They could safely lie there and wait for the reward from the Heavenly Dao's origin power after their tribulation, then break through to become Great Luo Golden Immortals.
But Chiyou and Xuanyuan were clearly not the sort to stop at the Six-Nine Heavenly Tribulation.
The two skeletons, stripped of every last scrap of flesh, shakily straightened up, their joints grinding with sharp cracks.
Chiyou opened and closed his jawbone, as if to say, The Six-Nine Heavenly Tribulation was nothing more than this.
Xuanyuan raised his skull slightly and glanced at the dark red thunderclouds still churning overhead.
Both skeletons stepped forward at the same time, treading on empty air as they climbed back into the sky, one step at a time.
The spectators on the ground all widened their eyes.
Having survived the Six-Nine Heavenly Tribulation, they were still ascending. What awaited them was the Ninth-Ninth Heavenly Tribulation, a trial reserved for beings with the potential to become Saints.
The joy on Guangchengzi's face turned back into grim tension, then helplessness.
He knew how proud Xuanyuan was, but seeing his disciple charge toward the thunderclouds with nothing left but a skeleton stirred feelings that worry alone could no longer describe.
Xingtian's smile vanished as well.
Boom!
The seventh bolt of tribulation lightning descended.
Blood red still dominated this bolt, but threads of purple ran through it.
The lightning struck both skeletons and exploded.
Fine cracks spread across Chiyou's dark golden skeleton, covering his entire body.
Xuanyuan's dark yellow bones were likewise riddled with cracks. Several ribs shattered in the lightning, their fragments swept into the deep pit by the thunder.
Yet neither skeleton fell.
They swayed a few times in midair, then steadied themselves again.
The eighth bolt of tribulation lightning followed immediately.
This time, their skeletons finally gave out.