Chapter 330: The Heavenly Tribulation Approaches!

Chapter 330: The Heavenly Tribulation Approaches!

At this moment, Chen Qiu had reached the 180th layer. To be honest, walking down like this was time-consuming, even though it wasn't tiring and didn't require overcoming any challenges. After all, each layer was a thousand zhang tall.

He couldn't fly to a distant spot and then free-fall.

There was an air wall.

The entire staircase was enveloped in nothingness, forcing him to descend layer by layer, which was rather tedious.

"Huff!"

Standing at the edge of the 180th layer, Chen Qiu gazed at the void before him and the endless staircase below, letting out a soft sigh. He hadn't figured out how to bring Fatty Dragon and the others up yet.

He had found it easy to pass through, but bringing the others up was a challenge.

Without further thought, he continued to jump down the steps and descend.

It's worth mentioning that on the leaderboard, the layer displayed behind his name was still "Second Layer." This meant that although the leaderboard updated in real-time, it only showed the highest layer reached by the challenger. When a challenger actively moved downward, their ranking wouldn't change.

After what felt like an eternity, Chen Qiu finally encountered Ba Dan at the 976th layer. Without much conversation, he instructed Ba Dan to wait for him at this layer and then continued his descent.

Along the way, he met numerous cultivators.

Ignoring their bewildered gazes, he continued downward, like a lone figure walking against the crowd. While everyone else was climbing up, he was the only one going down, which made him stand out.

This even sparked some conspiracy theories.

Some believed that the "Ascension Opportunity" was a scam. They thought that becoming the first to reach the top wouldn't bring any great opportunities and might even result in sacrifice or other harmful outcomes. Otherwise, how could one explain Chen Qiu's decision to descend instead of claiming the Ascension Opportunity on the first layer after reaching the second layer?

"You can't reach the top, or you'll die!" Many people had this thought, but they quickly dismissed it, thinking that they wouldn't be able to reach the top anyway. Such concerns were for those in the first group to consider.

Finally, after several hundred breaths, he found Xiao Shuai at the 999th layer, with Fatty Dragon also present. Chen Qiu didn't linger and headed straight for Xiao Shuai. He couldn't communicate directly with the secret realm's artifact spirit, and he hadn't even seen the spirit's vessel. From start to finish, he had only heard emotionless, procedural announcements. If he wanted to talk to the artifact spirit, he had to do so through Xiao Shuai.

After stating his request, Xiao Shuai nodded and closed his eyes for a few breaths before opening them and whispering, "Senior."

"She says you can substitute for someone to pass the trial, but only for members of the Great Team. You can't substitute for others, or it might draw too much attention and cause problems."

"I understand," Chen Qiu nodded. He could guess what 'drawing attention' meant. Perhaps it was to prevent the Heavenly Dao from waking up prematurely? Although he didn't think this was very likely.

After all, while the "Ascension Assembly" was extremely important in the Tide Immortal Plane, occurring only once every ten thousand years, in the vast and boundless continent, a single Ascension Assembly was too insignificant for the slumbering Heavenly Dao to notice, even with this level of attention.

At most, the Heavenly Dao might start its reckoning when it awakened, but both sides were already destined enemies, so it wouldn't care about this.

However, since the artifact spirit had said so, he didn't argue.

He tentatively placed his hand on Xiao Shuai, and soon, a panel shrouded in clouds appeared before him.

-

"999th Layer Dilemma."

"Randomizing..."

"Randomization complete. This layer's dilemma is 'Rebirth in Despair.' You will challenge puppets of the same cultivation level, and the number of puppets is decided by the challenger. The number of puppets determines how many layers you will skip upon success."

"The minimum number of puppets is 1, and the maximum is 997."

"Failure will result in no further chances to ascend."

"Please choose whether to challenge."

-

Just as he had expected.

When he saw this panel, he understood. If it were another dilemma, even if he could guarantee success, it would take a long time to get these people to the desired layers. But since this dilemma was randomly chosen, everything became simple.

His plan was:

Ba Dan would reach the top, and he would obtain a Supreme-grade red entry on the second layer. The rest would all end up between the 51st and 100th layers, obtaining Supreme Cultivation Cards.

This would maximize their benefits.

For Fatty Dragon and the others, an additional Supreme-grade red entry wouldn't make much difference. After all, the Mock Heaven Sect's combat power was mostly concentrated in Chen Qiu. His weakness was his low cultivation, and only by rapidly improving it could he become the main combat force after the Heavenly Dao awakened.

Without further thought, he chose to challenge over 900 puppets, sending Xiao Shuai to the 51st layer and instructing him to stay there and obtain the Supreme Cultivation Card.

Next, he sent Fatty Dragon and the other Mock Heaven Sect disciples to the same layer.

After that, he began searching layer by layer for Mock Heaven Sect disciples, sending them all to the 51st layer upon finding them.

As for Ba Dan, he would be the last one sent, as reaching the top would directly grant him the maximum benefit.

This scene, witnessed by outsiders, was quite shocking.

On the leaderboard, almost every moment, a completely unfamiliar name would appear, directly jumping to the 51st layer. In just a few incense sticks' worth of time, the top thirty names on the leaderboard, except for Chen Qiu's "Second Layer," were all uniformly at the 51st layer.

This sparked numerous speculations.

No one knew that these people were all members of the Great Team, and their team affiliation wasn't displayed. Few could guess that Chen Qiu had brought them up, and most assumed there must be some mechanism allowing direct access to the 51st layer.

In an instant, even more people began to investigate if there were any hidden mechanisms.

Especially the group at the Greenstone Square, who were researching with renewed vigor.

However.

Chen Qiu was no longer willing to waste time. After sending all the members of the Great Team to their designated floors, he went to the 976th floor and found Badan. Looking at Badan, who was filled with anticipation and happiness, Chen Qiu didn't say much. He merely placed his hand on Badan's body.

He maxed out the number of puppets.

And sent Badan directly to "Layer 2".

This dilemma was probably the one with the most layers to leap through among all the dilemmas, but it had a restriction—the highest one could reach was Layer 2, and it was impossible to go directly to Layer 1.

Soon—

Chen Qiu and Badan stood on the second layer, empty except for the two of them.

He shook his head and said softly, "The upcoming dilemma is one you'll have to face on your own. I can't help you pass this, or else even if I clear it first, it won't count. But don't worry too much; it shouldn't be too difficult."

"I've arranged everything for the others; we're just waiting for you to reach the top."

"Yes!"

Badan nodded heavily, took a deep breath, and slowly closed his eyes. After several hundred breaths, Badan's figure suddenly disappeared from where he stood, and a voice devoid of emotion and raspy echoed in the ears of all the challengers.

"Great Team Captain Badan has successfully reached the top. The ascent of the Immortal Path has been maxed out."

"All challengers will receive rewards based on the layer they reached when the max was achieved. In ten breaths, the secret realm will close. Please exit the secret realm through the teleportation gate beside you. The gate will only remain open for ten breaths, so don't delay."

"Nineteen. Eight."

All the challengers were slightly startled when they heard this voice. They weren't surprised that someone had reached the top so quickly; after all, at the beginning of this challenge, Chen Qiu had already made it to the second layer.

It was surprising that it took this long to reach the top.

What baffled them was why Badan, not Chen Qiu, had reached the top.

Chen Qiu should have been faster; when he was on the second layer, Badan was still on the 1000th layer. How did Badan catch up? But soon, everyone realized that Chen Qiu must have given this opportunity to Badan.

"Phew."

Standing on the second layer, Chen Qiu looked at the red entry talisman in his hand and let out a sigh of relief. Finally, this secret realm had come to an end.

This secret realm wasn't the most challenging one he had encountered in his life; in fact, it was probably the easiest. It also wasn't the longest one; after all, in the previous secret realm, he had been trapped in the Cao Tian Palace and had spent a whole decade there.

But this secret realm was undoubtedly the one with the most significant gains.

He didn't choose to randomly acquire entries based on his needs. If he had, he would likely get artificer cultivator entries, but his offensive capabilities were already sufficient. Even if he needed new attack methods, a single red entry wouldn't be enough.

So, he opted for a specific entry.

There was a red entry that he had always wanted to obtain but never had the chance to.

"Fairy Maiden's Maiden Night"!

After crushing the talisman in his hand, a long-unseen entry panel floated before him.

"Entry Name": Fairy Maiden's Maiden Night (Supreme-grade).

"Entry Level": Red.

"Entry Description": You will be blessed with good fortune until death (none).

"Supreme-grade Effect": Your good fortune will be even stronger.

"Good," Chen Qiu said, looking at the entry panel before him with a satisfied smile. It was the Supreme-grade version of Fairy Maiden's Maiden Night. Theoretically, this entry could only be obtained from a fairy maiden, so there shouldn't be a Supreme-grade version unless one's own fairy maiden's maiden night was upgraded to the Supreme-grade through special means.

And because he didn't obtain this entry from a fairy maiden,

there wasn't even a negative effect.

Normally, the entry obtained from a fairy maiden would disappear when that fairy maiden died. But this restriction had no effect on him.

This entry was equivalent to constantly consuming a thread of Human Pride Fortune.

Although it was the lowest level.

The constant consumption was still significant. It could play a crucial role at many times, like now when he had just broken through several minor realms, and it was time to draw entries. This was when he needed luck the most.

The Supreme-grade effect was that the good fortune would be even stronger, but it wasn't clear how much stronger it would be. Perhaps it would upgrade from Human Pride Fortune to Earthly Luck?

Earthly Luck seemed a bit too high, as Earthly Luck wasn't something insignificant. Constantly consuming a thread of Earthly Luck seemed a bit far-fetched.

Without further thought,

the white teleportation gate appeared beside him.

He immediately stepped into the gate.

When his vision cleared, he found himself back outside Zhongzhou City. All the challengers who had entered the Ascension Assembly had returned here, and not a single one had died. This was a rare zero-mortality secret realm.

Don't talk about Immortal Cancer or anything; at least, no one died on the spot.

What happens later can be dealt with later.

As soon as Chen Qiu had just steadied himself,

"Boom!!!"

A thunderous heavenly tribulation suddenly reverberated throughout Zhongzhou City. This was probably the loudest heavenly tribulation in the history of the Tide Immortal Plane, and nearly one-tenth of the cultivators in the Tide Immortal Plane heard this thunderous tribulation.

Along with the tribulation, infinite heavenly power rapidly surged towards the challengers.

In an instant!

Violent storms and rain arrived, and dark clouds filled the sky. Within the clouds, countless thunders were visible, indicating an extremely terrifying tribulation!

"Damn!"

At that moment.

Many of the cultivators in Zhongzhou City, including those present, had their faces turn pale. They activated all their life-saving measures and shot off into the distance as far as they could!

This was the most terrifying Heavenly Tribulation they had ever witnessed, far surpassing the power of a tribulation that a Peak Heaven Immortal could encounter. If they were caught in such a tribulation, they would undoubtedly face certain death, unable to withstand it.

The tribulation cloud was so vast that it completely enveloped Zhongzhou City, making it imperative to evacuate as quickly as possible. Even the city was no longer safe.

From a high altitude, the scene was awe-inspiring. The cultivators who had just emerged from the secret realm and the Zhongzhou City cultivators all had their faces pale as they flew through the air like locusts, rapidly shooting towards the distance. They feared being caught in the tribulation when it struck.

"Huff!"

At this moment—

Badan's entire body surged with spiritual energy as he slowly flew into the sky. His massive figure stood tall in the heavens, like a mortal challenging the gods and demons. He held a giant blade in his hand, his face contorted with a sinister smile as he looked up at the tribulation above with a menacing grin.

"They say the True Immortal Tribulation is terrifying, and today I see that its reputation is well-deserved!"

"Good, good! Well done!"

"But to think that this tribulation can stop me from becoming a True Immortal, they truly underestimate me!"

"Today, I, Badan, will let the world know who the strongest in the Tide Immortal Plane is!"

Then—

Badan took a deep breath and turned to Chen Qiu, who was standing on the ground, his voice slightly hurried: "Senior, please take my tribe and quickly evacuate. This tribulation is extremely powerful, and I may not be able to withstand it. If you are caught in this tribulation, your life may be in danger!"

Badan's words were not transmitted through telepathy but echoed across the entire world.

Many of the cultivators who had just escaped from the secret realm and were running for their lives turned around instinctively, looking at the giant standing in the heavens and the young man on the ground leaning on an oil-paper umbrella.

In the secret realm, many had already suspected that Chen Qiu was the mysterious senior who had helped Badan.

And now, with Badan addressing him as 'Senior,' this speculation was all but confirmed.

This senior had been very kind to Badan, granting him the True Immortal Opportunity, an even greater favor than the Yin Emperor's Fortune.

One was a life-saving grace, and the other was a favor that propelled one to greater heights.

Both were debts that were difficult to repay, and Badan was known for his integrity and loyalty. These two debts would take him a long time to repay.

However, many people looked at Badan with complex expressions, their gazes fixed on the terrifying tribulation above his head. After today, everyone would have to respectfully address Badan as 'Senior.' Badan had already reached the True Immortal cultivation level, albeit as a pseudo True Immortal. He did not possess the full strength of a True Immortal or the unique abilities of that cultivation level.

This was because he had not yet passed through the True Immortal Tribulation.

Once the True Immortal Tribulation was over, he would become a genuine True Immortal, and he would be invincible in the Tide Immortal Plane. The Maan Clan would then become the top clan in the Tide Immortal Plane!

".”

Chen Qiu, standing on the ground with the Heavenly Dao Umbrella, allowed the raging storm to batter him. He looked up at Badan, who stood in the heavens with a battle-ready aura, and sighed, feeling a bit weary.

"Badan, you're not a newcomer. Don't you realize that you haven't been locked onto by the Heavenly Dao?"

"Huh?"

Badan, standing in the heavens, was slightly startled. Upon hearing these words, he realized that during previous tribulations, the tribulation clouds would lock onto him as soon as they formed. No matter where he hid, the clouds would follow him.

But today, it seemed like he wasn't being targeted.

He had overlooked this fact. Could it be that the True Immortal Tribulation was a bit special and didn't require the Heavenly Dao's lock?

It couldn't be that this tribulation wasn't meant for him, could it?

Impossible!

Badan shook his head like a rattle drum. How could this level of tribulation not be his True Immortal Tribulation? Who else's tribulation could have such power?

"Alright."

At this moment—

The tribulation clouds above became increasingly dense, covering an area of several hundred miles. The entire world was plunged into darkness, and when one looked up, they could only see the raging storm, like a meteor shower, illuminated by countless flickering thunderbolts.

The Heavenly Tribulation was about to strike!

Chen Qiu waved his hand, sending all the disciples of the Mock Heaven Sect and the Maan Clan members into his little world. It was too late to escape now, and it was clear that Badan hadn't realized this yet. Chen Qiu had to be more direct.

"This is my tribulation, not yours. Come and take shelter in my little world for a while."

"This..."

Badan froze in place, his eyes filled with disbelief. He trembled as he spoke: "How is this possible? A tribulation of this magnitude is absolutely impossible for a Peak Heaven Immortal to pass through. This... is this your tribulation, Senior?"

"Yes, my Ascension Tribulation."

Without waiting for Badan to say more, Chen Qiu brought him into his little world. Badan did not resist, as the power of the heavens had already locked him in place. He knew that after leaving the Ascension Assembly, he would face a tribulation, but he hadn't expected it to come so soon.

Chen Qiu held the Heaven's Wisdom Umbrella above his head and stood in the void, gazing up at the pitch-black tribulation clouds that enveloped the heavens. The scene looked like a chicken egg colliding with a stone, an utterly mismatched confrontation.

At this moment, Chen Qiu had reached the Tribulation Peak cultivation level.

Only after passing this tribulation would he fully digest the remaining cultivation progress.

"Sigh."

He looked up at the black tribulation clouds, which constantly flickered with arcs of lightning, and sighed. To be honest, the power of this tribulation cloud exceeded his expectations. If nothing unexpected happened, he would have to recover from his injuries for several years again.

In his life, there were two tribulations that left the deepest impression on him.

The first was the First Rank Heavenly Tribulation, the World-Ending Thunderbolt Tribulation.

The second round is the "Second Rank Heavenly Tribulation" - the God-Slaying Thunderbolt Tribulation.

With the current situation, it seems that he is about to face his Third Rank Heavenly Tribulation.

His current cultivation progress is as follows:

- Cultivation: Tribulation Peak (1720.5%).

If he fully digests this progress, he will reach the eighth layer of Earth Immortal!

Before entering the secret realm, his cultivation was at the seventh layer of Tribulation, and with each breakthrough to a minor realm, there would be a corresponding tribulation. Additionally, there's the Ascension Tribulation from Tribulation Peak to Immortal Human, the Earth Immortal Tribulation from Immortal Human Peak to Earth Immortal, and the stronger one's foundation, the more powerful the tribulation.

In other words—

This tribulation is a combination of the Ascension Tribulation, Earth Immortal Tribulation, all minor realm tribulations from Tribulation Seventh Layer to Earth Immortal Eighth Layer, and the combined might of the Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, Twelfth Rank Golden Core, Twelfth Rank Soul Infancy, and hundreds of fusion kill moves.

Thus, this formed a truly earth-shattering tribulation!

The power of this tribulation, even at the Tribulation Peak, is comparable to a True Immortal Tribulation, which is why Badan mistakenly believed it to be his own tribulation. It's a bit outrageous.

"Let's begin."

Chen Qiu, having made all the necessary preparations, had no time to mourn the depletion of his resources. He summoned everything he had to withstand the tribulation, floating around him, ready to be used at any moment.

This included a giant ant, which was particularly adept at enduring tribulations.

Fortunately, he still had trillions of virtue points left unspent.

Now was not the time to mourn the loss of resources; survival was the priority.

At this moment—

Not far from Zhongzhou City, those who had emerged from the secret realm and some high-level cultivators from Zhongzhou City stood in the sky, gazing at Chen Qiu with awe and disbelief.

They positioned themselves at what they believed to be a safe distance.

From this distance, unless Chen Qiu intentionally ran towards them, the heavenly tribulation could not possibly engulf them.

Even if Chen Qiu ran in their direction, they had ample time to create a safe distance.

As for Badan.

It's understandable that Badan made such an ugly mistake, mistaking someone else's tribulation for his own. Initially, everyone assumed that this was Badan's True Immortal Tribulation, which was almost a given, for who else's tribulation could possess such power?

But who would have thought that this tribulation actually belonged to Chen Qiu, the mother of all tribulations?!

Even though you are referred to as 'Senior' by Badan, it implies that you must have some advantage over him, be it family background, master, or even the reincarnation of a powerful being whose cultivation has yet to recover. Nonetheless, your apparent cultivation is still at the Tribulation Peak, isn't it?

This is something that cannot be deceived.

The fluctuations in spiritual energy from Chen Qiu's body clearly indicate this.

In other words, this tribulation is your Ascension Tribulation, isn't it?

Yes.

The Ascension Tribulation is indeed a feared existence for those at the Tribulation Peak, akin to the Gate to the Netherworld. The power of all previous tribulations pales in comparison to the Ascension Tribulation. After overcoming this tribulation, one becomes an immortal, a world of difference!

But whose Ascension Tribulation could possibly have such power as yours?!

Is it not a bit exaggerated to think that even Badan mistook it for his own True Immortal Tribulation?

"Suddenly, it seems like all heart demons have vanished."

Ji Wu Ba, standing among the crowd and observing this scene, let out a sigh with a twitching smile. He hailed from the Seven Maiden Continent, naturally endowed with three rainbow entries, and the continent itself was a chaotic place where only the most insane could survive.

His combat experience was extensive.

Needless to say, his strength was formidable.

During the Ascension Assembly's secret realm, he was initially one of the strongest contenders, but he was consistently overshadowed by someone named Chen Qiu. From the very first pre-stage of the Masked Banquet, he was eliminated by Chen Qiu at the seventh stage, and by the time he reached the 700th layer, Chen Qiu had already completed the entire trial. From start to finish, he was utterly dominated by Chen Qiu.

Initially, he had some heart demons.

He couldn't help but feel a sense of bitterness, a feeling he had rarely experienced in his life. But upon witnessing this scene, upon seeing this heavenly tribulation, all bitterness vanished.

Is it not normal to be crushed by Chen Qiu?

The power of this tribulation alone is sufficient proof. At the very least, his Ascension Tribulation is not even a tenth as powerful.

Being crushed by a stronger opponent may bring bitterness, but when crushed by an overwhelmingly superior opponent, there is no bitterness left. It is as it should be, for if they cannot crush him, what is the point of becoming stronger?

However, although he acknowledged Chen Qiu in his heart, he did not believe that Chen Qiu could survive this Ascension Tribulation.

"Perhaps this is heaven's jealousy of talent."

Ji Wu Ba shook his head with a hint of regret. The power of this heavenly tribulation had far exceeded expectations. Even for someone at the peak of Celestial Immortal like Badan, it would be a life-threatening challenge. How much more so for Chen Qiu, who was only at the Tribulation Peak? This was essentially a death sentence.

It seemed that being too strong was not always a good thing. This heavenly tribulation was specifically designed to end Chen Qiu's life.

Even now, a vast amount of heavenly energy continued to surge in, indicating that the tribulation's power was still increasing. He could clearly sense that the spiritual energy from every corner of the Tide Immortal Plane was being urgently directed here.

This thought was not uncommon.

Most people believed that Chen Qiu had no chance of survival, but for some unknown reason, everyone's subconscious was rooting for Chen Qiu to overcome the tribulation, despite having no personal connection to him and even some grudges.

Perhaps it is human nature to yearn for miracles.

When witnessing a battle with such a vast disparity in power.

People instinctively hope for the weaker side to emerge victorious, awaiting the arrival of a miracle!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end