Dual Cultivation God Returns

Chapter 243 Heavenly Punishment

He was not a skilled alchemist so he could not properly refine the ingredients, however it was not like he did not have a trick up his sleeve. On their own these medicines would not have much of an effect but when combined they gave off a reaction to each other.

In addition, several formation patterns out of many he set around Nie Changsheng helped Wu Long not only ensure his soul would not collapse, but also precisely monitor soul fluctuations so that he could adjust the level of pain he inflicted just right.

However, the Path of Extremes in the end was not something a practitioner in Nine Mortal Realms could withstand, so he knew that there was a limit he could go to. Normally, he would not go past the first gate since the gates of the Path of Extreme were correlated to entire Paths of the Seven Paths of Pleasure. To withstand the first gate one must be able to withstand all ten gates of the first path, the Path of Mortal Pleasure, which was the limit for someone in Nine Mortal Realms.

But to Wu Long's surprise and then slight shock, the readings of the formation he set up showed him that he could go on to the second gate and then third, which was mind-boggling. As Wu Long approached the fourth gate, the fluctuations of the Imperial Prince's soul finally showed the signs of instability it should have shown when approaching the first gate. However, the readings he got from the formation were extremely strange, as the eerie feeling Wu Long got when he looked at the man intensified.

Wu Long made hand seals and Soul Power went from his Niwan Palace weaving in profound ways and forming thin threads as it approached the prince. But as he touched upon Nie Changsheng's Niwan Palace, he noticed something wrong. His Soul Sea was unstable as if a storm was wreaking havoc unlike the last time, but that was normal due to the state he was currently in, what Wu Long noticed that he failed before, was that as the storm raged and the Soul Sea was covered in large waves it was revealed to be unbelievably shallow, and underneath it was a surface like a mirror that made an illusion of depth a normal person would possess.

Wu Long furrowed his eyebrows as he observed this strange phenomenon, something he not only never witnessed but had never even heard of. He had a guess that this was why Nie Changsheng was able to hold on for so long. After some time cracks started appearing on the mirror-like surface, and a blinding light shone within as Wu Long quickly retrieved his Soul Power. He looked with wide eyes at the man whose eyes shone with golden light as profound symbols shone in them. There was a chanting of many voices, male and female, like murmurs of a thousand ghosts coming from the mouth of Nie Changsheng.

He then heard a roaring sound of thunder as Spiritual Qi in the area was agitated, turning into a Spiritual Qi storm. Wu Long's eyes flashed with profound light as he looked up and his pupils shrank as a shiver went through him.

"What the-..."

*BOOM!!!*

A flash of divine light with an deafening explosive sound illuminated the Imperial Capital momentarily turning the night streets brighter than day, and then disappeared as heavy thunder clouds were swirling in the night sky.

"Young Master!!!"

"Boss!!!"

Butler Bang and Old Yen were the first to open the door to the room that now had almost no roof, parts of it on fire as smoke filled it along with a nauseating smell of cooked human flesh. Thick arcs of electricity ran about in the smoke, barring the two from entering.

"Wu Long!!!"

Ye Ling appeared in a flash with one step later than the two who were closest to the room.

The grim thunder clouds swirling above still flashed with arcs of lightning as roaring thunder filled the hearts of people in the Capital with a primal dread, but the intensity was gradually dying down and in mere moments the clouds dispersed, as quickly as they appeared leaving a clear starry night sky.

"I'm ok"

Wu Long's voice resounded in the smoke when the arcs of electricity became thinner and less frequent as he emerged, his right hand charred black as the clothes on his right side were reduced to ashes and loose threads.

"...! Y-you're not ok! That is...!"

Ye Ling gasped when she saw him as arcs of electricity were still dancing on his charred arm that hang powerlessly on his side.

"Heh, no worries, I will be alright within a couple of days, though the arm will take a bit it will eventually also be fine"

He smiled at her and the others who quickly approached after noticing the disturbance.

"W-was that Heavenly Tribulation? ... But..."

Old Yen gulped and timidly asked with some hesitation. Heavenly Tribulation was something that every practitioner longed for and yet feared, as it was an unavoidable step between crossing Great Realms. Here in this small and isolated world, it was reduced to a legend since there were no people going past the Mortal Transcendence Realm in all of recorded history, but there was one case in which it did appear, claiming the life of an ambitious and talented man who almost succeeded in ascending to the next Great Realm, The Seven Profound Realms more than two thousand years ago.

"No, that was no Tribulation..."

Wu Long shook his head and looked up at the sky with a pondering gaze. He saw his fair share of Heavenly Tribulations, and even crossed some, but this was not something as mild-mannered as those.

"That was Heavenly Punishment"

As he said these words shivers went through everyone who gathered, as they looked at the place which was caved in, the likely epicenter of the strike where only black ashes could be seen now as everything was incinerated.

'Heh, interesting'

Wu Long thought to himself as he looked at the spot that was still slightly electrified.