Under that intensely scorching Thunder Tribulation, the entire Illusionary Mansion ultimately collapsed. Myriad lives were reduced to wandering ghosts. Not a single one of the original Eight Great Families managed to escape the tragic fate of being utterly annihilated!
Of the mere handful left in the entire Illusionary Mansion, only the less than thirty individuals swept up by Miao Qingcheng’s sleeve at the final moment remained! At that critical juncture, already fraught with martial danger, Miao Qingcheng hadn't even had time to look at precisely whom he had managed to rescue.
“Zhan Kuang!! You deserve to die!” Ignoring the unprecedented, raging, primordial Thunder Tribulation above his head, Miao Qingcheng suddenly roared.
This single shout momentarily completely drowned out the booming thunder of the celestial tribulation resonating across the entire continent!
Zhan Kuang floated lightly opposite him. After absorbing countless blood meals, he had long since recovered his peak strength from his previous life, and along with it, regained the true countenance of the War Man he once was.
In fact, ever since causing trouble within the Illusionary Mansion and forcing Miao Qingcheng to appear and bring him to justice, Zhan Kuang, being at an absolute disadvantage in terms of power, had already been smashed into oblivion hundreds of times by Miao Qingcheng! Even on his fastest day, his strength couldn't compare to a single finger of Miao Qingcheng’s, yet no matter how heaven-defying Miao Qingcheng's mastery was, he was consistently unable to kill him!
The Nine Illusions Quicksand, truly, was a peerless divine artifact unique between Heaven and Earth!
Perhaps immortality and invulnerability were the ultimate definitions of unrivaled power under the heavens!
“Master, this will be the last time I call you Master, Zhan Kuang!” Undisguised fear still lingered in Zhan Kuang’s eyes, but his expression gradually settled, slowly twisting into madness—a near-hysterical frenzy—as he shouted, “You fulfilled the Zhan Kuang of that day, you were my great master, but now you have personally annihilated my Zhan Family! You are the progenitor of the feud that destroyed my house!”
Zhan Kuang cried out sorrowfully toward the heavens, “Those were my descendants of eight thousand years! The foundation built over eight millennia!”
Miao Qingcheng was struck by blazing fury, his eyes instantly turning crimson: “If it weren't for your beastly misconduct, how could the Illusionary Mansion be destroyed in a single day? And does the destruction of the Illusionary Mansion only mean the demise of your Zhan Family? Zhan Kuang, your thinking is so narrow and malicious, so deranged—today, I, Miao, must clean up the sect’s mess; how could I possibly allow you to escape!”
Zhan Kuang laughed wildly, a bitter laugh, and bellowed, “Did I destroy the Illusionary Mansion? If you hadn't rashly appeared, how would the Thunder Tribulation descend? Had you never shown yourself, the Illusionary Mansion would have at most settled into a situation where the Zhan Family dominated, with the other seven families subservient. But the Illusionary Mansion would still be the Illusionary Mansion! How could it have ended in complete annihilation? Miao Qingcheng! Your might is indeed earth-shattering, peerless in this world. I know that I, your disciple, cannot hope to match even a fraction of it. But I am now the body of the Nine Illusions Quicksand; I am immortal! Do you think you can kill me? The celestial Thunder Tribulation descended because of you, but I wonder if you can sustain it indefinitely?!” He had ceased calling him Master and was now speaking his name directly!
Miao Qingcheng was enraged, yet facing this immortal monster, even with his transcendent power, he found himself utterly helpless!
To purge the lineage, yet lack the ability to do so!
The purple tribulation lightning in the sky had been brewing for quite some time before suddenly cracking with a sound that seemed to shatter Heaven and Earth. Tens of thousands of purple bolts descended simultaneously! The Thunder Tribulation was finally about to unleash its true power!
Miao Qingcheng’s heart turned ice-cold: Must this Thunder Tribulation truly continue until the end, destroying not only the Illusionary Mansion realm but the entire continent? Must I truly perish for the Tribulation to finally cease? But... if I die, who will keep this beast in check?!
Just as Miao Qingcheng hesitated, torn between decisions, a white shadow flashed across the sky, drifting upward, meeting the torrent of tens of thousands of purple tribulation bolts head-on in mid-air!
The newcomer was none other than Jun Moxie!
Miao Qingcheng was greatly alarmed and urgently shouted, “Be careful, no...!” But before he could finish the sentence, Jun Moxie in mid-air had already collided directly with the Thunder Tribulation!
Miao Qingcheng closed his eyes, assuming the miraculous youth had finally succumbed to disaster... What force in this world could dissipate a tribulation even he could only withstand with his full effort!
Yet, for a long time, he did not hear the expected thunderous boom. Opening his eyes in surprise, he saw the ominous clouds in the sky unleash another ten thousand streaks of purple tribulation lightning, furiously attacking the white-clad youth, Jun Moxie, who stood before him!
What was happening?
Had those previous ten thousand bolts of lightning failed to harm him?
How was this possible?!
Under Miao Qingcheng’s stunned, shocked, and utterly bewildered gaze, Jun Moxie roared once, waved his hands, and the dense mass of tribulation lightning in mid-air abruptly vanished without a trace!
At this moment, Jun Moxie was wholly focused on circulating the Hongjun Hun, dedicating all his effort to absorbing the power of the celestial lightning above.
The energy of this Thunder Tribulation was unimaginably potent. If one had to draw a comparison, it was nearly a thousand times the total sum of what had been collected before! Moreover, the sky continued to pour down energy ceaselessly...
Under such divine might, although Zhan Kuang possessed an immortal body, he dared not make the slightest rash move. Should he move and the Thunder Tribulation shift its target onto him, it would be an utter injustice!
After a long, long while, this seemingly eternal celestial ordeal finally subsided. The dark clouds covering the sky vanished instantly, and daylight had broken!
Jun Moxie clearly felt that the electrical power within the Hongjun Pagoda was approaching saturation!
Miao Qingcheng's tribulation was indeed terrifying; it had actually saturated the Hongjun Pagoda...
The Hongjun Pagoda, which never failed to assimilate the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth, was saturated! Saturated for the first time!
It was a good thing the Thunder Tribulation had ended, otherwise even Young Master Jun would be completely out of options!
“Old Miao, what exactly happened? And what is the current situation of the Illusionary Mansion?!” Jun Moxie drifted down.
“This matter... alas, it’s difficult to explain in a few words! My rebellious disciple conspired with a supreme treasure and turned traitor. I was forced to intervene to bring him to justice, but unexpectedly, things spiraled out of control. The vast Misty Illusionary Mansion is finished.”
Miao Qingcheng’s expression was calm, but infinite sorrow radiated from his eyes.
He was a peak existence who had transcended the Saint level, yet facing such a catastrophic change, he still could not control his state of mind!
With the sudden annihilation of the Misty Illusionary Mansion, Miao Qingcheng felt that his connection with his Master, Nine Nether First Young Master, and his three Martial Brothers had been completely severed.
The Heavenly Pillar Mountain collapsed in a single day, the Three Great Sacred Lands that had been passed down for over ten millennia turned to nothing overnight. Now the Misty Illusionary Mansion was gone too... On this Earth, not a single trace of the Nine Nether First Young Master’s existence could be found!
Was this how everything ended?
It turned out that after Zhan Kuang had been slaughtering wantonly and devouring copious amounts of blood food to restore his power, his first act was to violently tear open space and return to the Illusionary Mansion. Then, in an extremely short span of time, he utilized the marvelous properties of the Nine Illusions Quicksand to completely seal off the various main gates of the Mansion!
Once all these arrangements were complete, he made his grand entrance, and the Zhan Family immediately erupted in fervor.
The Ancestor appeared, the King returned, and he did so in such a powerful and shocking manner—what an event of glorious honor!
After the Zhan Family celebrated for an entire day and night, Zhan Kuang plainly stepped forth. For some unknown reason, ever since swallowing the Nine Illusions Quicksand and attaining his immortal body, Zhan Kuang’s temper grew increasingly volatile!
This time, he brazenly declared to the Seven Great Families of the Illusionary Mansion: In the Heaven and Earth of the Illusionary Mansion, I am the ultimate authority! Obey me and prosper; oppose me and perish! He made it clear he intended to use thunderous means to purge the Illusionary Mansion completely and establish the sole dominance of the Zhan Family!
Zhan Kuang’s powerful return naturally caused panic among the other families, but they were not people easily scared into submission. After a brief flurry of disorder, they stabilized their positions. Facing Zhan Kuang’s arrogant might, the Seven Great Families united, choosing to resist him collectively and explicitly!
This was because everyone knew that if the Zhan Family were truly allowed to grasp the great power of the Illusionary Mansion, the glorious days they once enjoyed would vanish without a trace. Looking at the faces of Zhan Kuang and the Zhan Family members today made this perfectly clear; the bleakness of the future was even easier to imagine.
Zhan Kuang was furious and immediately resorted to extreme measures. In the full view of everyone, he killed seventeen Saint Venerable masters from the major families in succession, transforming all their physical bodies into blood food and consuming them publicly!
This act further provoked universal outrage.
United by a common hatred, they chose to fight to the death rather than submit.
Subsequently, several hundred more masters at or above the Saint Emperor level died at Zhan Kuang’s hands.
Miao Jingyun, the Mansion Lord of the Illusionary Mansion, was forced into a desperate situation. Disregarding ancestral precepts, he quickly fled to the secret chamber to report to Miao Qingcheng. But Zhan Kuang didn't let up, pursuing him relentlessly along the way; Miao Dao and Miao Jian tragically died under Zhan Kuang’s hands while covering Miao Jingyun’s escape!
Miao Jingyun managed to drag himself to the secret chamber, barely holding on to consciousness, and explained the situation. Miao Qingcheng was instantly enraged!
Realizing the gravity of the situation, he no longer cared about the threat of the Heavenly Tribulation and immediately emerged, intending to destroy Zhan Kuang and quell the turmoil.
As Miao Qingcheng appeared, Zhan Kuang was almost instantly dumbfounded.
The only reason he dared to be so bold, so unscrupulous, was entirely because he relied on the fact that no one within the Illusionary Mansion could match his current strength—he was the epitome of unrivaled power under heaven!
He never imagined that his Master was still alive and well!
As Miao Qingcheng was his Master, Zhan Kuang certainly knew how formidable Miao Qingcheng was!
Thus, the moment Miao Qingcheng appeared, Zhan Kuang immediately became compliant—to put it plainly, he was terrified.
But, following close behind Miao Qingcheng, the Heavenly Tribulation descended as expected.
This gave Zhan Kuang a glimmer of hope. His millennia of experience allowed him to immediately grasp the crucial balance of power.
It turned out that this old immortal had hidden himself away for so many years precisely because he feared the heavenly fetters... Zhan Kuang believed he had seen through Miao Qingcheng’s weakness, and thus became arrogant again.
However, he had greatly underestimated Miao Qingcheng. In fury, Miao Qingcheng struck once, instantly shattering Zhan Kuang into a swirling mist, and then immediately turned his attention to dealing with the Heavenly Tribulation, intending to wait for this wave to pass before disappearing again to let the Tribulation dissipate.
But after the first wave of tribulation passed, it was shockingly discovered that Zhan Kuang had reappeared, perfectly unharmed!
Miao Qingcheng fought the Heavenly Tribulation while relentlessly pursuing and attacking Zhan Kuang, blasting him apart two hundred and sixty times in total.
But Zhan Kuang remained stubbornly alive...
This bizarre situation even left Miao Qingcheng baffled: when had this scoundrel disciple cultivated such an immortal and indestructible body?
Under this continuous back-and-forth struggle, the Heavenly Tribulation gradually escalated. It finally reached a terrifying level, one that even the Illusionary Mansion could not bear. Finally, under a single blow, the entire Mansion collapsed just like that...
(Recommend a book. If I am not arrogant, how can I surpass Samsara? If I am not reckless, how dare I shatter the void? The Great Fiend, book ID 2052777, a book by my friend Feng Ling, radiating dominance. Hot-blooded Xuanhuan, a must-read! Updates concluded for today. To be continued.)