385: When those who obstruct the path appear, calamity strikes!

Yun Chenzi never believed in coincidences!

Especially when it came to the path of cultivation; every seemingly accidental encounter could hide a murderous intent.

The recent changes in the Li Family were far too abnormal. The more Yun Chenzi pondered it, the clearer that inexplicable sense of unease became.

Immediately, with a slight movement of his mind, the black and white Qi in his eyes suddenly accelerated its circulation as he opened his newly formed "Yin and Yang Dharma Eye."

As far as his vision reached, all things shed their appearances, revealing their deeper essence.

He slowly looked up, gazing at the spot three inches above his head—the position of "Five Qi Towards the Origin," which symbolized the very Foundation of a Cultivator's fate.

For ordinary Cultivators, this place should be wreathed in five-colored radiance, representing a Perfection of Foundation and pure Daoist Qi.

But now, under the insight of the Yin and Yang Dharma Eye, Yun Chenzi clearly saw that at the edge of the circulating five-colored radiance, an extremely faint yet exceptionally piercing streak of crimson had somehow appeared!

This crimson streak was like a tiny thread, silently entwining around the Five Qi, filled with an aura of omen, chaos, and tribulation.

"This is... tribulation qi!?"

Yun Chenzi's heart sank abruptly.

How was it possible? He had clearly already undergone his Earthly Tribulation!

Reasonably, once the Earthly Tribulation was passed, the tribulation qi should dissipate, or at least not be so clearly entwined around the Foundation of one's fate.

Furthermore, his Dao Heart was now perfect and untainted, no Heart Demons could arise, and his mind was incredibly clear; there was absolutely no way this was an internal tribulation triggered by his own delusions.

Therefore, this abruptly appearing tribulation qi could only point to one possibility.

"Human Tribulation!"

As those two words flashed through his mind, it felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, causing a sudden chill to run through his entire body.

The so-called Three Tribulations: Heavenly, Earthly, and Human.

Although the Human Tribulation was ranked last, it was the most treacherous and unpredictable.

It was not a product of the laws of heaven and earth, but a tribulation of slaughter and schemes coming from other living beings.

It is said that when the Dao-blocker appears, the Human Tribulation begins!

Who was it!?

Almost the instant he thought of "Human Tribulation," Zhuge Xuanji's figure was the first to leap into his mind.

Everything this old geezer had done recently was targeted and relentless, nearly severing his path to the Dao; he looked every bit like the "fated Dao-blocker."

But Yun Chenzi quickly dismissed this thought.

For no other reason than—Zhuge Xuanji was not worthy!

Yes, simply not worthy!

A Dao-blocker blocks the "Dao," severing a Cultivator's path to a higher level of existence.

The threat must be sufficient to truly shake or even interrupt the process of attaining the Dao.

Although Zhuge Xuanji was skilled in calculating heavenly secrets and used ruthless methods, his own cultivation Realm was clearly not on par with Yun Chenzi's.

Exposing his trump cards earlier had indeed caught him off guard and had a significant impact.

However, things were different now!

Now that his five calamities were perfected and he had entered the "Dao Realm," the essence of his strength had already jumped to a new level.

Even if Zhuge Xuanji repeated his old tricks and exposed all his remaining trump cards, the effect would surely be greatly diminished.

A threat of this level might cause him trouble or loss, but it was no longer enough to constitute a fatal tribulation that could truly "block the Dao."

"Then who could it be?"

Yun Chenzi's eyes narrowed slightly, runes reflecting in his black and white pupils as his thoughts raced like lightning, scanning through names and factions in his mind.

The Valley Master of the West Wasteland's Gale Valley, "Han Qianshuo"?

This man's Gale Profound Ice Divine Ability was peerless and overbearing. He held an old grudge against Yun Chenzi and was also at Golden Core Perfection; he had both the motive and a certain level of strength!

Or was it the Mountain Master of the Southern Ridge's Myriad Beast Mountain, "Master Yuling"?

This man's Path of Beast-Taming allowed him to control thousands of Vicious Beasts, and he commanded a massive force. Yun Chenzi had once crossed him over a rare beast cub, so the possibility was quite high.

Or perhaps... the Six Desires Demonic Sect?

He remembered the "Tianli Cult" that Duan Tianxiong had mentioned.

He was originally a card planted in the Northern Territory by the Qingwei Dao Sect to contain the expansion of the Six Desires Demonic Sect.

If the demonic sect wanted to get rid of him quickly, it seemed perfectly logical.

But after careful consideration, Yun Chenzi felt something was off.

Both sides had been fighting openly and covertly for centuries, long ago forming a dangerous balance and understanding; they avoided direct conflict whenever possible.

Besides, if the Six Desires Demonic Sect truly dared to kill him, they would inevitably face retaliation from the Qingwei Dao Sect.

Furthermore, as long as it wasn't a direct order from the Lord of the Six Desires Grotto, given the self-serving nature of those demonic brats, the risk-to-reward ratio of targeting him was disproportionate, making it the least likely possibility!

No, none of them were right!

The warning signs in Yun Chenzi's heart grew even stronger.

He knew more than ordinary Cultivators and was well aware of how terrifying this "Human Tribulation" was.

Heavenly and Earthly Tribulations were, after all, the workings of the laws of heaven and earth; they left traces and could be overcome with specific methods.

But the "Human" Tribulation had unpredictable upper and lower limits.

After all, the human heart is a treacherous Realm of endless schemes; it is the most unpredictable and difficult tribulation to guard against.

If he could lock onto the target so easily, then this tribulation wouldn't be worthy of being called a true "tribulation."

This Dao-blocker must be hidden in a place he wouldn't expect, using methods he wouldn't anticipate to carry out the act of blocking his Dao!

Yun Chenzi took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and began to trace back all his recent memories, especially those seemingly ordinary details that likely hid Zhuge Xuanjis.

Memories flowed through his mind like a vast river, from his long-distance clash with Zhuge Xuanji to coming to Duan Tianxiong's aid, and then to his recent secluded meditation for Undergoing Tribulation... "Wait, this is..."

The memory frame suddenly froze at the moment he tore through space and descended above the Duan Family.

At that time, his attention was entirely on Duan Tianxiong, as well as Li Daoxuan and Zhuge Mingyi.

But now, re-examining it from a "third-person" perspective, his gaze bypassed those three and landed on the fourth person present, whom he had almost ignored!

It was a young man dressed in a cyan Daoist robe, with an incomparably handsome face and an ethereal temperament, standing quietly upon the ruins at the edge of the battlefield, watching.

Yun Chenzi wasn't focused on the other's appearance; after all, as long as a Cultivator wasn't truly unsightly, their looks and temperament would naturally tend toward Perfection as their cultivation increased with the nourishment of Spiritual Qi.

What truly raised Yun Chenzi's alarm was the timing and manner of this person's appearance.

At that time, Zhuge Xuanji and Li Daoxuan—one at the Late Golden Core Stage and the other at Golden Core Perfection—had joined forces to attack the Duan Family.

Under the pressure of two Immortal Masters, Cultivators within a hundred-mile radius of the Duan Family had long since fled upon hearing the news, fearing they would be caught in the crossfire.

Only this person had not only stayed but also watched the battle from a distance with leisurely ease, as if he were an outsider and it had nothing to do with him.

At the time, Yun Chenzi had merely thought it was some passing Cultivator bold enough to watch, and hadn't looked into it further.

But thinking about it now, this was in itself a massive point of suspicion!

How could an ordinary Mid-stage Golden Core Cultivator be so calm when seeing such a scene, instead of avoiding it at all costs?

As for the fact that this person only had a Mid-stage Golden Core cultivation?

In Yun Chenzi's view, that was actually the least important factor!

A sparrow can still swallow a Dragon; an ant can still devour the heavens!

In the world of cultivation, were there not plenty of examples of the weak defeating the strong or people playing the pig to eat the tiger?

The cultivation Realm had never been the only standard for measuring strength.

More importantly, the timing of this person's disappearance!