The old man appeared to be oblivious of his surroundings and he seemed to have gone inside the world of the painting.

"This is... Where am I?" The old man muttered in his heart as he found himself suspended in midair. He tried to move, but he found himself unable to even lift a finger nor close his eyes. All he could do was stare at the towering mountain in front of him.

"This mountain looks familiar... Wait! Isn't this the mountain in the painting?" He muttered inside his head.

He couldn't even see the peak of the mountain since it had already pierced the heavens with its limitless heights. This tall mountain was covered by tall trees and healthy shrubberies. He could also see thousands of savage beasts walking freely on the mountain.

Suddenly, everything in front of him changed.

Baaaangg!!

Baaaaangg!!

The towering mountain was struck by a fearsome wave of lightning. His tribulation lightning looked nothing in comparison to what he was seeing right now.

The mountain remained standing tall and erect, but its vast greeneries was left with nothing but charred remains. Even the savage beasts living within the mountain was not spared and had become ashes, scattering along with the wind.

The old man remained silent as he stared at the damage done on the mountain. And just as he was about to feel pity for it, he suddenly discovered that the sky had turned dark.

He could see from his peripheral vision that thousands of large meteors were descending from the skies. The old man also felt the extreme heat that these meteors brought along with them.

Rumble! Rumble!

More than several thousand meteors struck the lofty mountain, producing multiple earth-shaking sounds.

A long while later, the cloud of dust subsided and he saw the broken state of the mountain. It lost its former loftiness and had now crumbled into several large pieces.

He empathized with the mountain since he had experienced something similar. He was already at the peak of his life and he stood at the very top of the Profound Dragon Continent as one of the strongest experts, but his dream of achieving Immortality was destroyed after he failed to overcome his tribulation lightning.

"No matter how lofty you become in your life, there will come a time that your growth would stop or it is even possible that you'll lose everything..." The old man muttered in his heart as a wave of melancholy struck him.

Hm?

The old man focused his attention back on the broken mountain. It was still a mess, but he could see that life was slowly sprouting back to it as years passed by.

Green grass, tall trees, and even living creatures slowly emerged once again.

The lifeless mountain had sprung back to life after a thousand years!

The old man suddenly laughed in his heart.

"So that's it! So that's what is missing! Now, I know!" If anyone could hear his thoughts, they might believe that this old man had become a madman.

On the second floor of Jiu Shen's store, an old man staring at a painting suddenly staggered and spat a mouthful of black blood.

"Father!" Emperor Elyk called out in surprise when he saw his father coughing a mouthful of dark blood.

Everyone was also surprised by this, and just as they were about to offer help to the old man, a calm voice drifted to their ears.

"Don't move. He might suffer a backlash if he is disturbed in his current state. This is an opportunity for him to break through from his shackles and become a full-fledge Immortal."

Everyone was shocked when they heard Jiu Shen's words.

Emperor Elyk was also stunned at his words. He knew the condition of his father and he was aware that the old man could no longer stimulate his true essence and was thus stuck at the peak stage of the 9th-rank Saint.

'So this is what Wine Master Jiu was talking about when he said that one of the paintings might be of help to him... Amazing! A painting that could help someone break through to the Nascent God Realm? Woah!' Emperor Elyk exclaimed as he stared at his father with excitement.

The old man had already sat cross-legged and he seemed to be meditating.

Everyone could sense that a vast and profound aura was slowly enveloping the old man.

Crackle! Crackle!

The crackling sound of thunder reverberated above the skies.

Jiu Shen frowned as he looked at the sky with his spiritual perception. "Tribulation lightning..." He muttered.

- Ding!

- The system has detected an individual going through his tribulation inside the store. Host, please bring this guest to the rooftop. If we forcefully protect him from his tribulation lightning, the Heavenly Law will produce a more terrifying form of tribulation lightning and it may be harmful to the store. Requesting host to immediately bring this guest to the rooftop.

Jiu Shen abruptly rose to his feet after hearing the system's mechanical voice. He did a motion with his hands and a small portal suddenly appeared in front of the old man.

After teleporting the old man to the rooftop, Jiu Shen went back to his seat and calmly said. "Hestia, don't allow anyone to come out of the store. Tell them that they will die if they come out at this moment."

Everyone was horrified when they heard Jiu Shen's words and their faces were enveloped by a sense of panic.

Hestia who was standing behind Jiu Shen bowed at her master and replied. "As you say, master."

She then went to the ground floor to announce to everyone what Jiu Shen had said.

"Wine Master Jiu, what's happening? Where is my father? And what do you mean that people will die if they come out of the store?" Emperor Elyk asked worriedly.

Jiu Shen glanced at him and replied indifferently. "Your father was able to stimulate his true essence to a certain degree after looking at the painting and this event summoned his tribulation lightning. I brought him outside so that he won't destroy my store, but you don't have to worry. He will come out alive. Maybe..."

Emperor Elyk felt a wave of cold air striking his face when he heard those words.