This was the sign of an impending finished medicine; all Zhang Yang needed to do was complete the final step—condensing the essence of the fluid—and this unprecedented immortal elixir, derived from the Flat Peach, would officially emerge.

Normally, given Zhang Yang's practiced skill in alchemy and his extraordinarily keen senses, this final step would be trivially easy.

However, at this moment, for Zhang Yang, who was both injured in the eyes and currently enduring his Heavenly Tribulation, this final step would prove incredibly arduous.

"He... why is he back in the silent chamber again?"

Zhang Yun'an muttered blankly. They had seen him return to the silent chamber earlier, which was the source of their confusion.

It wasn't just him; even Zhang Daofeng's face showed bewilderment, unable to comprehend what Zhang Yang intended to do.

As things stood, only one possibility could explain why Zhang Yang had returned to the silent chamber multiple times instead of calmly awaiting the Tribulation outside.

In the courtyard, Old Master Zhang Pinglu's expression instantly shifted. He had already grasped this possibility and immediately cried out!

"No good, he's still refining the medicine!"

Qu Meilan, already struggling desperately under the oppressive pressure exerted by the tribulation clouds, turned even paler upon hearing the Old Master's words.

"Nonsense, absolute madness!"

Zhang Pinglu shouted excitedly. Refining medicine while undergoing a Heavenly Tribulation was an unheard-of event, a story never before recorded.

When other Great Perfection experts successfully completed their trials and ushered in their heavenly tribulations, weren't they all completely focused on weathering the storm? After all, their very lives were at stake; failure meant death.

During a tribulation, let alone refining medicine, no one ever engaged in any extraneous tasks.

"Old Master, he's doing this for you!"

Qu Meilan’s face was bloodless, ghostly pale, and she managed to speak with immense difficulty. Having followed Zhang Yang the longest, she understood his character better than anyone.

Zhang Pinglu's expression shifted again, the muscles in his face twitching uncontrollably. He understood Qu Meilan’s meaning perfectly. The Flat Peach Elixir was tied to his recovery, which in turn was tied to his very life.

Even while facing the Tribulation, Zhang Yang refused to abandon the refining—Zhang Yang was risking his life to save him.

But Zhang Yang didn't understand. What Zhang Pinglu needed wasn't the elixir; he needed a safe Zhang Yang. As long as Zhang Yang was safe, he would willingly accept death right now.

Alas, it was too late to say anything now. A profound sense of regret gripped Zhang Pinglu’s heart—regret that he hadn't died sooner, forcing Zhang Yang to divide his focus during his crucial Tribulation.

"Can someone be sent to stop him? Forget the medicine; he must focus all his energy on the Tribulation!"

Zhang Pinglu suddenly said. Qu Meilan let out a tragic, faint laugh. Just standing there was an immense struggle for her; how could she possibly stop Zhang Yang?

Zhang Yang was undergoing his Tribulation. Forget Qu Meilan, even Master Shi Ming, himself a Great Perfection expert, could not venture into the area where the Tribulation was occurring. Moreover, entering now would be tantamount to seeking death for anyone.

They couldn't get in, meaning no one could stop Zhang Yang; they could only watch him complete his task.

"Amitabha, blessed, blessed..."

In the bedroom of the Long Family palace, Master Shi Ming sighed heavily, murmuring to himself.

Returning to the silent chamber, Zhang Yang poured a small portion of his remaining Heaven and Earth spiritual energy into the cauldron. He could no longer spare attention for the tribulation clouds outside; this was the critical moment of success for the medicine.

The essence of the fluid continuously condensed, quickly turning a vibrant crimson, like a radiant, spiritual peach.

"Puff, puff, puff!"

Three crisp, muffled sounds followed in quick succession. Zhang Yang didn't have time to observe the now-formed pills. He gathered the last reserves of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy in his body and swiftly evacuated the silent chamber.

"Boom!"

The seventh bolt of tribulation lightning descended. It had initially targeted the location of the silent chamber but suddenly shifted its trajectory mid-air, striking Zhang Yang instead.

This lightning bolt was only as thick as a wrist, yet its color shimmered with a vivid red. Its power was significantly greater than the sixth bolt.

"No, retreat quickly!"

The moment the lightning struck, the expressions of Zhang Daofeng and Zhang Yun'an drastically darkened. The sheer oppressive force of this lightning was something they couldn't withstand even where they stood; remaining any closer risked injury from the pressure alone.

The two leaped down from the tower and rapidly retreated backward.

After putting a significant distance between them, they risked a glance back.

The final lightning strike had fallen. The seven-bolt Heavenly Tribulation was about to conclude, yet neither of them showed a trace of relief, only profound worry.

They feared Zhang Yang could not endure this last, terrifying bolt. If he failed here, all the effort expended before would be utterly meaningless.

"I'm going to check!"

Zhang Daofeng spoke first. The tribulation lightning had not yet dispersed; the sky remained shrouded in thick, dark clouds, but they could all sense that the pressure emanating from the clouds had significantly lessened.

This should have been a sign that the Heavenly Tribulation was about to pass.

"I'll go with you!"

Zhang Yun'an quickly added. Zhang Yang was equally important to him, and he was deeply concerned about Zhang Yang’s current condition.

"Very well, let's go immediately!"

Zhang Daofeng nodded instantly. The two exchanged no words, their bodies leaping forward swiftly.

Their figures quickly diminished into small dots.

Yet, only a few seconds after they left, those small dots rapidly grew larger again as the two sprinted back, their faces etched with horror.

Everyone in Kunlun, at that moment, also looked up, staring fearfully at the sky.

The tribulation clouds, which had begun to dissipate, were inexplicably gathering once more, condensing with even greater intensity than before.

The Heavenly Tribulation was not over.

"What is happening? Is Yang Yang's Tribulation not seven bolts?"

Zhang Daofeng roared loudly. He and Zhang Yun'an had just retreated upon feeling the terrifying pressure return, making them familiar with the phenomenon: this was the cloud reforming.

"Go find the Old Master!"

In the courtyard, Qu Meilan had collapsed onto the ground.

"I don't know, I truly don't know!"

Zhang Pinglu stared blankly ahead, his face slack with shock. Repeating "I don't know" twice clearly indicated the chaos overwhelming his mind.

A Heavenly Tribulation having a maximum of seven bolts was almost universally accepted fact—and that was for spirit beasts.

The fact that Zhang Yang had triggered seven bolts had already far exceeded their expectations.

No one had anticipated that the Tribulation, which seemed ready to end, would not only continue but actually condense further. Looking at the situation, the Tribulation was set to extend, to carry on.

If it continued, wouldn't that mean a Nine-Bolt Heavenly Tribulation?

A Nine-Bolt Heavenly Tribulation was something unheard of, even among spirit beasts.

Everyone froze, including all the spirit beasts in the Kunshan Mountain range.

The Golden Three-Eyed Beast stared disbelievingly at the dark clouds above. It had not expected that after seven bolts, Zhang Yang would still have more coming; this completely overturned its established knowledge.

Zhuifeng, Shandian, and Wuying straightened up, staring blankly ahead.

The three little ones now wanted desperately to charge in and see how Zhang Yang was faring. They could only sense that he was alive; they knew nothing else.

Even that faint sense of his life felt fragile, as if Zhang Yang could vanish at any moment.

Unfortunately, the pressure of the tribulation clouds was overwhelming. The three small creatures were forced back the moment they entered the area. It wasn't that they didn't want to rush in; they understood that charging in and failing to reach Zhang Yang would result in their bodies exploding from the pressure.

Such an action would achieve nothing.

"Wait, no, this isn't right!"

Zhang Pinglu suddenly exclaimed again. The tribulation clouds in the sky were reforming, and this time, the darkness was thicker and denser than before.

"Old Master, what is wrong?"

Just then, Zhang Daofeng and Zhang Yun'an arrived at the courtyard, urgently asking.

"A new wave of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy has appeared beneath the tribulation clouds. Could there be a second Great Perfection expert arriving, undergoing their Tribulation at the same time, thus preventing the Heavenly Tribulation from dissipating?"

Zhang Pinglu spoke slowly, his brow deeply furrowed. Only he could sense this new spiritual energy—it was completely fresh, definitely not Zhang Yang’s.

Zhang Yang had just finished his Tribulation, and now a new Five-Bolt level entity was undergoing one in the exact same spot? Such a thing had been unthinkable before.

It must be known that when two individuals undergo a Tribulation simultaneously, it drastically amplifies the power of the Heavenly Tribulation. Even if there were another Great Perfection expert present, they would never attempt to undergo a Tribulation at the same time as another; in that scenario, a Tribulation that might have been passable would become impossible to survive, as the combined power was far more than one plus one.

In such a case, both would perish.

This was also why no one else could enter the Tribulation zone—the presence of another cultivator would increase the Tribulation's might, dooming the one undergoing it and instantly vaporizing any intruder.

"That's impossible. We only have a few Great Perfection experts, and there are no signs of anyone else breaking through. Furthermore, if another Great Perfection master were here, neither you nor Zhang Yang could possibly have missed sensing them!"

Zhang Daofeng shook his head repeatedly. Great Perfection masters sensed each other; any hidden expert would have been detected. Besides, what kind of Great Perfection expert would be foolish enough to choose this moment to undergo a Tribulation alongside Zhang Yang?

Also, even if there were such a reckless expert, the previous bolts of lightning would have targeted them already; they wouldn't only appear now.

"Not a Great Perfection, not a Great Perfection... I understand, I know what's happening!"

Zhang Pinglu muttered, his eyes suddenly brightening, his voice unnaturally rising.

"Old Master, please tell us quickly what it is!"

Zhang Daofeng and Zhang Yun'an asked in unison, their faces alight with anxious urgency, desperate to know the truth.

"It's the Flat Peach! Yang Yang successfully refined the Flat Peach, creating the Flat Peach Immortal Elixir! But the grade of that Peach was too high, and his refinement was too perfect—this batch of Flat Peach Immortal Elixirs likely yielded more than a single pill. This... this is the Heavenly Tribulation triggered by the emergence of several Flat Peach Immortal Elixirs simultaneously!"

Zhang Pinglu spoke with a bitter tone, drawing out his words, his face heavy with remorse.

The successful creation of the Flat Peach Immortal Elixir, and not just one, was normally cause for celebration; normally, Zhang Pinglu would have cheered loudly at Zhang Yang's achievement. But at this precise moment, it had transformed into the gravest disaster.