Ren Xiaoyao's fingertips brushed across the silvery-white patterns flowing on the surface of the Divine Stone, the cool touch carrying the ancient pulse of Pangu's remnant soul spanning billions of years.
Those patterns are like solidified Star River, each one engraved with the code of the Beginning of Creation. They feel slightly warm under your fingertips, as if Ancient Gods are awakening from their slumber.
As the Dao God pattern lit up like a reversed Milky Way, a scene of the Beginning of Chaos exploded in my mind—the primordial energy surged like boiling water, and the immense power of Primordial Chaos Qi, the god of Pangu Open Chaos with his Sky-Opening Axe reappeared in my memory.
The moment the Sky-Opening Axe fell, the Pure and Turbid Energies separated, and the world was initially established. The Divine Stone was formed from a wisp of remnant soul that collapsed Pangu's Sky-Opening. After being refined over countless eras, it sealed the Creative Power layer by layer.
The Creation Secrets, buried in the long river of time, surged forth like a tide. He finally understood that only those Chosen of Destiny by Heaven, recognized by the Heavenly Dao, could awaken this supreme power capable of reshaping the universe and reversing Yin and Yang.
Among those long-forgotten memories, there are still flashes of images of those Chosen One trying to touch the Divine Stone but suffering backlash: a cultivator in green robes was instantly entangled by silver-white patterns as soon as his fingertips touched the Divine Stone, turning into a charred skeleton in an instant; an old man with white hair tried to forcefully merge with it, but his sea of consciousness exploded, and his soul let out a shrill scream in the void.
These images served as a warning bell, yet they only made Ren Xiaoyao's action of pressing the Divine Stone to his brow become even more steady.
His pupils reflected the shimmering light of the Divine Stone, as if he were witnessing the tragic fall of countless gods on Ancient Battlefield. And now, the gears of fate had finally pushed him into the eye of the storm.
Without hesitation, he pressed the Divine Stone between his eyebrows. In an instant, the surging Creative Power, like a flood bursting its banks, poured into his meridians with the oppressive force of World Creation.
It felt as if a volcano had exploded in his dantian. The excruciating pain was like thousands of steel needles piercing his body at the same time. Ren Xiaoyao's veins bulged, and his bones made a cracking sound as if they were about to burst under the strain.
Every inch of his skin was enduring excruciating, tearing pain. His Divine Sense was nearly shattered by the impact of the power. Before his eyes flashed the darkness before Primordial Chaos and the light of World Creation, and in his ears echoed the earth-shaking roar of Pangu's Sky-Opening.
The Origin Power Pangu contained within the Divine Stone repaired every Damaged Meridians at an incredible speed. Between destruction and restoration, ancient runes, like serpents, roamed across the skin's surface, radiating a sacred and Dazzling Light.
His hair stood on end without any wind, and he seemed to be enveloped in golden divine light, surrounded by the Chaos Aura of the Beginning of Creation, like a newborn god descending to earth.
Deep within his consciousness, a blurry Pangu Phantom slowly opened its eyes, gazing upon this new inheritor.
As the phantom raised its hand, a surge of Chaos Qi flowed into Ren Xiaoyao's sea of consciousness. Under the impact of this power, his meridians emitted a clanging sound like metal striking stone. His originally fragile dantian began to be reshaped, forming a rotating Chaos Vortex that slowly absorbed the Creative Power into it.
In a daze, he heard Pangu's deep voice echoing in his mind. "You should use the common people as your sword to cut through illusion."
The moment this power, which transcends the World Laws, was taken into control, the entire world began to tremble violently.
The once star-studded night sky was instantly swallowed up by rolling dark clouds. Purple Lightning, like raging dragons, roamed freely within the pitch-black clouds, accompanied by deafening thunderclaps that seemed to be the furious roar of heaven and earth.
A chilling pressure descended from the heavens. Ren Xiaoyao's expression turned solemn. He knew that this was the Supreme Heavenly Tribulation, specifically sent to punish those who dared to attempt to control the Heavenly Dao Power.
An ancient and majestic roar came from the depths of the Tribulation Clouds, as if the Heavenly Dao was issuing a final warning to him. The phantom of the Heavenly Dao Laws faintly appeared in the clouds, and the sense of judgment grew stronger.
The entire world resisted the emergence of this power. Distant mountains began to collapse spontaneously, and rivers flowed upstream, as if to eliminate this "heretic" before the Heavenly Tribulation descended.
The earth cracked open with a huge fissure, and magma gushed out, colliding with the counter-flowing river water and producing steam that blotted out the sky; the stars in the sky were out of place, the Big Dipper hung upside down, and the ancient Stellar Constellation Formation began to operate on its own, shooting beams of starlight towards Ren Xiaoyao, as if to help him overcome his tribulation, or as if to test his limits of endurance.
Further into the sky, the shadowy figure of the Dark Heavenly Emperor loomed at the edge of the Tribulation Clouds, his crimson pupils gleaming with a greedy light that awaited his demise.
The first Heavenly Tribulation struck first, with Purple Lightning bolt as thick as a bucket tearing through the sky and crashing down with World-Ending Aura.
Ren Xiaoyao shouted, formed hand seals, and mobilized the Stellar Power to condense a dazzling shield in front of him.
The lightning struck the shield with a deafening roar, unleashing a blinding light and a deafening explosion. The shield trembled violently under the impact, its surface rippling as if it might shatter at any moment.
Ren Xiaoyao gritted his teeth and channeled his spiritual power to the fullest extent. The Creative Power and the Stellar Power within his body merged, and at the moment when the shield was about to collapse, he completely dissolved the power of the first Heavenly Tribulation.
But the powerful impact still caused his blood to surge, a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, and the ground beneath his feet was shaken open with spiderweb-like cracks. Countless tiny sparks of electricity continued to dance wildly on the ground within Fang Yuan miles, refusing to dissipate for a long time.
The lightning bolts pierced the ground, triggering a series of earthquakes. Distant towns trembled violently, and the terrified cries of the people carried on the wind, making Ren Xiaoyao's heart tighten and strengthening his resolve to successfully overcome the tribulation Protecting All Living Beings.
Gazing at the wisps of smoke rising from the ruins, he silently vowed, "Even if I have to shatter these nine Tribulation Clouds, I will preserve this sliver of life for humanity."
The second Heavenly Tribulation arrived in quick succession, with countless tiny bolts of lightning pouring down like a torrential downpour.
Ren Xiaoyao spread his Lightning Wings, his figure transforming into a streak of light, nimbly weaving through the lightning.
His longsword moved like a dragon emerging from the sea, its Sword Qi energy shattering any approaching bolts of lightning.
However, there were simply too many bolts of lightning. Even with his exquisite Movement Method, several bolts still grazed his body, instantly leaving charred marks on his clothes. Blood slowly flowed from the wounds, staining his clothes red.
Each Dao Wound burned with pain, as if scorched by Heavenly Thunder, but he paid no heed to healing himself, staring intently at the sky, bracing himself for the next Heavenly Tribulation.
At this moment, his wings were also struck by lightning. The flashing lightning made the patterns on his wings appear and disappear, as if they were under tremendous pressure. Smoke even began to rise from the edges of his wings, as if they could be completely burned at any moment.
Lightning entered his body through his wings, clashing with the Creative Power in his meridians. Ren Xiaoyao felt as if his internal organs had been struck by a heavy hammer, and he couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood. However, he mustered his strength and continued to dodge and weave through the lightning. His sword shadows were like a tapestry, deflecting the approaching lightning one by one.
During a lull in the fighting, he caught a glimpse of frightened creatures fleeing in the distant forest, and silently chanted, "Hold on, hold on..."
The third Heavenly Tribulation tribulation was even more ferocious. A huge Black Vortex suddenly appeared in the sky, from which shot out a black beam of light containing endless Destructive Aura.
Wherever the beam of light passed, space shattered inch by inch, the earth began to tremble violently, and the surrounding mountains collapsed under the pressure of this power, turning into dust everywhere.
The distant town vanished instantly under this force, leaving only ruins, and the air was filled with a suffocating Destructive Aura.
Ren Xiaoyao dared not be careless in the slightest. He perfectly fused the Creative Power with his own spiritual power, condensing a Golden Light Shield in front of him.
The moment the black beam of light collided with the Golden Light Shield, the entire world seemed to freeze. Powerful energy fluctuations spread outwards like a hurricane, leveling everything in their path.
Ren Xiaoyao was sent flying by the aftershock, crashing into a distant mountain peak. The entire peak was dented, and rocks rained down. His back was a bloody mess, with bones almost piercing through his skin.
The intense pain from the impact made his vision go black, but he forced himself to regain his senses. Looking at the slightly warm Divine Stone in his hand, and feeling the encouragement from the remnant soul of Pangu emanating from it, he stood up again, his eyes fixed firmly on the Black Vortex in the sky.
At that moment, a stubborn smile curled at the corner of his lips. "Want my life? Then step over my dead body first!"
The fourth Heavenly Tribulation descended, with countless ice cones carrying a bone-chilling cold falling from the clouds. The ground they touched was instantly frozen, and the coldness traveled through Ren Xiaoyao his dantian.
While using the Method of Void Breaking to leap and dodge in the void, he also mobilized the power of flames within his body, spewing out raging fire from his mouth.
The flames collided with the ice spikes, bursting into a large amount of white mist. However, there were so many ice spikes that the chill continued to erode his body, causing Ren Xiaoyao's movements to gradually slow down. His body was also covered with a layer of crystalline frost, and every breath he took was filled with biting cold.
His eyebrows and eyelashes were covered in frost, and his breath instantly condensed into white mist. The long sword in his hand seemed to be frozen, making it increasingly heavy to swing, but he still persevered and refused to back down in the slightest.
As time went on, he gradually lost sensation in his limbs, and even his thinking began to slow down, as if his whole body was being completely frozen.
However, just as the ice spikes were about to touch his heart, the Chaos Vortex in his dantian suddenly accelerated its rotation, and a surge of scorching power erupted, dispelling all the chill that had invaded his body. At the same time, a layer of fire shield formed on his body surface, melting the subsequent ice spikes.
Amidst the interplay of flames and frost, he seemed to see the majestic figure of Pangu melting glaciers with his body heat on Ancient Battlefield.
During the fifth Heavenly Tribulation, countless enormous meteorites appeared in the sky, trailing long fiery tails, hurtling towards Ren Xiaoyao like a meteor shower.
These meteorites are engraved with ancient runes, exuding a mysterious aura. As the runes flicker, they faintly reveal an evil power.
He took a deep breath, gathered all his strength, and raised his hands high, forming a huge vortex of spiritual energy above his head.
Meteorites are drawn into the vortex, where they collide and shatter, turning into countless Stardust.
However, several huge meteorites still broke through the vortex's obstruction, hurtling towards him with intense heat and powerful impact.
Ren Xiaoyao swung his Sword Qi, and the sword energy collided with the meteorite, bursting into dazzling flames. The powerful impact sent him flying backward, crashing heavily into a mountain peak. The entire mountain shook violently, and huge cracks appeared on its surface, from which scalding magma seeped out. His tiger's mouth was shattered, and blood flowed continuously down the hilt of his sword.
When he gripped the sword again, he found that the blade had turned red-hot due to the high temperature, and the dragon pattern on the hilt seemed to come alive, emitting a deep roar to help him resist the erosion of the evil power in the meteorite.
Reflected in the lava, his figure overlapped with the dragon pattern on the sword, as if High Antiquity war god had been reborn.
The sixth Heavenly Tribulation was the most bizarre. The space between heaven and earth began to twist and deform, and countless Space Cracks spread wildly in the void like the mouths of ferocious beasts.
Ren Xiaoyao is caught in the cracks, and every move he makes could be swallowed up by them.
He concentrated all his energy, relying on his profound understanding of the Law of Space, to painstakingly search for a safe path in the distorted space.
At the same time, he continuously used the Method of Void Breaking in an attempt to repair the Space Cracks around him.
But the distortion of space became more and more severe, and fine cracks began to appear on his body. Blood kept gushing out from the cracks, staining the ground beneath his feet red.
Each crack sent piercing pain through him, as if countless tiny knives were cutting into his body, while eerie howling sounds emanated from the surrounding Space Cracks, as if countless wronged souls were struggling within them.
His vision began to blur, and the space in front of him twisted into various strange shapes. He could even see fragments from different times and spaces flickering in the cracks.
In one Space-time Fragments, he saw his future self lying in a pool of blood, with the Dark Heavenly Emperor standing on him and grinning maliciously; while in another fragment, he saw himself become an unparalleled powerhouse who would save all living beings.
These images kept assaulting his mind, but he forced himself to calm down, plunged his longsword into the ground, and used the sword as a guide to mobilize the Creative Power to begin repairing the distorted space.
As his blood dripped onto the sword, the blade suddenly burst forth with intense light, fiercely battling against the darkness within the Space Cracks.
During the seventh Heavenly Tribulation, a mysterious and powerful force suddenly descended, and Ren Xiaoyao's consciousness was instantly pulled into an illusory world.
In this world, the Dark Heavenly Emperor's grinning face grew ever larger, and his relatives and friends struggled in agony under Dark Heavenly Emperor claws, falling one after another.
Ren Xiaoyao wanted to rush forward to help, but found that he couldn't move his body and could only watch helplessly as the tragedy unfolded.
The pain and anger in his heart erupted like a volcano, and just when he was about to be swallowed by despair, a glimmer of clarity flashed through his mind.
He suddenly realized that this was a test of his will by Heavenly Tribulation, so he gritted his teeth and roared, "I will never be deceived by illusions!"
With this roar, a powerful force of conviction erupted as if it were tangible, instantly shattering the illusory world, and his consciousness returned to the real world.
However, this brief mental shock also caused considerable damage to his Divine Sense. His head was throbbing with pain, as if it were being torn apart. Blood even gushed from his nose, and he was swaying precariously.
At this moment, a mark left by the Pangu Phantom. A cool power flowed in, rapidly repairing his damaged Divine Sense, while whispering in his ear, "Do not fear the Heart Demon, for your true nature is the Heavenly Dao."
Soothed by this force, his mind cleared again, and his gaze toward the Tribulation Clouds became even more resolute.
The eighth Heavenly Tribulation arrived, and a colossal phantom of Asura appeared in the sky. The Asura wielded a massive battle blade and exuded an endless aura of slaughter, as if it wanted to annihilate everything in the world.
The phantom of the Asura was surrounded by countless vengeful spirits, whose wails were chilling. Each wail was like a sharp blade piercing Ren Xiaoyao's heart.
Ren Xiaoyao felt unprecedented pressure. He mobilized all the power in his body and condensed a Golden Sword Light containing the Creative Power and the Stellar Power.
The sword light clashed with the battle blade, unleashing a deafening roar that shook the entire world.
Ren Xiaoyao's body was forced backward by the impact of this force, his clothes were torn and his body was covered with deep wounds, but his eyes became more and more determined, without the slightest intention to back down.
Every Dao Wound was bleeding, but he was completely unaware of it, his mind filled with only one thought: to overcome the Heavenly Tribulation.
At this moment, cracks appeared on his sword, as if it were under tremendous pressure, and the blade even began to hum under the strain.
Just as the battle blade was about to strike again, the Chaos Vortex in Ren Xiaoyao's dantian suddenly erupted, and a golden beam of light shot into the sky, colliding with the battle blade of the Asura phantom. It burst forth with Dazzling Light, dispelling the Asura phantom and the vengeful spirits.
As the pillar of light dissipated, he seemed to hear the sighs of countless vengeful spirits, their cries of release fading into the distance on the wind.
The ninth Heavenly Tribulation: countless Black Chains, like venomous snakes, descended from the sky, tightly binding Ren Xiaoyao.
The chains exuded an evil aura, constantly eroding his body and spiritual power. Wherever they went, his meridians felt as if they were being corroded, causing excruciating pain.
These chains are also engraved with Ancient Curse Runes, each one draining his life force.
Ren Xiaoyao activated the Creative Power, and golden light burst forth from his body like flames, scorching the Black Chains.
He struggled fiercely, gripping the chains tightly with both hands, his veins bulging, and finally broke the chains one by one.
However, this also greatly depleted his energy. His face was as pale as paper, his body was swaying precariously, his spiritual energy was churning within him and was almost exhausted, and blood kept spilling from the corners of his mouth, which turned into black smoke as it dripped onto the ground.
His arms were covered with deep marks from the chains, and the blood vessels under his skin were clearly visible, as if they would burst at any moment.
As he broke free of the last chain, the Curse Runes on it suddenly flew into his body, attempting to erode his dantian.
Ren Xiaoyao immediately mobilized the power of the Chaos Vortex to envelop the Curse Runes within it, slowly refining them while simultaneously circulating his spiritual Strength Cultivator his Damaged Meridians.
As the last trace of the Curse dissipated, a clear and melodious bell rang from his dantian, like the primordial sound of heaven and earth at the Beginning of Chaos.
The tenth heavenly Heavenly Tribulation: a giant sun appeared in the sky, radiating scorching light. The temperature rose sharply, the surrounding air began to distort and deform, and the earth gradually melted under the intense heat.
Rivers evaporated instantly, lakes dried up completely, and huge cracks appeared in the earth, billowing thick smoke. The whole world seemed to have turned into Sea of Fire.
Ren Xiaoyao used the Stellar Power to form a cool protective shield around his body, resisting the invasion of high temperature.
At the same time, he mobilized the water-based spiritual power within his body, condensing it into a huge water curtain, which he shot towards the sun.
The water curtain collided with the sunlight, producing a large amount of water vapor that filled the air, making the entire world seem shrouded in white mist.
But the high temperature continued to erode his protective shield, forcing him to continuously inject spiritual energy to maintain its operation. Sweat soaked his clothes, only to evaporate instantly in the heat.
His skin was also roasted red, as if it were about to be charred, and he could even smell the burning smell of his own skin. His hair also began to curl and smoke.
As time went on, the sun's temperature rose higher and higher, and cracks began to appear in Ren Xiaoyao's protective shield.
At the critical moment, he mobilized the Creative Power to form a Primordial Chaos barrier outside the protective shield, completely isolating the high temperature. At the same time, he manipulated the water curtain to transform into a water dragon, rushing towards the sun to resist its power.
When the water dragon collided with the blazing sun, he seemed to see the figure of Yu the Great controlling the floods in ancient times superimposed on himself.
The eleventh Heavenly Tribulation brought countless sound waves like surging tides from the sky, causing Ren Xiaoyao's eardrums to bleed and his consciousness to begin to blur.
These sound waves were also mixed with the roars of countless demons and the cries of vengeful spirits, sending chills down one's spine.
He forced himself to circulate his spiritual energy, forming a soundproof barrier around his ears, while simultaneously using Sound Wave Technique to counteract the sound waves of the Heavenly Tribulation.
The two sound waves collided violently in the air, producing a strong shockwave that distorted and deformed the surrounding air and shattered the rocks on the ground.
Ren Xiaoyao felt as if his head was about to be shattered, and blood kept flowing down his ears, but he still gritted his teeth and persisted in fighting against the Heavenly Tribulation.
At this moment, his internal organs seemed to be impacted by sound waves, causing him unbearable pain. He spat out a mouthful of blood, which formed a blood mist in the air.
Under the impact of the sound waves, Ren Xiaoyao's sea of consciousness began to turbulent, and his Divine Sense was about to collapse.
At the critical moment, the voice of Pangu suddenly echoed in his mind, "It is better to use stillness to control movement than to break it with force."
He instantly understood, stopped fighting against the sound waves, and instead circulated the Chaos Power to form a Silent Domain within his body, completely isolating himself from the external sound waves. At the same time, he began to absorb the power within the sound waves and transform it into his own spiritual power.
When the Silent Domain took shape, he heard the most primal silence between heaven and earth, the eternal tranquility before Primordial Chaos was created.
Finally, the final Heavenly Tribulation descended, and all the power in the world converged frantically, forming a huge energy ball that emitted a heart-palpitating light, which slammed down on Ren Xiaoyao.
This energy sphere contains the most violent power in the world: the wrath of Heavenly Thunder, the heat of Earth Fire, the raging of gales, the surging of floods, as well as ancient Curse and evil will.
Ren Xiaoyao knew this was a critical moment that would determine life or death. He mobilized all the power within him, including the Creative Power, the Stellar Power, and the Thunder Force, and condensed it into a huge golden sphere of light.
The moment the two orbs of light collided, the entire world was illuminated by Dazzling Light, and the powerful energy fluctuations caused space to begin to collapse, as if time itself had stood still.