Chapter 80: Step Two—Summoning the Tribulation and Planting the Seed

Red Cloud’s Cloud-Treading Wings quivered lightly behind him, and he shot straight up into the heavens. As his wings unfurled, the baleful energy he had cultivated erupted forth, and the murderous aura that had been on the verge of flooding his body suddenly halted. Instead, it slowly flowed into his wings. With a gentle shake of those wings, he guided the surrounding baleful energy, letting it merge into the dragon that coiled along his spine.

Once a closed loop had been formed, Red Cloud’s body ceased to attract any further baleful energy—instead, all of it was drawn toward his back. This, perhaps, could be called a blessing in disguise...

Sensing the power he now wielded, Red Cloud nodded in satisfaction. Now, unless he spread his Cloud-Treading Wings, he was nothing more than a common man possessing a Nirvana-level physique. Though he could still command baleful power and use it for cultivation, his body was now utterly free of its taint.

At this, Red Cloud breathed a little easier—he had, by chance, pushed his progress another step forward. Gathering the baleful clouds with his own energy, he seated himself cross-legged atop them and calmed his mind to begin the second stage of his cultivation.

He would use the tribulation energy he’d captured as a primer, letting it become a new substitute for baleful energy. More than that, he couldn’t simply seize tribulation energy from the outside world—it had to be carefully nurtured within himself, bit by bit.

With this thought, he wasted no time. In the place where his baleful core had once rested, he gently planted a “seed” of tribulation energy. It flickered within him like scattered sparks, but he paid it no mind, instead drawing upon the tribulation energy he’d already gathered deep in his sea of consciousness, guiding it inward, absorbing it, making it his own.

...

Yue Sansi lingered on his flying vessel for a time, but not knowing what had happened, and still feeling uneasy, he eventually piloted the boat in pursuit.

Tracing Red Cloud’s aura, he soon spotted a mass of baleful clouds high above. He considered approaching to investigate Red Cloud’s condition, but as soon as he took a step, he froze.

The Eight-Armed Golden Ape, one of the rare and gifted beasts of the Treasure Vase Realm, was gifted with a keen intuition. The instant he lifted his foot, he sensed a profound danger radiating from Red Cloud. It was no less than the terror he’d felt that time he’d snuck out to cause trouble, only to draw the wrath of a mindless demon king upon the capital—a memory of devastation, of his father’s gaze, that matched this very moment.

It was as if, when he looked up, a single, indescribable symbol loomed above his head.

Danger!

Very well, he would not approach.

Yue Sansi halted, refraining from disturbing Red Cloud. He knew his companion must have entered a most delicate state, so he simply slipped the staff from his back, gripping it warily in both hands.

...

Red Cloud struggled for a long time, unable to find the right method; the tribulation energy eluded his grasp. But as he glanced at the true form sealed deep in his sea of consciousness, a sudden insight dawned upon him.

Planting tribulation energy within one’s flesh—this was reminiscent of the “Golden Lotus Born of Fire” he’d once debated with a great adept in the Primordial Era. The methods were analogous, though this was but a pale imitation.

With this realization, his heart lightened, and the tribulation energy settled in, gradually linking with his body. In the next moment, he sensed an unseen presence watching him, then heard an angry roar—and suddenly, with a crack, something within him seemed to shatter.

His hair, black as night, began to grow wildly. His flesh brimmed with vitality; a profound comfort enveloped his whole being. Even his bones crackled and popped, resounding with explosive energy. When the surge reached the dragon along his spine, a faint, echoing dragon’s roar resounded within.

Yet this was not the greatest transformation. The true change was in his lifespan.

In this world, cultivators’ lives were pitifully short, but now, with tribulation energy as his foundation, his life span soared. If calculated closely, it would be no less than three thousand years!

Three millennia—a considerable length of time. After all, even in the Primordial Era, a single epoch was but one hundred and twenty thousand years.

Red Cloud stretched contentedly, his mood vastly improved. Spotting Yue Sansi in the distance, he strode over in a few steps.

“Thank you,” Red Cloud said, smiling. Seeing Yue Sansi’s confusion, his spirits lifted further.

What did I do? Yue Sansi looked at Red Cloud with a peculiar expression. He truly was at a loss as to why he was being thanked. Could it be he’d saved Red Cloud from a dangerous mishap?

With this thought, he grew a little more humble, forcing a couple of awkward laughs.

...

Man and beast resumed their journey, heading west across the Northern Wilds with a clear goal. Yet along the way, Red Cloud noticed a problem.

“Brother Yue, you’re still far too hot-tempered.”

He eyed the two demon corpses before Yue Sansi and felt a faint headache—this was already the fourth batch. He couldn’t tell if Yue Sansi, now free from the Half-Demon Kingdom, had simply let loose, or if he just enjoyed the fighting.

In these two days, a Nirvana-level demon and seven lesser demon spirits had already met their end at the hands of that black staff.

Yue Sansi called the weapon his “Composure Staff,” but to Red Cloud, it was nothing less than a demon-subduing cudgel, used to bash every monster they encountered.

Hearing Red Cloud’s words, Yue Sansi’s good mood faded. He glanced about dismissively. “Our cultivation is on par—why should you mind my business?”

Red Cloud took no offense, chuckling softly. “Your father told me to keep you in line.”

After leaving the Half-Demon Kingdom, Yue Sansi had all but forgotten his father. Hearing this, he bristled, veins bulging on his brow as he breathed heavily.

“You dare think to use my father to rein me in!”

Ah… demons these days are so unruly.

Red Cloud sighed inwardly. Seeing Yue Sansi’s defiant glare, he knew words would get nowhere. So he crooked his finger lightly.

“Come, let me teach you some discipline.”

That simple gesture, combined with Red Cloud’s tone, stoked a nameless fire in Yue Sansi’s heart. With a roar, his robes billowed as he swung the staff at Red Cloud.

Red Cloud’s eyes brightened as he took in the sight; he couldn’t help but imagine a full set of attire for him—now that was the spirit.

But thoughts were one thing. Seeing the staff descending, Red Cloud could hardly avoid it. He rolled up his sleeves and reached out to meet the blow.