Dual Cultivation God Returns

Chapter 854: They knew now…

Dark clouds sparkling with lights of lightning were visible all around the barrier.

Seeing that there was nothing more to gain within the central ‘main treasure’ area, everyone outside collectively decided to undergo their Heavenly Tribulations.

Some simply understood there was nothing to gain, intending to leave the area and explore a bit more until the time limit after undergoing their tribulations.

Others, however, harboring resentment toward the group that took everything, were intending to wait out until the barrier comes down while having already undergone their Heavenly Tribulations and advanced into Essence Awakening Realm, their gazes incinerating Wu Long’s group.

However, as soon as the tribulations began subsiding, around the time when Wu Long’s group finished their meditating, those who turned to leave the area, for some reason stopped for a minute or two, having just moved out a bit, drawing gazes of suspicion from those who were intending to remain.

After all, if Wu Long somehow secretly communicated with them, offering some kind of benefits, they would become quite a big obstacle.

But after seemingly consulting among themselves with sound transmissions, they seemingly all decided not to continue exploring, and collectively moved West in the direction of the entrance to the Secret Realm.

—

As Gong Liwei opened her eyes, the Dao Fruit was already gone, completely absorbed.

She did not feel any different from before, as elemental attributes awakened only after entering Essence Awakening Realm, but turning to Wu Long, saw him nod with a smile, and a warm feeling spread in her as she clenched her fists, a light blush appearing from the rush of excitement.

She also felt even more grateful to Wu Long.

At the same time, Gong Liwei knew it took effort and dedication to learn control over elemental attributes. Acquiring one did not suddenly solve all of her problems, and did nothing for her talent.

Cao Xiang and Cao Mei received a lot of guidance from Wu Long about their Water element, while Xue Bing and Sui Luxiao, as well as the ladies of the Frozen Garden Palace have been practicing their control over Ice element even before having awakened it, as it was woven into their cultivation techniques.

She saw how Wei Lan struggled with her Earth element since Wu Long, having limited control over it himself, could offer limited help her with that.

So she knew, that she still had a difficult path ahead. However, what this did, was open a new path that was impossible for her before. Even if it was as difficult, it was one that offered far more in return.

Wu Long gave them time to consolidate their gains, actually encouraging them to take their time, as he concentrated, and his Nightmare Fox Mist began slowly spreading around.

It took about two hours, but after that, the tree with a massive chunk of the plateau underneath it completely disappeared when the mist began quickly fading away.

By that time the others already completed consolidating their gains, and the couple looked at the sight of the empty crater quickly filling with water with blank stares, no longer comprehending what was happening at all.

Those outside could not clearly determine it was Wu Long’s doing, so they only expressed surprise at the phenomenon, speculating it must be because the Dao Fruits were collected and the tree has served its purpose.

Meanwhile Wu Long nodded, confirming it was about time, “Now then, in about half an hour you will be able to start your Heavenly Tribulations”

“You are not… oh”, Helian Muyang first wanted to ask if he wasn’t undergoing one, and then belatedly realized Wu Long wasn’t at the peak of Mortal Transcendence Realm.

“Mm, I came in to help the ladies with me undergo theirs”, Wu Long chuckled, as the couple had dazed expressions appear on their faces again. This man was so strong even while being several Minor Realms below everyone around, no, everything about him was too strange and even bizarre.

“But isn’t this barrier going to prevent us from undergoing Heavenly Tribulations? …there is also your formation above…”, Gong Liwei looked up.

“The barrier will start dissipating soon, and in about half hour it would be enough to be broken by Tribulation Lightning if the Heavenly Daos detect your breakthroughs, and don’t worry about the formation, the Tribulation Clouds may appear as if they block the sky, but they are actually quite low, they would not intersect with the formation at all”, Wu Long replied with a smile.

They nodded, as he distanced himself from them while they prepared their mental states to undergo their tribulations.

‘Hmm, it seems everything’s proceeding well on that end, I guess we could start after about an hour and a half’, Wu Long inwardly also prepared as he checked on something.

He manipulated the formation above, readying for the time of tribulation as well, and as soon as Wu Long gave them the signal, all five released their auras of half-step Essence Awakening Realm cultivation, which instantly caused thick clouds to start forming above.

The people outside the barrier began to look active again, as they looked at that, anticipating. Their eyes filling with even more blood thirst after having been made to wait.

But as soon as the first Tribulation Lightning fell, shattering the barrier, Wu Long dropped a curtain barrier in the cylindrical shape, of only slightly smaller diameter as the dome barrier before it, causing some to smack into the walls of the barrier at full speed.

He chuckled at the comical view of flattened figures against the barrier walls, leisurely observing the tribulations for the five.

As expected, Helian Muyang was struggling with his tribulation, as was his lover, but they held hands throughout it, causing Wu Long’s eyes to reveal an unreadable look, as his smirk from witnessing the view outside disappeared.

Wu Long subtly manipulated the Tribulation Lightning with the Lightning Rune, allowing them to pass their tribulations safely.

The couple hugged with tears of joy, unable to believe they actually passed, causing smiles to appear on Gong Liwei’s and Cai Yin’s faces, while Wu Long observed them with the same unreadable expression as before.

All this while, people outside were attacking the barrier, with completely zero results, since its strength was formed with the help of the natural terrain, and thus it was basically just as powerful as the barrier of the Heavenly Daos that stood before it.

“What now?”, Hong Yue asked after the couple profusely thanked Wu Long, not knowing he actually did help them, but feeling like it would not have been possible without him even without that knowledge.

“Now, we are going for the exit…”, Wu Long nodded, and then smiled, “With a bit of a twist, as I’m going to take a parting gift from this Secret Realm”

“A… parting gift?”, Cai Yin asked, surprised, since it seemed there wasn’t really time for any more exploration, nor was the atmosphere exactly good for it with all those bloodthirsty people around them, looking at them as if they were trapped prey.

“I am going to need you all to constantly move together with me from now on”, Wu Long chuckled, “Get ready”

The five people around him had confused expressions, but nodded, as Wu Long began making hand seals, with more talismans floating around him, each talisman representing a tiny portion of an angle degree at which Lian Zhiqiu’s eyebrow would rise.

“The Great Celestial Whale World Devouring Technique”

A profound light flashed in his eyes, as many more array circles appeared around him, while the formation above glowed brighter. The curtain barrier began rapidly shrinking, allowing the delighted attackers outside to push forward toward them, tightening the encirclement that was stretched too thin before.

A black sphere started appearing near Wu Long’s two fingers pointing up in the hand seal, on the level of his mouth, and then the Sun Shadow Secret Realm’s rich and dense Spiritual Qi began forming enormous currents and streams, stretching from the furthest Eastern, Northern and Southern horizons, and rushing toward their general area where they formed massive and intense vortexes of Spiritual Qi sucked into several new glowing formation circles that appeared around the big one.

Passing through the formation, they formed a single super condensed jet stream of Spiritual Qi which rushed into Wu Long’s black sphere from straight above.

Those outside, if they were caught up near the vortexes, began suffocating and felt crushed from all sides by the over-saturated Spiritual Qi, which threatened to suck them in into the vortexes, with great hardship moving away in panicked frenzy. And those who were lucky to not be in the way moved further, realizing the danger.

All of them had horrified looks in their eyes as they glanced at Wu Long who was causing this mayhem.

However, they knew that whatever it was, could not last forever. Not to mention, he could not possibly be fine after doing all this, and thus should be vulnerable, so they remained in place.

Of course, there was now another motivation behind their targeting of Wu Long’s group, since this man was bound to have some unbelievable treasures and inheritances that would make them either rich or powerful, most likely both at the same time.

Many of those here were the people that camped around the Ancient Ruin, thinking Wu Long was likely the one who got to enter the ruin and possibly obtained some kind of treasure linked to this Secret Realm.

Thus, around an hour passed. And then a change occured, but not the one the people outside were expecting.

The massive formation above also began shrinking as Wu Long began floating up, his group closely following him as he instructed.

The curtain barrier’s lower edge then began rapidly shrinking in diameter far faster than the walls which now began bending, eventually forming a large bowl shape which continued to shrink.

And then, as Wu Long’s group began moving West, the formation circle above them which was now only a few dozen meters in diameter, lowered in altitude to be just a few meters above their heads, as well as the bowl-shaped barrier, all followed them, as did the streams of Spiritual Qi.

Those who were surrounding the barrier before no longer dared to get close to those dangerous Spiritual Qi currents which were now even more condensed around the smaller shape.

At the same time, they realized the phenomenon not only did not end, but Wu Long was going to keep it up until reaching the entrance of the Secret Realm with nothing they could do about it.

They could only float around, looking with dumbfounded gazes as Wu Long’s ‘bowl’ began moving West faster and faster.

A kind of shock, which overcame any other emotion came over them as they just floated there in their places, looking with lost expressions in the West direction as the ones they were just some time ago preparing to slaughter for daring to deprive them of the main treasures were rapidly becoming a glowing small dot.

And then, one of them wobbled on the spot, making an awkward move with his hands to keep balance.

“Eh?”, he showed a confused expression, as he suddenly felt a bit precarious floating around.

Then another, and then more and more of them began feeling that they were barely hanging in the air.

“W-Wait! Th-This is…!”, one of them realized, as he felt the Spiritual Qi in the air begin to thin.

After all, what kept them floating was a particular type of Qi mixed into all the myriad types within what was called Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth permeating the air of any World.

Now, the levels of not only that particular Qi but all types of Qi that existed were dropping lower and lower.

“H-He is… he is draining this entire Secret Realm of Spiritual Qi!!!”, finally, someone shouted in simultaneous shock, horror, and panic.

Soon, the first person shot toward the West, and then like a chain reaction everyone followed suit, as they desperately tried to catch up to the area where Spiritual Qi was still in the process of being drained.

They could soon instinctively feel that, still quite far behind them, but rapidly approaching, was a kind of wall of void. A world without Spiritual Qi.

But with their current surroundings, they could not muster much speed, as that also relied on Spiritual Qi, and eventually they began even slowing down, as well as stagger, since the lift was getting harder and harder to maintain.

Eventually, they had to land, and sprint with their actual physical bodies.

They knew, if the world around them was void of Spiritual Qi, the Heavenly Daos would barely be able to detect them, and thus, when this Secret Realm closed, they would not be automatically sent out. There was simply no Spiritual Qi around to make it happen. And thus when this Secret Realm closed, they would be lost.

The wall of void passed them, and they could feel it, the world completely barren of Spiritual Qi around them. A feeling none of them ever felt before. A kind of primal fear-inducing environment.

They knew now, they knew it was suspicious that all those people who moved away from the barrier first, not fixated on Wu Long’s group, but simply intending to explore a bit, suddenly all decided not to.

They knew those people were likely warned. It was not clear how, but a man who could make ‘this’ happen, could likely manage to warn people.

And they were correct, Wu Long’s formation spread the warning far and wide, as well as helped him spread his Spiritual Sense throughout the whole continent to check if anyone could be caught up in this, only activating the technique when he made sure that the people lingering around the barrier to attack them were the only ones who would be in this predicament.

They were desperately sprinting toward the exit of the Secret Realm, but they knew they would not make it.

They knew now, that they should have let it go at that time. They knew they were given plenty of time to change their minds.

They knew now, that they messed with the wrong person.

I hope you are all doing great, my dear readers!!! ^^

Thank you for reading and the great support!