Han Xuanji counted his treasures; there were over a dozen Immortal Artifacts alone, but not many of them were defensive type.
After all, most Cultivators' Natal Immortal Artifacts are either offensive or possess special functions, such as aiding in Dao comprehension or gathering spiritual Qi. Defensive Immortal Artifacts are truly rare.
"First, set up the Formation."
Han Xuanji took out numerous Formation Flags from the System space.
For this Ascended Immortal Tribulation, he planned to set up a Five Elements Heavenly Evolution Tribulation Transformation Formation.
With a thought, a set of shimmering Formation Flags floated before Han Xuanji, each emitting its unique Five Elements spiritual charm: the Blazing Fire, Earth, Geng Metal, Yi Wood, and 癸 Water Flags.
"Go!"
Han Xuanji pointed his fingers like a sword, tapping into the air.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The five main flags descended in response.
Han Xuanji's expression was solemn as he performed profound incantations, moving so quickly that he left afterimages.
As spiritual light flickered at his fingertips, hundreds of secondary Formation Flags, Formation Plates, and various spiritual materials for setting up Formations, all shimmering with strange runes, were already in place.
"Five Elements Rotation."
Han Xuanji let out a low shout.
Five-colored light instantly intertwined: Blazing Fire generated Earth, Earth nurtured Geng Metal, Geng Metal condensed 癸 Water, 癸 Water nourished Yi Wood, and Yi Wood empowered Blazing Fire.
The grand Formation was complete.
Of course, Han Xuanji's greatest trump card was himself; his Dao Heart was firm, and both his Primordial Spirit and Physical Body had undergone countless transformations.
Once everything was ready, Han Xuanji sat down cross-legged, calming his mind and Qi, awaiting the arrival of the Lightning Tribulation.
About half an hour passed like this.
Suddenly, winds and clouds gathered, and the sky darkened.
Han Xuanji slowly looked up at the sky, where dark clouds continuously converged, and faint lightning flickered within them.
Heaven envies heroes.
The better a person's Aptitude and the deeper their foundation, the more difficult the trials they often face.
He could feel that the power of this Lightning Tribulation far surpassed any of his previous Undergoing Tribulations, and it would also be much more terrifying than what others would face.
"It's coming..."
Han Xuanji slowly stood up.
The Ascended Immortal Tribulation was different from previous ones; the first wave of Lightning Tribulation targeted the Cultivator's Primordial Spirit.
To achieve Ascended Immortal status, the Primordial Spirit must undergo the baptism of Lightning Tribulation.
For many Cultivators, although the first wave of Lightning Tribulation was not the most powerful, it was the most difficult to pass.
After Cultivators reached the Body Integration Stage, although their Primordial Spirit strength would increase significantly, it was almost impossible to directly resist the Lightning Tribulation.
Therefore, many Tribulation Transcendence Realm Cultivators would try every possible way to enhance their Divine Soul strength.
Before long.
Nine golden Divine Lightning bolts, each as thick as a long Dragon and dazzling to the extreme, ignored all obstructions and struck directly at Han Xuanji's Sea of Consciousness in his glabella.
Their target was not the Physical Body, but directly the Primordial Spirit.
Boom!!!
The terrifying thunderous roar seemed to explode directly in the depths of his Soul, causing even Han Xuanji to tremble and instantly feel dizzy.
This lightning seemed to want to completely tear his consciousness apart.
This was the terrifying aspect of the Primordial Spirit Tribulation; there was no avoiding it, only enduring it head-on.
And an ordinary Tribulation Transcendence Peak Cultivator, facing such powerful Violet-Gold Divine Lightning, would likely have their Primordial Spirit dissipate instantly, leading to their demise!
As each golden Divine Lightning bolt struck, Han Xuanji's Primordial Spirit felt as if it were being repeatedly forged in a Divine Fire Furnace.
However, Han Xuanji's Primordial Spirit, after many years of cultivation and nurturing, was not easily torn apart.
Each time the Primordial Spirit's injuries reached a certain limit, a phantom of the Myriad Ancient Green Lotus would subtly manifest, suddenly blooming with clear radiance. As the clear radiance circulated, it transformed into a trickling warm current, and his Primordial Spirit quickly recovered to its original state, becoming even more stable and powerful than before.
Painful, yet joyful.
At this moment, every thought of Han Xuanji trembled within the lightning, yet was refined under the clear radiance. Every pore of his Primordial Spirit was inhaling and exhaling electric light.
This first wave of Primordial Spirit Tribulation Lightning lasted for a full hour.
Nine waves, a total of eighty-one lightning bolts.
For Han Xuanji, this was undoubtedly an ordeal.
But when the last tribulation lightning dissipated, and the pain receded like a tide, an unprecedented sense of clarity surged from the depths of his Primordial Spirit.
His Primordial Spirit was no longer purely golden, but had taken on a noble purple hue, and wisps of Green Lotus Dao patterns faintly appeared on its surface. It was as if a peerless divine iron, after being tempered a thousand times by the divine lightning, had its Impurities removed, becoming more solid and transparent, containing a trace of true "Immortal" characteristics.
Han Xuanji's Primordial Spirit had already completed its essential transformation.
"With the Primordial Spirit's transformation, a single thought can allow one's Divine Thought to roam a million li, and even if it is destroyed, it will not affect the main body."
Han Xuanji's mind stirred slightly, and his Divine Thought spread out like an invisible tide, easily covering hundreds of thousands of li.
And with a single thought, he could control his Flying Sword to take an enemy's head from a million li away.
However, Han Xuanji did not immerse himself in joy.
The tribulation clouds above his head had not dispersed; instead, their aura continued to rise.
The entire tribulation cloud suddenly turned blood-red.
In just a few breaths, the surrounding several thousand li seemed to transform into an endless abyss, as if doomsday had arrived.
This sight also startled many powerhouses in Great Xia, who flew out of their Immortal Caves in surprise and uncertainty, wanting to see which divine being had triggered such a Lightning Tribulation.
The power of this Lightning Tribulation was more exaggerated than any they had ever seen.
Everyone was very curious about who was Undergoing Tribulation.
At the same time.
A blood-red lightning bolt, over a zhang thick, plunged down. Its terrifying might caused the sky for a thousand li to tremble, as if it wanted to destroy everything around it.
"How can this Lightning Tribulation be so strong?"
Seeing this scene, countless Cultivators couldn't help but feel their scalps tingle, their hearts filled with extreme shock. They wondered, if they faced such a Lightning Tribulation during their Breakthrough, wouldn't they just be waiting for death?
Only a very few could guess that this was the Ascended Immortal Tribulation.
Even Han Xuanji's pupils constricted slightly, and he became serious.
"I'd like to see how strong it is."
With a thought.
The Five Elements Heavenly Evolution Tribulation Transformation Grand Formation manifested. As the Formation patterns circulated, the power of the Five Elements flowed endlessly, forming a soft yet gigantic five-colored glazed shield, protecting Han Xuanji within.
Within the Formation, the power of the Five Elements circulated ceaselessly, containing an inexhaustible strength.
Boom!
The blood-colored lightning struck, and the place of Undergoing Tribulation violently shook, stirring up monstrous Qi waves, as if a large mountain had fallen from the sky into a lake.
The lightning fiercely slammed into the Formation barrier, which dimmed and then tore apart.
Only then did it strike Han Xuanji, making his entire body tremble.
"Is that all?"
Han Xuanji could feel that the Heavenly Tribulation had not caused him any harm; instead, it allowed his Physical Body to grow and even gave him a deeper understanding of the Law of Lightning.
This was the Heavenly Tribulation; it had both benefits and drawbacks.
If you could withstand it, you would gain benefits.
If you couldn't, you would, of course, only die.
The reason Han Xuanji could easily gain benefits from the Heavenly Tribulation was largely due to his cultivation of the Lightning Dao and the weakening of the lightning's power; otherwise, enduring it head-on would still be very risky.
As his thoughts turned, the tribulation lightning seemed determined not to let him rest, and another bolt struck in an instant.
However, in the brief interval, the Five Elements Heavenly Evolution Tribulation Transformation Grand Formation had automatically repaired itself, and the five-colored barrier once again weakened a wave of the lightning's power.
And this time, the power of the tribulation lightning was even greater than the last.
Although Han Xuanji spoke disdainfully, his body was very honest; he did not directly endure it, but instead cast an incantation, activating various Immortal Artifacts to help share some of the pressure.