Chapter 36: Guidance
The Golden Crow neighed, resembling a second sun. Wherever it passed, grass and trees spontaneously ignited, turning the area into a sea of fire.
Jiang Li remained completely unfazed by the heat, not even breaking a sweat. He sidestepped the attack, seized the Golden Crow by the roots of its wings, and let it struggle in his grasp.
“I see you’ve cultivated a technique that visualizes the Great Sun to comprehend the power of pure Yang. It’s a good technique, but you’ve only focused on the Golden Crow as a being of extreme Yang, without considering that the world itself consists of Yin and Yang. The Golden Crow represents only one aspect of Yang, not its entirety. Go, seek out other sources of Yang energy.”
Jiang Li flung the Golden Crow toward the cultivator wielding the Heaven and Earth Dharma Form. That cultivator had just been preparing to strike with a Heaven-Covering Palm, but as soon as his palm made contact with the scorching sun-like energy, he instinctively withdrew it.
Jiang Li unleashed his spiritual energy, forming a Heaven-Covering Palm of his own. He grasped the cultivator’s wrist and twisted it lightly, causing the man to wail in pain.
“The concept behind your Dharma Form is sound—it balances offense and defense. But a strong exterior often hides a weak heart. If you can’t endure hardship or pain, how do you expect to cultivate? Bitter cultivation damages your foundation, while pure seclusion makes it hard to grasp the Dao. The true path lies in balancing both. Engage in more real battles. Even getting beaten is a form of cultivation.”
The cultivator collapsed, his massive body pressing down on the surrounding people, momentarily blacking out their vision. They hastily used their divine abilities to carve small openings in his form and slipped through, cursing him for being a liability.
Kunpeng reacted the fastest, flapping its wings and soaring skyward, barely avoiding the fallen cultivator.
He had been orphaned at a young age, overcoming countless hardships to become a core disciple of his sect. Pain meant nothing to him—Jiang Renhuang’s methods wouldn’t work on him.
He refused to believe that if he charged forward with his massive body, Jiang Renhuang wouldn’t dodge!
“You admire the Kunpeng and yearn for freedom. Not bad.”
Jiang Li saw that this person was different from the previous cultivators like the True Dragon and the Golden Crow. He had transformed into a Kunpeng because he envied its boundless freedom—to swim as a Kun in the seas and rival True Dragons, to soar as a Peng in the skies. Had the Qilin embodied freedom, he would have envied the Qilin. Had the Human Sovereign symbolized freedom, he would have aspired to be the Human Sovereign!
“But the laws of Great Zhou are strict, and this place doesn’t suit you. You’ll find a better path in a land where strength reigns supreme.”
Jiang Li didn’t even dodge. He pressed down on the Kunpeng’s beak, forcing its entire head into the ground. Half of its massive body stuck out from the earth, creating a rather comical sight.
Jiang Li then proceeded to instruct the remaining cultivators, effortlessly defeating them as he went. Throughout the entire ordeal, he never moved from his spot, using only one hand—the other remained behind his back.
The Chasing Sun Clan, Seven Kill Daozi, Song Ying… None of them lasted more than a single exchange against him.
Now, only the cultivator controlling tribulation lightning and Qin Luan stood before Jiang Li.
“Jiang Renhuang, take this strike!”
The tribulation cultivator had been gathering power all this time. Above Jiang Li, dark clouds churned like ink, seemingly not formed from water vapor, but from condensed black lightning!
His sect specialized in lightning techniques, and as the youngest disciple of its leader, he had naturally mastered them—especially tribulation lightning.
Among all tribulation lightning, he believed Heart Demon Immortal Lightning was the most terrifying. Who could resist their heart demons while also enduring the relentless might of tribulation lightning?
He was convinced—no one could!
“So it’s Heart Demon Immortal Lightning. Not bad, kid.”
Jiang Li had overcome fifteen Immortal Ascension Tribulations in his lifetime. With a single glance, he recognized the nature of the lightning.
“But its power… still a bit lacking.”
Jiang Li reached forward and grabbed the tribulation cultivator, pulling him into the range of the Heart Demon Immortal Lightning.
A fundamental law of the cultivation world: tribulation lightning was meant for a single person. The more people caught in it, the stronger its power.
The tribulation cultivator’s eyes widened in horror. He realized he had lost control over the lightning. The Heart Demon Immortal Lightning began swelling uncontrollably!
Boom!
The deafening roar of thunder echoed throughout the space. Even those merely hearing the sound trembled uncontrollably—one could only imagine what it was like at the center of the tribulation.
At the very least, the tribulation cultivator’s legs were shaking uncontrollably.
Even Meng Chun, who had been watching from the shadows, was startled.
Jiang Li, however, remained completely calm in the face of the overwhelming tribulation, even yawning.
He bore the doubled tribulation lightning alone, leaving the tribulation cultivator to deal solely with his heart demons.
“Mm, doesn’t feel like much.” Jiang Li smacked his lips, finding the lightning somewhat underwhelming. The most terrifying lightning the tribulation cultivator could imagine was nothing to him.
It was understandable—his sect was just a small one in a remote corner of Great Zhou. They knew little about the tribulations faced by Tribulation Stage or Mahayana Stage cultivators. For instance, they might have heard of the Primordial Immortal-Mortal Lightning but only knew it was described as “akin to heavenly might, impossible to resist.” They couldn’t even begin to comprehend its true terror.
Jiang Li then pulled the bewildered Qin Luan into the tribulation as well.
The lightning’s power quadrupled!
Qin Luan panicked momentarily but quickly calmed himself, focusing on confronting his heart demon. He trusted that Jiang Renhuang was making him face his heart demon, not endure the terrifying lightning.
His guess was correct—Jiang Li still shouldered the tribulation alone.
“Mm, a little tingly.” Even with four times the power, Jiang Li still found it lacking. But he refrained from pulling anyone else in, much to the relief of those around him.
The others were not yet ready for such trials—it was too early to force them to face their heart demons.
He couldn’t let his desire for a lightning massage ruin the young talents of the Nine Provinces.
Jiang Li thought himself quite considerate.
The tribulation cultivator had his eyes shut tightly, trembling slightly. He was utterly helpless before his heart demon.
Jiang Li smacked him on the back of the head, pulling him out of his nightmare.
“Kid, you love making others face their heart demons, but why are you so useless when dealing with your own? When you go back, think about how to overcome them.”
The cultivator, still shaken from the experience, hesitated for a moment before asking, “Jiang Renhuang, why weren’t you affected by a heart demon?”
Heart demons were unavoidable. Once triggered, a cultivator had no choice but to face them—there was no alternative solution.
He couldn’t believe Jiang Renhuang was an exception!
“Probably because I beat mine up so badly last time that it doesn’t dare show itself anymore.” Jiang Li thought for a moment before explaining.
Back then, his heart demon had manifested as the past Human Sovereigns, shouting, “Forget honor, everyone, let’s gang up on him!”—only to be utterly thrashed by Jiang Li until they were wailing for mercy.
It was eerily similar to what was happening now.
The cultivator fell silent. Jiang Renhuang’s strength was beyond anything he had imagined.
Scaring off a heart demon… Who was the real heart demon here?
He bowed deeply, expressing his gratitude for Jiang Li’s guidance, then silently stepped back.
Before leaving, he glanced enviously at Qin Luan, who was still confronting his heart demon.
If only he had Qin Luan’s mindset, perhaps he too would have earned Jiang Renhuang’s recognition.
How laughable that before entering the mystic realm, he had thought himself on equal footing with Qin Luan. Now, he realized just how far behind he truly was.