504: Chapter 521 A Sign of Abandonment by Heaven!

"No wonder they say all below the Nascent Soul are but ants; this gap is simply too massive!"

However, Lu Ming quickly came to his senses.

No, it wasn't that the Nascent Soul was strong, but that his own Primordial Chaos Dao was strong.

Other True Lords could, at most, throw their weight around in the single path they specialized in.

But he was different; the Primordial Chaos Dao could encompass all things and devour all Laws.

If the day truly came when he fused ten thousand paths, all the Laws of the heavens would be under his command!

Who then could withstand even a single blow from him?

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. Hehe, this brother is about to become invincible.

However, while the ideal was plump, reality was skeletal.

Lu Ming opened his eyes and looked up at the eye of the heavenly dao, his mouth twitching violently.

He almost forgot, that damn Heavenly Tribulation was coming.

A Nascent Soul not tempered by Heavenly Tribulation was merely an empty shell.

Though it possessed power, it could not resonate with the Laws of heaven and earth, nor could it nurture spirituality or obtain the long Lifespan a Nascent Soul Cultivator should have.

Only by completing this step would he be a true Nascent Soul True Monarch.

Thus, the Heavenly Tribulation was not only a punishment but also a tempering, a necessary path to climb to the peak of the immortal dao.

But aren't you being a bit too much? How long have you been brewing this?

This is taking even longer than the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's time! No wonder he was careless enough to almost forget about the Heavenly Tribulation; it just hadn't descended yet.

As if sensing Lu Ming's dissatisfaction, the Heavenly Tribulation finally finished brewing.

Above the firmament, thunderous light surged, each surge making the pressure between heaven and earth a fraction heavier.

This wasn't a simple additive state; it was layers of accumulation, as if it wanted to crush the heavens.

Lu Ming felt an extremely deep malice from within it.

When the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord underwent the tribulation with a Nascent Soul soul fragment, he drew the Three-Yuan Dao-Breaking Tribulation, which was a punishment for those who did not follow the rules.

As for him, a fellow who presumed to Cultivate the Asura Clan's Cultivation Technique and privately refined fortune, in the eyes of the Heavenly Dao, he was likely a complete traitor and a heretic.

And heretics should be judged!

Previously, Lu Ming relied on the karma golden book to conceal his existence and fled into the Secret Realm to avoid the gaze of the Heavenly Dao.

But now, he was truly exposed under the heavenly might.

So... the time for reckoning... has arrived!

Within the pillar of light, the Heavenly Tribulation had finished brewing.

It was not lightning in the conventional sense, but a hazy gray light.

Chaos surged within it, like a world-ending light, consisting of only this one color.

A gray like the Chaos before the world was opened, a gray like the void after the end of all things.

This was not the Three-Yuan Dao-Breaking Tribulation that cut down luck, wealth, and longevity, but a heavenly punishment specifically tailored for Lu Ming.

Lu Ming had never seen a similar record in any ancient texts, yet the moment he saw that light, a few words surfaced in his mind—Rootless Dao!

Meaning one without a root of fate, like floating dust in the wind, with nothing to rely on, one rejected by the Great Dao!

Even before the heavenly punishment fell, he already felt as if he were being abandoned by the entire world.

That feeling was terrible, the oppression in his heart making it almost impossible to breathe.

He truly didn't dare to imagine what the consequences would be if the heavenly punishment actually landed.

Even with his strength as a newly entered Nascent Soul, it would likely be difficult to escape unscathed.

Lu Ming did not choose to endure it head-on, nor did he choose to defend.

He directly showed his cards!

Hey, this young master isn't pretending anymore!

He closed his eyes, and within his Sea of Consciousness, the karma golden book floated quietly.

Undergoing a tribulation and Cultivation were essentially the same; all damage sustained during this process could be viewed as backlash.

Since it was backlash, the karma golden book could naturally transfer it to another bearer.

This was the rule of the karma golden book and its mechanism; no one could change it, not even the Heavenly Dao.

So Lu Ming naturally wouldn't be foolish enough to face it head-on; he didn't want to take the risk with this unheard-of Heavenly Tribulation at all.

But as the saying goes, those with ability should bear more.

Namely, with great power comes great responsibility.

So, that person... Taishu Yichen, I have high hopes for you!

Without the slightest hesitation, Lu Ming circled that name on the golden book.

At the same time, the gray light within the eye of the heavenly dao grew brighter and brighter.

The gray was expanding, and all the light within the pillar was being swallowed by that patch of void.

Matter began to weather away; starting from the high platform beneath his feet, the rock silently turned to powder.

The Formation Flags all around were annihilated one by one, leaving not even a residue.

Even the taixu ancient bell let out a wail as the dao rhymes on the bell's body shattered inch by inch, exploding within the gray pillar of light into countless fragments before turning into nothingness.

The entire Immortal Cave dissipated within the gray pillar of light as if it had never existed.

The gray light poured down, enveloping Lu Ming within it.

However, for Lu Ming who was standing inside it, nothing happened.

The gray pillar of light diverted around his sides, crushing everything around him into fine dust, yet he remained motionless.

Despite the world outside being turned upside down, it couldn't affect him in the slightest.

He felt nothing; the gray light fell upon him, but it didn't even harm the corner of his clothes.

It wasn't that it had no effect, but that the moment it landed on him, the karma golden book changed the bearer of this Heavenly Tribulation to another person.

All the damage was naturally transferred away.

Meanwhile, outside the Secret Realm.

Inner Domain, Qingwei Heaven.

In the Daoist temple in the central area, Taishu Yichen sat cross-legged.

However, he was not currently in seclusion to comprehend the Great Dao; instead, his brow was tightly furrowed, looking restless and uneasy.

"Truly a period of many troubles!"

With a long sigh, Taishu Yichen withdrew his fingers from his calculations and divinations.

Lately, he had been bogged down by trivial matters. First, Yun Chenzi, a talent he had painstakingly nurtured, met with an accident and vanished just like that, causing a hundred years of his hard work to go down the drain.

Regarding this, although Taishu Yichen felt irritated, it was only to that extent.

Chess pieces were things that could be replaced; it just took some time.

What truly made him uneasy were the anomalies coming from the direction of the Secret Realm.

There was no helping it; the commotion was simply too large, making it hard not to notice.

The Secret Realm was torn open, the eye of the heavenly dao descended, and then thunder punishment was meted out.

That power crossed billions of miles of Void Realm, traveling from the Outer Domain to the Inner Domain.

Cultivators below the Nascent Soul might not know what was happening.

But a Nascent Soul True Monarch like him knew that someone was undergoing a tribulation within the Secret Realm, and it was a Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation at that!

If it were anywhere else, it would be fine; which of the many True Lords hadn't experienced a Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation?

But this place of tribulation just had to be within a Secret Realm!

As everyone knew, Secret Realms were isolated from the Heavenly Dao, making it impossible to trigger a Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation.

To successfully break through, one must either leave the Secret Realm or find a way to pry it open to let the Heavenly Dao in.

Clearly, this person undergoing the tribulation chose the latter, and even used a Dao Court Edict!

This was practically playing with their cards on the table!

"What on earth is the Dao Court up to!"

Indeed, he also concluded it was the Dao Court's doing, mainly because the flavor of that Dao Court Edict was just too authentic.

Who told the Yujing Dao Court to always be restless? On the surface, they remained neutral, but secretly they had a hand in everything.

But Taishu Yichen couldn't figure out what benefit the Dao Court would gain from doing this.

Even if your person seized the final Opportunity of the Secret Realm, wouldn't it be better to break through peacefully after bringing it out and returning to the Dao Court?

Why must they break through within the Secret Realm?

To even go so far as to ostentatiously tear open the Secret Realm's barrier and draw the gaze of the eye of the heavenly dao—wasn't this a blatant provocation?

Now look what happened. It provoked the anger of the Heavenly Dao, which sent down heavenly punishment, not only killing the person undergoing the tribulation but also taking its anger out on all the True Lords, increasing the suppression on all the Grotto-Heavens!

Making their already terrible Cultivation environment even worse!

Wasn't this shooting oneself in the foot?

Taishu Yichen couldn't understand it, he really couldn't.

He tried to calculate it with his fingers, but he couldn't deduce anything.

"Sigh..."

Taishu Yichen sighed, feeling bitterness in his heart.

To think that he, a dignified Nascent Soul True Monarch, possessing earth-shattering power, could not be free and easy.

Now, like a prisoner, he was trapped in a corner, living at the beck and call of the Heavenly Dao.

It truly made one feel sorrow from within!

But there was no choice; life had to go on.

Though it was like walking on thin ice, he was still alive after all, and as long as he was alive, there was hope for the day he would break free from his shackles and achieve true freedom!

Regarding this, Taishu Yichen still held great expectations.

However, facts often do not go as one wishes; accidents are the main theme of life.

Just as Taishu Yichen was prepared to cut away his worries and focus on his closed-door Cultivation.

An indescribable sense of crisis surged without warning from the depths of his Soul, as if some great horror was about to descend.

"What's going on!?"

Taishu Yichen felt uncertain and suspicious, not knowing what had happened.

He was staying in Qingwei Heaven, which could be said to be his personal domain. Here, even the Heavenly Dao would find it difficult to deal with him. Who could possibly bring him such a massive threat?

But he didn't lower his guard. Having reached his Realm, such a sudden premonition couldn't possibly happen without reason.

Since it was happening now, it proved that the situation was very serious, likely a problem that already threatened his life.

This led him to guess: could it be those few old fellows were targeting him, or plotting something against him, to the point of threatening his life?

This made his heart very heavy, and at the same time, he raised his vigilance to the maximum.

Thus, Taishu Yichen almost instinctively raised his hand, and at the moment that strange sensation descended, the Yin-Yang Law gushed forth.

Black and white Qi surged wildly from his body, intertwining and wrapping around the entire Qingwei Heaven.

Palaces, pavilions, mountain gates, Spiritual Veins—all spiritual energy fluctuations, Law circulations, and spiritual mechanisms were locked down by him, with not even a shred leaking out.

Now, even if a Nascent Soul Late Stage Great True Lord were to personally take action, it would be impossible to break through Qingwei Heaven in a short time.

After doing all this, he finally let out a sigh of relief.

However, before he could relax for long, Taishu Yichen noticed something was wrong.

He saw black spots beginning to appear on his skin.

At first, they were only the size of a needle tip, surfacing on the skin's surface.

Then, like rice paper soaked in ink, the spots rapidly expanded, spreading from the back of his hand to his arm, then from his arm to his torso, and finally to his entire body.

To the point where his entire face, both hands, and his whole body were covered in dense black spots.

"These are... liver spots!!?"

Taishu Yichen was terrified.

How could such things appear? Clearly, those were the kind of corpse spots that only grew on people who had been dead for a long time.

But who was he? A Nascent Soul True Monarch!

His body was pure and stainless, not even a speck of dust would cling to it. How could it suddenly become like this, and without any warning!

He reached out with a trembling hand to touch it; what his fingertips felt was not like skin, but like touching a corpse that had been dead for who knows how long.

Cold, withered, like a piece of sun-dried tree bark.

Yet he was clearly still alive; his breathing and heart were still continuing.

However, the changes had not ended; they were still continuing!

After the corpse spots completely covered his body, the flesh on him began to rot and then started falling off his body.

It wasn't falling off in chunks, but in sheets, revealing the dark red muscle texture beneath and the grayish-black pus in his blood vessels.

What was even more horrifying was that he also sensed something squirming within his own flesh.

Within that grayish-black pus, white maggots were rapidly hatching, crawling out from his pores in dense numbers, squirming between his skin and muscle.

Suddenly, a bone-eroding, heart-burning itch went deep into his marrow.

It felt like ten thousand ants were crawling inside him, gnawing at his Meridians, bones, and even his Divine Soul.

He subconsciously reached out to scratch; his nails raked across his arm, leaving bloodstains, but what flowed out was not blood, but more maggots.

"The... Omen of Heavenly Abandonment... how is this possible!"

A thought exploded in his mind, but Taishu Yichen couldn't believe it.

One abandoned by heaven, as the name suggests, is a person detested by heaven and earth.

In essence, it is because the Cultivator has stolen too much of the creation of heaven and earth, and now the Heavenly Dao wants to take it back with interest.

Such a person would surely go through five stages.

First is the Soiling of Garments, where the protective spiritual light becomes tarnish.

A Cultivator originally has spiritual light protecting the body, making them immune to all Laws, yet they begin to inexplicably attract dust; this is the first step of the reclamation.

The second is the Withering of Flowers, where the three flowers atop the head and the five Qi in the chest begin to wither.

The Cultivator's 'momentum' begins to collapse, and the dao rhyme dissipates.

The third is the Sweating of Armpits; the dao body begins to seep with the air of decay, symbolizing the transition from sage to mortal, from immortal to dust.

The fourth is the Withered Flesh Falling Off; the dao body no longer contains life force, the blood solidifies like a dried-up riverbed, and the skin begins to crack and peel from the fingertips, revealing gray and defeated membranes.

This is the disintegration of existence itself, as if the Heavenly Dao is withdrawing the definition of Lifespan from his body.

And when the flesh is completely dead and the foul air seeps from the depths of the bone marrow, the 'Plain Maggots' will be born.

Yes, those white insects.

These are peculiar existences that spontaneously transform from his decaying dao foundation.

They are not living beings, but more like 'scavengers'.

From a higher-dimensional perspective, they are the manifestation of the Laws of the Heavenly Dao, the billions of executors formed by the rules of heaven and earth.

Specifically responsible for 'dismantling cleanly and returning the Dao to heaven' those who have been abandoned!

As for the final step...

It is the End of Fate.

As the name suggests, this is a complete return to zero, where the Divine Sense turns to nothingness, and even the traces of 'having once existed' are erased by the Heavenly Dao.

Taishu Yichen was well-versed and quickly identified his own situation.

But his heart was filled with all kinds of confusion!

He was a Nascent Soul True Monarch, an existence with heaven-reaching Cultivation who should have a Lifespan equal to heaven and earth!

Why would he suddenly be completely abandoned by the Heavenly Dao and have this omen of destruction descend upon him!

Moreover, he was currently in Qingwei Heaven!

The so-called personal domain was not just a casual saying.

This region was completely evolved by him and was fundamentally unaffected by the interference of the external Heavenly Dao's Laws and order!

Although it meant being imprisoned for a long time, it was superior in its guaranteed safety.

But now, the Heavenly Dao had bypassed this restriction and forcibly interfered with him within it.

This was simply inconceivable!!

In this instant, Taishu Yichen almost thought that the Heavenly Dao had already transcended the shackles of the Origin.