A gargantuan vortex covered the entire Jun City and was still expanding. Immense moisture from all directions provided the most convenient conditions for the disaster instigated by Wuzhiqi.

The already humid air became even more oppressive, as if one could wring water out of it with a wave of the hand, making breathing difficult.

And as the Heavenly Tribulation gathered, the might of Heaven and Earth manifested at this moment. Within Jun City, all living creatures felt this pressure; the weaker ones couldn't control their minds and consciousness, crushed into a blank slate, while the stronger ones realized the formidable power of this Heavenly Tribulation.

Such a tribulation would be difficult to withstand even for a fifth-rank.

Crucially, if one could not master their own Qi and purge the contaminated Tribulation Qi, the calamity would be endless. Even forceful suppression could only provide temporary relief, leading to even more violent outbursts in the future.

"Who dares to trigger Heavenly Tribulation at this time? Don't they know that Jun City is in turmoil and facing a crisis?"

"Looking at the tribulation Qi of that Heavenly Tribulation, it seems to have fallen to the south of the city..."

"That place is—"

"Dinghu Sect!"

Amidst the wind came various sounds, mixed with the howling wind, rushing water, thunderous commands, and the swaying of trees. All voices of the earth, along with the wind, reached Jiang Li's ears, making his perception stretch infinitely, spreading out like a spider web, receiving all kinds of information.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, a thunderous sound from the sky, a fist-sized water orb wrapped in bright silver electricity, smashed down from the vortex.

As the Thunder Light tore through the sky, in Jiang Li's perception, the trajectory of this water thunder was clear and inescapably fell, passing through his current "body" and slamming into the ground.

Centered on the chamber where Jiang Li was located, the house exploded, wood and mud flew in all directions, the torrential thunder mixed with the water light, boomed on Jiang Li's physical body, colliding with the spontaneously activated Innate Qi, blasting out a hemispherical crater with the force and easily demolishing walls and buildings where the shockwave reached.

All that remained in place was Jiang Li's physical body, seated cross-legged in mid-air, and Tianxuan.

"Ren Water Divine Thunder."

Jiang Li recognized the name of this divine thunder, feeling both unsurprised and unexpected.

Ren Water, also known as Yang Water, refers to the rushing rivers and boundless ocean waters, contrasting with Gui Water. Therefore, this tribulation, caused by the water disaster incited by Wuzhiqi, naturally had nothing to do with Gui Water.

This had been anticipated by Jiang Li the moment he sensed Yun Jiuye attempting to create a tribulation.

What surprised him was that his body was instinctively responding and resisting the Divine Thunder, but his consciousness felt nothing at all, not even a hint of connection with his physical body.

It was as though he had become two separate entities, one with consciousness and the other with Essence, Qi, and Spirit but no awareness, like an inanimate object. Although they should complement each other, forming a complete whole, no connection could be achieved.

Zhuang Zhou's Dream Butterfly, Outer Object Transformation. This Promotion Ceremony for Zhuang Zhou Dao Fruit had given Jiang Li a taste of Zhuang Zhou's predicament, as he and his physical body had become two different individuals.

'If consciousness does not return to the body and wanders between Heaven and Earth, it'll eventually erode away into nothingness. The peril of the Promotion Ceremony lies here.'

Jiang Li finally understood why those from Mo Sect who tried to advance to a Great Grandmaster would become soulless, their consciousness eroded away, turning them into vegetative people.

Even if one day the body developed consciousness again, and it was of the same Divine Soul, could that renewed consciousness truly be considered the original self?

Jiang Li did not think so.

'When compared to this Dao Fruit, the Promotion Ceremony inside Cliff Sword that involves carrying a hundred thousand catties for ten years seems much simpler...' Jiang Li couldn't help but think of the Dao Fruit within Cliff Sword.

As he pondered, his consciousness seemed to merge with the wind, becoming one with Heaven and Earth, and began to spread and drift along with the swirling clouds.

In a moment, his consciousness passed over rooftops at the southern part of the city, perceiving countless sounds, yet it seemed to stay in place, Jiang Li still "seeing" what was happening around his physical body.

His existence seemed to be continuously expanding, gradually covering Jun City; the people and objects inside were like within his own body. Jiang Li could naturally perceive everything inside clearly.

'Heaven and Earth are born alongside me, and all things unite with me.'

An idea flashed through Jiang Li's mind, and his consciousness continued to expand.

[The philosophy of Zhuang Zhou lies in this phrase, emphasizing Unity to achieve the utmost freedom. If I want to complete my ascension, I must work on this 'unity.']

His thoughts flickered like lightning, and in an instant, thousands of streams of thought flowed, sorting out results, appearing on the Karma Collection.

Karma Collection!

Jiang Li perceived this ever-present book, 'It really is still here.'

At this point, he had no eyes, ears, not even Divine Sense, but the Karma Collection could still be perceived by him as always, recording Jiang Li's situation.

And his thinking became even clearer, his mind unprecedentedly bright, although Jiang Li currently had no brain...

But he was unified with Heaven and Earth, as if Heaven and Earth were his brain.

At this moment, Jiang Li could perceive everything between Heaven and Earth, including wind, rain, space, even the Five Vile Qi; he could even integrate into the Five Vile Qi without harm, and his consciousness and calculation power also kept rising in this process, surpassing all limits.

[Heaven and Earth are like my brain, my body. My consciousness is spreading throughout the body, filling it, but clearly, this single thread of consciousness is not enough to fill such a vast body. Over-expansion will only dilute my consciousness infinitely.]

[In other words, time is limited.]

[Fortunately, I have already grasped the opportunity.]

Merging his consciousness with Heaven and Earth, within this vast cerebral Heaven and Earth, he visualized a massive Qimen Array Map. Drawing on the intentions of Heaven and Earth to perform the Eight Trigrams, transform the Eight Gates, unite the nine stars, connect the Eight Gods, to forge the unprecedented Wind Queen's Qimen Formation.

His consciousness took form within the Taiji at the very center of the Array Plate, shaping into the body of Dragon and Snake, slithering into an arc that divides Yin and Yang, merging with the Array as one.

The Array Plate computes, delves into the obscure and steps into the void, using the Karma Collection as a medium to seek out causality.

Although it has become an independent entity, the Karma Collection is still present, and the fixed causal chains naturally remain as well, Jiang Li attempts to use this as a medium, searching for causality, and re-establishing links.

The world around suddenly dims, as if arriving in the boundless universe, streaks of light enter into perception.

The visions seen when Jiang Li underwent the scrutiny of Heaven reappear, the threads of causality are grasped by the Wind Queen's Qimen, and then—

Jiang Li captures a red thread with his consciousness.

"Hm?"

Tianxuan, who acts as Jiang Li's protector, suddenly pauses with a start, ripples quietly emerge in her phoenix eyes, 'To think...'

The red thread she personally severed back then had unexpectedly appeared again.

Was it because of the three days and nights of entanglement? Or did she never truly sever the red thread?

Before Tianxuan can ponder deeply, a wave of consciousness has already followed this red thread, finding its direction.

Jiang Li, who is passively resisting the Tribulation Thunder, shakes, and a torrential Qi Mechanism surges from within his body, sketching out a colossal Array Map in midair.

The scattered Blue Feathers regather, transforming into a Blue Butterfly, gracefully fluttering, landing on Jiang Li's forehead.

"Whirl, whirl, whirl..."

Only visible to Jiang Li, the Karma Collection expands by hundreds and thousands, growing to the size of a small hill, pages flip open, countless causal threads shoot out, entering into the void.

It's time again to witness the limit of the Karma Collection.

Assassinating Yang Ji of the Taiping Sect, igniting conflict, participating in the Sealing of the Emperor, slaying the Black Water Mysterious Snake, You Mountain Lord...

One after another, the causal threads, like fishing lines, hook the Dao Fruits from the void.

What embarrasses Jiang Li is the discovery that the three days and nights with Tianxuan had also formed a causal thread, and it was quite thick, ranking among the thickest in the many causal threads.

It can only be said that the power of a third-grade is such, that even relationships can form such thick threads of causality.

'It might also be that Tianxuan is such...'

Without time for further reflection, multiple causal threads have already captured the first Dao Fruit.

Jiang Li's vision blurs as if traveling through space, arriving at a dimly lit cave. Within the cave, there is an engraving, featuring the image of a Daoist. Despite the passage of time blurring the figure, the transcendent temperament of the Daoist is still visible.

The thread of causality shoots into this engraving, pulling out a shadow.

[Immortal Nanhua, Zhuang Zhou].

A Dao Fruit, claimed.

And it seems that the function of the Karma Collection has evolved again, allowing Jiang Li to see where these Dao Fruits originated from.

The shadow of the Daoist emerges from the void, and as the causal thread is reeled back, it imprints onto the page of the Karma Collection.

Then, the scene changes again, arriving at a library, the causal thread falls upon an ancient tome, pulling out a sage-like shadow with a tall hat and floating sleeves.

[Sage Zhuang Zhou].

Another Dao Fruit, pulled by the Karma Collection, imprints onto the page.

The remaining causal threads then tighten, waves form in the void as if a leviathan is struggling within.

This time, it seems a big fish has been hooked.

Waves ripple in the void, spreading ripples gradually reveal a scene.

Among green mountains and clear waters, lotuses bloom with a thousand petals, reflecting golden light, and sending out a misty glow. A Stone Pavilion stands inappropriately beside this lotus pond, within sits a pure white figure on the ground facing the pond, seemingly enjoying the lotuses.

Countless threads of causality shoot into the Stone Pavilion, all landing on this figure.

'Has this Dao Fruit already been taken in by someone?'

Jiang Li looks toward the pure white figure.

The person is all in white, with white clothes, loose white hair, an unblemished white face, emanating a misty radiance, dressed as a lay Buddhist practitioner, with a familiar face and attire, it stirs Jiang Li's heart.

Buddhist Zhen Ru!

This Dao Fruit was actually in his possession.

A perfectly good Buddhist lay practitioner, why would they be linked to a Daoist Dao Fruit?

Jiang Li feels a toothache coming on.

This is an Awakened; it's not going to be easy to take something from him.

And in the manifesting scene, Buddhist Zhen Ru also seems to perceive the existence of the causal threads, his gaze sweeps across, locking eyes with Jiang Li across the void.

"I didn't expect this Dao Fruit to already have an owner, truly a vast and unpredictable twist of fate and the inscrutable nature of Heaven and Earth."

Buddhist Zhen Ru says with a smile, "But the Mazer still needs this Dao Fruit, please forgive the rudeness, I can only return a part of it for now."

Saying that, Buddhist Zhen Ru gently flicks his wrist, severing most of the causal threads while also allowing a shadow to be pulled out by the remaining causal threads.

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