Translator: Transn  Editor: Transn

As Qing Feng and Ming Yue looked at the Celestial Punishment Palace with radiant faces, the Emperor Baiqi kept silent. Seeing Zhou Bao place the Celestial Punishment Palace in his palm, he knew he waited for the price.

"You may rest a.s.sured, King Wuyang! We pract.i.tioners emphasize Karma. We won't obtain your Celestial Punishment Palace for free. This Sacred Fire Bead is a rare, ancient treasure produced from the essence of fire. It contains a piece of the Sky-burning Golden Flame which is one of the nine kinds of Heavenly Fire, and which matches your Heavenly Fairy Weapon. It's not inferior to a Heavenly Fairy Weapon. What do you think?"

"Sacred Fire Bead and Sky-burning Golden Flame?" Zhou Bao said in astonishment, closely staring at the pigeon egg size of the golden red sacred bead in the Emperor Baiqi's hand.

The entire Sacred Fire Bead presented golden red, looking like blazing fire held together at a single point, and in the center of the flame, a golden flame of solidification.

As the fire burned, a warm breath filled the air.

Sensing the warmth, the Furnace of Immortality on his waist became unsteady, and the Tusita Fire inside beated as the Ancient Black Flame danced gaily, as if craving something.

"What a bunch of tough guys!"

Zhou Bao sighed in his heart. Then he smiled broadly and accepted it without hesitation. "Thank you, Your Majesty!" He took over the Sacred Fire Bead, and at the same time handed over the Celestial Punishment Palace to the Emperor Baiqi.

Seeing Zhou Bao so readily hand over the Celestial Punishment Palace, Qing Feng and Ming Yue exchanged greatly relieved looks.

"Well, senior brothers, I've given it to you, and fulfilled my job."

The Emperor Baiqi said with a smile and sighed in relief before putting the Celestial Punishment Palace into Ming Yue's hand.

"Thank you, junior brother. Thank you, King Wuyang!" Both of them beamed.

"Having looked forward to it for so many years, I did not expect to obtain it so easily. I am humbled," Qing Feng sighed, his voice full of grat.i.tude.

Ming Yue was soberer than Qing Feng. Recovering from his ecstasy, he asked quietly, "King Wuyang, what are your plans for the future?"

"Oh, I still want to return to the Heaven Realm, but now the Heaven Realm World is a mess. G.o.d knows how this is going to end. I will walk around and practice in the Void Universe and make a decision after it's completely settled."

To walk around in the Void Universe!

A good idea indeed. As the saying went, it was better to travel ten thousand miles than to read ten thousand books. With his current cultivation, it was difficult for him to make further advance. To improve the cultivation required not only the enhancement of Dharma power, but also the elevation of the state of the mind. And the state of the mind could not be enhanced with closed-door training, which took a long time to experience and temper. To walk around was an excellent choice to improve his state of mind.

But Qing Feng and Ming Yue both frowned.

"King Wuyang, that's a good idea in normal times, but I'm afraid it's not a good idea currently."

Looking at their strange expressions, Zhou Bao s.h.i.+vered in his heart. Then he smiled and asked, "Oh, it's not a good idea now? How so?"

"Things are different now!" Qing Feng smiled bitterly, "You're a genius. But it cannot explain the fact that you've obtained such a considerable achievement in such a short period of time. The only reasonable explanation is that you are a Tribulation Taker!"

"So what?"

"The Tribulation Taker cannot escape. I think you're well aware that it's not an ordinary tribulation this time. So you are trying to run away, aren't you?"

"Yes, I'm just trying to run away," Zhou Bao nodded. There was nothing to be ashamed of by running away.

"You can't escape it. The Void Universe appears large, but sometimes it seems small. Even if you ran to the edge of it, you still had to undergo the tribulation, not to mention you cannot run very far!" Qing Feng shook his head, and continued, "The only way to get rid of the tribulation is to endure it. You aren't free of it if you don't undergo it!"

"Really?"

"We don't have to dream such things up. This tribulation isn't related to Fifth Manor. When we successfully undergo the Earthly Immortal Tribulation and accomplish the Earthly Immortals' Great Way, Fifth Manor of Longevity Mountain will leave this Void Universe and no longer interfere in affairs of this Void Universe. We're telling you this to pay you back." Qing Feng faintly said, "It's truly troublesome for you to run away before the tribulation comes. Before the tribulation, the Tribulation Taker will have great luck to gain major benefits, which is the key to rid yourself of the tribulation. If you leave now, these benefits and great luck may disappear. You'll be in big trouble when you face the tribulation!"

"There is such a thing?" Zhou Bao paused for a moment. He had never heard of it.

"These are all the things that we've learned after so many tribulations. A Tribulation Taker who desires to rid himself of the tribulation must obey the destiny. No one going against the destiny, or tries to escape by playing petty tricks, meets a good end!"

"You mean… I have to go back to the Heaven Realm World?"

"Not necessarily. No one knows when the tribulation will arrive. This is a delicate moment. The Heaven Realm World is the key to this tribulation. But both the Holy Alliance and the Central Star Area will be swept up in the tribulation, and so will the pract.i.tioners here. So, you can undergo the tribulation here too. Now the battle for the Heaven Realm World is in full swing. It's a good idea to step back and watch it," the Emperor Baiqi said, "You can stay in the Seven Mysteries World as long as you want."

"Ah?" Zhou Bao looked up at him, not understanding the meaning of his last sentence.

"You don't have to be oversensitive, King Wuyang. When my senior brothers achieve the Earthly Immortal's Great Way, I will leave the Void Universe with them and meet together with other senior and junior brothers. By then I'll have nothing to do with the Seven Mysteries World. Besides, I can't take people with me when I leave, and none of my disciples are qualified to inherit everything I have here. Once I am gone, my power will inevitably be usurped by others. It's better to leave them all to you than to leave them to Hulong!"

Looking at the Emperor Baiqi, Zhou Bao blinked fiercely. He thought of the Emperor of Netherworld. Although their reasons were different, the Emperor of Netherworld gave Zhou Bao his Netherworld Heaven and Reincarnation Scroll after a few words just like what Emperor Baiqi did now.

"Now he wants to give me his power in the Seven Mysteries World. What exactly are these guys plotting?"

Zhou Bao's experience bowed compared to theirs, so he couldn't guess what they meant. However, he knew the reasons they left so many things to him were not as simple as they let on.

'One said he could not use this thing; the other said he didn't need that thing."

"You can collect it or keep it as a souvenir. Why do you have to give it away?"

"Don't be suspicious, King Wuyang. We really mean no harm!"

"I know you mean no harm, but you're always so secretive. Tell me about the Tribulation Taker."

"No one knows all about the Tribulation Taker. But from the Primordial Origin to the present day, numerous tribulations and chaos between heavens and earth shaped the order and spectacle of the current Void Universe. After so many tribulations, we have acc.u.mulated some experience to go through the tribulation."

"Some experience to go through the tribulation?" Zhou Bao said, stroking his chin in intrigue.

'Yes, from countless tribulations over countless years. The most effective way to go through the tribulation between heaven and earth is to hide. Finding an unoccupied, perfectly safe place to hide and wait for the tribulation to pa.s.s is arguably the most effective way, but it's not easy to do it. There are many temptations before tribulations. It is almost impossible to hide if you cannot resist this temptation and get caught up in Karma. Even if you think you are hiding well, you may be involved in something because of a very accidental factor and eventually die in a tribulation. Another way is to take the initiative to undergo tribulations. Then you have to be prepared for the tribulation. In addition, you need to have extremely strong calculation ability and confidence, so that you can easily go through the tribulation. In fact, the most effective way to take the initiative is to find a Tribulation Taker. The Tribulation Taker is the most special group in tribulations. Their most striking feature is that they gain numerous benefits before the tribulation and rise in an extremely short time. It takes the Tribulation Taker only a few hundred years, decades years, even several years to complete the practice that would take ordinary people thousands of years to complete, just like you!"

"Yes, just like me." After listening to the Emperor Baiqi, Zhou Bao already determined he was a Tribulation Taker. After all, he could not get so many benefits for nothing.

"If you are with a Tribulation Taker and have a good relations.h.i.+p with the person, you will be affected by the person's fortune, which is very helpful to go through your tribulation. And there is another way: to be the mortal enemy of the Tribulation Taker. In this way, you can kill the person, inherit the person's fortune, or even become a Tribulation Taker and obtain great benefits. Moreover, it is easier for such people to rid themselves of the tribulation than for ordinary Tribulation Takers. Relative to the obtained fortune and benefits, the risk is almost negligible. We chose the first one, while Hulong chose the second one."

"Hulong desires to be a Tribulation Taker? Why?"

"Fortune and misfortune depend on each other. The Tribulation Taker faces a tribulation, but isn't it a chance?"