Chapter 174: Ready for the Tribulation
Chapter 174: Ready for the Tribulation
Above the void of Two Realms Mountain.
The large and small Great Fiend Kings burned fiercely for less than three breaths before the Power of Years completely corroded them. They vanished utterly, full of resentment, leaving behind only a beautiful blood gem-like crystal core and a dull, faintly glowing seven-colored armor. Lu Hangzhi took them without hesitation into his storage ring.
The battle ended.
But the tens of thousands of cultivators at Two Realms Mountain were still reeling from the shadow of the Great Fiend Kings.
The battle happened too quickly!
And ended too quickly!!
The cultivators barely had time to understand what had happened before it was over…
While some were still absorbed in the thunderous roars, they suddenly noticed the sky seemed to clear. The oppressive feeling in the air lessened. Bewildered, they asked their companions what happened.
“It’s over?”
“Just… like that?”
Even Lu Hangzhi himself felt bewildered at this moment.
When Situ and the Mirror Spirit Cat both failed, he had braced himself for a brutal, life-or-death fight. Yet, with Buming’s unexpected move, the battle tilted overwhelmingly in their favor.
Right…
Buming!!
Lu Hangzhi sensed something strange behind him and quickly turned.
Buming stood there, eyes closed, bathed in an unusual white light. He looked dignified, almost sacred, but with a strange nuance lingering. It took a long while for the light to fade, and his cultivation level dropped back to the Late Concentration Stage.
“Hangzhi?”
“What happened to you?”
Buming opened his eyes, like someone startled awake, his expression deeply confused.
“Nothing,” he replied.
Seeing that Buming seemed completely unaware of what had transpired, Lu Hangzhi smiled faintly, as if he understood now.
The entity controlling Buming earlier… wasn’t Buming…
Master Bitter Sea was dead, but his unyielding will had lingered.
Only when the Great Fiend King perished…
Did Master Bitter Sea truly pass on.
Lu Hangzhi felt profound emotion wash over him.
The true killers of the Great Fiend King were Master Bitter Sea, that sudden surge of the world’s will joining the fight, and the Codex of Time. He, Lu Hangzhi, had done something very small: swing his sword.
“……”
Thinking this, Lu Hangzhi smiled.
No matter what!
The Great Fiend King was dead.
The greatest threat was removed.
The Barbarian Continent would gain time to rebuild;
And next time…
Lu Hangzhi straightened, his voice brimming with confidence.
“I will face them at the Life and Death Realm.”
BOOM!!
Thunder cracked.
The Heavenly Tribulation began.
With the Great Fiend King’s death and the world’s will returning to its place, normality resumed;
Deep, rumbling thunders brewed within the dark cloud vortex; a storm was coming;
Massive bolts of lightning, like coiling dragons, flashed wildly through the clouds. The crackling thunder held astonishing Law Power.
“The Great Fiend King is dead!”
“Everyone, retreat!”
“Let Commander Lu face the tribulation!”
Immortal Lord Yuding’s powerful, excited voice echoed across Two Realms Mountain.
Instantly, the mountain erupted.
Lord Yuding and the others descended swiftly to the ground.
Lu Hangzhi remained floating in the air. The golden Spiritual Vortex Storm swirling around him had expanded to over two hundred meters in diameter. It shone like a miniature sun, blindingly bright, the center of all attention.
Deep within the Sky Passage.
The Blood Demon Legion, thrown into panic by the Great Fiend King’s death, had nowhere to retreat. Driven by inertia, they still edged closer towards the Barbarian Continent.
Lu Hangzhi paid them no heed.
The talismans left by Immortal Lord Yuding were enough to wipe out that legion!
His task now was to calmly face the upcoming tribulation.
It seemed the Heavenly Tribulation would still take a while to descend…
An urge to speak to Situ arose within Lu Hangzhi.
“Situ.”
“Thanks!”
“Huh? Thanks for what?” Situ looked baffled.
“Thank you. You saved the Barbarian Continent. You saved the Human Race.” Lu Hangzhi spoke from above, his tone sincere.
Situ Chuyun gave a small, enigmatic smile.
“Aren’t you pushing all the credit onto me? That doesn’t sit right.”
“The truth is, without you, the Barbarian Continent would have been destroyed long ago.”
“I did it for self-preservation, and… the one who killed the Great Fiend King was you.”
“Alright, everyone contributed! A lot!” Lu Hangzhi laughed. “But I recall you saying the Barbarian Continent was a gift from Conquest Fiend God to his descendants. That stronger enemies would inevitably come.”
“Correct.”
Situ Chuyun’s smile vanished; she nodded gravely.
“However,” she reasoned, “after this fight where the Demonic God’s Son lost a Blood Demon Legion and a Great Fiend King… I believe he won’t dare invade again carelessly. Not without absolute certainty.”
“Is there a way to permanently seal the Sky Passage?”
Lu Hangzhi gazed intently at the sky rift.
Until the Sky Passage was dealt with, there could be no lasting peace on the Barbarian Continent. A permanent solution was needed.
“No.”
Situ Chuyun doused his hope.
“At least in our Green Maple Continent, we still couldn’t find a way to repair the Spatial Fissures, but…” His tone suddenly shifted and stretched out toward the end:
“If it’s just about stopping the Demonic Fiends from invading the Barbarian Continent, there is a way.”
“Oh?”
Lu Hangzhi suddenly became interested.
Situ Chuyun nodded:
“Actually, the method is very simple.”
“The Spatial Fissures leading to the Barbarian Continent are located in the territory of Five Dragons Thirteen Peaks on Green Maple Continent and cannot be moved. As long as we leave the Barbarian Continent and enter Green Maple Continent, then work with the Cultivator forces there to capture Five Dragons Thirteen Peaks, we can protect the Barbarian Continent.”
“…”
Lu Hangzhi took a deep breath.
That was indeed a solution…
But!
It wasn’t realistic in the short term.
Forget it.
He would wait until the Heavenly Tribulation passed first.
Sighing, Lu Hangzhi collected his thoughts and began to focus entirely on preparing for the Heavenly Tribulation.
Situ Chuyun said:
“With your current strength, passing the Heavenly Tribulation won’t be a problem at all. The only thing you need to pay attention to is lasting as long as possible during the tribulation!”
“Huh?”
Lu Hangzhi was stunned: “Isn’t it better to pass the Heavenly Tribulation as quickly as possible?”
“For ordinary Cultivators, it’s indeed better to pass the Heavenly Tribulation quickly. But with your strength, passing it is a certainty… The effects of cleansing and transformation during the tribulation are very significant and can greatly expand your Spiritual Power Pool. The longer the time, the greater the boost!” Situ Chuyun explained seriously, “Moreover, during the tribulation, you have the chance to encounter various types of Law Power. Whether you can comprehend and master them is also crucial.”
Lu Hangzhi felt as if he’d been enlightened.
So that’s how it was!
There were so many benefits to enduring the tribulation!
No wonder the Mystic Light Cultivators from Green Maple Continent were much stronger than those from the Barbarian Continent…
The knowledge they had access to was on a completely different level.
At the same time, he felt incredibly fortunate.
At such a critical moment, having Situ Chuyun beside him to guide him unreservedly allowed him to avoid many detours.
“Thank you.”
Lu Hangzhi transmitted his sincere gratitude.
Situ Chuyun said:
“Actually, I forgot to tell you something.”
“What?”
“The descent of the Upper Realm’s will means that a Medium Realm has successfully connected with the Barbarian Continent. As long as you pass the Heavenly Tribulation, you can link the two realms, illuminate the Ascension Hall, ascend in broad daylight, leave the Barbarian Continent, and go to the Medium Realm… or, as they say in your Lower Realm, ‘shattering the void.’” Situ’s words shocked Lu Hangzhi, who frowned and said:
“But things here aren’t finished yet. I can’t leave now!”
“I knew you’d say that.”
Situ Chuyun wasn’t surprised at all and smiled:
“But if I told you that the Ascension Hall connected to the Barbarian Continent comes from Green Maple Continent, would you still refuse?”
“… Are you sure?”
“If it were another Lower Realm, I couldn’t be certain, but with the Sky Passage present, the Barbarian Continent must be connected to Green Maple Continent. Moreover, I could sense the aura of Green Maple Continent in that will.” At this point, Situ Chuyun said gravely: “So, I’m certain—the one receiving you is the Green Maple Continent Human Race Ascension Hall.”
“I can’t rest easy about Two Realms Mountain.”
Lu Hangzhi felt heavy-hearted.
Now wasn’t the time to leave the Barbarian Continent.
Although the Great Fiend King was dead, the Demonic God’s Son wouldn’t give up attacking the Barbarian Continent.
If even he left Two Realms Mountain, it would be a heavy blow to the Human Cultivators…
“…”
Situ Chuyun also fell silent.
After a long while, she said:
“You now face an important choice! If you stay, you can indeed lead the Cultivators at Two Realms Mountain to hold out for a while longer. But if you remain in the Barbarian Continent, you might never reach the Creation Realm in your lifetime. Even if you can resist the second or third Great Fiend King, in the end, the Barbarian Continent will still fall into the hands of the ‘Demonic God’s Son.’ Don’t doubt it—you can’t comprehend the true strength of a ‘Conquest Fiend God.’ Once it frees its hands from the ancient main realm, even Green Maple Continent might not hold, let alone the small Barbarian Continent.”
“…”
Lu Hangzhi’s expression darkened.
Situ Chuyun continued with the second option: “Actually, with your strength, aptitude, and mastery of two special Law Powers, after undergoing this Heavenly Tribulation, your power will advance rapidly. You will definitely surpass me and might even rival ordinary Creation Realm Cultivators! If you ascend to Green Maple Continent, you’ll surely improve significantly in a short time, gain recognition in the Human Cultivator forces, and develop by leaps and bounds. When you return to Five Dragons Thirteen Peaks later… you can truly resolve the crisis facing the Barbarian Continent.”
After hearing Situ Chuyun’s second proposal, Lu Hangzhi felt his heart stir!
“But…”
Situ Chuyun continued:
“I know your biggest concern is the safety of the Barbarian Continent during this period.”
These words struck a chord with Lu Hangzhi.
He nodded.
He was indeed most worried about the safety of Two Realms Mountain and the Barbarian Continent.
If he left and another Great Fiend King entered the Barbarian Continent, the consequences…
Would be unimaginable!
Seeing this, Situ Chuyun said seriously:
“If I told you that the Barbarian Continent won’t be in any danger in the short term, and the Demonic God’s Son might lose the chance to attack the Barbarian Continent for a while, what would you choose?”
“Why?!”
Lu Hangzhi blurted out.
Situ Chuyun said:
“I told you before that when I descended to the Barbarian Continent, my legion happened to be near Five Dragons Thirteen Peaks.”
“But you also said the Demonic God’s Son has seven Blood Demon Legions under his command!”
“Only six Blood Demon Legions remain now.”
Situ Chuyun corrected with a smile.