Chapter 410: Heavenly Tribulation and the Four Extremes
This was an ocean of lightning, electric light cascading down violently, thunder surging like a tide, shattering everything, blazing and intense, the world between heaven and earth a vast expanse of purple.
"Boom!"
The thunderclaps nearly pierced one's eardrums, crushed one's soul, connecting heaven and earth, vast and boundless, as if the nine-layered Milky Way was pouring down, as if tens of thousands of massive stars were crashing down.
The void itself was blasted apart, broken and dilapidated, but it was quickly submerged, because the lightning was too fierce, blinding thunderbolts filling every inch of space.
"Boom!"
Great thunder shook the world, purple electricity surged like a tide, turbulent and mighty. This was a world of lightning and thunder, capable of destroying all things. Fear gripped people's hearts, sending chills down their spines.
Ye Fan was breaking through, and heavenly tribulation descended, blocking his advancement, stunning everyone.
Even from a distance, it was so terrifying that people found it hard to imagine what kind of ordeal Ye Fan was enduring within the purple sea. They all opened their divine eyes to watch.
The purple sea of thunder submerged the Dragon Transformation Pool, representing the will of heaven and earth, capable of erasing all living beings in the world, making souls tremble uncontrollably.
Ye Fan was within the purple sea, his skin split open, his body charred black, pale golden blood flowing as he endured unimaginable damage.
Though severely wounded, his blood energy surged to the heavens without a trace of defeat. Instead, he raised his head to the sky, fighting back with all his might.
The crowd was horrified. The Sacred Body's physical form was too terrifying. If it were an ordinary person, a single bolt of lightning would have turned them to ashes, yet he was struggling within a vast purple ocean.
"Boom!"
Another wave of thunder, even more blazing, buried Ye Fan beneath it. No one knew how many bolts of lightning struck his body, pale golden blood splattering, bones cracking and snapping.
"This is too terrifying. Any living creature would be shattered."
"Since ancient times, few have encountered heavenly tribulation when breaking through. The Sacred Body is comparable to a heaven-defying prodigy."
What shocked everyone the most was that Ye Fan was not shattered. He endured it all, still standing within the sea of thunder, unyielding and unsubmissive, stubbornly resisting.
Heavenly tribulation had been rare since ancient times, but people understood it, having heard the legends. Outsiders could not help at all, or they would attract even greater thunder tribulation.
By the Dragon Transformation Pool, there were many experts: Red Dragon Daoist, Peacock King, Azure Dragon King, an elder from the Wind Clan, and even the Peerless Divine King. But they dared not lend a hand.
Doing so would not only fail to save Ye Fan, but they would also have to endure a great heavenly tribulation, an endless battle to the death.
Lightning flashed. Even a physique as powerful as Ye Fan's was battered and broken, nearly pierced through. Many wounds exposed bone, and a great deal of pale golden blood flowed.
"It's the Nine-Character Heavenly Tribulation..."
The crowd was horrified. Ye Fan's first layer of tribulation was a thunderclap formed by nine bolts of lightning, which he withstood with his physical body alone.
The second layer was this purple sea, consisting of nine waves of thunder. He had just endured three or four, and almost no one believed he could survive.
Black Emperor shouted from the shadows, "Kid, you have to hold on! To undergo the baptism of thunder tribulation is rare since ancient times. The benefits for future cultivation are numerous!"
Ye Fan did not speak. He had no energy to spare, unable to divide his attention. The slightest mistake would turn him to ash, and everything would be for naught.
At this moment, his entire body was in excruciating pain. Lightning had pierced through his flesh in many places. If it were any other cultivator, they would have already perished, body and spirit, not even ashes remaining.
"Boom!"
Another wave of thunder arrived. Heaven and earth shook. Ten thousand zhang of purple light coiled around him, piercing through the sky and earth, like countless massive divine dragons soaring into the void.
The Primordial Qi Cauldron floated, suspended above Ye Fan's head, rising and falling. It was also being baptized by the thunder, absorbing the lightning, its surface becoming increasingly profound.
The methods of ancient sages varied. They believed that thunder tribulation arose from the resonance between heaven and man, closely related to the one undergoing the tribulation.
"Boom!"
While the crowd was discussing, Ye Fan had already fallen into greater torment, entangled with one of the phantom figures, nearly engaged in a great battle.
This time, not only was his physical body undergoing tribulation, but his divine sense also burst forth, accepting the baptism of lightning, enduring a pain akin to being shattered.
The first humanoid figure was finally destroyed, but the second loud crash followed. This was a divine phoenix, diving down with crimson thunder.
Lightning that had taken the form of living beings possessed unimaginable power, far more terrifying than a sea of thunder!
Ye Fan was covered by the divine phoenix. His powerful divine sense was honed, turning into a blazing beam of light, nearly burning. The pain was excruciating, but he endured.
The third, the fourth...
Figures like deities rushed forward one after another, totaling nine tribulations. Ye Fan's physical body and divine sense underwent tribulation simultaneously. If he persisted without dying, it would be a rebirth like nirvana.
If he could not withstand it, he would be annihilated forever.
At the same time, his cauldron also endured all these impacts, with more innate patterns left on its surface.
"Boom!"
With the final loud crash, the ninth figure, like an Immortal King, charged down, sending Ye Fan flying horizontally. Then it quickly caught up, endless lightning submerging him.
He was swallowed by the Immortal King, causing everyone to cry out in alarm, watching with intense focus.
"Pfft"
The Immortal King was split open. The lightning dissipated, and the world fell silent again. Ye Fan's divine sense shone like a golden sun, blazing and intense.
After undergoing the baptism of thunder tribulation, his divine sense was clearly different, possessing an aura close to that of a deity.
Ye Fan understood. Indeed, his divine sense had captured the traces of the Dao within the lightning. Holding the Bodhi seed, he gained many insights, feeling that he was about to fully break into the Four Extremes Secret Realm.
"Kid, be careful! The law-defying Chaos Thunder is here!" Black Emperor screamed.
Nine great thunderbolts descended from the sky, each containing a wisp of chaotic energy flowing within them, making people feel the aura of the beginning of heaven and earth!
"It really is Chaos Thunder! Though each contains only a wisp, it is still terrifyingly boundless!"
The various Sacred Lords first changed color, then their eyes grew somewhat strange. The peerless figures of the immortal dynasties and the Hundred Schools of Thought in the Central Province were also shaken.
"Before the ancient great emperors refined their sacred weapons, they would baptize the sacred objects with endless Chaos Thunder!"
Many senior figures grew eager. Using the nine wisps of chaotic thunder energy from the great thunder to refine weapons would certainly have endless wondrous uses, enhancing the quality of divine weapons.
But Ye Fan intended to use them to refine his body. Just imagining it was horrifying. What kind of ordeal would that be?
"Boom!"
The first thunderbolt struck, nearly smashing Ye Fan's physical body to pieces. The wisp of chaotic thunder energy within it was too terrifying!
Blood dripped from him, bones cracked, his divine sense shattered, and the cauldron was covered in marks. His entire body was wounded, swaying unsteadily, barely able to hold on.
However, Ye Fan's will was like iron. His divine sense quickly gathered, forming an ancient tower, absorbing that wisp of chaotic energy and rapidly refining it.
Dao Imprints!
Innate Dao patterns, born within the chaotic thunder energy, made his body and mind ethereal. Then his injuries rapidly healed, as if reborn from fire.
"Boom!"
The second great thunderbolt fell, nearly splitting him into pieces, but he ultimately withstood it.
"Boom!"
The third Chaos Thunderbolt fell. Ye Fan let out a long roar to the sky. His physical body, divine sense, and cauldron vibrated together, meeting the heavens.
...
When the seventh thunderbolt fell, Ye Fan was nearly scattered, a miserable sight. It was more terrifying than all the thunder tribulations he had experienced before. White bone stubble was visible, and his pale golden blood was nearly dry.
But he still painstakingly gathered his divine sense, forming a bell, stabilizing that wisp of chaotic energy, letting it flow between his divine sense, physical body, and cauldron.
"Boom!"
The eighth thunderbolt struck. Ye Fan's injuries grew even more severe. He was almost turned into meat paste, most of his bones shattered. Yet he still held on.
His shattered divine sense gathered together, forming a cauldron, sealing that wisp of chaotic energy. He comprehended the Dao imprints, using them to repair his physical body and divine sense, while also baptizing the Primordial Qi Cauldron.
"Boom"
Finally, the last Chaos Thunderbolt fell, piercing through Ye Fan's physical body in dozens of places. He was nearly broken into several pieces.
But he gritted his teeth, keeping himself awake, not fainting. His divine sense reassembled, forming a figure like an Immortal King, radiating brilliance. Looking closely, it was himself.
His divine sense, transformed into an Immortal King, sat cross-legged in the void, holding that wisp of chaotic energy in its embrace. It was nourished, continuously recovering and growing stronger.
"Crack, crack"
Ye Fan's bones sounded. His physical body began to recover. His divine sense shone like a golden sun, its light soaring into the sky, suspended before his brow.
The Primordial Qi Cauldron hung above his head, rising and falling, letting down strands of Mysterious Yellow Qi, appearing hazy and filled with Dao resonance.
"Swoosh"
The nine wisps of chaotic thunder energy circled around Ye Fan's physical body, like nine small dragons dancing, then entered his sea of consciousness, and finally into the cauldron.
At this moment, the aura of the primordial era of heaven and earth filled the air, as if the world was being created anew. He had an indescribable feeling. His body and mind were peaceful, serene, and ethereal.
The nine wisps of chaotic thunder energy all contained traces of the Dao. Ye Fan continuously comprehended them, then began to refine the nine energies!
His divine sense transformed into a seated Immortal King, floating before his brow. The cauldron hung above his head, while his physical body sat cross-legged in the void.
"Hum"
The void trembled. Ye Fan imprinted himself into the great heaven and earth, fusing with the void. The nine wisps of chaotic energy all dissolved, becoming one with him and the cauldron.
"Swoosh"
Ye Fan opened his eyes. He knew he had entered the Four Extremes Secret Realm, successfully breaking through!
His white robes fluttered, his black hair danced lightly, his eyes were clear and bright. He stood quietly in this world, feeling completely different.
"The fifth layer of heavenly tribulation..." Ye Fan looked up at the night sky, but it never descended.