Chapter 197: The Might of Heaven's Tribulation
ground, leading some wealthy youths to unwisely pursue her with love letters.Of course, writing love letters was just a method of junior high students. In senior high, they were more direct—some would...Chapter 197: The Might of Heaven's Tribulation
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The surroundings were dark, with nothing but sea as far as the eye could see. Hao Ren wasn't sure where exactly they had appeared in the deep sea after setting up the ritual platform.
However, considering this was a prearranged location by the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace and kept strictly confidential, it would have been disastrous if opposing forces managed to interfere during Zhao Kuo's critical moment of tribulation.
The sky above was filled with rolling thunderclouds, the dark clouds pressing down upon the sea surface. Occasionally, lightning flashed across the heavens, casting a silver glow over the ocean.
Such grandeur and an endless expanse of water devoid of any trace of land would probably have frightened even the bravest mortals!
The ritual platform where Zhao Guang and Zhao Hongyu stood gradually rose to form a raised platform. Today's tribulation array required Dragon King Zhao Guang himself to preside over it!
Suddenly, fierce winds arose and the sea waves grew wildly.
Zhao Yanzi slightly staggered and hurriedly grabbed onto Hao Ren’s arm. Hao Ren was also worried she might slip off the edge of the platform into the sea, so he firmly held her small hand.
Her palm was warm but her fingertips felt a bit cold.
Bang!
A bolt of lightning streaked across from the horizon! Even though Hao Ren hadn’t experienced such an event before, he could guess that Heaven's tribulation was about to arrive!
Zhao Yanzi felt nervous and tightened her grip on Hao Ren’s hand.
Lightning continued to crackle through the clouds. The atmosphere around this massive ritual platform, filled with over ten thousand dragon cultivators, grew increasingly solemn.
Ping!
The first bolt of lightning fell from the cloud layer!
It was as thick as an arm and purple like jade!
"Nine Heavens' Eighteen Thunderbolts!" Chancellor Xia muttered beside Hao Ren and Zhao Yanzi.
"Is it very powerful" Zhao Yanzi asked anxiously.
"Extremely powerful, far exceeding our expectations of the Wind-Fire-Thunder tribulation." Chancellor Xia frowned and said.
“Will Uncle Zhao be able to pass” Zhao Yanzi hurriedly inquired again.
Chancellor Xia focused his gaze on the center of the ritual platform without responding, seemingly not hearing her question.
This purple lightning struck precisely from the sky and landed directly atop Zhao Kuo’s head at the center!
Zhao Kuo still maintained a seated posture with closed eyes, unmoving. He grunted slightly and used his physical body to withstand this first heavenly tribulation!
Reaching Peak Gān level in cultivation, his flesh had almost reached an indestructible state!
The moment the first bolt of lightning descended, a torrential downpour began from the dark clouds above.
A gigantic white jade altar supported a pale green light cover, keeping the rain at bay.
"This first one isn't too difficult. The harder ones come later," Chancellor Xia said. "Each subsequent lightning bolt is twice as powerful as the previous one—it's already reaching the level of an Old Path Heaven Tribulation!"
How Ren secretly calculated that each succeeding bolt was double the power of its predecessor, meaning the final bolt would be nearly ten thousand times more powerful than the first!
Ten thousand times! Just thinking about it was terrifying!
Zhao Yanzi wasn't as good at math as How Ren, but she also felt that the Old Path Heaven Tribulations were becoming progressively stronger and more worrying with each one. Thus, her forehead furrowed slightly, and she bit down on her lips, breathing a little unevenly.
Just then, as they spoke, the second bolt of lightning came crashing down!
The sound was twice as loud as the previous one! Not only did the lightning's force become thicker, but its electric light also shone much brighter than before!
Zhao Kuo remained seated without moving, allowing this Heaven Tribulation bolt to strike him from head to toe. His entire body glowed for a moment and then instantly returned to normal.
"Third Uncle is indeed the best in the human world; not only did he withstand the Heaven Tribulation without resistance, but he also absorbed its power, building up strength for subsequent tribulations!" Chancellor Xia said softly.
How Ren and Zhao Yanzi clenched their fists tightly, both staring intently at Zhao Kuo in the center of the altar. It was the first time they had witnessed a Heaven Tribulation, and this one was particularly crucial; thus, there was a sense of mutual reliance between them.
Boom!
The third Heaven Tribulation came crashing down!
Illuminating half the sky!
How Ren had once considered using his Thunder Cultivator techniques to help Zhao Yanzi's uncle absorb lightning power. Now, seeing such powerful Heavenly Lightning, he knew that was sheer folly.
This wasn't just heavenly electricity; it was also divine might!
The path of cultivation is about defying the heavens and changing one’s destiny. If all you want is to roam free within the human realm, then maybe that would suffice, but if you challenge the laws of heaven and earth, seeking immortality akin to them, eternal life like sun and moon, then you must undergo countless trials by heavenly tribulation!
Zhao Kuo remained seated without moving, calmly awaiting this third Heaven Tribulation bolt to strike him!
But this time, his body swayed slightly!
The Chancellor's brows furrowed even more tightly. "Ten levels of Old Path Heaven Tribulations—tricky business."
Bang!
The fourth bolt of lightning roared like a heaven-shattering thunderbolt, as thick as a pillar, smashing down from the clouds in the sky!
This time, Zhao Kuo, who had been meditating with his eyes closed the entire time, finally opened them!
He allowed the Heaven Tribulation to strike him at the Baihui acupoint and travel through his spine straight into the ground below the jade altar.
The lingering force of the lightning caused even the engravings on the altar to momentarily glow!
Zhao Kuo stretched out his arms, gazing heavenward and letting out a long cry. "Hahaha! This is exhilarating; hit me again!"
Heaven seemed to answer Zhao Kuo's reaction, not giving him any respite—the fifth Heaven Tribulation descended from above!
Zhao Kuo once again braced himself and took the blow head-on!
The lightning struck his body, not even damaging a bit of his green robe! And the look in his eyes instantly lit up, as if he had endured all pain and was looking towards the distance!
Bang!
At sea far away, water waves dozens of meters high were triggered.
"Come on! Bring it on!" Zhao Kuo shouted crazily, reverting to his usual brazen self again!
The sixth heavenly tribulation was as thick and wide as a house, connecting the sky directly with the sea.
Strong lightning enveloped Zhao Kuo completely!
Zhao Yanzi watched from afar at the center of the altar. She had short breaths and her palms were sweaty while she held He Ren’s hand.
The lightning faded, but Zhao Kuo was still unscathed in the middle of the altar! The first place in the human world! At this moment, even if He Ren didn’t want to admire him, he had no choice!
Even with the most basic Four Nines Heavenly Tribulation, Zhao Kuo would have long passed it. But his wish was to change heaven and earth! Even in Heaven, he wouldn’t be satisfied with being at the bottom!
The eighteen thunderbolts from the ninth sky were his ultimate test!
Such a heavenly tribulation, even if Heavenly Immortals faced it, they would suffer soul destruction if not careful.
Bang! Zhao Kuo reached out and picked up his black iron trident beside him. He stood up and looked at the sky, "Bring it on!"
The seventh heavenly tribulation turned into lightning bolts that came from seven angles!
Zhao Kuo waved his ‘Slay Tribulation’ as black light flickered; he struck down all seven heavenly tribulations!
He was arrogant towards heaven and earth, even daring to fight against the heavenly tribulation!
Zhao Yanzi’s third uncle stood in the wind with fluttering robes. In the lightning, his long-handled trident shone darkly; he truly looked like a celestial descended from the sky.
The eighth heavenly tribulation flashed out of the clouds and turned into hundreds of thunder spheres that attacked Zhao Kuo’s front, back, left, and right!
He Ren silently calculated that the power of the eighth heavenly tribulation was already a thousand times stronger than the first one.
So each seemingly weak lightning sphere actually had as much power as the first heavenly tribulation. Zhao Kuo looked like he was carefree, but in reality, it wasn’t easy!
In the center of the altar, gripping a hundred-jin black iron trident, he swung his weapon like a web that couldn’t be penetrated by anything. The thunder spheres struck Zhao Kuo’s trident and made dull thudding sounds that shook He Ren and Zhao Yanzi’s ears.
Even so, Zhao Yanzi didn’t cover her ears but focused more anxiously on the situation in the altar.
Tens of thousands of soldiers stood at the edge of the altar. Without an order, they wouldn’t move rashly. As such, this altar that was as big as several football fields became Zhao Kuo’s stage!
The ninth heavenly tribulation shot down quickly! Dividing into nine directions with wind and fire strength, it pierced through the air!
It wasn’t just a few thick bolts but sharp ones that seemed to be able to pierce anything.
Confused lightning was originally meant to destroy all five elements; even though Zhao Kuo was at peak Heaven level and held black iron heavy equipment, he still didn’t dare let his guard down!
The first move: intercept! Second move: shatter! Third move: flick away! Fourth move: slash! Fifth move: charge! Sixth move: stab! Seventh move: throw off! Eighth move: mix up!
Holding the hundred-jin heavy weapon, Zhao Kuo was still nimble as he struck down each of the eight lightning bolts created by the ninth heavenly tribulation one after another.
The final move, Splitting the Mountain of Hua!
The river-like lightning was cleaved into two by Zhao Kuo's Trisecting Knife in the middle!
The Trisecting Knife was said to be a weapon wielded by Gonggong, the water god! With these moves, Zhao Kuo had truly displayed his might. To bring down heaven’s thunderbolts like this; what kind of strength did that entail
Seeing the crowd getting excited, Hao Ren wanted to cheer as well, but at the center of the altar, Zhao Kuo propped up his Trisecting Knife and used his left hand to cover his chest. He spat out a mouthful of blood!
"Uncle Three!" Yao Ziya called anxiously.
Right at that moment, lightning flashed in the clouds. The tenth heavenly bolt was being amassed for release!
The tenth heavenly bolt would have twice its power! Hao Ren immediately calculated it in his mind.
With this one, there were still five more coming, and by the looks of things Zhao Kuo wouldn’t be able to make it past them. Hao Ren clenched his fist as he worried for Zhao Kuo’s safety for real.
Even though Zhao Kuo was harsh, not polite in speech, he was definitely not a bad person; on the contrary, he was an honest and straightforward man!
Bang. The tenth heavenly bolt with twice its power fell from the sky!
Zhao Kuo barely picked up his Trisecting Knife beside him to prepare for battle.
Once heaven’s tribulation was initiated, there would be no way of halting it midway! It was like the path to cultivation; once you stepped into it, you had to charge forward and never look back. Even if one faced countless difficulties on this road, they couldn’t turn back!
Clang. Zhao Kuo’s Trisecting Knife sent out a loud sound when he clashed with heaven's bolt.
Blood was still dripping from the corner of his mouth, but his gaze was calm as he looked up at the sky.
The pure white heavenly bolt amassed to its peak descended right on top of Zhao Kuo!
Zhao Kuo wielded his Trisecting Knife and held firm. When facing heaven’s tribulation, there would be no way of dodging it either!
With his chest puffed out and shoulders back, Zhao Kuo was instantly swallowed by the lightning in this heavenly bolt.
Zhao Ziya clutched Hao Ren as her nails dug into Hao Ren’s palm; a deep mark had been bitten on her delicate lips.
When the lightning dispersed, Zhao Kuo kneeled alone in the center of the altar. Next to him were scattered fragments of the shattered black iron Trisecting Knife and his arms were all bloody!
And in the sky, the eleventh heavenly bolt was being amassed for release!
Zhao Guang knew Zhao Kuo wouldn’t be able to make it past this one, so he shouted. "The great formation of heaven and earth, open!"
His voice like a gong sounded in every corner of the altar.
"Yes sir!" The soldiers on guard around the altar responded simultaneously; their voices were ear-piercing!
"You damn heavens, I’m going to break you and fight you to my heart’s content," at that moment, Zhao Kuo with tattered clothes suddenly soared high up into the sky.
“Roar!” With a long bellow in midair, Zhao Kuo suddenly transformed into a black dragon!
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