What Naughty Thoughts Could the Heavenly Tribulation Thunder Possibly Have? - Chapter 1.2

Three days after the burning of the ancestral hall.

A figure suddenly appeared in the void space between the Shiwan Great Mountain.  Compared to how he looked a few months ago, Du Shenglan was still wearing blue robes, but his ink-like black hair was now tied in a high ponytail, like a wandering xia.¹Vagrant martial artist His hair became loose as an aftermath of being hunted and some fell onto his temple.

He wiped the blood on his face with his sleeve, revealing his beautiful skin.

An elder openly attacking the younger generation was rarely seen in the cultivation world, but burning down one’s ancestral hall was an extremely vile thing to do. This time, the Du Clan collectively sent out two elders who hunted him down for nearly three days and nights. It could be said that Du Shenglan was at death’s door.

But he survived.

Surviving this disaster didn’t make him happy; on the contrary, his heart sank. Du Shenglan’s qi had deteriorated greatly, and he had to stop flying. He leaned against a big tree, panting heavily.

Recently, his life seemed to be very difficult. While he was resting, Du Shenglan thought back to when He Buming had betrayed him several months ago.

No matter how much Du Qingguang, his biological father, didn’t want to see him, he also wouldn’t have instructed someone to go after him. This leaves Du Beiwang as the biggest culprit. Du Beiwang was referred to as the golden child in the clan and was most likely to be the clan’s future successor.

But regarding talent, Du Beiwang couldn’t be compared to him. Even if Du Qingguang hates him now, the possibility of him changing his mind one day can’t be ruled out.

With this in mind, Du Shenglan raised his head and looked at the sky. Du Beiwang was extremely ambitious and would probably disdain to do something like this. It seems like the elder supporting him behind the scenes could wait no longer.

He Buming once said that helping him would be the same as offending two big cultivation clans. Du Beiwang’s biological mother was from the Mo Clan. Perhaps the Mo Clan also had a hand in this matter.

These messy thoughts only lingered around for a few breaths. The Du Clan had sealed off the nearby areas, leaving him with only two options. Either continue forward and return to Zhanyue Mountain to seek the school’s protection or head east. However, he would be treading into the Qin Sect’s territory.

He Buming was the young master of the Qin Sect. Going there would be no different from walking right into a trap.

After taking a breather, Du Shenglan chose to return to his school.

——

Zhanyue Mountain was ranked as one of the three holy lands of cultivation. Every year, innumerable talents would flock there in hopes of obtaining the qualifications to enter. For Zhanyue Mountain to have achieved its fame and reputation today, was largely due to the prestige of the school’s grandmaster, Zhu Mo.²Previously, I mentioned school, but school and sect can be used almost interchangeably. Using ‘school leader’ here sounds strange, hence I used sect leader

As Zhu Mo’s only disciple, Du Shenglan had a pretty high status in Zhanyue Mountain. Every move of his was scrutinized.

The burning of the ancestral hall had already been reported back to the school. The disciple guarding the mountain concealed his dissatisfaction and bowed respectfully, “Master said he would be waiting for you at the back of the mountain.”

He felt even more dissatisfied deep down. Du Shenglan had caused trouble and brought about a terrible disaster, and the Du Clan certainly will come forward asking for him. The slightest bit of carelessness may lead to war between the two powers. At that time, he would inevitably be implicated and suffer.

Du Shenglan tidied up his messy hair a little and walked toward the back of the mountain.

There was a vast space at the back and Zhu Mo would go fishing at the Dragon Spring Falls daily. Du Shenglan could see his master from a distance. An evil and vicious dragon was sealed at the bottom of the falls, and a foul and evil air persisted all year round. It would gather and turn into the astral wind, causing all kinds of trouble.

Zhu Mo was dressed in green robes, his long hair down. He seemed like he was in another dimension. His robes stuck to his body obediently and didn’t sway with the wind.

Du Shenglan approached him and called out softly, “Master.”

Only silence answered him.

After a while, Zhu Mo finally put down his fishing rod. He didn’t mention the burning of the ancestral hall but brought up Du Shenglan stealing the Du Clan’s treasure by taking advantage of the chaos instead, “I’m afraid your father is as bewildered as I am at this moment. I’m curious to know how you did it.”

The clan’s treasure was placed in a top-secret location and was guarded by an expert. Even he could barely take it away without anyone knowing.

Du Shenglan avoided the question and only said, “Wasn’t master’s old injury acting up an insinuation for me to steal it?”

10 years ago, Zhu Mo accepted Du Shenglan as his disciple, causing a great stir. At that time, Zhu Mo and his father, Du Qingguang, fought each other over this. On the surface, the fight ended in a draw but in reality, Zhu Mo sustained heavier injuries than Du Qingguang.

The chill seeped into people’s bodies when they were at the Dragon Spring Falls. Du Shenglan closed his eyes after replying, some frost forming on his eyelashes.

“In fact, this was all planned by master, right? You’ve coveted the Du Clan’s Enlightenment Pill for a long time before you finally came up with a plan to exploit me so that you can get it.”

Zhu Mo replied lightly, “You mean, counting on a junior that’s been expelled from his clan to steal?”

“But you won’t give up as long as there is a chance.”

Du Shenglan continued, “I’m not trying to be brazen, but I’ve never failed in accomplishing anything I’ve wanted to do from young until now.”

There is a popular sentiment amongst cultivators about fate, Du Shenglan believes he is fated with good fortune.

Zhu Mo finally turns to look at him. Seeing this gifted disciple of his, his gaze turned complicated.

Du Shenglan met his gaze and smiled instead, “You have good insight.”

Sure enough, he accomplished it.

Zhu Mo finally stopped dodging the topic and directly mentioned the treasure, “Currently, all the top powers want to obtain this Enlightenment Pill. This will wreak havoc. Hand over the pill to me and I’ll personally protect you.”

At this moment, Du Shenglan looked at his master who had once inspired him with reverence and admiration. But now, he only felt that this person was extremely unfamiliar.

“And be trapped in Zhanyue Mountain forever?”

Once he left, he would face endless pursuits. Zhu Mo’s so-called protection was simply letting him enter closed-door cultivation in the mountain for years. But if cultivators stopped learning through experience, they would be unable to temper their Dao heart.

Zhu Mo didn’t answer, as if it was a silent admission.

The corners of Du Shenglan’s mouth suddenly lifted slightly, “You’re wrong. I’m not without options.”

Just as he finished speaking, the splashing water at the Dragon Spring Falls suddenly rose a thousand feet high, as if to overturn the sky. The roar of a dragon sent a tremor across the mountain. The disciple stationed outside covered his ears and squatted down in pain. He clearly couldn’t endure the oppression from the dragon’s roar.

Zhu Mo’s expression finally showed some changes, and he said in a thundering voice, “You dare release the evil dragon out… you don’t have to wait for the Du Clan to show up today, I’ll deal with you myself.”

He thought about how Du Shenglan had frequented Dragon Spring Falls in the past few years, the reason being that he wanted to cultivate with the aid of the astral wind. He had even worked hard in studying the formation. Zhu Mo was afraid that this good³Evil disciple is the correct translation, but I feel that writing good disciple portrays the sarcasm better disciple of his had long been having this dastardly plan in mind!

Du Shenglan didn’t bat an eye at the threat. He whistled and an eagle flew across the sky in the distance, its sharp claws holding the box. It then threw the box into the faraway mountains and valleys.

Dozens of miles away, a surge of Dao erupted.

“Master, whether you want the Enlightenment Pill or to kill this unfilial disciple, you should think it through.”

The Dao fluctuations had scattered everywhere and would soon attract the attention of other experts. He had to stop wasting time.

Zhu Mo could already feel several powerful auras gathering in that direction. Just as he was ready to leave, a light mocking voice could be heard behind him, “You’re willing to ignore this and let the dragon be released for the sake of the Enlightenment Pill. Are you not afraid of the future repercussions?”

Zhu Mo was slightly stunned. In the end, he left, leaving Du Shenglan with a view of his thin figure.

At the same time, the terrifying, oppressive aura had completely covered the top of the mountain. Du Shenglan couldn’t see the full view of the huge dragon amidst the surging black waves, only managing to catch a glimpse of its huge and frightening eyes. The entire mountain would be uprooted if it drew in a small breath.

Du Shenglan looked at the scene in front of him that was akin to doomsday and spoke in a cold voice, “Don’t forget, you’ve made a Heavenly Vow. The moment you commit a massacre unjustly, your Dao heart will definitely collapse in the future.”

This was the condition he put out in return for him releasing the vicious dragon, and it was the last bargaining chip he had.

“Heavenly Vow…” The vicious dragon uttered, speaking the human language. It saw the vow as a joke, but fortunately, it felt apprehensive and didn’t destroy the mountain.

The dragon picked up Du Shenglan and with a flick of its tail, left Zhanyue Mountain.