Time passed swiftly, and another five years slipped by. Battles in the Ninth Pass became increasingly frequent, with terrifying energy fluctuations permeating everywhere.
Only then did the trial-takers understand why their entry into the Ninth Pass had been into a desolate void of the universe. It was likely that in previous Hundred Battles City trials, every trial-taker would fight fiercely in the Ninth Pass, thus turning it into the current state.
Shattered stars, torn voids, and strange places devoid of any energy fluctuations.
"Boom!"
On this day, a thunderous roar echoed through the entire void of the universe once more. Seas of lightning appeared out of thin air, mirroring the scene of Mo Tian's tribulation.
The boundless oceans of lightning emanated a terrifying aura, causing hearts to tremble.
"This is..."
Numerous trial-takers appeared, gazing at the location where the lightning seas emerged, their eyes revealing a hint of dread.
"Heavenly tribulation, is someone else going to transcend?"
"Who? The second high-ranker!"
"Shen Ming or Li Xiaotian?"
"This lightning tribulation is even stronger than the last one."
Looking at the overwhelming lightning approaching, everyone's faces turned ashen, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
It was evident that the person undergoing tribulation this time was no weaker than Mo Tian in his previous tribulation, otherwise, his heavenly tribulation would not possess such terrifying power.
Soon, everyone learned who the tribulation-transcending person was: Shen Ming. He did not conceal himself but stood boldly in the void, awaiting the arrival of the lightning tribulation.
"Boom!"
The lightning seas descended, and ferocious lightning raged, tearing through the void and shattering stars.
"Crack, crack..."
Countless lightning snakes extended from the void, intertwining and striking down, fierce and overbearing, destroying all things in the world.
The lightning illuminated the void of the universe, banishing the darkness.
Gazing at the wildly dancing silver-white lightning snakes, everyone felt a chill in their hearts, as if they were being stared at by the god of death.
Shen Ming's expression was calm. He looked up at the lightning seas, his eyes narrowed, and his body erupted with surging battle intent.
Then, he took a step forward. Under his foot, the void collapsed, and terrifying power instantly spread outwards.
"Boom!"
The next moment, an aura of extreme ferocity surged from Shen Ming's body. In an instant, the winds and clouds changed, and even the lightning seas seemed to tremble.
"Rumble!"
The lightning seas surged back, and Shen Ming began his tribulation. Like Mo Tian's choice in the past, he chose to fight against the heavenly tribulation.
A terrifying aura filled the entire void of the universe. All trial-takers were alarmed. This was undoubtedly a fearsome heavenly tribulation, far surpassing Mo Tian's.
Shen Ming fought within the lightning seas, blinding light occasionally engulfing them.
Unlike Mo Tian, no one dared to interfere with Shen Ming's tribulation, as no one could bear the wrath of the God Clan if provoked.
The lightning tribulation lasted for a full three days. During these three days, the entire void of the universe was filled with roars, and the attention of all trial-takers was captivated.
Finally, Shen Ming faced the last tribulation. He also ascended against the heavens, forcefully transcending.
Just as everyone believed Shen Ming would successfully transcend the tribulation, a black war spear suddenly shot out from a distant place.
It was thrown by someone from an unknown location, traveling at an extremely high speed, so much so that only a few powerful trial-takers could track its trajectory.
"Pfft!"
The war spear pierced Shen Ming's body, causing him to bleed. His body almost split open, and the final lightning tribulation dispersed as a result.
"Li Xiaotian!!"
Shen Ming roared, his terrifying killing intent sweeping across the heavens and earth. His immense power struck fear into the hearts of everyone.
At the same time, many people's eyes flickered, for Shen Ming had suffered the same severe injury as Mo Tian, though his wounds were lighter.
At this moment, everyone fell silent. Two consecutive breakthroughs to the high-rank, yet both met the same fate, ambushed by Li Xiaotian and suffering heavy foundational injuries.
Shen Ming, who had chosen not to break through, was undoubtedly the strongest beneath the high-rank, a mountain looming over all trial-takers.
But now, he had broken through. Although his strength had increased, their fear of him had significantly diminished.
Because many believed that once they broke through to the high-rank, their combat power might surpass or even crush Shen Ming and Mo Tian.
This excited many, while also sparking some speculation. Was that war spear truly thrown by Li Xiaotian? If it was him, why didn't he reveal himself?
After all, his Devouring Great Dao would be incredibly terrifying within this lightning tribulation.
But this truth was destined to remain unknown.
Finally, Shen Ming also departed hastily, seeking a secluded place to recover from his injuries.
Concurrently, in the most remote part of the Ninth Pass universe, at the edge of the universe, this area was filled with destructive energy and was extremely dangerous, with very few trial-takers venturing here.
On a ruined star, Li Xiaotian withdrew his gaze, a strange glint in his eyes.
When Shen Ming began his tribulation, he had been alerted. Shen Ming's successful tribulation would also be disadvantageous to him, so he had hesitated whether to act.
Currently, his injuries had not yet healed, but he possessed the strength to fight.
However, before he could prepare to act, someone threw a war spear that pierced Shen Ming.
Indeed, that war spear carried a trace of the Devouring Great Dao's aura, leading him to suspect if it was a weapon he had used before.
But it was certain that a mysterious powerhouse had intentionally disguised his aura and attacked Shen Ming, severely wounding him.
"Dogs biting dogs?"
Li Xiaotian muttered to himself, having already guessed who it was. Only Mo Tian, who was already a high-ranker, could possess such strength, otherwise, no one in the Ninth Pass trial-takers could have thrown such a terrifying blow.
"Because his foundation was severely damaged, he didn't want Shen Ming to be stronger than him? Heh, childish."
Li Xiaotian chuckled. Mo Tian had essentially done him a great favor. After all, these two were originally on the same side. When Mo Tian underwent tribulation, Shen Ming did not interfere excessively, only stopping after three moves. Yet, when Shen Ming transcended, Mo Tian struck ruthlessly.
The demon race's nature is inherently evil. With a teammate like Mo Tian, Shen Ming was truly unlucky, Li Xiaotian thought.
However, regardless of the circumstances, he had to thank Mo Tian for severely wounding Shen Ming.
After all, once Shen Ming successfully broke through, the first thing he would likely do was seek him out for reckoning.
But now, Shen Ming was heavily injured and could only find a place to recuperate.
Li Xiaotian's eyes flickered, and he soon closed them to continue healing. He needed to seize this opportunity to restore his body to its peak and simultaneously adjust his state to prepare for his own tribulation.
Now that both Mo Tian and Shen Ming were high-rankers, for him to turn the tables, he had to ascend to the high-rank as well. Even if the final outcome was similar to them, suffering severe foundational injuries, it would be much better than his current state.
After all, all beneath the high-rank were ants. Even if his injuries were fully healed now, he likely wouldn't be a match for the heavily injured Shen Ming and Mo Tian.
Moreover, Mo Tian had been recuperating for ten years, so his condition could only have improved.