The heavenly tribulation, no longer provoked, began to brew its first bolt of lightning.
As the tribulation lightning descended, the hundred people about to undergo the trial grew even more fearful.
Zi Linling frowned, her expression grave. "I know you are all afraid, but we have no choice now. If we cannot even overcome this tribulation, how can we hope to annihilate the extraterrestrial demons? How can we bring light back to the Tianyuan Continent and peace to the Azure Star?"
"Heroes of the Azure Star, summon the courage you displayed when fighting the extraterrestrial demons, the unyielding spirit that fears no death, the will to survive! Bravely face this unprecedented heavenly tribulation!"
Strangely, every word and sentence Zi Linling spoke seemed to possess boundless magic, instantly crushing the fear in the hearts of the reinforcements.
Her encouraging words caused the reinforcements about to face the tribulation to cry out with renewed vigor.
"Boom!"
The first bolt of tribulation lightning struck.
"Hoo!"
A hundred voices roared in unison, their shouts drowning out the thunder.
With determined expressions, they worked together, accepting the baptism of the lightning.
Though the lightning struck their bodies, causing them to grimace and even wail in pain, their eyes remained resolute, refusing to give up.
Zi Linling and Ye Lingyuan did not stand idle. They worked in tandem, meticulously observing each person. If anyone faltered, they would be pulled out from under the tribulation lightning.
"Boom, boom, boom..."
Bolt after bolt of tribulation lightning descended, engulfing the hundred people undergoing the trial in a sea of lightning.
The pained cries echoed incessantly, and a rich aroma of roasting flesh spread outward. Yet, everyone persevered.
Someone shouted, "We are not cowards! We cannot die! We still have to protect! We still have to fight!"
Those who were wavering and on the verge of giving up, upon hearing these words, miraculously regained their confidence, their resolve, and their courage.
Of course, some could not endure and were rescued by Zi Linling and Ye Lingyuan. However, they immediately felt ashamed.
Zi Linling offered no extra words, merely giving them a thumbs-up with a smile, acknowledging their efforts.
The heavenly tribulation lasted for a day and a night, only dissipating on the morning of the fifth day as the thunderclouds scattered.
Out of the hundred people who underwent the tribulation, not one perished. This was truly a miracle.
While Zi Linling and Ye Lingyuan's assistance played a role, the inherent resilience of the trial-takers could not be overlooked.
As the heavenly tribulation receded, Zi Linling and Ye Lingyuan had no time to rest. They immediately erected a barrier, enveloping the hundred individuals.
Then, Zi Linling shouted towards the six thousand people a thousand miles away, "Warriors of the Azure Star, heed my command! Engage in battle immediately and buy these hundred people time to recover!"
It turned out that while these hundred people were undergoing their tribulation, the extraterrestrial demon army had already arrived at the border of the Tianyuan Empire, spread out like a dense black mass along the frontier.
However, they dared not cross the border due to the power of the heavenly tribulation.
Now that the tribulation had dispersed, the extraterrestrial demon army naturally grew restless.
This was precisely why Zi Linling and Ye Lingyuan had immediately erected a barrier for the hundred trial-takers.
Without hesitation, the six thousand reinforcements, upon receiving Zi Linling's order, grabbed their weapons and charged towards the border.
They seamlessly formed a serpentine formation, shielding the hundred who had just completed their tribulation behind them, facing the extraterrestrial demon army head-on, ready for battle.
Zi Linling addressed the people within the barrier, "Focus your minds and recover as quickly as possible. Only then can we fight side-by-side and annihilate the enemy!"
"Yes!"
The hundred responded in unison and immediately sat down to recover.
Zi Linling and Ye Lingyuan exchanged a smile, then opened a gap in the barrier, channeling spiritual power and the power of laws into it to aid their recovery.
Following that, they leaped out of the barrier and positioned themselves before the serpentine formation, coldly watching the approaching extraterrestrial demon army.
"Kill!"
Zi Linling gave the command, and "Five Spirit Explosions" and "Five Element Explosions" detonated one after another within the extraterrestrial demon army.
Simultaneously, the Dragon Scale Dagger in her hand unleashed a hundred-zhang blade aura, cleaving mercilessly into the extraterrestrial demon ranks.
At the same moment Zi Linling attacked, the hundred-zhang sword aura from Ye Lingyuan's Broken Heaven Sword swept across a vast swathe of extraterrestrial demons from left to right.
With their opening salvo, the reinforcements also drew their weapons and plunged into the enemy ranks.
Instantly, bones flew through the air, and rivers of blood flowed on the ground. The thick scent of blood spurred both sides to fight ferociously.
Zi Linling and Ye Lingyuan did not rush the reinforcements forward. Instead, they ordered them to hold the border line.
Half an hour later, the hundred individuals had fully recovered. They drew their weapons and roared as they charged into the fray.
Seeing that the time was ripe, Zi Linling gave Ye Lingyuan a confident nod and shouted, "Advance immediately and quickly support the Nine Cauldrons Demon Slaying Formation!"
"Yes!"
The morale of the reinforcements soared. Their eyes bloodshot, they pushed the extraterrestrial demon army back, forcing them to retreat steadily.
Soon, the army broke through into the nine prefectures of Tianyuan, reaching the rear of the extraterrestrial demon army outside the Nine Cauldrons Demon Slaying Formation.
When the nine prefectures were originally established, Zi Linling, following Elder Du's guidance, had forged nine great cauldrons according to the principles of the Bagua and the Nine Palaces, burying them beneath each prefecture.
These nine great cauldrons were initially intended to suppress the fortune of the Tianyuan Empire, but they unexpectedly became the foundation of the Nine Cauldrons Demon Slaying Formation.
The entire Tianyuan Empire was enveloped by the Nine Cauldrons Demon Slaying Formation, which was controlled by Shen Liuxing and Rong Guang, who had arrived on the Tianyuan Continent three months prior.
After arriving at the Tianyuan Empire, Shen Liuxing and Rong Guang presented Ye Lingyuan's imperial edict, demanding that the four departments of civil affairs, supervision, law enforcement, and military cooperate fully with them to activate the Nine Cauldrons Demon Slaying Formation with the combined might of thousands, and to swiftly purge the extraterrestrial demons within the formation.
It was fortunate that the leaders of the extraterrestrial demons were not in the Tianyuan Empire at the time, allowing everyone to easily complete the purging task.
By the time the extraterrestrial demon leaders returned, the Nine Cauldrons Demon Slaying Formation had already been fully activated. With the spiritual power of Zi Linling and Ye Lingyuan, it was like an impenetrable fortress.
Of course, this was also because Ye Lingyuan and Zi Linling were the Emperor and Empress of the Tianyuan Empire, blessed with the fortune of the entire empire.
The leaders of the extraterrestrial demons were enraged and swore to break the Nine Cauldrons Demon Slaying Formation and slaughter every living being in the Tianyuan Empire, leaving none behind.
However, how could a formation blessed with the empire's fortune be so easily broken?
The leaders of the extraterrestrial demons attacked for two months without any success.
Therefore, they temporarily halted their assault, deliberating on countermeasures while awaiting their reinforcements.
Today, the reinforcements, led by their king, were about to arrive, and coincidentally, Zi Linling and Ye Lingyuan had also arrived.