A heavenly tribulation. One of the rare instances when the heavens act against a living being directly, smiting, destroying, or even simply forcing it back.

Taking a myriad of forms, a tribulation most known had always been the heavenly bolts of lightning. Not that it was so widespread, as one would suppose, but because of its sheer majesty.

Several reasons existed for it to happen, but the only two commonly known were [Retribution] and [Defiance].

[Retribution] was, as the name stated, a punishment from the heavens themselves. Usually coming from a broken oath or similar instances when the heavens were invoked as a witness, and it was the deadliest of all forms of tribulation.

And [Defiance] was called by the cultivator's strength, more often than not a cultivation that was either stronger or too unique when compared to others. It was also known as the lighter form of tribulation, one that could be survived if the cultivator was strong enough.

While it could be called a divine condemnation, almost every cultivator considered it in a different light. Indeed, if the heavens wanted to smite you for breaking their laws, did not that mean one's cultivation was heaven-defying?

Thus, for some cultivators, it was a disaster, and for others, it was a sign of their power. A deadly one, but a sign indeed.

As Bai Qi turned up to face the darkening heavens, he wasn't frightened. In fact, he was delighted.

Part of this feeling was because of the [Insight Heart] he had connected to just now. While the knowledge was yet inaccessible, Bai Qi now knew what it was about, and it was something he truly welcomed. And the energy and other accompanying traits of the treasure were no less than Bai Qi had expected. They allowed him to start the breakthrough right away. And even if it led him to the current situation, it wasn't the fault of the [Insight Heart], but from Bai Qi's cultivation method.

And the other, most significant, part came not from him ignoring the danger but from the knowledge that he, Bai Qi, had been considered worthy by the heavens, even though he was, yet, a mere Yellow Realm cultivator.

He thought as the pressure around him continuously increased.

During his past life, Bai Qi had been called a genius. And he was one indeed, having met no bottleneck until he reached the latter third of the Sky realm. He also had received a tribulation during his period as a Saint realm cultivator, and that was enough to prove that he was far above the rest. After all, it was rare, one in a million, the cultivator that received a tribulation during the Earth Realm.

Elated or not, Bai Qi did feel worried. He had no idea of the strength behind the tribulation, and if it was even a tenth of his first one, there was no chance to survive at all.

Still, Bai Qi had to meet it, and he would do it openly.

*Shatter*

A simple command of his and the array protecting and hiding him disappeared.

And while breaking his concentration wasn't something Bai Qi would choose to do, he still used a small part of his consciousness to scan the surrounding area. Only as he confirmed that everyone had done the correct thing and moved away did he look up again and found himself roaring, "Come!"

Though she agreed and by now spent over three seasons in the [Void Palace], Chun Hua was still unsure why she had even joined a power.

Was it because she wanted to be stronger? She could do so at any moment of her choosing, as she could advance her cultivation by simply absorbing enough [Heavens and Earth] qi.

More useful? But Bai Qi never asked her to do anything, at least not what she could not.

Become more akin to a human? But she wasn't a human, but an [Astral Devourer], or Scourge.

Bai Qi had given her both a body and a cause. Was it because of that strange feeling called gratitude then? Probably not.

Chun Hua's cause was to live, explore, find and experience new things. And while her motives may not be scholarly as Bai Qi's original ones, she approached everything with the same interest as him indeed.

Thus, entering a sect, palace, or similar was a way for Chun Hua to do so. Was it that? Or was it because of another reason?

Neither of them had noticed, but Bai Qi's memories had influenced her heavily. And then, these memories mixed with Chun Hua's experiences and, in the end, distorted and evolved, forming a mindset similar to him. Could it be that now she wasn't a true Scourge, but something in-between one and a human?

Chun Hua could not answer most of the questions, but she encountered no need either. Indeed, why should she try to find an answer if she liked her current life? And surprisingly, she did like it!

***

He Delan, the young elder that had ended as Chun Hua's choice, turned out to be an intriguing person. Even a bizarre one, as some could say.

While a powerful and experienced cultivator, He Delan was probably the worst elder in the entire [Void Palace}. Her methods of instruction went from downright brutal to allowing her disciples to do whatever they wanted. Still, somehow she managed to make her six, as seven had run off to other masters or directly left, disciples stand above the others.

He Delan never explained anything but the bare minimum. And when she did, it was deliberately wrong. But somehow, again, her disciples always knew all that was asked of them, even during the close-to-impossible inter-palace tests.

And as Chun Hua and the others found a couple of months after their arrival, He Delan would not allow anyone, but her, to mess with them. A disciple of another master had forced Mao Lei, who still was the worst fighter of their group, into a duel, and savagely beat him.

Other elders would either ignore it entirely or instill the idea of getting better into their weak disciple. But not He Delan. She had directly stormed the tower of that disciple's master, challenged him, and did not stop beating him until he lost consciousness. Probably she would have continued, if not for the Vice-Palace master, her former master, that stopped her in time.

Such was He Delan's character, and it was the same one that made her disciples part of dozens of big and small-scale incidents.

And it was He Delan, nothing and no one else, that made Chun Hua recognize that she did enjoy her time here.

***

"Chun Hua! Master asks for you to come." Mao Lei practically rolled in, as neither He Delan's methods nor the constant training he had been doing had made him lose a single pound of fat.

Chun Hua, who was meditating, or simply absorbing qi as her Scourge nature required, nodded without opening her eyes.

"Eeeh, I don't want to interrupt you, but Master sounded urgent." Mao Lei was always hesitant when talking to the girl, no, the woman in front of him.

Initially, he was slightly scared of her silent and cold manner. But He Delan's warp-up journey, as their master called the three crazy months of travel since [Shuomen City], had made him reconsider her, discovering that she was a good person and one that was ready to help when asked. Regretfully that only applied to the challenges and hardships, with Chun Hua ignoring all attempts to speak with her normally.

And when Chun Hua showed her talent and began advancing quicker than anyone else, Mao Lei's found himself with no idea how to talk with her at all. She never said or did anything against him and even helped him during the training outings, but again, she ignored his attempts at what she considered worthless relations.

{I will be finished in a few breaths and go to her.} A qi transmission, and one that immediately closed entered Mao Lei's mind, and he could only wryly smile in response. Such was Chun Hua's manner when she had to answer. She would send a transmission and then shut her mind.

"Mmm, but don't forget to use the void." Mao Lei was unsure why he even needed to remind her about that. But he did and then quickly ran out of the enclosed meditation room.

***

"Master." Chun Hua greeted as soon as she exited the void passage she used to move from the basement to the top of He Delan's tower.

Chun Hua rarely spoke, and it had taken over four months for her to start calling He Delan as master or saying anything but yes or no. It wasn't that she was shy, as Chun Hua was devoid of most feelings by nature. Neither was it that she disliked anyone of her current companions. In fact, Chun Hua did find herself feeling something like closeness to He Delan and her fellow disciples.

The true reason behind her lack of words was that... Indeed, Chun Hua still was unsure of how much she could share with others, influenced by Bai Qi's memories and manner, and so she avoided conversing outside determined responses.

"Chun Hua." He Delan acknowledged the presence of her disciple similarly.

Chun Hua noticed to herself. But in place of speaking, she only looked at He Delan inquisitively. The latter was sitting on a meditation mat, surrounded by chains of [Void] and [Formation] runes. And while Chun Hua rarely paid attention, she could not help but think that He Delan looked weary.

"Still reluctant to speak, huh?" He Delan shook her head as she looked directly into Chun Hua's eyes. But as no reaction except a batting of eyelashes followed, He Delan sighed before continuing to speak, "The tower will leave the void in a couple of hours. I want you to scout around it and confirm that everything is still the same."

"Mmm." Chun Hua nodded in answer. Having been enclosed inside the tower for over a week, as the [Void Palace] was under blockade, Chun Hua was glad to hear about an outing.

"But don't get engrossed in the fighting. As soon as you confirm the situation, get back. Understood?" He Delan looked at her disciple with a hint of worry, knowing that Chun Hua probably would do the opposite. Regretfully, except for her and Mao Lei, no other disciples remained in the tower currently, and the latter wasn't even an option.

"Mmm." Chun Hua nodded again. But this time, her thoughts were anything but of compliance. A week of being locked in made her recall the years she spent sealed, and so she wanted to rush out already. As for fighting, well, it was the problem of whoever crossed her path...