Chapter 38: Heaven Ruins, Asking the Dao Tribulation

Lu Qingyang stepped on the cracked Heaven-Ascending Steps, his fingertips entwined with cold, lead-gray tribulation ash. The Ancestral Master's remnant read that had been peeled from the Soul-Nourishing Lamp last night was surging in his Sea of Consciousness. A new crack, shaped like the Heart-Questioning Sword, had appeared on the surface of the illusory qingmu spirit pearl formed by his Divine Sense. He exhaled a breath of turbid Qi towards the sea of clouds before the steps, and the pressure of his Nascent Soul Middle Stage unexpectedly scattered the Cloud-Eating Cranes perched on the broken stele: "The way Ye Wuchen sets up formations is even more extravagant than a paper craftsman making funeral effigies."

Yinghuo's silver bell on her wrist shattered the accumulated clouds in the southeast, and nine layers of Fierce Wind rushed from the Xun position. Lu Qingyang backhanded his wine gourd towards the eye of the wind. The wind-avoiding Talismanic Incantations peeling from the gourd's surface surged upon encountering the tribulation Qi, even forming a partial chapter of the “Tai Xu Wind Manipulation Skill” in mid-air. He joined his fingers to extract three wisps of wind essence and stored them in a jade box. The hidden compartment within the box suddenly revealed star patterns: "The Talismanic Incantations refined from this Fierce Wind, when drawing Escape Armor Talismans, are much better than the black market..."

The Heart-Questioning Stele at the entrance of the Heaven Ruins suddenly trembled, and three hundred and sixty streams of Sword Qi burst forth from its inscriptions. Su Li's Puppet Silk entangled a deviating beam of sword light. The moment a silver needle pierced the sword's spine, the crumbling iron Crumbs surprisingly condensed into a half-scroll of the “Heaven Punishment Canon.” Lu Qingyang pinched the remnant page, sniffed the metallic smell, and suddenly spat a mouthful of blood towards the northwest: "These old ghosts from the Hall of Punishments in Taiyi Pavilion have more insidious methods of interrogation than Yama's Palace."

At precisely noon, the three of them stepped into the cloud formation on the outskirts of the Heaven Ruins. On the nine-turn interconnected floating platforms stood three hundred Punishment Immortal Puppets, each with a Golden Core embedded in its brow, inscribed with the character "Sin." Lu Qingyang pried off the Colored Glaze eye of one Puppet, but the crystal did not reflect cloud shadows; instead, it reflected densely packed “Heart-Questioning Incantations.” He flicked his finger towards the Puppet's ear canal, and amidst the explosive sound of gears, a scene of Ye Wuchen interrogating fellow disciples materialized.

"Seven steps from Li Palace, Kan Water suppresses evil!"

Yinghuo's chensha stone struck the Kun position array eye, temporarily stabilizing the rampaging Punishment Immortal Puppets. Lu Qingyang took the opportunity to pry open a hidden compartment on the floating platform. Inside, it didn't contain classics, but half a jar of frost-covered Forget-Sorrow Brew. He dipped his finger in the wine and drew a crooked Talismanic Incantation on a cloud brick. As the wine vaporized, it revealed the secret of the Taiyi Pavilion's first Hall of Punishments Elder gouging out eyes.

Cracks appeared in the core of the Heaven Ruins at Shen Shi (3-5 PM), with nine layers of jade gates immersed in eternal thunder and fire. Lu Qingyang picked up a wisp of tribulation lightning and pressed it against the surface of his spirit pearl. The blood patterns, upon encountering the heavenly might, surprisingly bloomed into a thousand golden lotuses. He stepped on a lotus platform and leaped towards the array's core. The tribulation-avoiding array patterns hidden in the soles of his boots reacted with the thunder and fire, and amidst the exploding electric light, a star chart depicting the fall of Xuanji City materialized.

"This deal isn't a loss!" He snatched a crumbling piece of tribulation cloud from mid-air and stuffed it into his qiankun bag. As the cloud Qi touched the blood patterns, a section of the “Heaven Punishment Array-Breaking Melody” suddenly played. Su Li's Puppet Silk opened a certain crack, revealing half of a Hall of Punishments token that fit perfectly with the jade pendant in his embrace. The cinnabar remaining on the token suddenly came alive, spreading out a vast map of the Hell Prison in his Sea of Consciousness.

At midnight, a sudden thunderstorm erupted, and ninety-nine Xuan Iron cages emerged from the depths of the Heaven Ruins. Lu Qingyang stepped on the inscriptions on the cage tops and leaped towards the Hall of Punishments. The “Heaven Punishment Canon” in his embrace suddenly ignited, and golden powder inscriptions appeared in the ashes: "When Heaven Punishment descends, it must be guided by Soul Transformation bones." He backhanded the golden powder onto the Talismanic Incantations on the hall door. The demon-suppressing patterns drawn in cinnabar suddenly wept blood, staining the entire sea of clouds red.

The murals in the Hall of Punishments suddenly twisted. Lu Qingyang slid along a gold-embellished pillar towards the epicenter. Seven layers of Profound Ice Chains bound a skeleton entwined with the Heart-Questioning Sword. The indentation at its Danzhong acupoint was surprisingly identical in shape to his spirit pearl. He pulled half of a sin-robe over his wrist. The moment the fabric touched his skin, the judgment of the Punishment Immortal suddenly boomed in his Sea of Consciousness: "Those who defy the heavenly machine shall endure nine generations of Heaven Punishment tribulation."

The entire Hall of Punishments suddenly collapsed into a tribulation cloud vortex. Lu Qingyang dragged the two of them, falling towards the Eye of Heavenly Punishment. The qingmu spirit pearl instinctively activated the “Tai Xu Swallowing Sky Skill,” devouring the chaotic tribulation Qi as cultivation resources for breaking through. At the center of the vortex, he felt a warm, smooth object—it was a measuring heaven ruler inscribed with the character "Ye." The ruler's body was mixed with Soul Transformation blood, slowly forming the eyebrows and eyes of the Hall of Punishments Ancestral Master.

At Yin Shi (3-5 AM), the drum beat three times, and the Heaven Ruins began to disintegrate. Lu Qingyang lay sprawled on the shattered Heaven-Ascending Steps. The remnant of the tribulation cloud entwined around his fingertips suddenly spoke: "The qingmu Punisher shall perish by devouring the Nine Heavens Thunder Essence." He sneered, pressing the remnant into the gap in his spirit pearl. The Dragon soul within the pearl suddenly opened its eyes, but what it spat out was not a curse, but half a line from the “Heaven Punishment Dao-Seeking Ode.”

At dawn, a sword cry that tore through the air came from the depths of the sea of clouds. Lu Qingyang backhanded the measuring heaven ruler towards the source of the sound. The ruler's body, upon encountering the Sword Qi, surged into a purple lightning coiling Dragon, splitting the pursuing Hall of Punishments Elder's Dharma Idol into charcoal. He held up the eye of the Punishment Immortal Puppet towards the spreading morning glow. What flowed within the crystal was not a residual image, but the complete qingmu spirit pearl on the forehead of the skeleton in the Profound Ice Chains.