Chapter 682: Fei Yu Contemplates His Heavenly Tribulation's Changes, the Divine Guardian Grasps Heaven and Earth in His Palm!

After bringing Ling Sheng and Hu Chang with him, Wang Sheng made another circuit through the grand array. Since the gate of the array had not opened yet, he searched every corner for storage artifacts that could have been left behind.

The Heavenly Immortals he had killed were not particularly rich, but he at least found one or two treasured artifacts in their storage artifacts. Meanwhile, looting the Golden Immortals filled his Qiankun Ring with treasures at a staggering rate.

There were all kinds of alchemical pills, treasured artifacts, and huge quantities of Spirit Stones. He even found quite a few cultivation techniques and fragments of Daoist heritage.

Since this was all thanks to Ling Sheng, Wang Sheng gave her a jade bracelet and filled it with many treasures and Spirit Stones. It was, in a sense, his subordinate's wages.

Hu Chang stood nearby, eagerly watching the entire time. Wang Sheng paid him little attention. He didn't subdue the burly man on a whim or simply because he found killing him troublesome.

On the contrary, he mainly wanted to keep the man around as muscle. A physical cultivator enjoyed many advantages that cultivators who followed the Dao of the Primordial Spirit could not. Moreover, he wanted to preserve the diversity of the Daoist heritage within the immortal path of the universe.

Hu Chang stared blankly at the devastated landscape and the immortal corpses that still radiated powerful auras.

"Did you really do all of this?" He drew in a sharp breath and glared at Wang Sheng. "How deep is your actual cultivation? I can't see through it even with a secret technique. Every time I look at you, you appear to be only at the early stage of the Heavenly Immortal Realm."

Wang Sheng only smiled. He allowed Hu Chang to keep guessing wildly and filling his own mind with suspicions.

"I underestimated that Ghost Heart Vine."

Wang Shan's sigh still seemed to echo beside Wang Sheng's ears. He spread his immortal perception outward and looked at the exit of the grand array, which was still quiet.

Considering Wang Shan had created this entire array, he currently had Wang Sheng's life in his grasp. He did not kill him immediately despite clearly wanting him dead, though. Perhaps he did not wish to do it himself, or he had other concerns that made him hesitate.

Wang Sheng clenched his fist, a trace of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes.

At a time like this, there was no point speaking about justice or villains. He himself had already become an executioner who killed constantly just to stay alive. Still, he saw Wang Shan as a bastard who toyed with everything in his palm. Such arrogance was probably impossible to change.

What should I do if more Golden Immortals enter? What if the Taiyi Golden Immortals join forces and destroy the planet itself? For now, I don't have to search for my immortal swords or armor. Even if I recover all my equipment, I still won't have a chance against a Golden Immortal in direct combat. I can't just keep relying on the Ghost Heart Vine, either. I need a second trump card.

Wang Sheng spread his fingers. Arcs of lightning flickered across his palm.

The only other weapon I can rely on is my heavenly tribulation power. I still have one chance to comprehend it and challenge the heavenly might. However, my cultivation is still too shallow.

Wang Sheng wasn't confident he could comprehend the Great Dao of Heavenly Tribulation right now. This was not the time to provoke the heavenly might.

All he could do right now was force his heavenly tribulation power to undergo a qualitative change through sheer numbers.

Having organized his thoughts, Wang Sheng condensed a patch of gray cloud and carried Ling Sheng and Hu Chang back into the volcanic crater. He then tossed Hu Chang aside and let the man recover on his own.

Afterward, Wang Sheng hovered right above the crater, condensed layers of tribulation clouds, and pushed them to gather around the rim of the volcano. With the strength of his Primordial Spirit, he could now control tribulation clouds within a radius of one hundred

li

. Even so, he could only delay the eruption of the lightning storm. He still could not precisely control the position or strength of each lightning bolt.

Right now, he had only grasped a tiny fragment of the Great Dao of Heavenly Tribulation. Not only was it unfathomably profound, but it was also connected to the origin of the universe and the beginning of creation.

Wang Sheng closed his eyes and focused. He deliberately avoided thinking too deeply about the Dao of Heavenly Tribulation to avoid accidentally drawing down the heavenly might and wasting his last opportunity.

Gradually, more and more tribulation clouds gathered around the volcanic crater. They became thicker and denser until they approached the limit of what he could control.

Wang Sheng, who often possessed unusual ideas, did not dare continue comprehending the Dao of Heavenly Tribulation. Still, he intended to use the fragment that he had already grasped to create a more destructive and powerful form of heavenly tribulation power.

How do I accomplish that?

What he attempted now was conceptually simple. He continued thickening the loose tribulation clouds and using force to compress them, hoping to make them more compact and solid.

However, it soon ended in failure. While pushing more tribulation clouds into the same area, he ended up losing control of the lightning storm. Countless lightning bolts filled the sky and illuminated half of the grand array. Even the poisonous fog in the air seemingly transformed as traces of pure primal qi appeared within it.

Frowning, Wang Sheng fell into thought and sat cross-legged above the volcanic crater. Lightning flashed around him, and his long hair drifted freely in the air, making him look almost like a god of lightning.

Inside the cracks of the volcano, Ling Sheng curled up into a ball. She trembled faintly with each thunderous rumble.

Nearby, Hu Chang stared at the lightning storm in complete shock. After watching for a while, he turned and noticed the situation Ling Sheng was in. Ignoring the pain he was in, he jumped over and forced a wide grin.

"What's wrong? Afraid of lightning?"

Ling Sheng just gently shook her head. She simply hugged her knees and remained curled up.

Hu Chang's remarks brought Wang Sheng back to reality.

Wang Sheng whispered, "Ling Sheng, return to the ring for now. I need to spend some time deducing a lightning technique."

Ling Sheng softly replied, "Yes, Master."

She turned into a streak of green light and flew back into the Qiankun Ring.

Wang Sheng glanced at the stunned Hu Chang, raised his hand, and tossed over two bottles of alchemical pills. Without a word, he closed his eyes and continued his comprehension.

The changes of the heavenly tribulation... Without further comprehending the Dao of Heavenly Tribulation, how do I push the power I already control to its limit and make it more destructive?

Wang Sheng pondered the problem. Behind him, two sword phantasms slowly formed. One shimmered with starlight, while the other was formed entirely from lightning bolts.

Hu Chang stared blankly from the side, then muttered to himself, "So the Dao of the Primordial Spirit really is this flashy."

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Soon, he began to feel bored. He lay down and waited for his complete recovery while thinking about how he could escape the three oaths he had just sworn.

That guy demanded that I swear on my Great Dao just for the sake of it. Who the hell can stand that?!

No wonder the people who relied on their brains were all so cunning. Hu Chang had been on the verge of reaching the Golden Immortal Realm as a Zhenren, yet he ended up stumbling in the gutter and falling into a trap instead.

Hu Chang stared at the withered-wood mask on Wang Sheng's face for a while.

In truth, he had never felt much hatred toward the divine tree's guardian spirit. When everyone entered its grand array, they immediately turned into mortal enemies who only fought for their own fated opportunities. Speaking about morality in such a place would have been a foolish dream. After all, it was kill or be killed in there.

What truly angered Hu Chang was the one who had captured him and dragged him here.

"Hey. Is the old bastard who captured and brought me here your master?"

Wang Sheng glanced at him and answered calmly, "No."

"Then is he your enemy?"

"Not exactly." Wang Sheng answered without much thought. "He is just some Grand Dao Golden Immortal who finds me unpleasant."

Hu Chang smirked. "Then why doesn't he just kill you with a slap?"

"I have powerful backings." Wang Sheng casually replied as if inventing a story on the spot. "Since he couldn't attack me himself, he schemed to gather all the forces that hold grudges against me and use them to kill me instead."

He snorted softly.

Calmly, he added, "If my backings were to trouble him later, he could simply say that he was tempering me and arranging a trial for my growth. If I die here, then it would only mean I was not capable enough. That is roughly the whole story."

"

Uh...

" Frowning deeply, Hu Chang slowly pushed himself into a sitting position. He stared at Wang Sheng for a moment. "That bastard is really vicious."

"He can probably hear everything we are saying right now."

Hu Chang was rendered speechless.

"

Heh heh...

What I meant to say was, 'that senior surely has good intentions.' By the way, how should I address you from now on? You cannot expect me to call you 'Master' the same way that young lady does."

"My surname is Wang."

"Old Wang?"

"Call me Big Brother."

"Old Big Brother Wang?"

Wang Sheng gazed at him, and the lightning sword intent behind him burst into brilliant radiance. Hu Chang immediately shrank his neck and forced an embarrassed smile as he hurriedly called out "Big Brother" a few times.

"Did you just want me to call you 'Big Brother'? You could have just said so, you know. I can't defeat you anyway. Why make me swear on my Great Dao and all that nonsense?"

Ignoring him, Wang Sheng continued working with the tribulation clouds he had created. He had already formed several ideas earlier. One failed attempt meant nothing. If one method did not work, then he would simply try another.

***

By the second day after the grand array closed, the place had grown completely quiet. The experts gathered outside the desolate planet gradually became restless.

They knew perfectly well that this was a trap, yet they still sent people inside. Now that they thought about it, their decision seemed rather foolish.

Several Taiyi Golden Immortals soon suggested joining forces to shatter the core of the planet. The power that the core would release upon being broken might be enough to blast open the array. Once the array was broken, the many experts gathered outside could charge in and rescue those who had gone silent.

Unfortunately, their discussion was a little too loud. Someone overheard them.

Nine Taiyi Golden Immortals soon gathered. They connected their enchanted power through the Nine-Palace Battle Formation and prepared to deliver a precise strike against the core of the planet. However, at that moment, a black curtain abruptly appeared over the planet and instantly sealed it.

The nine Taiyi Golden Immortals reacted decisively. When a female immortal shouted sharply, they all attacked at once. A seven-colored pillar of light erupted beneath their feet and smashed toward the desolate planet.

The pillar of light was tightly condensed with restrained immortal power. In truth, just one Taiyi Golden Immortal would have been enough to destroy it. They only worked together to increase the escape chances of the experts trapped inside.

To the astonishment of the immortals around them, the black curtain remained completely unmoved when the immortal power struck it. It just swallowed the attack whole.

Right after, a Golden Immortal suddenly shouted, "Something is wrong!"

Those who reacted the fastest immediately fled in every direction as a powerful aura surged up and disturbed the surrounding heaven and earth. Nevertheless, it was already too late.

Another black curtain appeared a hundred thousand

li

above the desolate planet and instantly sealed the surrounding heaven and earth. Streams of light slammed into the curtain and bounced back immediately.

Chaos erupted inside the curtain. Countless streams of light burst forth as the trapped immortals attacked the barrier from every direction. Soon, they noticed something strange. Space itself seemed to expand. The distances between celestial bodies grew before their eyes at a visible speed.

"Why are we getting smaller?!"

"This is a manipulation of heaven and earth! What a terrifying spatial technique!"

A moment later, the immortals saw five towering mountains rising and expanding rapidly beyond the curtain.

Looking more closely, they realized that the mountains were actually five gigantic fingers.

The curtain that had sealed an area that was nearly three hundred thousand

li

wide shrank into a small sphere no wider than half a

chi

. The tiny sphere rested calmly in the center of a palm.

The trapped cultivators panicked. Among them were Taiyi Golden Immortals, Golden Immortals, Heavenly Immortals, and a few True Immortals.

Soon, an enormous human face appeared beyond the curtain. He gazed silently at them, his eyes remaining emotionless. His withered-wood mask would become their lifelong nightmare.

Within a single palm lay heaven and earth. Black and white could no longer be distinguished.

Wang Shan murmured, "It is time to return."

He tucked the small black sphere into his sleeve, removed the withered-wood mask, and stepped forward. He then vanished... along with the entire desolate planet.