Chapter 2827: Terrifying Divine Tribulation
The vast majority of the Dark Abyss Yan Clan members resided on Cloud Dark Star.
This was an eighth-level planet not far from the Abyss of Darkness, appearing dark blue and similar in size to Ice King Star. The planet's diameter exceeded ten million li, making it larger than many stars, capable of housing ten trillion cultivators. Numerous life-sustaining planets surrounded it, forming a small star domain.
However, due to the influence of dark force, this star domain's cultivation resources were extremely barren.
The greatest cultivation resource was the strange beasts.
But hunting strange beasts was incredibly dangerous.
The Dark Abyss Yan Clan had struggled in recent years, fighting and striving every day.
A hundred thousand years ago, Cloud Dark Star was a star domain territory under the Darkness Temple, but it was seized by this branch of the Yama Clan led by Wu Qingzong, thus forging a deep enmity between the two sides.
Today, a distinguished guest arrived at Cloud Dark Star!
"Greetings, Divine Venerable!"
Beneath the majestic divine temple, Xue Tu and the gods of the Dark Abyss Yan Clan all bowed respectfully.
Opposite them stood an elder with a childlike face and blood-red hair, wearing a magnificent divine robe embroidered with thousands of divine beast patterns. Yet, he carried no divine might, exuding a comforting sense of closeness.
Unlike other divine venerables who were mysterious, majestic, and domineering, he seemed more like a kind and amiable elder.
This was the Fortune Divine Venerable of the Destiny Temple.
The Fortune Divine Venerable was not appearing before others for the first time; he showed himself once every thousand years during the Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet. But what appeared before people was always a colossal divine statue.
For saint realm cultivators or ordinary gods, seeing the true form of a divine venerable was as difficult as ascending to heaven.
Yet now, the Fortune Divine Venerable's true body had descended upon Cloud Dark Star, appearing before Xue Tu. Naturally, Xue Tu was deeply shaken. After all, he had only seen the true body of his master, the Death Divine Venerable, once.
A divine venerable was more powerful than a nine-heaven divine dragon, mysterious and unfathomable, something to be admired but unattainable.
As soon as the Fortune Divine Venerable landed, the countless mountain ranges of Cloud Dark Star radiated fortune divine light, sprouting countless sacred medicines. Vast lakes and deep seas turned golden, with radiant energy soaring into the sky, and large areas of water transformed into spiritual springs.
This was the divine venerable's blessing!
It was one of the twelve powers of the Path of Fate.
With a single thought, heaven and earth were transformed.
Using the power of fate and supreme divine power, he altered the land for countless millions of li, causing spiritual veins and sacred veins to emerge from the depths of the earth, and the rules of heaven and earth changed, becoming more suitable for cultivation.
"Xue Tu, you've stepped into the divine realm! It seems coming to the Abyss of Darkness was the right choice. The Destiny Temple gains another divine seat." The Fortune Divine Venerable smiled as he examined Xue Tu.
Before a divine venerable, how could Xue Tu act arrogantly? He quickly humbled himself, saying, "It's all thanks to your venerable elder's divine thought blessing that this junior successfully crossed the tribulation and broke through to the realm."
Countless eyes shot him disdainful glances. Among gods, there was actually someone so shameless.
Wu Qingzong personally came out to welcome him.
The Fortune Divine Venerable clearly had a close relationship with the Dark Abyss Yan Clan; otherwise, a thousand years ago, he wouldn't have arranged the marriage between Yan Wushen and Bore to protect Yan Wushen through alliance.
Present, besides the gods, only a few supreme realm great saints were there.
Before a divine venerable, their pressure was immense.
While the Fortune Divine Venerable and Wu Qingzong were conversing, Xue Tu's gaze fell on Xu Rulai and Gong Nanfeng. These two had come to Cloud Dark Star with the Fortune Divine Venerable.
In the Abyss of Darkness, Xue Tu had sensed their auras.
The Fortune Divine Venerable said, "Returning from the Abyss of Darkness, Zhang Ruochen and Yan Wushen will surely break through to become gods. They are both unparalleled geniuses, the hope of this era. Xue Jue is far away on the Starry Sky Battlefield, stationed at Sansheng Realm, unable to come personally, so he invited me here."
"If they reach the divine realm, they will surely advance rapidly. It won't take long before they reach the Boundless realm, becoming kings and venerables." Wu Qingzong said.
Xue Tu followed behind them, eavesdropping, and realized that the Fortune Divine Venerable's true body had come because of Zhang Ruochen and Yan Wushen.
How enviable!
Just crossing a divine tribulation, and a divine venerable personally came to protect them.
Even a divine venerable's disciple didn't get such treatment.
Wen Chu, with a heavy heart and gloomy expression, said, "Divine Venerable, many things happened in the dark resources. Zhang Ruochen might..."
The Fortune Divine Venerable knew what he wanted to say and showed no worry, smiling, "I have already been to the entrance of the Abyss of Darkness and used the Celestial Pivot Needle to investigate. Zhang Ruochen should be coming out soon!"
The Celestial Pivot Needle was a divine artifact.
With the power of a divine venerable controlling a divine artifact to probe, even if Zhang Ruochen was inside the Abyss of Darkness, some information could be gleaned.
Hearing this, several gods of the Yama Clan shed their gloom and felt greatly invigorated.
After all, in the Abyss of Darkness, Zhang Ruochen had left with the Absolute Wonder Zen Maiden to face danger on their behalf, ending up in an unknown state of life or death.
They all felt guilty.
"I knew it. A young hero like Zhang Ruochen, blessed with great fortune, couldn't possibly perish in the Abyss of Darkness." A bold Yama Clan god laughed heartily.
"Zhang Ruochen is a true friend of our Dark Abyss Yan Clan."
"I can't wait for the day Zhang Ruochen becomes a god. I wonder how powerful he'll be after stepping into the divine realm?"
...
In Wu Qingzong's divine temple, a divine banquet was laid out.
Divine lamps hung high, and the atmosphere was harmonious.
The gods went one by one to seek advice from the Fortune Divine Venerable on cultivation difficulties. The Fortune Divine Venerable patiently answered each one, and everyone gained something, their expressions excited.
Afterward, the Fortune Divine Venerable and Wu Qingzong had a private discussion, isolated by a divine realm world, leaving no one knowing what they talked about.
Suddenly.
The gods in the temple sensed something, their gazes all turning skyward toward the starry sky where the Abyss of Darkness lay.
"It's my senior brother's aura! Haha, he really broke through all obstacles and escaped from the Abyss of Darkness."
Xue Tu stood up, raising his cup with a laugh.
Yan Ting, sitting beside Xue Tu, changed expression, "No! How is the power of heaven and earth converging toward the direction of the Abyss of Darkness? What's happening?"
"You wouldn't understand, would you? My senior brother is about to cross the spiritual power divine tribulation. The power of heaven and earth transforms into heavenly tribulation, striking down all cultivators who seek to become gods through spiritual power. But if he can withstand the tribulation, he can refine himself, transforming his sacred heart into a divine heart and his spiritual power thoughts into spiritual power divine thoughts. Then, relying solely on spiritual power, my senior brother can contend with true gods." Xue Tu said enviously.
...
As soon as Zhang Ruochen flew out of the Abyss of Darkness, he was immediately caught by a mysterious and unfathomable power of heaven and earth, like invisible threads locking onto him.
He accelerated his flight, trying to get farther from the entrance of the Abyss of Darkness.
For martial arts becoming a god, the divine tribulation varied.
But for spiritual power becoming a god, there was only one type of tribulation: the "heavenly tribulation."
Although the spiritual power divine tribulation was easier to cross, it was only easier compared to the martial arts divine tribulation. In reality, it was still dangerous, with countless spiritual power cultivators dying under the tribulation.
Zhang Ruochen had become a god through spiritual power inside the Abyss of Darkness, so the heavenly tribulation hadn't detected him.
Leaving the Abyss of Darkness, the heavenly tribulation descended instantly.
This universe boiled over.
The power of heaven and earth converged toward Zhang Ruochen, causing stars to tremble, the light of fixed stars to dim, spreading from a hundred million li, a billion li... to even more distant star domains.
The heavenly tribulation was different from the heart tribulation and emotional tribulation; it came from the outside, which was why it caused such a terrifying influence, shaking the starry sky and affecting a vast expanse of the universe.
But in reality, the heart tribulation and emotional tribulation, arising from within, were often more terrifying.
The power of heaven and earth condensed into a hundred-thousand-li tribulation cloud, hanging above Zhang Ruochen's head.
Within the tribulation cloud, lightning twisted like heavenly dragons, emitting ear-splitting sounds, manifesting strange sights like skull heads, divine temples, demon mountains... without any pattern, formed naturally.
Zhang Ruochen flew even faster, moving away from the life-sustaining planets near the Abyss of Darkness, not wanting his divine tribulation to harm other living beings.
"Boom."
Blinding lightning tore through ten thousand li of void, striking Zhang Ruochen, penetrating his physical body, and reaching his sacred heart.
Every pore on his body erupted with electric light.
Within Zhang Ruochen's sacred heart, it was like an inner world, vast and turbulent, chaotic. The spiritual power thoughts were tens of thousands of Zhang Ruochen's forms, bathed in lightning, refining themselves.
"Come on."
Zhang Ruochen let out a long roar, releasing six sacred images, surrounding his body.
His sacred soul was fused with the sacred images. Thus, Zhang Ruochen planned to use the spiritual power divine tribulation to refine the sacred images, transforming his sacred soul into a divine soul. This way, crossing the martial arts divine tribulation would surely be easier.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
...
Countless bolts of lightning flew from the tribulation cloud, each capable of shattering a planet.
All these lightning bolts struck Zhang Ruochen, making the light on his body brighter and brighter, like a fixed star, illuminating the entire star domain.
This light traveled at the speed of light. If sustained long enough, even from one light-year (roughly twenty trillion li) away, a point of light could be seen.
This was the terrifying energy only gods possessed, inspiring awe in all living beings under heaven.
With a single thought, a god could destroy a realm.
Wen Chu stood above the atmosphere of Cloud Dark Star, gazing at the distant hundred-thousand-li tribulation cloud, "How can the spiritual power divine tribulation be so terrifying? Legend says the spiritual power divine tribulation is much weaker than the martial arts divine tribulation."
He had crossed the heavenly tribulation to become a god through martial arts, but the tribulation he experienced couldn't compare to Zhang Ruochen's current one.
"This is normal. Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power isn't at the sixty-ninth and a half rank, but at the peak of the seventy-first rank. Naturally, the spiritual power divine tribulation he attracts is much stronger, not weaker than the martial arts divine tribulation." Wu Qingzong said.
Some gods from other forces also emerged from the shadows, gazing toward the tribulation cloud from afar.
They had come to this star domain to kill Zhang Ruochen, seize his esoterica and supreme sacred artifact, but didn't dare enter the Abyss of Darkness like Gui Si and Wu Jiang, so they waited outside.
"In the end, we couldn't stop it. Zhang Ruochen is about to step into the divine realm."
"I hope the Severing Path Curse can sever him."
"What if the Severing Path Curse can't sever him? If Zhang Ruochen becomes a god in both spiritual power and martial arts, who can still seize the esoterica on him?"
...
The gods of various forces hidden in the shadows sighed, knowing they had missed their last chance.
Now, how could they dare to make a move? The Gate of Destiny suspended above Cloud Dark Star, three million li tall, erupted with divine might that shook the star river, clearly indicating a divine venerable's true body was stationed there.