Chapter 82 Matriarchal Cultivation World (3) Black Whip

The tribulation lightning that descended each time the Vermilion Bird clan crossed boundaries was different. The heavenly lightning for Pei Yuanyuan’s beast form tribulation at this moment was the Four Symbols Heavenly Lightning.

Although its power was only equivalent to that of a cultivator’s Nascent Soul tribulation lightning, it was not to be underestimated.

Yet the young one before him could set up an array with bare hands, without the aid of spirit stones.

To set up an array that could withstand the Four Symbols Heavenly Lightning with Foundation Establishment cultivation level, if it was just this alone, he would not have lost his composure to such an extent. After all, there are all kinds of wonders in this vast world.

The Nine Li Sect had a secret technique where, once a disciple encountered a life-threatening tribulation, the sect’s ancestors could remotely control the disciple’s body through their soul lamp, thus helping the direct disciples escape danger.

There are three thousand great Daos, and cultivators each have their own opportunities. Being able to enter the path of immortal cultivation and having one’s own life-saving methods is not surprising.

However…

Using spell formations to set up arrays, Old Ancestor Pei had only seen it in ancient texts in his lifetime.

This woman is extraordinary…

The small black bird’s dark eyes gleamed with sharp light. Standing on a smooth protruding rock wall by the hot spring pool, its eyes were fixed firmly in mid-air.

Liu Changning’s expression was not good, having been schemed against by a demon beast. The karmic chain in her soul had already formed, and she could clearly feel a closer karmic connection between herself and that demon beast.

Having been delayed earlier, there was no time to escape. Seeing the Four Symbols Heavenly Lightning already pressing down overhead, if she didn’t act now, both human and beast would surely perish here today.

A sword shadow flashed through her tea-colored eyes. Her natal immortal sword Cangming, sensing danger, emitted waves of sword pressure, momentarily intimidating the tribulation lightning hiding in the clouds, temporarily buying Liu Changning time to set up the array.

Even so, she dared not be careless at this moment. Her slender hands flew, forming spell formations and quickly inserting them into the four corners of east, south, west, and north, setting up the Mihe Tianxing defensive grand array.

She didn’t have much time left. After Cangming’s aura suppressed the tribulation lightning for dozens of breaths, the Four Symbols tribulation lightning seemed to recover, its surrounding light flaring up and the cloud layers churning.

In mid-air, the gray-black tribulation clouds rolled, tumbling faster and faster. Suddenly, a white pillar of light burst out from the clouds, striking straight down at the spring eye.

Liu Changning inserted the last spell formation into the shadows, narrowing her eyes and saying solemnly, “It’s coming!”

The bright white tribulation lightning struck horizontally above the hot spring pool. The Mihe Tianxing array activated, and a sky-blue light screen shot up into the sky.

It protected the thorn-surrounded hot spring pool within. The tribulation lightning fell one bolt after another, each time coming with tremendous force. The light circles activated by the grand array flowed like water ripples, deflecting the power of the lightning tribulation.

It seemed temporarily safe.

Liu Changning withdrew her gaze that had been intently watching the sky, a trace of fresh blood seeping from her thin lips.

Setting up the array earlier had exhausted her spiritual power. With her current limited cultivation, using spell formations as the basis for the array was already draining, especially setting up a defensive array to resist the lightning tribulation beyond her level today, which was even more taxing.

After this affair, she would likely need to rest for a month to replenish the depleted spiritual power.

The small black bird stood on the rock wall. Seeing the array block the tribulation lightning, a flash of light gleamed in its eyes as small as mung beans. It raised its head to meet her eyes.

Its long beak pointed at the light screen above the hot spring, and in a hoarse, unpleasant voice, it asked Liu Changning who had walked up close, “How long can this array be maintained?”

Liu Changning’s face was cold, her tea-colored eyes frosty. With her current cultivation, this array could only be maintained for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. The remaining lightning tribulation would need to be withstood by this black crow itself.

If it wasn’t capable enough, she might have to bear half of it. Thinking of this, Liu Changning’s fingers clenched into a fist, then relaxed. A fierce look flashed through her eyes.

This black bird was deep and cunning, and also skilled at observing words and expressions. If its intentions were not good, it could not be kept alive.

It was a pity she hadn’t been able to end its life at first sight. Considering that it and that person were both birds, she hadn’t guarded against this thing earlier and had formed a karmic connection with it. From now on, she couldn’t kill it and would have to protect it, causing endless trouble.

Old Daoist Liu had lived several lifetimes as a human, and the thing she despised most in life was being schemed against and led by the nose. A mere little bird…

Liu Changning narrowed her eyes, grabbing the black bird’s thin short neck in one hand. Her fierce eyes swept over, her fingers squeezing tighter and tighter as she said word by word, “Tell me… how to break the contract?”

The small black bird’s body was lifted into mid-air. It tilted its head, a hint of mockery sliding through its mung bean-sized eyes: “This is a secret technique of our clan. Once the contract is formed, it cannot be broken. Heh…”

Its gaze touched her slender fingers, and it chuckled lowly: “Don’t make meaningless attempts. I advise you to let go of this sovereign. If I die, you also won’t live past today… When the lightning tribulation was overhead earlier and my life was in danger, you probably already felt the danger in your heart? As cultivators, premonitions of danger are most accurate… Be smart and let go.”

The fingers on its neck squeezed tighter and tighter. Pei Yuanyuan’s bird face, covered in feathers, showed no signs of turning blue, only its breathing becoming increasingly rapid.

It turned its head, its long beak pressing against the white-robed woman’s fair fingertips, opening its mouth…

Unexpectedly, the person before it moved her fingers, flipping its body over in one motion. She raised her hand and “smack smack smack” spanked its bottom under the black wings ten times in succession.

The sound was crisp, almost drowning out the rumbling thunder above the light screen.