The Eight Empresses Betrayed Me, Only to Deeply Regret It After Being Reborn

“A dog can’t stop itself from eating shit.”
Lu Ye watched through the light screen as Chu Ling was being pursued by cultivators of the Calamity Sect.

But Chu Ling, who in her past life had been a Great Emperor—and who now stood at the ninth layer of the Tribulation Crossing Realm—was, in Lu Ye’s absence, essentially unbeatable.
The Calamity Sect had swallowed this bitter pill, and they were going to choke on it.
However, there was another issue: the meager spiritual treasures held by the Calamity Sect clearly weren’t enough to push Shangguan Huanling to the ninth layer of the Tribulation Crossing Realm.

So who would Chu Ling go after next?
The Supreme Sword Sect?
The Central Continent Dynasty?

It couldn’t possibly be Grand Dao Sect, right?
In the end, Chu Ling didn’t go after any of those three factions—she chose the Buddhist sects.
After a fierce battle, her sword no longer seemed as sharp as before, but she still managed to fight her way out of the Buddhist domain, killing several eminent monks.

Lu Ye knew exactly why Chu Ling’s sword had lost its former edge.
When she had someone at her back—a rock-solid support—she could swing her sword without fear. Her blade could cut down anyone.
No matter how big the trouble she stirred up, Lu ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) Ye had always been there to clean up the mess. That was what made her sword so sharp.

But now… that support was gone.
Every time her sword left its sheath, she had to think about the consequences.
That was reality.

Shangguan Huanling had finally reached the ninth layer of Tribulation Crossing.
It was time.
Lu Ye suddenly found himself looking forward to it—what kind of expressions would those four women make when they ascended, only to realize he wasn’t in the Second Heaven?

And how would Jiang Die react, seeing those four women ascend?
“Ding! Hurry up and finish your tribulations already—I want to see them meet Jiang Die!”
The system sounded utterly impatient.
“You can see what’s happening in the Second Heaven?” Lu Ye asked, slightly surprised.

“Ding… Shouldn’t I be able to?” the system hesitated.
“You can. Of course you can.”
“Ding! Then I can see it!”

Lu Ye was curious too. What would it look like when all five women met again?
Jiang Die wanted so badly to kill him—would she capture the four of them and try to force him to show himself?
The tribulations began.

In their past lives, some of these women had survived tribulation on their own. Some had succeeded with the help of treasures Lu Ye had given them. Others had relied on Lu Ye himself to shield them.
How had he shielded them?
Simple. One of them would start tribulating, and Lu Ye would take a single step forward—then face the heavenly tribulation alongside her.
There was no way Heaven would allow such blatant cheating. So it would pour down lightning meant to kill Lu Ye.

And in doing so, Lu Ye forcefully cultivated his Nine-Tribulations Undying Body to perfection.
Thinking back on the pain of helping those women cross their tribulations, Lu Ye couldn’t help but want to get struck by lightning again.
The first to succeed was Bai Qiulan.

The aura of the Great Ascension Realm surged from her body as she crossed a whole major realm. She seemed to relax in an instant, as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted from her shoulders.
Rising one major realm would let her enjoy a temporary period of ease.
Second was Yue Hongling.

She was actually struck so hard by tribulation lightning that she coughed up blood. Her fists and seals didn’t seem as powerful as before?
Yue Hongling couldn’t accept this—she nearly charged straight into the thunderclouds.
She succeeded as well.

But there was no joy on her face.
Fearless and unflinching?
That fearless heart of hers had clearly taken a hit. No good—absolutely not. How could she feel fear?

She had to find a way to reclaim that unflinching spirit. To grow even stronger.
If things went on like this, she’d end up as just another forgettable cultivator among the masses.
Third was Chu Ling.

Her tribulation went better than Yue Hongling’s. After all, she practiced swordsmanship—and her Scripture of Ruthless Slaughter synergized perfectly. For a small-scale tribulation, it was more than enough.
Lastly… came Shangguan Huanling.
“Huánling, are you sure you’ve learned the Heaven and Earth Guard I taught you?” Bai Qiulan asked.

Shangguan Huanling nodded seriously.
“I’ve learned it. It suits me really well!”
“Good. Relax your mind. Give it your all.”

Shangguan Huanling nodded with full sincerity.
Her figure stirred the tribulation thunder.
The thunderclouds churned—spreading from ten li, to twenty, thirty, forty...

Shangguan Huanling’s brow furrowed so hard a fly could’ve gotten caught in the creases.
What the hell? Other people’s tribulations were hundreds or even thousands of li wide. Bai Qiulan’s tribulation cloud alone spanned thirteen hundred li in one go.
But what was this?

You're going to increase ten li at a time? Are you kidding me?
So annoying. Even Heaven is looking down on me now? This is so annoying!
Why does no one take me seriously?!

“Come on! Just strike me down already!”
Shangguan Huanling screamed at the thunderclouds.
BOOM!

A white bolt of tribulation lightning came crashing down from the heavens. It looked magnificent…
But it was white.
Normally, only the weakest and most unremarkable cultivators received white lightning during their tribulations.

Sure, the first bolt was as thick as a water barrel—like a pillar of light piercing the heavens.
But its actual power wasn’t even as strong as a thumb-thick silver lightning bolt.
BOOM!

The ground turned black. A shallow pit formed at her feet.
Shangguan Huanling activated her Heaven and Earth Guard, forcefully enduring the strike.
It was obvious—this tribulation lightning was incredibly easy to withstand.

One bolt after another came down.
White. White. All white. Not even a hint of silver.
“You did this?” Lu Ye turned to ask Shen Xitong.

“Ding! Not me. If they can’t even survive normal tribulation lightning, I’m not wasting my time on them.” The system denied it flat-out.
“Then why’s Shangguan’s lightning so weak?” Lu Ye frowned in confusion.
In the past life, Shangguan Huanling had also cultivated the Origin-Swallowing Scripture. The tribulation she summoned wasn’t anything extraordinary, but it certainly wasn’t this pathetic.

“Ding! What kind of treasures did you feed her in the last life? And what’s she been swallowing in this life? One kid lives off moldy bran, the other feasts on divine delicacies every day—you think the results will be the same?”
Lu Ye suddenly understood.
If the tribulation lightning was this weak, then Shangguan Huanling could ascend too.

A wave of summoning force descended from the heavens.
A multicolored radiance burst from the clouds, enveloping the four of them.
Bai Qiulan reached out her hand.

Yue Hongling didn’t move. Chu Ling didn’t move. Shangguan Huanling, after a brief flicker of sadness, smiled again.
Whatever. She wasn’t walking the path of invincibility anyway. As long as she had a cultivation method, her road would never end.
Shangguan Huanling placed her hand in Bai Qiulan’s.

“Hurry, grab on! We’re going to ascend together again!”
“A brand-new beginning is waiting for us!”
“We’re going to catch up to Big Brother Lu Ye again!”

Her voice was filled with irrepressible joy. She reached out to Chu Ling.
Chu Ling hesitated for a moment, then placed her hand in Shangguan Huanling’s—and reached out to Yue Hongling.
“So sad… our Senior Brother isn’t here.”

Yue Hongling let out a sigh.
“Nor Vermilion Bird.”
In their past life, all six of them had held hands and ascended together.

This time, it was just the four of them. The most important person of all… was no longer here.
But that was all right. Sooner or later, they would reunite.