Chapter 1191: Chapter 38: Breaking the Tribulation

“Haha, you have refined your Spirit Vein Furnace to be so strong, akin to a Divine Weapon. Both the Divine Weapon Tribulation and New Technique Tribulation have descended together!”

In the Divine Sea, Subdue Evil couldn’t help but chuckle.

Such a thing is extremely rare, even in the Dao Court Era. It occurs when a cultivator who has already reached their limit breaks through some new technique idea, piercing the old barriers to become stronger. The Heavenly Dao senses this and sends a tribulation as a test, allowing the one breaking through to further hone their power, to prevent losing control and deviation.

The Divine Weapon Tribulation is quite common, as a Divine Weapon that can connect with Heaven and Earth Power naturally has to undergo a heavenly test.

But what’s uncommon is that An Jing, while perfecting a new technique in an instant, can also refine new magic organs comparable to Divine Weapons.

An Jing was very pleased with this: “I can only say that the Taibai Luminous Godly Ban is really overpowered, truly worthy of being a heavenly emperor-level cultivation that perfectly integrates with Feather Transformation Dao with unfathomable potential.”

—What nonsense is this person talking about.

Subdue Evil was speechless in its heart. Even though its memories were fragmented, it had seen countless practitioners of the Taibai Luminous Godly Ban. Those who surpassed the limits were rare, and there had never been anyone like An Jing, nor would there likely be in the future.

True Heaven’s Chosen, monsters are like this, just like in mathematics, where truly genius mathematicians can instinctively derive many formulas. They themselves don’t know what those formulas are used for; they just find them beautiful. But later mathematicians have to spend a lot of time studying them, only to be amazed to discover that these formulas can be applied to extremely profound fields.

And An Jing is not only developing; he even attempts to pave the way. If Subdue Evil didn’t know, it would really think, given its Sword Master’s real Seven Fiend Tribulation, that this were truly a Nature Master!

“Ruohui, you should avoid this for a bit, I’m going outside to cross the tribulation… eh?”

An Jing was unaware of Subdue Evil’s evaluation of him, as he turned aside, intending to leave the Cloud Vortex, so You Ruhui wouldn’t be affected.

But unexpectedly, You Ruhui also looked up in surprise, gazing upwards. From within her collarbone, the Heaven and Earth Core glowed and flowed: “Wait, An Jing, it seems… this tribulation also has a part meant for me?”

“Not surprising!”

An Jing was initially puzzled but soon understood—though it was only a half-finished product and borrowed designs from the Blood Sea Demon Sect and Dragon Storing Bottle. Nonetheless, the Spirit Vein Furnace was indeed developed by You Ruhui, and its method is extremely compatible with the new Feather Transformation Dao, so naturally, the New Technique Tribulation also had a part meant for You Ruhui!

And, moreover, it wasn’t just that…

“An Jing.”

Lifting her head, You Ruhui met An Jing’s gaze, eyes grave: “I have a premonition, it’s now…”

“This is my opportunity to open up Cave Heaven!”

“Now?”

An Jing was surprised, while You Ruhui earnest replied: “Yes, the Heaven and Earth Core responded so. I’ve never felt this strong before!”

“Possibly, if I cultivated alone, it might take another half a year to settle completely, naturally reaching that limit when the Spirit Vein Furnace design is fully completed.”

“But because of your presence, An Jing, the Spirit Vein Furnace was directly perfected, and it triggered the heavenly tribulation. Therefore, the Heavenly Dao… might have just conveniently also sent it down for me!”

Interesting, can heavenly tribulations now offer buy one, get one free? An Jing felt that the image of Huai Xu Heavenly Dao no longer seemed so solemn and unfathomable as before, but rather had a ‘close enough’ sort of feel.

“I don’t think it’s the Heavenly Dao at fault.”

Subdue Evil denied An Jing’s rather irreverent thoughts: “You such a freak, practicing this kind of cultivation method, even if the Heavenly Dao had any plans or schemes, you’d break them all, even though you’re a rebellious Seven Fiend Tribulation. There probably haven’t been any so unreasonable as you in the past.”

“If I were the Heavenly Dao, I wouldn’t bother planning any Heaven’s Will for you either, close enough is good enough, it’s not accurate anyway. You just go ahead and do as you see fit.”

“That’s a great thing, really.”

An Jing laughed heartily inside, feeling exultant. With the progress of his strength, the more he could accomplish. Up to this point, not only was the Heavenly Origin Heavenly Dao uncomfortable, but even Huai Xu Heavenly Dao seemed to let go, allowing him to act as he wished.

Having cultivated the way of Martial Arts to this point, An Jing finally grasped his original intent—he didn’t want to be controlled by anything or have to do things he didn’t want to due to disasters. The damned world pushed him to strive for what he didn’t wish to do before he could only say was struggling, but now…

He would make his will stand out, be his own deity and Heaven’s Will.

“Ruohui, open, I’ll protect you!”

Feeling invigorated and high-spirited, An Jing made a virtual hold with his hand, and the Life-taking Sword was already in his grasp. Meanwhile, Jin Yanhua was somewhat puzzled: “What? An Jing, aren’t you crossing the tribulation yourself? How can you be my protector?”

“Me? My tribulation?”

The outward Nature Master, but true Seven Fiend Tribulation Master, laughed: “Come on, Ruohui, hold my hand.”

“Mm… okay.”

Though You Ruhui didn’t understand, an instinctive trust from the heart made her extend her hand, which An Jing grasped firmly.

And once he held You Ruhui’s hand tightly, he leapt upwards. The White Comet Heaven Star rotated, and with terrifying speed, he instantly burst out of the Cloud Vortex.

Right then, above the solitary peak’s Cloud Vortex, a grand white Heavenly Pillar surged up. It soared with the urgency of the two silhouettes rising quickly, spreading out as if a mountain were being forcibly uprooted by an invisible monumental force, piercing straight into the Heavenly Dome!

And An Jing and You Ruhui stepped on the peak of Cloud Mountain, arriving between Heaven and Earth.

Above the Heavenly Dome, seemingly due to the Tribulation Crossing’s rapid approach, the center of the tribulation cloud vortex suddenly collapsed and twisted. A funnel-shaped cloud stream thunderously descended, its color like the most somber rain cloud, dark as Mysterious Iron, thunder rumbled within it. It plunged straight down, like another inverted mountain peak, set to collide fiercely with the Cloud Mountain raised by An Jing!

Boom——!

At the moment when the rising Cloud Mountain intersected with the tribulation cloud funnel, it was as if two mountain peaks collided, erupting with a sweeping roar across all directions. They interlocked and merged, momentarily forming a phenomenon that obscured the sky and sun, towering majestically amidst the East Sea!

[Heaven and Earth Hourglass]

Dark clouds press the city, about to crush it, the heavy dark black tribulation clouds continuously descended. The aura, like a Heavenly Tilt, crushed everything daring to obstruct it into substance, within a thousand miles of sea area. All clouds and tides sunk slightly, even the sea tribes, shocked by the phenomenon, were pressed down by an unknown force at the seabed, unable to stick out their heads, they could only gaze bewilderedly from behind the water curtain at the distant Heaven and Earth Phenomenon.

“Is this… a Heavenly Tribulation?”

Directly facing such terrifying oppression, You Ruhui at this moment felt a suffocating sense of oppression. This feeling was like when as a naughty child he made unreasonable demands on the maids and servants in the Royal Residence, and his father, in a rage, threw him into solitary confinement for whipping. It was a kind of fright, an inner unease with no support, like a lone boat fearing to capsize at any time in the sea, a fearful feeling that instinctively emerged in the heart… even ten times or a hundred times more intense than ever before!

Offending the Heavens, there’s no salvation! This is a Heavenly Tribulation, the might of Imperial Heaven’s Father!

But just then, You Ruhui felt another firm and powerful hand grasping his own.

“Do not fear the Heavenly Tribulation; it’s merely a trial, by no means unstoppable.”

This voice was like a majestic mountain roaring or the tremor of indestructible steel, a figure shielded her front: “Open your eyes wide, Ruohui.”

“Let me show you.”

The long robe flapped backward in the absolute stillness of the tribulation cloud center as An Jing raised his head to face the Thunder Light.

He lifted his hand, raising a sword towards the tribulation stream draped with a billion beams of Thunder Light crashing down.

“Stop the Rain.”

The heavy words fell, and dazzling green-blue Sword Light soared into the sky. With a light flick of the snow blade, the torrential rain descending with the tribulation cloud instantly all turned into ice dust, suspended midair, as if time had frozen.

“Cease the Wind.”

Another Sword Light sliced across, sweeping the vast sky, Taibai’s brilliance pierced the four corners, forcing the eight air steadfast, rendering all active Heaven and Earth Qi stripped of sharpness, restrained, and bowing under the extreme edge.

“Extinguish the Thunder.”

The wind and rain halted, and the world fell silent, but the silence lasted only a moment. Because the tumultuous Thunder Light could not be restrained, its nature erupted, blazing white-purple Thunder Serpents like Flood Dragons tore through the atmosphere with endless shrieks, gathering and crashing down towards the figure wielding the sword.

But in response to it, came a Sword Light even more ferocious, denser, and intense!

The scarlet Sword Light burst with roar, ascending to shatter the blazing white thunder head-on, breaking it into countless flying shards of Thunder Light throughout the sky, and then, the deafening thunder came a moment later, sweeping across Heaven and Earth, dull yet unending!

Above the Heavenly Dome, the tribulation thunder was frontally shattered, and the speed of the tribulation cloud vortex’s rotation suddenly increased, cloud Qi and Spiritual Fiend compressed with a deep and terrifying sound, like the low growl of a primordial giant beast launching an attack, the whole sky groaned under unbearable weight, while inside the vortex, Thunder Light rapidly gathered, forming a piercing and dazzling, frequently flickering point of light, a Thunder Bead.

This flickering Thunder Bead seemed like a soon-to-explode new star, its blazing white light fierce and ruthless, trembling and growing ever more dazzling.

It was about to explode.

Yet it couldn’t achieve as intended.

“Disperse the Clouds.”

This was the most primitive, most terrifying, most unimaginably vast power. The Martial Artist standing atop the Cloud Mountain wielded the sword, with no skills or techniques, simply the purest, fastest release of his Spiritual Fiend in full flow.

Then, as if an invisible Heavenly God uplifted the Cangtian, as if a man blowing out a drifting smoke ring.

The tribulation cloud surged, then, was blown apart.

The final Thunder Light to be born abruptly halted, it lost all subsequent support, never possible to truly form. This Thunder Light spun, tearing the atmosphere, shaking the Great Void, seemingly in fury, even if it couldn’t become whole, it still aimed to fall!

But now, no sword awaited it.

“Tribulation…”

An Jing’s gaze slightly lowered, his back to the tribulation thunder, and at the moment of withdrawing the sword, a clear and sonorous sword hum resonated, sweeping across the vast sky.

The Life-taking Sword returned to its sheath.

He sheathed the sword, softly said: “Break.”

Swept by the sword hum, the Thunder Bead, incomplete and unstable as it was, had all its key points shattered by formless, intangible Sword Intent, and immediately dissolved with a whimper, exploding, transforming into endless spread of lightning arcs at the pinnacle of the sky.

“Now.”

Sheathing the sword, still holding You Ruhui’s hand, An Jing turned his head slightly, smiled at the girl, and said: “My tribulation is over.”

“Ruohui, begin your tribulation crossing.”