We Agreed On Experiencing Life, So Why Did You Immortals Become Real? Chapter 367: If There Were No You, What Meaning Would Ten Thousand Years of Life Have?

A basin situated in the outskirts of Qin Kingdom's imperial capital.

This spot lay far from civilization, sunken in elevation, encircled by lofty mountain peaks on all sides, serving as a natural convergence point for spiritual energy.

To Xiao Mo, it proved an ideal location for facing his tribulation into Nascent Soul.

Among cultivators, a common saying went, "Only by forming a Golden Core do you become one of our kind."

Besides that, cultivators often said, "Only when you break the core to form Nascent Soul do you become an immortal."

For most cultivators, reaching Nascent Soul marked the pinnacle of their cultivation journey.

Thus, attaining Nascent Soul equated to true immortality.

After all, Nascent Soul realm experts could found their own sects and earn the title of "Ancestor," whereas Golden Core cultivators typically held only elder positions in sects.

Though Qin Kingdom waged fierce wars against other nations, battlefields hosted not just Nascent Soul realm cultivators but even those from the Upper Three Realms. Yet these powerhouses were nurtured by the combined might of entire nations, with few existing per country.

For the seven great nations like Qin Kingdom, Nascent Soul realm cultivators totaled no more than thirty.

Upper Three Realms cultivators were even rarer.

Across the seven nations, no single country boasted more than ten Jade Simplicity realm cultivators. Immortal realm and Ascension realm ones were scarcer still.

Typically, Upper Three Realms experts only acted at their ruler's behest during all-out national wars.

Moreover, they usually clashed one-on-one with enemy counterparts from the Upper Three Realms. They avoided plunging deep into the fray whenever possible.

Battlefields bore heavy karma, after all. Few cultivators wished to tangle with it excessively.

Should the Heavenly Dao detect heavy karma during one's later tribulation and unleash two extra lightning strikes, the cost would prove too high.

Of course, for a Jade Simplicity realm frontier commander like Xiao Shi, karma meant nothing.

To such figures, karma was just something to shatter with blade, sword, or spear. But for now, Xiao Mo harbored few ambitions about entering the Upper Three Realms.

His immediate goal was surviving this Nascent Soul tribulation.

After arranging the formation in the basin, Xiao Mo verified that all his pills were in order.

He paid special attention to those restoring blood energy.

For martial cultivators, blood energy replenishment pills held vital importance.

Satisfied that nothing was amiss, Xiao Mo commenced his tribulation.

A deafening rumble echoed as dark clouds blanketed the sky overhead, bolts of lightning ripping across the heavens.

From outside the valley, Qin Siyao observed the distant sky's turmoil, her lips pressed thin. Her delicate hands balled into tight fists. She appeared utterly tense, as though she herself faced the tribulation.

Meanwhile, fierce winds swept toward the imperial city.

Countless commoners in Qin Kingdom's capital lifted their gazes toward the outskirts.

Within the imperial palace, the Qin Kingdom’s ruler looked up, staring past the capital.

"Your Majesty, this is..." Empress Shi approached the Qin Kingdom’s ruler.

"I wonder which cultivator is facing tribulation beyond the city." The Qin Kingdom’s ruler stroked his beard, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Rumble!"

A lightning bolt descended from above, hurtling toward Xiao Mo.

Xiao Mo gripped his long spear and thrust forward.

"Roar!"

Spear qi morphed into a dragon.

A massive silver dragon lunged at the lightning tribulation.

The silver dragon engulfed the lightning entirely.

The Heavenly Dao seemed provoked. Thunder in the skies intensified beyond before.

"Boom!" Another peal crashed down, infused with heavenly might, intent on pulverizing Xiao Mo.

Xiao Mo faced it fearlessly, confronting the lightning head-on.

One strike.

Two strikes.

Three strikes.

Each successive lightning bolt packed greater power.

Following nine straight strikes, the dense clouds overhead began to scatter. Qin Siyao finally exhaled in relief.

In recent days, she had pored over texts on Nascent Soul tribulations, learning it comprised two phases.

One was the heart tribulation.

The other, the lightning tribulation.

Though martial Dao cultivators skipped the heart tribulation, the lightning one was no simple matter.

Nascent Soul lightning tribulations ranged from five to nine bolts.

The Heavenly Dao tailored the trial's severity to one's talent and strength.

With nine bolts endured, Xiao Mo's ordeal should have ended.

As Qin Siyao moved to congratulate him, Huasheng seized her wrist. "Princess, hold on a moment."

"Sister Huasheng, what is it?" Qin Siyao inquired, puzzled.

"Princess, look up."

Huasheng frowned, gesturing skyward.

Qin Siyao glanced up, seeing the fading thunderclouds reforming, thickening ominously.

"What in the world is this..." Qin Siyao's eyes quivered.

The overwhelming pressure choked even her breath.

"This is the fabled Ten String Tribulation." Huasheng's eyes sharpened, feeling the aura that could swallow heavens and earth.

"Ten String Tribulation?" Qin Siyao was unfamiliar with it.

"I learned of the Ten String Tribulation in my youth from the clan leader. Legends claim it appeared in the divine beings' era, when spiritual energy brimmed most abundantly.

Heaven's chosen from humans or demons forming Nascent Soul faced the Heavenly Dao's harshest trial: the Ten String Tribulation.

Young Master Xiao fears..."

"No!"

Qin Siyao gripped her fists hard, cutting Huasheng off.

"Xiao Mo won't fail. He'll succeed for sure. He promised me!"

Overhead, the lightning continued brewing, power mounting without release.

At that moment, Nascent Soul and Upper Three Realms consecrated experts from the capital arrived near the basin.

Drawn by the Dao resonance from the Ten String Tribulation, they sought insights.

They also burned with curiosity over whether the tribulant would prevail.

Regrettably, the formation and tribulation's veil hid the man's features, denying them a glimpse of this prodigy.

As thunder roared ever louder, threatening to sunder mountains and rivers.

Suddenly, the sky's din vanished.

The world plunged into profound silence, as if time and all creation stood frozen.

"BOOM!!!"

After three breaths, the roar erupted anew.

Cloud layers parted. A woman sat kneeling amid them, qin zither across her lap, peering down at Xiao Mo.

She resembled a goddess overlooking an insect, yet Xiao Mo knew she was no deity.

Deities had vanished eons ago.

This figure was the great Dao's incarnation!

"Zheng!"

Zither notes pealed.

The melody summoned thousands of troops and steeds, charging at Xiao Mo.

Xiao Mo charged skyward undaunted, carving through the horde alone.

Next, the zither shifted tune, unleashing ten thousand great demons into the fray.

Ten breaths on, the notes altered again. Ten thunder-forged flood dragons snapped at the defiant man.

Fourth change: lightning turned to golden radiance enveloping the thunder-spawned humans, demons, and dragons, their blood energy surging wildly as if alive—yet Xiao Mo pressed on toward the "divine maiden."

The maiden's zither quickened. The legions assailed more ferociously!

Ten changes in total.

The tenth summoned ten deities towering above, surveying mortals. Divine pressure bore on Xiao Mo's shoulders, echoing for thousands of li.

"Dong!"

In the capital, the city's grand formation activated autonomously, nullifying the Dao's divine might—yet beyond the walls, all save Qin Siyao and Upper Three Realms experts knelt, heads to ground.

The Dao's divine pressure weighed like a mountain, stifling Xiao Mo's breath—still, he lifted his head, straightened, and rushed the qin woman.

The ten "deities" struck.

Their forms dissolved into a golden long spear, piercing for Xiao Mo's heart.

Xiao Mo couldn't evade, nor did he wish to.

Channeling every shred of spiritual energy, he flung his spear!

It became silver-white light streak, surging upward to clash with the golden spear.

Cataclysmic spiritual ripples exploded outward.

Thunder ravaged everywhere. Peaks crumbled under bolts, rocks tumbled, earth quaked.

Twenty full breaths later, thunder faded. Black clouds parted. Calm returned.

Only the man's Heaven and Earth Law Form, hundreds of zhang tall, rose from the peaks, overlooking the capital.

"This is the Frost Prince!"

"The Frost Prince is undergoing tribulation!"

"Has the Frost Prince achieved Nascent Soul?"

"The Frost Prince isn't even thirty, is he? Never heard of such a young Nascent Soul cultivator."

"Worthy of the Frost Prince indeed!"

"I may not be his main wife, but if only he'd take me as concubine..."

In the capital, all beholding the Heaven and Earth Law Form knew the Frost Prince had broken through to Nascent Soul.

"This young one never ceases to surprise."

In the palace, the Qin Kingdom’s ruler grinned pleasedly, turned away, and headed to the imperial study.

"Congratulations to the Frost Prince!"

Near the basin, cultivators bowed deeply.

They hadn't anticipated the Frost Prince's tribulation here.

"You honor me too much." Xiao Mo's Heaven and Earth Law Form bowed in return.

Instantly, the Law Form dissolved into light specks.

With one step, Xiao Mo exited the basin, arriving before the woman who thought of him endlessly.

"You succeeded?" Qin Siyao's eyes crinkled happily.

"Mm, I did." Xiao Mo nodded. "Sorry for worrying you earlier."

"I wasn't worried one bit. I knew you'd pull through." Qin Siyao smiled softly. "Still, I must cultivate harder too. You've formed Nascent Soul; I need at least a Golden Core. Or else, my lifespan won't keep pace with you, and other women might slip in."

"Leaving aside other women, with your talent, Siyao, Nascent Soul is within reach. You're just too idle usually." Xiao Mo chuckled, flicking her forehead.

"I'm not idle. I just dislike cultivation..." Qin Siyao rubbed her brow.

"What do you mean dislike cultivation." Xiao Mo shook his head helplessly. "Haven't you considered Ascension? Forget other perks, Ascension realm offers tens of thousands of years of life."

"If you reach Ascension, I'll strive for it too." Qin Siyao clung to his arm.

"And if I don't?" Xiao Mo teased smilingly.

"Then naturally, I won't either."

Qin Siyao met her beloved's gaze, beaming sweetly.

"What's tens of thousands of Ascension years worth?

Without you, even ten thousand years would hold no joy for me."