Chapter 345: "Cataclysmic Annihilation Thunder Tribulation"

Chapter 345: "Cataclysmic Annihilation Thunder Tribulation"

Badan stood by, gazing at the powerful cultivators who kept arriving one after another in the distance. He couldn't help but pause, sensing an extremely terrifying aura from them!

These cultivators were far stronger than him!

Fortunately, he had already mastered the Little Fulfillment technique, allowing him to shrink his body to a normal size. Otherwise, he would have been too conspicuous.

He had no intention of protecting anyone.

Even if he could, it wasn't necessary. With this heavenly tribulation, anyone who dared to cause trouble would be drawn in by the tribulation and face certain death.

The power of heaven and earth gradually gathered.

The tribulation clouds above thickened.

Half an hour passed like this. The tribulation seemed ready to strike at any moment, yet it hesitated, not falling. The onlookers around were unconcerned; after all, they weren't in a hurry either.

As the saying goes, good things are worth the wait. Moreover, half an hour was not enough for them to complete a full cycle of their cultivation method.

Chen Qiu, however, was growing impatient.

"Ai."

Chen Qiu, suspended high in the sky, sighed. Every time he faced a tribulation, he had to wait like this, as if the tribulation was gathering strength to strike him down. Just then—

"Boom!"

A deafening thunderclap reverberated, followed by a blinding flash of lightning that tore through the tribulation clouds and struck directly at Chen Qiu.

It had finally arrived.

Chen Qiu's eyebrows rose slightly, but he didn't activate his protective spiritual energy. Instead, he relied solely on the strength of his Thunder Robe to withstand the tribulation lightning. He had wanted to test the power of this tribulation, but the first strike didn't even make him flinch.

It was less painful than a mosquito bite.

"Is it that weak?"

Chen Qiu mused, unsure if the tribulation was too weak or his Thunder Robe too strong. He sensed that the tribulation was more intense than the last one, but why didn't he feel anything when it struck him?

Three more tribulation lightnings followed in quick succession.

He still felt nothing and easily withstood them.

The onlookers around were completely dumbfounded by this sight.

"This..."

They stared, bewildered, as they could clearly sense the terrifying power within those tribulation lightnings. Even they couldn't withstand such a strike, yet this unknown man seemed utterly relaxed.

He hadn't even activated his protective spiritual energy.

Was he being too reckless?

After several tribulation lightnings, the man showed no signs of injury, not even a slight stagger.

Some of the onlookers even considered testing the tribulation themselves to see if it was as powerful as it seemed, but they quickly dismissed the thought as foolish.

Just then—

"Hahaha! Fellow cultivator, what a grand tribulation you have here!"

"This old man will lend you a hand!"

An elderly cultivator in a Daoist robe, his body exuding an ethereal aura, held a Buddhist dust-sweeping brush and shot towards Chen Qiu, deliberately releasing his divine sense to be detected by the Heavenly Dao. This meant that the fifth tribulation lightning would split into two, striking both of them simultaneously.

The power would not be diminished.

Unless this old man could withstand Chen Qiu's tribulation lightning as well.

"It's Purple Thunder True Man!"

"They say he's been in seclusion for hundreds of years. I didn't expect to see him today."

"It's true. They say he can absorb the heavenly thunder from tribulation lightnings, using it to temper his body and nourish his Purple Thunder. The greater the tribulation's power, the better the effect. In the past, wherever there was a powerful tribulation, Purple Thunder True Man would appear."

"This man is also favored by destiny. They say he was once a wandering cultivator who, by chance, obtained a strand of Purple Thunder and refined it into his life-bound treasure. By cultivating it, he became an incredibly powerful thunder cultivator. This tribulation is a great opportunity for Purple Thunder True Man."

A man looked at Purple Thunder True Man, whose body flickered with purple lightning arcs, and sighed, "For us, it's just a spectacle, but for Purple Thunder True Man, it's a significant opportunity."

"I'm a bit envious."

"A great opportunity?" Jiang Yiping, standing nearby with his arms crossed, quipped with a smirk, "It's indeed a great opportunity, but only if Purple Thunder True Man can handle it. I certainly couldn't."

"It's only natural that you can't," the man who had spoken earlier said to Jiang Yiping, "With your Celestial Immortal peak cultivation, how could you possibly withstand it? Purple Thunder True Man was already at the True Immortal peak hundreds of years ago when he last appeared. After hundreds of years, his cultivation might have reached a new level."

"Moreover, Purple Thunder is a heavenly spiritual treasure. With its protection, the damage from thunder-related spells and tribulations is significantly reduced for its owner."

"Purple Thunder True Man is more likely to choke on his food than be struck down by tribulation lightning."

Jiang Yiping chuckled but didn't respond. Perhaps the ease with which Chen Qiu was withstanding the tribulation had subconsciously led these people to doubt its actual power.

However, Jiang Yiping was certain that this tribulation was a Fourth Rank Heavenly Tribulation.

The first strike of a Fourth Rank Tribulation was powerful enough to easily kill a True Immortal cultivator, and from the fifth strike onwards, it could kill even a True Immortal at the peak of their power. With Purple Thunder True Man's interference, the fifth tribulation lightning that struck both of them would have its power increased by thirty percent.

Even with the protection of a strand of Purple Thunder, Purple Thunder True Man was guaranteed to die.

Purple Thunder was a heavenly spiritual treasure, similar to the treasure of spiritual fire, and a great opportunity, especially when facing tribulations. But even with the support of Purple Thunder, it couldn't withstand the fifth strike at the True Immortal peak cultivation.

Even if he could block it, he would still suffer severe injuries and be on the brink of death.

Unless his cultivation broke through to the Golden Immortal stage, then there would be a qualitative leap, and blocking a strike wouldn't be a problem. But it was clear that Purple Thunder True Man's cultivation hadn't reached the Golden Immortal stage, as he could tell.

Just at that moment—

The fifth tribulation thunder rumbled down.

"Boom!"

Amid the deafening sound of heavenly thunder, two bolts of lightning struck Chen Qiu and the Purple Thunder True Man who had jumped out. Chen Qiu still didn't activate his protective spiritual energy, while the Purple Thunder True Man's face changed dramatically the instant he was locked on by the Heavenly Dao and the thunder descended. Countless treasures flew out from his embrace as if they were disintegrating.

It was evident that only when the heavenly thunder fell did he truly realize the power of this tribulation.

But it was already too late.

Unscathed, Chen Qiu stood in the air, glancing at the Purple Thunder True Man who had fallen into a deep pit not far away. Countless dimming treasures lay scattered around him like broken equipment, and the man was now drenched in blood, struggling to crawl on the ground, trying to escape the range of the tribulation cloud.

It seemed that he couldn't even activate his spiritual energy anymore, and he was already on the verge of severe injury.

Chen Qiu pursed his lips without saying a word. He didn't know why this person had jumped out to seek death; perhaps he thought this way of dying wouldn't be painful.

But—

Since he had already been locked on by the Heavenly Dao, how could he possibly let him get away so easily? If he had started crossing the tribulation, he must complete the entire tribulation!

The sixth tribulation thunder followed closely, and this time, there were still two bolts, one for Chen Qiu and the other for the Purple Thunder True Man at the edge of the pit.

"Boom!!!"

This time, Chen Qiu still didn't activate his protective spiritual energy. He wanted to see how far he could go relying solely on the Thunder Robe and thousands of billions of merit points. However, the Purple Thunder True Man had already dissipated into nothingness without a trace, let alone his corpse; even his soul had been instantly wiped out.

He had completely vanished from the world, not even leaving behind a chance for reincarnation.

Chen Qiu didn't pay much attention to this. He was just a passerby who had sought death.

He only wanted to see the limits of the Thunder Robe.

". . ."

". . ."

Among the onlookers, especially the middle-aged man who had just been boasting about the Purple Thunder True Man, looked at the deep pit on the ground with a blank expression, not uttering a word. It was clear that from now on, this person would no longer exist.

This person was quite famous in the Extinction Immortal Realm.

He often tried to steal heavenly tribulations, which had led to the deaths of many people. He was always in a state where everyone wanted to beat him up, but due to his formidable strength, there was nothing they could do. Who would have thought that he would die here so easily?

A good swordsman indeed dies by the sword.

However, he was a powerful cultivator at the peak of the True Immortal stage and had his unique method of crossing tribulations. Yet, he couldn't even withstand two bolts of tribulation thunder.

That.

That young man standing in the sky, who hadn't even activated his protective spiritual energy, where did he come from? What kind of revered figure was he?

Just then—

The ninth tribulation thunder had already descended, and a vast voice resounded throughout the Extinction Immortal Realm!

"Heavenly Dao Proclamation: The Heavenly Dao senses that in the Tide Province of the Extinction Immortal Realm, a human cultivator, the Sect Master of the Mock Heaven Sect, the Heavenly Dao Sage, the Heavenly Dao Villain, the Guardian Deity of the Human Race, the World-Defying Talent, Chen Qiu, the Heavenly King Chen Qiu, with his cultivation at the peak of the Celestial Immortal stage, has successfully passed the Fourth Rank Tribulation, the 'Cataclysmic Annihilation Thunder Tribulation'!

He is the first genius in the history of the Extinction Immortal Realm to pass the 'Cataclysmic Annihilation Thunder Tribulation'!

A special reward of one thousand top-grade spirit stones is granted.

Mortals, you need not follow this as an example. Merely observing is sufficient!

"It's actually the Fourth Rank Tribulation, the 'Cataclysmic Annihilation Thunder Tribulation'!"

Jiang Buying, who had been about to step forward to congratulate Chen Qiu, heard the Heavenly Dao Proclamation and his expression changed slightly. He stopped in his tracks again. There were several types of Fourth Rank Tribulations, and among them, the most terrifying was the 'Cataclysmic Annihilation Thunder Tribulation'!

In terms of power, the Cataclysmic Annihilation Thunder Tribulation was only considered to be on the higher end among all Fourth Rank Tribulations, ranking in the middle-upper tier, but not the strongest.

However, the death rate of the Cataclysmic Annihilation Thunder Tribulation was almost as high as 99.99%, far surpassing the death rate of other Fourth Rank Tribulations. Generally speaking, the death rate of Fourth Rank Tribulations was high, but not too high.

After all, although the Fourth Rank Tribulations were powerful, those who could trigger them were not nameless cultivators. They naturally had some skills.

The reason why the Cataclysmic Annihilation Thunder Tribulation had such a terrifying death rate was that once it was triggered, it would be immediately followed by the Fifth Rank Tribulation, the 'Cataclysmic Annihilation Earth Thunder Tribulation'!!!

The Fifth Rank Tribulation was not just one level stronger than the Fourth Rank Tribulation.

Having just passed the Fourth Rank Tribulation, even if one were still alive, their methods would be exhausted. At this moment, if a Fifth Rank Tribulation appeared, it would be like asking for their life!

"It seems your luck isn't very good."

Jiang Taiping's expression was complex as he looked at the tribulation cloud in the sky, which not only hadn't dispersed but was also crazily gathering heavenly power again. An even more terrifying storm was about to descend, and he was also a bit uncertain if Chen Qiu could withstand it.

Normally, the power of the Fifth Rank Tribulation was equivalent to the tribulation power that a cultivator at the peak of the Great Transcendent Immortal stage would face when breaking through to the next realm.

It was far beyond what a Celestial Immortal at the peak of his cultivation should attempt, let alone appear in a Sixth Rank Immortal World.

The realm above the True Immortal stage was the Golden Immortal stage, and above the Golden Immortal stage was the Great Transcendent Immortal stage.

If this were a normal cultivator, or even a once-in-a-million-years talent, he would think that this person was undoubtedly doomed. But if this person were Chen Qiu, he felt that perhaps a miracle would occur.

At this moment, the onlookers who had already dispersed also noticed this scene and looked up at the sky in bewilderment.

Why was the tribulation cloud gathering again?

Could it be that someone else was about to cross a tribulation?

". . ."

At this moment, although Chen Qiu didn't know what had happened, he could clearly feel that the heavenly power was once again firmly locking onto him. This meant that he had to cross another tribulation, and he was a bit speechless, as he didn't even know what kind of tribulation this was.

For some reason, he had to undergo a Tribulation.

But it didn't matter anyway.

The "Fourth Stage Heavenly Tribulation" he had just passed through didn't cause him any harm even after the ninth Tribulation Lightning descended. He could clearly sense that it was far from reaching the limit of the "Thunder Robe," and he wanted to test its limits.

This time, the Tribulation Clouds gathered much faster, and the power of the heavens and earth was drawn at a much quicker rate. It was evident that these powers were being urgently summoned from other Sixth Rank Immortal Worlds, as a single "Extinction Immortal Realm" did not have such abundant reserves.

"Boom!!!"

The deafening thunderclap signaled the first Tribulation Lightning!

Then, the second, third, fourth... until the ninth descended!

As the Tribulation Clouds in the sky began to dissipate, Chen Qiu finally breathed a sigh of relief, shaking his slightly numb arms and muttering, "That was a powerful strike."

Clearly, he was no longer the same person who had passed through the Third Rank Tribulation. The strength of the unique-grade reward, the "Thunder Robe," far exceeded his imagination. Throughout the Tribulation, he relied on three methods: thousands of billions of merit points, the Thunder Robe, and protective spiritual energy.

The protective spiritual energy was naturally symbolic, and under the intensity of this Tribulation, the protective spiritual energy of a Peak Celestial Immortal would shatter with the slightest touch, rendering the thousands of them useless.

His primary defense came from the first two methods.

With these two methods, he consecutively passed through the "Cataclysmic Annihilation Thunder Tribulation" and the "Cataclysmic Annihilation Earth Tribulation," a Fourth Rank Tribulation and a Fifth Rank Tribulation, without any issues. He felt nothing except a slight numbness in his arms.

At this moment—

A vast and ancient voice echoed throughout the Extinction Immortal Realm, repeating three times:

"Heavenly Dao Proclamation: The Heavenly Dao senses that in the Tide Province of the Extinction Immortal Realm, the Human Race cultivator and Sect Master of the Mock Heaven Sect, Chen Qiu, who is also the Heavenly Dao Sage, the Heavenly Dao Villain, the Human Race Guardian Deity, and the World-Defying Talent, has successfully passed through the Fifth Rank Tribulation, the 'Cataclysmic Annihilation Earth Tribulation,' at the Peak Celestial Immortal stage!

He is the first in the history of the Extinction Immortal Realm to pass the 'Cataclysmic Annihilation Earth Tribulation' at this stage.

Furthermore, he is the first across all continents to pass through the 'Cataclysmic Annihilation Heaven and Earth Tribulations' at the Celestial Immortal stage. This Proclamation will echo throughout the Extinction Immortal Realm and all lower-ranked continents.

He is specially bestowed with the unique-grade treasure, the 'Cataclysmic Annihilation Thunder.'

The common people need not follow this example; merely observe and await the outcome."

Chen Qiu glanced at the Heavenly Dao Proclamation, raising his eyebrows. He hadn't expected such a generous reward for passing the Fifth Rank Tribulation, a unique-grade reward. So far, all the rewards he had encountered, including the Treasure Devouring Spirit Tree and the Thunder Robe, had been exceptional.

They were all incredibly powerful.

The only thing that piqued his curiosity was his possession of the Green Entry, the "Heavenly Dao Proclamation," which doubled all rewards obtained from Proclamations. Could the unique-grade reward also be doubled?

However, now was not the time to check his rewards.

After sending Badan back to the Tide Immortal Plane, he led Fat Dragon and the others into the small world to study their gains, completely unaware of the shock this Tribulation had brought to the drought-stricken Extinction Immortal Realm.

The spectators looked towards the spot where Chen Qiu had disappeared, realizing for the first time the name of this young man. They believed this wouldn't be the last time they heard it, and they would likely remember it for a long time.

The Extinction Immortal Realm had produced a monster.

Whether it was a good or bad thing remained to be seen.

But one thing was certain: during this period, they needed to keep their family's younger members in check, lest they provoke this person and bring disaster upon their family.

Some cultivators who had been in Sealed Meditation were also silently preparing to return to it, as it was safer than wandering outside during turbulent times.

Although the name "Sealed Meditation" didn't sound pleasant, the chances of dying in Sealed Meditation were much lower than those of dying while wandering outside during unstable times.

"Sealed Meditation" was a term coined by cultivators facing their final limits. If they didn't break through a major realm and died in their secluded meditation, it was considered Sealed Meditation, a way to demonstrate their determination. Many would even set up formations to seal their cave entrances from the outside, only to be opened from within upon achieving a breakthrough.

By cutting off all paths to life, they could unleash their potential before death.

However, the term "Sealed Meditation" eventually became less strict, and any cultivator who meditated for a long time could claim to be in Sealed Meditation.

Jiang Buying also heaved a sigh of relief. He was probably the one who least wanted Chen Qiu to die. Moreover, Chen Qiu's foundation was much stronger than he had imagined, especially after obtaining the "Cataclysmic Annihilation Thunder," which significantly increased his strength.

When Chen Qiu came to bid him farewell, he had already informed Chen Qiu about the value of the "Cataclysmic Annihilation Thunder."

In this world, there existed "Spiritual Fires," "Spiritual Thunders," and even "Spiritual Waters." Possessing these and placing them within one's Dantian could greatly enhance the power of corresponding attribute spells.

The "Cataclysmic Annihilation Thunder" was a type of Spiritual Thunder and the most destructive among all Spiritual Thunders, on par with the "Purple Thunder." However, it was of an unknown higher grade than the Purple Thunder.

The "Cataclysmic Annihilation Thunder" was also a unique-grade treasure, obtainable only by successfully passing through the "Cataclysmic Annihilation Heaven and Earth Tribulations," which meant consecutively passing through a Fourth Rank Tribulation and a Fifth Rank Tribulation.

This was the only way to obtain it.

Once someone possessed the "Cataclysmic Annihilation Thunder," even if others passed through the same Tribulations, they would not receive this strand of Spiritual Thunder. Instead, they would receive different rewards. The fact that this reward appeared in Chen Qiu's Heavenly Dao Proclamation indicated that the previous owner had perished.

He knew that person.

That person was from the same era as his senior, "Khitan," who had cultivated to the ninth layer of Qi Refinement. Before he was imprisoned, that person was still active, but after his release, there was no news of him, indicating that he had likely died quietly long ago.

In his era, there were many terrifyingly powerful individuals, but most of them died later on. Instead, he, who was not particularly remarkable back then, was the one who survived to the end.

Although he had experienced a lot, he was only a Half-step Immortal Emperor. In that era, only Immortal Emperors had the right to speak, and he truly had no qualifications to sit at the table.

Most of the time, his role was that of a witness rather than a participant.

This time, his role was still that of a witness.

However, this time, he might witness something different.

"Sigh."

Inside the small world, Chen Qiu sat on the oval stone at the back mountain and sighed lightly, "This is too much of a loss. Even if I can't double the 'Unique-tier Reward,' I can understand that. But shouldn't there be some other compensation, like a thousand top-grade Spirit Stones or something?"

Under the effect of the green entry "Frequent Decree Visitor," the reward for his first Heavenly Dao Proclamation did indeed double.

One thousand top-grade Spirit Stones became two thousand top-grade Spirit Stones.

However, the reward for the second Heavenly Dao Proclamation did not double at all.

Through Jiang Buying's introduction, he naturally knew that this strand of seemingly black-purple "Cataclysmic Annihilation Thunder" was extremely valuable, a treasure that could rival a nation. Especially since it was extremely compatible with him, greatly increasing his attack power. But the fact that it didn't double still made him feel a little cheated.

Even if it couldn't be doubled, couldn't there be some other compensation? Like tripling the reward next time, for example.

He shook his head and didn't think too much about it. After all, the Heavenly Dao hadn't awakened yet, and everything was being handled strictly according to pre-set rules. Naturally, there wouldn't be any compensation. If the Heavenly Dao were to awaken, not only would there be no compensation, but this strand of thunder wouldn't even be given to him, as he and the Heavenly Dao were enemies.

Just as he was about to place this strand of lightning arc into his dantian and nurture it carefully in the future, as it was about to come into contact with his body, it was suddenly devoured by his Thunder Robe, accompanied by a stream of brilliance flowing down his Thunder Robe, and the strand of lightning arc disappeared.

"It's gone? Did you eat it?"

Chen Qiu looked at the Thunder Robe in a daze, and after sensing it carefully, he realized that the strand of lightning arc had indeed been eaten by his Thunder Robe. His Thunder Robe could devour "Spirit Thunder" to make itself stronger, and it would automatically devour any unclaimed Spirit Thunder that approached him.

Not only could it significantly enhance the strength of the Thunder Robe based on the strength of the Spirit Thunder, but it could also increase the power of his thunder-attributed spells and cultivation methods.

The effect was even better than placing it in the dantian, and it didn't require time and resources to nurture it; it was ready to go at full strength.

"Hmm."

Chen Qiu pursed his lips, his eyes filled with laughter, "That doesn't seem too bad."

After this heavenly tribulation, he could confirm one thing: the Thunder Robe was probably the most powerful life-saving treasure he had, especially when facing heavenly tribulations. In the future, if he had the opportunity, he could acquire some Spirit Thunder to feed his Thunder Robe, making it even stronger.

The reason why he had just passed through the heavenly tribulation so easily was not only because of the Thunder Robe and the thousands of billions of merit points but also due to some of the white and green entries playing a decisive role. After all, he possessed all the white entries and over 20,000 green entries, and many of these entries could have a significant effect during heavenly tribulations.

Although the effect might not be too great.

But with so many entries, the cumulative effect was substantial. In the past, he had almost risked his life for a single entry, but now he had over a hundred thousand entries. The contrast was too great, but if he hadn't risked his life for that entry back then, he might not have these hundred thousand entries now.

It was like when he had eaten three hundred buns to feel full; he couldn't say that the first 299 buns were wasted, and only the 300th bun was enough.

Immediately after, he looked at his cultivation progress -

-

"Cultivation": True Immortal, First Layer (0.0%).

-

"Finally, I've reached the True Immortal stage."

Chen Qiu gazed at the cultivation progress panel in a daze. Now that he had cultivated to the True Immortal stage, the next stages were Golden Immortal and Great Transcendent Immortal. The Immortal Emperor, who had once been so distant, was now just one step away!

His plan was to reach the Immortal Emperor stage within a hundred years.

Then, within a thousand years, he would try to make himself as powerful as possible before facing the final battle.

Perhaps the chance of victory was slim.

But if he could gather all the "White Emperor Banners" up to the "Seven-Colored Emperor Banner," and even the "Gray Emperor Banner" and the "Black Emperor Banner," then in a certain sense, he would become a concept god. At that time, when he fought against the Heavenly Dao again, he would have a chance of winning.

After all, the most powerful aspect of the Heavenly Dao was that all the entries were a manifestation of its abilities. In other words, if the Heavenly Dao possessed all the entries, then he would be the Heavenly Dao!

Using the power of the Heavenly Dao to defeat the Heavenly Dao!

Cultivation, still cultivation.

Chen Qiu temporarily put aside his future plans in his mind and looked at his wrist. A tattoo-like mark had appeared on his wrist, a godly image woven from lines embedded in his skin.

This was the "True Body" ability he obtained after breaking through to the True Immortal stage, a unique ability of the True Immortal cultivation level.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end