Meanwhile.
To the southwest of Great Xia, to the west of Great Xia, to the southwest of the world, to the southeast of the world…
The disputes brought about by the dark anomalies were also escalating.
They even escalated into all-out wars between powerful individuals and factions, vying for supremacy.
Xuanyuan Palace.
Bai Zihe was still in seclusion.
Thanks to his Five Elements Physique, he had reached the lowest level of immortal cultivation. However, his understanding of heavenly laws was still lacking.
Therefore, he needed to undertake a comprehensive "catch-up" session during this period.
He aimed to fill in any gaps and supplement whatever was missing for a Tribulation Stage cultivator, ensuring no weaknesses.
Then, he would aim to achieve the Chaos Saint Physique.
Finally, he would ascend in the most perfect state.
Perhaps…
He would be the only cultivator to successfully ascend in recent times.
Of course, with the immortal realm gone, the concept of ascension no longer applied.
"Little Pagoda…"
Inside the Haotian Pagoda, Bai Zihe slowly opened his eyes and asked, "How long have I been cultivating, and have there been any major events outside?"
Bai Zihe felt he had hit a bottleneck.
His cultivation in the Haotian Pagoda had progressed rapidly at first, but for the following three years, he made no progress whatsoever. Thus, he decided to pause temporarily.
"It's been a while," the Little Pagoda said casually. "Based on past experience, the dark anomalies will declare war on the chaos only after they have infiltrated every corner of the world. As of now… I estimate they haven't even finished infiltrating the oceans."
The Little Pagoda spoke lightly, but Bai Zihe couldn't help but furrow his brows upon hearing this. The oceans were vast, filled with countless unknown and powerful creatures, far exceeding human settlements. Once the dark anomalies finished their infiltration of the oceans and began attacking human society… it would undoubtedly be a catastrophe. At the very least, ordinary people would be utterly defenseless, with escape as their only option. Furthermore, if they were devoured, it would only empower the dark anomalies and make the situation even more dire.
Bai Zihe believed it would be better to deal with the dark anomalies sooner rather than later, rather than waiting for them to fully form and engage in a decisive battle. This approach was too passive. However, achieving this was incredibly difficult.
"Little Junior Brother…"
Just then, Bai Zihe received a communication from his Eighth Senior Sister: "Are you preparing for your tribulation recently?"
His Eighth Senior Sister was truly remarkable. Bai Zihe marveled internally, surprised she could know this. He immediately replied, "Eighth Senior Sister, I am indeed preparing for my tribulation. Do you have any good advice?" Bai Zihe had heard much about tribulation from the Little Pagoda, but the pagoda's knowledge was from ancient times. As the Palace Master of Xuanyuan Palace, his Eighth Senior Sister would undoubtedly possess information regarding tribulations in recent centuries.
"My advice is…" Ji Xianyuan's response left Bai Zihe stunned: "Don't attempt tribulation."
"This…" Bai Zihe paused, then quickly asked, "Why? Isn't successfully passing the heavenly tribulation a great tempering of the body?" Regardless of success or failure, passing tribulation would significantly increase one's power, greatly aiding both the individual and the battle against the dark anomalies.
"Yes," Ji Xianyuan confirmed. "If you successfully pass the heavenly tribulation, it would indeed be a great help to the chaos. However… in recent tribulations, the dark anomalies have appeared every time. Tribulation itself places cultivators in extreme peril, with a high chance of immediate death. In such a state, cultivators are at their weakest, facing not only the terrifying lightning tribulation but also the invasion of inner demons… If they are then attacked by dark anomalies, there is almost no chance of reaction. In the past five hundred years… whenever a cultivator attempts tribulation, the dark anomalies invariably appear. The vast majority of these cultivators perish on the spot. Only one managed to pass tribulation, but he was also successfully infiltrated by the dark anomalies and became a serious threat to the Great Xia cultivation world, nearly eradicating it." Ji Xianyuan's tone was filled with bitterness. She had thought that after five hundred years, there was finally another immortal, only for him to become a nightmare for the cultivation world, nearly slaughtering everyone. This was precisely why she advised Bai Zihe against attempting tribulation. Putting aside their sibling relationship, given Bai Zihe's talent and artifacts, if he fell into darkness, she would have no chance of defeating him.
Bai Zihe fell silent. He had never expected such a complication during tribulation.
"Don't listen to her," the Little Pagoda's voice echoed in his mind, sounding very relaxed. "As long as you awaken the Chaos Saint Physique, you will naturally be immune to all methods. Not to mention necessarily passing the heavenly tribulation, but resisting the dark anomalies will be absolutely no problem."
Bai Zihe was slightly taken aback. The Little Pagoda's advice was diametrically opposed to his Eighth Senior Sister's.
"Think about it…" the Little Pagoda continued earnestly. "The Chaos Saint Physique is chosen by Chaos itself. Chaos and darkness are mortal enemies. If the person Chaos chooses is infiltrated by his enemy, wouldn't that be a slap in Chaos's face?"
Strangely enough, Bai Zihe found the Little Pagoda's reasoning quite sound.
"Eighth Senior Sister…" Bai Zihe immediately replied to Ji Xianyuan, "I'll consider it further. It's not at that point yet anyway."
"Okay." Ji Xianyuan's reply was very brief. Her junior brother's tribulation concerned not only the common people but also himself, so she could not interfere too much. In fact, as she cultivated to her current level, she increasingly felt that many things were predetermined and should not be overly interfered with.
Subsequently, Bai Zihe plunged back into his cultivation.
In a certain grand hall.
Shangguan Xianling, Ji Xueyun, and Bai Zihe's other senior sisters were all sitting cross-legged with their eyes closed, immersed in cultivation. Since arriving at Xuanyuan Palace, they had had little contact with Bai Zihe. This was because they all realized they could offer no help to their junior brother and, in fact, had caused him considerable trouble. Therefore, each of them had resolved to cultivate diligently to a certain level, at least so they wouldn't be a drag on their junior brother every time.
After hearing their aspirations, Ji Xianyuan made an astonishing decision—to awaken their memories from their previous lives! As a result… in less than a month, Bai Zihe's senior sisters had broken through from the Nascent Core realm to their current cultivation levels.
"Mmm…" Wan Wan was the first to awaken. Her bright eyes held a strange brilliance. After an internal scan, she discovered she had entered the Tribulation Stage! Following closely, the Eldest Senior Sister, Second Senior Sister, Fourth Senior Sister… all of them began to awaken.
"Finally, we've reached the Tribulation Stage!"
"Yes, we've finally made it…"
"Now, we won't be holding back Little Junior Brother anymore!"
"…" Their faces held a mix of wistfulness for their past lives and joy at their great progress.
Shangguan Xianling looked at everyone: "Perhaps, we should do something for Little Junior Brother!"
"Yes."
"I agree."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go."
"…" A group of celestial maidens chattered and fluttered out of their seclusion.
In the depths of the ocean, near Dragon Island.
A thick fog was approaching.