Ch617 - Mufeng Overcomes the Tribulation

Long Xingtian rolled his eyes as the dark, the roiling thunderclouds rapidly gathered overhead.

“Son, the thunderclouds are here. Get ready to get struck by lightning.”

“Yes, My Lord.” Liu Mufeng responded without a moment’s hesitation, sitting down immediately to adjust himself.

“Your Imperial Majesty, there are too many people here, aren’t there? Will it be okay for Mufeng to make his advancement here?” As more and more people crowded into the square, Jiang Xu’s brows furrowed.Sure enough, these people love their spectacles,he thought.They’re not even afraid of getting struck by lightning.

“There’s nothing we can do; the thunderclouds are already here, and it’s too late to leave.” Long Xingtian sighed helplessly. If the thunderclouds hadn’t been present, he might have taken his Son to a less crowded location to advance, but now that the storm was upon them, it was too late to do anything else.

“Xingtian, don’t let those people get close.” Qing Chen looked at his partner, hoping that no one would disturb their Son’s advancement.

“Understood.” Nodding, Long Xingtian immediately released his imposing presence.

Feeling the Supreme Immortal Emperor’s pressure, the crowd of spectators observing the commotion dared not approach any closer and remained on the periphery, watching the events unfold.

“Who is that? How can they be promoted upon leaving the Heaven-Piercing Tower?”

“That’s… I recognize him. He’s the Second Prince of the Dragon Clan, Liu Mufeng. He’s a ninth-level alchemist. Super impressive!”

“How could that be? He’s from the Human Clan, how could he possibly be a Dragon?”

“Aiya, you don’t know? Liu Mufeng is actually the Dragon Emperor’s adopted Son.”

“Adopted Son?”

“Oh, so he’s the Second Prince of the Dragon Clan, no wonder the Dragon Emperor came to help protect him”

“Right? If it were anyone else, the Dragon Emperor wouldn’t have bothered showing up.”

“The Second Prince of the Dragon Clan is incredible, he actually reached the ninety-second floor.”

“Ninety-second floor? You mean, Liu Mufeng is the person who reached ninety-two floors?”

“Who else but him? If he hadn’t received a great opportunity, would he have been promoted upon leaving the Heaven-Piercing Tower?”

“That’s right, that makes sense.”

“I’ve heard that in all these years, only our Sect Leader has ever been promoted upon leaving the Heaven-Piercing Tower. Who could’ve imagined that today we’d see another, the Dragon Clan’s Second Prince?”

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“Emperor Yu, why is Long Xingtian here?” Emperor Zhen asked the host, his voice barely audible.Why did this bastard show up here?

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“This kid’s actually pretty impressive? He took first place in the ninth-level Alchemist Competition, reached the ninety-second floor of the Heaven-Piercing Tower, and even broke Emperor Yu’s record at ninety floor. Not only are his alchemy skills good, but his comprehension is excellent too?” Both the Tiger and Fox Emperors were equally surprised, having never expected this outcome.

“This Liu Mufeng is no small fry; he’s a promising talent. What a pity I’m not his teacher.” The Alchemy Emperor sighed, lamenting the missed opportunity to mentor this promising young man.

The second prince of the Dragon Clan?” Hearing the trio’s conversation, the Tiger Emperor was dismayed.

“That’s right, it’s that Dragon Clan’s Alchemist. I’ve seen him before.” The Fox Emperor nodded, confirming the identity of the individual in question.

“Ah, the Dragon Emperor has quite an eye for talent.” The Tiger Emperor had to admit that despite his own crazy temperament, the Dragon Emperor certainly had a knack for selecting both capable Sons and talented heirs.

“That’s right, this Son of his is truly exceptional. I was even considering taking this immortal who reached the ninety-second floor as my disciple.” The Emperor Yu sighed, regretting the missed opportunity. He had been considering taking this disciple, but now that he knew the individual in question was the Dragon Emperor’s Son, it seemed unlikely that this would ever come to pass.

“No need to think anymore, it’s impossible,” The Alchemy Emperor said with a grim smile.

“Indeed.” Nodding, Emperor Yu naturally understood that he was far from a match for the Dragon Emperor.

While the five Immortal Emperors continued their discussion, the Lightning Tribulation descended upon Liu Mufeng. Liu Mufeng blocked the first three bolts of lightning with his Stone Seal and Ascension Platform Sword– his lifebound magical artifact and weapon, which could grow in power along with him. He allowed them to experience the Lightning Tribulation as a means of tempering their quality.

For the next three tribulations, Liu Mufeng allowed Xiaoxiao and Jin Xiao to step forward, as they had been struggling to reach the next level. By having them experience the Lightning Tribulation now, Liu Mufeng hoped to accelerate their progress.

In total, nine bolts of lightning would be required to ascend to Immortal Emperor. Liu Mufeng planned to have his beasts and magical artifacts absorb the first six bolts, and personally withstand the last three. For the past thousand years, aside from during secluded cultivation, Liu Mufeng had spent most of his time training his physical body. As such, his physique far surpassed that of most ordinary alchemists. Even if the final three bolts were the most perilous ones, he was confident in his ability to handle them.

Seeing that Liu Mufeng had taken a medicinal pill to heal his injuries, Jiang Xu breathed a sigh of relief, worried for his lover. He had experienced the Lightning Tribulations himself once, when he was promoted to Immortal Emperor. Uncle Bai and Pangpang had each taken two of the lightning bolts, leaving five for him to take personally, which nearly killed him. His entire body had been injured, and it took three months before he fully recovered.

“Rumble,rumble…” The violet lightning bolts descended like whips, striking Liu Mufeng. His expression twisted, and he let out a muffled grunt as he endured the first bolt.

“Rumble…” Without giving Liu Mufeng any time to catch his breath, the second and third bolts fell, landing all on Liu Mufeng’s body.

“Mmmpp…” Opening his eyes, Liu Mufeng gritted his teeth, forcing himself to endure the strikes.

After three rounds of tribulations, the thunder clouds in the sky still roiled about. Just as everyone thought Liu Mufeng’s tribulations were over, rumbling filled the skies once more, and another bolt of lightning descended.

“What’s happening? Why is there another?” Long Xingtian looked up in shock at the sky above.

“Rumble,rumble!” Without giving the crowd time to ponder, two more bolts of lightning struck.

“Three? Three tribulations?” Long Xingtian stared at the dark clouds overhead, stunned.

“Xingtian, what’s happening? Why are there so many tribulations for Mufeng?” Qing Chen turned to his partner, anxiety written plainly on his face.

Long Xingtian rolled his eyes. “Maybe our Son’s just really hated by the Heavens.” He, too, was baffled as to why Liu Mufeng would suddenly have three extra lightning tribulations.

“Mufeng!” Jiang Xu anxiously watched his lover, who lay prostrate on the ground, coughing up blood.Why twelve lightning bolts? Was it because he had possessed someone else’s body? But this had never happened before—what was going on? What exactly was going on?

Liu Mufeng grabbed a fistful of medicinal pills and tossed them into his mouth, then forced himself to rise. Looking up, he gazed at the sky, which slowly cleared of its thunderous clouds. Gentle holy light shone down, and the immortalqirising from Liu Mufeng’s body rose steadily.

His cultivation, which had reached the peak of Immortal King with perfect fullness, leapt to First-Rank Immortal Emperor, Second-Rank Immortal Emperor, Third-Rank Immortal Emperor, and finally settled at Fourth-Rank Immortal Emperor.

“Middle-stage Immortal Emperor? How is this possible? How can someone’s first promotion to Immortal Emperor be to Middle-stage Immortal Emperor?”

“That’s right, how did he do it? How?”

“To achieve even a minor realm promotion as an Immortal Emperor takes hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of years. How can someone’s first promotion be to the Middle-stage Immortal Emperor?”

“This is terrifying. How can such a powerful immortal exist?”

“Indeed, this Second Prince of the Dragon Clan, how can he be so heaven-defying?”

“Tell me about it. He’s only been a little over three thousand years old. Yet he already possesses the strength of a Middle-stage Immortal Emperor.”

“The Second Prince of the Dragon Clan truly has heaven-defying latent talent.”

“That’s right, he’s not even four thousand years old yet. So young.”

“If he didn’t have the skills, he wouldn’t have been able to become the Dragon Emperor’s adopted Son. Do you think just anyone can become the adopted Son of a Supreme Immortal Emperor?”

“Mm, that’s true. Liu Mufeng is a ninth-level alchemist, and his alchemist techniques are the best amongst all ninth-level alchemists. His comprehension is also far above average, and now he’s reached the Middle-stage of Immortal Emperor. I imagine the Dragon Emperor will certainly favor the Second Prince even more after this.”

“Right? He’ll definitely receive even more favor.”

Ignoring the astonished crowd, Long Xingtian and his group rushed forward as soon as they saw Liu Mufeng’s advancement was successful.

“Mufeng, how are you? How are you?” Jiang Xu rushed forward and wrapped his arms around his lover.

“Father!” Liu Xuan anxiously called out, eyes fixed on Liu Mufeng.

“I’m fine.” Liu Mufeng repeatedly shook his head, assuring them he was okay as he gazed at his distressed wife and Son.

“Mufeng!” Qing Chen’s eyes also filled with tears as he looked at his Son.

“Hey, kid, don’t worry, Dad’s here. You won’t die as long as you’ve still got a breath in you.” With a wave of his sleeve, the Dragon Emperor enveloped Liu Mufeng in golden light.

“Your Imperial Majesty.” Watching as his lover’s wounds healed at a rate visible to the naked eye, Jiang Xu was overjoyed.

“Don’t worry, that brat’s fine.” Long Xingtian gave Jiang Xu a reassuring glance before turning to wrap an arm around Qing Chen.

“En!” Qing Chen nodded, then glanced at Long Xingtian. It was fortunate that Long Xingtian was here, because Qing Chen didn’t know what he would have done otherwise. Although Long Xingtian often made a mess, there were times when he was dependable.

With the Dragon Emperor’s assistance, Liu Mufeng’s wounds swiftly healed. Jiang Xu helped his lover to his feet, then followed the Dragon Emperor back to the inn.

As the group departed, the five Supreme Immortal Emperors exchanged glances.

“Should we go offer our congratulations? Long Xingtian saw us.” Emperor Yu said with a frown.

“If we don’t go of our own volition, he’ll definitely find some nitpick to complain about.”

“Let’s go. We can’t delay,” the Alchemy Emperor agreed, nodding.

“Sure, let’s go together. We must spare no expense to avoid disaster.” The Array Emperor agreed, also nodding. He certainly didn’t want to suffer at the hands of that scoundrel Long Xingtian.

“Then we’ll come along too.” After some thought, the Fox and Tiger Emperors decided to go as well.

“En!” The five Immortal Emperors nodded and departed.