Old Ancestor Pei’s mung bean-sized eyes widened, the cold mockery on its face completely disappearing. At this moment, the spiritual power around its body surged violently, its small eyes filled with layers of ice as cold as the depths of winter. It wanted to fight to the death with this brazen, lecherous woman – the great humiliation of being spanked could not be endured!

However, just as it was about to unleash its spiritual power, the tribulation lightning overhead seemed to smell blood like a fierce beast. Dazzling pillars of light crashed down, the surrounding temperature rising sharply. The water in the hot spring pool was almost boiling at this point.

The grand array emitted a groaning sound of being overwhelmed, the light screen gradually thinning at a visible rate.

Liu Changning raised her brows, her brow furrowed tightly. She coldly swept her gaze towards the culprit before her eyes, reprimanding in a cold voice: “A beast should have the self-awareness of a beast. Today you schemed against me first. Spanking you ten times was to teach you a lesson.”

She pointed at the lightning-filled sky above, reminding: “With my current cultivation, the Mihe Tianxing Array can only be maintained for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. The Four Symbols Heavenly Lightning is coming fiercely. If you don’t want to die, you should know what to do.”

She raised her eyes to meet the black bird’s, her gaze like torches: “If the lightning tribulation doesn’t dissipate, our contract binds us together. To overcome this difficulty together, we can only join hands. I currently have Foundation Establishment cultivation, while you… looking at the chaotic spiritual power within you, I fear you can barely handle the lightning tribulation. Rather than confronting me now and unleashing spiritual power to attract the lightning’s attention, you’d be better off calming your mind and thinking carefully about how to deal with the difficulties that are about to come!”

The small black bird snorted heavily, narrowing its eyes. The surging spiritual power around its body slowly receded.

Its gloomy eyes lingered on Liu Changning for a moment, a solemn expression appearing on its coal-black face.

Although it was burning with rage inside, survival trumped everything.

Old Ancestor Pei was not a fool and could distinguish between priorities. The brazen junior before him had clearly seen that the spiritual power within its body was chaotic. With the slightest carelessness, when the lightning tribulation fell, its soul would scatter.

Arguing about the earlier offense at this moment was indeed untimely.

After silently weighing the options in its heart, it flapped its wings, using a trace of spiritual power to disdainfully brush off her restraining hands.

Under the lightning, the all-black crow-like bird found a smooth rock wall to sit on. It closed its eyes, sat in meditation to focus its mind, waiting for the coming waves of the lightning tribulation.

Seeing this, Liu Changning’s cold expression eased slightly.

A black bird that could understand the situation and prioritize was two points better than an easily agitated demon beast.

Thinking of how it had schemed to form a contract with her, Liu Changning had a headache, but there was nothing she could do.

Being bound in life and death with a demon beast meant endless trouble in the future.

She still had to find that person…

Rubbing her brow, she lowered her eyelids, concealing all the complexity in her heart. She sat cross-legged in front of the small black bird, regulating her breath.

The time of an incense stick quickly passed. The defensive light screen set up by the Mihe Tianxing Array began to violently shake. At this moment, the rumbling of the tribulation lightning gradually weakened, the pillars of light becoming thin and long. But there was no sign of stopping.

The grand array trembled unsteadily. Human and beast opened their eyes simultaneously, raising their gazes to look at the sky.

The tribulation lightning exerted force to break through the light screen.

Liu Changning felt a sweetness in her throat as her blood surged upwards. She opened her mouth and spat out a large mouthful of fresh blood.

The blood splattered on her pure white robes, each drop shocking to the eye.

In the lightning, the small black bird’s ink-colored eyes swept over her white long robe, its gaze deepening.

After hesitating for a moment, it summoned spiritual power and rushed towards the tribulation lightning in the sky, its small frame actually shielding in front of Liu Changning.

It opened its long beak, chirping in the air. Its voice was as hoarse as rusty gears grinding: “Find a place to hide, don’t cause me trouble. I’ll handle this…”

Though the words weren’t pleasant, they clearly carried a trace of goodwill.

Liu Changning was stunned for a moment, a flash of light passing through her eyes as she watched the small black bird resolutely charge towards the heavenly lightning.

She didn’t try to dissuade it. Firstly, the lightning tribulation in the sky had already weakened by a large margin. Whether for demon beasts or cultivators undergoing tribulation, relying solely on external force would lead to endless troubles in future cultivation.

This Four Symbols Heavenly Lightning, the small black bird must bathe in it itself to gain great benefits.

Secondly, the fact that this demon beast had just shielded her proved it still retained a trace of kindness. If it truly couldn’t withstand the lightning tribulation, she could save its life – she had Cangming.

Unless absolutely necessary, Liu Changning didn’t want to summon the Cangming immortal sword, because with her current cultivation, summoning the sword would definitely damage her divine sense. Depleted spiritual power could be replenished in a month’s time, but damaged divine sense might not recover even in ten thousand years.

While Liu Changning was lost in thought, the small black bird had already flown towards the pillar of light. It flapped its wings, its body summoning a black long whip. The long whip lashed at the tribulation lightning, confronting it without any sign of weakness.

This black bird’s internal spiritual power was chaotic, but now it didn’t seem to be at a disadvantage, apparently having life-saving methods in reserve.

Liu Changning sighed inwardly, but her gaze was involuntarily fixed on that long whip. The whip was completely black, clearly visible under the illumination of the light pillar.

She narrowed her eyes, a hint of faintness in them. If that black whip were to turn red, it would inexplicably give her a sense of familiarity. An image of a man flashed through her mind – red-robed with ink-black hair, a fiery red long whip coiled around his waist.

Her gaze lingered long on that black long whip. Liu Changning’s eyes were complex as her thin lips parted slightly, murmuring to herself: “Ziyuan!”

The small black bird in mid-air froze for a moment, its whip-wielding action slowing. A bolt of lightning struck its body.

Blood stained its beak. Its expression shook as it suppressed the fleeting strange feeling in its heart, concentrating on summoning the long whip to meet the tribulation lightning. It had no attention to spare for the white-robed woman’s expression at this moment.

Liu Changning sat cross-legged, her gaze distant.

In her first life, Old Ancestor Pei should have also had a red whip, but unfortunately she had never seen it. That person’s soul had entered Cangming’s body, and his natal immortal weapon, the Nine Netherworld Flame Whip, had long since disappeared.

According to his own boasts, it was completely red, forged from the essence of extreme fire eyes, with boundless power.

It should have been an extremely exquisite fiery red long whip. The black long whip in the sky was no match for it.

Liu Changning shook her head. She must be missing him, wanting to see the past events he had told her about… wanting to see his true appearance.

A wistful smile escaped her lips. Fortunately, they would meet soon.

While she was lost in thought, the small black bird had summoned its black whip, lashing at the tribulation lightning, already whipping the white pillars of light into gradual dimness.

Under the black curtain, the tribulation lightning weakened, the pillars of light disappeared, and with a final rumble, reluctantly retreated from the cloud layer. The sky was brilliantly studded with stars, once again returning to silence.

The small black bird, suspended in mid-air, was bathed in the twinkling halos of light, currently receiving the baptism of spiritual power after the tribulation.

Suddenly, the previously quiet hot spring water surged upwards in a column. Waves rolled in the pool, and in an instant, all the spring water curled upwards, forming into a tidal wave that coiled like a water snake, engulfing the small black bird that was receiving the baptism of spiritual power into the pond water.

The change happened quickly. Liu Changning abruptly opened her eyes, only to hear the small black bird emit a series of shrill cries before being swallowed by the rolling waves in an instant.

Liu Changning inwardly cursed at the trouble, fully activating her spiritual power. She swiftly darted into the waves, following the black bird’s silhouette as they both sank.

—

The pond water churned out huge waves. Liu Changning could only rely on instinct to grab onto the small black bird’s wing feathers, sinking along with it.

The black bird, currently in its weakest state, struggled to open its eyes. Its mung bean-sized eyes looked at her foolishly, its hoarse voice pouring into Liu Changning’s ears through divine sense transmission: “You’re sensible, little one. If I die, you die. If I live, you live.”

“Focus on unity, chatty one!”

Old Ancestor Pei widened his eyes, about to open his mouth to refute.

Tilting his head, he found that Liu Changning didn’t even look at him. Her expression was solemn as she mobilized her divine sense to quickly explore the depths of the pond.

A mouthful of anger stuck in his throat, Old Ancestor Pei lowered his eyelids. He swore he would definitely teach this ill-mannered dog a lesson!

He was about to return to human form!