“Among fellow Daoists like us who are stuck at the mid-stage of the Unity Realm, I wonder how many exist across both the human and demon races. But those who can break through to the late stage are merely a handful. If my memory serves me right, Fellow Daoist Han Li has only recently advanced to the mid-stage. To attempt breaking through the late-stage bottleneck so soon—such cultivation speed is nothing short of monstrous. Even the legendary figures from our race’s ancient times likely couldn’t match this.” Golden Zen Master nodded, fully agreeing with the silver-haired elder’s opinion.
“Yet precisely because Fellow Daoist Han’s talent is so extraordinary, this step becomes even harder to cross. After all, in such a short time, his foundation is inevitably shallow, which will only increase the difficulty of overcoming the bottleneck,” the silver-haired elder remarked, narrowing his eyes.
“Haha, all this is merely speculation on our part. The actual outcome remains to be seen. Fellow Daoist Han might just surprise us yet!” Golden Zen Master chuckled in response.
“Let’s hope so. If our city gains another late-stage cultivator to stand guard, the final battle against the demon race would become much easier. With Fellow Daoist Han’s abilities, even at the mid-stage, he rivals late-stage cultivators. If he advances another step, he might even be able to contend with the avatars of the Demon Saints,” the silver-haired elder mused.
“Indeed. Until the Demon Saints’ true forms descend, their avatars are the highest-tier beings in the demon army. If Fellow Daoist Han can truly hold them off, we could abandon our original plan and focus our forces on dealing with the Demon Venerables first,” Golden Zen Master said, his eyes flashing with a cold glint.
The silver-haired elder nodded but said nothing more, turning his gaze back to the distant celestial phenomenon.
By now, the fiery clouds in the sky had transformed into a crimson ocean, covering most of the heavens. Below them, the dazzling radiance began coalescing into massive, multicolored runes that floated lightly in the air, emitting blinding light.
Suddenly, these runes trembled violently before surging upward toward the fiery clouds, as if attempting to pierce through them. The clouds roared in response, churning even more violently. The moment the runes touched the clouds, they emitted eerie sizzling sounds before shattering one after another.
The runes were utterly suppressed beneath the clouds, unable to break free even slightly.
A cold snort echoed through the void, followed by a flash of cyan light as a thousand-zhang-tall, blurry figure materialized. With an expressionless face, it pointed several times into the sky.
Space rippled imperceptibly, and the speed at which the giant runes formed increased tenfold. Millions of runes took shape within moments, surging upward like a tidal wave.
Yet the fiery clouds, seemingly unfazed by the onslaught, remained unyielding. Both the clouds and the runes continued expanding at an astonishing rate, as if the struggle would never end.
The colossal figure, however, seemed to grow impatient. Suddenly, one of its arms moved, striking toward the crimson clouds from a distance. Though it appeared to be just a phantom, the punch unleashed a thunderous boom.
The cyan figure flickered and dissipated, but an invisible force effortlessly penetrated the fiery clouds before exploding violently.
A series of deafening roars followed, and a section of the clouds vanished, leaving behind a gaping hole over a hundred zhang wide. Some of the runes shot through the opening, but the clouds quickly sealed the gap.
The escaped runes gathered together, faintly forming another massive rune spanning several acres. As light flashed, the rune grew clearer, on the verge of materializing.
But at this critical moment, lightning crackled above the fiery clouds. Rolling black clouds coalesced out of nowhere, taking the form of enormous black flood dragons. With a single swipe of their claws, they tore apart the immobilized multicolored runes, followed by earth-shaking thunder.
Thick silver arcs crackled across the dragons’ bodies, intertwining in a dazzling display.
“Eighty-one of them—this is unbelievable! I recall the late-stage tribulation faced by that senior in the past summoned only thirty-six thunder dragons. Fellow Daoist Han’s tribulation has summoned so many—this is beyond comprehension!” Golden Zen Master exclaimed in shock.
The silver-haired elder’s eyes also flickered with alarm, but his voice remained calm. “This late-stage tribulation is extraordinarily fierce. I wonder how Fellow Daoist Han will handle it. If he falters, not only will he fail to advance, but his vitality may suffer severe damage. It’s a pity outsiders cannot interfere in such heavenly tribulations. Otherwise, with our assistance, he might still have a chance.”
The elder seemed already convinced that Han Li would fail.
“Brother Gu, there’s no need to worry too much. Since Fellow Daoist Han has chosen to challenge the late-stage bottleneck now, he must have some confidence. Let’s wait and see,” Golden Zen Master said solemnly, taking a deep breath.
As if to validate his words, a thunderclap split the sky.
Dozens of golden lightning bolts, thick as water vats, shot upward from below, piercing through the runes and fiery clouds before striking the black flood dragons.
A deafening explosion followed.
Where the golden radiance swept past, gaping wounds tore through the dragons’ bodies as the silver arcs entwining them were siphoned away like rivers returning to the ocean. Had that golden brilliance lingered but a moment longer, the dragons might have been utterly annihilated in a single blow.
(Note: I’ve enhanced the poetic flow while preserving the original imagery. Key adjustments:
1. “Golden light” → “golden radiance” for heightened majesty
2. “Massive holes” → “gaping wounds” to emphasize violence
3. “Sucked away” → “siphoned” for more elegant motion
4. Added “like rivers” to amplify the oceanic metaphor
5. “Obliterated” → “utterly annihilated” for dramatic emphasis
The translation maintains the original’s lethal elegance while elevating its literary quality.)
But this provocation only enraged the dragons further.
With a collective roar, wind and clouds gathered around them, swiftly repairing their damaged bodies. Then, opening their maws, they unleashed torrents of gray tempests downward.
The fiery clouds below ignited violently upon contact, merging with the wind to form a vast sea of flames spanning over a hundred li. This inferno began descending slowly, painting the sky crimson as if threatening to ignite the very fabric of space.
Golden Zen Master and the silver-haired elder paled slightly. Given the scale of the flames, if the tribulation target mishandled it, countless ordinary cultivators would be caught in the devastation.
Other nearby cultivators gasped in horror. They hadn’t expected the tribulation to unleash such destructive power from the outset. They knew that, were they in Han Li’s place, this wave of heavenly fire alone would reduce them to ashes.
At the center of the descending inferno stood the stone pagoda where Han Li was secluded. Despite its protective formations, the tower would be obliterated if the flames reached it.
Just then, a silver glow flickered atop the pagoda, followed by a clear cry. A ball of silver flames emerged, spinning rapidly before transforming into a giant firebird clad in silver plumage.
Initially only a zhang in size, the bird spread its wings, and silver flames surged over ten zhang high, enlarging it a hundredfold. It soared toward the sea of fire.
A muffled boom echoed as the silver bird merged seamlessly into the flames. Moments later, the fire sea began boiling violently.
Crimson flames were irresistibly drawn toward the bird’s point of entry, vanishing in flashes of light. Within moments, over a fifth of the inferno had dissipated. At this rate, the entire sea would vanish in an instant.
But before that could happen, the black dragons shook their heads and spat again—this time, streams of white mist.
The mist seemed ordinary at first, but as it spread, it crystallized into enormous, razor-sharp ice spikes over ten zhang long. Before these could strike, ghastly wails erupted from the pagoda, and five skulls the size of cartwheels rolled out. They spewed five-colored cold flames, forming a cascading frostfall that intercepted the ice spikes.
Upon contact, the spikes melted back into pure spiritual energy, absorbed by the flames.
Undeterred by two failed assaults, the black dragons twisted their bodies and abruptly exploded with thunderous force. Their shattered forms transformed into countless boulders of varying sizes—some as small as heads, others as massive as thousand-zhang mountains.
This meteor shower seemed capable of rending heaven and earth, leaving the cultivators below petrified.
Deep within the pagoda’s lowest chamber, a figure sat cross-legged on a yellow cushion, eyes shut tight. Spiritual energy surged around him, his face flushed and sweat pouring from his temples as if he were at a critical juncture.
Before him stood two miniature peaks—one cyan, one black—each about a zhang tall. Above his head, seventy-two small cyan swords formed a lotus, orbiting him protectively. His body was enveloped in layers of black runes, faintly outlining a suit of pitch-black armor.
Yet bizarrely, beyond these defenses swarmed countless gray specks, each no larger than a thumb, exuding an eerie chill and emitting faint hums.
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