章 49: First Tribulation

*Things like sexism and racism are purely for worldbuilding and to make it more realistic. Thank you for your understanding.*

Qing Fang's good fell back as he raised his head to the sky, feeling the impending wrath about to fall upon him.

He wasn't worried about his real body weathering the tribulation as it had the grand and almighty power of an early Stage 5, a power thousands of times greater than a Stage 1. However, tribulations also targeted the Dao Body in the World of Laws.

And feeling the power of heaven converging above it, Qing Fang's measly Stage 1 Dao Body trembled in fright. If it couldn't survive the tribulation, it would shatter and Qing Fang would also die.

The power of heaven had a menacing aura that targeted Qing Fang and its power could be clearly sensed for miles. Heaven was the fist of the Universe's impartial might, and cultivation broke the Laws of Nature that heaven tried to protect. Mortals rising into beings that could travel the sky was a freakish rebellion against the shackles heaven put on them, after all.

Qing Fang smirked as he felt the gathering of heaven's might. 'My first tribulation, huh. Well, I guess this will be much easier than the first time I did it.'

All of a sudden, the air within one meter of Qing Fang's body seemed to blur for a second before it layered tens of times! A huge force came from above and pressed down upon him, trying to flatten him to the floor and ultimately kill him!

However, Qing Fang only smiled and sat leisurely, his grand Stage 5 body not moving an inch. Even as the stone around him sunk an inch, he sat stationary with an apathetic smile.

However, within the World of Laws, his peak Stage 1 Dao Body weathered the same force. The power of heaven converged into a colourless Law that shrouded him and tried to crush his cultivation attainments!

However, the Dao Body stood strong amidst the crushing force and did not move! After all, Qing Fang had a clear sense of the first tribulation and he treated it as nothing now. It was as simple as having willpower and strength. As heaven tried to crush his Dao Body, he simply rebelled with his strength.

And no more than thirty seconds later, when the force of heaven understood that the bloody Dao Body was unmoving in the face of it, the crushing force transformed into a tempering one. The force that tried to smash the Stage 1 Blood laws into pieces started to compress them into something stronger.

Qing Fang happily welcomed the nourishment of heaven after he had passed the tribulation and watched his Dao Body transform. Before, its volume was bursting at the seams since it had reached the peak of Stage 1. However, since it was only Stage 1, its density was weak and it only had a dull and lifeless shine to it.

However, Qing Fang watched as the volume of his Laws seemed to decrease, but in fact, they were being compressed into Stage 2 Laws! It was a simple process that only heaven could permit.

The volume of Qing Fang's Dao Body continued to decrease as it thinned out massively until it was almost transparent, however, the Laws that comprised it shone with much more glamour and were much denser than before!

And once the nourishing force had suddenly disappeared, everything returned to silence as if nothing had ever happened. The only difference was that Qing Fang had a noticeably stronger aura than before!

He had just become an early Stage 2 Blood path cultivator!

'That was easier than I remember it. But the gains were not little.' Qing Fang didn't place much emphasis on his cultivation power for the time being as his main strength came from his body. However, flexing his muscles after the tribulation, he felt they had become much stronger.

'Wow. I didn't expect my body would go from early Stage 5 to middle Stage 5 so soon! This means that my effective strength can still increase before my cultivation catches up!' Qing Fang glinted in his red eyes as he noticed the Law of Strength coursing through his veins in a tone brighter than before.

However, at Stage 5, the difference in a single minor realm was huge! Qing Fang was confident that if he met those two Stage 5s from before, while he still couldn't beat even one of them, he could hold his ground.

An area of one meter around Qing Fang's seated body had sunk a couple of inches into the ground, showing its might. If Qing Fang had a Stage 1 body, he might've struggled with its strength.

Waving his hand, Qing Fang conjured a needle of blood to hover before his eyes. 'Wonderful, now my Laws are Stage 2, its strength has increased many folds.' He then used all his might to conjure as much blood as he could with his current cultivation.

And now, a large stream of blood filled the entire room! This was the difference between Stages, and it would only get bigger. Before, he could make one ten-meter-long blood spear, but now he could make at least four!

'Hmm, a single Stage 4 let me cross all the way from higher Stage 1 to Stage 2, however, now I think it will only let me cross one minor realm. Targeting more Stage 4s will only put me in huge danger though, I should just stick to Stage 2s and under...I guess a longer wait doesn't bother me too much.'

For now, Qing Fang wasn't too bothered about leaving this city before his cultivation increased. It was either here or being hunted as a demon through the forests of the Qing clan. So he decided to just go wherever the whims of increasing his power took him. And there was plenty of fresh blood in the city...

There were definitely threatening beings within the city. The faction leaders that he had known about from that girl Chu Hua's memories were said to be Stage 6... But that being said, why do they still live down here?

Qing Fang felt there was much more to this city than meets the eye.

But for now, he felt that if he was cautious, he could stay relatively out of the way. That Chu Hua must be dead, Qing Fang hadn't seen her after he awoke, maybe he ate her, he didn't know. She was the only person that knew who he really was, but it didn't bother him. The girl was Stage 2...he could crush her with a flare of his nostrils or a flap of his wings.

Either way, he didn't attach much importance to her, dead or alive.

But for now, Qing Fang had a few things he needed to make his life easier. He couldn't stroll about and buy things himself because...he was a giant demon-looking monster. Blending into human society was simply impossible because even if he covered himself up, he was still four times the size of a human.

So he needed a few pets that could do his bidding, preferably non-humans. Maybe they could also kill prey for him too? It was decided, that he needed a few small helpers.

And Qing Fang knew exactly where to get them. He stood up from the aftermath of the tribulation and past the shivering black creatures in the hole that he still hadn't named. It was dark outside, which was perfect.

Unnaturally squeezing through the human-sized doorway, Qing Fang walked leisurely on the rooftops of the houses and kept his ears out for any human movement. Since his body had increased a minor realm, everything was enhanced much more than before.

And not long after, Qing Fang heard hundreds of human voices converging at a point near himself. However, the direction was away from the city itself, which is exactly what he was looking for.

'Heh, found it. These humans do hide well.' After that thought, he disappeared in a blurry flash and reappeared moments later hovering over a huge lit-up market district that was on the very edge of the city.

However, this was no ordinary market...

Qing Fang's cold red eyes looked down upon monstrous demi-humans, women and even children being peddled as slaves. Drugs made from rare herbs that could even kill a cultivator were being passed around for cheap and confiscated weapons were sold.

Almost everyone was shrouded in dark robes that covered every part of their skin. Most people kept their eyes to the floor as they walked and people only smiled when merchants successfully scammed people.

'Huh. I heard from the girl's memory about the slum markets and how 'gruesome' they were. They don't even offer killing sports or rape brothels. There is one animal fighting colosseum but that's it? The black markets in Qingshan were much better...' Qing Fang thought disappointedly.

This is where he had come to find a few helpers. But he wouldn't burst in and steal something, because that would attract far too much attention. And besides, who knew how many hidden Stage 5s ran these businesses and were ready to move?

Qing Fang couldn't risk it.

...

A hooded man walked through the black market carefully.

It wasn't often that he came here, but every time he did, he always kept his head down. After all, some crazy people lived here and would try to kill him just because he made eye contact...

It was the smart thing to do, the man thought. And he considered himself a very smart and cautious person that wouldn't do needless things.

He was here to buy some illegal drugs that fueled his addiction. Once he realised he was running out, he quickly put on his hood and came here without a second thought. The black market was extremely hidden and only known customers could roam their streets without being killed.

Luckily for the man, his distant cousin was the one who sold the drugs that fueled his addiction.

He was only a few streets away from his cousin's shop before the man suddenly heard a call from beside him.

"Hey, you."

The voice was incredibly deep and grating, barely understandable. However, the man heard it too clearly, unnervingly so. He turned his head to look to the right of him as his wary eyes showed from beneath his hood.

There was an alleyway that nobody went down. It was extremely dark and the man only saw complete darkness fifteen meters down. The man looked around him and saw nobody react like he did, as if he was imagining things...

And before he could turn to leave, he heard the voice again.

"Yes, you. Come here, I need your help."

The man instantly felt a bit frightened. After all, he wasn't in this crowd and was only a lowly drug addict. If he had caught the attention of someone dangerous, he might even cry.

He spoke with an extremely wary voice without even nearing the alley.

"Hello? I don't know what you want, but I don't want any trouble." His voice didn't shake a bit, he knew how to act like a thug when needed. Seeming unafraid was the key to survival in a place like this. Seeing your nervousness, many people would come and play with you...

"Don't worry about that, I just want you to buy something for me. I will pay you handsomely." The voice came from the darkness, and now that he knew it was talking to him, the man was a bit nervous.

However, when he heard about money, he instantly swallowed his saliva and spoke boldly.

"How much?" The man's eyes narrowed as he stood right at the periphery of the alley with his hands on his hips, seemingly unfazed by the mysteriousness and a "scary man" in his own right.

"How does the claw of a Stage 5 Beast sound?" The deep voice came again with confidence.

Instantly, the man's eyes bulged with excitement! A claw of a Stage 5 Beast?! That was worth at least a few thousand bronzes! Enough to buy a large house!

"Uhhm...ahem." The man's voice wobbled before he calmed himself. "What do you want in return?" He said as his eyes looked into the darkness and tried to distinguish anything from the person he was talking to.

"Just go and buy me a good quality slave. It has to be a nonhuman, preferably a bathuman or even a dragonman if you can get one for cheap. Bring it to me unimprinted and you can keep the change." The voice eagerly replied from the darkness. The man could feel no presence there, which made him slightly uncomfortable.

"Hmmm, unimprinted might be an issue. I can't drag a dragonman through the streets, can I?" The man thought with a frown and asked to the darkness.

"I said unimprinted, boy." The voice took a darker tone, which caused a shiver to go down the man's spine. He didn't let it show though.

"Alright, alright. I'll work something out, I'll bring it here unconscious. Now show me the claw." The man licked his lips as he waited.

And from the darkness, he suddenly felt a powerful aura. However, it clearly belonged to a small part of something bigger. He almost panicked as he felt that aura fly through the air towards him but reached out and caught it.

And in his hands was a black claw over four inches long and still covered with blood on the end of it. His smile widened as he clearly felt the middle Stage 5 aura coming from the claw, not to mention its weight. The thing weighed about twenty kilograms despite being so tiny! This was definitely the claw of a terrifying beast.

"Now go. I will remember your face. If you renege on this, you will be a corpse before the sun rises." The dark voice chased after the hooded man who was sweating slightly but waved off the threat.

"Yeah yeah, got it."

After that, the hooded man put the claw in his pocket and hid its terrifying aura with his own. He quickly walked straight past his cousin's drug shop and toward a huge building that had many large doorways with people entering and exiting by the dozen.

He was stopped by a hooded man outside, but it was expected.

"Sorry, but you need to show us something of worth before entering. The value must equal at least eight-hundred bronze." The man said as he stood in the way.

"Can I ask why?" The man in possession of the claw spoke unwaveringly like he had been offended.

"Well, the owner needs to make sure that only people with wealth that have the means to buy our products can enter. I hope you understand." The voice was unapologetic despite the words.

"Hmph." The man scoffed before revealing the aura of the claw and attracting tens of stunned gazes onto his body. He stood there with a smile as the guard bowed his head slightly.

"Can I know which valued customer you work for?" Of course, he asked this question. The man was only Stage 3...what Stage 3 had a Stage 5 treasure in his possession?

"Hah. Do you think you or your establishment are worthy of knowing? Shut up and let me pass." The man snarkily replied, shamelessly already used to the attention and lying through his teeth.

"Of course..." The guard quietly said through gritted teeth and stepped aside.

'Hmmm, I could get used to this. I wonder who that senior is?' The man thought as he walked into a room full of cages that had voluptuous women, demi-humans or beasts within. Customers walked in between the cages as they browsed while bantering.

The man walked straight to a desk at the end of the room, before saying to one of the cultivators there.

"Hello, I want to see the more exclusive nonhuman slaves that also have imprinting formations on them. Specifically, dragonmen or bathumans if you have those."

I need to see that you have the means to purchase our exclusive products, sir. Something equal to five thousand bronze." The female cultivator behind the desk said uncaringly as she didn't even look up. So many weak cultivators haggled with her every day so they could have a look at the exclusive products with no intention to buy. It made her angry.

"Sure." The man said as he once again release the Stage 5 aura and causing the woman to look up with surprised eyes.

"Ahem, may I see what you have there? For appraisal purposes." She said as she stood up and faced him properly.

"I guess it is only natural." The man said laxly as he took the claw from his pocket and placed it on the desk between them. The black claw was just over four inches long and pulsed with a deadly Stage 5 aura.

The woman picked up the claw. 'Heavy!' She thought before bringing it to her face and squinting at it until sweat formed on her brow. Two minutes later, she carefully put the claw back on the desk before saying with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, sir. I don't have the appraisal skills for something of this worth. Please wait a moment as I fetch the owner." She quickly said before she ran away into a backroom.

'The owner..? Is it really that valuable? Well, it is a Stage 5 Beast after all. But still, I wonder who that senior is to get hold of it!' The man thought as he waited patiently and basked in the awesome stares targeted at the back of his head.

Not before long, the woman returned following meekly behind a huge man two meters tall! He had long black hair and piercing green eyes!

"Sir, let me introduce you to the owner of our market: Boss Zheng."

*3,013/3,000 words*