But You Are Here

Jiang Ningshu led Su Luo to a vast plain—an ordinary stretch of land with no one around.

"This should do," Jiang Ningshu decided, choosing this place to undergo her tribulation.

Without hesitation, she prepared to begin.

Su Luo stopped her. "Wait, you're just going to start like this?"

Jiang Ningshu tilted her head in confusion. "What else is needed?"

"Shouldn’t you set up some life-saving measures?"

Normally, one would use treasures to conceal the location of their tribulation, then reinforce it with formations and protective artifacts.

Of course, Jiang Ningshu didn’t need much in terms of survival aids, but at the very least, she should hide the site of her tribulation.

If someone came to interfere, it would be disastrous.

"But you're here," Jiang Ningshu said matter-of-factly.

Su Luo paused, then chuckled. "True."

She was the strongest safeguard of all.

With Su Luo present, Jiang Ningshu didn’t bother with mental preparations and began immediately.

Inside her body, she started refining the remnants of the heavenly tribulation.

Once fully refined, the clear sky suddenly darkened as thick clouds rolled in, blotting out the sun and casting the world into shadow.

The clouds grew denser, heavier, until a bolt of lightning split the heavens, followed by a deafening thunderclap that shook the skies.

Gradually, an oppressive pressure descended from above, a suffocating force that weighed on the chest like an invisible hand.

As time passed, the pressure intensified, affecting the surrounding environment.

Beasts fled in terror.

Su Luo took a few steps back, careful not to interfere with Jiang Ningshu’s tribulation.

Her role was to ensure safety, not to face the tribulation alongside her.

Only by enduring it alone would Jiang Ningshu grow stronger.

The tribulation continued to gather power, its mere presence already terrifying.

Jiang Ningshu looked up, expecting fear—but instead, she felt nothing but calm.

Now, she only had to wait for the tribulation to descend.

Yet such a spectacle could not go unnoticed in the cultivation world.

Low-level cultivators dismissed it, but the powerful sensed something amiss.

"Who is undergoing tribulation? Another reaching the Mahayana stage? Who could it be? The distance is too great to tell—should we investigate?"

"Another formidable figure for humanity. Let’s hope it’s someone righteous."

"This isn’t an ordinary tribulation. Why is it so different?"

Across the land, the strongest turned their gazes in the same direction.

Undergoing tribulation was one thing, but doing so so brazenly—as if announcing it to the world—was unheard of.

Wasn’t this inviting trouble?

Did they truly fear no interference?

In the wildlands, the Beast Lord gnashed his teeth, glaring toward the disturbance.

Why did humans always produce such troublesome figures?

Though curious, he dared not investigate, silently praying the tribulation would claim the cultivator’s life.

As the tribulation’s power surged to even greater heights, many could no longer sit still.

Even those on the distant South Continent felt its oppressive weight.

"I must see this for myself."

"Something’s wrong—this is no ordinary tribulation. I have to go."

"Who… who is this?!"

Around Jiang Ningshu’s tribulation site, figures began to gather—all at least at the Dongxu stage or higher. Nascent Soul cultivators lurked at the very edges, while those weaker fainted from the sheer pressure if they ventured too close.

Dongxu-stage experts maintained a cautious distance, knowing that stepping into the tribulation range would draw its wrath upon them.

Both righteous and demonic factions arrived, but for now, they set aside their conflicts, united in witnessing the unfolding spectacle.

"Jiang Ningshu?"

Her identity was quickly recognized—she had been quite active lately.

"Her? And she’s this strong?"

They knew she was powerful, but this was beyond expectations.

"Hold on—this tribulation isn’t normal. No Mahayana tribulation should be like this."

Even those who had reached Mahayana agreed; their own tribulations paled in comparison.

As the tribulation’s intensity grew, they retreated further, fearing collateral damage.

Only one figure remained close to Jiang Ningshu, having been there from the start.

Was he unafraid of death?

Admirable courage—but would he still stand firm when the tribulation struck?

Cloaked in black, Su Luo’s identity remained unknown.

Some speculated he was Jiang Ningshu’s guardian, there to aid her through the tribulation and deter interference.

For now, no one dared act—the best time to strike would be during or after the tribulation, when she’d be at her weakest.

Normally, one would seek seclusion and conceal their location with treasures.

Yet Jiang Ningshu had done nothing. Such audacity.

Schemes already brewed in some minds—to slay a powerhouse was a feat worth boasting of.

And there was a perverse satisfaction in humbling someone who flaunted their tribulation so boldly.

Among the onlookers stood Di Haoran, his expression complicated.

At this moment, he knew—Jiang Ningshu surpassed him.

Once the Demon Sovereign, she was now undergoing a tribulation he couldn’t fathom.

He wished it were a righteous cultivator instead.

Yet he wouldn’t interfere; after all, Jiang Ningshu had once saved his life.

Gazing at the ever-intensifying tribulation, Di Haoran doubted he could survive it even with every treasure at his disposal.

At best, he’d have a thirty percent chance.

Jiang Ningshu, unprepared—would she truly be fine?

Before he could ponder further, the words slipped from his lips: "It’s here."

A violet bolt of lightning crashed down.

No description could do justice to its raw, annihilating power.

With this first strike, the onlookers confirmed their suspicions—this was no ordinary tribulation.

Nothing like what they had endured in their breakthroughs.

The stronger the tribulation, the stronger the cultivator.

Jiang Ningshu had reached heights beyond their comprehension.

But surprise aside, success hinged on surviving it.

Jiang Ningshu allowed the tribulation to wash over her, weathering the first wave with her bare body—unscathed.

Only then did she realize she had developed a resistance to tribulation lightning.

Though its destructive force was diminished, its tempering effect remained potent.

The crowd was stunned.

"Are you kidding me? That strike would’ve crippled me, and she’s unharmed?"

"Am I dreaming?"

"Never compare yourself to others—it only makes you realize how pitiful you are."