"Heavens above!" The Wine Maniac exclaimed, witnessing the aftermath from afar.
"Was that really her breaking through a Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation, or was it just some Nascent Soul lightning tribulation? The power..."
This Heavenly Tribulation of Li Kuanghua had raged for an entire day.
The distant little fishing village itself had felt the repercussions; tempestuous winds and colossal ocean waves had lashed its shores.
The Wine Maniac, soaked to the bone outside the little tavern, had spent most of the day practically prostrated in awe and terror, feeling the raw power of the distant tribulation washing over the sea.
He vividly recalled his own breakthrough tribulation – an ordeal that had very nearly claimed his life!
And yet, he had witnessed it with his own eyes: Li Kuanghua, emerging from that cataclysmic storm, utterly and completely unscathed!
Were it not for the faint, crackling remnants of tribulation lightning still dancing around her form, the Wine Maniac would have sworn he was dreaming.
Even when Li Kuanghua returned to the little fishing village, with the transformed Crab Spirit Beast, Qing Yuan, now accompanying her, the Wine Maniac was still utterly dumbfounded.
Qingyu, however, standing next to him, displayed no trace of surprise at all.
A look of pure joy now illuminated Qingyu's face.
"With Kuanghua possessing such power," she exclaimed, "the 'Nascent Divinity List' – it must surely be within our grasp now!"
At that very instant, every Li family member who had just concluded the rites of the Year 220 Great Ceremony wore a look of fervent hope and expectation.
Li Wei himself was no different.
[System Notification: Congratulations! Your descendant, Li Kuanghua, has successfully transcended the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation and has now entered the Nascent Soul realm!]
[Family Will +1 Acquired]
[System Update (Li Kuanghua - Physique): Following the tutelage of her Master, Ye Xiu, Your descendant Li Kuanghua cultivated his Profound-rank Peak-tier cultivation technique, the 'Five Spirits Body Sculpting secret technique'.
By utilizing the supreme Five Element spirit objects to refine her physical form, she pushed her Golden Core stage body to its absolute apex. Leveraging this foundation to break through to the Nascent Soul realm, she has now acquired the Special Physique: Extreme Dao Overlord Body.]
[Physique Traits: 'Extreme Dao Overlord Body' – Baseline physical strength is pushed to its utmost limits, with no discernible weaknesses; this characteristic persists even at the Nascent Soul realm.
Upon achieving Great Completion in the 'Five Spirits Body Sculpting secret technique' and employing its core incantations, she can unleash bursts of power that are manifold multiples of her normal physical might.]
Li Wei could distinctly feel the change.
Even when Li Kuanghua had merely started the process of integrating those five elemental spirit treasures during her tribulation, her raw physical power had already eclipsed that of the renowned Abbot Wuyou from years past.
And that Abbot, mind you, was a fearsome body cultivator of such caliber that he had once survived being at ground zero of a nuclear detonation, escaping with only the loss of a single leg, relying purely on his incredible physical resilience!
The true dread of facing body cultivators lay in their overwhelming physical might and their innate resistance, rendering them virtually impervious to a myriad of conventional techniques.
The vast majority of cultivators specialize in 'spiritual energy manipulation' – spiritual energies and spiritual techniques.
Should a body cultivator ever manage to close the distance on such an opponent...
Well, all that awaits is to be pounded to death.
Yet, the true extent of Li Kuanghua's fearsomeness did not end there.
[System Update (Li Kuanghua - Second Physique): During the throes of her lightning tribulation, Your descendant Li Kuanghua ingested the Rank 7 Starforged Adamant Elixir, the Rank 6 Divine Rock Golden Eye Elixir, and the Rank 7 Mythweave Dragon Elixir.
This was further augmented by the vital essence of three hundred thousand sacrificed living beings (flesh and blood).
Through this process, she has acquired an additional Special Physique: Lightning Punishment Body.]
[Physique Traits: 'Lightning Punishment Body' – Having been forged and tempered in the crucible of the lightning tribulation, and augmented by potent spirit elixirs and vital flesh-essence, she has successfully integrated and stored the power of the tribulation lightning throughout her entire frame.
Her attacks can now be imbued with the devastating force of heavenly lightning; she possesses an innate resistance rendering her impervious to a multitude of conventional techniques; and she can unleash bursts of overwhelming physical power befitting an elite body cultivator.]
'Extreme Dao Overlord Body' and 'Lightning Punishment Body.'
Li Wei himself could no longer even begin to guess the true extent of Li Kuanghua's current physical might.
However, Li Wei was now convinced: if a Nascent Soul expert of Qing Yuan's caliber were to face the current Li Kuanghua in battle, Qing Yuan likely wouldn't even be able to lay a finger on her shadow.
Conversely, a single blow from Li Kuanghua would probably be enough to send Qing Yuan to meet his Crab Spirit Beast ancestors.
Beyond Li Kuanghua's intrinsic might as a body cultivator, the Flesh-Blood Lotus Throne at her back had also undergone a startling transformation.
[System Update (Artifact Evolution): Your descendant Li Kuanghua, upon advancing to the Nascent Soul realm, her bonded spirit artifact, the 'Rank 7 Flesh-Blood Lotus Throne' – by virtue of absorbing the vital essence of countless living beings (flesh and blood), a multitude of green crabs, and the raw power of the lightning tribulation – has undergone a significant evolution. It has now transformed into: The Rank 6 Buddha-Demon Disc.]
[Buddha-Demon Disc Abilities: Its unique Buddha-Demon energies can be channeled into the wielder's body.
Buddhist Aspect: Allows transformation into a Vajra Bodhisattva of the Buddhist Path, accompanied by sacred Sanskrit Chants, massively boosting physical defenses.
Demonic Aspect: Allows transformation into an Extreme Dao Heavenly Demon, singularly focused on destruction, capable of manifesting countless Extreme Dao Demonic Claws to annihilate foes.]
[Ultimate Fusion: When its Buddhist and Demonic energies are fully integrated, the artifact becomes the 'Divine Punishment Buddha-Demon Disc'. In this state, it can call down heavenly lightning. This lightning then infuses the wielder's body; by enduring this celestial power, the physical form is continuously, drastically augmented... until it reaches its absolute breaking point.]
Li Wei had seen it with his own eyes: that utterly terrifying form Li Kuanghua had assumed as she charged headlong into the tribulation clouds. She had absorbed the entirety of the tribulation lightning's devastating might, enduring it all!
Now, Li Wei found himself genuinely unsure. This current Li Kuanghua, whose breakthrough had been fueled by the combined resources of their entire clan, if she were to clash with Li Yunlin now, who would truly emerge victorious? Regardless, both of them were undeniably rare, monstrous talents – true freaks of the cultivation world.
"With this level of power now at their disposal," Li Wei concluded with satisfaction, "our plans can finally be set in motion."
Li Wei watched as Li Kuanghua and Qingyu walked away from the small fishing village, their backs straight and determined. A rare smile touched his lips.
Then, a new Special Event notification materialized on his system panel:
[The Nascent Divinity List Plan]
[Premise: Your descendant Li Yaotie, during his many years of drudgery in Heavenly Light Sect, has gleaned from various cultivators that attaining the top position on the Divine Infant Ranking garners significant favor from the Imperial Dynasty and prompts numerous powerful factions to attempt recruitment.
Following deliberations among Li Yaowen, Li Tianyue, and Li Changsheng, your clan has resolved that Li Kuanghua shall aim for this Number One spot.
The ultimate goal is to leverage the resulting prestige and access to infiltrate Heavenly Light Sect and covertly spirit Li Yaotie away!]
For all these years, Li Yaotie had lived under the constant surveillance of numerous Capital factions. Because of this, he'd had no opportunity whatsoever to focus on his cultivation breakthroughs, nor to openly practice his artifact forging.
That array disc Kuanghua now possessed – Li Yaotie had only managed to create it through painstaking, clandestine effort under immense duress.
What's more, Li Yaowen had previously detected that, beyond the gates of Heavenly Light Sect, avatars of Venerable Tian Xing himself were also monitoring Li Yaotie's activities.
Li Yaotie had already attained the skill level of a Rank 6 Artifact Refiner; rescuing him from the Heavenly Light Sect would, at the same time, significantly bolster the clan's overall capabilities!
Should Li Kuanghua succeed in claiming the top spot on the Nascent Divinity List, numerous opportunities would undoubtedly open up for her to access Heavenly Light Sect and extract Li Yaotie.
And if she were to fail... Even in failure, Li Kuanghua's growth to her current formidable state would, in itself, not be a net loss for the clan.
After all, as the Li family had learned through long and bitter experience, the future was ever unknowable.
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