Chapter 538: Heaven Seeks My Destruction
Chapter 538: Heaven Seeks My Destruction
...
"The appointed hour has arrived!"
At the summit of Dragon Spring Mountain, the three corpses of Real Person Jade Compassion wore solemn expressions. The lower corpse opened her eyes first and made the announcement.
She gazed coldly at the other two corpses. "The heavenly tribulation approaches. We must swiftly choose a main body. As the lower corpse merging with the original form is most justified, why not let me take the lead while you two sisters integrate into me?"
Before Rice Bucket could speak, the temperamentally violent upper corpse had already drawn her sword, sneering, "Bullshit! The main body should be decided by capability. At the very least, it should be between me and the middle corpse—we have the highest cultivation. What right does a mere Void Refinement cultivator like you have?"
"I think I qualify too," Rice Bucket shrunk her head slightly, producing a massive sword thicker than her own body. She murmured softly, "I devoured an entire spirit vein, my true essence is like an ocean. None of you can defeat me, yet here I am still reasoning with you. If...if you won't listen to reason..." She slammed the greatsword into the ground with a thunderous crash and added timidly, "I'm also somewhat proficient in fist techniques."
The upper and lower corpses' lips twitched at her words.
This middle corpse appeared the most harmless but might actually be the most formidable one.
Before they could decide on a main body, the Heavenly Dao denied them further discussion time.Thunderclouds churned like ink-black serpents coiling overhead, gradually descending toward Dragon Spring Mountain's peak. The Thunder Eye grew increasingly radiant—the first heavenly lightning strike was fully charged.
"Enough chatter!" The impatient upper corpse barked urgently, "The heavenly tribulation approaches! If we don't merge immediately, all three corpses will perish!"
"Then let strength decide! Though my power may be inferior, my soul isn't necessarily weaker than yours!" The lower corpse refused to back down.
The three figures sat cross-legged in a triangular formation, forming mystical hand seals.
Instantly, three vastly different consciousnesses converged in the void like three rivers pouring into an ocean yet refusing to blend.
"I shall lead!" The upper corpse's consciousness surged forward like a blade.
"By what right?!" Rice Bucket shoved the upper corpse aside with her posterior. "If I hadn't consumed the spirit vein to elevate our cultivation to the Great Ascension Three Tribulations realm, would we have achieved unification so quickly? This is all my merit!"
The lower corpse spoke urgently, "We three corpses were originally one—why quarrel? Without harmonious coexistence, how can we face the heavenly tribulation?"
BOOM!
The heavens abruptly darkened. Rolling thunderclouds split apart as a blinding white bolt descended from the sky!
When the first tribulation lightning struck, the entire mountain trembled under violet-blue electricity. The world turned dark as if doomsday had arrived.
Chen Huaian's expression shifted slightly upon witnessing this scene.
This heavenly tribulation was far more powerful than what he had endured during his own ascension.
Though knowing the lightning wouldn't target him, he still maneuvered his flying vessel back three hundred meters.
"Master, Rice Bucket she..." Li Qingran bit her lower lip as she stared at the lightning-engulfed Dragon Spring Mountain, her eyes filled with unconcealable worry.
Chen Huaian patted Li Qingran's head and sighed, "This is Rice Bucket's destiny and opportunity. We can only have faith in her."
...
Upon Dragon Spring Mountain, thunder dragons danced wildly.
"The first heavenly tribulation!"
The three corpses hastily joined forces to resist but were still blasted back several meters by the lightning's force, each vomiting blood.
"Fools!" The upper corpse roared, "Continue squabbling like this and we'll surely perish!"
Rice Bucket, now realizing the tribulation's terror, wiped blood from her lips. "The upper corpse is right. We must merge immediately."
The lower corpse nodded. "Each of us cultivated differently with unique strengths. The upper corpse possesses unparalleled courage and comprehension; the middle corpse masters heavenly secrets; while I, though sentimental, hold great fortune. Today we must combine our strengths to overcome this tribulation!"
The three corpses sat anew, no longer fighting for dominance but attempting genuine fusion.
The upper corpse's comprehension, the middle corpse's heavenly insight, and the lower corpse's fortune—three entirely different auras began slowly merging.
Yet the second heavenly strike arrived, ten times more powerful than the first!
"BOOM—!"
The lightning bolt tore through the sky like a dragon, striking directly at the three corpses.
The incomplete fusion forced them to separate again, each summoning protective treasures.
The upper corpse wielded a top-grade spiritual flying sword; Rice Bucket surprisingly stored her greatsword, instead producing a small divination flag—her Heavenly Secret Banner; the lower corpse used Jade Compassion's original treasure—a spirit treasure mirror that transformed surroundings into illusory scenes. But before the illusion fully formed, the thunder dragon struck.
Where lightning passed, the upper corpse's top-grade artifacts shattered completely. Rice Bucket emerged unscathed—she'd dodged using her banner.
The lower corpse paled upon seeing cracks spreading across her mirror. "This tribulation's power is abnormal! We can't continue like this! Immediate fusion is imperative!"
The third heavenly strike already brewed in the clouds, more ferocious than its predecessors.
Dragon Spring Mountain's summit became chaos—all creatures within ten thousand li fled in terror.
This time, the three corpses abandoned all wariness, merging completely.
Golden light erupted as Jade Compassion's complete form gradually materialized, though her features kept shifting between three distinct temperaments—the fusion remained unstable. Ultimately, the three corpse spirits still needed to compete for dominance. But time for debate had run out. As the three merged, Jade Compassion's aura visibly skyrocketed.
Great Ascension Three Tribulations realm...Great Ascension Three Tribulations perfection...With a soft "pop," a milky-white cocoon enveloped Jade Compassion's body.
The thunder-filled sky cracked open.
A ribbon of light descended upon Jade Compassion, thickening the luminous cocoon with each passing moment.
Spectating cultivators suddenly found their spiritual energy circulating faster, breathing became effortless, and their bodies grew weightless.
"What...what is this sensation?!"
"My long-stagnant bottleneck is finally loosening!"
Xiao Feng narrowed his eyes at the storm's epicenter. His extensive knowledge recognized the light ribbons immediately.
"Immortal qi!" he murmured.
"Jade Compassion forcibly broke through heaven's constraints by merging three corpses to reach quasi-immortal realm! That cocoon is heavenly immortal qi!"
Young Master Yinyu's eyes widened. "Quasi-immortal...doesn't that guarantee ascension?!"
"Not necessarily..." Xiao Feng watched the intensifying thunder strikes solemnly. "Tribulations escalate with the challenger's power. Even quasi-immortals cannot defy heaven's might. When heaven demands death, death it shall be! Transcending tribulations means seizing a sliver of hope from certain doom! This is what we cultivators call defying heaven!"
BOOM BOOM BOOM—!
As if affirming Xiao Feng's words, the lightning strikes grew increasingly violent.
Dragon Spring Mountain's peak had transformed into a thunder pool, electric serpents carving deep ravines across the landscape.
Chen Huaian squinted at the luminous cocoon.
Even with his Electronic Girlfriend system, he could only glimpse fragmented information:
[Jade Compassion - Quasi-Immortal]
[Status: Three Corpses Unified, Transcending Tribulation, Paralyzed, Heavenly Lightning Tempering]
He couldn't discern which corpse currently held dominance.
But facing such heavenly wrath, dominance became irrelevant—survival determined the true main body.
...
"Forty-ninth strike!"
Having endured half the tribulation, Jade Compassion remained relatively intact—at least her robes were still whole, though her complexion looked grim.
All her artifacts had been obliterated by the lightning.
Henceforth, only her physical body, true essence, and...
Jade Compassion gazed at the immortal qi surrounding her—it rapidly healed her injuries while forging an immortal physique, simultaneously forming protective barriers.
The Dao was merciless, its rules rigid—yet within this rigidity emerged a sliver of mercy.
This descending immortal qi represented her accumulated heavenly virtue from years of cultivation.
The greater her virtue, the thicker her immortal qi shield—now her sole hope.
"This venerable one can succeed!"
Jade Compassion clenched her fists, staring defiantly at the thunderclouds.
...
"Eightieth heavenly strike..."
Jade Compassion looked skyward, her garments long destroyed, revealing a battered body.
Only one strike remained out of the eighty-one needed for ascension.
BOOM—! A mountain-sized lightning column crashed down.
The entire Dragon Spring Mountain disintegrated into dust.
All cultivators gaped at the spectacle.
The final strike...
Could Jade Compassion withstand it?
As the thunderclaps faded, the luminous cocoon still stood in the lightning crater—though swaying precariously, a human silhouette remained visible within.
Jade Compassion lived!
She had endured!
"Excellent!" Li Qingran's eyes brightened as she clapped, finally exhaling in relief. "Master, Jade Compassion must have succeeded in ascension—though whether Rice Bucket or another corpse spirit dominates remains unclear...Do you think she'll still recognize us?"
Chen Huaian remained silent, frowning at the thunderclouds.
—The clouds that should have dispersed instead lingered.
No ascension phenomena manifested—no celestial gates opening, no immortal melodies—nothing!
Within the funnel-shaped vortex, the golden Thunder Eye glared coldly upon the world.
"Eighty-one heavenly strikes...and still not the end..."
Jade Compassion smiled bitterly at the golden eye.
"Heaven...ultimately...seeks my destruction..."
...