Chapter 167: After the Calamity

Damn it! Could there really be an eleventh tribulation thunderbolt? As if unable to hear Huli’s call, Feng Ke’er looked up in despair.

Before her eyes, the heavy tribulation clouds seemed to burst like a pierced bellows, releasing countless streams of violet energy.

The violet energy met the wind and transformed into crystal-clear purple droplets, accompanied by thunder, falling from the sky like sifted beans in a gentle drizzle.

What was happening? Feng Ke’er hadn’t even fully reacted before the sudden purple rain drenched her thoroughly.

Such warm raindrops!

They felt like countless soft little hands caressing her body, layered with wounds. In an instant, all her external injuries healed completely. New strands of glossy black hair sprouted from her head like bamboo shoots after the rain.

The rain nourished her scorched skin, seeping through her pores into every sinew and meridian. To her delight, Feng Ke’er discovered her shriveled tendons were visibly recovering, including the severed Ren and Du meridians!

This purple rain had miraculous healing powers!

The crisis was averted!

“Fox, come out quickly and absorb the rain!” Feng Ke’er exclaimed with ecstatic joy, hastily opening the Mustard Seed Space. She herself spread her arms wide, tilted her head back, and greedily drank the rainwater.

Huli had already gathered all his strength. As soon as the wooden wall disappeared, he darted like an arrow into the curtain of rain.

“Ah—”

But the purple rain that drenched him was like concentrated sulfuric acid!

Huli screamed in agony as his silver robe instantly became riddled with holes, torn so badly it could serve as a fishing net.

“Get back!” Feng Ke’er was alarmed and quickly threw him back into the Mustard Seed Space. Alas, her spirit rain and the fox’s venom were both deadly forces. Divine punishment was cunning indeed!

Fortunately, Huli reacted swiftly. Sensing danger, he shielded his head and face with his wide sleeves, barely saving his face under the dense rain.

Immediately after, she hastily tossed him back into the Mustard Seed Space.

Thus, he suffered no real injury except for the destruction of his silver robe, which was made from his own fox fur. As long as his true body remained unharmed, it would restore itself in three to five days.

Time flowed faster inside the Mustard Seed Space. Half a day outside equated to three to five days within.

In short, thank heavens, he had escaped danger unscathed.

When Huli regained his senses and saw Feng Ke’er’s wounds rapidly healing, he clapped his hands and cheered like a child: “Wonderful! Master, don’t worry about me. Focus entirely on healing yourself.”

What a fool! Feng Ke’er nodded. “I’ve opened the space. Try to see if you can release your divine awareness. If you can, you can still protect me inside the space!” With the greatest danger passed, she remembered the four troublesome ones led by Zeng Yun and the others.

Huli happily complied. Sitting cross-legged, he carefully extended a strand of divine awareness and cautiously entered the purple rain.

Apparently, no harm!

Huli breathed a sigh of relief and let that strand of divine awareness fly through the rain. It remained unharmed.

“Master, my divine awareness can cover a radius of two hundred miles. Rest assured and focus on healing,” he said, thrilled to still be useful.

Ke’er then calmed her breath, gathered her spirit, and sat cross-legged, focusing her mind upward. She inwardly observed her Dan Sea—after the purple rain seeped into her body, it transformed back into violet energy. Now, more and more of this energy accumulated in her meridians. This violet energy was a fortunate aura from the spiritual realm, but too much would overwhelm her small frame.

Unfortunately, judging by the size of the tribulation clouds, this purple rain wouldn’t stop anytime soon. If she didn’t use her unique Eight Qi Exercises to refine it, too much would cause harm instead of healing.

The restorative power of the violet energy was indeed formidable. After about half an hour, her Dan Sea was also repaired. The refined violet energy enveloped her formless primordial spirit heavily. Within minutes, her spirit was wrapped into a giant purple cocoon.

Could violet energy even repair the primordial spirit? Feng Ke’er was filled with anticipation and refined the violet energy more fervently.

The purple rain continued for over an hour before finally ceasing.

The tribulation clouds dissipated, and the sun appeared. The blue-gray sky revealed a magnificent rainbow, though distorted—almost three-quarters of a circle.

Feng Ke’er refined the last trace of violet energy. The cocoon in her Dan Sea swelled. Her primordial spirit seemed to enjoy the embrace, showing no intention of breaking free.

At that moment, Huli warned, “Master, Zeng Yun and his group are flying toward us, about two hundred miles away.”

Flying two hundred miles was nothing for cultivators of their level; it would take mere breaths. Escape was impossible. Feng Ke’er opened her eyes, stood, and prepared to step into the spatial orb to hide.

Unexpectedly, as she lifted her right foot, a faint crack came from beneath her left foot.

What was this? Feng Ke’er hurriedly looked down. The huge stone beneath her foot had cracked into a spiderweb pattern!

Ten tribulation thunderbolts plus over an hour of purple rain had finally caused the giant stone to crack. Its hardness rivaled top-grade immortal artifacts.

But time was pressing—there was no room to study this stubborn stone carefully. She darted into the spatial orb.

Almost simultaneously, the entire mountain peak exploded with a roar, reducing to dust. A huge crater appeared on the ground.

A mountain breeze blew, whitening the peaks of nearby green hills.

Huli’s startled cries followed: “Master! Master…” Inside the Mustard Seed Space, he could see outside but not inside the spatial orb. Thus, he did not realize his master was safely seated inside.

“I’m fine,” Feng Ke’er said, placing a hand over her heart and gazing warily at the enormous crater. If only she had moved just a moment sooner...

By then, Zeng Yun and the others had arrived at full speed.

The dust had barely settled when they dared not rush into the cloud of dust, instead hovering outside on their flying treasures.

“What happened here?” Immortal Mu Qing covered her mouth and nose with her sleeve, trembling as she asked, “Zeng Yun, are you sure Fei Yi disappeared here?”

Zeng Yun gritted her teeth, “No mistake.”

Immortal Wang Xin furrowed his brows deeply, a severe crease forming between them as he concluded, “Judging by the scene, this must be the mark left by divine punishment.”

“Divine punishment?” The other three were stunned. Divine punishment was considered mere legend; none had witnessed it firsthand. Besides, with the scant magical power cultivators possessed in the lower realm, how could they possibly sneak up here?

Zeng Yun was the first to regain composure, shading her forehead with her right hand and scanning carefully. “Where is the nine-tailed silver fox?” She had invested heavily to obtain the Mystic Heaven Stone. Losing Fei Yi was a bitter loss; she would not accept defeat so easily.

Immortal Mu Qing glanced around with a bitter smile. “There’s no one alive around here. Zeng Yun, you said Huli belongs to the Hu family. Sigh, what exactly is this Mystic Heaven Stone? For it, you’ve gotten into big trouble. Was it worth it?” Her words carried two meanings: one, Huli was surely dead; two, without Huli, his master would not survive. The Hu family would not accept such a loss lightly. She hastened to distance herself from the matter and forced Zeng Yun to shoulder the responsibility.

Zeng Yun pursed her lips in resentment.

At this point, Feng Ke’er finally understood: Wang Xin and the other three were not conspirators—they had truly been tricked by the Zeng clan into hunting beasts.

Wang Xin’s face darkened as he stared into the giant crater below.

Immortal Jinshi quickly masked the sharp gleam in his eyes with pity. He flew over to Zeng Yun and gently comforted her, “That nine-tailed silver fox called you sister. He willingly undertook the task to find the medicine for you. This unfortunate event is just bad luck. You wouldn’t want him harmed, or you wouldn’t have sent Fei Yi to protect him. Also, beasts are naturally alert; the silver fox clan is especially so. Maybe the nine-tailed silver fox hid away when he sensed divine punishment approaching.”

While soothing tensions, he cleared the area of bystanders.

Outnumbered three to one, Zeng Yun reluctantly swallowed her pride. Forcing a smile, she said, “You’re right, maybe he left early. Fei Yi was weaker and just recovering, so she fell into trouble. It’s just that today’s mission failed, and everyone wasted their efforts. I am deeply ashamed.”

Immortal Jinshi patted her shoulder with a laugh, “Not at all, Sister Zeng, we’re family. No need to be so polite.”

Immortal Mu Qing clapped and chuckled softly.

Once the three female cultivators reached consensus, Wang Xin withdrew his gaze, stroking his mustache thoughtfully. “Who exactly triggered the divine punishment?”

Mu Qing and Jinshi exchanged glances and asked in unison, “Are you really sure it was divine punishment?”

Wang Xin nodded. “I have a jade slip containing a senior’s cultivation notes, detailing divine punishment thoroughly. Earlier, I observed the celestial phenomena here and felt it matched the record perfectly. The scene here is almost identical.”

So divine punishment was no myth. Mu Qing gasped, “This is bad! We must leave immediately!” With that, she flew like an arrow several miles away.

This place would soon become the focal point of the entire spiritual realm. If word spread that they were the first to arrive, who knew what trouble would follow? Jinshi immediately understood, activated his flying treasure, and followed closely.

Wang Xin was reluctant. “Perhaps we can uncover the heavenly secret…”

Zeng Yun grabbed his sleeve anxiously and interrupted, “Wang Xin, others will think the same. Even if we find the secret, do you think we can survive in the spiritual realm with just us? If we don’t leave now, it will truly be too late.” Dear, no matter how great the secret, you must preserve your life first!

Wang Xin sighed deeply, stomped his foot in frustration, and unwillingly followed her into the distance.

“Fox, follow quickly!” Feng Ke’er urged. Neither of them knew the way, and without a guide, they had no idea how long they would be stuck here. Yet Huli’s presence was noted here. As the four said, he couldn’t be delayed.

Huli thought the same.

Before setting off, Feng Ke’er had given him several talisman treasures, including an invisibility talisman. He took it out, slapped it on his forehead, activated the Clear Wind Technique, and like a whirlwind, dashed out of the Mustard Seed Space.

(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please consider voting with recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

*Heavenly Compendium* Chapter 167: Post-Tribulation Update Completed!