an inconspicuous blood-colored communication jade talisman in his hand flashed with red light. A fluctuation, so faint it was almost imperceptible, darted out and instantly vanished into the Void Realm.

Inside the secret chamber, the Chaos-colored "sky-shrouding jade" hovered silently above Luo Li's head, with strands of imperceptible, mysterious aura circulating and lingering around her entire body. She sat cross-legged, guiding the vast Demonic Technique energy within her to charge against the sturdy barrier of the Soul Transformation Stage.

At War Demon Peak, inside a Blood Pool within a great hall, Tu Gang was soaking. The churning Blood Pool spat out fierce and vicious Blood Evil Qi. The viscous blood in the pool squirmed like a living creature, transforming into countless tiny blood snakes that scrambled to burrow into the pores all over his body. A look of both enjoyment and pain appeared on his face; his bones made soft cracking sounds, and his aura vaguely increased amidst the brutality.

In the shadows of the hall crawled several female Cauldron Cultivators, wearing only shreds of clothing, their eyes hollow and despairing. Their bodies withered at a speed visible to the naked eye as their life essence was forcibly extracted, becoming resources for Tu Gang's Cultivation. This was the unique Cultivation method of War Demon Peak: naked plunder and devouring, cruel and direct.

Suddenly, a blood-colored communication jade talisman vibrated slightly, transmitting a fluctuation! He opened his eyes abruptly, a flash of red light in his pupils. "Luo Li came to the Vice Sect Master's palace, has been with Luo Hongyi for several hours, has not yet come out, and heavy Restrictions have been set up inside the palace, making it impossible to spy!"

A look of suspicion appeared on his rugged face. It was an open secret in the Sect that Luo Li had lost all her Cultivation. In the past, she rarely left her dwelling and would seldom take the initiative to seek out Luo Hongyi, let alone stay for such a long time.

"When things are abnormal, there must be a demon!" A fierce glint flashed in Tu Gang's eyes. "Could it be... that Luo Hongyi has found some method to help her remove that 'nine nether demon seed'?"

He was by nature suspicious and domineering, absolutely refusing to allow anything to happen that was beyond his control. Especially when it involved Luo Li, the woman he had coveted for a long time, and the Vice Sect Master Luo Hongyi, the rival who had always been pressing down on his head.

"Hmph! No matter what tricks you two are up to! This Seat wants to see what kind of scheme you can come up with!"

He rose with a boom, carrying with him a monstrous aura of Blood Evil Qi, and transformed into a blood-colored streak of light, heading straight for the main peak. At the same time, with a thought, he sent a message to Elder Yin Gu of the Hall of Discipline: "Old Ghost Yin Gu, there is unusual movement at the Vice Sect Master's palace. Luo Li and that Luo Hongyi have kept the doors closed for a long time and have set up heavy Restrictions. I fear there is something fishy. Would you be willing to go with me to take a look?" His intent was to drag Yin Gu into the water to apply joint pressure, also fearing that if he went alone and Luo Hongyi became angry and started a fight, he might not be a match for her.

On the other side, deep within the Hall of Discipline, Elder Yin Gu's hand, which was twisting bone beads, paused slightly. Upon receiving Tu Gang's message, a sneer appeared on his aged face, and he thought to himself.

"That brute Tu Gang is actually quite alert. However, with Luo Li's long-term illness, suddenly staying with Luo Hongyi for so long without leaving is indeed suspicious." He pondered for a moment, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "Very well, I will go with him to investigate the reality of the situation. If she is truly restoring Luo Li, the situation will be greatly disadvantageous to us. If it turns out to be a false alarm, I can at least probe what Luo Hongyi is up to."

He slowly rose, his figure merging into the shadows, and silently darted toward the main peak.

On the other side, outside the Vice Sect Master's palace. Tu Gang's figure descended like a meteorite. Before he even neared the palace gate, he shouted loudly, his voice like a booming bell: "Vice Sect Master! Tu Gang of War Demon Peak has urgent business and requests an audience!"

Almost simultaneously, Elder Yin Gu appeared on the other side like a ghost, his voice soft and feminine yet carrying unquestionable authority: "Vice Sect Master, Sect matters are in urgent need of a decision, please appear and meet us immediately."

Inside the secret chamber within the palace, upon hearing the two of them using their Cultivation to shout, Luo Hongyi's expression gradually turned gloomy. If she hadn't set up isolation Restrictions in advance, her Junior Sister would likely have already been disturbed and severely injured by the backlash from these two people's voices. A trace of killing intent flashed and vanished, but she also understood that it must have been the eyes and ears they had arranged who detected the abnormality and reported it up, which is why they were drawn here to investigate. Luo Hongyi suppressed the urge to go out and hack them to death, her expression unchanged, and said in an icy voice: "This Seat is currently discussing urgent matters with Peak Master Luo and has no time to see guests. Whatever urgent business you have, discuss it another day!"

Hearing this, the suspicion in Tu Gang's eyes deepened, and he sneered: "What urgent matters? Need to set up Restrictions to isolate the inside from the outside? This Seat has heard that Peak Master Luo has been unwell lately, and I haven't had the chance to visit yet. Why not invite her out for a meeting?" His words carried an aggressive probe.

Elder Yin Gu also slowly chimed in: "Vice Sect Master, it is not that we intend to disturb you. It is just that there are many things in the Sect recently, and there is no other way... Peak Master Luo, I have prepared some Medicinal Pill here to calm the mind and soothe the spirit. I heard that you have been in poor health lately; this is a token of my sincerity, please accept it."

Inside the palace, Luo Hongyi's phoenix eyes were filled with malice. She knew the other party was doing this on purpose and would not give up until they saw the person. She glanced at Luo Li, who was at the most critical moment of her Breakthrough and could not tolerate the slightest disturbance. Once they entered the palace, even with the sky-shrouding jade shielding, the commotion of the Soul Transformation Breakthrough would be extremely difficult to completely hide from the perception of two Soul Transformation Cultivators who were right at their doorstep!

"Hmph! When this Vice Sect Master acts, why would I need to explain to the likes of you? If you dare to make any more noise, don't blame this Seat for not considering our Sect fellowship!" Luo Hongyi responded forcefully, attempting to use her pressure to force the two of them back.

Meanwhile, in a side hall of Heartless Peak. Xiao Ming slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of turbid air. The flames in the pill Cauldron before him gradually extinguished. In his palm were several warm jade bottles, inside which were several Medicinal Pill the size of dragon eyes, round and flawless, emitting a refreshing and fragrant scent. He had refined all the Medicinal Pill he might possibly use. Looking at the jade bottles in his hand, he did not feel much joy; instead, his brows furrowed slightly.

'Cultivating step-by-step like this is still too slow.' He thought to himself, 'Although I possess the Heaven-Defying Heaven-Swallowing Demon Art and the System, as a villainous Demonic Cultivator, I must ultimately rely on "plundering" those Children of Fortune to grow rapidly...'

Just then, he felt the atmosphere within the Sect becoming faintly oppressive. Two incomparably powerful auras were faintly coming from afar, at the very least belonging to experts above the Nascent Soul stage. He had, after all, felt the pressure of his Revered Master's aura, and in comparison, these two auras were even stronger.

Xiao Ming did not continue to ponder and quickly rose, deciding to go out and investigate. He had a feeling that all of this should be related to his Revered Master. Just as he walked out of the side hall, he heard faint energy rumbles and angry shouts coming from the direction of the main peak!

"Ahem, Revered Master baby, don't you die. You are the first woman since my Transmigration."

Xiao Ming's heart tightened. His figure flashed, and he silently sneaked toward the main peak. The closer he got, the clearer the fluctuations became, mixed with violent Blood Evil Qi and cold, eerie ghost energy.

Outside the Vice Sect Master's palace gate. Luo Hongyi had wanted to use her pressure to intimidate and force the two to leave, but little did she know, the more she tried to stop them, the more Tu Gang and Yin Gu wanted to get to the bottom of it! Both of them were old foxes who had lived for who knows how many years.

And inside the secret chamber of the palace, Luo Hongyi also felt several deep auras secretly paying attention to this place. Their existence made the situation of this standoff become incomparably subtle and complex.

"Having a guilty conscience, are you!" Tu Gang, who was still attacking, roared, "Luo Hongyi, what exactly are you two doing inside the palace? Why refuse to meet? If I don't get to the bottom of this today, this Seat will not give up!" The Blood Evil Qi around his body surged, and he then shot into the sky, deciding to stop probing and strike with full force!

A fierce glint also flashed in Elder Yin Gu's eyes as he secretly gathered his strength. With matters reaching this point, he was basically certain that there must be something strange inside the palace! It was very likely that Luo Li was restoring her Cultivation, or perhaps... Then a bolder thought emerged, and his heart shook violently. Could it be... she is breaking through!

Without delay, the two gathered their Devilish Qi and bombarded the palace gate with full force.