On the eighth layer of heaven, Shi Hao caught sight of a streak of flowing light that split the mountains apart. Ahead, he saw a colossal city, its gates tightly shut, refusing him entry.
The wilderness stretched endlessly, with undulating mountain ranges and ancient forests teeming with towering trees. Without a doubt, these were all manifestations of thunder, not real landscapes—yet this very illusion made it all the more terrifying.
The mountains lay in eerie silence. Even though the vast forests were formed of lightning, not a sound could be heard, as if frozen in eternal desolation. Only a faint sigh seemed to linger in the air.
Shi Hao stepped out of the forest and approached the mysterious giant city, his brows furrowed. This city stood as the guardian of the eighth layer of heaven. To ascend higher, he had to break through it.
The Divine King Tribulation was indeed sinister, capable of conjuring all manner of anomalies.
As Shi Hao drew near the towering city gates, he could sense the weight of time etched into its weathered walls—faded colors, chipped surfaces, and countless scars from blades and swords.
He studied it silently. Had such a city truly existed in reality?
He had always believed that the visions within the tribulation bore some connection to the outside world, leaving imprints that manifested in various forms.
Suddenly, a dull rumble echoed from within the city. A radiant, snow-white light surged upward, dazzling and brilliant, before an immense object emerged—a skull, nearly as large as the city itself.
White as mutton-fat jade and translucent like crystal, the colossal skull tumbled out, hurtling straight toward Shi Hao.
He had never expected that such a massive city would ultimately unleash a gigantic, snow-white skull, rolling toward him with terrifying momentum.
**”Boom!”**
Shi Hao struck the skull with a palm, the impact resonating like striking divine metal. Sparks flew, and the sheer hardness of the bone was shocking.
Even with his current strength, he couldn’t shatter it outright.
The skull suddenly lit up from within, its eye sockets shooting out piercing beams of light. Its jaw unhinged, revealing gleaming white teeth as it lunged to devour Shi Hao.
**What is this thing?**
Shi Hao resisted, but the skull radiated blinding light, its seven orifices spewing auspicious mist that enveloped him, shrouding the area in an unfathomable haze.
At that moment, Shi Hao felt an overwhelming discomfort—as if sinking into quicksand or trapped in a spider’s web, the more he struggled, the tighter the grip became.
The skull’s seven orifices blazed with radiant energy, pressing down on Shi Hao with crushing force!
**Crack!**
Finally, it swallowed him whole, its jaws clamping shut.
Then, it rapidly transformed into a blazing furnace, drawing in the power of thunder through its seven orifices, refining Shi Hao within.
This was no ordinary artifact—it was a sinister treasure, wielding unfathomable power. With this alone, it had subdued Shi Hao.
**”Boom!”**
The next instant, the heavens trembled. All the lightning in the sky vanished, converging into the skull furnace, pouring through its seven orifices in a dazzling spectacle.
**”The eighth layer of heaven has concentrated all its tribulation force, aiming to annihilate Shi Hao in one strike!”**
The onlookers were stunned, their minds reeling.
At the same time, they saw the ancient city acting like a furnace stand, cradling the skull as it blazed fiercely, drawing power from the heavens, growing ever more eerie and horrifying.
The massive skull, perched atop the city, clanged violently—Shi Hao was fighting back, striking against it from within.
**”What kind of terrifying power is this?”**
Even Heavenly Deities paled at the sight, knowing they would perish instantly if caught in such a tribulation.
This wasn’t just one or two bolts of lightning—it was the convergence of all divine radiance, all thunder, focused into a single point of annihilation.
This was the combined might of the eighth layer of heaven, the fusion of all tribulation forces, striking with boundless destructive power.
Most cultivators faced tribulations by enduring one bolt after another—never had anyone witnessed such a terrifying spectacle, where all the thunder in heaven and earth merged into one devastating strike!
This was a trial of life and death. Even Shi Hao hadn’t anticipated being so overwhelmed, so close to death, surpassing all previous dangers.
Inside the bone furnace, thunder roared, and dense lightning liquefied, submerging Shi Hao. The immense force of divine punishment crushed all tangible matter.
At this moment, Shi Hao was in grave peril. All the lightning had converged upon him, and within moments, his body was ravaged—bones shattered, flesh charred, nearly cooked alive.
Bear in mind, he now rivaled Heavenly Deities, possessing three strands of immortal energy, a feat almost unheard of in history.
Yet even he couldn’t withstand such an assault. It was as if the heavens granted no mercy, intent on grinding him to dust.
**”Pfft!”**
Shi Hao’s brow split open, blood spraying as his primordial spirit was blasted out.
**”Ah—!”**
His spirit plunged into the thunder, enduring endless torment—hammered, refined, on the verge of exploding.
The Divine King Tribulation was a hellish ordeal, a suffering worse than death.
The sky’s wrath, the boundless thunder, boiled within the bone furnace.
Shi Hao’s body was shattered, his spirit cracked like a candle flame in the wind, his life flickering on the brink of extinction.
**”Heal!”**
Shi Hao roared, activating the **Primordial True Solution** and the techniques of the **Willow God**, desperately mending his broken body and spirit.
His strength was undeniable, his mastery of bone inscriptions profound. His fragmented flesh and spirit pulled themselves back together, regenerating.
But before long, **”Boom!”**—the thunder struck again, tearing him apart. His body blackened, splitting into pieces, his spirit dimming.
Shi Hao growled, refusing to yield. He reassembled himself once more.
Yet soon, his body shattered again, his spirit splintered—a horrifying cycle of torment, a thousand hells compressed into one.
Over and over, Shi Hao endured. His body, his spirit, were on the verge of annihilation.
Yet within this suffering, his flesh, though weakened, began to exude an indescribable aura.
His spirit, too, was being tempered. Though death loomed, surviving this ordeal would elevate him to new heights.
Gritting his teeth, Shi Hao fought back. He wasn’t passively enduring—each time he reformed, he charged at the furnace walls.
He unleashed all his divine abilities, gathering every ounce of strength to strike the bone furnace.
Defense was not his way. Only by breaking through could he prove his might.
Never before had Shi Hao been so battered, his body shattered countless times. Yet he pressed on, attacking relentlessly.
At the brink of death, his strength nearly exhausted—
**”Boom!”**
Finally, on the tenth attempt, the **Eight-Nine Heavenly Art** activated, merging all his techniques into one devastating strike.
A crack appeared.
Then—**”Crack!”**—the bone furnace split apart, exploding in a cataclysmic storm of thunder.
Shi Hao was blasted out!
Many spectators leaped to their feet, eyes wide with shock.
**”Shi Hao… is he dead?”**
**”His body was blown into nine pieces, his spirit scattered into flames. Is this the end?”**
The crowd was awestruck.
This was the might of the ultimate tribulation—even Shi Hao, with his three immortal energies, had been pushed to the brink.
**”Heh.”**
A Heavenly Deity smirked in the shadows, seizing the moment to strike. A hidden treasure shot toward the tribulation zone.
**”Boom!”**
Shi Hao’s fragmented body and spirit dodged just in time as the treasure whizzed past, detonating in the thunder.
**”Crack!”**
A bolt of lightning retaliated, lashing toward the attacker. But the Heavenly Deity had a **Substitute Death Talisman**, a rare treasure that took the blow for him.
An outsider had interfered, attempting to kill Shi Hao in his weakest moment.
**”Boom!”**
Blood energy surged as Shi Hao’s body forcibly reassembled, his spirit returning. Charred and weakened, he opened his eyes, coldly glaring in the direction of the ambush.
But he didn’t pursue. Now was not the time for vengeance—he needed to recover.
Silence fell. No further attacks came. The Eight-Armed Soul Tribe stood guard, their hearts in their throats.
Time passed. Shi Hao shed his charred skin, revealing a body of jade-like purity, his brow glowing—he had recovered.
Yet he didn’t act rashly. Instead, he ascended to the **ninth layer of heaven**.
Only by overcoming this final trial would his tribulation be complete.
The tenth layer above was said to be lenient—last time, he had merely undergone a simple test before receiving the **Thunder Tribulation Nectar**.
This time, the true challenge lay in the ninth.
To his surprise, the ninth layer was eerily calm. The threats came not from thunder, but from plant-like beings that swarmed him.
But compared to the eighth layer, they were weak.
Shi Hao handled them with ease—this was no trial, but a mere tempering.
The onlookers were baffled.
**”What’s going on?”**
**”This is too easy. Is the heavens going easy on him?”**
But then—Shi Hao’s blood ran cold.
He realized the true danger.
His power was plummeting—from Heavenly Deity level, to True God, then to Divine Flame Realm.
In this place, at this moment, this was a death sentence.
The only saving grace was that the lightning remained passive, not actively attacking him.
**”Run!”**
His only choice was to flee, avoiding the creatures at all costs.
Now he understood the true horror of the Divine King Tribulation—forcing a Divine Flame cultivator to face such foes was a near-impossible trial.
**”Huh? What’s happening?”** someone muttered in confusion.
**”The Sacred Sacrifice Realm—an unstable state where cultivation fluctuates wildly. He’s hit rock bottom. He’s finished!”** another gloated.
The crowd erupted. Shi Hao was truly doomed.
Only Shi Hao knew the truth—this was the tribulation’s doing. His descent should have taken one to three days, but the thunder had accelerated it.
This was the real kill move.
**”Hah! This tribulation is weak. Even we can handle it. Let’s go ‘help’ Shi Hao!”**
Five figures shot into the thunder, aiming to finish him off.
These were Heavenly Deities from the outside world, hiding earlier when Shi Hao slaughtered their kin. Now, they seized their chance.
**”You dare?!”** The Eight-Armed Soul Tribe roared, moving to intercept.
**”Calm yourselves,”** a supreme native expert intervened, blocking them and eyeing the Soul Tribe’s ancient ancestor.
The crisis had arrived. Shi Hao faced his greatest peril yet.
At this moment—
Yun Xi’s face paled.
Yue Chan’s eyes blazed.
The crowd held its breath, all eyes fixed on the scene ahead.
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