Heavenly Tribulation

Snow Tianyu stopped right in front of Bibi Dong.

He didn't kneel. He didn't bow. He didn't even bend at the waist.

He simply met the gaze of the Pope, whose power dominated the world.

"How dare you!"

Gui Mei roared and took a step forward.

"Why don't you kneel before His Holiness the Pope?"

Snow Tianyu glanced at Gui Mei, his eyes full of disdain.

"What are you, to think you can make me kneel?"

"You gutter-dwelling rat. Do you think I won't kill you just because there are so many people here?"

His words were outrageous. He showed no regard for a Titled Douluo.

Gui Mei trembled with rage, and the nine Soul Rings around him lit up in an instant.

A terrifying pressure surged straight toward Snow Tianyu.

Snow Tianyu didn't move.

Behind him, the Ice Empress merely let out a soft snort.

An even purer, more domineering aura of extreme cold burst forth.

It smashed Gui Mei's pressure to pieces.

Gui Mei felt as if he'd been struck by lightning. He staggered back three steps before steadying himself, his eyes full of shock.

"Enough."

Bibi Dong raised a hand, stopping Gui Mei from pressing the matter.

She fixed her gaze on Snow Tianyu.

This young man had astonishing talent, and the woman at his side was even more unfathomable.

Bibi Dong reached out and picked up the Spirit Condensation Wisdom Skull from the tray.

"Skywater Academy, Snow Tianyu."

"You're quite impressive."

She practically ground the words out between her teeth.

"In all my years presiding over the Soul Master Tournament, I've never seen a genius like you."

Snow Tianyu folded his arms across his chest and looked at her with a mocking smile.

"Her Holiness the Pope does seem to have a rather narrow perspective."

"Get out more often. That way, you won't keep mistaking trash for treasure."

The moment he said this, the whole arena fell deathly silent.

Everyone sucked in a sharp breath.

He'd actually called the Golden Generation trash right to Bibi Dong's face.

He was slapping Spirit Hall in the face—and not just once, but with both hands.

Bibi Dong's chest heaved, and her breathing grew heavy.

Her ample bosom rose and fell with her turbulent emotions.

She gripped the skull tightly in her hand, her knuckles turning white with the effort.

"Young man, it's not wise to show your sharp edge so openly."

"Across this continent, countless geniuses have died before their time."

Bibi Dong's words carried an unmistakable threat.

Snow Tianyu wasn't having it. He shot right back.

"Her Holiness the Pope worries too much."

"I'm tougher than old boots. If certain people try to take my life, they'll end up paying for it with their own coffin money."

He stepped forward, closing the distance between himself and Bibi Dong.

Their gazes clashed in midair, sparks flaring so fiercely they seemed ready to catch fire.

On the viewing stand, Ning Fengzhi gave a slight shake of his head.

He turned to speak to Sword Douluo beside him with a wry smile.

"Uncle Jian, Snow Tianyu really isn't leaving Spirit Hall any face."

A note of approval flashed through Sword Douluo's eyes.

"That boy has pride, and the strength to back it up."

"This time, Spirit Hall has kicked an iron plate."

On the high platform, Bibi Dong drew a deep breath and forced out a stiff smile.

"Enough talk."

"Since you've won, these three Soul Bones are yours."

She reluctantly pushed the tray holding the Soul Bones forward.

Snow Tianyu reached out and pressed down on the edge of the tray.

He didn't hurry to take the Soul Bones. Instead, he looked at Bibi Dong with interest.

"Her Holiness the Pope, you haven't added any special seasoning to these Soul Bones, have you?"

Bibi Dong's eyes blazed with anger, and her voice rose an octave.

"What do you take Spirit Hall for?"

"If I'm handing them over, they're clean."

Snow Tianyu chuckled and took the tray from her.

"Good."

"If Her Holiness the Pope can't accept defeat and has tampered with the Soul Bones, Spirit Hall's reputation will be ruined."

With a casual flick of his hand, he sent the three Soul Bones flying toward the Skywater Team below the platform.

"Shui Bing'er, catch!"

Shui Bing'er hurried forward and caught the three priceless Soul Bones securely.

The surrounding Soul Masters watched, their eyes red with envy.

Those were Soul Bones!

Peerless treasures most people never even got to see, and Snow Tianyu had tossed them to his teammates like cabbages.

Bibi Dong stared at the empty tray, her heart aching.

But she quickly composed herself and fixed her gaze on Snow Tianyu again.

"Snow Tianyu, you may have extraordinary talent, but Skywater Academy has limited resources."

"If you're willing to join Spirit Hall, I can make an exception and take you as my personal disciple."

"All of Spirit Hall's resources will be at your disposal."

"Even..."

She paused, then dangled a bait that would drive anyone to madness.

"I could even consider passing the title of Pope on to you in the future."

The entire square erupted at her words.

The title of Pope!

It was the pinnacle of power on Douluo Continent.

For the sake of recruiting this young man, Bibi Dong had even offered him the title of Pope.

Not far away, Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe, clenched her hands tight when she heard this.

She'd gone to great lengths to infiltrate the Heaven Dou Empire, all just to prove herself.

Yet Snow Tianyu didn't have to do a thing to receive every promise Bibi Dong had made.

All eyes turned to Snow Tianyu.

Most people thought the offer was impossible to refuse.

But Snow Tianyu burst out laughing in front of everyone.

His laughter was loud and brazen.

It rang out for a long time in front of Pope Palace, grating on everyone's ears.

"Her Holiness the Pope, are you still dreaming?"

Snow Tianyu stopped laughing, his eyes filled with contempt and mockery.

"Your Spirit Hall is a dump. Even if you gave it to me, I'd think it was filthy."

"Never mind becoming your disciple."

"Do you think you're worthy?"

Those last three words slammed into everyone's hearts like a heavy hammer.

The whole place fell silent. You could have heard a pin drop.

No one had expected Snow Tianyu to reject her so utterly—or to humiliate her so thoroughly.

Bibi Dong's face turned deathly pale, then livid.

Accustomed to standing high above everyone else, she had never suffered such a disgrace.

"You're asking for death!"

Bibi Dong could no longer contain her fury.

A terrifying wave of Soul Power burst from her, crashing forth like a landslide.

Nine Soul Rings rose beneath her feet, and the pressure of a Peak Douluo bore down on Snow Tianyu.

The stone slabs in front of Pope Palace instantly split with cracks.

The Soul Masters below could barely breathe under the pressure and hurriedly retreated.

The girls from Skywater Academy also turned pale.

Shui Bing'er gripped the Soul Bones tightly, her eyes full of worry.

Facing Bibi Dong's thunderous rage, Snow Tianyu didn't even blink.

He snorted, and a purer force of extreme cold than Bibi Dong's surged out of him.

In the void behind him, the phantom of a colossal Ice Phoenix spread its wings and soared.

With a clear cry from the phoenix,

Bibi Dong's pressure, heavy as Mount Tai, froze solid and shattered in an instant.

Snow Tianyu stood firm where he was, without so much as a speck of dust rising from him.

"Want to fight?"

"Go ahead and try."

Snow Tianyu stared straight into Bibi Dong's eyes, his voice arrogant.

"Let's see whether Spirit Hall has more experts—or whether the sword in my hand is sharper."

At that moment, Snow Empress also took a step forward.

Her peerless face showed no expression.

But the aura that could freeze all things made every Titled Douluo present shudder.

Yue Guan and Gui Mei exchanged a glance, each seeing fear in the other's eyes.

That woman was simply terrifying.

Bibi Dong gritted her teeth, her chest heaving violently.

Reason told her that this was no time to start a fight.

The tournament had just ended, and the forces across the continent were watching.

If Spirit Hall ignored all decency and killed a competitor, it would throw the whole world into chaos.

What's more, she wasn't certain she could keep Snow Tianyu here.

Just as the standoff seemed impossible to break,

Ning Fengzhi suddenly spoke loudly from below the platform.

"His Holiness the Pope, the tournament has concluded successfully, and the champion has been crowned."

"We have other matters to attend to, so we won't linger in Spirit City."

"Farewell."

Ning Fengzhi's words offered Bibi Dong a way out.

Bibi Dong drew a deep breath, and the fluctuations of Soul Power around her gradually subsided.

She stared at Snow Tianyu, etching his face deep into her memory.

"Snow Tianyu, we'll see."

"Spirit Hall will remember this."

With that, Bibi Dong swept her sleeve and strode back into Pope Palace.

Her resolute figure radiated boundless killing intent.

Snow Tianyu watched Bibi Dong's retreating figure and curled his lip in scorn.

"Just a stray dog with no home, still barking like mad."

He turned and walked down from the high platform, stopping in front of Shui Bing'er and the others.

"Come on, let's head back to the palace."

"Tonight, we're celebrating properly."

That was everything that had happened at yesterday's awards ceremony.

Snow Tianyu pulled the three Soul Bones back into his storage space.

Beside him, Snow Empress gently took his arm.

"Tian Yu, what are you thinking about?"

Snow Tianyu patted the back of her cool hand, his tone casual.

"Nothing. I just remembered how Bibi Dong looked yesterday, wanting to kill me but unable to do a thing."

"That really is pretty interesting."

Ice Empress giggled beside them, revealing two adorable little tiger teeth.

"That old woman just needs to be taught a lesson."

"Once you break through the Heaven's Tribulation, Tian Yu, we'll head straight to Spirit City and tear down the Pope Palace."

Xue Tianyu looked out at the endless world of ice and snow before him.

"Tearing down the Pope Palace is only a matter of time."

"But for now, we have something important to do."

Snow Empress nodded and pointed toward a towering snowy mountain ahead.

"Beyond that mountain lies the Core Circle of the Far North."

"The icy power there is the purest on this continent. It's the perfect place for your breakthrough."

The three of them didn't linger. They transformed into three streaks of light and sped off into the depths of the blizzard.

Extreme North Core Circle.

A vast palace built entirely from ten-thousand-year-old mysterious ice stood amid the snowstorm.

This was Snow Empress's residence, the Ice and Snow Temple.

Under normal circumstances, no Soul Beast dared come within a hundred paces of this place.

Xue Tianyu stepped through the temple gates, sensing the dense icy spiritual energy all around him, so rich it seemed almost solid.

"Not bad."

He looked around. The hall's interior was immense.

At its center stood an Ice Pool radiating a deep blue glow.

The water hadn't frozen. Instead, white, frigid mist churned endlessly across its surface.

"This is spiritual liquid formed from Ten Thousand Year Mysterious Ice Marrow."

Snow Empress walked to the edge of the Ice Pool and looked back at Xue Tianyu.

"If you break through in there, you'll absorb the icy power to the fullest and be better able to withstand the Thunder Punishment of the Heaven's Tribulation."

Ice Empress came over too, her big eyes filled with anticipation.

"Tian Yu, the water in this pool feels wonderful."

"Only Snow Maiden was allowed to bathe in it before. She wouldn't even let me in."

Snow Empress shot her a look, her tone tinged with playful reproach.

"With that fiery temper of yours, you'd only muddy the water."

Xue Tianyu walked to the edge of the Ice Pool and tested the water with his hand.

Even with the constitution of an Ice Phoenix, he could feel the cold biting to the bone.

That showed just how terrifying the energy in the pool was.

"The Heaven's Tribulation is no trivial matter."

Xue Tianyu turned to the two women.

"Thunder Fury will destroy everything around it."

"Stay outside the hall and guard me. Don't come near."

Snow Empress frowned and stepped forward, taking Xue Tianyu's hand.

"How could I?"

"I'm the Lord of the Far North. The snow and wind here all answer to me."

"With me by your side, even the heavenly thunder won't hurt you."

Ice Empress hurriedly chimed in too.

"Exactly!"

"We agreed that if the sky fell, we'd bear it for you."

"Are you sending us away because you don't consider us one of your own?"

Seeing the concern in their eyes, Xue Tianyu felt warmth spread through his heart.

"It's not that I'm afraid you'll get hurt. The Heaven's Tribulation is something I have to face alone."

"If anyone else interferes, the power of the Thunder Punishment will multiply."

"That would only put all of us in danger."

Xue Tianyu spoke with complete seriousness, without the slightest hint of a joke.

Hearing this, Snow Empress and Ice Empress finally relented.

"Then be careful."

Snow Empress rose onto her toes and kissed Xue Tianyu's cheek.

"Ice Empress and I will stand guard outside."

"As soon as the Thunder Punishment passes, we'll come straight in."

Unwilling to be outdone, Ice Empress wrapped her arms around Xue Tianyu's neck and gave him a hard kiss.

"If you dare get hurt, I'll blow up the whole Far North."

Xue Tianyu smiled and gave each of them a playful slap on the rear.

"Go on. I'll be waiting to give you good news."

Blushing, the two women backed out of the hall, glancing back at him again and again.

The heavy doors slowly closed, shutting out the blizzard completely.

Silence settled over the hall.

Xue Tianyu took off his clothes, revealing his powerful upper body.

He leaped straight into the Ice Pool.

A bone-chilling current instantly engulfed him, surging through his pores and rushing into his meridians.

Xue Tianyu closed his eyes and circulated his Soul Power.

His Ice Phoenix and Ice Heaven Snow Lotus Twin Martial Souls emerged at the same time.

The temperature inside the entire hall dropped even further.

A gigantic Ice Phoenix circled above the hall, letting out a clear, ringing cry.

A crystalline Ice Heaven Snow Lotus slowly blossomed at the center of the Ice Pool, radiating a sacred light.

Xue Tianyu's aura began to climb steadily.

His Soul Power was already at its limit. Now, like floodwaters bursting through a dam, it slammed against that invisible barrier.

In the sky, the gray-white clouds began to churn.

At some point, a thick mass of dark clouds had gathered above the Far North.

Faint purple bolts of lightning flickered within them.

A stifling force of heaven and earth enveloped an area hundreds of miles wide.

Outside the hall.

Snow Empress and Ice Empress stood side by side, gazing up at the tribulation clouds.

"This is far worse than the commotion during my hundred-thousand-year Heaven's Tribulation."