“He… ate the tribulation clouds?” The Nascent Soul cultivators on the deck were completely and utterly taken aback. They had never even imagined that something like this was possible.
“So that’s what devas can do….”
It would be hard for any of these people to be more shocked than they already were!
There were only a handful of devas in the eastern Heavenspan River region, and few cultivators ever had dealings with them. For most of the people present, this event was something they would commit to memory for a lifetime.
However, the cultivators from the other three great sects in the Middle Reaches were even more shocked than those from the delta and Lower Reaches.
After all, they had had close dealings with devas in the past, namely, their sects’ former patriarchs. And what was shocking was that none of them remembered those patriarchs doing anything like this!
This was heavenly tribulation!!
To devas, Nascent Soul tribulation lightning wasn’t anything particularly incredible, and yet, it was still tribulation sent by heaven and earth. It was a supreme level of power that few people would ever be able to interfere with.
And yet today… Bai Xiaochun had directly consumed it!
Of course, everyone was shaken, but there were a few in the crowd who were even more shaken than the experts from the Middle Reaches sects.
They were Zhao Tianjiao and Bai Lin!
After all, they had much closer relationships with devas than the other cultivators. One had a Master who was a deva, and the other, a grandfather. Therefore, they knew much more about devas than the average person, to the point where there were very few Nascent Soul cultivators alive who could match their knowledge regarding devas.
And that made the entire situation even more unbelievable, as both knew that neither Bai Zhentian, Chen Hetian, nor any of the other devas could do anything like this!
Most likely, the only person who could possibly do it would be the demigod patriarch!
After the shocking scene played out, the projection of Bai Xiaochun’s face faded away, and back in the cabin, his eyes suddenly snapped open.
Even he was surprised by what had occurred. Looking up into the sky, he murmured, “Was that Hao’er helping me?”
One thing he had been wondering about for a while now was why no heavenly tribulation had appeared when he conjured his twenty-one-colored flame.
Actually, despite how terrifying the heavenly tribulation had looked moments ago, Bai Xiaochun had realized almost immediately that the explosive power inside of it had begun to disperse almost as soon as it formed.
It had been almost on a whim that he attempted to consume it, after which he absorbed the power into his own body as quickly as he could.
Even that little bit caused his Sun-Moon Vast-Sky Incantation to stir. Although he couldn’t reach the second level, he made significant progress, and actually saved years of cultivation time because of it.
All of that caused him to think about his apprentice, who had become the Hell-Emperor, and actually controlled the cycle of reincarnation in this heaven and earth…. He was likely the only person who could affect matters such as this.
“It's too bad that Hao’er can probably only do that a handful of times. Otherwise, it would make my future cultivation just too easy.” Although he couldn’t be sure that his conjectures were correct, he still felt a fuzzy warmth inside of him when he thought back to his wonderful apprentice.
Of course, as for all of the Nascent Soul cultivators out on the deck, they were awestruck by what they had seen. The image of Bai Xiaochun consuming tribulation clouds would be imprinted into their minds and hearts for as long as they lived.
Because of how Bai Xiaochun got rid of the tribulation lightning, Big Fatty Zhang’s breakthrough proceeded very smoothly. Soon, a Nascent Soul aura erupted out from him, which caused a smile to break out on Bai Xiaochun’s face.
At this point, Big Fatty Zhang was past any danger. He simply needed time to stabilize his nascent soul, and then end the session of cultivation.
Feeling extremely pleased, Bai Xiaochun set up some restrictive spells to keep Big Fatty Zhang safe, then swaggered out of the cabin. When he reached the deck, the numerous Nascent Soul cultivators there all cast gazes of deep veneration at him as they clasped hands and bowed to him.
Bai Xiaochun had already been in a good mood because of Big Fatty Zhang’s breakthrough, and it only got better to see so many people looking at him worshipfully.
“My apprentice really is incredible,” he thought. “Not only did he help me speed up my cultivation, he made sure that everyone here adores me. He completely understands me!” For some reason, the weather seemed particularly good today, so he decided it was a perfect time to stay on the main deck and enjoy the sunshine. As he looked around, he noticed Song Que step out from deck 2, see him, and then try to duck back through the door.
“Que’er!” he cried. “Come over here. Uncle is in a good mood today, and wants to take you fishing!” Of course, Bai Xiaochun spoke the words much more quickly than Song Que could react.
Song Que stopped in his tracks. He had been working hard to avoid Bai Xiaochun throughout the entire trip so far, and had been caught completely off guard.
Not daring to refuse to comply, he gritted his teeth in frustration and walked over to Bai Xiaochun.
Bai Xiaochun wasn’t bothered by Song Que’s bad mood. Flying up into the air, he shoved his hand in the direction of the Heavenspan Sea. The water sank down so rapidly that a few dozen fish were too slow to react, and were left hanging in the air. Bai Xiaochun quickly made a waving motion with his hand, sending them all flying onto the ship.
Strange power existed within these fish, power that could be of great benefit to cultivators. Although Song Que was in a bad mood, when he saw them flopping there on the deck, his heart started to thump in his chest. Without even needing prompting from Bai Xiaochun, he walked over to pick them up.
The other cultivators looked on enviously, but, fearful of Bai Xiaochun, hesitated to step forward.
Bai Xiaochun was not the stingy type, though. As far as he was concerned, when he was happy, he liked everyone to be happy too.
“Come on, everybody!” he cried. “It's time for a fish feast!”
The Nascent Soul cultivators were thrilled.
“Many thanks, Senior Bai!” All of them began to rush around and pick up fish.
Some of them even flew up to where Bai Xiaochun was and joined in the fishing attempt. One of them was a Nascent Soul elder from the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect who had been sent along because of his knowledge of the sects from the other three river branches. Although he wasn’t planning to participate in the trial by fire, this chance to advance his cultivation base along the way was very pleasing.
And thus, everyone on board the huge battleship had a rare chance… to feast on golden fish pulled right out of the Heavenspan Sea.
In the following days, Bai Xiaochun continued the practice. Sometimes he would fish, and sometimes he would capture other sea beasts that could even be used as ingredients for medicinal pills. He would also spend time practicing cultivation, and consulting with that one particular elder who knew so much about the other three river branches.
By helping to propel the ship with his deva power, he ensured that they made impressive time. All in all, the Nascent Soul cultivators made cultivation base advancement, and felt profound gratitude toward Bai Xiaochun because of it.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said in response to the expressions of thanks. “We're all from the eastern Heavenspan River, right? We’re all on the same team! You know, now that I think about it, considering that there are so many longevity pills up for grabs in this trial by fire, we should definitely split up into teams. Let’s not give the cultivators from the other three river branches any chances to get their hands on those pills!”
Sticking his chin up, he swished his sleeve and continued in a loud voice, “Remember, everyone, when we get to the trial by fire, stick together! And if you see anyone from our side getting picked on, roll your sleeves up and get into the fray!”
The Nascent Soul cultivators all laughed heartily. With every moment that passed, their impression of Bai Xiaochun improved, and they felt closer to him. At the same time, their sense of competitiveness toward their comrades on the boat lessened.
Although Song Que wasn’t too happy about everyone coming to like Bai Xiaochun, he also realized why it was happening, and approved. Bai Xiaochun was doing everything he could to make sure the people on their side remained safe.
Zhao Tianjiao and Bai Lin were also reminded of the old Bai Xiaochun they had come to know.
Bai Xiaochun was very pleased to see everyone getting along and even making friends. The truth was that he had a bad feeling about this trial by fire organized by the Celestial. It seemed dangerous for some reason. The fact that he could get the eastern Heavenspan River cultivators to team up was a good thing. Even if they didn't actually manage to get more medicinal pills because of it, at least everyone would be safer.
Another month passed. Big Fatty Zhang finally emerged from secluded meditation, revealing his extraordinary Nascent Soul battle prowess. Relationships were forming among the cultivators on board, and fish feasts were held constantly.
And thus, the ship gradually approached its destination. Heavenspan Island… was getting closer and closer.