"You... He's never been the kind of person who values fame and fortune. How could mere fame and fortune ever hold him back? Don't judge others by your own standards. Just because your heart is dirty doesn't mean everyone else's is!" Yong Shanling blurted out. She couldn't bear to hear her beloved slandering her master like this.
Mu Yijie looked at her in shock. Did she just say his heart was dirty?
He gave a bitter smile. So this was what he was like in her heart.
"True, cultivators are still human. Even we aristocratic family members value fame and fortune. How can you be so sure he doesn't?" Ye Sen looked at Yong Shanling thoughtfully.
Sensing that the situation was getting tense, Hou Hua quickly laughed heartily. "Hahaha, you're such a die - hard fan. You can't even stand it when someone says a single bad word about your idol."
"Exactly! Who told you to talk about my idol like that! He's already amazing enough to be the number one in the cultivation world, and yet you still say such things." Yong Shanling also realized that her reaction had been too intense. It was as if she knew Yun Shan well. In the current situation, she couldn't admit it at all, so she quickly put on the appearance of a fan girl.
Only then did the wariness in Ye Sen's eyes subside, but he still warned her, "Yun Shan is not as simple as we think. If you know anything, you must tell us."
Yong Shanling proudly lifted her little chin. "Of course. My idol must be a good person and can withstand scrutiny. If I have any contact with him, I'll definitely tell you. When it comes to proving my idol, would I still hide it?"
Her reaction successfully dispelled the doubts in Ye Sen's eyes.
This Yong Shanling...
Ye Sen pondered alone in his mind. A flash of inspiration passed through his mind, but before he could grasp it, he was interrupted.
"The tribulation is about to begin." Mu Yijie's cold voice suddenly sounded, and everyone's gazes were immediately drawn over.
They saw black - purple thunder gradually brewing in the sky.
The few of them quickly retreated. They didn't stop until they had flown five or six hundred miles away. They all stood on their magical artifacts and watched the man in the middle face it alone.
Around Yun Shan, within a radius of five or six hundred miles, the sky and the sea were densely filled with various cultivators. Everyone was looking at this scene in front of them excitedly.
This was an epoch - making moment.
The sun in the sky was blocked by the thick black clouds, like a heavy blanket threatening to crush the world.
Purple - red lightning swam in the black clouds, hovering menacingly above Yun Shan's head.
Everyone heard the man in the middle let out a heroic laugh. "Heavenly Dao, come on!"
As soon as the words fell, the long - awaited heavenly thunder suddenly struck down from the sky. The thunder was so powerful that the huge noise made everyone around feel their scalps go numb, and the intense light blinded everyone, making it impossible to see what was in front of them.
After a loud noise, everyone looked up and saw the small figure in the middle still standing. They all breathed a sigh of relief.
But the next second, the crowd reacted. Someone screamed in disbelief.
"It's the Red Heaven Thunder!"
The Red Heaven Thunder was the most powerful and the most numerous among all the heavenly thunders. Usually, it only descended on those who were not tolerated by the Heavenly Dao during their tribulation.
Everyone felt a sense of foreboding.
"The Heavenly Dao truly doesn't tolerate us. The only cultivator in five hundred years who might ascend is met with the Red Heaven Thunder. The Heavenly Dao is unjust!"
"The Heavenly Dao is unjust! We've been cultivating diligently, just seeking that one chance, but the Heavenly Dao doesn't even give us a glimmer of hope!"
"Damn Heavenly Dao! What good does it do you to confine us in this world?!"
...
All the cultivators became angry. Many of them cursed the Heavenly Dao. Everyone felt empathy for Yun Shan's situation.
Just as everyone was scolding, another Red Heaven Thunder was about to descend. They heard someone shout.
"Heavenly Dao, you don't allow us to pass the tribulation, but we'll help Old Master Yun Shan through your thunder. Watch my magical treasure!"
With a shout, a magical treasure flew over. It was smashed into pieces by the Red Heaven Thunder with just a light block. However, as if awakened, many cultivators took out their most powerful magical treasures to help Yun Shan defend.
Seeing this scene, Yong Shanling was extremely excited. "I also want to do my part to help him."
With that, she was about to take out her only magical treasure, the Soul - Stirring Bell, to help her master through this difficult time.
But a big hand firmly held her down. She frowned and looked up to see Mu Yijie shaking his head at her.
He sent a mental message to her. "Do you want to become the target of everyone's arrows?"
The target of everyone's arrows? It couldn't be that serious!
Yong Shanling replied defiantly via mental message. "Maybe these cultivators won't notice me."
"Heh. Do you think they really won't notice you at this critical moment? Think about it. If you had even the slightest hope of breaking through this world, would you let it go? Once Yun Shan ascends successfully, you'll be their only hope. Not all cultivators are decent people. If you're caught by those people, you can imagine what your fate will be."
Mu Yijie's words scared Yong Shanling pale. In the end, she had no choice but to put down her hand. But she took out other unrecognizable magical artifacts and sacrificed them. Although these artifacts might not be of much use, she was willing to try as long as there was a glimmer of hope.
Not only because he was Yun Shan, but also because he was Zhou Chengzi.
After that, the heavenly thunder struck for a full three days, a total of ninety - nine and eighty - one strikes, each one more powerful than the last. However, the man in the middle always stood there tenaciously, bravely facing the thunder.
Everyone was deeply touched by his tenacious spirit. Several times, he was struck until there was not a trace of flesh left. Just when everyone thought he couldn't hold on anymore, he managed to persevere. He just took a handful of pills to barely regrow some of his flesh and then faced the thunder again.
On the third day, the last heavenly thunder was slowly brewing in the sky but didn't fall for a long time. They saw the figure in the middle let out a wild laugh. "Hahaha, damn Heavenly Dao. My fate is in my own hands, not yours. Our Earth's cultivation world will surely have someone ascend again. Come on!"
The heavenly thunder in the sky seemed to be enraged. It kept gathering and became bigger and bigger, even larger than the previous eighty strikes.
After a violent noise, everyone was dazed by the huge sound. Their vision blurred for a moment, as if something was being reorganized.
Everyone looked up and saw that the man in the middle was no longer standing. He had fallen to the ground.
Everyone's hearts tightened. Many people quickly flew over to see if he had succeeded.