Chapter 129: The Trial of the Heavenly Dao

“Alright, alright! It’s just an ordinary Isatis root, and it’s not like we don’t have any! Although I, Ye Qiu, have a dark reputation, I’m no miser. I’ve got plenty of medicine...” After hesitating for a while, Ye Qiu waved his hand decisively. Forget it. Since it’s already eaten, what good is regretting it now? He might as well be generous and leave a good impression—at least he couldn’t let anyone see that he was begrudging the herbs.

Watching Qingcheng devour the Isatis root ravenously, Ye Qiu felt increasingly pained. “Ah! My Isatis root—it’s gone!”

“Hmm...”

Just as he was feeling sorry, Ye Qiu suddenly realized something and asked with curiosity, “That kid just said this Isatis root was called something like ‘Nine Springs Returning Spirit Herb,’ right? If I remember correctly, its main effects are supposed to be clearing heat and detoxifying, cooling the blood and benefiting the throat. Is it really that miraculous? The name sounds like it could even bring the dead back to life...”

Ye Qiu was dumbfounded. Could it be that after this thing became sentient, its power skyrocketed? Well, that was actually possible—after all, have you ever seen an Isatis root that could run away? Probably not. Ye Qiu had seen one, and yesterday he had personally captured it, which had exhausted him. That creature was slippery as it darted about, spinning Ye Qiu around until he finally forced it into submission with the fiery power of the Devouring Sky Sparrow.

After Qingcheng swallowed the Isatis root, a faint red glow began to emanate from his body, as if his entire being was aflame. The power within the root stirred inside him, boiling up and unlocking the bloodline seals that had imprisoned him.

“Whoa... it’s showing red! From my years of gaming experience, red means legendary—this round is guaranteed...”

Watching Qingcheng cultivate filled Ye Qiu with excitement. Wasn’t this far more thrilling than the passion in Boruto’s story?

Suddenly, Qingcheng let out a piercing scream. The power within him seemed to reach its limit and then burst forth violently. Ye Qiu was caught off guard and was pushed back by a gust of fierce wind, but once he recovered, the wind no longer posed a threat.

The commotion attracted the attention of the Devouring Sky Sparrow, which fluttered over only to be blown away by the storm before it could land.

“Damn!”

The Devouring Sky Sparrow cried out in confusion. What was going on?

After all, it was a great ancient beast of the wilderness. Was it really that insignificant? Since its debut, it had either been on the receiving end of attacks or on its way to receiving them. Except for a brief moment of arrogance at the start, even a lowly small cultivator from the Heavenly Realm could now easily trample it.

“Wait, hold on... this guy actually opened the Celestial Gate? Damn, is he trying to defy heaven?”

Seeing what was happening inside, the Devouring Sky Sparrow became restless. It had hoped for a weaker opponent to bully at the tavern, but this kid suddenly went all out. Now, it had once again become the weakest there. What kind of joke was this?

On the barren plain, Qingcheng’s gust swept across the wasteland, severing the wild grass as if it were nothing. Was that the aura of a blade?

“Huh! That kid actually comprehended it?”

Ye Qiu was stunned for a moment, frowning deeply. The sharp sound of blades whistled past his ears, accompanied by booming echoes as if taunting him.

Ye Qiu paid no mind. Although the wind blades were sharp, they couldn’t harm him. He stood firm like a mountain, unmoving.

But the Devouring Sky Sparrow was not so lucky. In just three seconds, it was slashed more than ten times, nearly having its lifeline severed.

“Damn it, I’m done playing!”

The bird had wanted to get closer to see what was going on, but quickly realized it wasn’t worthy. Whatever games they played, it was always the one getting hurt.

Disheartened, the Devouring Sky Sparrow flew away to find a place to heal, quietly bearing its pain alone.

Ye Qiu paid it no mind, his gaze fixed on Qingcheng with growing amazement.

“So this is the Celestial Gate?”

His eyes locked on the wide-open gate hovering above Qingcheng’s head. Ye Qiu chuckled, never expecting the Isatis root to have such a profound effect. Just one herb had solved the troubles that had plagued Ye Qiu for days.

Indeed, Qingcheng had completely broken the taboos within his body and successfully stepped into the realm of terrestrial immortals, opening the Celestial Gate.

This was the advantage of having an innate Dao embryo. Given the right opportunity, one could ascend to the heavens in a single step—provided they survived until that moment.

Previously, the World-Ending Elder had activated Qingcheng’s bloodline and lifted his seals to consume him, unknowingly helping him instead.

Had Ye Qiu tried to do this himself, he might have killed Qingcheng, not knowing how to properly remove such taboos.

One had to admit, that kid was truly lucky. First, he escaped death, then accidentally lifted the taboo, ran into Ye Qiu, and with a little help, he was now ablaze with power.

To be precise, what Ye Qiu gave him was just icing on the cake; the real lifesaver was the World-Ending Elder—though his intentions were far from pure, it was a fortunate accident.

As Ye Qiu pondered, suddenly Qingcheng changed again. Dark clouds surged overhead, and in an instant, thunder roared across the sky.

“Damn it, he even attracted a Heavenly Tribulation?”

Ye Qiu was nearly terrified. This was the legendary Heavenly Tribulation! What kind of freak was this that could summon such a trial?

Unbelievably, in millions of years, no one in the Great Wilderness had ever drawn a Heavenly Tribulation. Qingcheng was the first.

Even mighty figures like Yue Chan and Liu Jianchen had failed to invoke one. This kid was truly defying the heavens.

The bolts of lightning crashed down like the judgment of the heavenly way, striking Qingcheng mercilessly.

Ye Qiu’s heart ached. “My god, that’s way too harsh! I couldn’t bear it, let alone him. No, this kid can’t die—who else will help me deal with the monkeys? Looks like I have to lend a hand...”

As Ye Qiu contemplated, a pen suddenly appeared in his hand, ready to act—

At that moment, a cold voice whispered beside him: “If you want him to die, then go ahead and strike.”

“Huh?”

Ye Qiu turned to see Yue Chan standing behind him, her expression grave.

He paused, then slowly withdrew his hand, puzzled. “Is there more to this than I thought?”

“This kid carries an innate Dao embryo and is a child of the Heavenly Way itself. This tribulation is the heavenly test. If he passes, his achievements will multiply infinitely, and he might even grasp the Heavenly Dao, becoming one with it. But if you intervene, the Heavenly Way will deem him cheating. Once labeled a cheater, his fate will be mercilessly erased by the heavens.”

“Damn... that’s ruthless.”

Ye Qiu was shocked and relieved that Yue Chan had arrived in time; otherwise, Qingcheng would have been finished.

Though Ye Qiu himself was unafraid, that didn’t mean Qingcheng shared his courage.

The Heavenly Way, though nominally the master of heaven and earth, no longer bound Ye Qiu once he had broken free. But Qingcheng had not reached that level, and with the innate Dao embryo inside him—a true embodiment of the heavenly way and a binding chain—he could never escape its grasp.

That was the fatal flaw of the innate Dao embryo: though it promised a great starting point and a swift ascent, it condemned one to a lifetime shackled by the Heavenly Way. Such was his destiny.