The tiny monastery only had one room, and it was barely large enough for ten people. There was no roof, so even calling it a monastery was a stretch. In fact, it was made of eight pillars in the eight directions surrounding a stone altar. In the stone, array formations were engraved to promote one's cultivation. Considering how violent a Greater Tribulation could be, no actual building had been erected.
At a relatively safe distance from the altar, the small audience was watching. Although it was the middle of the day, dark clouds began to appear in the sky. Slowly, the sun got completely blocked, and a vast shadow encompassed the entire area. It almost looked like a terrifying storm was brewing. The ominous clouds were heavy and dangerous. Lightning arcs crisscrossed the clouds.
The Greater Tribulation consisted of piercing the veil in order to seize the Dao with one's soul. As such, Matriarch Huang Yufeng had to pour all of her energy into her Third Eye. This point was at the glabella of her Soul Embryo. From this point, her Soul Embryo could then spread its senses outside through her Bai Hui, the Gate of the Hundred Convergences. Throughout her cultivation journey, this acupoint had become strong enough to resist such a large amount of energy. Similarly, her Third Eye was fully open.
By synchronizing her Bai Hui and her Third Eye, she could finally see through the veil behind which the Dao was hiding. No mortal could get access to the Dao without being able to see through this veil.
In the physical world, this would appear as dark clouds blocking out the sky, as the sky was often considered as the Dao, metaphorically. Honestly, it was very hard to tell whether this tribulation was actually caused by the Dao itself or by some interaction between other phenomena. In the end, it didn't really matter.
Some cultivators attributed intent and agency to the Dao. In this worldview, the Dao was testing mortals. Some cultivators even said that the Dao was jealously keeping its secrets and tried to strike down anyone attempting to see even a tiny bit of them. Cao Yun could follow the reasoning of all those cultivators, but didn't find their arguments very convincing. In his experience, the Dao wasn't thinking, it was just a principle behind everything. Maybe it was the world itself that protested against a cultivator trying to perceive the laws controlling it.
In a way, it might simply be like the surface of a lake. If one tried to pierce the surface by going fast enough, the water would be as hard as steel. It wasn't the water being hostile, it was just the way things worked. No agency was required for some counter-effect to manifest itself when a cultivator tried to connect to the Dao.
Anyway, the real reason behind this Greater Tribulation wasn't essential. But it was an interesting question. To be absolutely honest, Cao Yun could absolutely feel some hostility. He had already broken through as an Exalted Demon, nothing could be as hostile as the breakthrough he had survived. At least, that was his conviction at this moment in time.
Matriarch Huang Yufeng was ready. She had calmed her body, her heart wasn't beating, her breathing had stopped. A mortal would have thought her to be a corpse at this point, or a statue. Everything she was was focused between her Third Eye and her Bai Hui. Cao Yun took out the Nine-Souls Calamity Ascension Pill and used his spiritual senses to put it in her mouth and make her swallow. Even her Wei Qi wasn't reacting at all. An early Spirit Warrior or even late Mortal Warrior could have killed her in an instant in her current state. She had absolutely no defense whatsoever.
As an alchemist, Cao Yun guided the medicinal essence of the Nine-Souls Calamity Ascension Pill and tried to mitigate the toxins as much as he could. Maybe another alchemist would have been better than he was, probably Xiao Xuefeng and Hua Fenfei. However, they couldn't have helped during the Greater Tribulation, so they couldn't be close enough to do anything.
Once the Nine-Souls Calamity Ascension Pill began to affect her body, Matriarch Huang Yufeng felt an intense flow of energy throughout her body. Cao Yun helped her focus it. Everything poured into her Soul Embryo and was focused by her Third Eye like a lens.
Suddenly, her Bai Hui erupted with fury and light. An immense column of bright white light appeared in an instant. It rose from the ground toward the ominous clouds. The very moment that column appeared, a powerful shock wave shook the entire area. Even the powerful audience felt tremors throughout their bones. The dark clouds exuded an aura of hatred and wrath. Lightning bolts struck all around the altar. Matriarch Huang Yufeng's body was hit by a few lightning bolts, but she didn't move.
Cao Yun poured some of his own Qi into Matriarch Huang Yufeng to diminish the damage. Apparently, this made the clouds even more upset as they grew bigger and bigger. From Baziyun City, everyone could see the clouds. They kept on growing without end. Slowly, they even manifested above Baziyun City itself.
Rain poured over the entire region, but lightning only focused on Matriarch Huang Yufeng and Cao Yun. The young man became the target of the clouds' fury. However, he didn't change his attitude. Cao Yun had already challenged the Dao in his breakthrough, and he intended to do the same now. That being said, he wasn't going to let himself be struck without any reason. The young man was using his movement technique to evade most of the lightning bolts. Unfortunately, this caused them to target Matriarch Huang Yufeng more and more.
Seeing her struggle, the young man took out his 'Dark Abyss Wrathful Serpent Spear'. As soon as it appeared, his aura completely changed. Everyone heard the screech of a dragon. It was deep and guttural. For a mere instant, the clouds themselves seemed to fear this presence. But lightning struck Cao Yun again. His spear absorbed the lightning bolt, and Cao Yun directed it back to the clouds.
Cao Yun flew higher and higher. His spear was acting like a lightning rod. Almost all of the lightning was focused on his spear. It became hotter and hotter and was even burning Cao Yun's palms. His own flesh was also burning under the impact of the electricity in the air all around him. Everyone around could smell the stench of burning human flesh. However, Cao Yun didn't relent. At this point, Matriarch Huang Yufeng was completely safe from the thunder.
Huang Liyue had witnessed several Greater Tribulations by her mother, but none had been as violent. Clearly, the Dao was furious at Cao Yun's interference. It wasn't just trying to stop Matriarch Huang Yufeng, it was clearly trying to slay Cao Yun and Matriarch Huang Yufeng together. In fact, it was trying to obliterate them completely.
Finally, Cao Yun took action. Instead of just blocking, he struck back. His Spear Heart reached its apex, it was extremely close to a Spear Spirit, but not quite there yet. The clouds themselves reacted and began to swirl as Cao Yun's spear was causing a storm. Cao Yun was using his 'Azure Dragon Through the Seven Storms' martial art, the combination of 'Azure Dragon's Seven Piercing Stars' and 'Three Storms', his family's martial arts.
"The Wind rises in the East."
A powerful whirlwind surrounded the large pillar of light. The audience was forced to retreat further away. Under the effect of this tornado, the dark clouds were pushed apart, but they tried to resist. They spread farther and farther. From their outer radius, they tried to get closer to the eye of the storm. As a result, the dark clouds around the pillar of light became denser while those right above Cao Yun became a tiny bit lighter, not by much.
With all his senses focused on the precise center of the phenomenon, Cao Yun was able to spot something, but he couldn't exactly tell what it was. However, it was at this moment that he knew with certainty that he had been right. There really was something blocking the access to the Dao, it wasn't just the Greater Tribulation.
"The Thunder rumbles in the West."
All the lightning accumulated into 'Dark Abyss Wrathful Serpent Spear' overflowed. The image of a large black dragon appeared in the tornado, it was a vast shadow moving against the air current. The friction between the black dragon and the tornado was creating more and more lightning bolts. All the air around Cao Yun and Matriarch Huang Yufeng was brimming with electricity.
"The Ice hails in the South."
Suddenly, the temperature dropped. From Cao Yun's body, a cold aura spread. He was pouring his understanding of 'Death Verses' into his own spear technique. Most of his Demon Soul had been turned into Death Energy. However, Cao Yun was sending his Death Energy outside his body, he was focusing it into his spear. He didn't want to interfere with Matriarch Huang Yufeng's own spiritual senses. After all, this entire column of light was a manifestation of her soul. The old woman shuddered, but she trusted Cao Yun and didn't worry at all.
In the air, and even in the tornado, water began to condense into small ice blocks. This had become a hailstorm. The black lightning produced by the black dragon was jumping from ice shard to ice shard. Lightning was everywhere as though the ice shards were forming large and complex constellations.
Above the dark clouds, the stars of the Azure Dragon's Seven Piercing Stars also appeared, but no one could see them. However, a red light was trying to break through the dark clouds, the Heart Constellation. It was fully manifested, even the Tail Constellation began to form itself, but it wasn't completely there yet.
As the red light of the Heart Constellation pulsed, Cao Yun could see a shadow in the dark clouds. It was more and more vivid. Soon, he would be absolutely sure of what it was, even though he already had a good idea. Here and there, he could see long forms that were all connected with organic shapes.
"The Three Storms unite in the North."
All three aspects of Cao Yun's storm collided. The black dragon erupted from the tornado, holding large blocks of ice in its claws. Those blocks of ice were full of lightning. Lightning bolts were crisscrossing the dragon's body as well. It was swimming in the air as though it were water. As it was swimming upward, the air turned colder and colder. All the electricity in the air gathered around the dragon's body. Each of his movements caused thunder to erupt and deafen everyone.
Cao Yun's 'Dark Abyss Wrathful Serpent Spear' stabbed straight toward the dark clouds. His Black Heart Flame suddenly erupted and surrounded his 'Dark Abyss Wrathful Serpent Spear'. The azure dragon opened its maw. Black flames and white lightning left its mouth and struck against the dark clouds. Cao Yun's body was rising alongside the azure dragon. His spear finally made contact with the dark clouds themselves.
A powerful explosion could be heard even in Baziyun City. The dark clouds reacted in kind, becoming denser and denser. Lightning was striking everywhere around the tornado and the altar. Almost all of Wu Province could now see those dark clouds. The Sun was completely hidden from Baziyun City. It was the middle of the night for the people on the ground.
"All is gone in the world."
Cao Yun was finally able to use his full technique. This spear attack was enough to obliterate even a 9th-grade Spirit Warrior. Obviously, Emperor Weide was observing from Baziyun City. Even he shuddered. This technique would be able to pierce him through and through. This would both annihilate his heart and his head. All three of his Dantian would be destroyed. Even his Soul Embryo wouldn't be able to resist such a technique.
To be fair, Cao Yun was now a 1st-grade Exalted Demon, the difference from a Spirit Warrior was great. If he had been able to fully use his Soul Embryo as well, Cao Yun's power would be even more terrifying. Moreover, he had only started to study the Dao. In his technique, he could manifest both his Dao of Fire and his Dao of Death through his Black Heart Flame. If he also worked on the Dao of Wind, for example, his attack would be more powerful.
Despite all this power, Cao Yun's attack couldn't go through the dark clouds. They were getting thinner and thinner, and the young man was clearly rising higher and higher, pushing them back. But he wasn't able to go through them completely, and he felt like he might never be able to do so. That being said, it wasn't his goal. After all, those dark clouds had to be pierced by Matriarch Huang Yufeng's Soul Embryo.
At last, Cao Yun saw the shadow hidden inside the dark clouds. He had been right. The long forms were leaves, connected with branches. This was the shape of a tree. Now, there was no doubt, the cause of the Forsaken Dao Era came from the Withering Fusang Domains. If he couldn't strike down the clouds, he could repel the branch.
The branch in the clouds appeared incredibly thin, not even the width of a finger. Yet, it was more durable than Cao Yun's own body. His spear would never be able to tear it apart. But he didn't need to, he simply had to push it out of the way. His spear focused on a simple leaf. This leaf felt as heavy as the entire world. As the tip of his spear touched it, Cao Yun felt suppressed. He pushed his muscles to their limit and tried to go forward.
Slowly, the leaf rose in the dark clouds. As it happened, Matriarch Huang Yufeng's column of light also rose higher and higher. She wasn't just a 9th-grade Spirit Warrior, she was at the pinnacle. Without the tree's interference, she would have broken through already.