Chapter 386: No Way Out

"Huh? They're just letting us walk away?" The Drunken Sword Taoist said in disbelief.

Wait, weren’t they going to kill us?

He’d already braced himself for death, hearing that if he died now, the future rewards would be mind-blowing!

Mingfo Temple remained silent. Talking was pointless now—only higher-realm negotiations and passing word down could fix this.

There was no other way. No one in the Fifth Heaven’s Celestial Gate would negotiate with them, especially after they’d killed their men.

However, Fa Ming reached out to Lu Ye via the Sound Transmission Stone.

Lu Ye, unsurprisingly, ignored it.

He hadn’t answered when Celestial Gate members died—why would he now?

All he cared about was training—hardcore, nonstop training.

With the Endless Secret Treasure, Lu Ye was outperforming even the Endless Emperor’s revival.

Lu Ye went all-in, burning through his strongest divine skills to boost his training.

As Lu Ye’s silence dragged on, Mingfo Temple grew increasingly nervous.

They knew Lu Ye wasn’t dead—or quitting.

He was biding his time, building power for a killing strike.

The question was: when would he strike?

They hoped the higher realms could talk Lu Ye down, but the Celestial Gate claimed they couldn’t contact him.

The Buddhists saw through the stall tactic—but they were powerless.

The pressure on Mingfo Temple was crushing.

So they hatched a plan: Ascension!

After all, Lu Ye didn’t know everyone in Mingfo Temple. Ascending would wipe the slate clean.

Thus, an Arhat stepped up, triggering his tribulation!

Under the stars, the Arhat blazed with golden light, calling down the heavenly trial.

A thunderous boom shook the cosmos.

"Drip, sister!"

The voice of little Providence rang in Lu Ye’s mind.

"Ding, action permitted!"

"Drip, received!"

Lu Ye’s eye gave a tiny flicker.

"What are you two up to now?"

"Psst, sister said they bullied me!" the voice of Providence chimed.

"Who bullied you?" Lu Ye raised an eyebrow.

"Ding, the bald ones!"

The Buddhists, huh...

So now, the people from Mingfo Temple have begun their tribulation.

Unfortunately, they’re facing a system that loves stirring the pot and a manipulated Providence.

That’s right!

When you killed the people of *Tianmen*, Providence could only muster a single thunderclap.

But now, you’re facing your tribulation!

As the tribulation clouds boiled in the starry sky, vast black clouds churned and spread violently.

The tribulation’s crushing force enveloped the cosmos, and the Arhat’s golden aura grew dim under the boundless black clouds.

The Arhat, witnessing the tribulation clouds, his face drained of color.

Wait... This isn’t right, is it?

He had a clear understanding of his own strength.

Middle-of-the-pack, just an above-average cultivator in talent, foundation, and combat ability.

No genius, no freak of nature—the world wouldn’t miss him. So why was he facing such an overwhelmingly powerful tribulation?

"CRACK!"

A thunderclap roared.

Purple lightning struck the Arhat mercilessly. The first tribulation was a waterfall of violet lightning, its terrifying force enough to make your hair stand on end.

The Arhat roared in defiance!

He resisted with all his might, but the second bolt of Tribulation Lightning emerged—denser and darker.

Dark!

Deep purple!

Though not fully formed, the raw, suffocating pressure left the Arhat in complete hopelessness.

Why?

Why was this happening?

How could...

Suddenly, he remembered the thunder that had cracked out of nowhere when Mingfo Temple killed Guanzhi Taoist.

It was Providence—Providence had its eye on him!

But Providence is impartial!

Why has Providence become like this now?

Providence!

"Providence!"...

Arhat let out an anguished howl.

KABOOM!

He could no longer withstand the seventh Tribulation Lightning and was utterly annihilated.

Just the seventh one.

"Drip, sister, he's angry!"

"Ding, of course he's angry."

"Drip, not good?"

"Ding, I'm fine!"

"Drip... then me?"

"Ding, you're fine too!"

"Drip, I'm fine too!"

Mingfo Temple has lost its mind now.

They knew all too well the strength of that Arhat who just faced the heavenly tribulation—how could he provoke such a heavenly tribulation?

This is vengeance!

Does the Heavenly Gate possess the power to influence the might of the tribulation, or is Providence itself taking action?

Either way, after this incident, one thing is clear—their path to ascension has also been cut off!

Crushing despair enveloped countless Buddhist disciples.

Ahead lies an impossible tribulation, and behind them is Lu Ye, closing in fast.

The Mingfo Temple is done for, completely done for.

"Reach out to the Upper Realm immediately! Push for negotiations now! We are willing to make any concession! All problems stem from Fa Hui—let the culprit face justice. We can hand over Fa Hui now!"

"Hurry, reach out to the Upper Realm!"

"Urge them!"

They truly have no way out now.

The entire time, Lu Ye hasn't even fought them in a direct confrontation, yet they are already completely routed.

...

The Fourth Heavenly Realm.

Both Shangguan Huanling and Sun Ruowei were extremely diligent, cultivating at an astonishing speed, unconsciously nearing the pinnacle of the Fourth Heaven.

Shangguan Huanling had just completed her reincarnation cycles, and this time, she went through numerous cycles.

Though it was only about the same number of cycles as an ordinary Reincarnation Realm Cultivator would experience, but remember—who is she?

She was Shangguan Huanling!

For her to be "normal" compared to ordinary people was already her greatest abnormality.

"Finally finished cultivating the Reincarnation Realm. So tiring!"

Shangguan Huanling couldn't help but stretch lazily, her perfect figure fully visible.

Sun Ruowei had undergone the Reincarnation Realm alongside Shangguan Huanling. She was stubbornly persistent—as long as she could bear it, she would persist to the best of her ability. However, between cycles, she could still chat with Shangguan Huanling.

"What did you experience in your cycles?" Sun Ruowei asked curiously.

Shangguan Huanling thought for a moment.

"I can't remember most of it, but throughout my cycles, I was always searching for *Brother Lu Ye*."

Sun Ruowei fell silent.

So that was why she could endure so many cycles?

"How many cycles did Lu Ye go through in his past life?"

During this period, even with Bai Qiulan's demise and Yue Hongling occasionally falling into madness, Sun Ruowei still lived relatively comfortably.

Because when Shangguan Huanling had something to say, she truly spoke her mind.

Basically, whatever Sun Ruowei asked, Shangguan Huanling would answer.

Sun Ruowei had gobbled up too much gossip about Lu Ye's past life.

Originally, the revelation that Lu Ye was the Celestial Lord had already sated her curiosity, but who’d say no to more drama? It was just that Shangguan Huanling... even though she had experienced many things, she was clueless about what really happened. So when she talked about them, she’d give hazy answers—like this one...

Shangguan Huanling thought hard before responding.

"No clue! *Brother Lu Ye* never said!"

It was at this moment that a figure was searching every corner of the Fourth Heaven, searching for any sign of Yue Hongling.