The Emperor of Zongmen Workers is here

March's passage of time, like a fleeting white horse, vanished in the blink of an eye. In front of Tingfeng Tower atop Yaofeng Peak, Li Qinglian stood quietly, motionless as a statue. His slightly closed eyes revealed an otherworldly tranquility, as if he had transcended the mundane world, entered a world of his own.

His breathing was steady and deep, and with each inhalation and exhalation, he seemed to feel a subtle resonance with the spiritual energy that filled the surrounding heaven and earth. Just today, he was silently awaiting a crucial moment—his beloved disciple, Su Chen, was about to achieve the final breakthrough in the foundation-building stage.

In an instant, the previously clear, cloudless sky above the Wuliang Sect suddenly shifted. Thick, dark clouds gathered like surging waves, obscuring the entire sky. Deafening roars of thunder echoed from far and near, resounding through the clouds, as if foreshadowing the brewing of a catastrophic, earth-shattering transformation. This was undoubtedly a clear sign of the approaching tribulation!

Li Qinglian suddenly opened her eyes, gazing intently at the breathtaking scene before her. A surge of joy welled up in her heart, "Great! Great! This Su Chen truly is a gifted and highly savvy Xiantian Daoist! In just three months, he's managed to successfully establish his foundation from the late Qi Refining stage. He's truly a rare prodigy!"

At this moment, Su Chen, eagerly awaiting his arrival, had already arrived at the cave's designated area for overcoming the tribulation. He sat cross-legged, his hands swiftly forming a mysterious seal. Spiritual energy surged through his body like scorching magma, pouring forth continuously. He was imposing and poised, fully prepared to face the impending ordeal.

The atmosphere in the sect's main hall was solemn and dignified. Jiang Qingwu and the other disciples qualified to enter the Youhuang Secret Realm had already gathered together, each one in high spirits and eager to try, as if they were about to embark on a journey full of unknowns and challenges.

Feng Ci, who was standing aside, looked at the rolling calamity clouds above Yaofeng with envy, and couldn't help but exclaimed: "Wow, Junior Brother Su actually caught up with this calamity..." His words revealed his admiration and yearning for Junior Brother Su's ability to break through the realm.

However, Zhong Lixiu, standing beside him, curled his lips in disapproval. He simply couldn't understand this junior brother who was constantly jealous of others' achievements. After all, with Feng Ci's talent and attainments in refining, it wouldn't be difficult for him to successfully refine a high-level magical weapon in one go. So why was he always so sour? "Tsk tsk, you talk as if you're so terrible yourself," Zhong Lixiu said with a hint of sarcasm.

Hearing Zhongli Xiu's words, Feng Ci felt a surge of resentment. His path to cultivation had indeed reached a bottleneck, his level stuck for a long time, unable to break through. Seeing his junior master and many of his fellow apprentices advancing smoothly and without hindrance, he couldn't help but feel a surge of envy. Was it simply because of this that he couldn't even express his envy? So, he stared at the calamity cloud with a mournful gaze, as if pouring all his dissatisfaction into it. Zhongli Xiu, in turn, looked at Feng Ci with disdain, as if he thought he was being too pretentious.

At this moment, Pei Yi came over and took out an exquisite Qiankun bag from her bosom. She handed it to Jiang Qingwu with a smile and whispered, "Junior sister, I have specially prepared some braised dishes for you on this trip so that you can eat on the road. Remember to bring this pot, otherwise it will be inconvenient to cook food outside." Although these items were nominally given to Jiang Qingwu alone, in fact, the amount of food in the Qiankun bag was sufficient to meet the needs of their group of seven until they returned to the sect.

"Thank you, Brother!" Jiang Qingwu thanked him joyfully, carefully accepting the gift. As an athlete, she had long since developed the habit of eating regularly, and those unpalatable fasting pills were simply unpalatable. Fortunately, Brother Pei knew this about her and had carefully prepared a large amount of spiritual food for her that required only minimal preparation.

"Junior Master, I brought a lot of newly developed pills! Let's share them together later." Lin Muci said to Jiang Qingwu with a smile on his face and enthusiasm.

"Really? That's amazing!" Now, he could finally see those elixirs he'd only heard of but never tried before. And the secret realm was full of experimental subjects. Jiang Qingwu became increasingly excited as he thought about it. His mind conjured up images of all sorts of miraculous elixirs, once only legends, about to appear before his eyes, and his spirits grew even stronger.

At that moment, a dazzling flash of lightning suddenly ripped through the sky, splitting the heavens like an impossibly sharp sword, streaking towards Tingfengzhu. Everyone's attention was almost simultaneously drawn to this sudden spectacle, turning to gaze at the astonishing flash. Su Chen's figure flickered in and out of the lightning, seemingly merging with the heavens and the earth. Emitting from him was an unyielding, unyielding will, like a towering mountain, awe-inspiring.

"It's begun!" Jiang Qingwu whispered softly. Though her voice was low, the excitement and anticipation within were clear. Her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, a glint of unconcealable brilliance gleaming within them. She quickly drew out her sect token and activated it to establish contact with Li Qinglian, then sent a signal requesting a call.

At this moment, elsewhere, Li Qinglian was concentrating on practicing the Object Control Technique, manipulating the surrounding spiritual energy and carefully moving ten massive vats from the alchemy room to a clearing conveniently designed to collect rainwater. These vats were incredibly heavy, requiring immense effort to move even a fraction. However, amidst this frantic activity, he suddenly received a call from Jiang Qingwu.

"What's wrong?" Li Qinglian frowned slightly, and a hint of doubt arose in his heart, but his hands did not stop moving. He still controlled the huge vats steadily, fearing that any carelessness would lead to waste of all his efforts.

"Brother, could you please help me catch the three jars of rain? I need it for drawing talismans!" Jiang Qingwu's anxious voice sounded in Li Qinglian's consciousness, but he immediately responded: "Forget it, I'll come here in person! After all, this place is not too far from you, and you can get there by just casting the Galaxy Escape Technique." Before Li Qinglian could say anything, the connection between their consciousness was unilaterally cut off by Jiang Qingwu, and he had to continue to focus on the work at hand.

Seeing this, the people around them fell silent. Their gazes simultaneously turned towards Yaofeng Peak, fixed on the area where the thunderstorm was about to strike. Everyone held their breath, not daring to relax for even a moment, ready to collect the precious rainwater as soon as the thunderstorm ended. Everyone was equally closely watching what was happening at Tingfengzhu, not wanting to let their guard down. For a moment, the atmosphere was filled with a solemn and tense atmosphere.

The first bolt of lightning struck Su Chen dumbfounded him. Each time he was struck, his memories of the past became clearer. He had witnessed his parents being crushed to ashes by the evil cultivators, and the inner demons that haunted him haunted him. He knew that he could not fall into it again, so he recited the Qingxin Jue to calm his mind. He recalled the scene when he met Senmi when he was a child. The memories of accepting Senmi taking him away and rejecting Senmi taking him away overlapped, and he could not tell whether he had rejected Senmi or not.

The thunder in the sky grew increasingly deafening, as if it was tearing the world apart. Each bolt of lightning roared like a giant dragon, fiercely striking Su Chen below. The overwhelming force seemed to want to shatter him completely, causing him to disappear between heaven and earth.

Just when Su Chen was about to fall into the brink of going astray, a crisp and firm voice suddenly came into his ears: "Su Chen, can't you hold on like this? I thought you were so capable, but you're just like this!" It turned out that Li Qinglian noticed Su Chen's abnormality from a distance, and was worried that he would be corrupted by the inner demon. Without hesitation, she used her unique skills and continuously transferred her own true energy to Su Chen to help him resist the invasion of the inner demon.

Hearing this familiar voice, Su Chen's heart trembled, and countless images flashed through his mind. Yes, now he was Li Qinglian's direct disciple, and even a disciple of the Wuliang Sect, having long since bid farewell to his past. All the past events seemed like passing clouds. Only by focusing on the present could he overcome this terrifying thunder tribulation.

As Li Qinglian's voice echoed in his ears, Su Chen's chaotic mind gradually regained clarity. He took a deep breath, readjusted his internal energy, and focused on dealing with the power of the thunder that continued to fall above his head.

The people around watched as the thunder tribulation Su Chen endured became increasingly fierce, its power simply being described as shocking. The lightning that streaked across the sky, carrying an unparalleled aura of destruction, made people shudder.

"Junior Master..." Feng Ci swallowed hard, his face as pale as paper, and stammered, "Is the thunder tribulation for those of you who possess the innate Taoist body and innate spiritual body so brutal?" At this moment, he no longer had the slightest envy for the so-called special physique.

Jiang Qingwu on the side also had a look of surprise on her face. She murmured to herself, "Well... to be honest, I didn't feel it was so exaggerated when I was going through the tribulation myself... I didn't expect Su Chen's thunder tribulation to be so powerful." Obviously, even she, who had experienced the same test, was shocked by the scene before her.

"Junior Master! Your thunder tribulation is much more powerful than Su Chen's! When you were building your foundation and overcoming the tribulation, the scene was truly breathtaking, and we were all terrified watching it. But as time went by, we gradually got used to it." Lin Muci gestured with his hands and feet, as if he wanted to vividly present the scene at that time in front of everyone, fearing that his Junior Master did not understand how terrifying the thunder tribulation he had experienced was.

Mo Yunsheng's eyes widened, and she swallowed hard. Her voice trembled as she asked, "Is this... a thunder tribulation like this truly normal?" This was the first time she had witnessed such a terrifying sight. Although she had heard her grandfather mention Su Chen's innate Dao body and extraordinary strength, she had never had a clear understanding of his true strength. But now, the shocking foundation-building thunder tribulation before her made her truly feel Su Chen's power.

"Wow, it's so fierce! In comparison, my thunder tribulation is simply insignificant. My own cultivation speed is obviously quite fast, and my uncles praised me for my good talent in cultivation. But why was the thunder tribulation as thin as a little finger when I was building my foundation?" Mo Yunsheng was full of doubts, frowning, and couldn't figure out the reason.

Feng Ci, who was standing by, was so shocked when he heard this that he couldn't close his mouth. He shouted in disbelief: "What? You actually said that the sudden thunder that sounded in the cloudless and clear sky was you undergoing a tribulation? I always thought it was just an ordinary thunderstorm during the summer solstice! It's really hard to understand!" His face was full of suspicion and he could not accept this fact at all.

"Yes, Senior Brother Feng...it rained after the thunder." Mo Yunsheng looked at Feng Ci, whose face was completely changed by jealousy, and hid behind Jiang Qingwu with some fear.

"Ahem, Yunsheng, according to your description, I've seen your physique in ancient books. It's called the 'Saint Body Without Tribulations'. It refers to people like you who can overcome tribulations as easily as child's play. Your physique is hard to come by in ten thousand years. Maybe it's because you have completed your merits in every life that you have such a great opportunity and good fortune!" After listening to Mo Yunsheng's description, Jiang Qingwu recalled the cultivators with similar physiques that he had seen described in ancient books.

After hearing this, Feng Ci felt as if he had suffered a huge blow. His face turned extremely grim, as if he had lost a loved one. He secretly groaned inwardly: What should I do? How can the gap between people be so huge? It's really frustrating to compare yourself to others! It seems that the only way to catch up is to work harder in cultivation.

Time flew by, and two hours passed in a flash. The thunderstorms finally subsided. Everyone rushed towards Tingfengzhu, each with the same goal: to secure a share of the rain for other uses.

After Su Chen came out of his retreat, he bowed deeply to Li Qinglian without hesitation and said, "Thank you, Master, for your help! If it weren't for you, I would have had a hard time getting through this difficult time."

However, Li Qinglian waved her hand and replied calmly, "It's too early to pay your respects now. After I successfully ascend, it won't be too late for you to perform this ceremony." Then, she looked at Su Chen seriously and said earnestly, "Su Chen, I don't know what kind of past you have that has caused you to harbor such demons. But you must understand that once you are defeated by your inner demons, the consequences will be beyond our ability to bear. Therefore, you must learn to control your own character."

Hearing this, Su Chen's expression instantly darkened, revealing a deep sense of loneliness. He whispered, "Master, do you really not blame your disciple?"

"Blame you? Blame you for what? You're only a little old, isn't it normal for you to develop inner demons after a little stimulation? Look at your eldest brother, isn't he unable to break through to the Golden Core stage because of his past? Do you think everyone is your junior uncle?" Li Qinglian sneered, "Impossible, how can you compare to my junior sister?"

Jiang Qingwu felt embarrassed when he heard Li Qinglian praising him so much. He laughed and said, "Hahaha, Senior Brother, I'm not as good as you say. Stop talking, stop talking. Hurry up and pick up Yu. After that, we'll set off for Southern Xinjiang."

"That's right, my senior and junior sisters are the best, what can they compare with?" Li Qinglian was still yelling.

"Stop talking, stop talking." Jiang Qingwu said embarrassedly, "Su Chen, hurry up, get well soon. We're ready to leave. The Sect Leader and the others have already prepared everything for us."

"Okay, Junior Master, I've almost recovered and can set off at any time." Su Chen smiled faintly and felt warm in his heart. Yes, it's great that he is a disciple of Wuliang Sect, and Li Qinglian is also great... He had just finished speaking when he saw the man who said that he was not as good as others silently stuffed a Qiankun bag into his hand.

"We won't see each other again for several months. They have prepared things for you, so I have to prepare some for you too." Li Qinglian said awkwardly and continued to stare at the jar, as if the rain would fall faster as long as he stared at it.

Su Chen gripped the Qiankun bag tightly. He knew his master's temper very well. He was mean and awkward. He also felt the warmth from his master. "Thank you, Master."

"Tsk, why are you calling me Master for no reason? No, it doesn't sound nice." Li Qinglian said with disdain.

"Yes, thank you, Master." Su Chen smiled faintly.

The calamity rain fell for a quarter of an hour before stopping. Jiang Qingwu led the 100th generation of Wuliang Sect disciples on a flying boat heading southwest. "We're leaving! Brothers and sisters, practice well and don't worry about me." Jiang Qingwu waved to Li Qingtong and the others from the spiritual boat. "Master, I'm leaving! Remember to contact me immediately if anything happens!" He then used the sect's command to tap the consciousness of his master, who was in seclusion, and after leaving a message, he officially set off...

Feng Jingchen and Su Chen went into their rooms to rest, one because of something on their mind and the other because they had just survived a calamity. The others were chatting on the deck of the spirit boat...