“This is… utterly preposterous!” The people of the Nether Saint Camp swallowed in unison. If the thunderous roar hadn't vanished moments ago, they wouldn't have dared believe what they had just witnessed.

The Heavenly Tribulation had been known to bring down countless heroes; its sheer power was something everyone spoke of with dread. Though they hadn't witnessed the Tribulation firsthand, the colossal might displayed moments before confirmed it was no minor threat. Yet, Chen Feng had scattered it with a single move! They had seen impressive feats before, but never one so audacious!

The tens of thousands of experts from the Nether Saint Camp stood frozen, feeling as though they had turned to stone.

Even Leidi, who usually kept his fists tightly clenched, now stared with wide, unblinking eyes, utterly dumbfounded. As the thunder dissipated in an instant, a profound silence fell over the area, as absolute as still water.

It took a long moment before a collective shout of “Boom!” erupted simultaneously. Ling Feng and the others surged forward toward Chen Feng; surviving the Heavenly Tribulation truly meant achieving godhood. Witnessing the birth of a divine being firsthand filled everyone with exhilaration.

But before they reached him, Chen Feng’s body swayed precariously, and he lost control, tumbling straight out of the air! “Chen Feng!” Ling Feng instantly shifted into her Phoenix form, blazing toward him and catching him mid-fall. If she hadn't been fast enough, Chen Feng might have been the first god to suffer injury by falling from the sky due to an inability to fly.

………………………………………………………………

After an immeasurable span of time, Chen Feng felt a spreading soreness and numbness as his consciousness slowly returned. “You’re awake?”

A voice, laced with anxiety, reached him, and before his eyes materialized Ling Feng’s slightly haggard face. “Ling Feng?” Chen Feng struggled to sit up. Ling Feng quickly steadied his shoulders. “Don’t rush it; your injuries haven't healed yet!”

Supported by her, Chen Feng managed to sit up and realized he was in the military camp. White and the others stood nearby, watching his awakening with undisguised excitement. “This is…” “Oh, the Divine Emissary learned the Elder Yan could treat the Marshal’s severe injuries and sent word through the Gate of Nature!” White explained.

Chen Feng nodded, piecing together the events before he passed out. He had completely exhausted all his strength fighting the youth in white, inadvertently drawing down the Tribulation clouds. If he hadn't desperately utilized the energy surge created by shattering the Violet Fire Crystal Mother to forcibly unleash Sunlight Illumination and break the clouds, he would surely have perished beneath the Tribulation's power.

The Heavenly Tribulation was different from a personal attack; it represented the will and punishment of the cosmos. Every lightning strike contained immense cosmic pressure, capable of causing tremors deep within the soul. Surviving the Tribulation demanded courage and conviction; otherwise, one would be absorbed by the sky's will and vanish without a trace.

Chen Feng was already physically and mentally drained from the continuous battles. Encountering such cosmic pressure rashly, even with an understanding of the Great Universe's power and having reached god-level cultivation, would have spelled certain doom. Thus, even though he lost the Violet Fire Crystal Mother this time, he had at least preserved his physical life. “How… how long was I unconscious?” Chen Feng asked. “Nearly a month!”

“A month?” Chen Feng was momentarily stunned. This was the longest period of unconsciousness he had ever experienced. Mere exhaustion resulting in a month-long coma—what was going on?

He quietly expanded his divine sense into his body and immediately wore a peculiar expression. “Where is the Godhead?”

After surviving the Heavenly Tribulation, the body, tempered by the power of the cosmos, should form a Godhead—a piece as black as ink, the size of a dragon's eye, situated inside the skull, incredibly hard. This Godhead allows the utilization of faith to generate divine power and marks a person’s ascension to godhood. Yet, upon his internal scan, Chen Feng found his current state unchanged from before the Tribulation. Searching his entire being, he couldn't locate a single Godhead, not even anything resembling one! “Could it be because I scattered the Tribulation clouds, and my body and soul weren't properly cleansed by the ordeal?” The thought surfaced, but Chen Feng immediately dismissed it. “The Heavenly Tribulation is a test of the cosmos against a cultivator. As long as one passes, a Godhead should form, regardless of the method!”

He flicked his finger, and instantly, a ball of fiery red flame appeared at his fingertip. As the flame flickered, the surrounding space began to crack like glass. “The power of the Great Universe hasn't vanished, though? But why isn't it summoning the Heavenly Tribulation?”

The Heavenly Tribulation was a rule of the cosmos, a constraint placed upon masters reaching a certain level of power—like a horizontal plane; once power touched that plane, punishment followed unless one advanced to the God Realm. Therefore, the Tribulation shouldn't simply let him go just because he passed this time. Even if he were unconscious, he would still be attacked without the protection of a magical array.

Yet, now Chen Feng could wield the power of the Great Universe without drawing the Tribulation’s wrath. This situation carried an undeniable strangeness and anomaly. No Godhead, and no Tribulation—did that mean he hadn't become a god? That was impossible; he must have achieved godhood, otherwise, he couldn't have defeated the youth in white. But after thinking it over, there was no point in dwelling on it. He leaned on Ling Feng’s arm and sat down on the edge of the bed, ignoring the others.

Though awake and able to use the Great Universe power, his body was still weak; he needed several days to recover fully. “Marshal, you…” White inquired. “I’m fine now!” Chen Feng replied casually. “Congratulations on ascending to godhood, Marshal!”

Hearing White’s congratulations, Chen Feng displayed no sign of elation. He asked instead, “How were those brothers from the Nether Saint Camp who perished handled?”

Hearing him inquire about these matters brought a warmth to everyone present. Kam replied, “All recoverable bodies have been buried, Marshal, rest assured. Their families have also received compensation!” “That’s good!” Chen Feng sighed in relief. Those soldiers shouldn't have died; they met their unfortunate end only because they were implicated by him. Now that they were gone, leaving their bodies to rot in the wilderness felt deeply unsettling from every perspective. “Brother Chen Feng…” At that moment, a voice drifted from outside the door, and a young boy stepped in.

It was Yas, the child who had been seven or eight years old previously. Five years later, he was now a boy of twelve or thirteen. He had been secretly rescued by the Nether Saint Camp after being used as a bargaining chip by Suomen. Seeing Chen Feng sitting by the bed, Yas rushed over. “Brother Chen Feng, you’re alright!”

Chen Feng instinctively patted his head, as was his habit. “I’m fine!” Yas broke into a smile, then suddenly knelt down. “Yas hopes Brother Chen Feng will teach me strength so I won’t be bullied anymore!” Chen Feng quickly pulled him up and affectionately stroked his head. “You don’t even need to ask; I was going to teach you!”

Chen Feng valued emotion deeply. Yas and John had saved his life, yet they had received nothing in return from him and were nearly killed because of him. It would be shameful not to repay them. He had considered teaching him cultivation for self-defense before, but firstly, he was only familiar with King of Fighters techniques and not skilled in learning or utilizing Dou Qi (Battle Qi); secondly, John had preferred Yas to live a simple life and opposed his cultivation. However, after these events, Chen Feng assumed John’s views might have changed. “Chen Feng… I thought Yas was lovely, so I took him as my disciple while you were unconscious!” Ling Feng spoke up. “You?” Chen Feng was surprised. He hadn't expected the usually cool Ling Feng to proactively take a disciple. After a moment’s thought, however, he understood her reasoning.

Chen Feng had told her about John and Yas, and Ling Feng was well aware of their significance in his heart. It seemed she had done this out of consideration for him. If it came to the Dou Qi cultivation system and methods, Chen Feng truly couldn't compare to Ling Feng. His rapid advancements were all forged through life-or-death trials; he had never truly cultivated diligently using set methods, so he couldn't teach anything useful. Having Ling Feng teach him was the optimal choice. “Thank you,” Chen Feng said to Ling Feng. Ling Feng replied with a simple acknowledgment and offered a slight smile.

Just then, John and Brent entered. John retained his honest, simple appearance and seemed tongue-tied upon seeing the room full of people. Brent also appeared much more reserved; his former casual calls of “Boss” and “Idol” had ceased. Chen Feng understood this stemmed from the immense gulf in their cultivation levels, creating an unbridgeable generation gap. He paid it no mind and exchanged a few casual words with them.

White then reported on the activities of the Sweeping the Horizon legion over the past two months since their arrival in this world. The Chaos Zone, leaderless and fragmented, had been brought under the legion’s deterrence and power, leading to a rapid reorganization. Furthermore, White’s numerous methods, employing both grace and might, had enabled them to reclaim nearly half the territory in just two months. In these recovered areas, corresponding temples and shrines dedicated to the worship of Chen Feng had been established. Other factions had engaged in minor conflicts when the legion acted this way, but after a few confrontations, none dared to challenge them further, especially once they learned Chen Feng was their leader—no one dared harbor any ulterior motives. Whether it was the Dragon Domain or the Sweeping the Horizon legion, neither was an entity other factions could afford to provoke, let alone when both shared a unified supreme leader.

The geopolitical landscape of the Four Great Empires had fundamentally shifted following the death of His Majesty Suomen and the emergence of the Finlay Empire's Pterodactyl Knights. In just over a month, the Finlay Empire had seized nearly half of the Loki Empire’s territory, and this expansion continued, making its eventual annihilation inevitable. Austin had also kept his promise: wherever they conquered, they promoted the Dragon God Doctrine. Though it had little immediate effect, it was certain that the Dragon God Faith would grow powerful in the future.