thefictionvixens Chapter 21 Taking Action
Chapter 21 Taking Action
On Huntian Ridge, two pairs of eyes gazed together at the desolate star field on the other side of the universe, where calamity surged.
The figure manifested by the Heavenly Tribulation stood with his hands behind his back in the void, a lotus blooming amidst the eternal blue sky. Simply by standing there, he exuded a pressure that made the entire universe hold its breath. It wasn't the true resurrection of the Azure Emperor, but rather the remnants of the Great Dao within the Heavenly Heart Imprint being stirred by his tribulation aura, manifesting through the Heavenly Tribulation. In another sense, the Heavenly Heart Imprint is the mark left by an enlightened being on the Heavenly Dao, and the phantom manifested by the Heavenly Tribulation based on this is the supreme aspect of the Azure Emperor left in the world!
"The Heavenly Tribulation, linked to the Heavenly Heart Mark, manifests the Great Dao of the Azure Emperor, which is almost equivalent to the Azure Emperor being born in this world." The Great Emperor of Shenzhou sighed, his gaze piercing through layers of void.
"This young man is indeed very strong; no wonder you value his talent, fellow Daoist. If it were another Emperor or Sovereign suppressing his Dao, he might actually have a slight chance of success..."
The Nine Nether Quasi-Emperor, who was undergoing tribulation, was someone Gai Jiuyou had mentioned to the Lord of Chaos before him, but his accumulated power was far greater than he had imagined. The Great Emperor of Shenzhou wondered if, if he were in the other's shoes, facing a true Emperor's shadow in his unenlightened state, he might not be able to do better than Gai Jiuyou.
"Unfortunately, he was facing the Azure Emperor!"
The elixir of immortality has materialized, seemingly the reincarnation of a Celestial King. The Azure Emperor's path to power began with a single azure lotus taking root in the Central Plains, then swept across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths without a single rival, and finally merged with the will of Heaven to reign supreme over the universe—it was almost a complete crushing victory. Apart from one or two individuals who had at least managed to clash with him, none of the rest even earned his serious attention.
With his now repeatedly broadened perspective, the Great Emperor of Shenzhou was able to make a judgment: even a true emperor or sovereign standing before the Azure Emperor at their most glorious moment would likely perish. While Gai Jiuyou possessed extraordinary talent, he had not yet transcended the Heavenly Tribulation and could not be considered to have truly entered the realm of the Ultimate Dao. Facing the manifestation of the Azure Emperor's Great Dao in an unenlightened state was practically a certain death sentence.
This is different from any previous heavenly tribulation.
In the past, when exceptionally talented individuals with the potential to achieve enlightenment underwent the Tribulation of Emperor, illusory figures of emperors and sovereigns would appear and attack them. In extremely rare circumstances, even the nine Heavenly Venerables of the mythical era would appear simultaneously. However, in such situations, the tribulation was merely a test. As long as one used all their knowledge and various supernatural abilities to persevere for a sufficiently long time, and was deemed to have passed the test by the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, those illusory figures would naturally dissipate, and the tribulation would be considered a success.
Now, Gai Jiuyou is challenging the suppression of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth itself!
Unless he, in his unenlightened state, directly defeats the illusory image of the Azure Emperor and forcibly shatters the Dao imprint the Azure Emperor left on the Heavenly Heart, this calamity will never cease. There is no time limit, no way out; it will only end when one side falls.
"To defeat the Azure Emperor's illusory image while still in a state of enlightenment is equivalent to defeating a true emperor in the Heavenly Heart before attaining enlightenment in the mortal realm." Yu Dao nodded slowly, his gaze fixed on the blood-soaked figure playing the zither in that star field.
There, Gai Jiuyou unleashed the most powerful techniques he had ever used. Some of these secret techniques were ones he had never shown to anyone before, techniques that had never encountered a worthy opponent since their creation, and now they shone with their most brilliant light!
The core essence of the Immortal Tribulation Melody was unleashed to its fullest extent at this moment. The tribulation within the mortal realm was not a trial by heavenly lightning and earthly fire, but rather a trial by heaven and earth themselves. The music transformed into countless ripples, each a question, each note a challenge to the azure figure: Since you stand in my way, then I will cross over.
Even the few supreme beings in the restricted area who were watching were amazed.
Gai Jiuyou actually withstood the attack of the Azure Emperor's phantom. Contrary to everyone's expectations, he did not suffer a one-sided defeat. The Azure Lotus Secret Technique, amplified by the Heavenly Tribulation, became even more terrifying, while the ripples of the Tribulation-Crossing Immortal Melody became even more ferocious in the next moment. The sound of the zither clashed with the Azure Lotus, and the Dao light intertwined with the musical notes, spreading throughout the entire star field. From the smallest speck of dust to the vast universe, every place was engaged in fierce combat. One withered star after another silently disintegrated in the aftershocks, its fragments crushed into nothingness by the two forces before they could even scatter. Cracks in the void opened and closed, closed and were torn open again, turning the entire star field into a tattered cloth that had been repeatedly crumpled and torn apart.
But as time passed, the tribulation cloud not only failed to weaken, but instead grew even thicker. The Heavenly Heart Imprint was fully awakened by Gai Jiuyou's impact, and the Azure Emperor's Great Dao, dormant deep within the Heavenly Dao, raised its head like an enraged dragon. The outline of the Azure Emperor's phantom was many times clearer than before; the lines of his features could even be faintly seen on his previously blurry face. His eyes were no longer empty lightning, but seemed to possess a trace of spirit.
The azure lotus swayed, its petals unfurling, each one radiating an aura capable of crushing eternity. The illusory figure raised a hand, striking down with a palm—not just with physical force, but with the weight of the entire Heavenly Dao itself. Gai Jiuyou's zither music formed a shield, and the Tribulation-Crossing Immortal Melody layered upon itself in that instant. When it collided with that palm, silently, the dozen or so withered stars surrounding him instantly turned to dust.
Gai Jiuyou's black hair was now disheveled, and his tattered robes were soaked in blood, clinging to his body and revealing the crisscrossing wounds beneath.
But these physical wounds were not the most fatal. The true killing intent had pierced his body when the heavenly tribulation struck. Each collision of Dao principles tore apart his foundation of the Great Dao. Fine cracks spread across his Immortal Platform like a spider web, each crack corresponding to a moment when he withstood the direct attack of the Azure Emperor's illusory image. His body and Dao foundation were simultaneously covered in wounds during the tribulation, and blood kept spilling from the corners of his lips, dripping onto the strings of the Nine Nether Qin, where it was shaken into a blood mist by the vibrations of the strings.
He coughed up another mouthful of blood, his eyes still bright, but now tinged with an unyielding sorrow. He knew he couldn't hold on any longer. The suppression of the Azure Emperor's Great Dao was not something an unenlightened cultivator could shake; to have endured this far was already a miracle. He had to escape before the Heavenly Tribulation completely devoured him.
His fingertips twitched slightly, and a backup plan he had prepared long ago was activated in his mind—his final escape route set up before his tribulation.
However, at that moment, a will was projected from the direction of Burial Sky Island.
He was an extremely ruthless supreme being who had been in a deep slumber in the past, but was awakened by the descent of Huntianling and had never fallen back into slumber since.
"Born for the Way, and die for the Way. Having chosen this path, why linger on in vain?"
The cold-blooded supreme muttered to himself, an intense killing intent gathering from the heavens, intent on annihilating the prodigy and seizing his Dao traces and blood essence. This was something that had never happened in the original story!
Gai Jiuyou sensed the killing intent, and despair appeared in his eyes.
He never expected that even after failing to transcend his tribulation, the supreme being in the forbidden zone of life would still attack him.
He has not yet escaped the Heavenly Tribulation. If the Supreme One were to intervene, he would surely perish in his current state!
…………
On Huntian Ridge, under the peach tree.
Yu Dao gently placed the teacup in his hand on the bluestone platform. He did not rise, did not form any hand seals, and did not even reveal any extra emotions. He simply extended his right index finger and, across the endless void, across the layers of tribulation clouds, across the cage of killing intent laid down by that cold and ruthless supreme being, gently pointed towards Gai Jiuyou.
The next instant, the talisman in Gai Jiuyou's arms emitted light.