Chapter 246: Chapter 203 49 Heavenly Tribulations, Beings after the Tribulation!
It is said that the pinnacle of power cannot be tolerated by heaven and earth. Once someone dares to defy the heavens, the heavens will send a Heavenly Tribulation to strike them down. The Heavenly Tribulation is divided into four realms, each consisting of nine bolts of heavenly lightning, thus referred to as the ’Four-Nine Heavenly Tribulation.’
Pass it, and the fish transforms into a dragon.
Fail it, and all comes to an end.
Within the Taixu Sword Sect, there is a sword technique called the ’Four-Nine Tribulation Sword,’ which was created by the Sword Ancestor himself after successfully overcoming the Four-Nine Heavenly Tribulation and comprehending its essence.
It possesses the swiftness of lightning.
And the might of heavenly thunder.
Wang Yan cultivated and meditated upon it his entire life, gleaning a fragment of its true intent. When his sword strikes, it is akin to rolling heavenly thunder, against which Void Nether and Divine Capital can hardly contend.
Yet compared to a true Heavenly Tribulation, it remains worlds apart!
Under the skies of Beiyin River.
Chen Jichuan stood in the midst of the vast Cangqiong, facing an authentic Heavenly Tribulation.
The sun was high; it was still noon.
Woo woo woo~
Suddenly, a fierce gust blew past, and upon glancing upward,
in that fleeting moment, dark clouds had surged forth like a tidal wave, obscuring the sun. The mists from all corners galloped like wild steeds, converging swiftly in the heavens.
The entire sky was engulfed in oppressive black clouds, as if daytime had turned to dusk, the atmosphere darkened to its extreme.
Chen Jichuan stood amidst it all, entirely enveloped by the black clouds.
His heart was nervously fluttering, his thoughts aimlessly wandering.
Under the shadow of those dark clouds, there was an unavoidable sense of foreboding, a mood of unrest as if the end of days had come.
Everything was brewing.
"Heavenly Tribulation—"
Chen Jichuan knew this was the Four-Nine Heavenly Tribulation he had to face to ascend to the Second-order.
Pass it, and live. Fail it, and die.
For those with unstable foundations or impoverished cultivators who recklessly or by fluke stepped into the Second-order, facing this tribulation would inevitably result in death and soul annihilation.
But Chen Jichuan felt no fear.
"My foundation is solid, my pills are abundant, and I carry magical treasures; there’s no reason I shouldn’t pass."
In other words.
If even he couldn’t pass the Four-Nine Heavenly Tribulation, then there might hardly be any cultivator in the world who could.
Chen Jichuan had this confidence.
...
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
The winds roared, the black clouds gathered.
As Chen Jichuan stirred his thoughts,
suddenly, flashes of electricity flickered within the cloud layers, like golden serpents darting in chaos.
"It’s coming!"
Chen Jichuan’s spirit tightened, knowing the brewing tribulation was complete and about to descend.
Sure enough.
In the next instant.
Crack!
An electric flash appeared, shaking the heavens as a colossal thunderclap struck down.
Boom rumble rumble!
As the eyes precede the ears, the flash of light appeared first, followed by the reverberation of thunder.
By the time Chen Jichuan heard the thunder, it had already landed upon him—
"Hmph!"
A single thunderbolt struck Chen Jichuan’s body with a muffled sound, electric currents flowing through him. The overwhelming majority was blocked by the ’Three-in-One Indestructible Golden Light Body Protection Technique,’ scattered externally amidst golden and electric sparks.
Only a negligible portion seeped inside, giving a faint, tingling sensation.
This was the first bolt of Tribulation Thunder.
It posed no threat to Chen Jichuan.
Beyond the tribulation clouds.
The gathered crowds dared not approach, lest they be caught in the Heavenly Tribulation.
The Heavenly Tribulation is not an affair that allows for meddling.
Anyone appearing under the tribulation clouds not undergoing the tribulation themselves would immediately be struck down by lightning, reduced to ashes.
For an actual tribulation challenger, however, the Heavenly Tribulation’s power would neither increase nor diminish.
What is due will be given, no more, no less.
Thus, during tribulations, friends cannot assist, nor can enemies harm.
Chen Jichuan dared to face the tribulation before so many foes precisely because of this unique characteristic.
"Indeed."
"If anyone could simply step under the clouds and anger the tribulation, amplifying its force..."
"Whenever an enemy is undergoing their tribulation, wouldn’t sending a few sacrificial pawns under the clouds ensure their death?"
"That would be absurd!"
With the first wave of Tribulation Thunder being relatively weak, Chen Jichuan even had leisure for idle thoughts.
Beyond the tribulation clouds.
Wang Yan watched the condensation of dark clouds, the sparking electricity, the descent of thunder, feeling an unrelenting sense of dread.
This was the manifestation of cosmic power.
Any living being witnessing such a scene inevitably feels a deep sense of oppression and terror, as if the heavens have erupted in fury and seek to annihilate all life.
Who wouldn’t be afraid?!
"Four-Nine Heavenly Tribulation."
"A total of four realms and thirty-six bolts."
"Junior Master is so powerful; passing should be no difficult task."
Wang Yan silently muttered, prayed.
Continuing to watch.
She saw the ominous clouds descending, driving Chen Jichuan down into a valley beside Beiyin River. Within, electric flashes danced and thunder boomed.
Boom rumble rumble!
Boom boom boom!
Thunderclaps alternated between sharp bursts and drawn-out roars, their echo reverberating throughout the valley like collapsing mountains, shocking to the ear.
Bam bam bam!
Clap clap clap!
Boulders shattered, tempestuous winds arose, and hail-sized raindrops pelted down like ice shards.
The relentless thunder roared, sparking fires that scattered violently. Initially, the valley remained stagnant as the thunder shook the heavens; there was no reaction. After being struck for a good half an hour, the thunder grew louder, and the lightning fires descended closer, nearly a yard from the valley floor.
Suddenly, a yellow radiance streaked forth like a shooting star, soaring into the sky, illuminating the valley brighter than the lightning itself.
At this moment, a thunderbolt struck down, only to be dispersed by the yellow light.
"Junior Master is—"
Wang Yan recognized the source of the yellow glow, unmistakably the sword belonging to her Junior Master, the ’Yellow Essence Sword’: "Junior Master is battling the Heavenly Tribulation with his sword?!"
Having discerned the essence.
Gaining clarity.
Wang Yan relaxed her taut nerves considerably. Though she couldn’t determine whether the Yellow Essence Sword or the tribulation thunder was superior, from what her eyes could see, the tribulation thunder seemed to struggle for the moment against the sword.
As long as it wasn’t an overwhelming clash, she felt somewhat reassured.
In the valley.
The louder the thunder grew, the higher the yellow light soared.
The descent of the yellow light coincided with the lowering of lightning fires.
The yellow light formed a sword array, further diminishing the lightning fires.
Such cycles repeated—
Boom boom boom!
The thunder unleashed its fury, eliciting flames. The sword light surged, stirring Sword Qi.
Spectators, seeing only lightning fires and Sword Qi clashing back and forth, might find it deceptively ordinary.