Upon learning about the era Qin Ye came from, Zhang Feng and the others could not conceal their shock.

  Zhang Feng couldn't help but scrutinize Qin Ye once again.

  Although Qin Ye's attire and emerging from an ancient coffin indeed had credibility, recalling how proficiently Qin Ye had operated a mobile phone earlier, Zhang Feng still had some doubts.

  "Mr. Qin Ye, you..."

  He pnned to ask Qin Ye further to verify the truth while simultaneously taking out his phone, preparing to report this matter first.

  But just as he took out his phone, before he could even ask a question, suddenly, Qin Ye, standing before them, raised his head to look at the sky and let out a light "Eh?"

  "Eh?" Seeing this, they instinctively looked up at the sky as well.

  Boom—

  Dazzling lightning burst forth. The sky, covered in dark clouds, roared with thunder, deafening to the ears.

  Without any warning, a bolt of lightning as thick as a dragon's body suddenly struck down from the heavens, heading straight toward Zhang Feng and the others.

  "!!!!!" Zhang Feng's face drastically changed.

  'This is...Heavenly Tribution?!'

  Without time to think, he grabbed Old Chen and Old Mu beside him. But before he could react further, he felt his body being lifted into the air. Along with Old Chen and Old Mu, the three of them were pushed aside by a gentle force.

  Almost in an instant, the three of them were sent a hundred meters away. Immediately following, in their shocked gazes, the thunderbolt struck down, nding precisely on Qin Ye, who stood before them. The lightning, as thick as a dragon's body, engulfed Qin Ye completely.

  Boom!!!

  The lightning did not cease.

  The first bolt had just nded. The second bolt followed right after. And even the third bolt…

  They watched in astonishment and suddenly understood.

  "The lightning storm today wasn't caused by the zombie king—it was triggered by that ancient person?" Old Chen excimed.

  Having received nine years of compulsory education, he knew that under normal circumstances, lightning wouldn't strike the same pce repeatedly. This was clearly not ordinary lightning.

  As a Taoist and cultivator, he knew clearly—this was indeed not ordinary lightning but a Heavenly Tribution.

  Only cultivators who reached the Purple Robe level would face Heavenly Tribution. This was known as undergoing tribution.

  "Is he undergoing tribution?" Disciple Ah Zhen asked at this moment, clearly noticing the anomaly in the lightning as well.

  "Yes." Old Mu responded firmly, his gaze intense.

  "Since ancient times, as long as one overcomes Heavenly Tribution, they can achieve Purple Robe. You all are fortunate—under normal circumstances, you wouldn't have the chance to witness tribution at such close range."

  Watcher Zhang Feng also spoke at this moment, slowly saying, "Since the founding of the country, the higher-ups have prohibited human, ghost, and demon cultivators from exposing themselves to public view, let alone undergoing tribution in broad daylight. The st one who broke this rule was the demon cultivator Wang Yi in 2017. He was ambushed in Shanghai's Lujiazui and had no choice but to undergo tribution in full view of the public."

  "This resulted in him being dealt with by the Bureau afterward—his demon core was stripped away, and he has been imprisoned in Changbai Mountain ever since."

  "Since then, any cultivator wishing to undergo tribution could only apply to do so during a typhoon to use the storm as cover. Today, you all are absolutely lucky—here in the uninhabited Aio Mountain, you can witness this up close."

  As he spoke, Watcher Zhang Feng stared intently at the location where the lightning struck, murmuring, "The fifth bolt has already fallen. The more bolts, the stronger the cultivator undergoing tribution. Could he be facing nine bolts? If so, can he survive…"

  At this moment, amidst the deafening thunder, a faint figure could be seen within the waterfall-like lightning.

  Even though each lightning strike carried enough power to easily shatter the previous Zombie King, Zhang Feng and the others noticed, Qin Ye, bathing in the lightning, showed no signs of weakening.

  He remained standing tall. And at this moment, as if hearing Zhang Feng's murmurs, they were stunned to discover, Qin Ye, standing amidst the lightning, moved. Though his face was obscured, he could be seen slowly turning his head toward them.

  The next second, Qin Ye's voice echoed faintly.

  "Although observing tribution can be quite enlightening—I understand that—but are you all just going to stand there in shock? Shouldn't you at least take some pictures and post them on your Moments?"

  "???"

  They froze, their eyes widening instantly.

  Immediately, Zhang Feng quickly picked up his phone, but he wasn't taking pictures. Instead, he ordered Old Chen to record a video while he hurriedly reported the incident.

  Very soon, Qin Ye's situation was reported to the 749 Bureau.

  Especially during the report, Zhang Feng personally witnessed Qin Ye undergoing nine lightning strikes—yet the tribution still did not end. The tenth bolt fell, then the eleventh… it seemed as though the tribution was endless.

  With each additional bolt, The thunderclouds churned, and the sky became turbulent.

  Even outside Aio Mountain, one could see the terrifying thunderclouds deep within the mountain range, resembling an apocalyptic scene.

  Even as time passed, the phenomenon grew more intense.

  In the neighboring city of Dali—numerous powerful cultivators, sensing the disturbance, turned their attention toward Aio Mountain.

  And as time went on, though the doomsday-like thunderclouds did not spread further, it felt as if the heavens' mysteries had been shattered.

  Not just in nearby cities, even in provinces far from Yunnan's Aio Mountain—one after another, and even as far as the Northeast…

  ———

  Meanwhile, in the capital, at the 749 Bureau headquarters, upon learning that Qin Ye had undergone more than nine tribution bolts, the Bureau took it extremely seriously.

  An emergency high-level meeting was convened.

  At this moment, inside the conference room, 749 Bureau's Chief, Lin De, scanned the gathered high-ranking officials.

  "Gentlemen, what do you think about the risk assessment of this Qin Ye?"

  On the rge screen in the conference room, a photo of Qin Ye was dispyed—a green robe, an ethereal aura.

  "At least Purple Robe level—possibly higher. Even demon cultivator Wang Yi's tribution wasn't this extreme. If I recall, Wang Yi underwent eighteen bolts, right? Despite his power, we still needed to deploy several Guardians to take him down in the end."

  The speaker was a woman. She was the head of the 749 Bureau's research division, specializing in supernatural entities such as ghosts and demons.

  As she spoke, she turned to an elderly man beside her, dressed in a traditional bck Chinese robe. "What do you think, Elder Zhang? If I recall correctly, back then, you personally intimidated Wang Yi's master to prevent the situation from escating."

  The elderly man in the bck robe gazed at Qin Ye on the screen, his hands rotating a pair of walnuts, his expression kind and gentle.

  "I watched the chest-camera footage Zhang Feng sent back, showing the battle with the zombie king."

  "I know Zhang Feng's strength well. If even he couldn't handle that Zombie King, yet Qin Ye easily killed it with a single finger—then this so-called thousand-year-old ancient man's strength is at least among the elites of the Purple Robe level, or possibly… above me."

  Immediately, many high-ranking officials present turned to look, shocked by the old man's words.

  Others might not know Elder Zhang. But they were absolutely clear. The elderly man before them, pying with walnuts in his hands, seemingly like an old man pying chess in the park, was not ordinary. He was the pilr of the Maoshan Sect, the very foundation of Maoshan, and had now stepped down from the position of Sect Master.

  Currently stationed at the 749 Bureau, he was regarded as one of the Ten Grandmasters—Elder Zhang.

  "Elder Zhang, are you serious?" The head of the logistics department of the 749 Bureau asked in astonishment.

  "Don't tell me you've been fooled just because the other party cims to have lived for a thousand years."

  Hearing this, Elder Zhang shook his head. "It's not that I've been intimidated, but rather that the facts speak for themselves. He has already surpassed twenty tribution lightnings. Back then, when I underwent the Purple Robe Tribution, I only faced thirty-some strikes."

  "According to the information Zhang Feng has just transmitted, his tribution is not over yet and is still continuing. Reaching thirty tributions is practically a certainty."

  As Elder Zhang analyzed this, the meeting room fell into silence.

  The expressions of the attendees varied.

  Director Lin De of the Bureau furrowed his brows. If the number of tributions reached thirty, even if the individual's strength was inferior to Elder Zhang's, he had already surpassed the level of a Guardian and reached the ranks of the Ten Grandmasters.

  Such a level could not be taken lightly. It must be taken seriously.

  Immediately, Lin De made a decision and instructed his subordinates. "Go check—who is the closest Guardian to Dali City? Which Grandmasters are in the vicinity of Yunnan Province? I—"

  Bang!

  The meeting room door was flung open in a hurry. The sudden situation, made everyone in the meeting room frown.

  For a meeting of this highest level, to enter without knocking—either the person had gone mad, or the situation was so urgent that there was no time for formalities. They leaned toward the tter.

  But what kind of situation could be so severe that someone would burst into the highest-level meeting?

  "Director, something has happened! News from Fengdu County, Chongqing—just now, at 2:10 AM, the Gates of Fengdu, which were supposed to open only during the Ghost Festival, suddenly opened! A massive number of ghost soldiers and fierce spirits have surged out!"

  "What did you say?!" But before Director Lin De could express his shock, another intelligence officer from the 749 Bureau rushed into the meeting room, also in a panic.

  "Unrest at Yuzhou's Dragon-Sealing Well! A massive amount of demonic energy is seeping from the well, accompanied by dragon roars. The Guardian of Yuzhou has already sealed off the area!"

  Like a domino effect, one intelligence officer after another came rushing in to report.

  "Elder Zhang! News from the Maoshan Sect—The back mountain, where past sect masters are buried, has exploded! It seems like something has escaped. The Sect Master of Maoshan requests your immediate return to investigate!"

  "Director! A sudden earthquake at Zhongnan Mountain! A fissure has opened in the mountain, and terrifying ghostly wails are coming from inside!"

  "Director—"

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