Breakthrough!
A third strand of immortal qi emerged, pure as white jade, swirling around Shi Hao’s body, exuding an air of profound mystery.
Not just in this era—even in the previous epoch, this was the limit, placing him among the strongest. Three strands of immortal qi held special significance.
At the Divine Flame Realm, this was the absolute pinnacle, representing the highest achievement.
The Dao begets One, One begets Two, Two begets Three, and Three begets all things!
The three strands of immortal qi resonated with this principle, harmonizing with the Dao. In the future, they would catalyze his transformation, forging an unshakable foundation.
This aligned with a certain cosmic trajectory—the embodiment of the strongest path!
Shi Hao had an epiphany. Earlier, he had exhausted every means to cultivate the third strand of immortal qi but failed. Yet, in the very moment before breaking through to the True One Realm, it manifested.
“Ultimate sublimation—success at the final instant,” he mused.
Now, he had become a True God. His flesh trembled violently, his bones crackled, and an astonishing power surged from the depths of his body, repairing his wounds.
Because he had broken through, transcending his life’s boundaries, completing a metamorphosis. The treasures of his body unlocked spontaneously, unleashing his full potential.
In an instant, all of Shi Hao’s previous injuries healed. His essence surged like a towering beacon, piercing the heavens, tearing through the sea of lightning—a sight both awe-inspiring and terrifying.
Broken bones regenerated, cracks vanished. Every bone in his body gleamed like snow-white jade, radiant and flawless.
As for his flesh, it shimmered with translucent brilliance, like precious jade marrow, coursing with immense power!
This was the True God. Now standing in this domain, he inhaled the primal essence of heaven and earth, allowing the tribulation lightning to pour onto him, swiftly converting it into his own energy.
Shi Hao grew stronger, and this process continued without pause. From the initial stage of True God, his momentum surged, sharpening and intensifying rapidly.
This transformation stunned all onlookers. He had just broken through, yet his power skyrocketed—unbelievable.
Soon, thunder roared, lightning intertwined. Beams of sharp light shot from Shi Hao’s eyes as he leaped into the mid-stage of the True One Realm, his divine might overwhelming.
At this moment, Shi Hao’s robes had turned to ashes. His skin gleamed like jade, his long hair stained with blood. His entire body radiated dazzling brilliance, his mana at its peak.
“He just broke through and is already a mid-stage True God?” Everyone was dumbfounded. This was too swift, too monstrous.
In truth, Shi Hao had long reached the pinnacle of the Divine Flame Realm. He had suppressed his cultivation solely to refine immortal qi, accumulating profound reserves while lingering at the threshold.
Now, with a single breakthrough, his dominance was absolute. His cultivation instantly surged from the initial to the mid-stage, unrivaled under the heavens.
Such a rise was nothing short of astonishing.
**Boom!**
And precisely because of this, the momentarily subdued heavenly tribulation erupted again after a brief lull. The heavens shattered, the earth split—this minor world was pierced through.
From the sea of lightning emerged an army, banners fluttering, their murderous aura overwhelming as they charged toward Shi Hao.
The clamor of men and horses filled the air. Their armor was battered, stained with blood, like battle-hardened veterans emerging from the most brutal battlefield, engulfing Shi Hao.
Their mounts were none other than ancient ferocious beasts—without exception, the most terrifying creatures. And that was without mentioning the warriors themselves.
In the distance, spectators gaped in shock. What kind of tribulation was this? How could it manifest as living beings? It was too horrifying.
Just watching made their hearts pound. To be caught in it would be a massacre, a calamity beyond imagination.
Everyone agreed: any True God who entered would perish instantly. Forget fighting those warriors—even their mounts could sweep through True Gods with ease.
**”Roar—!”** A *pixiu* bellowed, its massive claws swiping, sending sand and stones flying as ghosts and demons wailed.
Those “sand and stones” were like colossal stars—spherical lightning. A single wisp could obliterate a True God.
As for the rider atop it, his spear shattered the heavens, its radiance illuminating eternity, peerlessly sharp!
“Too terrifying! This rider and his mount could slaughter armies, massacre gods. How can they be so ruthless?”
People trembled, whispering in despair. Such foes were rare in this world—and yet, he was only at the True One Realm.
“The Immortal Ancient Era was too fearsome. Is this the tribulation they endured? How could it be so overwhelming? Who in this era could survive it?”
Their hearts turned cold. If they were the ones facing this, they would turn to ashes in an instant.
And this rider was just one among many. A horde surged forth, surrounding Shi Hao. Divine techniques clashed, radiant light illuminated the skies.
**”Kill!”**
Shi Hao roared, transforming into a Kunpeng, his wings spanning the heavens as he struck at all foes, engaging in a bloody battle.
Despite his strength, he was soon drenched in blood, his divine body riddled with wounds. Spears, halberds, and celestial blades struck him, each drawing blood.
These enemies were too terrifying. Any one of them could dominate their peers in this era.
Shi Hao was trapped in mortal peril. A horde of such monstrous warriors had appeared to kill him—this was a death trap, the most dangerous slaughter.
**Splat!**
Blood sprayed as Shi Hao staggered back. He had reverted to human form, his body riddled with arrows that exploded into lightning, leaving him mangled.
**Hum!**
His wings clashed, releasing chaotic energy as yin and yang forces intertwined. Shi Hao unleashed the Kunpeng’s ultimate technique, golden vortices forming on his body. Within each vortex, blurry divine embryos devoured external energy.
**”Kill!”**
The army roared, their battle cries growing fiercer.
**”Kill!”**
Shi Hao shouted back, fighting desperately. He treated these tribulation-born beings as true mortal enemies, battling with his life on the line.
This was the strongest heavenly tribulation—even in the Immortal Ancient Era, it was rare. Only those who defied the heavens, those of overwhelming strength, would face such a trial.
But such cases were exceedingly few!
In this era without tribulations, Shi Hao had forcibly summoned one, provoking the wrath of the heavens. Thus, the strongest tribulation in history descended, manifesting countless peerless warriors to besiege him.
**”Ah—!”**
Shi Hao, his hair disheveled, his body covered in wounds, pushed the Kunpeng’s techniques to their limits. Golden feathers filled the sky, transforming into celestial swords that slashed in all directions.
The Kunpeng’s wings became yin and yang energies, intertwining into a divine diagram that reflected chaos!
The Golden Vortex Ripple Art covered his body in countless whirlpools, each containing a human-shaped deity chanting scriptures, suppressing all enemies.
In this battle, Shi Hao comprehended and unleashed the Kunpeng’s techniques to their utmost, as if the Kunpeng of the Immortal Ancient Era had returned.
**”Splat!”**
Shi Hao thrust his hand, piercing an enemy’s forehead.
**”Crack!”**
His wings flapped, tearing apart two foes along with their mounts.
…
When the last enemy’s head flew off, Shi Hao knelt on one knee, leaning on a seized spear, drenched in blood, unable to move.
**Boom!**
The spear exploded. The sea of lightning detonated. Shi Hao was sent flying, his flesh mangled, his bones shattered.
This trial was over. Though grievously wounded, he had survived—barely clinging to life after the onslaught of human-shaped lightning.
But this was only the beginning. Greater calamities awaited.
After a brief respite, the three strands of immortal qi revolved around him, plundering the world’s essence to heal his wounds and replenish his energy.
His injuries visibly mended—flesh knitting, bones reconnecting—his body glowing once more, even absorbing power from the tribulation itself.
In the distance, people were stunned. How could he be so formidable?
Even Shi Hao was shocked. Against such a tribulation, only the protection of immortal qi could ensure survival. Without it, there was no hope.
The immortal qi enveloping his body allowed swift recovery, preparing him for the trials ahead.
“This… is the strongest tribulation, meant only for those with two or more strands of immortal qi!” he realized. Only this way could one hope to pass.
**”Boom!”**
Shi Hao soared into the heavens, tearing through the sea of lightning as if shattering a layer of the sky. He ascended to a higher plane—a new world.
Here, flowers bloomed, birds sang, pavilions stood elegantly—a paradise bathed in wispy white immortal qi, serene and transcendent.
The earlier thunder vanished, replaced by tranquil beauty.
Yet Shi Hao’s hair stood on end. A deep terror gripped him. Every blade of grass, every tree, every pond here was formed from tribulation runes.
**Boom!**
The moment he arrived, he was struck.
A bronze palace descended, transforming into a terrifying artifact that sought to crush him into pulp.
A bloody battle ensued. Shi Hao barely shattered the palace, only for a nine-story pagoda to fall next, wreathed in faint immortal qi, its pressure boundless.
This battle dragged on. Shi Hao fought his way from the first floor to the ninth before breaking free. Inside, endless demons and monsters lurked.
**”Clang!”**
A massive bell tolled, streaking toward him!
Its surface bore a single glowing character—”None”—illuminating the cosmos. The bell’s vibrations annihilated all in their path.
“None… that bell again!” Shi Hao was startled.
But he still couldn’t discern the other ancient character on its surface.
**Clang!**
The bell’s toll intensified before he finally repelled it.
Artifacts appeared one after another, any one of which could reduce a True God to dust. Yet Shi Hao endured, battling all ancient treasures.
In the end, the ground was littered with fragments, lightning erupting and blasting him until his bones broke, his flesh torn—nearly dead.
“Another trial passed!”
Gritting his teeth, Shi Hao struggled to his feet. The three strands of immortal qi healed him, drawing upon the world’s essence.
**”Woo…”**
As he ascended to another layer of the heavens, darkness enveloped him. Mournful wails chilled the soul.
Faintly, he glimpsed dark cages adrift in the river of time, imprisoning the most powerful souls!
Shi Hao gasped. Was this where his own soul had once been trapped?
This trial was even more perilous. Shi Hao fought like a madman, his soul nearly extinguished in the brutal clashes.
**”Ah—!”**
In the darkness, a youth abandoned his flesh, his soul drifting through fragments of time, sealed in black cages where he battled horrifying creatures.
Shi Hao’s soul was nearly obliterated, ravaged beyond recognition. After slaughtering countless foes, lightning wrapped around him, pulling him back to his body.
This was a journey through hell. Countless terrifying beings had tested his soul—an unimaginable trial.
Tempered by lightning, flesh and soul refined, Shi Hao pressed onward, surviving against all odds, ascending the nine heavens.
Yet even after breaking through nine layers, he hadn’t reached the summit.
**”Kill!”**
Exhausted but unyielding, Shi Hao shattered the tenth heavenly layer, finally reaching the end.
“Nine is the limit, ten is perfection?”
The tenth tribulation realm was vast—majestic mountains, ancient trees, fragrant herbs.
Shockingly, the lightning-formed herbs here could heal him, nourishing his body.
But the beings here were terrifying. Some wreathed in immortal qi, others like the undying Heavenly Phoenix.
Fortunately, not all attacked. Some merely glanced at him, while others struck with fury.
The most horrifying sight was a towering platform inscribed with three glowing characters:
**”Execution Platform of Immortals!”**
This was staggering!
Shi Hao didn’t recognize the ancient script, but its meaning resonated within him.
**”Swoosh!”**
A divine light swept out—capable of slaying immortals!
A desperate battle ensued. The platform didn’t target him directly, fading instead. It wasn’t meant for him—he had merely suffered its residual power.
Yet even that shattered him multiple times. He barely clung to life.
“Is it over?” By now, he was drained, devoid of strength.
At last, he spotted a golden pool, barely half a meter wide, beside an ancient golden tree. Staggering over, he collapsed at its edge, gulping down the tribulation liquid!
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