Chapter Seven: The Wandering Immortal

  The sky is overcast with dark clouds.

  Through the Lotus Valley's Protective Array, one can clearly see the lightning snakes jumping outside.

  "Initiate the grand formation!"

  A low and solemn voice came from within the inner valley of Lianhua Valley. The speaker was none other than the current master of Lianhua Valley, Lu Renxing.

  In the Scattered Immortal Continent, any disciple who triggered a Heavenly Tribulation would have their sect open up the Protective Sect Array. Apart from avoiding unnecessary damage to the array, there was another reason - every cultivator who crossed tribulations had to accept the baptism of the Thunder Tribulation in order to truly cross it. Otherwise, even if they used the power of the array to withstand the Heavenly Tribulation, it would still be considered a failure to cross the tribulation.

  Because of this, they can't draw any power from the heavenly tribulation at all, and instead will produce a heart demon because they don't dare to face the heavenly tribulation.

  Rumble...

  As the grand array was activated, the disciples in the valley clearly felt the oppressive might originating from the Heavenly Tribulation!

  "Is this the heavenly tribulation? What a terrifying aura."

  "We're already feeling this kind of pressure just being on the edge, what kind of pressure is Big Brother facing standing under the heavenly tribulation?"

  "Master brother is indeed a rare talent in the world, cultivating for only thirty years or so, yet he has reached the point of stirring up the mortal calamity..." A white-bearded disciple sighed.

  In Lotus Valley, strength is revered. Many disciples have been in the sect for fifty or sixty years, but due to their lack of strength, they remain as outer sect disciples.

  "The ten great disciples are all incredibly talented individuals. I heard that the tenth senior brother has already reached the tenth level of Qi Refining." Another disciple sighed.

  "Ten Brother? Hmph, that guy only managed to snatch someone else's spot when Fifth Brother was heavily injured back then. Otherwise, without the status of one of the top ten disciples, his current cultivation level wouldn't be stronger than mine by much..." A cold and detached young man said disdainfully.

  "Fifth senior brother? You're talking about Ding Yan......" Another disciple denied, "Ding Yan has been missing for many years. Even if he comes back now, he's definitely not a match for tenth senior brother. He might not even be able to withstand my attack." The disciple who spoke had a cultivation level of seven layers of refining qi and was considered one of the best among the outer sect disciples.

  "That's also possible." The disciple who spoke earlier argued strongly.

  "Alas, Master Ding was severely injured back then. For him to recover his cultivation to its original state in these few years is already quite good. As for reaching the 10th layer of Qi Refining, it's simply impossible..." Another disciple chimed in.

  Compared with the hustle and bustle of the discussion among the disciples, the depths of the Lotus Flower Valley were a picture of serenity, as if the influence of the heavenly tribulation had been isolated here.

  This is a quiet little valley, with fallen leaves drifting in the wind, and an autumn breeze rustling, presenting a deep autumn scene.

  Under the fallen leaves, there is a small stone path made of bluestone, next to which stands this stone table. Two old men sit cross-legged opposite each other, with black and white chess pieces arranged on the stone table in front of them. If at this moment an inner disciple from Lianhuagu came in, they would certainly discover that these two people were none other than Lu Renxing, the master of Lianhuagu, and Elder Xue Ming, both among the three great scattered immortals of Lianhuagu.

  "Brother Shifu, you've finally had a child." Xue Ming stroked his long beard and smiled.

  Lu Renxing furrowed his brow in deep thought, "I didn't expect my junior brother's chess skills to have improved again. This move is indeed somewhat beyond my expectations..."

  Xue Ming smiled but did not speak.

  After a long time, Lu Renxing gave birth to a son.

  Just then, a sudden clap of thunder was heard outside, which was an omen that the heavenly calamity had begun.

  "Has it started?" Lu Renxing raised his head and looked outside.

  In an instant, a flash of sharpness streaked across Lu Renxing's eyes, and a greenish-blue aura flashed from the bottom of his eyes!

  This blue aura does not move the yuan force of the Lianqi cultivator, but is a power from a higher level. It is precisely because of this power that a huge gap has been formed between the scattered immortals and the Lianqi cultivators.

  Not becoming an immortal, not entering the immortal gate!

  If Ding Yan were here, he would be able to see at a glance that the green aura in Lu Renxing's eyes was indeed Xianyuan!

  Xianyuan is the power of immortals, and after transcending the mundane, cultivators can become wandering immortals because their bodies have begun to possess xianyuan, even if it's extremely scarce.

  For Xianyuan, Dingyan was extremely familiar. In his previous life, he was the one who fell after being struck by a divine artifact. The aura that activated the divine artifact back then was precisely Xianyuan's.

  Xue Ming didn't notice the commotion outside, but instead saw the aura in Lu Renxing's eyes for an instant, and his gaze flashed as he said, "Brother's cultivation has improved again, I suppose it won't be long before you can attract the next tribulation, and become a Thunder Tribulation Scattered Immortal..."

  "It's not that easy to get through the heavenly tribulation." Lu Renxing shook his head and said.

  "The deadline given by Motian Sect is getting shorter and shorter. During this period, if we can't gather the five scattered immortals, we will be eliminated from entering the Heavenly Gate."

  Xue Ming heard this and also frowned, "The Motian Sect has become more and more overbearing in recent years... Fortunately, some of the disciples they received this time are still relatively outstanding. Especially among the top ten disciples of this generation, several of them have talents that are not inferior to yours and mine."

  "What's the point of having talent?" A hint of indifference flashed across Lu Renxing's eyes. "Under the Heavenly Will, nine out of ten people die, what does it matter if one has good talent? In the past, there were many cultivators of our generation who had better talent than me. If just one person among these ten can survive the Tribulation and become a Loose Immortal, then I won't have wasted my efforts in treating them well."

  Xue Ming remained silent.

  The treatment of the top ten disciples is naturally not given for nothing.

  Those disciples' talents, no matter how outstanding they were, were still not valued by Lu Renxing.

  "What a pity for that kid Ding Yan, I remember, his will was extremely firm..." Xue Ming sighed.

  "For a loose immortal, the survival of the fittest is the truth. Compared to Ding Yan, I think Cloud Peak's kid is more promising." Lu Renxing put down the chess piece in his hand and stood up to look at the sky outside the valley "It's just unknown where that kid has run off to now. When did he leave the valley? He even escaped my detection..."

  "It should just be some small tricks, the protective array of this valley was personally set up by Shifu's uncle, and without achieving the body of a scattered immortal, it is fundamentally impossible to pass through." Xue Ming guessed.

  Lu Renxing nodded.

  As for Ding Yan being able to silently pass through the Hu Zong Great Array, they had never thought of it, because even if it were them, wanting to pass through the Hu Zong Great Array without startling anyone would require a lot of effort. After all, Ding Yan was just a small Qi Refining stage cultivator.

  "For the time being, don't bother with him. Anyway, when the time comes, I won't believe he won't come back to collect the jade plaque." As he spoke, Lu Renxing's expression revealed a hint of reminiscence "The Mortal Realm... If I hadn't returned to the mortal realm that one time, I'm afraid no matter what, I wouldn't have become an immortal..."

  Fulfilling one's wish is also a part of a monk's practice.

  Many powerful cultivators, due to a hint of regret in their hearts, will die and disappear into dust at the last moment of their tribulation.

  At first, Lu Renxing was not the master of Lianhuagu, and he had returned to the mortal world, accompanying his loved ones through their final journey. After returning, he successfully passed the Tribulation of Mortality and achieved the body of a Loose Immortal.