The Red Lotus Hellfire Tribulation, just like the previous Destruction Thunder Tribulation, also belongs to a dual tribulation merged into one.

However, many people did not recognize the previous Thunder Tribulation. After all, thunder is just thunder, with only subtle differences in color, unlike the distinct appearance of the Red Lotus. The Red Lotus Hellfire Tribulation, on the other hand, is extremely well-known because of its beauty.

Rarely does a heavenly tribulation appear so beautiful. It is the wrath of both Buddha and demon, born from the lotus platform, transforming into a deadly hell, hence its name, Red Lotus Hellfire.

The reason it is also a dual tribulation is that, in addition to the normal scorching flames, it contains a very clear intention of judgment and condemnation.

It believes that your demonic intent is deep, and thus you need judgment and purification.

However, based on experience, not everyone who encounters this tribulation is an unpardonable fiend. Often, it is good people who have committed some mistakes who are more likely to encounter this tribulation than truly wicked individuals.

Truly evil people usually face other types of tribulations, where the intent of destruction is stronger than the intent of judgment.

To give you judgment means to believe that you can still be saved.

Therefore, this tribulation did not give people the impression that “this is an evil person.” Instead, they whispered to each other, “Does this mean his nature is good? But what wrong did he do to cause this?”

A’nuo poked her head out from behind a mountain of books.

Ye Tinglan lowered her gaze, her white hairs fixed.

In everyone’s mind, the wrong things he had done were different.

A’nuo was a true witness to his darkest and fiercest period. How many demonic acts did he commit? And he forgot his disciple after getting a shiniang. It’s no wonder he encountered this tribulation. Heaven has eyes; let’s see if you dare to forget your disciple again!

Ye Tinglan felt that he harbored thoughts for Yuan Muyu, who adopted him, which defied human ethics and warranted this tribulation. But this was more Yuan Muyu’s fault… how old was he then? Yuan Muyu, are you even human?

Dugu Qingli felt it was hard to say which human ethics he defied. Wasn’t Shifu his teacher? Isn’t this clearly defying one’s teacher?

Then the three of them collectively agreed that he was flirting everywhere and was not a good person.

Indeed, this tribulation fire is perfectly justified; judge him severely!

“If I’m to be judged and purified for such minor things… then what were you doing earlier?” Within the tribulation fire, Lu Xingzhou spoke softly, “In Danxia Shan, tyrants raged, and villagers died unjustly. Where was your judgment? In Menggui Cheng, infants were refined into ghosts, and thousands of households cried out. Where was your purification then?”

As he spoke, his hands moved lightly, creating numerous afterimages in the flames, seemingly forming a hand seal.

A fleeting residual glow appeared in the sky, as if the tribulation fire had manifested there, trapping the setting sun within it, also forming a fiery hell, but one that imprisoned the sunset.

The hand seal transformed into a palm, slowly striking towards the ground.

What seemed like a gentle movement caused his long hair to suddenly dance, his hair tie breaking, making him appear like a god or a demon within the fiery hell.

To the observers, it seemed as if the vast expanse of rosy clouds enveloped everything, forming a new prison outside the red lotus, trapping the red lotus within a larger tribulation fire.

“I’m merely undergoing a small heavenly tribulation, and you’re already judging me. What… do you think I’m easier to bully? Well, I’m sorry, but I don’t fall for that.” As he spoke, the red clouds gradually tightened, and the red lotus seemed to be plucked by a giant fiery hand, shaking and struggling in its palm.

“It should be you… who experiences my furnace fire. Let’s see what you can be refined into!”

“Boom!” The Red Lotus Hellfire clashed with Lu Xingzhou’s fiery hell sunset imagery and was completely suppressed, increasingly turning into a red lotus-shaped spark, flickering in his palm.

“Fire seed!” An elder exclaimed in surprise, “He refined the heavenly tribulation into a fire seed!”

“The Red Lotus Tribulation Flame originated this way; he’s not the first to do it,” Ye Tinglan said softly, her eyes filled with unconcealed affection, which she tried to hide by lowering her gaze. “But those who have succeeded, throughout history, are few and far between.”

There was another thought she didn’t voice—Lu Xingzhou should not have been a support character at all. His desire for dominance was extremely strong; he wanted to make heaven and earth his alchemical furnace, and to use his alchemical fire to refine the cosmos. How could such a person always be content to merely assist?

However, in matters of love, due to his temperament, he was quite willing to be a kept man and act like a little puppy. Even then, he often revealed, “I don’t live off women.” If one were to forever treat him as a dependent little puppy solely because of his temperament or concessions, that would be a mistake…

“Suppressing the heavenly tribulation into a fire seed might be achievable, but subduing it? Can he really succeed in subduing it?”

“Anyway, an old man with my strength below the third-rank Kan could certainly not do it.”

“Regardless of whether he can subdue it, purely in terms of this second heavenly tribulation, he has essentially completed it. Even if he can’t subdue the fire seed, he could transfer it to someone else to handle.”

“Then why isn’t it over yet? Is there a third stage?”

If others had a triple tribulation, while rare, it wasn’t unheard of; Dugu Qingli had one.

But if Lu Xingzhou had another, that would be very strange.

Because his previous two tribulations were both superimposed dual tribulations. Although it seemed like he passed two stages, it should actually be counted as four stages of tribulation, which already exceeded many people’s understanding. If there were another, a five-stage tribulation, that would be unprecedented. If this last one was still a superimposed dual tribulation, then it would be a six-stage tribulation. Throughout history, no one has ever heard of any madman undergoing a six-stage tribulation during a minor Tengyun Tribulation. This isn’t an Ascension Tribulation; do you really need to go that far?

Ye Tinglan looked at the Red Lotus Tribulation Flame fire seed struggling in Lu Xingzhou’s palm and whispered, “Can’t you all tell? He is already undergoing the Heart Demon Tribulation.”

The elders looked horrified, “Is there really a five-stage tribulation? Maybe even six?”

Ye Tinglan stared intently, shaking her head slightly.

Heart tribulations are the hardest for others to observe. She could only determine that it had begun, but it was difficult to determine its type or whether it was dual.

But to simultaneously undergo the Heart Demon Tribulation and still try to subdue the Red Lotus Tribulation Flame, wasn’t this a bit too demanding?

Ye Tinglan had always been confident in her lover’s ability to safely navigate heavenly tribulations. Even she now felt a hint of worry, secretly wondering if she should tell him not to be too hard on himself. Wouldn’t it be better to discard the Red Lotus Tribulation Flame now and safely pass the Heart Tribulation?

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Lu Xingzhou controlled the fire with one hand and took out a book from his bosom with the other.

Those with sharp eyes recognized it as the first-grade water-attribute spell “Bishui Dichun” from the Tianyao Holy Land.

What was he doing? People had seen on-the-spot breakthroughs in combat, but never someone reading a book during a tribulation.

Was he joking?

During the Heart Demon Tribulation, it would be good enough to even clearly make out any words. Did he actually intend to divide his attention to study?

Ye Tinglan, however, knew what Lu Xingzhou was studying… His Heart Demon Tribulation must be related to lust, as evidenced by the fleeting desire in his eyes.

And “Bishui Dichun,” in addition to healing, also has a purifying effect that cleanses the mind. He was learning a new move on the spot to self-purify.

As for this method of multitasking, it was somewhat habitual for someone accustomed to simultaneously refining Yin and Yang.

From another perspective, not being able to subdue the Red Lotus Tribulation Flame was not without other solutions.

The Red Lotus Hellfire Tribulation involves judgment and purification, and “Bishui Dichun” also involves cleansing and purification. The two have similarities and are clearly a pair of Yin and Yang.

Lu Xingzhou was trying to introduce the “Bishui Dichun” spell into his body to merge Yin and Yang with the Red Lotus Tribulation Flame, which was also part of his Yin-Yang Jiyi Gong cultivation.

Under the gaze of all, Lu Xingzhou’s eyes, red from the torment of the Heart Demon Tribulation, gradually regained clarity. As his vision cleared, the fire seed in his hand was also absorbed into his body. Red and blue energies visibly intertwined within him, battling and winding through his bones, meridians, and flesh, ultimately converging in his Lingtai.

The dark clouds dissipated, and the sky cleared after the rain.

Lu Xingzhou passed the Tengyun Tribulation, a total of five stages.

Inside and outside the Sutra Pavilion, there was complete silence. Many people still had wide eyes, simply unable to believe what they had witnessed today.

What was this… refining the heavenly tribulation into a fire seed and collecting it?

You might as well say he captured a female assassin and turned her into a slave; that would be more believable.

And as for the final Heart Demon Tribulation, no one knew how he passed it. He seemingly learned a spell from a book on the spot and passed it that way… and it also provided assistance for absorbing the tribulation fire seed?

You learn “Chungongtu” on the spot while the female assassin is trying to kill you, and then you subdue her after capturing her? Is that what it means?

Inside and outside the venue, people felt as if they were in a dream.

Lu Xingzhou stood up and did a few stretches.

He then realized his hair tie had come undone, and his hair was loose. He simply ignored it and strode out of the building, addressing Zhang Qingxiang, who was at the front of the onlookers, “Did this Shixiong just now have many complaints about me?”

Zhang Qingxiang said indifferently, “What do you intend to do?”

“I am Lu Xingzhou, and I would like to seek guidance from Shixiong. Please do not hesitate to enlighten me.”

His tone was refined, and his demeanor impeccable. But paired with his loose, long hair, his usual gentlemanly composure now appeared particularly unruly, much like his current action of challenging a direct disciple of the Tianyao Holy Land as an outsider.

Zhang Qingxiang sneered, “By what right do you ask for my guidance? An mere outsider?”

Lu Xingzhou said, “I have my own mentor… not those you just gossiped about as self-proclaimed, but a first-grade teacher at the Daqian Alchemy Academy. If you insulted Yu… if you insulted those who stand on their own, I wouldn’t say much; but if you insult my teacher, then don’t blame me for seeking some guidance to see what qualifications Shixiong has to make such arrogant statements.”

Ye Tinglan’s lips curved into a smile.

Zhang Qingxiang’s master was bowing and asking Ye Tinglan, “Sect Leader, this…”

Ye Tinglan waved her hand, “It just so happens that I need to assess their abilities. Isn’t this effortless? Just watch. What, Elder Xu, are you perhaps worried that Zhang Qingxiang, a dignified third-rank Upper Stage, might actually lose to someone who just entered the third rank? You told me earlier that he would definitely surpass Qingli?”

Elder Xu hesitated to speak.

Yes, one is a third-rank Upper Stage, and the other has just entered the third-rank.

But this newly entered third-rank is too unconventional. Turning a heavenly tribulation into a fire seed, learning a spell on the spot to pass the Heart Tribulation, and a mere Tengyun Tribulation turning into five minor heavenly tribulations… these things, throughout history, have never even been heard of!

Before he could say anything, he heard Zhang Qingxiang respond, “You mean, you’re not an outsider? Then you’re just an unregistered disciple. Get your bearings stra…”

His words were interrupted by Lu Xingzhou, “Even a menial disciple is still a person of the Holy Land. What, Shixiong, as a direct disciple, you dare not accept a junior disciple’s challenge?”

Zhang Qingxiang clasped his hands behind his back and said indifferently, “Since that is the case, draw your sword. I will let you have three moves.”