RUMBLE!
Above the Celestial Vault, terrifying tribulation clouds billowed and surged.
But these tribulation clouds weren't appearing within the Mystic Sect's Small World. Instead, they gathered in the sky above the North Nether Sea.
At this very moment, upon that boundless continent, a pair of enormous eyes snapped open.
The eyes were as massive as a Blazing Sun in the sky, each as large as a city, and they flickered with shock and fury. "Fuck, someone's undergoing a tribulation inside my body? Shit, this is going to drag me into it! Get the hell out!"
SWOOSH!
The massive continent trembled violently.
Figure after figure appeared upon the continent's surface.
"How did we get out?"
"It seems a Divine Tribulation has begun, so Senior Kun must have teleported us out!"
Jiang Chen and the others wore looks of astonishment as they found themselves standing on the Kun's back.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
A series of figures materialized—the Asura Blood Emperor, the Celestial Secret Elder, the Sword Emperor, Emperor Ping Shan, the Demon Emperor, and Emperor Feixue!
These seven Emperor Realm masters all wore grave expressions.
Jiang Chen looked at the Celestial Secret Elder. "Senior, who is undergoing the tribulation?"
"The Witch Emperor!"
An unprecedented solemnity appeared on the Celestial Secret Elder's face.
"The Witch Emperor?"
Everyone was startled.
All eight of these Emperor Realm masters had entered the Gate of Hope above the Ninth Celestial Palace and received the Demigod inheritance of the Mystic Sect.
Now, the aura of every one of them had grown stronger and more profound.
Jiang Chen had thought it would be the Asura Blood Emperor, who had the highest cultivation, or perhaps the Dragon Emperor who would attempt to break through to the Demigod Realm and trigger the Divine Tribulation. He never expected it to be the Witch Emperor.
Tuoba Yan clenched his fists, his face filled with excitement. "Master is undergoing his tribulation? Hahaha, Master will definitely succeed! He has to!"
Beside them, the Asura Blood Emperor and the others wore solemn expressions.
The Dragon Emperor's expression shifted several times, revealing a complex mix of emotions. He finally sighed softly. "Alas, he was too hasty."
"He had no choice. Among us, the Witch Emperor is the oldest, and his lifespan is nearly at its end. If he didn't attempt the tribulation to break through to the Demigod Realm today, he would likely never have another chance!" the Asura Blood Emperor said in a low voice.
At this moment, everyone fell silent.
They stood at the Peak of the Emperor Realm, only a single step away from the Demigod Realm. After receiving the Mystic Sect's Demigod inheritance, they had an even more profound understanding of that state.
But it was this very understanding that made them even more hesitant to try.
Only the Witch Emperor!
With his lifespan at its end, his only choice was a desperate, life-or-death gamble!
"Junior, if you want to undergo your tribulation, don't you dare drag me into it! Get out!" The tribulation clouds in the Celestial Vault already covered a ten-thousand-mile radius. They were terrifyingly immense, with dense black thunderheads like colossal mountains lying across the void, blotting out the sun and making all who looked upon them shrink back in fear.
Even the Emperor Realm masters felt a tremor run through them, an inexplicable sense of dread.
SWOOSH!
The void trembled, and the Witch Emperor's figure appeared high in the sky.
He had been teleported by the Kun to the sky above the North Nether Sea. Countless bolts of lightning descended, and the stray arcs alone were already stirring up a terrifying storm over the sea.
RUMBLE!
The North Nether Sea was filled with a continuous, deafening roar.
Massive waterspouts were blasted into the air, shooting toward the clouds. Each one was a thousand meters high.
It was as if tens of thousands of furious dragons were bursting from the depths of the sea, soaring into the sky and thrashing wildly between heaven and earth.
"I feel like even a single wisp of that lightning could severely injure me."
"So this is the Divine Tribulation? The tribulation of gods?"
"It's terrifying! No wonder that even in the Ancient Era, which was overflowing with geniuses, Demigod Powerhouses were as rare as a phoenix's feathers!"
Countless experts stood on the Kun's back, their faces filled with gravity and awe.
This was a Celestial Punishment!
It had already transcended the limits of what mortal power could resist.
"ROAR!"
A furious roar erupted from the Witch Emperor. A terrifying Energy Storm burst from his body, and nine Life Palaces shot out from within him. They hovered in mid-air, forming a Life Palace Array. Suspended in place, they rotated and bloomed with a brilliant, blinding golden light.
HUMMM!
The void hummed as a Dao Origin Void emerged from the Witch Emperor's body.
"Nine Palaces Suppressing the World—"
The Witch Emperor roared.
The nine Life Palaces shot out in nine different directions, like nine invincible armies conquering new territory.
The Witch Emperor's Dao Origin Void was originally only ten kilometers in radius, but it was now expanding continuously, soon reaching a radius of a hundred li. The nine Life Palaces established themselves in nine different directions, taking root in the world. Within the hundred-li Small World, heaven and earth separated, a continent appeared, and the sun and moon began to cycle, suspended high in the sky.
A Small World with a radius of one hundred li.
This was the most basic and weakest type of Small World, the kind formed when breaking through to the Demigod Realm.
"He has already formed his Small World. Now it's time for him to undergo the baptism of the Divine Tribulation!"
"Let's hope he can survive it! This will also give us old folks a chance to gain some insight into the Divine Tribulation..."
"But... succeeding is so incredibly difficult!"
The Emperor Realm masters exchanged Divine Thoughts.
Jiang Chen looked to the Celestial Secret Elder and asked in a low voice, "Senior, the hundred-li Small World that Senior Witch Emperor created should be a Yellow Level Small World, right?"
"That's correct!"
The Celestial Secret Elder nodded. "It is indeed a Yellow Level Small World. With our limited potential, the most we would dare to create is a Yellow Level Small World. A Yellow Level Small World must endure three strikes from the Divine Tribulation. A Profound Level one endures six, an Earth Level one endures nine, and as for a Celestial Small World, it must withstand twelve. The larger the Small World, the more powerful the Divine Tribulation. Therefore, most Demigods choose the safest path!"
"I see!"
Jiang Chen nodded, then looked up at the terrifying tribulation clouds in the sky.
Even for the weakest Yellow Level Small World, the Divine Tribulation was already this terrifying before it had even begun.
'The path I intend to walk is the path of the strongest!'
'One that surpasses even the Celestial Level!'
'How terrifying would that Divine Tribulation be?'
A grave expression appeared on Jiang Chen's face as he watched the Witch Emperor's tribulation intently. This would be invaluable experience for his own future attempt to reach the Demigod Realm.
Just then, the first strike of the Divine Tribulation suddenly descended from the Celestial Vault.
RUMBLE!
This bolt of lightning was ten li in diameter and ten thousand li long, falling from the boundless Celestial Vault. It transformed into a massive dragon of lightning, surging downward.
"Witch Swallows the Heavens!"
The Witch Emperor roared, a terrifying radiance erupting from his body as two crimson Flood Dragons shot toward the sky.
These were the Gu Dragons that the Witch Emperor had nurtured. They were incredibly powerful, capable of slaying an ordinary Emperor Realm expert!
However, before the congregating lightning, the two crimson Flood Dragons only had time to let out a wretched scream before they exploded with a BOOM. The terrifying Divine Tribulation descended and swallowed the Witch Emperor whole. His body burst apart, and most of his Small World was shattered.
"Uwaaah..."
The Witch Emperor screamed, coughing up blood.
BOOM!
The second strike of the Divine Tribulation fell.
The Witch Emperor didn't even have time to resist before he was crushed into dust by the lightning.
The tribulation clouds between heaven and earth dissipated.
The Witch Emperor had fallen in the Divine Tribulation. Only his indignant roar remained between heaven and earth: "No... I refuse to accept this..."
His voice gradually faded away.
Everyone's heart felt heavy. The scene had dealt them a massive shock.
Someone as powerful as the Witch Emperor, who had formed the lowest-level Small World, couldn't even withstand the second strike of the Divine Tribulation?
"No... Master..." Tuoba Yan's eyes were bloodshot as he let out a grief-stricken roar.
The others glanced at him, their hearts filled with pity.
'In that case, can my path to becoming the strongest truly succeed?'
A flicker of bewilderment passed through Jiang Chen's eyes, but it was immediately replaced by determination and unwavering resolve. 'No. I, Jiang Chen, will become the strongest. It's just a Divine Tribulation, isn't it? As long as I'm powerful enough, I won't fear even the most terrifying tribulation. I will see my path to becoming the strongest through to the end!'
His Sword Heart was clear, and his will was unstoppable!
The Asura Blood Emperor and the other older-generation Emperor Realm masters all wore expressions of grief.
"Alas, this is the Divine Tribulation!"
"Even the Witch Emperor failed? Can we really succeed?"
Even someone as mighty as the Asura Blood Emperor was now filled with awe and fear for the Demigod's tribulation.
Just as everyone was reeling from the shock of the Witch Emperor's failure, all the powerhouses suddenly revealed looks of astonishment and turned their gazes toward the Eastern Continent.
On the distant horizon, a Blood Cloud had appeared.
All the powerhouses wore expressions of disbelief...
"In the Eastern Continent, someone is undergoing a Divine Tribulation?"
[Third chapter of the day, three more to go.]