Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1569 - 848: Baptism of History, Enduring the Heavenly Tribulation

Thunder Peak summit, Chongyue Cave Heaven.

"Who is it that demands this Young Master alter his title?"

Accompanied by a thunderous roar, the cloud-choked heavens suddenly broke apart with a deafening crash. Dozens of colossal Thunder Jiao veered through the storm, lashing down upon the jagged, shadowed mountain pinnacle and detonating into a blinding discharge of raw electric energy.

Crackle!

An endless barrage of lightning arcs snaked toward the earth, instantly absorbed into the massive fortress constructed from Ming Lei Iron.

Within the heart of the palace, a looming figure surged up from his throne. His face, a mix of handsome refinement and sinister malice, glared intensely at the subordinate cowering below.

"Repeat what you just said."

The golden-clad youth trembled, casting his eyes downward as he stammered, "Sixth brother, that 'country bumpkin' has made his declaration public. He claims the title Chonghe for himself and insists you relinquish it."

"Hmph, how dare an ignorant fool act with such audacity! Just because he possesses a shred of talent, he believes he can be so arrogant? If I fail to break him, my peers will surely mock me as a coward."

This imposing Young Master was none other than Zhao Chonghe, the great-great-grandson of the Zhao Clan’s Three Ancestors. To label him a Demon Lord of Mayhem was hardly an exaggeration, for his strength justified his arrogance.

Beyond being a direct descendant of Zhao Dashan, he had awakened his ancestral bloodline at birth. Not only did he possess physical prowess far exceeding his contemporaries, but his scarlet Dragon Eyes were capable of piercing through virtually any Illusion Technique. Even more remarkably, he wielded the rarest of all gifts: the Thunder Spirit Root.

It seemed the heavens favored him; after surviving the Golden Core Thunder Tribulation at the tender age of eighteen, he miraculously awakened a Space-Time Talent. Upon hearing the news, Zhao Dashan immediately summoned his grandson. Following an exhaustive series of secret trials, Zhao Chonghe was elevated to the prestigious status of Immortal Ruins Guest.

It must be noted that Zhao Dashan was himself an experienced Immortal Ruins Guest. His own meteoric rise to power had been inextricably linked to this status. With such advantages, Zhao Chonghe became the apple of his ancestor’s eye, his position within the clan entirely singular.

Though only reaching his third century, his success in breaching the Divinity Transformation Heaven Barrier had cemented his status as a beacon among the younger generation. Setting aside a handful of unpredictable 'freaks', he was widely acknowledged as a Returning Void Immortal Seed. Should he dodge an untimely end, the probability of him ascending to the Returning Void stage stood at eighty percent.

The longer he contemplated the insult, the more his fury climbed. "Speak! Where is that worm hiding now?"

The golden-robed youth shifted his gaze, stuttering, "Sixth brother, I urge you to maintain your composure. The man has reached the status of a quasi-'Daoist'. We should approach this with caution. If he fails to impress the elder, he will never become a true Daoist. Why bother soiling your hands until then?"

"Ha! You think to deceive me? You wish to sit on the fence, but it is already too late. I demand to know his location!"

The youth internally bemoaned his fate as he met those burning scarlet eyes. Gritting his teeth, he admitted, "He resides on Hualong Island, near Heavenly Wave Lake. However, it is whispered that he sequestered himself within Heavenly One Pavilion a month ago and has yet to emerge."

Malice flashed in Zhao Chonghe’s pupils. "Tell me... if I happen to maim him during our engagement, would the great ancestor find fault with me?"

The youth shook his head violently. "The ancestor would never trouble himself with such trivialities. Besides, he is the one who initiated this provocation; claiming your name under the light of day is an unforgivable humiliation. You aren't stealing his name, merely correcting his insolence. Any way you slice it, your actions are entirely justified."

"Precisely! This Young Master is a man of reason; it is he who invited this ruin." Zhao Chonghe nodded, his resolve set. "Seventeen, bring me to the Heavenly One Pavilion at once!"

"Sixth brother, I have heard that his Divinity Transformation reached a standard of terrifying power years ago. Should I retrieve the Kanglong Saber, just to be safe?"

The Kanglong Saber was a True Form Spirit Treasure, granted to Zhao Chonghe by Zhao Dashan solely for his protection. Given the inherent Dragon Qi flowing through Zhao Chonghe’s veins, the blade was a perfect match, possessing might nearly equal to a Half-Immortal of the Void. Should he wield it, he could likely trade hundreds of blows with even a powerhouse like Zhao Sheng.

Unfortunately, Zhao Chonghe’s vanity outweighed his prudence. He waved a dismissive hand. "Absurd! Does this Young Master need such a toy just to discipline a base 'country bumpkin'?"

A sheen of cold sweat broke out on the youth's forehead as he bowed low. "Of course, of course. I shall deliver you to the Heavenly One Pavilion immediately."

Moments later, a Cloud Boat surged into the atmosphere, plunging into the heart of the thunderclouds and vanishing into the vast horizon.

...

The sky was vast and crystal clear. Heavenly One Pavilion, a structure of singular grandiosity, hung suspended within the spirit clouds like a temple of the heavens. Bathed in golden sunlight, the thousands of glazed tiles across its roof refracted into brilliant, kaleidoscopic rainbows.

At that instant, the heavy, archaic stone doors of the pavilion ground open. Zhao Sheng stepped forth, his expression grave and composed. Having touched the threshold of the Returning to Truth realm, he carried an air of ancient, profound depth.

His gaze seemed to hold the weight of countless lifetimes, shifting from the clarity of a mountain spring to the unfathomable darkness of the abyss. As he walked, the aura of history surrounding him slowly dissipated with every step.

Ten paces later, that weight vanished entirely, merging into his Spirit. A piercing Divine Light erupted from his eyes, and a massive, crushing pressure radiated from his frame.

Crash!

A thunderclap rattled the cloudless firmament. Instantly, the heavens were consumed by black, roiling clouds, gathering out of nothingness to shroud the horizon.

Zhao Sheng tilted his head, his physical form beginning to swell. One breath, two breaths, three breaths.

As the suffocating aura of the Tribulation Cloud coiled around him, Zhao Sheng transcended into a giant, forty-nine zhang in height, his skin resonating with a golden luster.

Swish, swish, swish!

The Five Directions Treasure Mirror erupted from his form, snapping into position above his head—east, south, west, north, and center. Each mirror flickered with radiant beams, converging upon the surface of the Central Earth Mirror until they fused into a singular, devastating resonance.

Hum, hum!

The Void buckled as a murky 'Black Hole' tore open upon the mirror, expanding rapidly. In a heartbeat, it blossomed into an 'Extinction' domain spanning a hundred zhang in diameter.

Boom!

The clouds churned in a cataclysmic rage, unleashing a torrent of silver-white lightning, each bolt matching the thickness of an ancient tree. These strikes slammed into the domain, only to be swallowed by the 'Black Hole' as if they had never existed.

As the initial wave of tribulation faded, the local Spiritual Energy within thousands of li went into a frenzy, rushing toward the pavilion like a tide. Across the Divine Continent, startled Zhao Clan cultivators soared into the air, their faces paling as they gazed toward the massive, ten-thousand-li-wide Tribulation Cloud. Even the most seasoned among them recognized, in sheer horror, that this was no mere Divinity Transformation trial; it was the Returning to Void Level Three Nine Tribulations!