Chapter 69

Lin Fan finally understood the situation. The Jiaoshe is the offspring of a Jiao and a snake. Once it cultivates to a certain level, it will attract a heavenly tribulation. If it survives the heavenly tribulation, it becomes a Jiaolong. After another heavenly tribulation, the Jiaolong can transform into a dragon, completing its destiny. This Jiaolong has already survived one heavenly tribulation and is now struggling against the heavens to see if it can survive another and transform into a dragon. According to records, the Jiaoshe is a relatively common type of monster, with about one in ten transforming into a Jiaolong, but there are no records of a Jiaolong successfully transforming into a dragon.

Lin Fan flew to one side as the lightning grew more intense, containing heavenly thunder, which was incredibly powerful. Heavenly thunder is not part of the five elements and cannot be countered by elemental principles. Although the Jiaolong was fierce, the thunderclouds grew denser, and its strength waned. The Jiaolong, unwilling to give up, continued to resist the heavens. However, the thunderclouds became even more fierce, and hundreds of thunderbolts, each capable of reducing a mountain to dust, mercilessly rained down.

With no other choice, the Jiaolong could only use its inner pearl to resist. Once the inner pearl emerged, it seemed to suppress the thunderclouds, even attacking them, causing them to dissipate. However, using its essence to fight was a suicidal move. In just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the Jiaolong's inner pearl was shattered, and its body turned to ashes. The thunderclouds also dispersed, quickly restoring the sky to a clear blue.

Is this the way of heaven? For this half an hour, Lin Fan, who was in the midst of it, was deeply shaken. The emergence of the Jiaolong from the sea was already astonishing, but the mercilessness of the heavenly tribulation was even more shocking, causing Lin Fan's legs to tremble involuntarily after the tribulation. He couldn't understand why the Jiaolong would seek the tribulation. This was a self-imposed tribulation, not a natural one. A self-imposed tribulation is a challenge to the heavens, where success means becoming a dragon, and failure means death.

Lin Fan slowly flew to where the Jiaolong emerged from the sea, standing on the water, and bent down to touch it, recalling the heavenly tribulation. He could feel the Jiaolong's defiance, roaring at the heavens, and its unwillingness to accept failure after the final tribulation.

The Jiaolong left nothing behind, only the image of it roaring at the thunderclouds, challenging them, though it could not win, it was willing to try. A figure in white flew from the direction of Penglai, an old Taoist. He did not speak, landing and gently touching the water, but unlike Lin Fan, he carried a sense of sorrow.

"An ancient Jiaolong can live for ten thousand years, why did it have to resist the way of heaven?" The old Taoist stood up and looked at Lin Fan, as if seeking someone to talk to: "It grew up in Penglai from a young age..."

The old Taoist had no position and was an ordinary, solitary Taoist in Penglai. He had been friends with the Jiaolong since childhood, often sneaking human food to it. The two lived freely in Penglai. When the old Taoist's lifespan was nearing its end, the Jiaolong left Penglai to seek the heavenly tribulation. After four hundred years of friendship, the old Taoist did not know why the Jiaolong sought the tribulation, but he was sure it was related to him. Thinking of this, despite his clear mind and few desires, he could not help but shed tears.

If heaven had feelings, it would grow old... The emotions of the world are not limited to those between men and women.

Lin Fan quietly left, leaving the old Taoist alone. Heaven treats all things as straw dogs, but all things have feelings. Heaven sees all things as straw dogs, but all things have feelings and forget fear, not grieving for themselves as straw dogs, nor revering the might of heaven.

Lin Fan had broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage and touched the threshold of the Golden Core stage. The lotus seed in his body had transformed into a Golden Core, still hidden. Lin Fan did not know if it was because he had experienced the heavenly tribulation or because he had understood the principle of emotions, but he did not celebrate. The scene of the Jiaolong battling the heavenly tribulation was too shocking. He felt the helplessness of a mortal and the fearlessness of the Jiaolong. To witness this once, to be in the midst of it, was a great fortune for Lin Fan. The old Taoist's words, whether the Jiaolong sought death or wanted to become a dragon to save a friend, added a sense of tragedy to Lin Fan's feelings.

Lin Fan thought of Lin Xuege. Could he really be as unfeeling and desireless as a stone?

He continued on to Jiaodao Island, neither happy nor unhappy, but without the interest in touring the East Sea. When he arrived, Zhenren Chengfeng was very pleased that Zhenren Sansan remembered him and instructed his disciples to treat Lin Fan well. After a few days, Lin Fan bid farewell, and Zhenren Chengfeng gave him a gift and saw him off for a hundred miles.

Lin Fan returned to Yunqing Mountain absentmindedly, but he did not expect a black aura to shoot out of the sea, grabbing him and dragging him into the water with incredible force. Lin Fan was startled and quickly cast a spell to create soldiers from beans, switching places with an unlucky soldier who flew into the sea.

Lin Fan threw a hundred embroidery needles, which sank into the sea and activated the needle array. After a white glow, there was no movement. Lin Fan remained on guard as another black aura rose. He dodged and touched the black aura with his true qi: "Ninefold Demon Trapping Spell!"

Strange, it took half a cup of tea to subdue nine demons. Although Lin Fan's realm had improved, the Ninefold Demon Trapping Spell was a low-level spell, indicating that the monster's cultivation was not high. Lin Fan drew a Heavenly Eye talisman and threw it into the sea.

The water here was not very deep, only about ten zhang. There were no fish swimming in the sea, and at the bottom, a giant octopus lay, its eight tentacles extending and swaying with the water. One tentacle emitted a black aura, which Lin Fan severed with his divine sense. The black aura shot out of the water, and Lin Fan easily dodged.

After locating it, Lin Fan threw another hundred embroidery needles and activated the needle array. This time, the water stirred, and the octopus surfaced, its eight tentacles emitting black auras, all grabbing at Lin Fan. If it were someone else, they might have fought in the black aura, but Lin Fan used his strengths to attack the enemy's weaknesses. He immediately shrank the sky and earth to the clouds and then threw fireballs down. The octopus, unable to reach Lin Fan, kept making strange noises. Lin Fan, lacking better means to kill the enemy and worried about the octopus escaping into the sea, activated his heart talisman, sending down golden lightning.

One, two, three... occasionally adding a fireball, the octopus was beaten into submission, trying to dive into the water. However, the golden lightning, which not only injured the enemy but also immobilized it, was relentless. Unless someone like Zhang Tongyuan could reverse the five elements to fire, which overcomes metal, the golden lightning would be ineffective. The octopus, being water-based, could not be overcome by metal, but it could not escape Lin Fan's relentless tactics.

As the sun set, the moon rose, the sun rose again, and it was already late in the day. The battle lasted a day and a night, and Lin Fan finally killed the octopus. At first, Lin Fan was patient, but later, his actions became mechanical, and in the final stages, he was curious whether the octopus would die or not. Lin Fan spent so much time killing the octopus because he thought it was evil. Cultivators aside, this area was close to the mainland, and fishermen often passed by, potentially falling victim to it.

After the octopus died, a small inner pearl sank into the sea. Lin Fan, quick to react, dove into the water, grabbed the pearl, and put it into his spatial ring. A hundred-year-old monster or spirit beast has an inner pearl, which can be used for alchemy and crafting. Like musk, if it did not have musk, it would not be captured. The Demon Sect, due to its attitude toward monsters and spirit beasts, led to the absence of spirit beasts in Xizhou.