"This Heavenly Tribulation has arrived." "Heh heh, just in time." The Scarlet Wing Demon King chuckled. After the death of Dongfang Yao, no one possessed his speed, and now he was covertly plotting whether to seize an opportunity to strike at Lu Yuan when his Heavenly Tribulation was at its peak. However, with two Grandmasters from the Righteous Immortal Sect present, the timing wasn't ideal for such an attempt.
He would watch for now, the Scarlet Wing Demon King narrowed his eyes, his gaze utterly sinister.
His disciple, Elder Bat, had died at Lu Yuan's hands, and Lu Yuan’s master, Li Yuanbai, had perished at the hands of the Scarlet Wing Demon King. Their grudges were deep; if an opportunity arose to eliminate Lu Yuan, the Scarlet Wing Demon King would naturally not let it pass.
But the moment his gaze shifted, he noticed Song Qingqiao cast a seemingly casual glance toward the Black Water River, causing the Demon King to flinch involuntarily. Song Qingqiao appeared outwardly honest, yet he was a Grandmaster. Since taking command of Wudang, the sect’s strength had steadily climbed, making him a truly formidable figure.
If Chu Duan was described by the unrivaled, sharp Sword of the Overlord.
If Yan Cangtian was described by the Peerless Heavenly Sword.
If Zhou Qingxuan was described by the Unmatched Earth Sword.
Then Song Qingqiao could be summed up by the Formless Ancient Sword.
At first glance, it appeared unremarkable, but the more one scrutinized it, the deeper its inherent nature became, revealing an unfathomable depth.
Ignoring the tense atmospheric confrontation between these powerful figures, let us focus on the Black Water River itself.
"Retreat! Quickly, retreat!"
"Let's go! Move!"
"Why must we leave? We finally established a base for attacking the river!" some cultivators questioned in confusion.
"Are you an idiot? Didn't you see that Heavenly Tribulation? If you don't leave now, you plan to die here? The Ten Jiazi Divine Wood Tribulation alone is terrifying enough, let alone the Water Sovereign Heavenly Tribulation! Under the Water Sovereign Heavenly Tribulation, this entire area will be bombarded countless times. Wouldn't it be better to retreat early instead of waiting for death?" another cultivator chastised.
"I see." The confused cultivator finally understood and, without further hesitation, took flight.
Chaos erupted.
If the power of the subterranean demons was equal to that of the Righteous Path, an attack now would yield great rewards. However, given the current overwhelming strength of the Righteous Immortal Sects, the subterranean demons dared not move. After a brief period of frantic scattering, those who needed to flee had mostly done so, leaving only a handful of cultivators at the Great Dao Realm behind. Their purpose was twofold: to witness the earth-shattering might of a Sovereign-level Heavenly Tribulation, and secondly, to provide support for Lu Yuan.
"What a potent Heavenly Tribulation."
"Indeed. But the stronger the tribulation, the easier it is to comprehend the laws of Heaven and Earth once it is passed, and the deeper one’s magical power becomes."
"It will be much easier to break through to the Chaos Cave Realm later." "Yes, unlike us, who will never have the chance to reach the Chaos Cave Realm in our lifetimes."
"But this single stage of the Heavenly Tribulation is proving exceedingly difficult to overcome," the remaining Great Dao Realm experts conversed amongst themselves.
The major realm following the Great Dao Realm is the Chaos Cave Realm. It is rumored that once one reaches this stage, they can form their own space, cultivating a small world within themselves, achieving an unimaginable state.
In the face of such a calamitous tribulation, it would be a feat just for Lu Yuan to hold on by himself; if demons attacked during this time, it would be unimaginable, rendering him unable to defend against any outside assault.
Lu Yuan took a deep breath, hearing the roars of those around him, and knew this Heavenly Tribulation was terrifyingly intense. His own tribulation was so powerful, which meant the benefits upon passing would be even greater. Since it had begun, he would fight with everything he had. Immediately, the five-colored light above his head rotated, manifesting five fearsome sword lights.
The Five Emperors Sword Dao was now complete; it was vastly superior to the previous Five-Colored Sword Dao. The five types of sword light rotated, subtly harboring the power of reincarnation within them.
Yet, the Five Emperors Sword Dao alone could not withstand this kind of Heavenly Tribulation.
The first to descend was the Ten Jiazi Divine Wood Tribulation. This calamity crashed down heavily, with countless gigantic timbers condensed from the innate Jiazi wood energy, each tens of zhang thick, raining down. Each possessed a colossal weight of several hundred thousand jin. Lu Yuan countered with his sword, the Mountain Suppressing Sword striking out relentlessly.
With every thrust, these giant timbers were blocked. Boom! Boom! The immense timbers smashed into the ground, carving deep gouges into the earth. Those observing from afar were shaken, realizing Lu Yuan possessed such formidable magical power that he could withstand giant timbers formed from such massive innate Jiazi wood energy.
However, the Great Dao Realm experts nearby understood that Lu Yuan wasn't relying solely on sheer magical power; rather, with every strike, he precisely targeted the most vulnerable point, minimizing energy expenditure while successfully deflecting the giant timbers—an astonishing level of perception.
Next came the Gods of Fire Tribulation! The Earth and Swamp Tribulation! And the Zi Yan Golden Soldier Tribulation! These three descended simultaneously. In an instant, earth dogs scrambled, earth scorpions slithered, fire snakes writhed, and fire lions roared. Periodically, blades, spears, swords, and halberds appeared, and even Celestial Gods wielding fiery weapons descended. Even the smallest daggers measured over ten zhang long.
The innate Jiazi wood energy, innate Bai Geng metal energy, innate Nanming fire energy, innate Great Earth swamp energy—these myriad innate energies poured down from the mysterious and unfathomable Outer Heavens.
Primitive energies from these Outer Heavens, countless bizarre and colossal lifeforms descended, bearing the aura of antiquity, wielding strange techniques preserved for untold ages, striking toward Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan countered with his sword—the sword rising, falling, sinking, floating, extinguishing, moving. Lu Yuan felt as though he were caught within ten thousand reincarnations of the sword. His focus peaked. Striking out at so many with a single sword, these Heavenly Tribulations were indeed incredibly powerful; even his Five Emperors Sword Dao could not entirely neutralize them. But, if he could use his sword to weaken the power of these tribulations, success might just be within reach.
There was a fire beast, shaped like both a snake and a tiger, moving with the swiftness of the wind. Lu Yuan casually slashed out with a sword. However, once these fire beasts were cleaved apart, they merely transformed into countless sparks that permeated the environment, impossible to evade.
"Sword Sweep Style." Lu Yuan struck back with his sword. When he moved his sword again, his strike reached infinity. This sword swept out with a shua sound, striking all the atomized flames. This single sword strike connected with one thousand three hundred and sixty-five sparks—swordplay at this level was truly astonishing.
The innate earth essence coalesced into an ancient Earth General. This ancient figure seemed steeped in the vicissitudes of primordial times, wielding a massive axe. An axe shadow, bearing a tragic, mournful sorrow, suddenly cleaved down. This was... Xingtian Dances with Gan and Qi, a powerful technique from antiquity. Could Lu Yuan break this move?
Even the observing Great Dao Realm experts inwardly compared their skills and found that they too would struggle to break this strike. But time moved faster than words; Lu Yuan’s sword light shifted, a stunning beam that cut obliquely into the axe shadow. In the span of a mere finger-snap, this move, Xingtian Dances with Gan, was broken. The Zi Yan Golden Soldier Tribulation, numbering in the hundreds of thousands of weapons; the Great Earth Swamp Tribulation, with hundreds of thousands of earth-elemental beasts; and the Gods of Fire Tribulation, with hundreds of thousands of fire-elemental beasts, all besieged Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan’s sword light spun; every sword strike inevitably found the enemy's weak point, every strike felled numerous bizarre weapons and monsters. Every sword was a masterpiece, reaching the pinnacle of perfection.
"This swordsmanship!" One Great Dao Realm expert’s expression drastically changed. "How is this swordsmanship so much stronger than mine?"
The other Great Dao Realm experts, though silent, shared the same sentiment. The casual strikes Lu Yuan currently unleashed were powerful enough to be inscribed into sword technique templates and taught as lessons to the next generation. Such swordsmanship could truly move the heavens and shock the spirits.
Song Qingqiao and Chu Duan were both speechless. They sensed that Lu Yuan’s swordsmanship was rapidly approaching their own level. They were striving for the Sword Sovereign realm, essentially the apex of the Sword King stage, and Lu Yuan was drawing ever closer.
The most formidable Water Sovereign Heavenly Tribulation had finally descended.
The Five Emperors Sword Dao above Lu Yuan's head had been pushed to its absolute limit. Strangely, after defeating the innate earth essence, Zi Yan golden soldiers, and others, the Five Emperors Sword Dao could directly absorb the innate energy within them, growing larger and more vigorous. Lu Yuan held the Five Emperors Sword Dao aloft, resembling a grand, five-emperor canopy.
The Five Emperors Sword Dao was now immensely powerful.
However, the Water Sovereign figure suspended in the void merely pressed down lightly, shattering the Five Emperors Canopy. So powerful!
Lu Yuan was startled that the Five Emperors Sword Dao was so easily broken by the final heavenly tribulation. He had no choice but to risk everything.
The Water Sovereign, controlling all things in heaven and earth, drew closer. He seemed capable of effortlessly extinguishing any life. Though a mere illusion, his true form was the Sovereign of Water, a Sovereign-rank entity of the Celestial Realm, possessing such inherent nobility. Lu Yuan’s series of sword moves were systematically dismantled under his hand.
A massive and terrifying aura pressed down—this was the final stage of the Heavenly Tribulation. If he could endure it, he would pass the tribulation and forge a foundation deeper than any other Great Dao Realm cultivator in the Jin Kingdom. He had to fight; Lu Yuan hesitated not, unleashing his two great puppets, Xuan Huazi and Ming Jianzi.
The two Great Dao Realm figures appeared in unison, surging toward the Water Sovereign.
Xuan Huazi and Ming Jianzi simultaneously employed the Profound Nether Twin Serpent Sword Technique. Both were initially at the first level of the Great Dao Realm. One was Profound (Xuan), the other Nether (Ming). Normally at the first level of Great Dao, when combined, they subtly exhibited combat strength approaching the second level of the Great Dao Realm. Simultaneously, Lu Yuan mobilized all his magical power.
The 'Nourishing My Sword Art' was unleashed, gathering all the surrounding water energy. The churning water of the Black Water River was drawn forth, transforming into the Water Sovereign Sword Dao, which struck toward the illusory shadow of the Celestial Water Sovereign.
The Mountain Suppressing Sword moved, gathering all the surrounding fire energy. Several dormant volcanoes nearby were ignited, their immense lava power integrated into the Fire Sovereign Sword Dao, which then cleaved toward the illusory shadow of the Celestial Water Sovereign.
Lu Yuan had now erupted with his full strength.
The final confrontation! The final strike! Help me achieve the Great Dao Realm!