Chapter 111: Earth Immortal

Before Han Su could devise a way to respond, the celestial thunder above had already become uncontrollable, crashing down repeatedly with a resounding roar. Rong Ling saw that despite the thunder tribulation, Ming Ji still refused to give up, persistently entangling him and even constantly dodging toward Han Su’s direction—her intention was clear.

Risking backlash, he forced Ming Ji to keep her distance while sending a voice transmission to Han Su, urging her to retreat quickly. Though worried about Rong Ling, Han Su understood that the thunder tribulation was somewhat accurate; by moving farther away, she not only ensured her own safety but also eased Rong Ling’s burden. Unable to summon her flying sword, she hastily slapped several flying talismans onto her legs.

As a Thunder Spirit Root cultivator, Xuan Ting viewed the thunder tribulation not as a threat but as nourishment. Yet at this moment, his cultivation was insufficient, and merely maintaining his own safety left him flustered. Suo Yun, now steadfast like a rock, naturally knew to seek benefit and avoid harm.

With both preoccupied with their own survival, they had no time to attend to Ming Ji.

Though Ming Ji had prepared for a hundred years, she had no true solution. Had she, she wouldn’t have been driven to collaborate with Liao Wu to steal the Tongtian Mirror, attempting to use Hua Yun as a vessel spirit to attract the thunder tribulation.

Even with the meditative techniques she had learned over millennia, her original plan was untenable once disrupted. Her scheme had been to take Han Su away, using the forged Tongtian Mirror and Han Su’s soul to create a rudimentary lightning-attracting device, sharing some of the pressure.

But thwarted by Huai Yin, she failed. So she resolved to entangle Rong Ling in the first half, sharing half her tribulation with him, then seize Han Su once he was exhausted to share more.

Yet the reality was not as imagined.

Though close to Rong Ling, the detestable thunder seemed almost sentient, always avoiding him and striking her instead.

Struggling to fend off the thunder while dodging Rong Ling’s attacks, Ming Ji was overwhelmed, struck repeatedly by errant bolts. Furious and desperate, she wished to stop, but Rong Ling tripped her, preventing escape.

“You!” After a brief skirmish, Ming Ji finally bowed her head.

“Rong Ling, let’s talk after the tribulation,” he smiled.

“Is that so? You didn’t seem to think so before,” he teased.

Though wounded and not yet at her peak, Ming Ji’s cultivation still lagged behind Rong Ling’s, especially now, battered by thunder and weakened. But Rong Ling, willing to endure backlash without hesitation, fought with ease and confidence.

Blood surged in Ming Ji’s chest, and his mocking smile burned her. If she once harbored illusions of his affection, now all pretenses shattered. It was all her fantasy—he held no feelings for her. Otherwise, why treat her so ruthlessly at such a critical time? His deliberate opposition was to ensure her failure, risking backlash to spare his beloved from suffering.

Crack! A massive bolt struck her, tearing flesh and skin. Staggering, her gaze shifted to Suo Yun and Xuan Ting calmly weathering their own tribulations. She sneered—none of them could be relied upon.

Seeing the end of Suo Yun and Xuan Ting’s tribulation, Rong Ling eased his grip. Han Su had retreated, and Ming Ji could no longer rely on her to shield her. Her tribulation was far heavier than theirs, the black clouds thickening ominously—an even graver storm awaited.

Unable to endure, she revealed her true form—a colossal white nine-tailed fox standing beneath the heavens, a dark sky behind her, her nine tails swirling with overwhelming power.

Thunder struck her body relentlessly, scorching her beautiful fur with blackened marks.

The thunder roared louder, lightning struck more frequently, unrelenting despite her beauty.

Han Su stood silently on a distant mountain, witnessing this breathtaking spectacle.

Soon, Suo Yun and Xuan Ting’s tribulations concluded, the sky clearing above them, the dark clouds gathering solely over Ming Ji. Just as Han Su prepared to relax, an unsettling sensation overtook her.

Her head darkened inexplicably; the blackness seemed poised to descend upon her. Purple lightning power sucked the surrounding energy dry, the air heavy and oppressive.

“What is this...?”

With no time to ponder why she too must undergo tribulation, Han Su, seasoned by past experiences, swiftly prepared.

She arranged all talismans and magical instruments on her person, kept restorative pills within reach. No sooner had she done so than the first thunderclap struck.

This tribulation was formidable; despite her protective golden thunder, Han Su felt its might.

Each bolt tore at her once resilient body, flesh lacerated. After the fifth thunder strike, no patch of skin remained unscathed. Were it not for her progress over years, the pain alone might have felled her.

After the sixth strike, her body felt crushed, nearly powerless. Distracted, she swallowed a pill she had personally refined—an excellent restorative for spirit and strength.

The pill melted instantly, its cool fragrance soothing her throat, revitalizing her parched body like spring rain on withered wood, restoring thirty percent of her strength.

Seizing the chance, she slapped protective talismans on herself, but even after exhausting them, only one thunder strike had passed.

The eighth thunder strike relied entirely on her remaining magical artifacts. Believing her fate grim, she had left most treasures in her cave refuge for Han Zhen, carrying only commonplace items.

By the ninth strike, only her true artifact, Su Wei, remained intact; even her usual pill-refining cauldron had turned to ash.

A stray bolt worsened her injuries. Thunder rumbled overhead—no further defenses remained. Exhausted, she barely moved behind Su Wei, using it as a shield.

But Su Wei was intimately linked to her own life force. Struck directly, it cracked and split in two.

Though it formally blocked one strike, the damage to her body was severe. She coughed a mouthful of blood as the thunder crashed again.

At last, utterly helpless, she closed her eyes, surrendering.

Then, from her hidden immortal palace, Xue Ling could bear it no longer—leaping forth to shield her from the fatal blow.

Originally slightly stronger than Han Su, Xue Ling had trained nearly two centuries, even shamelessly relying on Rong Ling, now approaching the Refining Void realm, soon able to assume human form.

When Han Su sensed the need for tribulation, she had placed Xue Ling safely within the immortal palace. Unlike ordinary personal spaces that close upon the owner’s demise until a new master arrives, spirit beasts bonded by blood contracts often perish with their masters.

But Han Su and Xue Ling shared an equal blood contract. Han Su’s death would not threaten Xue Ling’s life, only cause a drop in cultivation.

Thus, hiding in the palace posed little risk. Should Han Su fall, the palace—once Rong Ling’s—could be found by him. Once in his hands, he could open it, ensuring Xue Ling’s safety.

Han Su’s foresight spared the spirit beast from sacrificing itself. From the moment she first received and hatched Xue Ling at age three, their mutual cultivation had forged a deep bond.

Countless days and nights passed together, and since encountering Hong Yu and Bai Nan, Xue Ling’s disrupted inheritance had been restored by Xuan Ting. Their bond deepened, their understanding grew.

At such a moment, Han Su wished to shield Xue Ling from danger, arranging for its future.

But Xue Ling thought otherwise, fiercely demanding to fight alongside her. Though forcibly confined to the palace, it broke free at the critical moment to bear that lethal strike.

“Xue Ling?!”

Not usually obedient, Xue Ling now offered her a charming smile.

Han Su’s eyes brimmed with tears but lacked strength to check its wounds. She stretched out, embracing the blackened Xue Ling, then darkness claimed her.

The ninth thunder strike passed; the black clouds dispersed, the sky washed clear.

Han Su felt as if centuries had elapsed—no pain remained, her senses sharp and unblemished.

She clearly saw the azure sky above, pure white clouds, cranes weaving through the air, drifting blossoms, fragrant carriages drawn by fairies carrying flower baskets... vivid enough to feel Xue Ling’s warmth in her arms, the softness of its fur brushing her cheek.

From the heavens came a beautiful chant: “Earth Immortal Rong Ling, for meritorious protection of the Tongtian Divine Mirror, ascends to Golden Immortal. Earth Immortal reincarnations Hua Yun and Xuan Ting, for meritorious protection of the Tongtian Divine Mirror, are exceptionally promoted to Earth Immortals, governing the Shi Yu and Jing Xiang Realms. Lower realm cultivator Jiang Huaizhen, for meritorious protection of the Tongtian Divine Mirror, is exceptionally promoted to Earth Immortal, governing the Luo Xing Realm. Earth Immortal Ming Ji, who attempted to steal the Tongtian Divine Mirror and selfishly evade the thunder tribulation, is beyond forgiveness and shall suffer the eighty-onefold thunder tribulation; life and death by fate.”

The voice faded, its echoes drifting into the clouds.

Though immersed in joy over their unprecedented promotions, Suo Yun and Xuan Ting heard Ming Ji’s punishment and exchanged shocked glances, turning to Rong Ling. He nodded slowly; their expressions differed.

Han Su sensed profound changes within—her senses sharpened, her spiritual power surged overwhelmingly, a sensation as if the entire world lay in her grasp.

Only then did she realize how great her fortune had been to escape Ming Ji’s grasp.

Ming Ji, hearing the pronouncement, turned ashen. She was doomed.

The eighty-onefold thunder tribulation—was it to annihilate her very form?

Gradually unable to endure, blurred vision catching a golden fox draped over her before darkness consumed her.

Time passed—her body grew cold, stiff, then turned to scorched earth...

And then, there was no more...