The intense pain made her unable to hold back, and she collapsed into the hot spring.
For a moment, Ling Luofu felt nothing but pain.
Therefore, she didn't notice that where there was originally an empty space two fingers above her heart, a golden object was gradually taking shape.
The two people outside the cave were both spiritual cultivators, and they naturally sensed the surging spiritual energy within the cave.
"It's starting," Ling Luoyi exclaimed.
Ling Luoxian leaned against the cave entrance, not replying.
This was a cliff, and Ling Luoyi was sitting on the edge, one wrong move and she would fall.
The sisters remained silent, waiting patiently.
After an unknown amount of time, Ling Luoxian suddenly said, "You really came back after making all the preparations."
"What?"
Ling Luoyi didn't understand the nonsensical remark.
"All these elixirs you prepared, the martial arts techniques from the Martial Arts Pavilion, the weapons you gave us, and the method to regrow Fu'er's spiritual roots – these couldn't have been prepared overnight. So, you came back after everything was ready."
Ling Luoyi didn't answer, but in Ling Luoxian's eyes, it was an admission.
"That means you knew about the Ling family's predicament all along, but only returned now."
"If my return cannot change the Ling family's current situation, what meaning does it have for me to return?"
"But we don't need your return to have meaning; we just want you to return safely!"
"I know. But if I returned and the Ling family was still in the same state, what would be the point?"
"You've always paid attention to the Ling family, and you know Grandpa has been looking for you. Couldn't you have even written a letter? Just to tell us you were safe?"
"I haven't been paying attention to the Ling family all along. I only found out about the Ling family's current situation when I returned recently. I already knew about Uncle's leg and Fu'er's lack of spiritual roots."
"So you wanted to find a solution before returning?"
"Uncle's leg isn't difficult. Fu'er's situation is troublesome. I originally wanted to use other methods, but the spiritual roots grown by those methods were of poor quality and very fragile. Only the current method can grow spiritual roots without side effects."
"The current method, you mean that hot spring?"
"I had her drink Empty Spirit Tea for ten days, temporarily returning her body to its pre-birth state, and then using immense spiritual power to condense new spiritual roots. That's how it's done."
"Empty Spirit Tea? You'd best not let anyone know about these things!"
"That's why I chose to be here."
"Here? Where is this?"
Only then did Ling Luoxian realize she didn't know where they were.
"Didn't you just leave yesterday? You don't remember?"
"Ah?"
"This is the inner region of the Falling Sunset Forest, towards the Water Moon Kingdom. The strongest here are seventh-tier Great Illusory Beasts. Even if the spiritual energy fluctuations are stronger, it won't arouse suspicion."
"You're very familiar with this place?"
"After all, I've been here for almost two years."
The two fell silent. After about an hour, the clouds in the sky began to gather.
"It's coming."
"What?"
"The most crucial step is here. Fu'er was born without spiritual roots. For me to help her regrow them is going against the natural order. Heaven will not permit it, so it will descend a heavenly tribulation."
"So, after passing the heavenly tribulation, Fu'er's spiritual roots will be fully grown?"
"Exactly. I will help her pass this heavenly tribulation. She also needs to pass one herself. After passing the heavenly tribulation, she will be permitted by heaven and earth, and the heavenly way will no longer obstruct her cultivation."
Watching the tribulation clouds gather more and more, Ling Luoyi said, "Give this to Fu'er in a moment."
Ling Luoyi took out a talisman and handed it to Ling Luoxian, saying, "Don't use any spiritual energy in a moment, otherwise the heavenly tribulation will think three people are undergoing the tribulation."
Ling Luoxian didn't waste words. She took the talisman and moved to the side.
With a deafening 'boom!', a heavenly lightning bolt struck down.
Ling Luoyi looked over and transmitted her voice, "Guanyue!"
Although Guanyue was usually a bit unreliable, he was quite dependable at critical moments.
Spiritual energy was transmitted to Ling Luoyi. Ling Luoyi first took out three talismans. As spiritual energy was injected, six barriers appeared in the sky.
The heavenly lightning broke through three barriers consecutively. By the fourth, it had lost its power.
Thus, the first heavenly lightning bolt had passed.
A quarter of an hour later, the second heavenly lightning bolt struck swiftly, directly dispersing the remaining barriers and landing within the formation Ling Luoyi had just set up.
A burst of explosion followed, and the second heavenly lightning bolt had passed.
Within an hour, Ling Luoyi had successively passed five more.
After the seventh heavenly lightning bolt passed, the eighth did not descend for a long time, but the sky became terrifyingly gloomy.
Ling Luoxian, standing to the side, was stunned.
She had never experienced or even seen such a thing as a heavenly tribulation.
Being so close to the heavenly tribulation now, she could feel the intense destructive aura of the heavenly lightning.
Even standing at the side, she felt her blood surging. What about her elder sister, who was facing it directly?
Ling Luoyi looked at the sky. It seemed the last two heavenly lightning bolts were going to come together.
"Qian'er, go inside and give the talisman to Fu'er, then hide to the side and open the barrier sphere! Do you understand?!" Ling Luoyi shouted urgently.
"Okay!" Ling Luoxian reacted quickly and did as Ling Luoyi instructed.
After watching her go in, Ling Luoyi leaped to the top of the cave and threw a formation disk into the air, activating a grand formation.
A little over half an hour later, a heavenly lightning bolt struck, three times thicker than the previous ones.
Two at once!
Ling Luoyi knew something was wrong. While controlling the grand formation to resist, she threw out another shield – it was an Illusory Spirit Artifact!
Fortunately, no one here recognized it.
The heavenly lightning collided with the shield, and a deafening roar echoed.
The anomaly here had already spread, and experts were already arriving. kuAiδugg
It seemed she needed to speed things up.
"Guanyue, more spiritual power."
"Master!"
"Quickly!"
Guanyue increased the transmission of spiritual power, and Ling Luoyi amplified the formation's strength. A bolt of lightning fire shot towards the heavenly lightning.
With a 'boom', the aftermath of the collision between the heavenly lightning and the lightning fire spread outwards, kicking up countless sand and stones, and felling numerous trees.
Fortunately, upon sensing the heavenly lightning, the surrounding Great Illusory Beasts had already scattered.
Otherwise, many Great Illusory Beasts would have died because of this.
Ling Luoyi coughed up a mouthful of blood as she watched the bolt of heavenly lightning disappear.
The last two bolts of heavenly lightning had passed.
This meant that Ling Luofu's spiritual roots had successfully grown.
"Master, are you alright?" Guanyue asked worriedly.
Using spiritual power that did not belong to her would result in a backlash, and she had just resisted nine bolts of heavenly lightning.
"I'm fine," Ling Luoyi said, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth, transmitting her voice.
After taking an elixir, Ling Luoyi recovered slightly and said, "Fu'er, listen to me. The heavenly tribulation I could endure for you has passed. There is still one that you need to pass yourself. After passing this heavenly tribulation, you can cultivate normally like others. I will weaken it to its lowest point. You must pass it."
Ling Luofu had long since adapted to the pain, so she had heard everything Ling Luoyi and Ling Luoxian had said. At this moment, she also heard that her elder sister had just vomited blood and her voice was still a bit weak.
She vowed in her heart that she would definitely pass it, absolutely! She would pass it!
Ling Luoyi recovered and looked at the clouds that had turned white.
The surroundings were quiet, not the quiet of an end, but the quiet of powerful spiritual energy suppressing everything around.
Ling Luoyi couldn't help but marvel: just how high quality were Fu'er's newly grown spiritual roots to attract such immense spiritual power!
"Guanyue!"
Ling Luoyi called out to Guanyue. Guanyue understood immediately and quickly transmitted spiritual power to her.
Ling Luoyi channeled the spiritual power into the grand formation, maintaining it at its peak state.
She threw out a few more talismans, and ten barriers opened above the grand formation.
Bring it on!