Wu Jian never expected to find himself in Cuòjué Forest again. The last time he had passed through here was when Cì Chuān, second prince of the Zhou Kingdom, sent two women after him and Zhou Lihua. Back then, Wu Jian had used a spatial technique he wasn’t ready for to teleport himself and Zhou Lihua away, which had resulted in him losing an arm. They had been on the run back then and he had been much weaker. He hadn’t really been able to appreciate the beauty of this forest.

They had left Kěnéng a few days ago and traveled north, but then swiftly cut through the Zhou Kingdom and entered this forest. It had been several days since then. Normally, they would have had to hurry, but there was an important reason they had come to this forest.

They’re still not ready yet, huh?

He looked behind him. There was a small island in the middle of a lake, and sitting upon that island was Zhou Lihua. Several li behind the lake was a mountain with a snowy peak. Mei Xilan was up there. Hup Schushang was with her.

These two were preparing to break through to the Deva Realm--an important step on any cultivator’s journey. They were also doing it the proper way, finding a place way out in the middle of nowhere.

Breaking through the Deva Realm brought about the Heavenly Tribulations, which called down the Judgement of Heaven, powerful lightning that had struck down many a cultivator. While the Heavenly Tribulation often took the form of lightning, it was really a cosmic force meant to challenge the cultivator’s strength, willpower, and understanding of their dao. Each cultivator’s tribulation was different. For most, however, it took the form of lightning strikes, and the number of times a cultivator was struck signified their talent and future prospects.

Because the Heavenly Tribulation often caused quite the commotion, it was generally considered good manners to travel somewhere far away. This was so the person taking the trial wasn’t disturbed. However, it was also so the trials wouldn’t disturb others. It was seen as a form of courtesy. Wu Jian hadn’t done this, but that was only because he hadn’t been able to prevent his Heavenly Tribulation from taking place in the middle of battle. Huo Yulie had just pushed him that far.

Zhou Lihua and Mei Xilan were both peak Human Limit Realm cultivators, which meant they were ready to receive their trials. Wu Jian had been tasked with standing guard. The Heavenly Tribulations was bound to attract magical beasts. They were always drawn to powerful chi. Zhou Lihua and Mei Xilan would be vulnerable since they couldn’t move during this time. If a magical beast came up during their trial…

I’m sure it’ll be fine. There’s a barrier around them and I’m here in case something strong comes.

Zhou Wen had placed a barrier around them. He didn’t know how the barrier worked, exactly, but he understood that it was meant to protect them in the event of a magical beast attack. He didn’t want to rely on something he didn’t understand, however, which was why he had decided to stand guard.

He didn’t know where Zhou Wen was. She had said something about scouting the perimeter and left.

Youmei was sleeping.

This was the first time Wu Jian had ever witnessed someone else undergoing the Heavenly Tribulation up close. During this past year in the Heavenly Sword Sect, he had seen a few from a distance, but it had only ever been from far away. He’d never gotten a good look. While some of the disciples who underwent the trial succeeded and reached the Deva Realm, many did not. This was the most dangerous threshold to cross. The threat of death was so real that many cultivators opted to remain at the Human Limit Realm out of fear.

The snapping of a twig alerted Wu Jian to a presence. He furrowed his brow since he couldn’t sense anyone, but looked in the direction he heard the sound from. His shoulders relaxed only a little when he saw that it was Zhou Wen. It bothered him intensely that he couldn’t detect her presence. She was not, to the best of his knowledge, a cultivator. Sensing her wouldn’t have been easy, but it shouldn’t have been impossible.

Unless she has an artifact or something that blocks my perception of her…

Well, the Zhou Clan was a mysterious clan. They were huge and had businesses in nearly every corner of the continent, but so little was actually known about them or their mysterious head.

“Welcome back.”

Zhou Wen smiled, but it was merely a polite formality. “Thank you… or that’s what I’d like to say, but we have a problem.”

Wu Jian furrowed his brow. “A problem? What kind? Magical beasts?”

“If only.” Zhou Wen shook her head. “Three people just entered the forest and are heading in our direction.”

Hmm. That’s not always something to worry about. This forest is home to a lot of cultivation resources, so many people often come here for training and to find natural treasures. However, I don’t think she would say this if she thought that was the reason they had come.

“Can you describe these people?”

“Of course.”

Wu Jian listened to Zhou Wen’s description of the three who entered. They didn’t sound like anyone he knew, though that didn’t mean much. This was a big continent. There was no way he could know every cultivator on it.

“And you said they’re heading this way?”

“Yes.”

A loud crackling echoed around them. Wu Jian glanced at the sky to see that it had darkened over the mountain. A great gathering of chi was forming there, though it was different from when he had his own Heavenly Tribulation. The coldness within the chi was so unbearable he felt it from where he stood. He could only imagine how Mei Xilan must have felt being in the center of that. It looked like her Heavenly Tribulation was starting.

In the next instant, powerful white flames erupted around the island that Zhou Lihua sat in a meditative pose on. The flames began coagulating together, gathering into a single white point. He could not feel any heat from it, but somehow, he knew what kind of damage it could do to someone who was hit by it. Just seeing it made him shiver.

Their Heavenly Tribulations have started. It would be a bad idea if someone interrupted them.

He looked back at Zhou Wen. “I’ll go see who these people are. If they’re friendly, I’ll warn them away from here.”

“And if they aren’t friendly?” asked Zhou Wen.

Wu Jian narrowed his eyes through his mask. “Then I’ll deal with them.”

***

“Haaaaaaah. How long are we gonna trek through this stupid forest?” Mei Hua asked.

“How many times are you going to ask that? We’ll be here until we find our targets,” said Jian Xue.

Mei Hua did not look satisfied with that answer as she placed her hands behind her head. “Do we even know where they are?”

“If we did, we would have found them by now,” sighed Jiang Xue.

Mei Hua had done nothing but complain ever since they left the Sui Kingdom. Unlike her and Lu Chen, this woman enjoyed her luxuries and did not appreciate being dragged around without her creature comforts. Of course, they had utilized comfortable rooms at various inns and stayed in luxury rooms when they boarded airships… but it still wasn’t enough for this prissy princess. Really, how a fussy woman like her expected to survive in a dark sect like theres was beyond Jiang Xue.

It had been roughly four days since they left. It hadn’t taken them very long to reach the Zhou Kingdom. After meeting up with their informant, they gained the information they needed on their target and headed into the forest. Mei Xilan Sui was traveling with three other companions. One of them was a masked individual who had won the International Power Ranking Competition in the Xia Dynasty, while the other two were from the Zhou Clan.

The Zhou Clan…

Dealing with the one called Jian Wu would be hard enough, but Jiang Xue honestly wanted nothing to do with the Zhou Clan. Their reputation among the many nations was pristine. However, dark rumors abound about them in the cultivation underworld. She didn’t know how much of it was true, but if even half the stuff she’d heard was real, then they were not someone she wanted to mess with.

“Remember, we only need to kill Mei Xilan Sui,” Jiang Xue reiterated. “We don’t need to kill anyone else. If we can, let’s avoid a confrontation for now.”

“Hmph. A true warrior never avoids combat,” Lu Chen said with his arms crossed.

“We’re not here to pick fights. Our first priority is Mei Xilan Sui,” Jiang Xue said with a glare.

Lu Chen was a warrior without honor. He wouldn’t have joined a dark sect like there’s if he had even a modicum of the stuff. This was a man who would happily stab you in the back if he thought it would benefit him, and he was also a battle junkie who enjoyed killing people for sport. While his greed had led him to joining Soul Eclipse, it was his sadistic nature that had seen him fall from grace. From what she understood, he used to belong to a powerful martial sect from the Ming Province, but he was banished after killing a fellow disciple.

It was not always unusual for disciples to die by each other’s hands; this was the kind of world where power meant everything. If someone died during a sparring match, it just meant they were weak. However, that did not mean sects would allow their disciples to intentionally kill each other. Lu Chen had not only killed with intent but had enjoyed it.

Jiang Xue did not particularly care about his past or his bad habits, but she did not want this man to betray Master Luan Desheng.

“Who are you people and what are you doing here?”

Jiang Xue froze when someone who was neither Mei Hua or Lu Chen spoke. The voice belonged to a man. It was deep, but it also had the slight scratchiness of a young man nearly finished going through puberty. The young voice was not one she had ever heard before.

She and the other two looked in front of them and found a person standing there, a dark martial arts uniform covering most of his body. The long sleeves had golden scales near the ends. Similarly, the hem of his pants had the same pattern. Traveling across his torso, however, was a golden dragon that looked as if it was flying through the sky. She couldn’t see much of his physique, but he had very obvious broad shoulders.

This is Jian Wu?! How did he get here?! When did he arrive?! I didn’t even sense him!

Jiang Xue felt the hairs on her neck rise. Master Luan Desheng had warned her to be cautious of this man, and now she understood why. Every fiber of her being was screaming at her that this person was dangerous.

“Hey. Aren’t you Jian Wu?” asked Lu Chen with a sickening grin. Jiang Xue had a bad feeling about this. “You are, right?”

Jian Wu tilted his masked face. “You know of me?”

“Heh. Know of you. You’re the whole reason I’m here.”

“Huh? Lu Chen, what are you saying?!” demanded Jiang Xue, but Lu Chen paid no attention to her.

“I don’t give a damn about Mei Xilan Sui. All I want is to fight and kill powerful cultivators, and use their cultivation to enhance my own.” Lu Chen raised his hands and summoned a weapon from his storage ring. It was a pair of dark gauntlets that looked like something straight out of a nightmare. They were profound spirit weapons that enhanced soul-related techniques. “I’m glad you found us. It would have been a pain in the ass slipping away from these two while they chased after Mei Xilan Sui. Now I can have the pleasure of killing you.”

Dammit! We should have never let this man out of his cell!

Jiang Xue cursed this man and his big mouth. What was his problem? However, it was too late to do anything now. He had already told Jian Wu who they were, more or less, so now all they could do was prepare for a fight.

“I see,” Jian Wu said in a quiet voice that sent a chill down her spine. “You three are from the Sui Kingdom. I am guessing you’re part of Soul Eclipse?”

“Looks like he knows who we are,” Mei Hua said.

Lu Chen’s grin became larger and more disturbing by the second. His bloodlust filled the air around them. A normal cultivator would have choked on this feeling, but Jian Wu appeared completely unbothered, from what she could see.

“Heh. I’m only a part of that guild until I can kill enough cultivators to surpass Luan Desheng. Now… step forward and become my next meal!!!!”

---