64: Chapter 64 Outbreak

"There are no treasures in the back mountain; it is the resting place of our Wang Family ancestors."

Wang Yaozu blocked the path in front of the eager Ning Family and Baihua Sect members,

"If you all take another step forward, the Wang Family will protect the back mountain to the death."

Hua Shaoyang unfolded his folding fan, gently waved it, and smiled at the corners of his mouth: "What if I insist on taking a look?"

The white-bearded Elder Hua of the Baihua Sect behind him slowly stepped forward, releasing the pressure of the Foundation Establishment Stage without any concealment.

That pressure was formless and substance-less, yet it was as heavy as a mountain, crushing the bluestone slabs beneath Wang Yaozu's feet until they cracked inch by inch.

Wang Yaozu let out a muffled grunt, his figure swaying slightly, yet he still firmly blocked the front of the mountain gate.

Great Elder Ning Shengkui stood in the crowd, the wrinkles on his face bunching together, and the satisfaction in his eyes almost overflowing.

He did not speak, only standing a few steps behind Hua Shaoyang, his gaze passing over Wang Yaozu's shoulders to look at the back mountain where the thunderclouds were churning, calculating in his heart.

"The Wang Family is done for this time. First, Young Master Hua comes to find fault backed by the might of the Elder of the Baihua Sect, and second, the birth of a treasure in the back mountain attracts the covetous eyes of all parties. They are attacked from both the front and the back, facing a pincer attack."

"When Young Master Hua leads people to rush into the back mountain, no matter whose hands the treasure falls into, the Wang Family will not have a good end."

He moved half a step to the side and smiled in a low voice to the Ning Family deacon beside him: "Today is truly lively. Ning Chuan has saved face for Young Master Hua, and the Wang Family's backyard has caught fire; it's a double blessing."

The Ning Family deacon also chuckled, lowering his voice extremely: "What Grand Elder says is right; even if the Wang Family doesn't die this time, they will lose a layer of skin."

Hu Shan frowned, a trace of extremely concealed calculation flashing in his eyes, and stepped forward.

"Everyone, the back mountain is the ancestral ground of the Wang Family. To barge into someone else's ancestral ground like this is unreasonable and unjustified. I am the county magistrate of this place. According to the laws of the Yue State, whenever a treasure appears without an owner, it should be distributed under the auspices of the county yamen. Therefore, let me make the decision and investigate the back mountain on behalf of everyone. How about it?"

He knew this was not a treasure tribulation, but no matter what it was, being able to attract such Lightning Tribulation phenomena was definitely not an ordinary object.

No matter how he calculated it, he wouldn't lose out.

Wang Chongyang glanced at him and sneered in his heart.

"This Hu Shan is truly a good calculator, but I'm afraid your abacus will fall through."

In those mostly turbid eyes, there was no hesitation, and he only spat out a single word.

"No."

The smile on Hu Shan's face froze slightly.

At this moment, a clear, long whistle suddenly came from the direction of the back mountain, followed by a streak of crimson-gold thunder light soaring into the sky from the dark curtain of the heaven-covering bead.

That thunder light was so fast that one could barely see a human figure. It only paused in the air for a split second before a young voice spread down from mid-air, clearly transmitting into the ears of everyone present.

"Sixth Grandpa, Father, I am Shouren. The Lightning Tribulation is coming for me! Quickly have the Family members retreat from the back mountain!"

Boom!

As soon as these words came out, the whole audience was shocked.

The Loose Cultivators widened their eyes, their chins almost dropping to the ground—that was Wang Shouren?

Wang Shouren, who had entered seclusion at the sixth layer of the Qi Refining Stage two years ago? He attracted the Lightning Tribulation? How could the Qi Refinement Stage attract a Lightning Tribulation!

The folding fan in Hua Shaoyang's hand stopped mid-air, and the smile on his face directly froze.

Great Elder Ning Shengkui's smile completely vanished, his eyeballs almost popping out of their sockets.

Wang Yaozu suddenly raised his head, seeing the figure stepping on the crimson-gold thunder light and rapidly skimming away toward the outside of the mountain. On that face, which had been turned pale by the Foundation Establishment pressure, a trace of a smile finally appeared.

His son had emerged from seclusion.

Wang Chongyang looked at the distant thunder light, stroked his beard and let out a long laugh, his aged voice carrying a rare sense of joy.

Hua Shaoyang's expression, however, sank.

Staring at the thunder light flying further and further away, a trace of unwillingness flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly turned his head to say to the Elder.

"Elder, don't listen to him! How could someone in the Qi Refinement Stage attract a Lightning Tribulation? That thundercloud must be the artifact tribulation of a newborn treasure, and the treasure is on him!"

Elder Hua narrowed his eyes, looked at the swiftly skimming thunder light, and slowly nodded: "Shaoyang is right. For a Qi Refining Cultivator to attract a Lightning Tribulation is something this old man has never heard of in nearly two hundred years of living. There must be a great treasure on this kid. Chase!"

With a wave of his large sleeve, a blue light floated out of thin air under his feet, and it was actually a second-order Spirit Crane spreading its wings and rising into the air.

The Spirit Crane's wings expanded to be fully three zhang wide, and with a single flap of its wings, it turned into a blue stream of light, rapidly chasing in the direction where Wang Shouren had gone.

Wang Chongyang snorted coldly, his figure flashing to block mid-air, and crimson flames suddenly lit up all over his body.

Elder Hua was well-prepared, and the Spirit Crane's speed did not decrease at all. He simply raised his hand and pressed it virtually toward Wang Chongyang, and a blue light curtain blocked the space between the two.

Circulating on the light curtain was the profound magic power of the Foundation Establishment Late Stage. Wang Chongyang's crimson flames crashed into it, spraying sparks all over the sky, but they could not shake it in the slightest.

"Wang Chongyang, this old man doesn't want to fight you." The Elder stood on the crane's back, his voice cold and indifferent.

"I just want to see what kind of treasure that brat is hiding on his body. If it really was him who triggered the Lightning Tribulation, this old man naturally won't make things difficult for a junior. If not, then don't blame this old man for acting on behalf of the Heavenly Dao."

As everyone knew, being able to trigger a Lightning Tribulation required at least advancing from the Foundation Establishment Stage to the Core Formation Stage to trigger it.

How could a mere Qi Refinement Stage Cultivator trigger a Lightning Tribulation? It was definitely a treasure without a doubt.

There was another possibility: Wang Shouren was an evil Cultivator. Only when evil Cultivators progressed rapidly in their cultivation might they cause the Heavenly Dao to notice and send down a Lightning Tribulation.

Back then, the reason the Tiexue Sect was discovered to be practicing demonic Cultivation Techniques was because the Lightning Tribulation within the Tiexue Sect's sphere of influence was far too abnormal.

Before his voice had faded, the Spirit Crane had already carried him hundreds of zhang away, closely chasing that streak of crimson-gold thunder light and disappearing among the mountain ranges, with Hu Shan following closely behind.

Great Elder Ning Shengkui rolled his eyes and immediately led the Ning Family members to follow as well.

Wang Chongyang and Wang Yaozu exchanged a glance and simultaneously transformed into two streaks of escape light to pursue.

Before leaving, Wang Yaozu glanced back and said in a deep voice to Wang Yaowu, who was guarding the martial arts arena:

"You all stay behind to guard Lotus Pier. Do not dismantle the grand array, and no one is allowed to trespass without authorization."

Wang Yaowu cupped his fists in acknowledgment, turned around, and strode toward the direction of the array core. Dozens of young Disciples of the Shou generation followed closely behind, firmly protecting several key nodes of the grand array.

Ning Chuan escaped two hundred miles in one breath, landing on the mountainside of a desolate mountain, supporting his knees with both hands and panting heavily.

He looked back at the purple thunderclouds still churning on the horizon. The thunder light reflected on his pale face, illuminating the lingering fear at the bottom of his eyes clearly.

When that patch of thunderclouds pressed down just now, he truly felt that he was going to die.

"It's finally over." He collapsed onto the ground, leaning his back against an old, crooked-necked tree, his voice still trembling. "Master, what on earth was that just now? Was it really a Lightning Tribulation and not just thunder?"

Another old and hoarse voice came from his mouth, and his tone also carried a bit of lingering fear.

"It was a Lightning Tribulation, but this old man cannot say for sure what the exact reason was. Logically speaking, no one in such a remote and barren place can Cultivate to the point of assaulting the Core Formation Stage, so a Lightning Tribulation shouldn't appear.

Back when this old man was in the Sect, quite a few Senior Brothers in the Sect accidentally barged into the tribulation area while others were Undergoing Tribulation, and were struck down together by the heavenly lightning as accomplices of the person undergoing the tribulation. They died an extremely unjust death.

There were also Senior Brothers whose cultivation progressed too fast and whose killing karma was too heavy, which triggered the induction of the Heavenly Dao. The heavenly lightning chased and struck them for three days and three nights, leaving not even ashes in the end.

Later, the Sect Master specially built a secret ground where Disciples below the Core Formation Stage could enter to avoid Lightning Tribulation.

Anyway, no matter what that was just now, remember this! Whenever you encounter such a commotion in the future, hide as far away as possible."

Ning Chuan nodded and was about to say something when the voice in his Sea of Consciousness suddenly sneered: "There are Cultivators following from the north. A junior in the Qi Refinement Stage dares to chase you? There really are people who don't know whether they're living or dying."