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🕑 Added 2022-02-06 11:06:45 +0000 UTCTitle: Tribulation Attraction; Blades of Poseidon's Trident (1)
"Despite our combined effort, the Thunder Hell Prison Vine isn't replying at all. It's jot dead but its consciousness is replaced by something far more terrifying. It made me recall the divine souls I was created to suppress... it's so unbelievable!" Petals exclaimed as Ah Yin sat within a cave. Her eyes were closed as she continued to think of various scenarios.
"Consciousness can be removed. It's not unbelievable. But, I wouldn't want to meet someone of that caliber without Ja Sun since even if I have all the strength, I wouldn't be able to deal with such technical skills," Ah Yin replied. Her body was healed. She wore a fresh set of clothes but made sure that it wasn't anything she would feel regret over its loss and she carefully hid her storage ring far off from the mountain using a vine in her spread-out domain.
After all, there wasn't anything usable in the storage ring that could assist her in the battle and she found Ja Sun in a state of metamorphosis hidden deep underground himself. With her treasure safely stowed away, Ah Yin once again began to carefully consider her options. One can say that the spirit bones and cores of two 100000-year-old spirit beast was quite the boon but what she really wanted was the spirit bone of the Thunder Vine. Not only would it be compatible but it would possibly give her another method to attack!
There were two options. Either she waited for the vegetative Thunder Hell Prison Vine to reach that point of growth and take it out before it can destroy itself all the while tackling with the Mutated Discharge Eagle or she did that now and then waited for the tribulation of the Prison Vine. The latter was less chaotic of the two options and thus her preferable choice for the course of action.
But the more she thought about the Discharge Eagle, the troubled she felt.
The Eagle did not leave the Tribulation Cloud at all!
'Is there something... just something I can do with my skills?' Ah Yin thought deeply.
*Drrr*
Her surroundings shuddered for the umpteenth time. The Thunder Hell Prison Vine was getting stronger and stronger by the day but it didn't even have any consciousness. The spirit beast isn't even supposed to surpass the age of 50000 years in cultivation and there were four spirit beasts seemingly balancing each other until Ah Yin killed two of them.
The whole situation smelled wrong yet Ah Yin found a solution in this aspect itself.
The Thunder Hell Prison Vine is being nurtured forcefully to have its everything robbed later on, probably by one of the four spirit beasts reduced to only the Discharge Eagle who was probably taking the time to fully digest the Sky Volt Eel. The essence lay in the Thunder Hell Prison Vine actually reaching that level as a wave of unending pettiness roiled within Ah Yin.
"If I can't have it, no one can!" Ah Yin thought with a cruel expression.
*Srrt*
*Zp*
*Zzt*
Continuous charge and discharge of lightning buzzed around the Discharge Eagle as it perched on a seemingly solid rid of lightning within the cloud of tribulation itself. Spirit energy rolled within its body continuously. Although the Sky Volt Eel was many times larger than the Discharge Eagle, their bodies allowed them to consume beings monumentally larger than their own size due to their digestive system trained to just devour and digest quickly. A spirit beast that isn't hungry can never grow and this aspect increases once they cross over.
The Discharge Eagle was feeling pretty good.
He has always been lucky. If not, he wouldn't have gone through a mutation and become a being stronger than a regular Discharge Eagle, the spirit beast wouldn't have been invited by 'him.'
---
"You're an old bastard!" Qian Daoliu chuckled as he ate a bowl of spiral tender white flesh with a pleased expression. He currently sat in a simple room equipped with the basic furniture that even a villager would have. This location was none other than Qian Daoliu's bedroom. Well, his only bedroom within the Elder's Hall. There was another individual sitting across the bench with a curious expression. This old man looked a bit more lavish than Qian Daoliu as he shrugged.
"Well, I am. Your father thought I am, too. But what happened now?" Golden Crocodile inquired.
"You think I don't know what's going on with that Thunder Hell Prison Vine you gave me the location of?" Qian Daoliu scoffed and ate with a bleak expression.
Golden Crocodile snorted a chuckle. Aside from the bowl of meat, the old man had a small cup filled with wine. Taking a sip, Golden Crocodile clicked his tongue, "This Dugu Bo's wine really is great. Who knew poison can be brewed this well... the Clear Sky Sect is on a roll, huh. Say, why don't you suggest Bibi Dong to compete in this market?"
"She had better things to do than to enter a competition with a sect of pathetic losers," Qian Daoliu smirked.
"You mean the same sect whose patriarch wiped mountains with your face?" Golden Crocodile prodded as Qian Daoliu glared at the old man gloomily, "Why don't you find Tang Chen and try to take even a single one of his attacks! Anyway, don't you change the topic. Did you really think I wouldn't notice his imprint on the Thunder Hell Prison Vine?"
Qian Daoliu's words caused Golden Crocodile to grow silent and then he sighed.
"Fine, you're right. You know my disciple has an extraordinary affinity with Lightning. When completing a mission near the Star Luo Empire regarding those accursed Beasttakens left by those bastards of Hint of Evil, Yu Xiaogang found that the Sky Piercing Mountain had... well, something. He didn't dare get near it because his martial soul could instinctively sense danger and thank the gods for that! Four 100000-year-old spirit beasts!
I knew something wasn't right when I spied on the situation. The Thunder Hell Prison Vine... that's the first time I'm seeing such a strong one and I've hunted two of these beasts already."
"I helped you take down one, I remember," Qian Daoliu nodded.
"Right. Too bad we never got the spirit bone... sigh. Still, I never thought that the situation is concocted by him," Golden Crocodile frowned.
"Who else do you think has the strength to command multiple spirit beasts of that level?" Qian Daoliu sighed softly, "Anyway, the imprint on the Thunder Vine is simply to alert any human getting close to it. So, me and you cannot incite anything. Although weaker in terms of cultivation, the King of Beasts is strong enough to compete with the peak. Although my father was weaker than I am... he still died at that beast's hand."
"Do you even feel sorry for that man?" Golden Crocodile chuckled, "You and I both suggested not to be greedy for the Three-eyed Golden Lion but he still went and got killed."
"I know right," Qian Daoliu snickered, too, while shaking his head. Enough time had passed that the two could joke about that incident.
"Anyway, it's just a pity. I thought you could find some way to steal that treasure. After all, legends say that the Thunder Hell Prison Vine is the auspicious offspring of a mighty Thunder God. Too bad humans aren't chummy with spirit beasts," Golden Crocodile downed his cup while Qian Daoliu regained his harmonious aura and nodded with a calm expression that hid a devious smirk, "Yes, too bad."
'That I accepted a disciple who's a spirit beast. Just that... I hope she can make the best use of this situation.'
Qian Daoliu kept his promise. As long as it's not a human Titled Douluo, he wouldn't intervene and only try his best to provide many opportunities for their growth.
"Oh, any news on Qian Xunji?" Golden Crocodile questioned.
"I've investigated the continent. He's not in the Star Dou Continent. Probably hidden at one of the many islands or probably some uncharted continent."
"You're not going to look for him?"
"This world is too vast and the sky above holds planets abundant. I know that Xunji is alive so everything goes well, he'd return soon enough."
"Say," Golden Crocodile looked towards the ceiling as his gaze passed through and viewed the all-encompassing sky, "Do you think there are spirit beasts outside of the planet?"
"If there are, I wouldn't want to meet any of them," Qian Daoliu shook his head.
"What is it?" Golden Crocodile inquired.
"I asked her the same thing."
"Oh... you got defeated and rejected. Man, you couldn't catch a break then, right?" Golden Crocodile guffawed.
"Save it," Daoliu shrugged, "If I cannot defeat Tang Chen, I'll train someone who can."
"You mean Xunji?" Golden Crocodile questioned since he is the only one closest to being a god at this point.
"Yes, he is included in the list of individuals I have trained," Daoliu nodded.
"Oh, you mean Ka-ul and Ah Yin, too? Hmm, I admit Ka-ul is amazing. But Ah Yin is a control-type spirit master and even if she surpasses us, again, if, even then it doesn't mean she will be able to go toe to toe with the baddest spirit beasts out there."
"You really think that?" Daoliu hummed in response, "I'd say that Ka-ul's strength lies in being... crazy during the fights but Ah Yin rarely goes all out or put an actual effort into things."
"She doesn't? Talented ones can be the laziest, huh."
"I don't mean that," Qian Daoliu shook his head and tapped his forehead, "Here. Control-type spirit masters instinctively think more than any average spirit master. I only hope that Ah Yin can... be a bit like Ka-ul but better. Become crazy with a plan. Silent but deadly."
Golden Crocodile scoffed, "There is no fun in that."
"That's why Yu Xiaogang lost to the team with my disciple in it," Qian Daoliu smiled.
"That's low, even for you. Maybe I should ask Tang Peng to fight you... oh! That Tang Hao has the making of Tang Chen. Maybe I'll wait for Tang Hao to wipe mountains with your face once again!"
"I doubt you'll live that long," Daoliu snorted, "Fucking old man."
---
"What's... that?!"
Discharge Eagle was stunned.
Hundreds of black and white vines began to climb out from the peak of the mountain as it surrounded the Thunder Hell Prison Vine in a protective dome. The constant strikes of lightning disappeared into the dome instantly as more and more vines began to rush out.
"You think this is enough?!" The Discharge Eagle screeched loudly as, within the mountain, Ah Yin had an eerie smirk. Her eyes were bloodshot and a thin trail of blood began to leak from her left nostril.
It isn't in her nature to hurt plants by absorbing their essence to fortify herself. She could do that, her domain easily allowed her to. But she wouldn't. Instead, Ah Yin simply took a tiny portion of the essence yet it wasn't enough. The answer was simple.
She has to spread her domain.
More.
More.
More!
Ah Yin had a smile as deranged as Ja Sun's as information from her domain that began to spread further and further into the Star Dou Great Forest began to infiltrate her mind. It was too much! Even if she still didn't have a mind core to consolidate her consciousness to the peak level, her mental fortitude is nothing to scoff at yet she felt burdened to the limit. She couldn't move but she saw everything.
She was forced to with her domain.
Every beast in her surroundings. Every blade of grass. Every drop of water.
"Ah Yin," Petals sounded worried, her eyes already tearful yet Ah Yin glared at the girl with a hard stare, "Do not shift from the plan, Petals. I'm counting on you."
Ah Yin couldn't do anything while spreading her domain and extracting a tiny portion of strength from every plant-based lifeform that allowed her to over the vast southern portion of the forest. Her actions had alerted many strong beasts but they were too far to feel threatened by. Just this task took everything out from Ah Yin. While she turned into a battery, she left Petals with the plan as the vines instilled with the Dissolving Petals Spirit Skill were controlled by Petals herself.
Not paying any attention to the Discharge Eagle's provocation, Petals continued to increase the number of vines as the dome of vines began to rise closer and closer to the cloud of tribulation.
If Discharge Eagle could hide into the cloud then so can Ah Yin do it by using the cover of the Dissolving Petals.
Seeing the dome of vines climbing up slowly and gradually, the expression of the Discharge Eagle turned terrible.
Previously when he faced the Dissolving Petals, the Discharge Eagle found that once the petals struck, they, too, would disappear.
For instance, if Ah Yin forms a hundred dissolving petals, the moment these dissolving petals come into contact with anything, they would disappear within one second while continuously dissolving anything in their paths. This means that if an attack or a living being is moving at a quick pace and runs into a dissolving petal then chances are that the wound would be deep because the living being's or the attack's momentum is towards the said petal and one second is a lot of time in movement, allowing the petal to dig deep.
These were the constraints that Discharge Eagle found a few days ago when he and the Sky Volt Eel was intercepted with this attack.
This was also the reason why Ah Yin kept the dissolving petals camouflaged. If the opponent knows where the petals are, they can just use one area of effect attack and void her strategy. Just like petals, the skill was naive and honest to its core and could only show a better effect under Ah Yin's usage.
However, things are different now.
The vines that gradually grew up weren't just made of energy, they were laced with the Yin Yang dissolving force and even if the Discharge Eagle attacked the vine, it didn't disappear and the dissolving force was quickly layered once again. Ah Yin's Blue Silver Domain and the Yin Yang Petals' skills were simply a match made in heaven.
The lightning necessary for the Thunder Hell Prison Vine's growth was blocked and the gradually increasing vine threatened to kill Discharge Eagle if not fatally injure him if he didn't move served its purpose. Yet, Ah Yin felt no joy.
"Your sea of consciousness is getting too burdened!" Petals gasped as she observed cracks appearing in the wide pool of mental energy that is Ah Yin's sea of consciousness yet Ah Yin began to reminisce the time when Ja Sun almost blinded himself while practicing the Mental Acupuncture Technique. A smile touched her lips as the thick stream of blood flowing from both her nostrils stained her white teeth.
"It's... nothing."
'Compared to him.'
Although she wouldn't admit it, Ja Sun had long become her source of motivation. As long as he walked ahead, she would be roused to follow.
'To think I stabbed him so easily back then... What a good day that was.'
Ah Yin chuckled yet this state only worried Petals more. However, before the vines could finally reach the tribulation cloud, something that Ah Yin didn't want to face emerged in the most unexpected manner.
"I will not be bullied by some traitor to our kind!" the Discharge Eagle issued a shrill screech.
'Thunder Needle Feathers!'
The vines were simply too close to the cloud when thousands upon thousands of thin yellow needles with a tiny portion of lightning running around them shot out, almost dispersing the cloud itself in a magnificent show of might.
The needles were omnidirectional as they shred through the Yin Yang Dissolving Vines and continued to tear down at the bunch. The speed of the vine's recovery and growth couldn't match up to the Discharge Eagle's attack yet the Eagle finally flew out from what little was left of the cloud with a menacing glare, "You think that you can wait it out? Do you believe that the Thunder Vine's sudden stop in its growth will affect me in any manner?!
You're wrong!"
Unfurling his wings with a majestic and awe-inspiring aura, the Discharge Eagle thundered, "A tribulation will appear today. If not for the Thunder Hell Prison Vine then let it be mine!"
Ah Yin fell into a daze. She had gone through something similar.
A Tribulation.
It is the very force of nature sent to test the being surpassing its natural limits. Successfully passing this misfortune turns the tribulation into a godsend opportunity as it would refine oneself thoroughly. Failing it, however, means loss of life, naturally.
"You fool! Sensing the sheer lightning element around me, my tribulation will be similar! It will raze this mountain, quench the Thunder Hell Prison Vine, and destroy you at once!"
"He's not wrong," Petals pouted.
She then yelped, "Ah! Yin, the vines won't hold out! The energy in a tribulation is of a quality greater than what mortals like you or even demi-divine Spirit Beasts like I can perceive!"
Ah Yin's expression was somber as she watched the clouds of tribulation disappear. She was now clear that Discharge Eagle temporarily disrupted this phenomenon so that it doesn't merge with his own tribulation. As long as the Thunder Hell Prison Vine exists, it shall continue to cause the formation of tribulation clouds to grow naturally.
Yet she didn't move.
"You..." Petals was in shock as a special breath emerged from Ah Yin.
"We won't survive... if I don't stop acting like a stuck-up half-rated spirit master and just breakthrough. We only have little time."
Ah Yin was already at her bottleneck of rank 80 yet she held on just to breakthrough in front of others. She had been pretty but now she couldn't put it out any longer. The addition of a million-year-old spirit ring would bring her two or more skills and she severely needed options right about now.
Yet, before she could even converge her breakthrough, the slowly gathering dark clouds above the screeching Eagle dispersed. However, the terrible pressure of tribulation that was slowly forming only doubled... nay—
'Triple...' Petals was scared out of her wits!
"Eh? What?" The Discharge Eagle was shook!
---
"Huh?" Qian Daoliu dropped the bowl on the bed and disappeared in an instant. Golden Crocodile was only a tiny bit slower as he, too, disappeared.
The two appeared on top of the Supreme Pontiff's hall and soon, almost every Titled Douluo powerhouse of the Spirit Hall could be seen gazing in one particular direction.
"Grand Priest, don't tell me," Golden Crocodile was no longer addressing Daoliu informally in the presence of so many underlings as his expression was flabbergasted, "Is it a god's tribulation? Just like the myths? Is this it?" A sense of fanaticism could be seen in Golden Crocodile's eyes as Qian Daoliu frowned even harder.
"No... it's not a tribulation for anyone." His expression was severe and his fists were clenched.
'What is going on there? That's the direction where the Thunder Vine is located but... what is this terrible spatial lock?! It's not a tribulation but a blatant attack!'
Qian Daoliu had no way to be sure. Just the spatial lock made it so that nobody could perceive the general surroundings and those who were even strong enough to perceive this didn't dare approach the location at the moment. Not even Daoliu.
'Could Ja Sun be there?' Daoliu gritted his teeth and disappeared once again.
