Chapter 424: Thousand Leaf Bodhi Tribulation

Lu Sangjiu’s expression was grim. She ignored Ye Zhiyao, turning her head to look at Hua Jianzhi and the others.

The few of them who knew the truth were clearly not in a good mood.

They had hidden the matter in the first place precisely because they feared uncontrollable consequences.

If High-level cultivators started slaughtering other cultivators, the entire Spirit Void Realm would descend into utter chaos.

They had thought that for the sake of his own Ascension, He Guang would most likely not publicize this secret. But now... ’Is he planning to muddy the waters completely?’

Just as Ye Zhiyao had said, it was useless for them to stop her. If He Guang wanted to spread the news, there was nothing they could do to stop him.

Lu Sangjiu’s thoughts swirled in confusion for a moment, and then she heard Xie Ningyuan’s voice.

"I told you, you don’t have to worry about anything else. What comes next... leave it to us to handle."

Lu Sangjiu looked up at him. His gaze was gentle and calm, yet it seemed to carry a power that could put one’s mind at ease.

Lu Sangjiu’s somewhat chaotic heart was strangely soothed. "...Alright."

With that, she turned to Hua Jianzhi and the others. "Senior, I’ll have to trouble you to handle this matter properly."

Although Hua Jianzhi’s heart was also heavy, she and the others had weathered many storms. They weren’t about to lose their composure over something that hadn’t even happened yet.

She nodded at Lu Sangjiu. "We’ll find a way."

Seeing that they weren’t as flustered as she had expected, the triumphant look on Ye Zhiyao’s face froze, and the venom in her heart deepened.

Lu Sangjiu, however, had completely lost interest in her. She said coolly, "You can begin."

Ye Zhiyao knew she meant that she could now be possessed by the ancestor from the Seven Emotions Sect.

Although the act itself was unethical, if Ye Zhiyao was doing it willingly, there was nothing anyone could say.

And so, no one intervened. Everyone simply waited in silence.

Cangming said nothing more and directly dispelled the power restraining Ye Zhiyao, allowing her to move freely.

Ye Zhiyao’s face was deathly pale. Her lips trembled as if she wanted to say something, but she swallowed her words. Then, she immediately sat down on the spot in a meditative posture.

Then, everyone felt a fluctuation of power at the Transcendance Tribulation Stage emanating from within her.

The power was unstable, so everyone assumed the ancestor’s Nascent Soul was beginning to make its move and thought no more of it.

But Xie Ningyuan soon sensed that something was wrong. "Wait, the power coming from her doesn’t seem to be for a possession. It’s more like..."

Before he could finish, Ye Zhiyao’s eyes snapped open!

A flash of gold shone in her eyes as her aura suddenly surged to the Transcendance Tribulation Stage!

It was only then that Xie Ningyuan finally confirmed it: she had completely devoured the Seven Emotions Sect ancestor’s Nascent Soul, forcibly and temporarily raising her own cultivation to the Transcendance Tribulation Stage!

However, it all happened too suddenly. By the time they realized what was happening, it was already too late.

Ye Zhiyao moved with lightning speed, summoning a Magic Treasure. In the next instant, both she and Lu Sangjiu were sucked inside it!

"Little Jiu!"

Everyone’s faces paled as they rushed forward, but just then, the Magic Treasure’s golden light scattered, and it fell limply to the ground.

Only then did everyone finally get a clear look at the Magic Treasure. "This is... an Immortal Artifact, the Thousand Leaf Bodhi Tribulation!"

Some didn’t recognize it, but upon hearing the name, they too turned pale with shock. "It’s... it’s really that! But how did it end up in Ye Zhiyao’s hands?"

Amid the spreading panic, Xie Ningyuan felt his limbs turn to ice and his mind go completely blank. ’She... Ye Zhiyao pulled her into the Thousand Leaf Bodhi Tribulation!’

He seemed deaf to the sounds around him, his eyes locked on the shrunken, Bodhi Tree-shaped Magic Treasure. ’I wish I could go in there and take her place!’

The others, busy chattering amongst themselves, didn’t notice Xie Ningyuan’s strange state.

"The Thousand Leaf Bodhi Tribulation is one of the four remaining Immortal Artifacts in the Spirit Void Realm. It’s a treasured relic of the Buddhist Practitioners. Its whereabouts were unknown until now. It seems... it was likely in He Guang’s possession all along, and he gave it to Ye Zhiyao!"

That was the only logical explanation. Otherwise, a Sword Cultivator like Ye Zhiyao could never have known how to operate it.

"But why would He Guang give the Immortal Artifact to Ye Zhiyao?"

"Didn’t Ye Zhiyao say he could commune with heaven and earth? Perhaps... he foresaw something through some unseen fate."

If heaven and earth gave him a sign, it wouldn’t be surprising that He Guang knew to give it to Ye Zhiyao to fulfill its purpose... like now.

Lu Sangjiu’s cultivation might be unremarkable, but everyone now understood her importance to the alliance between the two sides. It was even clearer how crucial she was to Cangming and Fa Shan!

If anything happened to Lu Sangjiu, even if it didn’t directly nullify the signed contract, it would still be a massive blow to them. They would likely lose all composure.

And wasn’t the same true for their own Cultivation World? Never mind the relationship Lu Sangjiu had with top-tier powers like Xie Ningyuan and Duan Xingyun; even Hua Jianzhi and her group would be distraught.

Cangming’s eyes were bloodshot. "This isn’t the time to discuss how she got her hands on this damn thing!"

"What I need you to tell me is, what exactly does the Thousand Leaf Bodhi Tribulation do? And how are we going to get her out?"

Everyone looked at each other in dismay. "Well... the Thousand Leaf Bodhi Tribulation is recorded as one of the Four Divine Artifacts, but since its whereabouts have been unknown for millennia, we don’t actually know its specific function."

"Perhaps..." Everyone turned to Xie Ningyuan. "Perhaps only Mr. Xie, with his background in the Buddhist Sect, might know something about it."

Cangming whipped his head around to face Xie Ningyuan. "You know?"

Only then did Xie Ningyuan’s eyes finally move. His face was devoid of expression, and his words came out just as emotionlessly.

"The Thousand Leaf Bodhi Tribulation was originally a Magic Treasure used by Buddhist Practitioners to temper their state of mind. But... it has a hidden function."

"The wielder of the Magic Treasure can bring one other person inside with them to activate the Thousand World Tribulation."

Luo Linlang couldn’t help but ask, "The Thousand World Tribulation? What’s that?"

Xie Ningyuan took a deep breath. "It means the two of them will be reincarnated together for a thousand lifetimes, experiencing different lives each time."

"After enduring the Thousand World Tribulation, if they can both pass the final Heart Inquiry, they can emerge alive. If not... their souls will be utterly destroyed."

"What?!"

Hearing such a dire consequence, everyone grew worried.

But Duan Xingyun quickly calmed himself. "It’s alright. Even if Little Jiu loses her memories, she isn’t someone whose will is easily swayed. We have to believe that she can make it out alive!"

"That’s right! Little Junior Sister has a firm resolve; she won’t be swayed by some Thousand World Tribulation!"

Xie Ningyuan’s lips moved. "...If she were on her own, I believe she could make it out alive."

"But... as the wielder of the Magic Treasure, Ye Zhiyao won’t lose her memories."

"Which means, if Ye Zhiyao deliberately interferes in every lifetime, leading Little Jiu astray when she knows nothing... then in the end, she..."