Chapter 507: Tribulation Crossing
Chapter 507: Tribulation Crossing
...This was getting troublesome.
As the saying goes, all's fair in war, but...the Heavenly Dao wasn't so easily fooled. It seemed to have remembered him from last time's deception. Even after lowering his cultivation, the Heavenly Dao mercilessly locked onto him without hesitation.
He looked up at the golden Thunder Eye glaring down from the storm clouds, almost sensing a mocking glint within its gaze. Simultaneously, a system notification popped up in his vision:
[Emergency Version Update: Fixed bug where tribulation lightning couldn't lock onto players perfectly lowering cultivation via system exploits. Please follow game rules and be a fair player who rejects bugs and cheats!]
"Fuck me!" Chen Huaian's vision darkened.
Seriously? They wanted him to play fair when he was already cheating? Fine then—today's heavenly tribulation couldn't be avoided.
No preparations? So be it. Chen Huaian clenched his fists at the golden Thunder Eye, his right hand resting lightly on the Black Scales Sword's hilt.
If exploits were patched, he'd face this tribution properly!
...Above the heavens, calamitous clouds churned like an angry sea, covering thousands of miles. Cultivators across five continents shuddered at the heavenly might, all gazing at those purplish-black thunderclouds. Knowing a tribulation was coming, they scrambled to avoid the fallout.
"This heavenly tribulation..."
Tu Shan Yue frowned at the sky.
With such terrifying scale, was this really just a first Great Ascension Stage lightning tribulation? The oppressive heavenly aura vibrated through space, making cold sweat trickle down her back. Even her third tribulation hadn't felt this horrifying.
If Tu Shan Yue found it abnormal, the five demon sages were even more shaken. Though they'd retreated beyond the thunderclouds' range, the sheer heavenly majesty made their hearts tremble with primal fear despite not being targeted.
"Such terrifying heavenly pressure," the Manifestation Sage's voice quivered.
"What unspeakable crimes did this Sword Pavilion ancestor commit?" The Mountain-Moving Sage gaped.
"In my life of slaughter and sin, even my first tribulation didn't manifest such omens." The Roc Sage stared skyward, horrified. He'd long abandoned hope of becoming a Demon Immortal—too many lives taken. Now at second tribulation's peak, he constantly felt the world's laws watching him...yet even that warning gaze paled compared to the killing intent radiating from that Thunder Eye.
"The Sword Pavilion ancestor is doomed," the Venomous Foe Sage shook his head. "Might not even survive the first bolt."
"Then what about our orders?" The Black Wind Sage's expression changed. "The Sovereign commanded us to capture him. If he gets reduced to ashes, should we collect his remains?"
"The Sovereign isn't unreasonable," the Mountain-Moving Sage rolled his eyes. "If tribulation kills him, that's fate. Should we rescue him from heavenly punishment? We'd get struck too!"
The Manifestation Sage coldly interrupted: "Enough. It's starting."
...
BOOM—!
Within the clouds, nine colossal thunder dragons slithered, each hundreds of zhang long with violet-gold scales crackling destructive lightning. Their roars shook the heavens, fracturing mountains and quaking the earth within a thousand-mile radius.
The Cangbo Mountain Range's tranquil seas now churned with monstrous waves. Even the distant Moon Shadow Sect's halls trembled, roof tiles cascading down.
At the storm's epicenter sat Chen Huaian in meditation, the sole focus between heaven and earth. Surrounding spiritual energy was devoured by the thunderclouds, reforged into even more violent tribulation power.
"RUMBLE—"
The sky suddenly split open with a hundred-zhang rift, as if forcibly torn apart. Within that void of chaos, a golden Thunder Eye gazed indifferently downward.
Chen Huaian's heart clenched—the tribulation was beginning.
[Detected player undergoing tribulation! Three packages available!]
〈1〉Fighting heaven is endless fun—zero spending, full sending.
〈2〉Premium Assist: Reduce tribulation power. Cost: 999 top-grade spirit jades.
〈3〉Deluxe Assist: Gain heavenly protection. Cost: 1999 top-grade spirit jades.
〈4〉Supreme Assist: Laugh and disperse the storm! Cost: 19999 top-grade spirit jades.
"Holy shit!" Chen Huaian was stunned by the options.
Unbelievable.
He hadn't fully believed the system's claims of collaborating with the Cangyun Realm's Heavenly Dao...until now.
If even tribulations had backdoor deals, what couldn't be bought?
But...
"If I need shortcuts to survive my own tribulation, what's the point of cultivating immortality?" Chen Huaian glared at the ominous clouds.
Using pay-to-win mechanics to reach Great Ascension Stage had been necessary—to protect Moon Shadow Sect's disciples and Li Qingran.
But this tribulation was his alone.
If this avatar—meeting all tribulation standards—couldn't survive without system help, how would he face Earth Star's future tribulations? The system only colluded with Cangyun Realm's Heavenly Dao, not Earth Star's.
This battle was his alone.
Fighting heaven is endless fun—a cultivator's arrogant self-mockery, yet also their fundamental attitude toward the Dao.
Somewhere along the way, Chen Huaian's mentality had fundamentally changed.
No longer just a pay-to-win hollow shell, he'd developed his own convictions.
"Bring it!"
Selecting option 〈1〉, Chen Huaian stood sword in hand.
[Warning: Extreme tribulation danger! Confirm again!]
"Annoying." He frowned and confirmed.
The instant the interface vanished—
BOOM!
As if synchronized, a silver lightning bolt thick as a barrel roared down like a furious dragon.
"Good!" Instead of dodging, Chen Huaian shot upward to meet it.
"My wild life spills its last joys, half my gall cast into sword's frost!"
The world turned white—only the figure charging the lightning retained color. Wind blew back his gray temples, revealing starlit eyes reflecting the falling thunder like scorching suns.
SHIIING!
A white serpent split the sky as sword energy pierced the heavens!
The collision between lightning and sword force detonated earthshaking explosions, making the Cangbo Mountain Range tremble as cliffs shattered and dust storms erupted.
Chen Huaian staggered, blood rising in his throat—swallowed back forcefully. The impact had blasted him down a hundred zhang.
"Just the first strike already..." His heart chilled, but determination burned brighter.
The second and third tribulation bolts followed in rapid succession, each more violent than the last. His Green Lotus Sword Songs deflected portions, but residual lightning still wracked his body.
After five heavenly strikes, Chen Huaian had been pummeled from the skies down to the Cangbo Range's main peak.
Standing atop Cangbo Cliff, his body was charred black. Lightning had shredded his robes, revealing a scorched torso with bulging veins—blood nearly boiling from electric surges.
"Five bolts already..."
Tu Shan Yue murmured while watching the mountaintop figure.
A first Great Ascension tribulation had nine strikes. Surviving five didn't guarantee success—the latter bolts grew exponentially stronger, especially the final one.
Recalling her own ordeal, she shuddered involuntarily. Most Cangyun Realm Great Ascension cultivators throughout history had perished at the ninth bolt—a testament to its lethality.
"Can he really withstand it...?"
Perhaps because the Sword Pavilion ancestor resembled that person too much...
Unconsciously biting her red lips, Tu Shan Yue's heart clenched in shared tension.