The ground split open in a burst of thunder, leaving behind a deep crater. A camellia at the impact site withered instantly—its branches and leaves all scorched and dead.
She huddled behind a rock, soaked in rain and cold sweat. This tribulation was indeed far stronger than the last. Thankfully, he had taught her the art of mirage and displacement. The lightning had struck a false form—the real her had already slipped back into the flowerbed.
The silver serpent had fallen for the trick. With another crack of thunder, the boulder and decoy were blown to bits.
There were three lightning strikes in total. His technique could evade the first two—but what about the last one?
Only now did she realize the seriousness of the situation. Panic began to rise, but she didn’t dare move or act rashly. She held her breath and carefully drew in her branches and leaves, trying to flatten herself completely into the soil and blend in with the other camellias.
Overhead, the silver serpent circled, scanning the ground as if still seeking her.
Suddenly, the wind surged with violent force. The surrounding flowers were ripped from the earth, leaving behind a single, solitary red camellia.
Terror seized her.
The wind intensified. The silver serpent twisted gleefully in the sky, its fangs and claws gleaming with satisfaction.
I have to survive this. I’m so close to him now. He even promised to take me to the Jade Pool Banquet!
Clenching her jaw, she dug her roots deeper into the earth, shielding them fiercely. No matter what, I must not leave the soil!
She had already endured the first two strikes—only one more remained. She could do this, even if it hurt far more than before.
This wasn’t ordinary wind—it was heavenly wind. Each gust was like being flayed alive. All her leaves had long since been stripped away. Only the nine brilliant red blossoms still clung to her branches. Even the ninth bud had begun to unfurl slightly, as if struggling to bloom.
At last, the silver serpent dove with a roar of arrogant wrath.
She braced herself, wide-eyed with fear but unwavering. As the silver bolt closed in, she drew on a thousand years of spiritual power, ready to make her final stand.
In a flash, something golden streaked across the sky.
She froze in astonishment—and then a sudden jolt tore through her entire body. It felt as if she were being torn into countless pieces. Blood surged from her branches in rivulets. The pain was unbearable—so sharp she nearly blacked out. Her original form almost broke free from the ground.
Amid the deafening roar, the ninth camellia blossom suddenly burst into full bloom!
In that instant, the thick black clouds were blown away.
A gentle breeze swept in. The sun emerged, brilliant and warm.
Gazing up at the clear, cloudless sky, she managed a faint, exhausted smile.
Her human form finally returned. She collapsed on the ground, utterly drained, her body stained with blood and dirt.
Back at the Flower Dawn Palace, he stood silently, eyes fixed on the air above—where an image still shimmered, clearly showing her battered form, alive but in agony after surviving the heavenly tribulation.
His elegant brows furrowed even deeper.
The divinations still showed her fate as indistinct and unsettled. This confirmed that his earlier intervention hadn’t gone against the will of Heaven—no great calamity would follow. That, at least, was a relief.
Yet what today also made undeniably clear was that her tribulation had been far more severe than others’. It must be the result of the strange celestial anomaly surrounding her fate. The fact that her tribulation had been delayed until now was never a good sign—when the next one arrived, it might be even more dangerous.
If I had let her face the tribulation herself just now… would her fate have become clear?
If he had been willing to take the risk and not interfered, perhaps she might have withstood that final thunderbolt on her own. Her cultivation was not weak. And this little demon—so naive and reckless, always clinging to him when not cultivating—had shown in that moment before the strike a courage even he couldn’t dismiss.
But when Heaven’s wrath descended, when he saw the terror in her eyes… he couldn’t help himself. He had dropped that golden petal.
Was stepping in the right choice—or a mistake?
But what was done was done. Regret now would change nothing.
With a sigh, he flicked his sleeve and dismissed the image suspended in the air.
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