How Could That Be? Courting Destruction

Without another word, he transformed into a golden rainbow and shot towards the depths of the Great Wilderness.

Jinyan and the others quickly followed.

Five figures vanished into the sky in an instant.

The Primordial Beginning Valley fell silent once more.

The members of the Luozhen Sect Luozhen Sect clearly sensed the terrifying pressure emanating from Haoyang when he emerged from seclusion.

In the Luozhen Grand Hall, Li Yunjing sat in the main seat, with a group of deities standing below him, including Wangshu, Primordial Lord Bi Shui, Fairy Qingyuan, Star God, and Hundred Herbs Old Immortal, all with solemn expressions.

Li Yunjing slowly spoke, "Bi Shui, you know Haoyang best. How does this aura compare to his peak?"

Primordial Lord Bi Shui's face turned pale, and she shook her head with a wry smile, "Too much stronger, at least 30% stronger, maybe even more."

Wangshu immediately frowned. "Impossible! His divine body has been damaged for many years. Even if he recovers to his peak, he shouldn't be this much stronger."

Fairy Qingyuan hesitated for a moment, as if she had thought of something terrible, "Could he have violated the Divine Lord's prohibition and absorbed the Tribulation Power?"

An uproar erupted inside the hall.

The Hundred Herbs Old Immortal stared wide-eyed. "Absorb the Tribulation Power? How is that possible! Countless powerful beings in High Antiquity tried it, and all of them perished, their souls and spirits destroyed!"

"But what other reason could have caused his strength to increase so much?" the Star God asked.

Upon hearing this, the other deities began to discuss it amongst themselves.

Li Yunjing raised his hand to silence the murmurs and looked at Qingyuan and Star God: "Please calm down, everyone. I'll trouble you two to work together to deduce what's really going on in Haoyang."

"Good."

Qingyuan and Star God nodded simultaneously.

The two took out their divination compasses, stood facing each other, and activated them with their divine senses, causing the compass needles to spin wildly.

The Spiritual Qi within the hall rippled slightly, and countless starlight points appeared, outlining a scene from the depths of the Great Wilderness.

Gradually, their faces grew paler and paler.

Click.

Both compasses shattered simultaneously.

Fairy Qingyuan took a step back, a trace of golden divine blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.

"How are you?" Wangshu quickly helped her up.

Qingyuan's voice trembled. "It's the Tribulation Power. Haoyang really did actively absorb the Tribulation Power, and successfully integrated it. He's now clear-headed and his strength has skyrocketed."

"He wasn't the only one; there were several other auras around him, all of whom had also fused with the Tribulation Power."

The Star God's face also turned pale. "As the deduction progressed, the Tribulation Power became too chaotic to see clearly, but it's certain that Haoyang's strength has already reached the threshold of the Divine Lord realm."

The hall fell completely silent.

Everyone was somewhat bewildered.

He actively absorbed the Tribulation Power and succeeded?

Are those High Antiquity conclusions wrong?

The Hundred Herbs Old Immortal muttered to himself, "Impossible, impossible! So many great masters tried back then, and they all died without a trace. What makes Haoyang think he can do this?"

Everyone was filled with doubt.

If one can truly overcome the calamity by absorbing its Tribulation Power, then what is there to fear in the God-Slaying Tribulation?

Just as everyone was filled with doubt and uncertainty.

Buzz.

Above the palace roof, the Divine Seal of Creation slowly floated down.

A blue light shone down, and an ancient and majestic aura enveloped the entire area.

The spirit's voice rang out:

"What's so strange about it? It's just a trap set by the God-Slaying Tribulation to lure the enemy in."

"Senior Spirit Master," Li Yunjing said, bowing slightly.

The gods bowed in respect, but their hearts were filled with doubt.

A strategy to lure the enemy?

Li Yunjing asked curiously, "What do you mean by that, senior?"

" In High Antiquity times, some gods discovered that the Tribulation Power could be absorbed, which could temporarily enhance strength and preserve consciousness," the artifact spirit said slowly.

"Many gods were overjoyed at the time, thinking they had found a shortcut to Tribulation Transcendence, and they all followed suit."

"And the result?" Primordial Lord Bi Shui asked hurriedly.

"As a result, when the God-Slaying Tribulation finally erupted, all the gods who had absorbed the Tribulation Power were instantly and completely devoured by the Tribulation Power, turning into puppets who only knew how to kill." The spirit spoke calmly, but it sent chills down everyone's spines.

"Their infighting and cannibalism only amplified the power of the God-Slaying Tribulation several times over."

"The Divine Lord discovered this secret back then and ordered all gods to strictly forbid contact with the Tribulation Power. Unfortunately, before he could explain the reason in detail, he perished in the calamity."

"Therefore, later generations only know that one cannot absorb the Tribulation Power, but they don't know why."

The hall was deathly silent.

It was so quiet you could hear your own heartbeat.

A strategy to lure the enemy?

Drinking poison to quench thirst?

Everyone felt a chill run from the soles of their feet straight to the top of their heads.

No wonder, no wonder Haoyang was able to successfully fuse and retain his consciousness.

This was clearly a loophole deliberately left by the God-Slaying Tribulation.

The more deities absorbed, the greater the power of the final burst.

"Gulp."

Someone swallowed hard.

Primordial Lord Bi Shui's face turned deathly pale, and cold sweat beaded on her forehead.

I was terrified.

I was incredibly scared afterwards.

If I hadn't left the Primordial Beginning Valley, if Haoyang had forced me to absorb the Tribulation Power after emerging from seclusion...

I'm afraid I've already become a puppet of the future.

Even the Hundred Herbs Old Immortal was trembling all over, his beard shaking.

"Luckily, luckily we left early."

The gods who had defected from the Heavenly Hao Alliance were all ashen-faced.

So close, so very close.

They will suffer the same fate as Xuanjie, their souls and spirits annihilated.

Li Yunjing tapped the armrest lightly with his fingertips, his expression solemn.

"In other words, the more Tribulation Power Haoyang absorbs now, the more dangerous it will be when it erupts later."

The spirit said, "That's right. The more he absorbs, the deeper he's controlled. Right now, he seems to retain his sanity, but that's only because the Tribulation Power hasn't reached its threshold yet. On the day of the total eruption, he'll be the first to become a puppet."

"Moreover, the stronger the Tribulation Power absorbed, the higher the puppet's combat power."

The hearts of everyone in the hall sank.

I initially thought Haoyang finding a shortcut was a terrible thing, but now I don't know whether to be worried or happy.

No matter how you look at it, it's a huge problem.

"So what do we do now?" Wangshu asked in a deep voice, "Should we strike before he completely loses control?"

Li Yunjing shook his head. "No need. Going now would be like a head-on collision. Haoyang's strength has increased dramatically, and we might not come out on top."

"Pass down the order: the entire sect is on high alert; activate the earth vein barrier to its full potential; increase patrols along the border; and strictly prohibit anyone from absorbing the Tribulation Qi at will."

"Furthermore, the Gods' Hall has issued a notice that all resident deities are strictly prohibited from contacting any Tribulation Power; those who violate this rule will be expelled from the sect and left to fend for themselves."

"As you command!" the gods replied in unison.

Li Yunjing paused, then added, "Also, the Central Divine Province Immortal Alliance Conference will proceed as scheduled."

"At times like these, it's even more important to communicate with all parties involved and unify our statements to prevent anyone from being misled by Haoyang and going astray."

The light from the Divine Seal of Creation shone slightly, seemingly in approval.

It slowly said, "Go ahead. Haoyang will probably go to the Divine Court Ruins. There's even more High Antiquity Tribulation Qi sealed there, and he definitely won't let it go."

"If he were to absorb the Origin Tribulation Qi deep within the Divine Court, he would lose control even before the final explosion."

Li Yunjing's eyes narrowed. "The Divine Court Ruins, I know."

It seems this Immortal Alliance Conference will be quite a spectacle.

The Divine Seal of Creation slowly rose and returned to the top of the hall, its azure light receding.

The people in the hall remained unsettled for a long time.

The terror of the God-Slaying Tribulation was once again clearly laid bare before everyone.

Even the path to survival has become a trap.

This ordeal was indeed not easy to overcome.

Li Yunjing made some further arrangements to minimize the probability of unexpected events.

Two days later, everything was arranged.

Li Yunjing then led several deities, including Wangshu, Primordial Lord Bi Shui, and Hundred Herbs Old Immortal, to Central Divine Province.