Chapter 205: The Preacher! (Part 1)

Chapter 205: The Preacher! (Part 1)



Xuantian Continent, Demon State.

"Shui Ge."

Fatty Dragon's face froze as he turned to Chen Qiu, who had suddenly appeared beside him, momentarily at a loss for words.

"Hmm."

Chen Qiu nodded slightly at the group, "I'm back. I was delayed for a while and ran into some trouble on the way."

He then turned his head and spoke softly to the Demon Clan Leader.

"Time is running out. There's only half a day left until the end of this chaotic opportunity. I've gathered enough information about the Dwarf Race, and they're not much different from your Demon Clan."

"It seems like you Demons are ready for a fight."

"If you're going to launch a full-scale attack, leave the Divine Transformation to me, and the Essence Refinement of the Dwarf Race to your Demon Clan's Essence Refinement cultivators."

As he finished speaking, an immense cultivation power surged from Chen Qiu's body, reaching the eighth layer of Divine Transformation.

The greatest benefit of his journey to the Netherworld was that it allowed him to break through to the eighth layer of Divine Transformation in just two days.

His cultivation breakthrough speed was much faster than when he was at the Nascent Soul stage.

Whether it was the Golden Core Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill or the Nascent Soul Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill, they were far inferior to the gains from this Netherworld trip.

Divine Transformation... Eighth Layer?

The Demon Clan Leader, about to speak, suddenly froze in place, a hint of disbelief flashing in his eyes. It had only been two days since they last met.

How did you manage to break through from the first layer of Divine Transformation to the eighth layer in such a short time?

No one in the Xuantian Continent has such a rapid cultivation breakthrough. Are you joking? Did you use the 'Words Become Law' trait to alter your cultivation realm?

But just then—

"Boom, boom."

Distant thunder rumbled, and countless dark clouds slowly gathered above Chen Qiu's head, where dense Heavenly Energy seemed to be breeding within the clouds.

". . ."

Ao Tian looked up at the obvious signs of a tribulation cloud forming, and soon realized, "This is a tribulation cloud for a small breakthrough in Divine Transformation, but..."

"Usually, the tribulation cloud for a small breakthrough in Divine Transformation isn't this intense."

"Brother, this should be the tribulation cloud for your breakthrough to the eighth layer of Divine Transformation. I'm not sure why it's only appearing now. Was the tribulation cloud this powerful when you broke through to the seventh layer?"

"This situation is clearly abnormal. It's far beyond the usual intensity for a small breakthrough in Divine Transformation."

Chen Qiu looked up at the tribulation cloud above, which indeed seemed a bit exaggerated in its scope. Suddenly, he remembered that during his time in the Netherworld, he hadn't encountered a single tribulation cloud.

Logically, breaking through a small realm in the Divine Transformation stage requires enduring a Thunder Tribulation.

Now, all the tribulations had accumulated.

From the second to the eighth layer of Divine Transformation, the Thunder Tribulations had all piled up, naturally increasing their power.

In the Netherworld, breaking through a small realm in the Divine Transformation stage doesn't require enduring a Thunder Tribulation. If he had stayed in the Netherworld, he wouldn't have had to face any tribulations. But since he had returned to the Mortal World, he would have to account for everything that happened before.

Soon—

". . ."

Chen Qiu, suddenly remembering something, looked up at the gradually forming tribulation cloud, his expression turning grim. He was in the Demon State, surrounded by foreign races.

With such a powerful tribulation, countless foreign races would likely perish.

Surely, the deaths of these foreign races wouldn't be attributed to him, or his hard-earned eighth layer of Divine Transformation would instantly plummet.

"It won't be like that," the Demon Clan Leader explained, guessing Chen Qiu's thoughts, "The lives taken by this Thunder Tribulation won't be counted against you. Just two days ago, a Demon Clan member at the Divine Transformation stage broke through, and we've already tested it."

"But, if possible, I suggest you still try to avoid the Demon Clan."

"The Dwarf Race is a good choice. The Demon Clan army is already prepared, and this might be the perfect time to launch a full-scale attack."

Chen Qiu thought for a moment, then nodded towards the nearby underground cavern, "Let your Demon Clan's Essence Refinement cultivators engage the Dwarf Race's Essence Refinement cultivators."

"And..."

"All the Dwarf Race's wealth is yours to take, but I want all their Nascent Soul cultivators. The Golden Core and Foundation Establishment cultivators are yours as well."

His disciples were still at the Nascent Soul stage, and it would be a long journey before they could complete the milestone task of having the entire sect reach the Divine Transformation stage.

On this trip to the Netherworld, he had gained quite a lot.

He hadn't had time to examine his gains yet.

After quickly settling matters here, and with the chaotic opportunity coming to an end, he could return to Dragon Island and fully digest his gains. No matter how great the opportunity, time was needed to make use of it.

For instance, he hadn't thoroughly examined the effects of the 'Yin Soul Fortune'.

He also hadn't chosen from the three-choice traits he gained upon breaking through to the eighth layer of Divine Transformation.

He hadn't even looked at the rewards for completing the two milestone tasks.

"Agreed," the Demon Clan Leader nodded seriously.

Just then—

The tribulation cloud above was gradually forming, and even arcs of lightning flickered in the air, signaling the imminent arrival of the Thunder Tribulation.

Chen Qiu didn't linger, rushing into the underground cavern once more, heading deep into the Dwarf Race's stronghold.

He didn't activate his Divine Transformation realm.

Nor did he activate the Lightning Summoning Art.

With only the protection of dozens of golden lights from his ten-fold spellcasting, he charged in. Killing a foreign race cultivator weaker than himself would cause his cultivation realm to drop by 10%.

So, he could only rely on the Thunder Tribulation, which was surely less powerful than the 'Annihilation Thunder Tribulation' he faced in Central Province.

But it should be enough to disrupt the Dwarf Race's army formation, allowing him to withdraw from the battlefield. He couldn't let the Thunder Tribulation kill too many, or his gains would be significantly reduced.

In this soon-to-end chaotic opportunity, every foreign race represented a cultivation pill, and the higher the cultivation, the more precious the pill. Each death was a pity.

"Boom, boom!!!"

In less than a hundred breaths after Chen Qiu emerged from the underground cavern, hundreds of lightning bolts struck, piercing through the cavern like spirits and landing near Chen Qiu.

The deafening sounds of thunder echoed in the distance.

Meanwhile, outside the cavern, the Demon Clan Leader had already marshaled his army, ready to charge in as soon as the Thunder Tribulation ceased. This was a war of annihilation, and they were going all out.

"It's been a long time since I've seen such a magnificent Thunder Tribulation," the Demon Clan Leader said, gazing at the sky filled with lightning, each bolt shimmering with purple-blue light. The last time he'd seen such a spectacular tribulation was when his father underwent his tribulation.

That tribulation had been even more magnificent, but the heavenly lightning wasn't purple-blue; it was pure white.

Or perhaps, a grim white.

The color of a corpse soaked in water for a month.

His father was a gifted Demon Clan member who had broken through to the peak of Divine Transformation long ago. At the time, everyone believed he could become the Demon Clan's second Essence Refinement cultivator, ensuring the clan's rise.

Contrary to their wishes, on that day, one-tenth of the Demon State was cleared out, specifically for his father's Thunder Tribulation. The Demon Clan's top forces surrounded the area, safeguarding against potential attacks from hostile powers.

They even concealed the Heavenly Clue to prevent Divination Cultivators from predicting the event.

Over the years, the Demon Clan had also collected numerous Spiritual Treasures to weaken the might of the Thunder Tribulation and made extensive preparations. However, in the end, they failed.

Unlike the Thunder Tribulations for each minor breakthrough in the Divine Transformation stage, which are divided into Nine-Nine Tribulations, Two-Nine Tribulations, and so on, the Thunder Tribulation for breaking through the Soul Refinement Stage from the Peak Divine Transformation stage consisted of only nine tribulations.

Nine pale-colored tribulations.

Commonly known as the Nine Death Notes, it was as if Yama had sent nine death notices. If one could withstand all nine, they would officially break through to the Soul Refinement Stage, becoming a Soul Refinement powerhouse.

In other words, they would become the strongest in the Xuantian Continent.

You would become the mightiest in your power and race, and your name would forever grace the first page of your family's genealogy. Your family, due to your existence, would be flattered and fawned upon by countless forces, simply because you are a Soul Refinement cultivator, the strongest in this world.

If you wished, you could even destroy a small state at any time, as long as you didn't mind the surge in your sin points, which would, in turn, intensify the subsequent Thunder Tribulation.

These nine pale-colored tribulations were like a heavenly chasm, blocking nine out of ten Peak Divine Transformation cultivators from advancing further.

There were very few cultivators at the Peak Divine Transformation stage in the Xuantian Continent. Those who had reached this stage were invariably leaders or ancestors of their respective powers, but their numbers were significantly fewer compared to Soul Refinement cultivators.

His father, the man hailed as the mightiest prodigy in the history of the Demon Clan, the man believed to have the potential to lead the Demon Clan to new heights, perished under the sixth tribulation.

His body was completely obliterated, returning to the heavens, and vanishing into oblivion in the mortal world.

"Was it spectacular?"

The Dragon Clan Leader, Ao Tian, stood by, his face calm. "You haven't seen the million tribulations in the Evil State, nor the Annihilation Thunder Tribulation in the Central Province caused by Chen Qiu's 2.9 billion sin points and a Twelfth-Rank Nascent Soul."

"Those two tribulations were far more impressive than this one. Although this tribulation made quite a commotion, it pales in comparison to those two."

"Hmm."

The Demon Clan Leader nodded, a hint of regret in his voice. "How dare I be like you? As a clan leader, I have no one to rely on, and I'm always busy with countless matters requiring my approval."

"But you've also reached Peak Divine Transformation. When do you plan to attempt the breakthrough?"

". "

Ao Tian glanced at the Demon Clan Leader and let out a cold snort without saying a word. If he had heard such words in the past, he might have gotten angry, as it was akin to exposing someone's weakness.

Everyone knew that very few Dragons were still alive.

But now, things were different.

He looked at the Fatty Dragon not far away, a hint of a smile in his eyes. The Dragon Clan was no longer the same as before; with Fatty Dragon, the first batch of Dragon cubs would be born in three months.

In a year, these cubs would reach adulthood and attain the Divine Transformation stage.

At that time, the world would once again recognize the name of the Dragon Clan. After struggling to survive for tens of thousands of years, the Dragon Clan's opportunity had finally arrived.

A "Preacher" with the bloodline of a Twelfth-Rank Five-Clawed Golden Dragon! The Preacher's principle was to spread the seeds of belief.

And Fatty Dragon was the same.

Ignoring the Demon Clan Leader's words, he raised an eyebrow and said, "But you've also reached Peak Divine Transformation. When do you plan to break through to Soul Refinement? If your Demon Clan had two Soul Refinement cultivators, wouldn't the Dwarf Clan have been annihilated by now?"

"Later. It's not the right time now."

The Demon Clan Leader fell silent, then shook his head. "You know the risks of breaking through to Soul Refinement. Out of those who face the Nine Death Notes, less than one in ten survive. At least, for now, I don't have much confidence."

"I'll wait until my son grows up and can stand on his own. Then I'll give it a try. Even if I die, the Demon Clan will still have a backbone, a successor."

"Hmm."

Ao Tian, who had wanted to say something more, was moved by these words. He turned his head slightly, gazing at the Dwarf Clan's Underground Cavern, where the tribulation raged.

He, too, was in the same situation.

Having long since cultivated to the Peak Divine Transformation stage, why hadn't he attempted the Soul Refinement breakthrough? Simply because he dared not.

Didn't he know that breaking through to Soul Refinement would greatly increase both his cultivation and lifespan?

He knew.

But he didn't dare to take the risk.

For the Dragon Clan, having one more Soul Refinement cultivator wasn't of great significance. The Dragon Island was located in a natural forbidden zone, inaccessible to ordinary non-Dragon Clan members. What the Dragon Clan needed was heritage and dragons.

If he lost this gamble, the Dragon Clan would be left with only one male dragon, the Black Dragon.

However, the Dragon Clan had been gradually recovering. Once everything was on the right track and the Black Dragon had grown, he also planned to test the might of the Nine Death Notes.

The next moment—

The raging tribulation in the sky suddenly ceased, and the tribulation clouds above slowly dissipated, marking the end of the tribulation.

He wasn't worried about Chen Qiu's ability to pass through the tribulation.

For ordinary cultivators, the Thunder Tribulations for minor breakthroughs in the Divine Transformation stage were indeed challenging, especially when multiple tribulations accumulated. It was almost as if they were designed to take lives.

But Chen Qiu was different.

The Annihilation Thunder Tribulation was like a mere bath to Chen Qiu. Naturally, he had no trouble with this level of tribulation.

Soon,

Chen Qiu emerged from the cave entrance, his clothes neat and tidy, and with a flash of light, he rushed out. He gestured to the Demon Clan Leader and the others, signaling it was their turn.

"Hey!"

The Demon Clan Leader, already prepared, grinned, took a deep breath, then turned to the massive Demon Clan army gathered behind him. With a ferocious roar, he shouted, "Ula! Ula!"

Immediately,

The Demon Clan army surged forward like a tidal wave, screaming as they charged into the depths of the Underground Cavern.

Chen Qiu, along with the Mock Heaven Sect and others, joined the battle! The Dwarf Clan's army, already disordered by the tribulation, was on the verge of collapse, retreating step by step.

His Thirteenth-Rank Divine Transformation Realm could absolutely suppress the realms of all the Dwarf Clan's Divine Transformation cultivators.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end