Chapter 129: The Struggling Heavenly Tribulation

Suddenly, the sky darkened. Thunderous clouds churned and gathered, while streaks of lightning flashed intermittently through the layers.

An overwhelming force descended like a massive mountain from the heavens, filling the air with a suffocating heaviness that pressed down on everyone present.

“Celestial… calamity?”

Mo Shanhai seemed to realize something; his expression changed sharply as he stared wide-eyed at Xu Zhe.

“You madman! How dare you summon a heavenly calamity here?” Mo Shanhai shouted furiously, immediately turning to flee.

He knew well the nature of such calamities. If he did not leave at once, being so close would surely cause the calamity to mistake him for defending someone else. Once his aura was locked, no matter how far he fled, the calamity would relentlessly pursue him.

Everything depended on one thing: speed!

Suddenly, a shadow darted before Mo Shanhai and came to a halt.

“Head of the Mo family, since you’re here, why not have a sparring match?” Xu Zhe blocked the path with an eager invitation.

Originally, Xu Zhe intended to prepare fully before summoning the calamity, but the poisonous pills forced him to advance prematurely.

Yet Xu Zhe was a reasonable and upright young man.

Youth must honor the martial code. If he was forced to summon the calamity, should he blame the “Righteous Qi Demon-Sealing Scripture”?

No, the technique was innocent.

Should he blame the poisonous pills?

No, they were also innocent.

Then the fault lay with Mo Shanhai. Had he not chased after him, Xu Zhe would never have encountered the poisonous pills, the scripture would not have reacted, and the calamity would not have become uncontrollable.

The logic was clear and irrefutable: Mo Shanhai was the culprit.

Now the calamity had arrived, and the culprit wanted to flee—how could that be allowed?

“Get lost!” Mo Shanhai roared in rage.

He nearly sensed a trace of the heavenly dao’s presence, seemingly aware of him.

This was a celestial calamity, after all.

Even though Xu Zhe had just transitioned from the Golden Core stage to the Nascent Soul stage, and faced a forty-ninth heavenly calamity, that applied only to him personally.

Mo Shanhai was a genuine Consolidated Body stage cultivator. Once the calamity locked onto him, it would unleash its full Consolidated Body power.

“Head of the Mo family, you’ve caused me to forcibly endure this calamity here. You can’t just run away.”

Xu Zhe spoke plainly and wasted no time, flashing forward to block Mo Shanhai’s path again.

“You’re courting death!”

Mo Shanhai bellowed, surging with murderous intent. A palm swept up countless layers of sand and stone, transforming into an immense air wave like a tsunami, crashing violently toward Xu Zhe.

“Head of the Mo family, spare him!”

Xu Zhe smiled slightly and waved his hand, pulling a faintly unconscious elder of the Mo clan from the ground to shield himself.

Mo Shanhai’s expression instantly shifted; he forcibly halted his attack and withdrew his palm force.

“You… despicable scoundrel, to stoop to such vile tactics!” he trembled with fury, glaring fiercely at Xu Zhe.

“You misunderstand, head of the Mo family. Our realms differ greatly; my actions were clever strategy, not shameful treachery,” Xu Zhe explained earnestly.

The rules of cultivation were simple. Facing a life-and-death enemy, to treat them with courtesy or morality was to invite death.

Especially when confronting a stronger opponent, one must remain calm and rational, using every advantage of time, place, and circumstance to seize a chance for survival.

This was called clever strategy, not disgrace.

“Release my clan elder, or I—” Mo Shanhai growled through gritted teeth.

Before he could finish, his body trembled sharply. A dreadful feeling gripped his heart as he realized the calamity had locked onto him.

A terrifying aura brewed above, dark clouds roiling violently, with thick, blazing lightning streaking through.

“Xu Zhe, you beast, do you truly wish to annihilate my entire Mo clan?” Mo Shanhai’s composure shattered instantly.

With this calamity descending, he felt his chances of survival were slim.

Moreover, other clan elders were within the calamity’s range. Even if several were unconscious, they would still be targeted, and all would perish when the calamity struck.

“Alas, head of the Mo family, when will endless revenge end? I only wish to settle our grudge,” Xu Zhe sighed.

Boom!

Almost simultaneously, a deafening thunderclap echoed across the sky.

A massive lightning bolt tore through the heavens, striking the ground and sending sand and stones flying, leaving a huge crater.

“Huh? This should be my calamity—why did it strike off course?” Xu Zhe was momentarily stunned.

Mo Shanhai’s eyes widened in disbelief.

He too sensed the calamity’s power was not overwhelming—it bore the aura of a forty-ninth heavenly calamity.

But he had never heard of a calamity striking askew before.

What kind of luck was this?

Was enduring a calamity ever so effortless?

“Wait, something’s wrong...”

At that moment, Xu Zhe’s expression shifted as he sensed something, staring at the sky in shock.

The cloud of calamity above him churned violently, growing ever larger, blotting out the sun and sky.

Lightning flashed brilliantly within the clouds.

Gradually, the lightning’s color shifted from pale blue to purple.

“This… is the Purple Cloud Thunder Calamity?”

Mo Shanhai recognized the calamity, his face going blank.

This was recorded only in the old notes left by their ancestors—the Purple Cloud Thunder Calamity, reserved for those whom Heaven could not tolerate.

Ordinary calamities tested cultivators, but the Purple Cloud Thunder Calamity was different. It was said to be sent by Heaven to purge evil that should not remain in the world.

In other words, Xu Zhe was someone Heaven could not accept.

Mo Shanhai laughed bitterly at this thought.

“Ha ha ha ha…”

His wild, triumphant laughter rang out across the area.

“Retribution! Ha! You beast, daring to destroy my Mo clan, now even Heaven rejects you.” He felt a grim satisfaction in witnessing his enemy’s supposed downfall.

“Head of the Mo family, I think you’re mistaken.”

Xu Zhe shook his head in surprise, bewildered. “I actually feel this calamity fears me—it seems to be struggling, unwilling to strike me.”

“???”

Mo Shanhai was stunned and looked up.

Within the clouds, the purple lightning crackled with terrifying energy.

Yet, listening to Xu Zhe, it truly seemed as if the Purple Cloud Thunder Calamity was scrambling upward, reluctant to descend.

This… is utterly bizarre!

Would the Purple Cloud Thunder Calamity fear a Golden Core stage cultivator?

Could it be any more absurd?

“I understand now.”

Xu Zhe suddenly realized.

“Heaven values life. I, Xu Zhe, have always been just and righteous, known for my integrity. I even punish the wicked and uphold justice in my spare time. Surely Heaven does not wish me harmed by this calamity, hence its reluctance.”

“…”

Mo Shanhai gaped. Were all prodigies this shameless?

“Hey, it looks like it can’t hold on—the calamity is coming.”

Suddenly, Xu Zhe raised an eyebrow.

From within the clouds, a thick purple lightning bolt pierced the void, aiming straight at Xu Zhe.

He immediately shifted his body, trying to evade.

But the “Righteous Qi Demon-Sealing Scripture” within him activated suddenly. His spiritual energy grew wildly restless, even seeming to carry a hint of… excitement?

“What’s happening?”

Xu Zhe was startled and confused.

It was one thing for the scripture to react to poisonous pills, but why did it respond even more strongly to this Purple Cloud Thunder Calamity?

What was it trying to do?

“Ha ha ha, Xu Zhe, die!”

Mo Shanhai suddenly swung a palm, blocking Xu Zhe’s retreat, laughing loudly.

Xu Zhe paid no mind and had no intention of fleeing.

For he did not need Mo Shanhai to block his path—the spiritual energy inside him was now out of control, surging wildly, eager to flow outward and meet the purple lightning.

Boom—

At last, the enormous purple lightning struck Xu Zhe like a spear of thunder.

The blazing light flooded the surroundings.

Xu Zhe trembled, pores dilated, feeling the thunder’s power surge into him, ravenously consumed under the control of the “Righteous Qi Demon-Sealing Scripture.”

The lightning soon dimmed. Mo Shanhai stared dumbfounded as Xu Zhe remained unscathed.

“How… is this possible?” he gasped in disbelief.

Such a potent calamity—even he was uncertain if he could escape unharmed. Yet this Golden Core cultivator stood firm, completely unharmed?

“Uh, I think I just figured out why the calamity won’t strike me...”

Xu Zhe awkwardly rubbed his nose.

He smiled faintly, a mixture of shyness, embarrassment, and awkwardness in his expression.

“Seems my cultivation technique treats this calamity as food.”