Blocking the Way, Xiaobai Shows Its Power

With a single golden pill swallowed into his belly, he finally knew his fate was no longer in heaven's hands.

When this long-lost elixir entered his stomach, Ye Shu's physical body finally, albeit briefly, caught up with his realm's advancement. It was no longer as fragile as before, constantly on the verge of exploding.

Now, he could at least hold on for another ten breaths before dying.

This was merely an Iron Armor Pill refined at the late Nascent Soul stage, far too weak to truly help his current condition.

Yet even so, it was enough to shock everyone.

"He... he actually succeeded?" the members of the Soul Locking Hall murmured in disbelief.

It was simply too incredible.

Just then, Ye Shu took another heavy step forward.

A black-robed cultivator of the Void Refining realm from the Soul Locking Hall suddenly sneered coldly, reaching out a massive hand toward him from afar: "Breaking through right under our noses, do you really think we're just decoration?"

He wasn't the type to sit back and watch an opponent catch a second wind.

As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot—better yet, strike while he's weak.

At this moment, Ye Shu could barely even take a single step, let alone fight back. The slightest external disturbance could send him plummeting into an irrecoverable abyss.

"Boy, this game of house is over."

The man spoke coldly, casually waving his hand. A black chain shot out from the void, hurtling straight toward Ye Shu.

The chain came fast, too fast—caught everyone off guard.

The disciples of the Azure Profound Sect couldn't even react before the chain was already closing in on Ye Shu.

"Watch out!"

Lin Qingxue screamed in desperation, charging forward like a madwoman, trying to block the blow for him.

But she was far too late.

Ye Shu saw the chain as well, yet he made no move to dodge.

Or rather, he couldn't avoid it.

Just as the chain was about to touch Ye Shu—

Suddenly, thunder and lightning tore across the sky. A bolt of violet heavenly lightning descended, transforming into a boundless lightning dragon. It dove down beside Ye Shu and whipped its tail with fierce force.

Boom!

The chain exploded on the spot.

That wasn't all. The lightning dragon coiled around, its eyes locking onto the Void Refining cultivator. A furious roar erupted from its throat as it lunged straight at him.

"Roar!"

With a claw strike, the dragon carried the might of the Purple Heavenly Lightning.

The Void Refining cultivator's face turned green.

What kind of joke was this?!

He had only interfered with a Nascent Soul cultivator's tribulation—how could Purple Heavenly Lightning possibly appear?!

With a thunderous crack, lightning flashed, and the black-robed man's form turned to ash, vanishing into the wind.

"Ha!"

Little White, standing atop Ye Shu's head, placed her hands on her hips, leaning back triumphantly, lifting her tiny chin high, nose pointed at the sky. She let out a disdainful snort.

"Someone under my Heaven's protection, and you dare to touch them!"

She might not excel at much else, but when it came to matters within her own domain, could she really let someone get away with bullying him? What kind of Heavenly Dao would she be then?

Seeing the attacker reduced to ashes, no one present felt any sympathy.

"Attempting to interfere with an Immortal Ascension Tribulation? Courting death."

Mo Yuan let out a cold, disdainful snort, his gaze icy, as if the one who died hadn't been one of their own at all.

"There's no need for us to act."

"That kid's state won't let him survive the Immortal Ascension Tribulation. Just wait for the tribulation lightning to strike him dead."

After absorbing the spiritual energy of the entire Eastern Wasteland, Ye Shu had stepped irrevocably onto a one-way road.

His body could already be considered dead.

It was only the lingering effects of that unknown pill that barely held his form together, keeping him alive, but not for long.

The moment he stopped, death would follow.

This was drinking poison to quench thirst.

Yet, if he could successfully ascend to immortality, all problems would be solved. The realm of immortals, once attained, was eternal. Mortal flesh would no longer be a shackle.

Thus, he could only—and must—become immortal.

His skin looked like parched, cracked earth. Beneath it wasn't crimson blood, but surging liquid spiritual energy. With every step, powder flaked off his body.

Yet he kept walking, still walking.

Even if his steps faltered, even if the pain was unbearable.

Step by step, he climbed the immortal stairway. Endless spiritual energy poured into his torso, widening the horrifying cracks. And as he walked, he manipulated strange flames to refine pills.

"Does this guy's talent have no limits?"

The crowd watched in stunned awe.

Every time Ye Shu advanced a realm, he refined a pill of that corresponding higher grade, buying himself another ten breaths of life. Within those ten breaths, he pushed further, crafting an even higher-quality pill...

Meanwhile, the tribulation clouds above continued to brew.

Thunder rumbled.

Countless violet lightning bolts wove through the clouds, radiating a pressure that made hearts tremble.

"Scoundrel..."

Lin Qingxue clasped her hands together, her beautiful eyes fixed unblinkingly on Ye Shu in the distance, brimming with worry.

In his current state...

Forget lightning tribulation—she feared even a pebble could solo him. Just judging from the bolt that killed the black-robed man, this tribulation lightning couldn't possibly be weak.

At last, the lightning tribulation finished brewing.

The roars of countless beasts echoed from the clouds. Heads of ancient creatures made of lightning emerged from the tribulation clouds, their eyes coldly fixed on Ye Shu below.

Each one radiated a suffocating, heart-stopping pressure.

"Roar!!!"

With a single deafening roar, all the beastly figures surged forth, diving toward Ye Shu as he climbed the stairway, and then...

They surrounded him, every beast bowing in submission.