Bao Gu spent more than two days laying out the grand formation. The moment she finished, the momentum of three mountain ranges began converging on the dragon-nurturing ground. The qi of three great dragon veins rapidly reshaped the land’s feng shui, transforming it into a true dragon-nurturing ground. At the same time, dark clouds gathered from every direction. Winds and clouds churned, and heaven and earth changed color.
The clouds were black enough to blot out the sky as they rolled above the dragon-nurturing ground. The wild wind howled and swept across the land, resembling a colossal dragon that supported the heavens as it spiraled down from the sky and coiled around the ground below. The roiling thunderclouds completely sealed off the entire dragon-nurturing ground.
Bao Gu stood in the middle of the dragon-nurturing ground, staring motionlessly at the thunderclouds overhead, her heart in her throat.
She feared that the heavenly lightning would destroy the dragon-nurturing ground she had created through human effort. Ordinary dragon-nurturing grounds formed gradually over the course of countless years. To help Little Martial Aunt survive this calamity, Bao Gu had forcibly gathered and drawn upon the momentum of three great dragon veins, using immense power to reshape the land within a short period of time.
She had already trespassed into the domain of the Heavenly Dao. Heaven might not tolerate what she had done.
Purple radiance flickered within the rolling clouds. Then, a terrifying aura of lightning leaked down from the heavens. A massive purple bolt, shaped like a gigantic dragon, tore through the darkness and descended from the sky, striking directly at Bao Gu.
Bao Gu drew the Xuantian Sword and charged forward to meet it.
The purple lightning tribulation struck the Xuantian Sword with perfect accuracy. The tremendous lightning force raced along the sword and instantly pierced through Bao Gu’s entire body. The impact knocked the Xuantian Sword back into her body, while the remaining lightning gathered into a purple thunderball that exploded from her chest.
A huge hole was blasted straight through her chest, allowing the scenery behind her to be seen through it. The magical treasures on her body were pulverized in an instant. Her skin was blasted until it gleamed with the luster of the Xuantian Sword. Her body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious.
The tribulation clouds in the sky dispersed.
Few people knew that Bao Gu had come to the Desolate Ancient Mountain Range. However, because the Cut Gang was constructing a realm-breaking gate, it had stationed people throughout the mountain range.
The tremendous disturbance caused by the Purple Cloud Thunder Tribulation had alerted everyone in the Desolate Ancient Mountain Range the moment it began forming. Before the tribulation even descended, the news had already reached Cut Gang headquarters, as well as Yu Mi and Bao Nianhui.
Yu Mi was stunned.
Hadn’t Bao Gu gone to the Immortal Stone Palace to help Little Martial Aunt undergo her Dragon Transformation Tribulation? When had she gone to the Desolate Ancient Mountain Range and begun undergoing a tribulation there?
If the report had not come from a reliable source, and if the Desolate Ancient Mountain Range had not been firmly under Cut Gang’s control, Yu Mi would have thought that someone was using this as bait to lure her out and kill her.
Yu Mi rushed over at top speed, only to find Bao Gu lying in a nest-shaped canyon. Spiritual energy was so dense there that auspicious haze curled through the air, while five-colored radiance shimmered everywhere, making the place resemble a blessed paradise.
A waterfall glittering with spiritual light poured down from above the canyon into a pool. The pool then fed into an underground river that had recently been diverted, and fresh traces of the excavation could still be seen.
Bao Gu lay not far from the edge of the pool, protected by Xuantian sword qi wreathed in the power of the five elements.
Yu Mi had visited the Desolate Ancient Mountain Range many times. After every mountain range had been moved there, she had personally inspected it. When had this blessed land appeared?
Yu Mi had no time to think about it. She descended directly beside Bao Gu, only to discover that Bao Gu was completely naked.
Because Bao Gu was unclothed and had been struck by heavenly lightning, no one knew what was happening. Fearing that she might be attacked by someone taking advantage of the situation, the members of Cut Gang and the people nearby had not dared approach. They had kept their distance while encircling the newly formed feng shui treasure land as tightly as an iron barrel, forbidding anyone from getting close.
Yu Mi hurriedly took out a long robe and wrapped it around Bao Gu. When she lifted Bao Gu to examine her injuries, she saw the enormous hole straight through her chest.
Yu Mi’s gaze became riveted to that horrific wound, and tears instantly rolled down her cheeks.
She carried Bao Gu and activated a teleportation platform at top speed, returning to Nether Shadow City. Then she rushed into the Immortal Stone Palace with Bao Gu in her arms.
“Saint Aunt!”
The Demon Saint had been preparing the items Zi Yunshu would need for her tribulation while discussing the True Dragon Tribulation with her. When she heard Yu Mi’s cry, she saw Yu Mi rush inside carrying someone.
She was about to ask what had happened, but then she caught sight of Bao Gu in Yu Mi’s arms, her eyes tightly shut. The Demon Saint’s expression changed drastically.
“What happened?”
Yu Mi shook her head, her face filled with terror.
“I just received word from the people stationed below that Bao Gu was undergoing the Purple Cloud Thunder Tribulation in the Desolate Ancient Mountain Range. When I arrived, she was already like this. Saint Aunt, save her… Look at Bao Gu… She… save her…”
Yu Mi was so anxious and frightened that she could barely speak coherently. Bao Gu’s heart had been blasted away. This was an injury that had completely severed her life force.
The Demon Saint hurriedly took Bao Gu from Yu Mi and carried her into the inner room, placing her on a soft couch. She extended her divine sense into Bao Gu’s body.
The blood drained from the Demon Saint’s face. Her eyes reddened as she raised her head and looked toward Zi Yunshu.
“How is she?”
Yu Mi’s legs gave out, and she knelt before the Demon Saint.
“Saint Aunt, there has to be a way to save her, right? There has to be…”
Zi Yunshu’s eyes widened as tears filled them.
“A-Sheng…”
The Demon Saint spoke with great difficulty.
“The Xuantian Sword protected her soul, but her life force has been severed…”
Zi Yunshu’s body went limp, and she collapsed onto the floor.
“I killed her!”
She had never imagined that Bao Gu would be blasted into a state where all her life force was extinguished. Hadn’t Bao Gu already survived the Purple Cloud Thunder Tribulation and the Blood Tribulation? How could helping her bring down such a terrifying heavenly tribulation that destroyed her life force?
“Nirvana Pill! Use the Nirvana Pill to save her!”
Tears rolled down the Demon Saint’s cheeks as she choked out her reply.
“Bao Gu… this was… defying Heaven. She was… struck down by Heavenly Retribution. Her life force is gone. Even a Nirvana Pill cannot save her.”
The Nirvana Pill could only save someone whose heart meridians still retained a final breath. It stimulated that last wisp of life force and triggered a Nirvana rebirth. But Bao Gu’s heart had been blasted away. Even a Great Luo Immortal could not save her.
The Demon Saint had known Bao Gu might be in danger, but she had believed that with Bao Gu’s blessings and immortal affinity, Heaven would leave her a path to survival. Bao Gu might even have gained another opportunity because she helped Shuer transform into a dragon.
She had never expected Bao Gu to draw Heavenly Retribution instead.
If the Demon Saint had not seen Bao Gu’s fatal injuries with her own eyes, she would never have believed it.
Yu Mi seized the Demon Saint’s hand and cried out:
“Saint Aunt, save her! Think of something! There has to be a way…”
She suddenly thought of Xue Qing and hurriedly used a voice-transmission jade talisman to contact her in the Demon Realm.
The connection was established almost immediately. The moment Yu Mi heard Xue Qing’s voice, she shouted:
“Qing Aunt, Bao Gu… Bao Gu’s heart was blasted away by the Purple Cloud Thunder Tribulation. She’s completely unconscious. How can we save her?”
There was no response from the other side.
Yu Mi called out several more times before Xue Qing’s voice finally sounded again.
“Where are you?”
“At Saint Aunt’s residence in the Immortal Stone Palace in Nether Shadow City.”
As soon as Yu Mi finished speaking, Xue Qing cut off the connection.
Yu Mi threw herself down beside Bao Gu and clasped her hand tightly.
“Bao Gu, hold on. I know you can hold on. Grandmaster Granny will be here soon. Hold on…”
Zi Yunshu lifted her head and looked toward the Demon Saint.
“A-Sheng…”
The Demon Saint shook her head.
Heavenly Retribution…
Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks.
Xue Qing arrived outside the Immortal Stone Palace and rushed inside at top speed. In two strides, she reached the soft couch.
She saw Bao Gu lying there with a huge hole straight through her chest, Dao wounds covering her body, and the lingering aura of lightning still clinging to her battered form.
“What happened to her?”
Xue Qing’s voice was completely distorted.
Hearing that voice, Yu Mi felt a chill spread throughout her body.
“Qing Aunt…”
Xue Qing stared at Bao Gu for a long while before probing her injuries with her divine sense. Her voice became sharp and severe.
“What did she do? How did she draw Heavenly Retribution? She fused with the Xuantian Sword, so immortal affinity and fortune should protect her. She also carries ten lifetimes of blessings accumulated by the Bao family’s ancestors through generations of good deeds. She could even bear the karmic burden of using feng shui forces to slaughter an entire city. What could she possibly have done to bring down Heavenly Retribution?”
The Demon Saint answered with difficulty.
“Shuer was about to undergo the Dragon Transformation Tribulation. She had lost her earth-vein foundation, so Bao Gu went to the Desolate Ancient Mountain Range and used three dragon veins to build a dragon-nurturing ground for Shuer, hoping to help her survive the tribulation.”
Xue Qing turned toward Zi Yunshu in shock. She saw a faint strand of aura around Zi Yunshu, as though it had been locked onto by the workings of Heaven.
She immediately understood what had happened.
“Shuer has already been sensed by the Heavenly Dao?”
The Demon Saint closed her eyes and nodded.
Xue Qing drew a sharp breath.
“Scaled creatures transforming into dragons is an act of defying Heaven from the very beginning. It is a path with nine deaths and only one chance of survival. Whether she lives or dies is something she must fight through herself.”
“Once the Heavenly Dao sensed Shuer, Bao Gu forcibly intervened to help her. If she had merely stepped in during the tribulation to take the lightning for Shuer, she would only have been undergoing the tribulation alongside her. But instead…”
“This was dragon transformation. Shuer’s aura had already been sensed by Heaven, and her fated tribulation had already taken shape. Yet Bao Gu summoned the grand feng shui momentum to build a dragon lair for her. That was forcibly changing fate against Heaven.”
“If Heaven did not send down heavenly punishment to blast her into oblivion, then that was already…”
Xue Qing forcefully suppressed the grief and anger in her heart before turning toward Zi Yunshu.
“She has taken this tribulation in your place. Why are you still standing here? Your appointed hour has arrived. Go, now!”
“I…”
Zi Yunshu could not finish speaking. Her feet would not move, and she could not even rise from the floor.
Xue Qing steadied herself and calmed her emotions.
“Go. It’s not that there is no way to save Bao Gu.”
She sighed and softened her voice.
“Go to the dragon-nurturing ground and undergo your Dragon Transformation Tribulation in peace. Don’t let Bao Gu’s sacrifice be in vain. Without an earth-vein foundation, this tribulation would be certain death for you. She took that death tribulation from you, but there is still a slim chance that she can survive…”
The Demon Saint rose and forcibly pulled Zi Yunshu to her feet.
“I’ll take Shuer there. Leave Bao Gu in the Eldest Princess’s care.”
Xue Qing nodded.
The Demon Saint dragged Zi Yunshu away.
Yu Mi knelt respectfully before Xue Qing and repeatedly struck her forehead against the floor.
“Get up!”
Yu Mi did not move.
“I have something to entrust to you.”
Yu Mi immediately straightened.
Xue Qing said:
“Her soul is intact, and because she fused with the Xuantian Sword, she possesses a half-immortal body. She will not die completely so easily. However, without a heart, her spiritual power can no longer circulate properly. The remnants of the Purple Cloud Thunder Tribulation have completely extinguished the life force in her body, which is why she is in this state.”
“But we cannot say that she is truly dead. She cultivates a technique that fuses the cultivator with an artifact. You could say that she fused with the Xuantian Sword, or that the Xuantian Sword fused with her. As long as the Xuantian Sword remains, she cannot be considered completely dead.”
“There are two ways to save her. The first is to have her take the path of sword cultivation and refine every bit of her flesh and blood completely into the Xuantian Sword. From then on, the Xuantian Sword will be her body, and she will exist as an immortal weapon.”
“The second method is to bury her in the Immortal Burial Grounds. The feng shui there can nourish her body and grow a new heart for her.”
Yu Mi looked up at Xue Qing, unwilling to make such a decision rashly.
“What are the consequences and risks of the two methods?”
Xue Qing continued:
“If we use the first method, she will only be able to exist in this world in the form of a sword. Her soul can exist only as an artifact spirit, and she may very well follow the path Xuantian took…”
Xue Qing’s voice caught in her throat.
“I don’t need to tell you how Xuantian ended. You have already seen it yourself.”
She paused before continuing.
“The second method is even more dangerous, but it gives her a sliver of life and a chance to return from death. In her current state, if she is buried in the Immortal Burial Grounds, the earth qi and yin qi will seep into her body. She will no longer follow the path of an immortal cultivator, but that of a ghost cultivator and an undead being.”
“Her only hope will be the heavenly tribulation that descends when she emerges. She must use the vitality within that tribulation to reverse life and death and resurrect herself.”
Yu Mi did not dare make the decision lightly.
“Is there any way to ask Bao Gu what she wants?”
Xue Qing replied:
“You tell me.”
Yu Mi understood. If Bao Gu were conscious now, Xue Qing would not be asking Yu Mi for her opinion. She would be asking Bao Gu herself.
Bao Gu’s condition could not be delayed. Yu Mi focused her thoughts and considered the choice carefully.
“If we use the second method and it succeeds, Bao Gu can come back to life. If it fails, she can still become a ghost immortal, can’t she?”
Xue Qing shook her head.
“If it succeeds, she can revive. But the odds of failure are enormous. Heaven may refuse to tolerate her, and she may end up with her soul completely destroyed.”
“As for trying to cultivate into a ghost immortal after failure… Since ancient times, the chance of becoming a ghost immortal has been hundreds or even thousands of times lower than a mortal’s chance of becoming an immortal.”
“Still, her body remains, and she possesses a half-immortal body born from artifact fusion. That is her greatest advantage. Will you choose the second method?”
Yu Mi said:
“Bao Gu is taciturn by nature. If you refine her into a sword as well…”
She gave a bitter smile and swallowed the rest of her words. Then she changed the subject.
“I’ll send people to search for the Immortal Burial Grounds immediately. Qing Aunt, please take care of Bao Gu.”
“There is no need. I’ll take her back to the Demon Realm. People in your cultivation world love robbing graves, and most of this realm’s immortal tombs have already been excavated. I’m worried she may sleep for more than a thousand years.”
“If someone digs her out before the time is right, all her efforts will be wasted, and she will have no chance of survival.”
Yu Mi was so chastened by Xue Qing’s words that she did not dare make a sound.
She herself had done plenty of such things while struggling to seek opportunities.
Immortal tombs were usually the graves of Earth Immortals or cultivators who had reached the Great Ascension stage. They often contained sacred artifacts, cultivation manuals, rare treasures, and other priceless items. Obtaining even one of them could be an immense opportunity.
Whenever news of an immortal tomb appeared, the entire cultivation world would move at once.
Anything could happen when the coffin was opened. Reanimated corpses were especially common. Such immortal corpses were either destroyed by cultivators joining forces, or annihilated by the workings of Heaven the moment they emerged from the tomb.
Xue Qing swept her sleeve and produced a coffin. It was ancient and deeply somber, black as night, covered in engraved runes, and seemingly made from both metal and stone.
She opened the coffin, then swept her sleeve again, brushing away all the powder left behind by the magical treasures that had been shattered on Bao Gu’s body.
Next, she took out a set of treasure robes carrying the aura of an immortal treasure and dressed Bao Gu in them. Then she placed Bao Gu inside the immortal coffin and sealed it shut.
Yu Mi watched Bao Gu lying inside the coffin. When the lid fell with a heavy boom, grief surged through her heart, and tears streamed down her face.
Xue Qing raised the coffin with one hand and was about to leave when Yu Mi suddenly called out:
“Qing Aunt!”
“Please let me guard her tomb.”
Xue Qing shook her head.
“If Bao Gu ever returns to this world, it will surely be when she becomes an immortal. Given the depth of her attachment, if you have not become an immortal by then, she will refuse to ascend and leave you. At that point, it will become another tribulation of fate for her.”
“You must cultivate properly, attain an immortal body, and build your Ascension Platform. Being able to reunite with her in the Upper Realm is the true way to be good to her.”
“If you stay in the Immortal Burial Tomb to cultivate and guard her, you will absorb all the spiritual energy and feng shui fortune of the Burial Grounds for yourself. What will nourish her then? If you cultivate outside and frequently visit the tomb to watch over her, you will have to travel back and forth constantly. It will be difficult to prevent people with ulterior motives from discovering your trail.”
Xue Qing paused and sighed.
“The greater currents of the Heavenly Dao in this realm have changed. This is an age in which powerful figures are emerging and storms are gathering one after another. With your current cultivation and combat strength, you are not yet capable of protecting her.”
“Cut Gang may be powerful, but its strength lies only in its numbers. The only person the various factions truly fear is Bao Gu.”
“As long as she is absent and the outside world does not know what has happened to her, they will remain wary and dare not act rashly. But once her true condition and whereabouts are exposed, disaster will descend upon all of you.”
“I do not have much time left in this realm, and I do not wish to interfere in the affairs of your cultivation world. I cannot protect you for more than a few days.”
After saying this, Xue Qing put Bao Gu’s coffin away and turned to leave. Then she suddenly remembered something.
“Without Bao Gu, I’m afraid you people may not be able to keep Qingying under control. She does not belong to this realm. When I return to the Upper Realm, I will take her with me.”
Yu Mi could not refute Xue Qing’s arrangements for Bao Gu and could only silently obey.
As for Qingying, she did not understand what Xue Qing meant by saying they might not be able to keep her under control. Still, she knew Xue Qing must have had her reasons, so she did not ask.
She followed Xue Qing step by step until they reached the outside of the Immortal Stone Palace, where she watched Xue Qing leave.
Yu Mi stared in the direction where Xue Qing disappeared. She looked at the world that had suddenly become so empty, and at the sky that had been clear and beautiful only moments ago but now seemed vast and hollow.
Her eyes reddened, and tears welled up. She forced them back with all her strength.
She could not understand it. Everything had been fine. How had it all suddenly become…
Yu Mi returned silently to the Envoy’s Residence.
The moment she entered the bedchamber she and Bao Gu shared, a figure rushed inside.
Bao Nianhui looked at Yu Mi hesitantly, her face filled with unease and trepidation. Her lips moved several times, but she could not bring herself to ask anything.
From the way her Martial Uncle looked, she already knew that her own master was in grave danger.
Yu Mi steadied herself and spoke as calmly as she could.
“Your master is seriously injured and has entered closed-door cultivation. Cut Gang is going through an extraordinary period, so you must pay closer attention to everything. Go to Little Martial Aunt’s side with a large force and protect her through the tribulation.”
“I’ve already arranged it. One hundred thousand Crimson Gold Feather Guards are stationed there, and Senior Brother Yu and Senior Sister Qingying are there as well.”
Yu Mi nodded.
“Good. Don’t worry about your master. She has a half-immortal body, so she won’t be easily harmed.”
Bao Nianhui felt slightly reassured by Yu Mi’s words, but she still asked:
“Is Master’s injury very serious?”
Yu Mi nodded.
“She suffered a Dao injury. She needs time to recover slowly.”
Bao Nianhui did not ask any further questions.
Her master was gravely injured. The fewer people who knew about her condition, the better. Bao Nianhui’s cultivation was weak, and even with a magical treasure protecting her soul, such protection would make no difference against powerful experts nearing the Immortal stage. A single soul-search could expose the location where her master was cultivating in seclusion, and that might cost her master her life.
Bao Nianhui said:
“I’m worried that people may become unsettled. I’ll go handle things first.”
Yu Mi nodded.
“Go.”
Bao Nianhui’s lips trembled, but she added:
“I… I once met the old blind man from the Heaven’s Secrets Sect. He said his eyes had been blasted blind by heavenly lightning when he tried to divine Master’s whereabouts. He said Master either bears the Mandate of Heaven or carries immortal destiny, and that such a fate cannot be calculated.”
“No matter whether Master bears the Mandate of Heaven or carries immortal destiny, she must be blessed by Heaven. She won’t come to harm so easily. Martial Uncle, please rest assured.”
Yu Mi nodded.
“I know your master’s condition. She’ll be fine. Go take care of your duties.”
Bao Nianhui bowed respectfully and left.
The moment Bao Nianhui was gone, Yu Mi stood and closed the door.
The room still held Bao Gu’s presence and scent. Only a few days earlier, the two of them had been making love and playfully fooling around together. Now, in the blink of an eye, Yu Mi was alone.
With her back against the door, she slowly slid down to the floor. Curling into herself, she could no longer control her emotions and burst into grief-stricken sobs.
