Chapter 2029: The Ultimate Calamity

"Lord Shou, what are you trying to do?" In the chaotic, fractured space, Kong Yuhen cried out in alarm, simultaneously maintaining the flow of time.

He could guess Xu Xiaoshou's intentions just by thinking about it.

If he started something, he'd finish it—destroy the Time Realm! This idea might seem insane for anyone else, and impossible to achieve, but for Xu Xiaoshou, it wasn't entirely out of the question.

"All I can say is, time is running out." Xu Xiaoshou didn't answer directly; it would be too cruel for Kong Yuhen.

Once the Time Realm was destroyed, Kong Yuhen would likely not survive long. He had poured everything into it; his very being, the Pavilion of Past and Present, and the Time Realm were completely fused.

But... should they do nothing and just wait desperately for Jin Ren to save them? Jin Ren's arrangements wouldn't hold off Sheng Xin for long.

Given that Sheng Xin could resist his perfect Intent Path, even if Gou Wuyue suddenly unleashed his full potential in the Five Domains... unleashing his potential still meant facing the Grand Calamity of Ancestral God Extinction before reaching Ancestral Godhood. If Sheng Xin could halt that calamity, he could slaughter everyone!

As for discreetly undergoing the tribulation and then making a move... "That's completely impossible." "His first reaction would be to seal off my escape route, and then he could immediately obliterate the three ancient sword cultivators." "After all, a suspicious person would rather kill by mistake than let anyone go. Sheng Xin can no longer tolerate any accidents."

Therefore, it wasn't just Jin Ren's side that needed to act. He couldn't linger in the Time Realm for too long either.

Hua Changdeng was already comprehending the Spiritual Dao Disc. The remaining passive points could be distributed to other "Path-Seizing Tentacles," but the improvement wouldn't be significant.

What could truly elevate his combat power by another major level wasn't merely assigning points, but...

"The Grand Calamity of Ancestral God Extinction?" The Battle Ancestor turned his head, his expression shifting after hearing Xu Xiaoshou's plan to break the Time Realm after undergoing the tribulation. He advised:

"Think twice!" "The Time Realm is chaotic. Previously, when you underwent the Saint Calamity and Ancestral Source Emperor Calamity, multiple tribulations appeared simultaneously, making them far more difficult than ordinary lightning tribulations." "You achieved divine metamorphosis early on, so those might not have bothered you, but the Grand Calamity of Ancestral God Extinction is different."

As an experienced veteran, the Battle Ancestor knew the terrifying extent of the Grand Calamity of Ancestral God Extinction if it also went awry:

"Your Dao Foundation is too perfect." "Even in orderly places like the Battle Ancestor Continent or the Heavens, the Grand Calamity of Ancestral God Extinction it would draw would be formidable, likely comparable to the famous lightning tribulations, and might even manifest in multiple layers." "If you choose to undergo the tribulation in the Time Realm, based on previous circumstances, you might have to withstand the intensity of more than ten 'Returned to Zero' Ancestral Gods undergoing tribulation simultaneously. This truly can kill people." "Even the Eight Venerables you mentioned might not be able to endure it!"

Xu Xiaoshou frowned upon hearing this.

It wasn't that he hadn't seen the Grand Calamity of Ancestral God Extinction before. He had observed it many times when it descended upon the Holy Divine Continent, and found that most cultivators with some cultivation could get through it.

The Eight Venerables could even contain lightning tribulations within their bodies, essentially toying with the calamities. How much more so for himself, whom the Eight Venerables would respectfully call "Lord Shou" upon meeting?

With his own strength, withstanding more than ten Grand Calamities of Ancestral God Extinction simultaneously wasn't impossible; his only concern was that it might take too long.

Xu Xiaoshou even planned to multi-task: while undergoing the tribulation, he would also allocate the remaining passive points and even conjure a few more Sovereign-level avatars for fun.

Wubao was being a bit overly cautious.

"It's fine, no big deal." Xu Xiaoshou waved his hand, stopping Wubao from saying more.

Undergoing the tribulation was necessary. Even if its intensity was unexpectedly high, he couldn't wait to return to the Holy Divine Continent to face it. This was originally the final step in his plan; the appearance of the Purple Petrification avatar merely accelerated it.

Seeing this, the Battle Ancestor knew Xu Xiaoshou had his limits and advised no further: "Maintain your focus, do not be distracted, and absolutely do not try to comprehend the Dao during the tribulation. I will protect you."

"Understood." Xu Xiaoshou sat cross-legged in the air. His various Dao discs unfurled with a rustle, and combined with his state of "Unity of Heaven and Man," he instantly brought his condition to its peak.

He was very experienced with tribulations.

With his perfect Intent Path, the most powerful auxiliary effect was "Clarity of Self." With an unblemished mental state, the most challenging inner demons posed no threat; all that remained was enduring the lightning strikes.

"Lord Shou..." Kong Yuhen looked on with a bitter expression. "Perhaps there's still another way: wait for the Eight Venerables, or for you to find and bring back Mr. Eight Venerables."

"Too slow." Xu Xiaoshou wouldn't bet on that one-in-a-million possibility; what if he got lost too? He immediately shook his head decisively:

"By the time he gets here, it'll be too late." "The Eight Venerables feared battle and fled, a disgrace to our generation of cultivators." "The world he couldn't save, I will save; the hero he couldn't be, I, Xu Xiaoshou, will be!"

After speaking, he stopped wasting words with the anxious man and simply closed his eyes.

Let the tribulation come— With a silent call from his heart, the surrounding winds and clouds changed color.

Rumbling sounds rose and fell. Calamity power and destructive force condensed and refined themselves from fractured fissures and disordered Dao methods everywhere, then slowly pieced together to form a shadowy gloom, finally coalescing into tribulation clouds.

Kong Yuhen vanished with a flash. He wasn't the Battle Ancestor's Dharma Idol, which had a chance to reform.

Once the Grand Calamity of Ancestral God Extinction locked onto him as well, he would surely die. And looking at the intensity of this lightning tribulation... in fact, there was no need to look; everyone knew it was beyond human comprehension!

"Here it comes..." The Battle Ancestor also felt a chill down his spine.

Just by looking at the Dao disc beneath Xu Xiaoshou's feet, shining as brilliantly as nine blazing suns, the Battle Ancestor could foresee that this young man's Grand Calamity of Ancestral God Extinction might even strike down a "Returned to Zero" Ancestral God.

And this was still in the Time Realm! The intensity of the lightning tribulation was increasing exponentially!

"Body, Spirit, Intent, Sword, Art, Fire, Life, Space, Time..." Upon closer inspection, Xu Xiaoshou's Dao Foundation was beyond perfect; the word itself might not be enough to describe it.

All nine Great Daos were hyper-transcended. Among them, his Body and Sword Daos had reached the extreme, and his Intent Dao was perfect. If someone else had cultivated from the womb through nine cycles of reincarnation, they still wouldn't be able to cultivate such a terrifying Dao Foundation!

How astonishing was Xu Xiaoshou's talent? With such a profound foundation, he was still not the fated one of the Spirit Refinement era—the Eight Venerables were. How strong must the Eight Venerables be?

With such an accumulation, he was still forced into the Time Realm, almost resigned to death. What kind of formidable beings were currently leading the charge on the Battle God Continent, then?

The Battle Ancestor's eyes burned with eagerness. He couldn't wait for Xu Xiaoshou, who seemed so confident, to undergo the tribulation and "return to zero," then shatter the Time Realm and join him in conquering the Five Domains.

"Boom!" The distant tribulation clouds trembled, and a deep black tribulation lightning bolt, thick as ten men embracing, shot down, cleaving through space-time and striking directly on top of Xu Xiaoshou's head, who was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed.

"Damn!" A strange cry immediately erupted from the center of the lightning tribulation. Following it, Xu Xiaoshou, his skin cracked and bleeding, jumped up. His entire body was charred black, and a faint scent of cooked meat emanated from him.

"What's going on?" Xu Xiaoshou was stunned. He hadn't even opened his passive system interface yet.

This single lightning tribulation had actually injured his precious body, causing him such pain that he quickly collected his thoughts.

Although the injuries healed quickly, "Something's not right!" "Very not right!"

Xu Xiaoshou looked at Wubao, his face full of horror, yet his eyes were brimming with confusion.

The intensity of the Grand Calamity of Ancestral God Extinction shouldn't be this high! He had seen it before, but his very first lightning tribulation was already about as strong as Hua Changdeng's final tribulation.

Who could possibly withstand this? It felt like it was trying to strike people dead!

"Wubao, isn't this a bit excessive? What's happening?" The Battle Ancestor was also startled by the sound. He had thought Xu Xiaoshou's confidence and certainty stemmed from some unknown trump card. But now, it sounded like pure... ignorance?

"Boom!" The second lightning tribulation descended. Xu Xiaoshou tried to dodge but couldn't. He twisted his head, yet it was almost snapped off.

"Oh my god!" He was truly terrified. This was too wrong!

This was just the beginning. If the next 129,500-plus lightning bolts increased in intensity...

"Wubao! Wubao, save me! What's happening now?" "I don't know..." The Battle Ancestor was also bewildered. The intensity of his own lightning tribulation back then wasn't even half of what he was witnessing for Xu Xiaoshou.

However, the high intensity of Xu Xiaoshou's Grand Calamity of Ancestral God Extinction was within the Battle Ancestor's expectations; after all, nine hyper-transcended Daos were something he had only known of one other person possessing throughout history.

Boom! While he was deep in thought, the third lightning bolt struck, blowing half of Xu Xiaoshou's body apart.

The fourth and fifth lightning bolts followed closely...

"Hey, hey, hey!" Xu Xiaoshou, now in his Berserk Giant form, was running frantically, almost hopping on one foot, completely stunned by the lightning strikes.

Fortunately, from a distance, Kong Yuhen materialized, still shaken, and speculated aloud:

"Lord Shou, you seem to have forgotten..." "When they underwent their tribulations back then, the Dao methods in the Five Domains weren't particularly advanced; they were all borrowed lightning from external forces." "But my Time Realm's Dao method level rivals that of the Heavens, so the inherent intensity of this Grand Calamity of Ancestral God Extinction is already significantly higher than theirs, let alone with your nine hyper-transcended Daos..."

Boom, boom, boom! The lightning tribulations poured down like a torrent.

Xu Xiaoshou was now like a stray dog, activating his Limitless Giant and Absolute Rejection abilities, yet he was still chased around, howling and completely unable to respond.

After only about three hundred lightning bolts, the power in his Nine Boundless Solitary Orbs was nearing depletion, but Xu Xiaoshou was absolutely unwilling to use the energy from his Life Potion Pool prematurely.

He could only endure the lightning strikes, "consume" the lightning, convert it, and deal with the tribulation simultaneously...

"Hiss, hiss!" However, the condensation of calamity power in the surrounding fractured space did not cease. While the first layer of the Grand Calamity of Ancestral God Extinction unleashed its barrage, one tribulation cloud after another gathered above, to the left, to the right, and behind it. In a short time, including the one currently active, a full eighteen layers of Ancestral God Extinction had appeared.

"Aaaah—" Within the lightning tribulation, Xu Xiaoshou's dismembered limbs and remains were constantly being blasted away.

Outside the lightning tribulation's coverage, the Battle Ancestor, who was merely protecting him from external interference in this Grand Calamity of Ancestral God Extinction, was already gaping in astonishment.

He realized what this was forming.

Each layer of Xu Xiaoshou's tribulation was an ultimate manifestation of a Dao, as recorded in the Heavens' "Compendium of Grand Calamity of Ancestral God Extinction Lightning Methods":

"'Thirty-Three Heavenly Realms Extinction Grand Calamity of Ancestral God Extinction'... recorded in the 'Compendium of Lightning Methods' as the third-ranked Ancestral God Extinction lightning tribulation in the Heavens..."

"'Nine Netherworld Detachment Reincarnation Grand Calamity of Ancestral God Extinction'... sixth in the 'Compendium of Lightning Methods.' Isn't this a punishment for reincarnated cultivators? Xu Xiaoshou is a reincarnated being; did he enter without clearing his memories? Huh? Did he not prepare?"

"'White Tiger Kuiwu Killing Intent Grand Calamity of Ancestral God Extinction'... my own lightning tribulation, ranked twelfth in the 'Compendium of Lightning Methods.' This is drawn by cultivating the War Dao, but the intensity of this tribulation is even higher than mine. Yes, he transitioned to the Body Dao..."

"White tribulation lightning, faint in form, directly harming essence and intent... This is the 'Return to Mundane, Non-Transforming Heart-Devouring Grand Calamity of Ancestral God Extinction'? Fifth in the 'Compendium of Lightning Methods.' How are all these rankings so high?"

Once the multi-layered lightning tribulations appeared, Xu Xiaoshou could no longer jump around.

Tribulation lightning of various forms severely restricted his movements from all aspects—body, spirit, intent—striking him separately. It was as if they intended to dissect a person into several main parts, reducing them to dust from the inside out, leaving no chance of survival.

"'Obscure Wounding Beast Form Life-Severing'... tenth in the 'Compendium of Lightning Methods'..."

"'Great Blazing Bewitching Cinder Sun'... fifteenth in the 'Compendium of Lightning Methods'..."

"'Water Time Moon Space Glazed'... second in the 'Compendium of Lightning Methods'..."

"'Orion Constellation Yin Art Transformation'... eighth in the 'Compendium of Lightning Methods'..."

"'Endless Golden Edge Slaughter'... thirteenth in the 'Compendium of Lightning Methods'..."

The Battle Ancestor retreated further and further, daring not to approach even a little.

He had witnessed the tribulations overcome by various ancestors on the Battle God Continent. Yet, even the tribulations endured by the Ten Ancestors seemed insignificant compared to what Xu Xiaoshou was facing, as recorded in the "Compendium of Lightning Methods."

It seemed there was an even more ferocious layer, hidden at the very end, yet to be unleashed?

The Battle Ancestor's gaze swept upwards, towards the very top of the various tribulation clouds, at a formless, almost completely transparent lightning tribulation.

Its thunderous aura was like needles, imperceptibly fine. Yet, after unleashing a single strike, it directly shattered Xu Xiaoshou's vital essence, spirit, and consciousness, causing him to temporarily lose all control over himself, and subsequently, his body, spirit, and intent were directly blasted apart by the various lightning tribulations.

It directly blasted Cang Ku out. "Ying—" Cang Ku solidified and fled in disarray.

At this moment, the Battle Ancestor's blood ran cold.

"'Execution of My Self' Calamity, first in the 'Compendium of Lightning Methods,' a calamity of ten deaths and no life. This tribulation has appeared too?"

"The 'Execution of My Self' Calamity doesn't manifest alone, but once it appears, it elevates the level of the Grand Calamity of Ancestral God Extinction and simultaneously commands all other tribulations to form the 'Grand Calamity of Ancestral God Extinction Formation Array'..."

"Lightning tribulation formation arrays are divided into three, six, nine, and eighteen. Is he undergoing the 'Eighteen Formation Array' with a zero survival rate?"

A drop of cold sweat trickled down his temple. The Battle Ancestor's eyes widened in horror as he rapidly retreated, shouting:

"Xu Xiaoshou, quickly abolish your Dao Foundation! Let's start over!"

"You're undergoing the 'Eighteen Lightning Tribulation Formation Array,' ranked 'zero' in the 'Compendium of Lightning Methods,' with a survival rate of..."

Before he finished speaking, calamity power emanated within the fractured space, coalescing into the nineteenth layer of tribulation clouds.

"'Void-Breaking Difficulty Spirit-Devouring Grand Calamity of Ancestral God Extinction,' ranked twenty-third..."

The nineteenth tribulation? A nineteen-formation array? There's no such number!

Above the Eighteen Formation Array was the final "Ultimate Calamity"—the Thirty-Two Formation Array. The "Compendium of Lightning Methods" only recorded the thirty-two most powerful Grand Calamities of Ancestral God Extinction. Was he about to witness them all today?

The twentieth layer of tribulation clouds emanated...

The Battle Ancestor wiped the sweat from his cheek, then peered intently, finding his calm returning:

"'Ascending Cloud Fierce Hook Grand Tendency'... ranked seventh..."

"So it's true. Today, I'll see them all..."

Within the lightning tribulation, Xu Xiaoshou, reassembled after being shattered, let out a miserable roar:

"What 'zero'?" "What 'Eighteen Formation Array'?" "Wubao, what are you talking about? Be more specific!"

He was still struggling. His reluctance to part with life was moving.

The Battle Ancestor took a deep breath. Was this what a newborn calf was like, daring to undergo the Grand Calamity of Ancestral God Extinction without any preparation?

His eyes also began to burn with fervor.

With nine hyper-transcended Dao Foundations, a perfect Intent Path, and having completed his Two Poles, granting him "Clarity of Self" along with various resurrection methods—while others might not survive, Xu Xiaoshou truly might not be impossible!

At the very least, the intensity of this lightning tribulation was the highest level of recognition for his Dao Foundation and combat power. Consequently, the Battle Ancestor roared excitedly:

"Xu Xiaoshou, 'zero' means the weakest lightning tribulation! On the Heavens' lightning tribulation ranking, it's actually at the very bottom!"

"It's just a mere Thirty-Two Lightning Tribulation Formation Array. You can do it! I underwent this one back then too; its intensity was only slightly weaker than yours."

"Don't get distracted—!!!"