Chapter 1169: Chapter 1169: Four Women Crossing the Tribulation
"Go!"
As Yang Yan’s voice fell, there was a muffled boom, and a distant rock suddenly exploded.
When the dust settled, a deep cut appeared on the stone-paved ground, as if carved by a knife.
Elder Dugu nodded in satisfaction when he saw it, and said with a grin:
"Hmm! Not bad, not bad, it seems your recent cultivation achievements have made great progress. As expected of the Saint Son."
"Even this Sacred Body of yours makes this old man a bit envious. Haha! Hahaha..."
Yang Yan waved his hand modestly and said:
"Elder, your praise is too much. Cultivation also relies on gradual accumulation, it’s not something that can be accomplished overnight."
Elder Dugu stroked his beard and nodded, clearly very pleased with Yang Yan’s humility. He said with some admiration:
"With your cultivation speed, you’re bound to shine brightly in the upcoming Immortal Cultivation Conference."
"I see you haven’t been affected by their actions at all. When you wanted to do this back then, this old man was a bit worried, fearing it might become real."
"Or, to take a step back, even though it was a ploy, it could have affected your state of mind and obstructed your cultivation, ending up being more harm than good."
Yang Yan knew that Elder Dugu was considering his well-being, so he respectfully nodded, "I understand, Elder."
Having achieved his purpose, Elder Dugu smiled and said, "Good, I am very satisfied with your performance, so I won’t disturb your cultivation any further."
With that, he transformed into a streak of light and vanished without waiting for Yang Yan to speak again.
Elder Dugu’s words reminded him a bit.
"I hope they have enough strength to handle all of this..."
Shaking his head, Yang Yan collected his thoughts and entered a meditative state once again.
Cultivators generally have no concept of time.
In just a few days, Juechen and Red Dust were nowhere to be seen.
Currently, of the Ten Swords, only four women—Zhuge Wushuang, Mu Qingcheng, Gongsun Ruyan, and Xiaocao—were still cultivating in the sect.
Elder Dugu was naturally aware of the situation, but to cooperate, he dispatched the most capable members of the Ancient Abyss Sect to discreetly search for these individuals.
Unaware of the full picture, disciples of the Ancient Abyss Sect, out of righteous indignation, clashed with various grand sects, resulting in numerous casualties.
Seeing as things were about ripe, Yang Yan’s heart became even more tranquil.
Counting down, there were still two years until the Immortal Cultivation Conference.
But for Yang Yan now, this period wasn’t long.
Possessing the Sacred Body, he was truly in his element along the path of cultivation.
Yet, even with the Sacred Body, after a period of frenzied improvement, Yang Yan also encountered a bottleneck.
Regarding this, Yang Yan wasn’t anxious.
He understood that the enhancement of cultivation needed a gradual process.
After running too fast, a temporary pause to consolidate his prior knowledge wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Meanwhile, the remaining Xiaocao and the other three women progressed rapidly, also reaching a bottleneck stage, desperately seeking a breakthrough.
Though the constitution of these Four Swords wasn’t as formidable as Yang Yan’s Sacred Body, Zhuge Wushuang’s upper-level Spirit Body and Gongsun Ruyan and Mu Qingcheng’s lower-level Dao Body were still quite rare.
The last time Yang Yan forcibly overcame the Celestial Tribulation was out of necessity.
Fortunately, the Sacred Body constitution allowed him to succeed in crossing the tribulation unprepared.
If it were anyone else, without the blessing of array and spiritual treasures and three Foundation Establishment-level guardians, at best they’d be severely injured and become useless, at worst they’d be obliterated, never to return.
The path of cultivation is never a solo journey; method, place, partner, and wealth are indispensable.
The array needed for crossing the tribulation is called the Thunder Gathering Array, consisting of forty-nine layers of mystery, each linked and transforming based on the previous layer.
Every imprint requires a strong spiritual sense for calculation; too many or too few would lead to the array’s collapse.
For Yang Yan, he would naturally not set up such a profound array.
But the Ancient Abyss Sect, as one of the top ten sects, stands proudly in the world with unimaginable heritage.
So the array matter isn’t something Yang Yan needs to worry about.
However, finding three Foundation Establishment experts is indeed a challenge; counting himself and Lin Zimu, there’s only two.
This gave Yang Yan quite a headache.
Finding the third person proved difficult; after pondering deeply, Yang Yan could only turn to Elder Dugu.
Fortunately, Elder Dugu was straightforward and immediately agreed to Yang Yan’s request.
Crucially, he didn’t seek others’ help but personally got involved.
Three days later, Zhuge Wushuang, Mu Qingcheng, Gongsun Ruyan, and Xiaocao sat at the center of the Thunder Gathering Array, while Yang Yan, Lin Zimu, and Elder Dugu surrounded its perimeter.
Their task was to assist if the four women failed the tribulation by using the Thunder Gathering Array to deflect the Celestial Tribulation outside the formation.
It seemed simple but was actually challenging.
Unexpected dangers were lurking, so Yang Yan and the others were well-prepared.
The four formed finger signs, and as Elder Dugu waved his sleeve and the array activated, he solemnly sat upright, chanting continuously.
The tribulation officially began at that moment.
Opportunity lay in this instant!
A moment later, fierce winds howled, dark clouds roiled, and celestial thunder rumbled.
Lightning flashed and thunder roared within the clouds, and everyone felt a hint of awe-inspiring pressure.
This was the might of the heavens!
"Boom!"
A bolt of celestial thunder struck down, hitting the Thunder Gathering Array.
The array lit up with a pillar of light, shooting straight up to the sky.
The pillar rapidly expanded, absorbing the Celestial Thunder Power!
Subsequently, the celestial thunder passed through the array, fiercely striking the four women in their respective positions of east, west, south, and north.
Even though the array absorbed most of the celestial thunder’s power, the remnant force of the thunder couldn’t be underestimated.
The heavenly might alone was enough to give the four women a tough time.
The first celestial thunder had completed, and the second followed closely...
Without a word, Yang Yan focused intently on the situation within the Thunder Gathering Array, deep in thought.
Soon, an idea flickered across his mind, and a hint of a smile appeared on his lips.
The tribulation of the Ninefold Celestial became increasingly intense, totaling twenty-seven strikes.
As they reached the twenty-sixth tribulation, the four women seemed somewhat exhausted.
Only one strike left, and the Ninefold Celestial would be successfully overcome.
"Boom!"
The final celestial thunder came crashing down with fury, causing the array to tremble violently, as if ready to collapse at any moment.
Fortunately, the array was robust, forcibly withstanding the final strike.
At that moment, the dark clouds swiftly dispersed, revealing a clear sky.
It was as if the Ninefold Celestial had never appeared.
Yang Yan let out a deep sigh of relief.
The result now depended entirely on the four women’s fortune.
Expressing gratitude to Elder Dugu, Yang Yan then hurriedly left, eager to verify a thought in his mind.
Throughout history, the vast majority of cultivators focused mainly on cultivation methods, rarely on body cultivation.
While watching the four women undergo the tribulation, Yang Yan felt occasional insights, eager to put them into practice to see if they could work.
