Chapter 1246: Heavenly Wrath Nine Tribulations

Black clouds covered the sky, and startling thunder rolled everywhere. The entire Eastern Divine Region felt as if it were trapped in a massive pot, oppressively suffocating. Countless seas, without a breath of wind, churned with towering waves. Everywhere, there was a terrifying aura of impending doom.

Beneath the white lightning domain, the space around the Conferred God Stage still trembled violently—a tremor originating from the Heavenly Way itself.

Within the lightning domain, the phantom of the pale lightning dragon had gradually solidified, ceasing its circling. Slowly, a gleaming white dragon head emerged from the domain.

In that instant, ten thousand thunders roared across the sky, and countless profound practitioners were so shocked they collapsed to the ground, their bodies limp and cowering instinctively, unable to stand.

“How could this be?” The Heaven Smiting God Emperor’s gaze swept over the chaos of the Conferred God Stage, his heart increasingly alarmed.

The power of the Heavenly Way is the force of order and law that transcends all else. It is omnipresent yet intangible. The most direct manifestation of this power is the Heavenly Way Tribulation Thunder.

Heavenly Way Tribulation Thunder was originally meant to punish and test profound practitioners on the verge of breaking through the Divine Tribulation Realm. It was a part of the Heavenly Way’s order and laws, a fundamental piece of knowledge among Divine Dao profound practitioners.

However, the Heavenly Way power descending at this moment far exceeded the scope of a mere “tribulation thunder” by countless magnitudes. It even surpassed the limits of what humans could endure!

The sheer pressure alone was enough to terrify the Divine Dao profound practitioners to their very souls.

This was absolutely no “test”; it was an uncompromising “punishment,” unleashed with the most extreme power of the Heavenly Way, leaving no quarter.

Only out of profound dread would it manifest in such a way!

The so-called “Heaven’s Jealousy” had always been a lament, a figure of speech. How could there truly be an existence in the world capable of making the Heavenly Way envious?

But now, they distinctly perceived and witnessed true “Heaven’s Jealousy”!

“The Nine Calamities… the Nine Calamities…” Mo Yu, the leader of the Three Elders of Heavenly Mystery, murmured, completely distraught.

“Is it truly… the Nine Calamities?” Mo Wen’s expression and demeanor mirrored Mo Yu’s.

“The Nine Calamities… the prophecy of our ancestors…” Mo Yu’s gaze was blank, as if he were in a trance.

Mo Yu, however, suddenly trembled and cried out to the Heaven Smiting God Emperor, “God Emperor! Quickly erect a barrier! The Heavenly Way’s power is already out of control; it could… it could harm others!”

Unless someone deliberately intervened to court death, tribulation lightning would never accidentally harm others. The previous eight layers of tribulation lightning, despite their immense power, had remained strictly confined to the Conferred God Stage area, with virtually no power escaping.

But now, the tremor and loss of control of the Heavenly Way’s power were clearly perceived not only by the Three Elders of Heavenly Mystery but by all the great God Sovereigns and God Emperors.

Without hesitation, the Heaven Smiting God Emperor roared, his voice echoing throughout the entire Heaven Smiting Realm: “Everyone, leave this area immediately! Retreat as far as possible! Protect the younger generation; the Heavenly Way’s power is aberrant. Once this tribulation lightning descends, it could slay a God Sovereign… Retreat now!”

Enough to slay a God Sovereign…

These words, especially coming from the Heaven Smiting God Emperor’s mouth, struck like thunderbolts from the Nine Heavens.

The Conferred God Stage instantly devolved into chaos. However, just as everyone prepared to flee, a roar resounded from the sky. Within the pale lightning domain, the white lightning dragon unleashed a roar—part dragon’s cry, part heavenly wrath—and then plunged downwards, directly descending upon the world.

Wherever the dragon’s body passed, space ripped apart like fabric, as if cleaving the entire world in two.

As the divine might erupted, everyone felt as though ten thousand mountains were pressing down on them, and escaping was utterly impossible. The Heaven Smiting God Emperor soared into the air, letting out a fierce roar: “All guardians, heed my command! Fully seal off the Conferred God Stage!”

At the Heaven Smiting God Emperor’s command, all seven Heaven Smiting Guardians present instantly teleported to the edge of the Conferred God Stage. Their bodies blazed with light, like shooting stars, as they unleashed their vast, ocean-like profound energy without reservation, forming a formidable sealing barrier.

The Heaven Smiting Guardians, along with the Star Gods of the Star God Realm and the Moon Gods of the Moon God Realm, were transcendent beings in the Eastern Divine Region, second only to the Four God Emperors. Each possessed the power of a God Sovereign, capable of shaking the very world.

The isolating barrier forged by the combined might of these seven guardians was beyond imagination.

Beyond the guardians, at the command of Revered One Quhui, all adjudicators also surged forward, injecting their power into the barrier.

“Qian Ze, protect Meiyin Yingyue; everyone else, follow me!”

Shui Qianheng also soared into the air immediately, with the profound monarchs of the Glazed Light Realm following closely behind.

“All elders, follow me! The rest, protect the young disciples!” Luo Shangchen growled, leading the profound monarchs forward.

Luo Guxie did not accompany Luo Shangchen. Instead, he waved his sleeve, and an invisible barrier enveloped Luo Changsheng.

The stronger one’s power, the more terrifying the Heavenly Way’s might felt. Though the seven guardians possessed fearsome power, under the divine might, they clearly showed signs of impotence, making it highly probable they couldn't seal off this pale tribulation lightning. Consequently, the God Sovereigns and profound monarchs from the upper star realms advanced instead of retreating, pouring all their profound energy into the barrier.

The originally transparent isolating barrier shone brightly with profound light, firmly sealing off the Conferred God Stage area. This barrier, forged from the extreme profound energy of over half the God Sovereigns and countless profound monarchs across the entire Eastern Divine Region, might have been the strongest and most resilient Wall of Despair in the Eastern Divine Region’s history.

The space surrounding Yun Che became a completely isolated world of calamity.

He tilted his head back, watching the Heavenly Way Lightning Dragon plummeting from the sky. This was the most terrifying pressure he had ever endured in his life, surpassing anything he had ever known. He had no doubt that this power was capable of annihilating every living and inanimate thing in the world…

Yet, he felt not a shred of fear.

Instead, deep within his profound veins, a strange longing pulsated.

As he remained motionless, the white lightning dragon in his eyes grew closer and closer, until it was nearly upon him. Its enormous maw opened, revealing dragon fangs wrapped in countless pale lightning bolts, savagely biting down toward his entire body.

The pale tribulation lightning roared, shaking the heavens as the Heavenly Way’s power continuously erupted. The space around the Conferred God Stage twisted violently, then was torn into countless fragments.

The completely out-of-control Heavenly Way’s power could no longer confine itself to the Conferred God Stage area. It radiated outwards with violent fury, striking the barrier sealing the Conferred God Stage and causing it to shriek in continuous tremors.

“This… this is…” Lu Zhou, the King of the Covering Heaven Realm, pressed his hands tightly against the barrier, his face contorted in the greatest horror of his life.

“Is this… the true power of the Heavenly Way? It’s terrifying to such an extent!”

“How could this happen?!” Shui Qianheng’s pupils dilated. The shock and overwhelming might reverberating through him numbed his arms and filled his heart with fear, a sensation he couldn’t suppress no matter how hard he tried to steel himself.

Boom—boom!!

As the tribulation lightning power exploded, the barrier continued to vibrate under the impact. At that moment, with a sky-shattering blast, a crack erupted on the barrier, which had been fortified by over half of the Eastern Divine Region’s God Sovereigns, and rapidly spread.

“Wh-What?!” This sight terrified everyone to their core.

The God Sovereigns and profound monarchs standing before the barrier grimaced, their vast profound energy surging forth again without the slightest reservation. Yet, the crack continued to spread rapidly, and the vibrations of the entire barrier clearly intensified.

Crack!!

Another explosive sound followed, and a second crack split open like a bolt of lightning.

Terrified screams almost drowned out the thunder. All the God Sovereigns were utterly drained of color. They dared not underestimate this rampaging power of the Heavenly Way, so even with the guardians at the forefront, they all engaged. Yet, even then, they still couldn't fully suppress the Heavenly Way’s power.

What was even more terrifying was that the core of the Heavenly Way’s power was centered on the Conferred God Stage; they were only resisting its peripheral force!

The Heavenly Way is irreversible, its might untouchable… Yet the Heavenly Way was, after all, ethereal. It wasn't until this very moment that they truly understood its terrifying majesty through firsthand experience.

If the barrier collapsed, and this Heavenly Way power, which even the combined might of the God Sovereigns and profound monarchs couldn't seal, fully rampaged… the consequences would be simply unimaginable.

“Act,” the Dragon Monarch whispered softly.

At that moment, the Dragon Monarch, the Heaven Smiting God Emperor, the Brahma Heaven God Emperor, the Star God Emperor, the Moon God Emperor, the Four Star Gods, and the Four Moon Gods all moved forward. An overwhelming majesty, as if descending from the heavenly palace, covered the barrier.

In an instant, the world seemed to shift.

A moment later, the Heaven Rending God Emperor also flashed to the front of the barrier, injecting vast divine power into it.

Among the King Realms, only Qianye Ying’er remained utterly still.

While all the God Emperors were stunned and pale, her face showed no shock or panic. She floated high in the sky, her gaze fixed intently on the center of the Conferred God Stage. Beneath her flowing golden hair, her form-fitting soft armor traced curves more alluring than a demon's, though her golden mask obscured the brilliance in her beautiful eyes.

The Dragon Monarch, the Four God Emperors of the Eastern Region, the Heaven Rending God Emperor of the Southern Region, the Four Star Gods, and the Four Moon Gods all acted together. This was a terrifying force capable of completely overturning the Eastern Divine Region.

Under this power, which ordinary people couldn't even conceive, the cracks on the barrier finally ceased to spread.

The God Sovereigns and profound monarchs felt a surge of relief, their minds slightly easing. Gradually, the cracks began to slowly repair themselves, and the barrier’s trembling noticeably subsided.

Just as everyone sighed in relief and completely relaxed, a world-shattering explosion suddenly resounded between heaven and earth.

The Conferred God Stage’s tribulation lightning fully erupted, and a blinding white light, several times denser than before, pierced through heaven and earth. In an instant, the recently restored barrier shattered into countless fine cracks.

Before the God Sovereigns and profound monarchs could even react with terror, the barrier exploded with a deafening roar, sending them all flying backward as if struck by colossal hammers.

“Ah!!”

“Oh no… this is terrible!!”

With the barrier’s collapse, the entire Heaven Smiting Divine Realm would be buried by the tribulation lightning. Everyone’s hearts sank into despair, but… in the very next instant, the terrifying and unparalleled might of the Heavenly Way suddenly vanished.

It had completely vanished!

The rampaging white tribulation lightning had pierced through the barrier, yet it didn’t scatter. Instead, it was as if suddenly swallowed by the void, vanishing without a trace. Long-awaited gentle light shone down. People looked up, their eyes met with a clear sky stretching for thousands of miles, and the black clouds that had permeated the atmosphere just moments before had also completely disappeared.

Everything was like a dream shattered, a fleeting illusion.

Everyone stood frozen, unable to recover their senses for a long time.

The Conferred God Stage was gone.

The area where the Conferred God Stage had once stood was now a three-hundred-mile-wide void. Beneath this chasm, it was pitch black, with no end in sight.

This seemingly bottomless abyss, which appeared to pierce entirely through the Heaven Smiting Divine Realm, served as proof that everything that had transpired was no mere illusion.

Above the center of the chasm, the last cluster of pale lightning lingered.

The white lightning contracted with a hiss, and a human figure became increasingly clear within the pale light, until a face became perfectly distinct in everyone’s view.

“Yun… Che…”

Countless mouths hung agape, uttering tremulous sounds that seemed to emanate from their very souls.

Yun Che stood completely naked, save for the pale lightning that clung to his body like an outer garment, refusing to dissipate. There wasn’t a single blemish on his entire body, and his black hair, several times longer than before, billowed wildly under the lightning’s glow.

The Conferred God Stage was deathly silent.

Crack… crackle… fizzle!!

Yun Che’s gaze turned, and within his pupils, pale lightning visibly flickered and hissed. Slowly, he raised an arm, his fingers, wreathed in white lightning, pointing towards a blanched face:

“Luo… Chang… Sheng…”