Invisible astral wind brushed against his soul.
Yet to his senses, it felt incomparably gentle.
Compared with the agony of the fire tribulation burning his body, the sensation brought by the astral wind was a release instead.
"No, this is wrong!" Dongguan struggled to stay lucid.
If he blocked out the pain of the Flame Tribulation, what the Wind Tribulation brought felt like acupuncture needles piercing him. Though it stung, there was also a soothing sensation, and amid the pain, that soothing sensation was intoxicating.
But once he truly sank into that soothing sensation, he would lose all restraint. His soul would be riddled with holes by the erosion and ultimately suffer Soul Annihilation.
The Flame Tribulation destroyed the body, and the Wind Tribulation eroded the soul. Together, they formed the Flame Wind Tribulation.
Moreover, the two worked in tandem.
The numbing effect of the Wind Tribulation reduced the pain of the Flame Tribulation, but it also reduced his resistance.
The pain brought by the Flame Tribulation, in turn, made the numbing sensation of the Wind Tribulation a pleasure that was difficult to refuse.
"So this is what a Late God Emperor Dao Comprehender can do!" Dongguan kept himself lucid.
The first hurdle was its arrival through cause and effect. In essence, it annihilated avatars, while the Wind Tribulation also acted upon the soul.
This was primarily to ensure complete annihilation. If he lost, his defeat would be total, but if he was strong enough to endure it, this would amount to little.
The second hurdle was the cooperation between the Flame Tribulation and the Wind Tribulation. Only by maintaining lucidity with a sufficiently strong will would he qualify to face the third hurdle.
What Dongguan faced now was precisely that third hurdle.
He had remained lucid, resisting the Flame