Shrouding the Heavens

Chapter 404 - 405 Chapter 410 Heavenly Tribulation and the Four Extremes

405: Chapter 410: Heavenly Tribulation and the Four Extremes 405: Chapter 410: Heavenly Tribulation and the Four Extremes This was an ocean of lightning.

Electrical radiance surged downward, thunder roared like a tidal wave, shattering everything.

It was an incandescent scene, the world awash in a violet expanse.

BOOM!

The thunder almost pierced eardrums and shattered souls.

It connected Heaven and Earth, vast and boundless, as if the Nine Heavens’ silver river were cascading down, or as if countless great stars were plummeting.

The void itself was blasted apart, left in a tattered state, only to be quickly submerged again.

The lightning was too ferocious; blinding electrical light filled every inch of space.

BOOM!

The monumental thunder shook the world; purple lightning surged like a ferocious tide.

This was a realm of lightning capable of annihilating all existence, a horrifying spectacle that made one’s hair stand on end.

Ye Fan was attempting a breakthrough when the Heavenly Tribulation descended to obstruct his progress, stunning everyone present.

Even observing from a great distance, the sight was terrifying.

People struggled to imagine the calamity Ye Fan faced within that purple sea of lightning, and all activated their Divine Eyes to watch.

The purple sea of thunder submerged the Dragon Transformation Pool.

It represented the will of Heaven and Earth, capable of grinding all living beings into oblivion, causing souls to tremble uncontrollably.

Ye Fan stood within the purple sea, his skin split open and flesh torn, his body charred black.

Faintly golden blood flowed as he endured unimaginable damage.

Though grievously wounded, his vital energy surged skyward.

He showed no sign of defeat; instead, he raised his head to the heavens, fiercely resisting the onslaught.

Everyone was aghast.

“The physique of the Sacred Body is terrifying!

If it were an ordinary person, a single bolt of lightning would have reduced them to ashes, yet he battles on within a purple ocean of electricity!” BOOM!

Another tide of lightning, incomparably fierce, buried Ye Fan beneath it.

It was impossible to tell how many bolts struck him.

Faintly golden blood splattered, and his bones crackled audibly.

“This is too terrifying!

Any living creature would be shattered!” someone exclaimed.

“Throughout history, few have faced a Heavenly Tribulation while attempting a breakthrough.

The Sacred Body is comparable to a heaven-defying monstrous talent!” What shocked the crowd most was that Ye Fan had not been obliterated.

He endured it all, still standing amidst the sea of lightning—unyielding, defiant, and tenaciously fighting back.

Heavenly Tribulations were rare, but people knew of them; they had all heard the legends.

Outsiders could not interfere, or they would attract an even greater Heavenly Tribulation upon themselves.

By the Dragon Transformation Pool, many powerful experts had gathered: Daoist Red Dragon, the Peacock King, the Green Flood Dragon King, elders from the Wind Clan, and even a peerless divine king.

Yet, none of them dared to intervene.

To do so would not only fail to save Ye Fan, but they themselves would also have to face a Great Heavenly Tribulation, a struggle that would not cease until death.

Lightning flashed.

Even Ye Fan’s powerful physique was battered and broken, almost pierced through.

Many wounds exposed bone, and copious amounts of faintly golden blood flowed out.

“‘It’s the Nine-Character Heavenly Tribulation…’ someone in the crowd muttered, stunned.

Ye Fan’s First Layer Heaven Tribulation had been a terrifying thunderclap formed by nine bolts of electrical radiance, and he had withstood it with his physical body alone.” The Second Layer Heaven Tribulation was this purple sea, which would unleash a total of nine thunderous tides.

He had already endured three or four, and few believed he could survive the rest.

The Black Emperor shouted from his hiding place, “Kid, you have to hold on!

To encounter the baptism of a lightning tribulation is an ancient rarity!

The benefits for your future cultivation will be immense!” Ye Fan remained silent.

He had no energy to spare and could not afford any distraction.

The slightest carelessness would see him turned to ash, and all his efforts would be for naught.

At this moment, he was in agony.

Bolts of lightning had pierced through his flesh in multiple places.

If it had been any other cultivator, they would have long been annihilated, body and soul, leaving not even ashes behind.

BOOM!

Another thunderous tide arrived.

Heaven and Earth trembled.

Myriad purple radiances coiled around him, piercing through the sky and ground like countless great dragons soaring.

The Origin Qi Cauldron hovered above Ye Fan’s head, undergoing the Heavenly Tribulation alongside him.

It was fiercely battered by the purple sea, and countless electrical marks were seared onto its surface, forming Innate Patterns.

The onlookers held their breath, watching in silence.

The fifth tide…

then the sixth…

The crowd was astounded to see Ye Fan drawing infinitely close to enduring the ninth thunderous tide.

He was actually about to break through it!

Everyone was profoundly shaken.

The ninth thunderous tide arrived as anticipated.

Myriad bolts of lightning descended, and purple became the only color in the world.

Ye Fan was like a lone reed in a tsunami, instantly submerged.

BOOM!

Endless lightning and blazing Divine Radiance illuminated Heaven and Earth as if it were day.

It was a dazzling sight, like a boundless inferno raging and causing the void to collapse.

BUZZ!

Finally, the void trembled.

The immense purple sea vanished, and the world instantly calmed, as if nothing had occurred.

CLANG!

A resonant tremor sounded as the cauldron forged from Origin Qi crashed to the ground, shattering the silence.

The crowd was uncertain, not knowing if Ye Fan was dead or alive.

Beside the Dragon Transformation Pool, a figure stood stock-still.

It was entirely pitch-black, no different from a piece of charcoal, and utterly motionless.

“Did he pass the Heavenly Tribulation?” one cultivator asked.

“No, there’s no sign of life.

The body is shriveled and dry.” “This means…

the Sacred Body has fallen.” Many cultivators discussed this amongst themselves, a wave of chatter spreading.

Everyone could sense that the charred body had lost all signs of life.

BANG!

Ye Fan’s body toppled over rigidly.

The charred form, like a piece of wood that had endured a fiery calamity, looked almost decayed.

“He’s dead!

He actually failed!” “The curse of the Sacred Body truly cannot be broken.

For over a hundred thousand years, there hasn’t been a single exception!” “He was so close to succeeding, yet he perished just like that.” A clamor filled the air.

Some expressed sympathy, while others gloated over his misfortune.

Reactions varied, but many of the great forces breathed a collective sigh of relief.

POP!

Suddenly, a soft sound came from near the Dragon Transformation Pool.

The body, charred like charcoal, twitched slightly.

Ye Fan slowly got to his feet.

Although his entire body was charred, his eyes were incredibly clear, gleaming with Divine Radiance.

Then, cracking sounds could be heard as his skin began to split.

A layer of charred, old skin sloughed off, revealing a sparkling, newly-formed physique beneath.

“He’s not dead!” “The lightning baptized his physical body!

He attained a new life within the purple sea!

His physique must be even stronger now!” Everyone was aghast.

They had never imagined Ye Fan would manage to endure it.

The charred old skin flaked off and fell away.

Ye Fan, reborn from the lightning, had a new physique that shimmered with a precious glow and brimmed with formidable power.

His eyes were clear, and his black hair flowed freely.

He donned a white robe, appearing like a revived immortal spirit.

Everyone was stupefied.

The Sacred Body was unharmed!

Did this mean he had successfully broken through his cultivation realm?

While everyone gaped in stunned silence, only the little golden creature was active.

The earlier Heavenly Tribulation had frightened it away, but now that peace had returned, it quickly scurried back and inhaled all the drifting Source Qi into its mouth.

Ye Fan felt the changes within himself.

His physical body had definitely achieved the breakthrough.

Yet, he couldn’t manifest any Variation, and he felt as if something was still missing.

Why is this happening?

Has the curse not been broken?

he whispered to himself, clenching his fists.

His Life Qi was as vast as an ocean, and he possessed boundless divine energy, yet why did he not feel that sense of natural integration with the world?

Upon entering the Four Extremes Secret Boundary, one was supposed to comprehend the Order of Heaven and Earth, imprint oneself onto the Void Space, and experience all sorts of wondrous changes.

Yet, he sensed none of this.

That’s it!

My divine sense…

Ye Fan came to a realization.

He hadn’t connected with the Great Dao and had no profound insights.

Everything that had just occurred was an ordeal for his physical body alone.

His divine sense had not undergone the baptism of the Heavenly Tribulation and thus had not been able to achieve a complete, harmonious fusion.

BUZZ!

Suddenly, everyone felt their hearts palpitate.

They felt as if they were suffocating, almost unable to breathe.

The crowd was horrified and couldn’t help but look up at the high heavens.

Thunder rumbled, sounding like a thousand armies charging down from above.

The little golden creature instantly darted away in a streak of light.

“Kid, be careful!” the Black Emperor secretly transmitted his voice.

“You’ve really had a streak of bad luck!

You’ve encountered an exceptionally dreadful Heavenly Tribulation.

It’s certain to have five major stages, and each stage will have nine minor tribulations!” There’s more…

Ye Fan’s eyes flashed with divine light as he gazed up at the Starry Sky.

He had already endured two major stages, a total of eighteen minor tribulations, but it was clearly not over yet.

BOOM!

Thunder descended once more.

This time, it was not a sea of lightning but nine phantoms interwoven with electrical radiance, appearing like nine deities!

“What are those?

How can there be living beings within the lightning?” Everyone was dumbfounded.

The nine figures were formed from lightning.

Some resembled humanoids, some looked like True Dragons, and others took the forms of birds, beasts, fish, or insects; each was distinct.

“Could it be that the Great Heaven and Earth truly possesses a will?

Has it given birth to undying gods?!” Many cultivators were horrified.

“They are not deities,” a Peacock King said, his voice calm.

“They are merely manifestations of concentrated thunderous energy, a type of terrifying Heavenly Tribulation.” Various Ancient Books offered differing accounts.

The sages of old believed that a Heavenly Tribulation arose from Heavenly Human Sensing and was intimately related to the individual undergoing the tribulation.

While the crowd was still discussing, Ye Fan had already been plunged into an even greater ordeal.

He was entangled with one of the phantoms, engaged in a fierce battle.

This time, it was not only his physical body undergoing the tribulation; his divine sense also surged forth to accept the baptism of lightning, enduring pain so intense it felt like being shattered.

The first phantom was finally destroyed.

But then, another tremendous roar echoed as a Divine Phoenix, wreathed in crimson lightning, swooped down from above.

These lightning manifestations, taking the form of living creatures, possessed unimaginable might—far more terrifying than the undifferentiated sea of lightning!

Ye Fan was enveloped by the Divine Phoenix.

His powerful divine sense was being honed, transforming into incandescent beams of light that were practically burning.

He was in excruciating pain but gritted his teeth and endured.

The third, then the fourth…

Figures resembling deities charged at him one after another.

There would be nine such tribulations in this stage.

Ye Fan’s physical body and divine sense were undergoing the tribulation simultaneously.

If he could persist and survive, it would be a baptism akin to a Nirvana-like rebirth.

If he could not withstand it, he would be eternally annihilated, reduced to dust.

Meanwhile, his cauldron was also enduring all these impacts, and even more Innate Patterns were being etched upon it.

BOOM!

With a final great roar, the ninth figure, resembling an Immortal King, charged down.

It struck Ye Fan, sending him flying, then quickly pursued and engulfed him in endless lightning.

He was swallowed by the Immortal King!

Everyone cried out in alarm, their attention tensely fixed on the scene.

PFFT!

The Immortal King was torn open from within.

The lightning vanished completely, and the world returned to tranquility.

Ye Fan’s divine sense emerged, like a golden sun, intensely radiant.

After the baptism of the Heavenly Tribulation, his divine sense was markedly different, now possessing an aura akin to that of a divinity.

Ye Fan understood.

It was indeed so.

His divine sense had captured the Dao Lines within the lightning.

Holding the Bodhi seed, he had many realizations; he felt he was on the verge of completely breaking through to the Four Extremes Secret Boundary.

“Kid, watch out!

The outrageous Chaotic Thunder is here!” the Black Emperor yelled in warning.

Nine great bolts of thunder descended from the heavens.

Each bolt contained a wisp of Chaos Qi, giving one the sensation of the primordial aura present at the dawn of creation!

“It really is Chaotic Thunder!

Even though each bolt only contains a single wisp, it’s still terrifying beyond measure!” The various Peacock Kings first paled, then a peculiar light flickered in their eyes.

The leading figures from the Immortal Dynasties of the Central States and the various great Sects were also visibly moved.

“Before refining their sacred weapons, the Great Emperors of antiquity would always use boundless Chaotic Thunder to baptize their holy divine relics!” Many veteran figures had eyes burning with desire.

Using the nine wisps of Chaotic Thunder Qi from these great bolts of thunder for Refining Soldiers would undoubtedly have endless wondrous benefits, greatly enhancing the quality of sacred weapons.

However, Ye Fan intended to use it to refine the body!

Just imagining it was horrifying.

What kind of dreadful ordeal would this be?

BOOM!

The first bolt of thunder struck, nearly smashing Ye Fan’s body apart.

The wisp of Chaos Qi within it was simply too terrifying!

He was drenched in his own blood, his bones clattering.

His divine sense was shattered, and his cauldron was heavily scarred.

His entire body was covered in wounds; he was on the verge of collapse, almost unable to hold on.

However, Ye Fan’s will was like iron.

His fragmented divine sense rapidly reassembled, forming an ancient pagoda that absorbed the wisp of Chaos Qi and began to swiftly refine it.

The Dao Seal!

Innate Dao Glyphs gestated within the Chaos Qi.

They rendered his body and mind ethereal, and his wounds began to heal with astonishing speed, as if he were being reborn from flames.

BOOM!

The second great bolt of thunder descended, almost tearing him limb from limb, but he ultimately endured it.

BOOM!

As the third bolt of Chaotic Thunder fell, Ye Fan tilted his head back and let out a long howl.

His body, divine sense, and cauldron all trembled in unison as he faced the challenge from the high heavens.

…

When the seventh bolt of lightning descended, Ye Fan was almost disintegrated.

The sight was unbearable to behold.

This was more terrifying than all the previous tribulations he had endured.

Splintered white bones were starkly visible, and his faintly golden blood had nearly dried up.

But still, he painstakingly regathered his divine sense, forming it into a great bell that pinned down the wisp of Chaos Qi, allowing it to circulate between his divine sense, his physical body, and the cauldron.

BOOM!

The eighth bolt of lightning struck.

Ye Fan’s injuries worsened; he was almost turned into meat paste, and most of his bones were shattered.

Yet, he still persisted.

His fragmented divine sense gathered once more, this time transforming into a spiritual cauldron that sealed the wisp of Chaos Qi.

He focused on comprehending the Dao Seal, using it to repair his physical body and divine sense, while simultaneously baptizing the Origin Qi Cauldron.

BOOM!

Finally, the last bolt of Chaotic Thunder descended, piercing Ye Fan’s body in dozens of places.

He was nearly torn into several pieces.

However, he clenched his jaw tightly, forcing himself to remain conscious and not succumb to oblivion.

His divine sense reformed, transforming into a figure resembling an Immortal King, radiating brilliantly.

Upon closer inspection, it was his own likeness.

His divine sense, now in the form of an Immortal King, sat cross-legged in the void.

It cradled the wisp of Chaos Qi, drawing nourishment from it, continuously recovering and growing stronger.

CRACKLE!

CRACKLE!

Ye Fan’s bones rattled as his physical body began to mend.

His divine sense, like a golden sun, radiated light that shot towards the sky, hovering before his glabella.

Meanwhile, the Origin Qi Cauldron hovered above his head, floating gently up and down.

It emanated strands of primal chaos, appearing hazy and filled with Dao resonance.

SWISH!

The nine wisps of Chaos Qi circled Ye Fan’s physical body like nine small dragons coiling and dancing, before finally entering his Sea of Consciousness, and then subsequently, into the cauldron.

At this very moment, the aura of the universe’s primordial beginning permeated the air, as if he were witnessing the cleaving of Heaven and Earth.

It gave him an indescribable sensation.

His body and mind were tranquil, suffused with a sense of harmony and transcendence.

All nine wisps of Chaos Qi contained the profound trajectories of the Dao (Dao Lines).

Ye Fan constantly comprehended them, and then began to refine these nine streams of Qi!

His divine sense, transformed into a seated Immortal King, floated before his glabella.

The cauldron was suspended above his head, while his physical body sat cross-legged in the void.

BUZZ!

The Void Space vibrated.

Ye Fan imprinted himself onto the Great Heaven and Earth, fusing with the Void Space.

All nine wisps of Chaos Qi were completely assimilated, merging with him and his cauldron to become one entity.

SWISH!

Ye Fan opened his eyes.

He knew that he had successfully broken through into the Four Extremes Secret Boundary!

His white robes fluttered, and his black hair danced lightly in a non-existent breeze.

His eyes were bright and clear.

As he stood quietly in this world, he experienced a completely different sensation than before.

Where is the Fifth Layer Heaven Tribulation…

Ye Fan gazed up at the night sky, but it never descended.