I Pick Up Talents on the Interstellar Battlefield Chapter 697 - 508: Frenzied, Defiant Tribulation Crossing (Part 2)
Previously on I Pick Up Talents on the Interstellar Battlefield...
Pfft—
Across the battlefield, Zhuge Yu clutched his Array Plate and suddenly let out a mouthful of blood, his countenance rapidly paling.
Boom!
Huo Yuan Sheng, struck by a decisive punch from Shengongsi Xin Fu, was sent hurtling backward, colliding heavily with the iceberg. His aura immediately weakened by a significant margin.
Taishi Feng found himself in an equally grim predicament, a shroud of black mist enveloping his face, a clear indication of erosion by the Power of Calamity.
"It appears your allies are on the brink of collapse."
Shengongsi Yuzuo’s lips curved into a slight smile, though a disquiet churned within him, betraying his outward calm.
Only now did he truly grasp the reason behind Shengongsi Hao Er’s demise at the hands of mere Tier Six Golden Bloodline "lesser beings."
The linchpin to it all was the individual standing before him—Qin Tian.
Had he not witnessed it firsthand, Shengongsi Yuzuo would never have conceived that someone without Holy Blood, merely at Peak Tier Six, could withstand so many of his assaults without succumbing.
He himself, a direct descendant of the Holy Blood lineage at Tier Seven, Seven Stars, considered even the most exceptional Holy Blood prodigies as insignificant as ants unless they reached his own cultivation tier.
Yet, this man named Qin Tian had achieved just that.
The combat prowess displayed by Qin Tian had even surpassed that of Shengongsi Hao Er, illuminating why Hao Er had met his end against him.
Consequently, Shengongsi Yuzuo’s desire to extinguish Qin Tian now burned with a fiercer intensity.
Such a formidable opponent, having forged a blood feud with the Shengongsi Clan, had to be eliminated without delay. He must not be afforded any opportunity to mature further.
Qin Tian’s gaze swept over his companions, his fingers unconsciously tightening around the hilt of the Black Frost Saber.
Leaning against the icy wall, Zhuge Yu gasped for air, his face ashen. Bloodstains seeped through his garments from his wounded back, and even his fingers, channeling Spiritual Energy, trembled faintly.
Taishi Feng cradled his severely injured shoulder, the calamitous aura rendering half his body numb. The Heaven-piercing Halberd served as a shaky support, barely allowing him to remain upright.
Meanwhile, Huo Yuan Sheng stooped, clutching his abdomen, blood continuously trickling from the corners of his mouth. The aura of his recent breakthrough to Tier Seven was in utter disarray—all of them were teetering on the edge of collapse.
He had attempted multiple times to covertly activate the Power of Space, but the pervasive calamitous Spiritual Energy, emanating from Shengongsi Yuzuo and Xin Fu, latched onto his surrounding space like a festering wound. Every endeavor he made was swiftly dismantled by the pervasive grey-black Energy.
Escape had transformed into an unattainable fantasy.
"Heh, having permitted you to slip through my grasp once before, do you truly believe I would grant you a second chance?" Shengongsi Yuzuo’s icy laughter reverberated from the iceberg's peak. He idly toyed with wisps of calamitous Spiritual Energy between his fingertips, his gaze as venomous as a serpent's.
Qin Tian’s breathing deepened abruptly.
Slowly, he lifted his head. Within his once-clear eyes, a fleeting trace of concern for his comrades flickered, swiftly overshadowed by an unyielding resolve, thick as solid matter, which finally ignited into a near-manic crimson hue.
In that moment, there was no other recourse!
"Oh? Going all out?" Shengongsi Yuzuo instantly perceived the shift in Qin Tian's demeanor, inwardly chuckling with disdain.
To him, Qin Tian’s action appeared as nothing more than the desperate final gambit of a cornered gambler. He watched with avid interest, anticipating what further cards the young man might reveal.
The very next second, the atmosphere within the ice valley seemed to freeze solid.
"Boom—!"
Suddenly, an eruption of exceedingly unstable Spiritual Energy surged from Qin Tian's body. His aura churned like molten lava, yet it was contained by an invisible, unyielding barrier, taut and firm, resembling a colossal volcano on the verge of breaching the earth's crust.
The sheer force of the Spiritual Energy caused the surrounding ice surface to fracture, inch by inch. Tiny ice fragments swirled around him, transforming into plumes of white steam as they were scorched by the emanating thunderous energy.
Shengongsi Yuzuo's smile faltered, his pupils contracting sharply. Then, he erupted into laughter, as if confronted with the most ludicrous spectacle: "Hahaha! Is this your trump card? Attempting a breakthrough to Tier Seven at a time like this? Qin Tian, I am uncertain whether to label you a lunatic or a senseless fool!"
Shengongsi Xin Fu's serpentine arm froze mid-motion, and the six Golden prodigies ceased their assault, all turning their astonished gazes upon Qin Tian as if he were a deranged individual.
The Celestial Human Three Tribulations, necessary for ascending to Tier Seven, represented one of the most perilous obstacles in a Spiritualist’s journey. Even direct scions of the Holy Blood Clan would typically seek the safety of their ancestral territory, attended by vigilant elders and fortified with treasures such as Thundercloud Pills, Ice Purity Pills, and Holy Heart Pills before daring to undertake the attempt.
Yet here was Qin Tian, embarking on his breakthrough amidst a battlefield teeming with lethal threats—this was tantamount to suicide!
"Qin Tian!" Zhuge Yu’s eyes snapped open in shock. "You lunatic! Have you lost your mind?" Taishi Feng bellowed, his halberd forcefully shoving Shengongsi Xin Fu back, tearing open his shoulder wound and spraying blood everywhere. Huo Yuan Sheng clenched his longsword, his Sword Intent flaring once more. However, the snake-like head on Xin Fu’s arm bit down fiercely onto the blade. Xin Fu’s eyes reddened as he watched the rolling thunderous energy surrounding Qin Tian. They all realized that with Qin Tian’s exquisite mastery of Spatial Ability, if he had intended to escape alone, Shengongsi Yuzuo might not have been able to prevent it. But Qin Tian hadn’t. He had chosen this incredibly perilous method to carve out a path to survival for them. Without looking back, Qin Tian merely swiped at the blood trickling from his lips, a consequence of the Spiritual Energy impact. He could clearly sense the bottleneck within him fracturing under the assault of the thunderous energy. He could hear Shengongsi Yuzuo’s jeers and feel the anxious auras emanating from his companions. "Insane?" He let out a low chuckle, his voice not particularly loud, yet it resonated throughout the ice valley. "Don't worry. Today, I will ensure every single one of them perishes right here!" As his declaration echoed, he abruptly tilted his head back. The barrier of thunder energy encompassing him shattered, and a surge of Spiritual Energy blasted skyward, immediately precipitating a transformation in the heavens. A thundercloud, tens of times denser than the one during Taishi Feng and Huo Yuan Sheng’s tribulations, began to form. The dark thundercloud rapidly condensed above the ice valley. It initially covered a small area, but in an instant, it surged like a tidal wave, engulfing a vast expanse of the sky. Deep within this realm, various prodigies from prominent clans, in the midst of their treasure hunts, abruptly halted, gazing upward. The thunderclouds were as black as congealed blood scabs, their edges churning with streaks of purple lightning, plunging the world into sudden gloom. "What is that?" A prodigy from the Golden Clan’s voice quivered. He could feel the destructive aura emanating from within those clouds, and even from a distance, his Spiritual Energy trembled uncontrollably. Within the dark caverns, the Lurking Demon Beasts ceased their movements. Their crimson eyes fixed on the sky, and whimpers of fear escaped their throats. Instinctively sensing the impending doom, some began to burrow deeper into the earth, while others collapsed, utterly devoid of the courage to resist. Above the ice valley, the thundercloud had become incredibly thick, with countless dark purple lightning bolts rolling and clashing within its depths. Each thunderous boom caused the very floor of this realm to tremble slightly. The very fabric of space seemed distorted by this terrifying energy, leading to chaotic disarray in the Spiritual Energy. Even the calamitous Spiritual Energy unleashed by Shengongsi Yuzuo began to fluctuate erratically. "How... is this possible?" The mocking expression on Shengongsi Yuzuo’s face had vanished completely, replaced by profound disbelief. He staggered back half a step, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks as he stared at the boundless thundercloud obscuring the sky. He had personally endured the Celestial Thunder Tribulation as part of the Celestial Human Three Tribulations. However, the sheer scale and aura of the current thundercloud dwarfed his past experience, making it seem like a mere puddle compared to an ocean. Shengongsi Xin Fu’s snake-like arm trembled uncontrollably. His forked tongue flicked erratically, and his voice was filled with apprehension. "This intensity... it's at least ten times! No, more than twenty times mine!" As Tier Seven Holy Blood powerhouses, they were acutely aware of the rules governing the Celestial Human Three Tribulations—that the greater the tribulation taker’s strength, the more perilous the tribulation. Yet, Qin Tian was clearly not of the Holy Blood, but the might of his Celestial Human Three Tribulations utterly surpassed their established understanding. Zhuge Yu, Taishi Feng, and Huo Yuan Sheng were equally astonished. They had anticipated Qin Tian's tribulation would be somewhat more formidable than theirs, but they had never foreseen such a heaven-shattering spectacle. Taishi Feng muttered, his voice laced with awe, "Just how powerful is this fellow...?" Standing at the heart of the ice valley, arcs of golden-purple lightning began to snake around Qin Tian’s body. He gazed up at the thundercloud that was now his own, his eyes devoid of fear, revealing only a trace of insolence, as if he were looking down upon the entire world. The Celestial Human Three Tribulations represented a nightmare for all Tier Six Spiritualists, and a significant number of Holy Blood prodigies had tragically fallen at this very hurdle. But so what? He was Qin Tian, the Thunder Ancestor, the one who commanded the world's lightning. Today, he would not only forcibly transcend his tribulation but also wield the power of the Celestial Thunder Tribulation to obliterate every single one of his adversaries. Are you all ready? Accept this from me— Longevity of Heaven and Earth!