Shi Hao was utterly exhausted. Even his indomitable flesh, comparable to divine metal, was now battered and broken, covered in bloodstains, with some areas revealing exposed bones.
Moreover, his body bore numerous scorch marks from lightning strikes, charred and withered, and even his chest had a gaping hole, pierced clean through, with arcs of electricity still flickering within.
It was a pitiful sight. He had fought his way through the Eighth Heaven at a tremendous cost, facing countless formidable opponents along the way, carving a path through armies like a blade through wheat.
No matter how strong a single individual was, it was nearly impossible to sweep through enemies from all realms. The foes were endless, swarming like ants—and even ants could bring down an elephant, let alone the battle-hardened races of the foreign lands.
As the floating bridge receded and thunderbolts flashed, Shi Hao stood upon the Ninth Heaven, swaying unsteadily, truly on the verge of collapse. He didn’t know if he could fight any longer.
In the distance, one treasure after another soared into the sky, colliding in the firmament and erupting in dazzling sparks, like stars crashing together before exploding.
“This world shall fall today!” a creature roared, its voice sending tremors through the soul.
Then, Shi Hao saw a massive black hand stretch across the heavens, covering the entire sky. Not only did it shatter countless treasures, but it also caught moons and celestial bodies within its grasp, crushing them effortlessly.
The sight was utterly terrifying.
Shi Hao’s pupils contracted as he stared at the scene.
Beyond the tribulation, all the young cultivators witnessed this spectacle, gasping in shock. This… surpassed all expectations. That was the power of an immortal!
Undoubtedly, someone of that level had taken action. This tribulation was beyond monstrous—who could possibly survive such a calamity?
Was this the tribulation meant for Huang?
At this moment, even Jin Zhan’s grand-uncle couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for Shi Hao. “If he truly faces that kind of power, not even his corpse will remain intact!”
“Arrogant youth! Did you think the heavenly tribulation was so easy to endure? Provoking it willingly—not everyone can emerge unscathed. Even a peerless genius may perish!” Wang Xi’s grand-uncle sneered.
“The heavenly tribulation should correspond to one’s cultivation realm!” the Ten Crown King murmured from afar, watching the overwhelming lightning.
Even if one provoked the heavens and enraged the thunder, the tribulation should only intensify within reason—not leap across multiple major realms. Otherwise, what chance of survival was there?
The heavenly tribulation was destruction, a trial, a glimmer of hope, and a form of rebirth.
Amid despair, it offered a sliver of hope. Within destruction, it nurtured the power of new life. Those who endured it would reap immense benefits, akin to a phoenix’s rebirth.
Those who survived would undergo a transformation, tempered and strengthened.
“An immortal would not intervene!” the Little Heavenly King declared firmly to the Immortal Academy’s disciples.
On the Ninth Heaven, blades flashed and battle cries shook the skies. The battlefield was even more gruesome here, littered with corpses and drenched in blood.
Yet, unexpectedly, when Shi Hao ascended, no enemies immediately attacked him. The area was eerily quiet.
In the distance, the clamor of battle raged on, with sword beams stretching for thousands of miles—top-tier experts clashed with unimaginable ferocity.
**Boom!**
A Heaven-Overturning Seal descended, crafted from warm jade, expanding rapidly before smashing into the earth, sinking hundreds of thousands of miles of land. The sight left onlookers dumbstruck and chilled to the bone.
Then, a silver spear shot forth, impaling a mighty warrior from the Nine Heavens’ side. The spear’s momentum didn’t stop—it carried its victim through the void, piercing a distant star before detonating.
The warrior, once immensely powerful, struggled futilely before being incinerated in the star’s explosion.
These scenes were soul-shaking. The battles on the Ninth Heaven were too horrifying.
Shi Hao sighed. He had assumed the tribulation would correspond to his own strength, perhaps pushing him to his limits but not beyond. Even if he glimpsed the mightiest figures, they should remain distant, never directly engaging him. Yet now, it seemed such dangers were right here—encountering them was no longer unexpected.
Was this truly a dead end?
He observed silently. Seeing that no enemies approached, he decisively sat cross-legged and began healing.
His condition was dire—his flesh was torn, his blood dried, and his bones fractured. His body was in an extremely precarious state.
The relentless battles had taken their toll. Surviving without paying a price was impossible!
Even a Slaughtering Immortal Realm cultivator would likely perish in this tribulation. It had surpassed all expectations.
A hazy light enveloped Shi Hao, drawing power from the lightning to restore his body.
The effect was astonishing!
Shi Hao’s heart raced. The final layer of the tribulation indeed contained something extraordinary—while it embodied destruction, it also concealed vibrant vitality.
This innate life force wrapped around his flesh, allowing him to regenerate amidst devastation. His wounds closed, his bones reconnected, and his body regained its luster.
**Swish!**
Shi Hao’s eyes snapped open. Without changing his posture, he instantly shifted hundreds of feet, narrowly evading a lethal strike.
A blinding flash of cold light swept past—a platinum divine sword wielded by an enemy, nearly decapitating him.
The danger had arrived. The Ninth Heaven had granted him a brief respite to recover, but the moment he regained strength, foes emerged.
“So there is a sliver of hope. It’s up to him whether he can seize it,” someone outside the tribulation murmured, seeing Shi Hao’s revival.
“Humans—a detestable race. Weak and fragile at times, yet unfathomably resilient when strong. Die now!” the enemy roared.
Battle erupted once more, and the commotion drew countless foreign enemies. Blades surged like tidal waves, and sword beams pierced the heavens.
“Kill!”
Shi Hao bellowed, charging into the fray with no choice but to carve a path through bloodshed.
Soon, the battlefield became a morass of gore. After slaying several elite commanders, Shi Hao waded through hordes of enemies, his long blade reaping heads and cleaving bodies in half.
**Boom!**
Thunderbolts exploded one after another, shaking the world.
Most fallen enemies disintegrated into lightning upon death or severe injury, creating a terrifying spectacle.
**Ssshh!**
Suddenly, streaks of immortal light streaked across the sky, intertwining with divine radiance—an eerie and dreadful sight.
Shi Hao stiffened, looking upward. Several mighty figures vanished into the depths of the starry expanse.
“Damn it! The tribulation is giving him a chance—tailored to his realm, not an outright execution!” Wang Xi’s grand-uncle growled outside the tribulation.
“Thank goodness!” The golden ant, Cao Yusheng, and others exhaled in relief, their hearts finally unclenching.
But this was no time to relax—the greatest trial still lay ahead.
Sure enough, the battlefield shifted. The enemy ranks parted as several silver-armored warriors strode forward, majestic and imposing.
More foreign soldiers emerged, encircling Shi Hao for a bloody showdown.
Yet, warriors from the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths did not retreat. They charged forward.
**Thud!**
But the silver-armored leaders were too powerful. One swung his halberd, shattering an elder’s iron sword before impaling him, blood gushing high.
“Young man, I see great potential in you. Flee—leave some hope for the Nine Heavens!” the elder cried before his body exploded.
“You—!” Shi Hao’s brows furrowed as he glared at the foreign kings.
“Go! Preserve the future. I saw you fight your way up from the Ten Earths and through eight heavens. With your talent, you must survive to carry on our legacy!” another elder shouted, leading a charge—only to meet the same fate.
**Thud! Thud! Thud!**
Heads rolled as the halberd swept through them.
“King Mu Tuo! I’ll fight you to the death!” someone roared, thrusting a spear forward.
**Thud!**
Yet another life was extinguished.
The scenes blurred between reality and illusion, stirring Shi Hao’s emotions violently. Though he knew this was the tribulation, the impact was undeniable.
“All of you—DIE!” Shi Hao roared, slaughtering his way through the enemy ranks toward the silver-armored kings.
**Rumble!**
A pair of Kun Peng wings unfurled behind him, swirling with yin and yang energies that birthed chaos. Gripping his long blade, he charged.
This was a battle of fury and blood. Shi Hao fought with unbridled rage, clashing against the foreign kings.
**Clang!**
With a flap of his wings, he deflected a halberd strike. In the fierce exchange, his blade flashed—decapitating King Mu Tuo.
One by one, the kings fell.
Like a golden lion amidst wolves, Shi Hao bathed in blood—his enemies’ and his own—fighting his way to the heart of the battlefield.
Then, suddenly—
**Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!**
Golden paths of light descended from all directions.
**Boom!**
Shi Hao was struck hard, surrounded!
The armies retreated, leaving only the figures stepping forth from the golden paths—each solemn and imposing.
These paths were few, originating from different horizons, each bearing a single, terrifyingly powerful youth.
Some were shrouded in chaos, others blazed like suns, while a few bore celestial scriptures inscribed on their brows, their voices shaking the world.
“Who are they?” the spectators outside the tribulation gasped.
These were beings far beyond the kings—forcing even them to retreat.
The answer was clear: these were the long-secluded imperial clans, awakened from their ancient slumbers.
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