PID Chapter 115

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Heaven’s Will was impartial. It wouldn’t make exceptions for Chu Jinglan. The lightning tribulation would proceed as it should, with no interference. Though Chu Jinglan was the child of destiny, if he were to die under the tribulation, his fate would simply return to the flow of destiny, waiting for the next child of destiny to emerge.

 

To reach Great Perfection stage at only a hundred years old was an extraordinary feat that others could only dream of. Yet the lightning tribulation was fraught with danger—and to face it on a battlefield surrounded by enemies? It was hard to say whether he should be praised for his boldness or pitied for his misfortune.

 

As the black clouds above gathered thicker and denser, even the Great Perfection cultivators locked in fierce combat took notice of the commotion in this corner of the battlefield. The distance between them and Chu Jinglan’s location was significant due to the divided battle zones. Focused on their own enemies, they couldn’t extend their spiritual senses far enough to discern which side’s disciple was attempting to advance.

 

But they all reached an unspoken agreement: they couldn’t allow any Great Perfection cultivators from the opposing side to intervene. Their attacks grew fiercer as a result.

 

Chu Jinglan’s earlier strike hadn’t just killed a demon cultivator—it had also taken out two demons in one blow. Three lives ended with a single strike, leaving both the pursuing demons and demon cultivators stunned into hesitation. Even the human cultivators nearby swallowed nervously. With their backs turned to Chu Jinglan, an icy chill ran up their spines, filling them with an almost irresistible urge to flee.

 

But they knew they couldn’t run. The enemy had already surrounded them. Among their group, Chu Jinglan was undoubtedly their strongest fighter. It had been thanks to him that this section of the battlefield had maintained its advantage. If Chu Jinglan successfully overcame his tribulation, victory would be within their grasp. As long as he survived, fewer of them would have to die.

 

At this moment, one of the human cultivators stepped forward in a protective stance but seemed hesitant as he moved slightly closer to Chu Jinglan. “Senior Brother… perhaps you should find another place to—uh!”

 

Before he could finish his sentence, Chu Jinglan’s sword pierced through his heart.

 

The surrounding disciples’ pupils trembled in shock as they watched him fall. When his clenched hand loosened upon death, a pitch-black Transformation Pill rolled out—a pill crafted by demon cultivators. For human cultivators with pure spiritual energy, this pill was highly effective at disrupting their flow of energy for two hours.

 

The fallen disciple had intended to use the pill on Chu Jinglan. Such petty tricks were impossible to hide from Chu Jinglan’s sharp eyes.

 

Yue Ming reacted quickly and shouted loudly: “This man is a traitor among human cultivators! He tried to harm our Martial Uncle with a tool from demon cultivators—he deserved death!”

 

Yue Ming deliberately emphasized “Martial Uncle” with forceful clarity, elevating Chu Jinglan’s status appropriately. Unlike disciples from other sects who casually addressed seniors as “Senior Brother” or “Elder,” Yue Ming’s declaration reminded everyone present of Chu Jinglan’s rightful position. His words snapped everyone out of their shock, and they collectively sighed in relief—traitors deserved nothing less than swift execution.

 

This was war—a place where open attacks and hidden schemes coexisted. Enemies needed to be killed, but sometimes even allies required vigilance. For those who merely heard stories about such events later on, it could be exhausting enough just listening; experiencing it firsthand was far worse.

 

Standing at the edge of the battlefield, Xiao Mo watched as blood and wind passed through his incorporeal body. The sight before him was one of utter devastation and desolation.

 

In that moment, Xiao Mo suddenly understood why ancient poems that passionately described war often focused on either its anticipation or its aftermath—before or after the battle itself.

 

Because during war itself—no matter how fierce or exhilarating it seemed—all that unfolded was people gambling with their lives for survival.

 

War is always accompanied by blood and pain.

 

Above, lightning began to flicker behind the black clouds as the tribulation thunder brewed. Xiao Mo knew that Chu Jinglan had seen him, but he didn’t dare rush forward to reveal himself just yet.

 

Chu Jinglan was at a critical juncture in his advancement—there could be no mistakes. In reality, the true Chu Jinglan had successfully overcome his Great Perfection lightning tribulation, but here, within this fragment of spiritual consciousness, events could be altered. Xiao Mo had to be cautious about timing to avoid causing damage to Chu Jinglan’s spiritual consciousness.

 

Based on his experience from the past two days of retrieving fragments, Xiao Mo knew that while he could use small spells with his spiritual energy, he couldn’t cast powerful techniques. Without the ability to kill enemies outright, he wasn’t much use on the battlefield. However, he did have one advantage: no one else could see him.

 

Since he was invisible, even small actions could make a big difference.

 

For example, using spiritual energy to slightly nudge a demon cultivator’s sword off course, make an enemy stagger, or cause a spell to miss its mark—these small disruptions could create openings for human cultivators to seize and strike down their foes.

 

The battlefield was still filled with enemies when the first bolt of tribulation lightning struck from the sky with a deafening roar, heading straight for Chu Jinglan.

 

To avoid being caught in the tribulation’s destructive force, everyone retreated slightly. Some enemies hurled magical artifacts toward Chu Jinglan, while others used bow-like weapons to shoot arrows. Yue Ming led the human cultivators in intercepting as many attacks as they could, but there were simply too many. By the time the third bolt of lightning struck, several magical artifacts had slipped through their defenses.

 

Xiao Mo’s pupils contracted sharply. Instinctively, he flew forward to intercept them—but the magical artifacts passed straight through his body and continued toward Chu Jinglan amidst the lightning.

 

“Chu—” Xiao Mo began to shout.

 

Boom!

 

The magical artifacts were obliterated by the tribulation lightning before they could reach Chu Jinglan.

 

Xiao Mo swallowed his cry of alarm and quickly composed himself.

 

The enemies noticed this as well. Attacking right as the lightning struck only served to bolster Chu Jinglan’s defense. They needed to time their assaults for when he was actively enduring the lightning or immediately after a bolt had passed.

 

Chu Jinglan’s robes were scorched black by the strikes. He raised a hand and swallowed more pills before standing in the midst of the storm. Without waiting for respite between bolts of lightning, he swung his sword again—sending out sword energy and cutting down another enemy.

 

He didn’t stop for even a moment.

 

But then again—when had there ever been time to rest on a battlefield?

 

Chu Jinglan’s sharp senses remained on high alert as he kept an eye on all directions. For a brief moment, his gaze met Xiao Mo’s again. Xiao Mo had rushed too close earlier and was now the nearest figure to Chu Jinglan. In that fleeting glance, Chu Jinglan saw worry and heartache in Xiao Mo’s eyes—but he quickly shifted his focus back to his enemies.

 

Outside the tribulation zone, some disciples worked together to set up a formation near Chu Jinglan’s position. The formation couldn’t be too simple or it would be ineffective; nor could it be too complex since it would take too much time. They settled for something in between—but even this required others to shield them while they worked.

 

Xiao Mo glanced at the identity tokens on these disciples’ waists. This was just one battle among many in this war—he didn’t know what would become of these disciples afterward. If any of them survived until now, they deserved a cup of wine at his and Chu Jinglan’s Dao companion ceremony.

 

Each subsequent bolt of tribulation lightning grew more dangerous than the last. Every strike made Xiao Mo’s heart clench with fear. Even in a calm environment, tribulation lightning was terrifying enough with its sheer power—it felt like it could destroy heaven and earth with each flash of light. And here on a chaotic battlefield? The danger was unimaginable.

 

Why wasn’t I by his side back then?

 

After enduring the eighth bolt of tribulation lightning, Chu Jinglan coughed up blood onto the ground. His breathing weakened as he knelt on one knee for support with his sword planted firmly into the ground.

 

And just then—an arrow broke through the human cultivators’ defenses and flew straight toward Chu Jinglan with deadly precision.

 

This time, Xiao Mo remembered that he was a spirit and didn’t reach out to grab the arrow. Instead, he used his spiritual energy to deflect it.

 

Xiao Mo’s heart raced. In reality, he hadn’t been there—had this arrow injured Chu Jinglan in the past?

 

Due to his severe injuries, Chu Jinglan’s pupils briefly lost focus. Hearing the sound of the arrow slicing through the air, he struggled to lift his head and gather his gaze. He saw Xiao Mo’s actions.

 

At this moment, Chu Jinglan’s expression was no longer as terrifying as before. Under the tribulation lightning, he appeared dazed, staring vaguely at Xiao Mo’s figure. His lips moved slightly, as if trying to speak.

 

But his daze didn’t last long—lingering in such a state for too long could be fatal. As the final bolt of tribulation lightning approached, Chu Jinglan gripped his sword and stood up.

 

A small figure dared to defy the heavens. Chu Jinglan stepped forward to meet the last bolt of lightning head-on.

 

Tribulation lightning tempered the body and tested the heart. Xiao Mo knew that even at a hundred years old, Chu Jinglan’s spiritual consciousness had already been unusual—his mind wasn’t clear but instead chaotic and turbulent. Anyone else would have been obliterated by the second bolt of lightning.

 

But Chu Jinglan was ruthless with himself.

 

Whether his mind was chaotic or stable, whether his emotions were steady or volatile—if he had ambition at this moment, he would use it to charge forward; if he was filled with rage, he would use it to kill; if he held an obsession for someone, he would use it to break through this tribulation and its trials.

 

No matter what drove him—he would not die here.

 

Xiao Mo clenched his fingers into a fist as sword light collided with tribulation lightning. In his heart, he thought:

 

Break!

 

When the final bolt of lightning struck, the heavy black clouds dispersed like smoke, revealing brilliant sunlight. The sky shone brightly with seven-colored auspicious clouds as dense spiritual energy descended from above. Bathing Chu Jinglan in its radiance, it replenished his dantian and healed all his injuries.

 

At one hundred years old, Chu Jinglan had reached Great Perfection stage.

 

After witnessing so many oppressive scenes upon entering this fragment of spiritual consciousness, Xiao Mo finally saw a glimmer of vitality. He exhaled slowly in relief.

 

The demon cultivators and demons realized their doom as soon as the auspicious clouds appeared—they knew that whoever stood at the center of the tribulation lightning had survived. Panic spread as they shouted: “Retreat!”

 

But just as they turned to flee, sword energy struck.

 

Sword energy filled the sky like a storm of icy snow and relentless wind. It froze the battlefield completely—none of them managed to escape before blood mist exploded around them amidst screams of agony.

 

The difference in cultivation levels—especially against someone like Chu Jinglan, a prodigy—was insurmountable. After advancing to Great Perfection stage, Chu Jinglan didn’t celebrate with anyone. Instead, wielding his sword alone, he slaughtered two hundred demon cultivators and demons.

 

The human disciples didn’t move—not because they didn’t want to but because they couldn’t. Whether it was due to exhaustion from finally being safe or being frozen by the sword energy and snowstorm surrounding them—they remained stunned and motionless. All they could do was watch as Chu Jinglan finished off every fleeing enemy before slowly turning around and walking toward them step by step.

 

Chu Jinglan stopped ten meters away from them—a distance that seemed to draw an invisible line between him and the human cultivators.

 

No one dared approach him.

 

Yue Ming, dragging his injured body, was the first to approach Chu Jinglan. Seeing this, the other human cultivators exchanged glances and slowly gathered around him as their center. Those who had previously called him “Senior Brother” now bowed and addressed him differently: “Senior.”

 

Chu Jinglan instructed calmly: “Head to the eastern camp and wait for the next directive from the Human Cultivator Alliance.”

 

This marked the end of the battle and a chance for rest. The group finally relaxed their shoulders, smiles breaking across their faces. They summoned their magical artifacts and flew toward the east. Yue Ming noticed that Chu Jinglan hadn’t moved and asked hesitantly: “You…”

 

Chu Jinglan replied simply: “You go first.”

 

Well, Chu Jinglan had grown increasingly silent and reserved, always keeping his thoughts to himself. But Yue Ming was too exhausted to press further or say much. Now that it was safe, he decided to head back for some sleep—everything else could wait.

 

With Yue Ming gone, only Xiao Mo remained by Chu Jinglan’s side.

 

Xiao Mo stepped closer, intending to say, “You can see me, can’t you?” But before he could speak, Chu Jinglan suddenly raised his hand and grabbed him firmly.

 

Xiao Mo blinked in surprise.

 

Every time they had met before, Chu Jinglan’s spiritual consciousness had perceived him as a stranger. Chu Jinglan would always maintain a wary distance, readying his sword as a precaution. But this time, he had directly reached out to grab Xiao Mo—why?

 

What happened next shocked Xiao Mo even more.

 

A heavy black iron chain shot out and bound Xiao Mo’s hands tightly!

 

The moment Chu Jinglan touched Xiao Mo, he gained access to all physical objects within his spiritual memory. Caught off guard, Xiao Mo found himself securely restrained by the black iron chain.

 

Unlike the delicate golden chain Chu Jinglan had gifted him before, this chain was forged with methods designed purely for confinement. It didn’t just bind physically—it suppressed spiritual energy entirely, rendering cultivators powerless like ordinary mortals. Struggling was futile.

 

Despite being bound, Xiao Mo didn’t resist. He simply looked at Chu Jinglan with astonishment.

 

“I thought that with the tribulation lightning approaching, you were just a hallucination sent to test my state of mind,” Chu Jinglan said coldly.

 

Holding the chain tightly, its rattling echoing in the air, Chu Jinglan pulled Xiao Mo closer and asked hoarsely: “But you’re still here… Xiao Mo… have you really come back?”

 

Xiao Mo didn’t hear joy in his voice—only confusion and… danger.

 

This time, Chu Jinglan had recognized him immediately?

 

 

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1 Kofi = 1 Extra Chapter