Chapter 426: Chapter 426: 126: Yue Qi's Mother Faces Tribulation

Upon hearing Zhang Jian’s teasing, Yue Qi’s mother’s face instantly reddened, somewhat uncomfortable…

Meanwhile, Lin Jing gave Zhang Jian a blank look and said,

“If that’s the case, when it’s your turn to advance, I’ll give you a hand too, just promise yourself to me directly…”

Hearing this, Zhang Jian hurriedly waved his hands and chuckled:

“Hehe…”

“I’m just kidding.”

After that, Zhang Jian turned his head and spoke to Yue Qi’s mother again:

“In the future, you don’t need to call me senior anymore, just call me Daoist friend or by my name.”

“After all, you’re about to advance to the Golden Core Stage yourself. Once you advance to the Golden Core Stage, you’ll be a Daoist friend like us.”

Yue Qi’s mother nodded gently…

Afterward, Lin Jing spoke directly,

“Since that’s settled, let’s head to that island now to prepare for the Tribulation.”

Zhang Jian and Yue Qi’s mother both nodded their heads in agreement.

Subsequently, Lin Jing summoned the Flying Boat.

Then the three of them boarded the Flying Boat together and left Li Yan Island, heading for Tribulation Island.

Originally, Lin Jing had thought about whether to bring Li Qingqing and others, including Lin Jue, along to observe Yue Qi’s mother undergoing her Tribulation.

After all, observing a Tribulation is quite beneficial for one’s own future Tribulation.

But then Lin Jing thought of the Black Shark Gang that was still ceaselessly searching for them, and he dismissed this idea.

This time, the protectors for the Tribulation were only Lin Jing and Zhang Jian.

If an accident occurred midway through the Tribulation or other cultivators were encountered, it might not end well.

……

After several hours of flight,

The three finally arrived at the small island that Lin Jing had previously found.

This island was located in the northern part of the Thousand Islands Domain. Since it was some distance away from the main domain and was an uninhabited island with no resources,

even the Cultivators passing by here were very few.

Upon their arrival on the island, Lin Jing opened the hatch of the Flying Boat, and the three disembarked. Zhang Jian immediately set to work.

Zhang Jian reached the center of the small island and began to take out Array Flags, placing them in predetermined positions one by one.

Before long, the Array Flags were all placed.

Then, Zhang Jian took out an Array Plate and began to control the Formation, gathering it…

It didn’t take long for the Formation to take shape.

After the Formation was set up, Zhang Jian came over and said to Yue Qi’s mother:

“Qi’er…”

“All right, the Formation is complete, you can enter and start your breakthrough.”

Yue Qi’s mother nodded her head, then said to Zhang Jian:

“Thank you, Daoist Zhang…”

Zhang Jian waved his hand and said,

“No need…”

Then, Yue Qi’s mother turned to Lin Jing and said,

“Island Master, I will go ahead then.”

Lin Jing nodded and replied,

“Yeah, go on…”

Yue Qi’s mother was well-prepared for this Tribulation, so naturally, there was nothing she needed to explain.

Afterward, Yue Qi’s mother positioned herself in the middle of the Formation, sat down cross-legged, took the Cultivation True Elixir given to her by Lin Jing, swallowed it, and began to meditate…

At this moment, seeing Yue Qi’s mother begin her meditation, Lin Jing turned his head to Zhang Jian and said,

“Brother Zhang, we can’t be careless in what’s to come.”

Zhang Jian replied with a smile,

“Don’t worry, I naturally understand that…”

Afterward, the two took up positions on two sides of the island, starting their roles as protectors for Yue Qi’s mother.

……

Soon.

Four hours passed, yet Yue Qi’s mother had still not broken through.

At this time, the sky had gradually darkened,

but just then, Yue Qi’s mother temporarily stopped her meditation, took out a second Cultivation True Elixir from her Storage Bag, swallowed it, and continued her meditation.

Another four hours went by, and Lin Jing finally sensed a sudden change in Yue Qi’s mother’s aura.

Immediately after, the aura in the sky began to feel unusual as well, a terrifying pressure from heaven and earth descended upon the island.

Lin Jing looked up at the sky and saw dark clouds, like ink, gathering overhead; even amidst the night sky, they were strikingly evident.

Seeing this, Lin Jing also hurriedly retreated a fair distance back to avoid being sensed by the Heavenly Tribulation.

And not just Lin Jing—when he retreated, he also saw Zhang Jian moving back as well.

The two of them stood by, watching Yue Qi’s mother amidst the island, while Lin Jing’s Divine Sense continued to sweep over the adjacent seas lest any unforeseen events occur.

The Heavenly Tribulation facing Yue Qi’s mother was not particularly strong; at least, it was much weaker compared to Lin Jing’s Tribulation.

In fact, it was not much different from the Tribulation Elder Yu faced.

Above Yue Qi’s mother’s head, the black clouds quickly gathered, with countless arcs of lightning flashing within them, and the sound of “rumbling” was unceasing…

“Crack!”

Not long after, a sudden loud noise sounded.

The first strike of Tribulation Lightning fell, illuminating the entire night sky as if it were daylight.

However, this first strike of Tribulation Lightning, facing a well-prepared Yue Qi’s mother, hardly affected her at all.

Yue Qi’s mother simply wielded the Thunder Shock Shield, easily fending off this first strike of Tribulation Lightning.

After that.

Came the second strike, the third strike of Tribulation Lightning…

…

…

Yue Qi’s mother effortlessly withstood several consecutive strikes of Tribulation Lightning.

It wasn’t until the sixth strike of Tribulation Lightning began that it became more formidable.

At this time, Mother Yue Qi’s condition was still intact, and she had no problem facing the sixth bolt of tribulation lightning.

Then.

The seventh bolt of tribulation lightning caused the formation set up by Zhang Jian to crack…

However, the formation ultimately withstood the assault and did not shatter outright.

Even Mother Yue Qi herself sustained some injuries under this seventh bolt, but they were not particularly severe…

Although her injuries were minor, the tribulation lightning had significantly depleted her spiritual power.

Consequently, she hastily retrieved a Restorative Elixir from her Storage Bag and swallowed it directly, beginning her recuperation.

A little while later…

As the eighth bolt of tribulation lightning descended, Mother Yue Qi, who had regained a portion of her spiritual power, quickly stood up to confront it. At the same time, Zhang Jian’s formation finally could not bear the strain and completely shattered.

This eighth bolt exacerbated Mother Yue Qi’s injuries.

After that, Mother Yue Qi took out another Wound Healing Elixir and swallowed it, simultaneously recovering from her injuries and positioning the Thunder Shock Shield above her head.

…

…

Finally, the last bolt of tribulation lightning arrived.

Mother Yue Qi, now fully recovered, utilized her cultivation technique at full strength while wielding the Thunder Shock Shield to meet this final challenge.

…

…

Three breaths later, the tribulation lightning finally dissipated.

Yet Mother Yue Qi still stood her ground—apart from appearing a little bedraggled, she seemed otherwise unharmed.

Even the injuries on her body were not very serious.

After this last bolt of tribulation lightning vanished, the terrifying pressure between heaven and earth seemed to suddenly recede and disappear.

And the clouds of tribulation above Mother Yue Qi’s head also began to slowly fade away…

At this moment, Mother Yue Qi’s body underwent a change, emitting an aura unique to Golden Core Cultivators.

Once the clouds of tribulation had scattered, Mother Yue Qi did not delay and promptly sat down cross-legged to recover.

At this time, her cultivation had just advanced and was not yet stable—it was the crucial moment for consolidation.

Seeing this, Lin Jing and Zhang Jian did not disturb Mother Yue Qi, and continued to act as her protectors, allowing her to recuperate.

It was not until the next day, as the sky gradually brightened, that Mother Yue Qi concluded her meditation.

Upon seeing Mother Yue Qi rise, Lin Jing and Zhang Jian both approached her side.

With a smile, Zhang Jian said to Mother Yue Qi,

“Congratulations, Fellow Yue Qi, on successfully advancing to the Golden Core Stage.”

Mother Yue Qi was also very excited, feeling her new level of cultivation, and then spoke to Zhang Jian,

“I also owe you my thanks, Zhang Fellow. Otherwise, this tribulation would not have been so easy for me.”

But Zhang Jian replied with a smile,

“You’re too courteous, Fellow Yue Qi. Since I had made a promise earlier, I naturally did my best.”

“It’s Lin Brother who has given more…”

After that.

Mother Yue Qi turned around, bowed to Lin Jing, and said,

“Island Master…”

“Thank you, Island Master. Without you, I fear I would have had a hard time reaching the Golden Core Stage in this lifetime.”

Lin Jing then reached out, promptly pulling Mother Yue Qi to her feet, and spoke,

“There’s no need for such formality. Now that you too are a Golden Core Immortal, we shall naturally treat each other as equals from now on.”

Mother Yue Qi shook her head and responded,

“The kindness you have shown me, Island Master, will never be forgotten by Qi’er.”

“I will certainly help the Island Master develop Li Yan Island in the future.”

Lin Jing nodded and said,

“Once Li Yan Island has developed, we should no longer lack cultivation resources. By then, it’s possible that we might even be able to advance you to the Nascent Soul Stage.”

Zhang Jian pursed his lips and remarked,

“If I truly could advance to the Nascent Soul Stage, I’d be willing to work like an ox or a horse for you… ”

Lin Jing glanced at him and then replied,

“We’ll see about that… ”

Zhang Jian was suddenly at a loss for words.

Then Lin Jing summoned the Flying Boat and proposed,

“Now that Qi’er has successfully advanced to the Golden Core Stage, shall we head back?”

“Okay…” agreed Mother Yue Qi.

Zhang Jian then said,

“Since we’re heading back, no need to trouble ourselves further; just drop me off at Xian Yu Island.”

“Speaking of which, Lin Brother, your Flying Boat is really quite impressive, much better than mine.”

Lin Jing responded,

“When you take over Yuxing Island and have your own Spirit Stones, you could also get yourself a new Flying Boat.”

Zhang Jian, however, rapidly shook his head like a rattle.

“No…”

“My Flying Boat is already sufficient. If I manage to get Spirit Stones, I would rather exchange them for cultivation resources to enhance my cultivation.”

Lin Jing just smiled and said nothing.

Afterward, the three of them boarded the Flying Boat.

Then, with a “whoosh,” the Flying Boat darted away and eventually disappeared into the horizon.

Indeed, Lin Jing’s Shadow Escape Flying Boat was much faster than the one Zhang Jian had.

A few hours later, Lin Jing steered the Flying Boat to the vicinity of Xian Yu Island.

Xian Yu Island is an open, mid-sized island, easily several dozen times the size of Li Yan Island.

The Island Master of Xian Yu Island is a late-stage Nascent Soul Cultivator, well-known throughout the Thousand Islands Domain.

Besides the Island Master, many Golden Core Cultivators reside on Xian Yu Island, and Zhang Jian was one of them.

The cultivation resources of Xian Yu Island were largely controlled by the Island Master, leaving the residing Golden Core Cultivators with few resources to cultivate.

As a result, competition among them was fierce, and Zhang Jian’s power was insufficient to occupy an island on his own.

This was precisely why Zhang Jian envied Lin Jing so much.