When returning to Qinghe City, the sky was already dark.

Zhao Lanxin stood at the city gate, clutching the unfinished belt in her hand; seeing Su Yun descend from the light of his flight, she was stunned for a moment, then threw herself into his arms.

Su Yun held her, gently patting her back.

The little girl was trembling all over; she buried her face in his chest, her tears soaking his lapels.

Zhou Ruoyun also ran over, pulling on his sleeve, crying until she was out of breath.

Liu Wugou stood in the crowd, her eyes red, smiling as she said, "Master has returned."

Elder Han Yue stood at the very back, her expression calm, but the knuckles of the hand clutching her clothes were white.

Su Yun walked into the city and sat down in the courtyard.

Valley Master Su Yao checked his injuries; two ribs were broken, and the Meridians in his left arm were somewhat damaged, but it was nothing serious.

She gave him a Medicinal Pill and helped him set his bones.

Zhao Lanxin brought over a bowl of soup; he looked into her eyes and drank it all in one breath.

The little girl took the empty bowl, kissed him on the cheek, and ran away blushing.

Su Yun leaned back in his chair and took the bead out of his Storage Ring.

The bead lay quietly in his palm; the Divine Soul fragments inside were no longer roaring.

After the monster in the Northern Wilderness was swallowed by the power of the Lightning Pool, the fragments in the bead seemed to have lost their connection and became much more docile.

But Su Yun knew this was only temporary.

The Seal of the Spiritual Plant had already cracked and could hold for at most another year.

After a year, the fragments would erupt again.

By then, without the Lightning Beast or the Lightning Pool, it would only be able to come for him.

Valley Master Su Yao sat down opposite him, looking at the bead, and was silent for a long time.

"Master, what do you intend to do?"

Su Yun said, "Undergoing Tribulation."

Valley Master Su Yao's expression changed.

"The Lightning Tribulation of the Spirit Transformation Peak Stage?"

Su Yun nodded.

Valley Master Su Yao opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately didn't.

She knew her Master's character; once he decided on something, no one could persuade him otherwise.

She just stood up silently and went to the Alchemy Room to prepare the Medicinal Pill needed for Undergoing Tribulation.

Su Yun put the bead back into his Storage Ring, stood up, and walked into the courtyard.

The moonlight spilled onto him, illuminating his pale face.

His injuries had not fully healed, but he did not want to wait.

The matter in the Northern Wilderness had dragged on for too long, and the matter of the bead had also dragged on for too long.

He wanted to finish what needed to be done while everything was still under control.

He walked outside the city, found a desolate mountain, and sat down cross-legged.

This mountain was not far from Qinghe City; it was the place where he last underwent the Soul Transformation Stage Tribulation.

On the giant rock at the summit, there were still scorch marks left by the previous Lightning Tribulation; those scorch marks were deep, like hideous scars.

Su Yun sat on the giant rock and closed his eyes.

Inside his Dantian, the spiritual power fed back by over three thousand Enslavement instances was gathering; that endless, flowing river was becoming wider and more turbulent.

The barrier of the Spirit Transformation Peak Stage was washed away until only a thin layer remained; he could break through it at any moment.

But he was not in a hurry to achieve a Breakthrough.

He was waiting.

Waiting for his injuries to heal, waiting to be prepared, waiting for the right time and place.

Valley Master Su Yao rushed over from the city and placed over a dozen bottles of Medicinal Pill beside him.

Healing pills, Spirit-replenishing pills, detox pills, and three Soul Transformation Stage Pills.

She said the Soul Transformation Stage Pill was also useful for Cultivators at the Soul Transformation Stage; taking one before Undergoing Tribulation could increase the success rate of Undergoing Tribulation.

Su Yun nodded and told her to go back.

Valley Master Su Yao stood where she was and did not leave.

She said she wanted to watch her Master undergo the Tribulation; in case something happened, she could still save him.

Su Yun did not drive her away.

He sat on the desolate mountain for three days.

On the third night, his injuries healed.

He opened his eyes and looked up at the sky.

The moon was very round, the stars were very bright, and there were no clouds for miles.

He took out the Soul Transformation Stage Pill and put it into his mouth.

The Medicinal Pill entered his abdomen, and a warm force exploded, surging into his Dantian.

That thin barrier was torn open like paper; his cultivation broke through the Late Stage and entered the Peak.

The sky began to change color.

Dark clouds surged in from all directions, covering the moon and the stars.

The clouds became thicker and lower, pressing down on his head like a huge black curtain.

Lightning flashed within the clouds; it was not purple, but golden, carrying an aura that could destroy everything.

Su Yun stood up and took off his outer robe, revealing his strong upper body.

He was reluctant to untie the belt Zhao Lanxin had made, so he kept it tied around his waist.

He took the bead out of his Storage Ring and held it in his left palm.

The Divine Soul fragments inside the bead sensed the aura of the Heavenly Tribulation and began to struggle frantically.

It rampaged inside the bead, wanting to rush out, but the Seal of the Spiritual Plant pressed down on it tightly.

Su Yun gripped the bead and looked up at the sky.

The first bolt of lightning struck down.

The golden lightning, as thick as a water bucket, struck him directly.

His whole body trembled violently; he felt his Divine Soul being torn apart.

The Divine Soul fragments inside the bead let out a scream; the sound was sharp and ear-piercing, exactly the same as that of the monster in the Northern Wilderness.

The golden lightning coursed through his body; part of it was absorbed by his body, and the other part drilled into the bead, striking the Divine Soul fragments.

The fragments screamed repeatedly, and their aura began to weaken.

The second bolt of lightning struck down.

It was thicker and brighter than the first.

Su Yun gritted his teeth and endured it head-on.

The golden lightning rampaged inside his body; his Meridians were breaking, his bones were shattering, but he did not fall.

The Divine Soul fragments inside the bead were struck until they were on the verge of death; their aura dropped all the way from the Spirit Transformation Peak Stage down to the Late Huashen Stage, Mid Spirit Severing Stage, and Initial Stage of Soul Transformation.

The third bolt of lightning.

The fourth bolt of lightning.

The fifth bolt of lightning.

Each bolt was twice as strong as the preceding one.

Su Yun was covered in blood, sitting in a pile of rubble, and could no longer tell north from south.

Most of his Meridians were broken, and he didn't know how many bones were shattered, but he was still alive.

The Divine Soul fragments inside the bead were completely quiet now; their aura was as weak as a candle in the wind, which could be extinguished at any moment.

The sixth bolt of lightning was brewing in the clouds and was slow to strike.

Su Yun raised his head and looked at the sea of golden lightning.

He knew this was the last one and also the strongest.

If he survived it, he would reach the Spirit Transformation Peak Stage.

If he didn't, his Divine Soul would be annihilated.

He threw the bead aside, braced his hands on the ground, and slowly stood up.

Blood dripped from his body onto the rocks, making a sizzling sound.

He looked up at the sky and smiled.

The sixth bolt of lightning struck down.

It was not one bolt, but a deluge.

The golden lightning turned into a sea of lightning, pouring down from the sky, submerging him completely.

The sea of lightning lasted for a full ten breaths; the mountain was leveled, the surrounding trees were burned to ash, and the rocks were melted into magma.

Su Yun stood in the center of the sea of lightning, bathed in blood, but he did not fall.

The sea of lightning dissipated.

The sky cleared.

The moon reappeared, and the stars shone brightly once again.

Su Yun stood where he was, looking down at his hands.

Spirit Transformation Peak Stage.

He looked up at the sky and smiled.

He turned and walked to the bead, picking it up.

The Divine Soul fragments inside the bead had completely dissipated; the bead had turned into an ordinary stone, grayish and lusterless.

He squeezed it hard, and the bead shattered, turning into powder that drifted away from between his fingers.

Valley Master Su Yao ran over from afar, her face pale and her eyes red.

She checked Su Yun's injuries, her hands trembling.

Seventy percent of his Meridians were broken, over thirty bones were shattered, and his internal organs were all injured by the shock.

But he was still alive.

She gave him a Medicinal Pill and helped him set his bones, working for an entire night.

When dawn broke, Su Yun opened his eyes.

He was lying in the pile of rubble, covered by Valley Master Su Yao's outer robe.

Zhao Lanxin had arrived at some point; she sat next to him, clutching the embroidered belt in her hand, her eyes red, but she was not crying.

Seeing him wake up, she threw herself into his arms and buried her face in his chest.

Su Yun held her and gently patted her back.

"It's alright," he said.

Zhao Lanxin raised her head and gestured, asking him if it hurt.

Su Yun said it didn't hurt.

She didn't believe him, but she didn't ask again, just leaning in his arms, refusing to leave.

Su Yun held her and looked at the sky.

The matter in the Northern Wilderness was completely resolved; the bead was shattered, the Divine Soul fragments had dispersed, and that monster was also dead.

From now on, no one could threaten Qinghe City again, and no one could threaten his people again.

He could have a good rest for a while.