"No!"

Jun Moxie shook his head, a calm smile spreading across his face. "This trial, this is for the two of us. We fight side-by-side. And it’s not just this trial, or the next, or the one after that—we will face them all together! Trust me, with me here, we will make it!"

Miao Xiaomiao bit her lip, nodding deeply. Then, she quietly shifted her stance, gently leaning her delicate and captivating body into the embrace of the man before her. Her beautiful head rested lightly against his shoulder, and Miao Xiaomiao murmured, "Jun... I am so happy to have you in this life... so fortunate! Even if we cannot survive this ordeal, I will have no regrets for this lifetime!"

Jun Moxie held her close, his voice low. "How can you speak of no regrets! You haven't even borne me seventeen or eighteen sons and daughters yet, and we still have to hold hands and grow old together. To speak so readily of having no regrets for this life shows a distinct lack of ambition; even if you have no regrets, I certainly won't agree to it."

The heavy rain poured down, instantly soaking their clothes. The weather was hot, and the garments they wore were already thin and airy. Miao Xiaomiao’s dress clung to her form, every curve exquisitely outlined. Embracing like this, it was almost no different from holding each other naked, yet in their hearts, there was absolutely no trace of lust; there was only true affection, nothing more...

In that moment, an incredibly firm belief took root in Miao Xiaomiao’s heart: Jun Ye is with me! He absolutely cannot be harmed! If I fail to hold on, he might very well perish alongside me. But I will never allow that to happen... The moment I feel I can no longer sustain this, I will kill myself first!

If I die, the Heavenly Tribulation will naturally vanish!

That way, Jun Ye will be safe!

Thunder cracked across the sky! A silver serpent snaked downwards, aimed directly at Miao Xiaomiao’s head!

The first wave of the Heavenly Tribulation had finally arrived!

"Move back!"

Miao Xiaomiao snapped back to awareness, her profound energy already circulating wildly. In the midst of her focus, she instinctively emitted a gentle push of force, moving Jun Moxie aside. One must understand that at this critical juncture of undergoing tribulation, every single shred of profound energy could lead to failure. Yet, just to move her beloved a fraction further from danger, Miao Xiaomiao did not hesitate to use that gentle yet firm power to shove Jun Moxie away. Immediately after, her delicate figure soared upwards, meeting the shimmering streak of light in mid-air!

If the threat remained below, it would still affect her beloved! The danger had to be neutralized in the heavens!

With a deafening boom, Miao Xiaomiao met the first 'Thunder Tribulation' head-on. She let out a stifled groan, her body plummeting nearly ten feet, but the fierce electric light vanished into nothingness!

Before she could even draw a breath, the second streak of light reappeared, dazzling enough to illuminate heaven and earth, snaking down from the clouds with frightening speed!

Accompanied by a second massive crash, Miao Xiaomiao landed back on the ground...

Jun Moxie watched the scene from the side, his gaze narrowed, yet his expression remained placid.

He wasn't incapable of simply using the Grandmist Tower to absorb the Heavenly Tribulation and end this "game" right away. However, this was Miao Xiaomiao’s very first experience of a Heavenly Tribulation. No matter what, she had to personally endure and experience it. Only by personally bearing the might of heaven and earth could she gain the corresponding enlightenment and truly achieve the strength of the Venerable realm!

It was akin to the phoenix bathing in fire, undergoing nirvana for rebirth.

If Jun Moxie ended this "dangerous game" immediately, it would not only be unhelpful for Miao Xiaomiao’s future development but actively detrimental, negating the very purpose of gifting her the Heaven’s Extreme Pill beforehand.

He would only step in when she genuinely reached her limit.

For now, it depended entirely on how long she could hold out on her own...

"One... two... five..."

In the distance, Miao Jingyun, seated in the main hall of the Miao family estate, frowned deeply, counting the shining bolts of lightning continuously descending from the sky. His expression grew increasingly grave!

While the Venerable Heavenly Tribulation Miao Xiaomiao faced was fraught with peril, the duration was relatively short—only nine bolts of lightning, the most common form of tribulation. If it weren't for the Heaven's Extreme Pill boosting her power so drastically, catapulting her directly to the brink of tribulation without any time for preparation, this truly wouldn't be considered a great hurdle!

"It's seven already! If she can withstand just two more, she will have passed this time. Madam, rest assured, Xiaomiao will certainly pass safely, absolutely she will..."

Miao Huanyu was also counting the strikes of lightning. Though his face appeared calm, the Madam Miao leaning beside him could feel her husband’s hand trembling, gripping her shoulder so hard it caused a sharp, aching pain...

That hand had originally been supporting her. Madam Miao let out a wry smile, enduring the intense pain, and looked up at the dense black clouds in the distance. Her husband appeared utterly unconcerned, always composed and serene, but his love for his daughter could not be any less than hers. When he told her to relax and promised she would pass safely, he was perhaps comforting himself more than her...

In his entire life, this was the first time she had seen him so tense. "The tribulation lightning has not ceased, which proves they are still undergoing the trial. It's fine," Miao Jingyun murmured quietly, unsure if he was speaking to himself or to others, perhaps seeking self-assurance, or perhaps begging for confirmation... "It's seven already!"

Miao Xiaomiao stared stubbornly at the tribulation clouds above, biting tightly on a strand of black hair.

She told herself: Just hold out for two more, and this heavenly punishment will be completely over! Then I can be with Jun Ye forever, as he promised me—to hold his hand and grow old with him!

Almost instinctively, she turned her head to look at the white-robed youth standing not far away. She saw the plain features of that young man illuminated by the lightning, revealing a deep concern. Though Miao Xiaomiao felt agony coursing through her body, a strange, inexplicable sweetness suddenly welled up in her heart!

An indescribable, innate power surged through her body once more!

"I will hold on! I absolutely will!"

Miao Xiaomiao's eyes flashed with fierce determination. "The happiness I have striven so hard for is right before me! I will never give up! I will grasp it even if I have to fight with my life!"

A thunderous roar echoed in the sky, and an unprecedentedly powerful bolt of lightning suddenly pierced the clouds, descending like a writhing dragon!

As this lightning struck, crackling sounds erupted in the air! Moreover, the thickness of this bolt was at least double that of the previous ones!

The air around them was now filled with a suffocating sense of oppression!

Silver serpents danced!

Violet lightning scoured the sky!

The bolt, imbued with immense, overwhelming power, was instantly upon Miao Xiaomiao!

Miao Xiaomiao could clearly sense that against this lightning, her own power was utterly insufficient—resisting it felt as futile as an ant trying to shake a tree! The destructive force within this single bolt already surpassed the scope of a Heavenly Tribulation that a second-level Venerable could withstand! In fact, it far exceeded it!

She believed that even a Saint Sovereign facing this lightning strike would struggle to endure it! Why was this happening?

What was going on? Was heaven truly unwilling to let me have the true love I crave?

Miao Xiaomiao had no way of knowing that the interference of Young Master Jun had caused the mutation of the Heavenly Punishment! His astonishing strength, hidden at the fourth level of the Saint Sovereign realm, was perhaps undetectable by mortals, but the Heavenly Punishment could not be mistaken! Furthermore, there was mutation...

This bolt of thunder tribulation was descending with the full destructive power of a Saint Sovereign Heavenly Tribulation!

And it was the ultimate power of a fourth-level Saint Sovereign tribulation!

With her heart filled with despair, Miao Xiaomiao turned to look toward Jun Moxie, whispering brokenly, "Jun... I'm sorry, it seems I cannot accompany you, I am fated not to grow old with you..." The fatal lightning was mere inches away!

Miao Xiaomiao flashed her longsword! Not to resist the tribulation, but to commit suicide!

The Thunder Tribulation came because of her! If she died, all of this would disappear!

But—but Miao Xiaomiao’s pupils instantly widened to their absolute limit!

Because she clearly saw that fool—he was flying rapidly towards her...

What are you doing here?

Don't come over!

Miao Xiaomiao, who had intended to kill herself instantly, was suddenly overcome with frantic panic!

Fool! If I die first, this Heavenly Tribulation will end! You will be safe! Why are you coming over now?

Go back!

Miao Xiaomiao’s tears streamed down her face!

The next moment, she felt a warm, strong body crash down upon hers, completely enveloping her under that reassuring form. But this act of profound care shattered her heart and soul; her sword was knocked from her hand with a loud clang, flying far away...

Miao Xiaomiao’s heart suddenly ached, and she burst into loud sobs. "Jun Ye, I don't want this! I don't want you to sacrifice yourself for me! I would rather die a thousand times, ten thousand times! I want you to live well, to live on..."

But she knew it was too late, utterly too late... That lightning bolt, carrying terrifying might, had struck the body covering hers. That body convulsed violently once, and then went still...

"Jun Ye!"

Miao Xiaomiao, tears covering her face, suddenly screamed with a sound that tore at the soul, a cry filled with despair, filled with deathly silence...

In the hall...

"No! This is impossible!"

Miao Jingyun suddenly leaped up with a sharp gasp, his eyes fixed on that bizarre bolt of lightning! He looked completely distraught! The blinding white light of the strike carried a faint trace of red...

That was clearly a Saint Sovereign Heavenly Tribulation!

Everyone’s eyes snapped open!

What in the world was happening? Did a Saint Sovereign expert accidentally intervene in Miao Xiaomiao’s Heavenly Tribulation zone, causing it to mutate?

Regardless of the cause behind the emergence of this Saint Sovereign lightning tribulation, the result was singular—Miao Xiaomiao was finished! (To be continued! For the rest of the story, more chapters await. Support the author, support legitimate reading!)

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