The northern reaches of the Western Regions—Moon Frost Peak.

Flakes of snow danced down from the sky, as if a Nine Heavens Goddess had torn white paper to shreds and scattered it across the mortal realm.

The myriad mountains and ravines were cloaked in flawless white, as if an Immortal had taken to a colossal scroll, dipping his brush in white ink to paint a sprawling, silver-clad landscape.

In the distance, ancient pines groaned under the weight of the snow. Occasionally, with a soft WHOOMPH, a cloud-like mass would plummet down, kicking up a dusting of white powder.

Nearby, a man with a straight, proud bearing stood at the summit, calmly gazing at the vast expanse of the sky.

"Mewl, mewl..."

Little Chaos was perched on Wangxin’s head, its body already covered in a layer of white snow.

Shaking its body like a puppy, Little Chaos dislodged the snow and looked earnestly at its master, who stood by the cliff’s edge.

Little Chaos turned back to look at Wangxin and saw that its mistress looked tense, hardly daring to breathe.

"Mewl..."

Little Chaos nuzzled Wangxin’s cheek, as if to comfort her.

"I know..." Wangxin said, hugging Little Chaos. "I’m sure Xiao Mo will be okay. He has to be okay..." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

But as she spoke, she hugged Little Chaos tighter, as if the words weren’t meant for the little creature, but were an attempt to soothe herself.

Over the past two years, Xiao Mo had battled several Cultivators from the Upper Three Realms, constantly testing and proving his Dao.

In the process, he had slain countless Cultivators, suffered innumerable wounds, and teetered on the brink of losing control of his power more times than she could count.

But it was precisely through this constant tempering that Xiao Mo had now reached Jade Realm Perfection, and today, he was to attempt Crossing the Tribulation.

’In Wangxin’s opinion, while Xiao Mo’s foundation in the Jade Realm was solid, he hadn’t yet reached a point where Crossing the Tribulation was an absolute necessity. There were still many more preparations he could make.’

’For instance, Xiao Mo could spend five hundred years to dissipate some of the Blood Evil Qi clinging to him.’

’But for some reason she couldn’t fathom, Xiao Mo seemed to be in a hurry, as if he didn’t have much time left...’

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Mo released all of his Spiritual Power.

"RUMBLE!"

A clap of thunder echoed from the heavens.

Dark clouds began to gather, and Spiritual Power converged endlessly upon Moon Frost Peak.

Xiao Mo gripped his long saber, his gaze calm as he watched the sky. The blade in his hand began to hum, a sound of both excitement and fear.

Xiao Mo, however, was exceptionally calm.

For Xiao Mo, as long as he passed this Thunder Tribulation, he could finally step into the Immortal Realm.

Once he entered the Immortal Realm, he could finally take care of everything.

The journey of this lifetime would finally be over.

"BOOM!"

Another tremendous roar echoed through the air.

But strangely, no lightning fell in its wake.

"BOOM!"

"BOOM!"

One clap of thunder after another rolled across the heavens, yet not a single bolt of lightning fell.

"Mewl! Mewl!"

It was Little Chaos who was startled by the terrifying thunder. The creature burrowed into Wangxin’s arms, covering its eyes with its tiny wings—though not so tightly that it couldn’t peek through the gaps at its master with a mixture of fear and worry.

Wangxin pressed her lips together, growing even more tense.

’A typical Thunder Tribulation for the Immortal Realm descends as bolts of lightning, but the trial isn’t identical for every Cultivator.’

’One thing, however, never changes: the more unusual the Thunder Tribulation, the more difficult it is to pass.’

Before Xiao Mo began Crossing the Tribulation, Wangxin had read numerous accounts of Immortal Realm Thunder Tribulations.

She had never encountered a situation like this one before.

’So where is the Thunder Tribulation?’

Just as alarm and uncertainty began to consume Wangxin’s thoughts, an unseen force tore a rift in the layered dark clouds above.

A blood-red figure emerged, looking as if it had strode forth from the depths of the Nine Netherworld itself as it descended from the clouds, one step at a time.

"Mewl?"

Little Chaos subconsciously rubbed its eyes with its tiny wings. Then it forced them wide and stared up at the sky, hardly daring to believe the sight.

"Xiao Mo..."

Wangxin stared blankly, her head tilted up at the blood-red figure descending through the air.

The face, the build—it was identical to Xiao Mo in every way.

The only difference was the Evil Qi coiling around the blood-red figure, which was several times denser than Xiao Mo’s own, and the aura it exuded was terrifyingly oppressive.

"You two, get back," Xiao Mo said to Wangxin without turning his head, his voice calm but allowing no room for argument.

Wangxin pressed her lips together. Knowing she absolutely could not interfere with Xiao Mo’s tribulation, she clutched Little Chaos and immediately retreated, flying far into the distance.

The instant Wangxin retreated with Little Chaos, the blood-red Xiao Mo slashed down with its blade.

The attack was simple and direct, yet it carried the momentum to sunder heaven and earth.

In that same instant, Xiao Mo drew his own blade to meet the attack, its edge tearing through the air with a piercing shriek.

"CRASH!"

The massive impact shook the entire landscape.

In response to the impact, the entire mountain peak behind Xiao Mo was cleaved in two.

Meanwhile, the clouds behind the Blood Evil Xiao Mo were torn asunder by the ferocious Sword Qi, revealing the azure sky beyond.

A violent tide of Blood Evil Qi swept out in all directions.

Wherever it passed, the accumulated snow instantly vaporized, and solid rock was pulverized into dust.

The next moment, the two figures collided once more. Blade-light flashed and crisscrossed as shockwaves of energy erupted from their clash.

Countless sharp streams of Sword Qi shot out in all directions, shearing the tops off nearby mountains and shattering them to pieces.

The immense impacts made the ground tremble violently and caused rivers to flow backward, as if the very sky might shatter from their terrifying exchange.

As Wangxin watched anxiously, Xiao Mo and the blood shade exchanged hundreds of blows in the blink of an eye.

At first, the two were evenly matched.

But as time went on, Wangxin could clearly see Xiao Mo’s movements begin to slow, each parry becoming more and more strained.

Finally, seizing a fleeting opportunity, Xiao Mo unleashed a strike with his full power.

Joy surged in Wangxin’s heart.

She recognized this technique.

It was called "Void-Breaking," the eighth form of the Blood Demon Saber Technique, and it contained a Sword Intent capable of shattering illusions and striking directly at the source of truth.

Many Immortal Realm Cultivators had fallen to this very strike.

The Blood Evil Xiao Mo was currently entangled in Xiao Mo’s Sword Qi, unable to defend against the blow.

’This was the perfect chance!’

Unexpectedly, however, a bolt of tribulation lightning struck down at the Blood Evil Xiao Mo in the next instant, dissipating Xiao Mo’s Sword Qi.

The Blood Evil Xiao Mo spun and swung its blade. But it didn’t use the same "Void-Breaking" technique. Instead, it unleashed an even more ferocious and domineering attack: the ninth form of the Blood Demon Saber Technique—"Heaven-Opening"!

"Xiao Mo!"

Wangxin screamed, flying toward Xiao Mo.

A blinding flash from the blade tore across the sky. Like a kite with its string cut, Xiao Mo’s body plummeted powerlessly from the heavens.

The Blood Evil Xiao Mo merely hovered silently in midair.

It gazed down with cold indifference at Xiao Mo’s falling form until he was swallowed by an avalanche, vanishing without a trace.