Chapter 1845: Tribulation Crossing

Zhao Hao's primordial spirit was damaged, sending waves of sharp pain through his head, making it impossible for him to dodge in the short term.

Countless sword qi rained down, and Zhao Hao struggled to erect a golden energy shield for defense.

However, he was already severely wounded, and now his primordial spirit had been injured by the Immortal Slaying Flying Dagger, leaving him unprecedentedly weak.

The golden energy shield's defensive power was far weaker than usual; it quickly succumbed to the onslaught of countless sword qi and shattered.

Immediately after, a glow flickered around Zhao Hao, as his protective magic treasures activated, resisting and dissipating the various sword qi.

But there were simply too many sword qi, and his protective magic treasures began to crack and break one by one.

Eventually, Zhao Hao's body was pierced by the sword qi. Where one strand penetrated, a second, then a third followed...

When this wave of sword qi finally dissipated, Zhao Hao was covered in blood, his life hanging by a thread.

Zu An, however, did not relax his guard in the slightest. How could Zhao Hao die so easily? The fact that he was still suspended in the air was proof enough.

He had to admit, despite being the strongest person in the world, this guy had so many protective magic treasures on him; he was utterly terrified of death.

The only fortunate thing was that this recent barrage of sword qi had completely depleted all his protective magic treasures.

Just then, a low, suppressed laugh echoed, quickly growing louder and more resonant.

Zhao Hao slowly lifted his head, his hair already disheveled by the sword qi, blood streaks marring his face. He no longer resembled the high and mighty emperor of old, but rather appeared like a madman.

"It's been many years," Zhao Hao muttered to himself, "since my cultivation reached its peak, no one has been able to injure me like this. Not even previously at Mount Zi, or just now during the life-and-death battle with the Libationer, have I been in such a sorry state. You truly have reason to be proud."

Zu An didn't reply. Instead, his brows furrowed deeply. The opponent's aura had just plummeted to its lowest point, yet now it was rapidly rising. What was going on?

Zhao Hao suddenly began to ascend slowly, his eyes, previously filled with anger, now settling into a calm gaze as he stared at Zu An. "I don't know what methods you just used. Many laws and skills did affect me, and I felt the peril of death several times, but now, all of that is over."

What was once a clear sky suddenly became overcast with dark clouds. Faintly, lightning could be seen flashing, and all of this was directly above Zhao Hao.

Zu An was bewildered. Why had such a sudden celestial phenomenon occurred, and it seemed to be strongly connected to Zhao Hao?

Just then, two figures, one white and one red, rushed from the distance. They were none other than Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue.

Although Zu An and Zhao Hao's speed had been too great earlier, the two women quickly lost track of them.

However, the terrifying combat fluctuations emanating from this area served as the perfect guide. The two women followed the trail and arrived just in time to witness this scene.

"Be careful, he's preparing to undergo tribulation and break through!"

The two women exclaimed in unison, warning him. Zu An's heart sank. Although he had read about tribulation in novels before, after transmigrating to this cultivation world, he had never heard of anyone needing to undergo tribulation, so he was momentarily slow to react.

As sect masters, Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen naturally possessed a deeper understanding of cultivation theories. Countless predecessors had explored the path forward, conducting extensive theoretical research on the ancient legend of tribulation, which was why they recognized it at first glance.

Zhao Hao laughed heartily. "As expected of Sect Master Yan and Sect Master Yun. Indeed, I am about to undergo tribulation and break through."

"Speaking of which, I must thank the Libationer for bringing me to this world. The spiritual energy here is far more abundant than in our previous world. Combined with experiencing the power of Immortal Lord Baopu earlier, and this arduous battle, my long-stagnant cultivation realm has finally shown signs of breaking through."

"I had originally planned to recover my injuries thoroughly before attempting a breakthrough, but I never expected to be pushed to such an extent by you."

Zhao Hao's voice carried a hint of smugness, as if viewing them as mere clowns. He had only been playing before; now, he was getting serious.

Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen flew to Zu An's side, their eyes filled with worry. "This is bad. If he successfully breaks through, even if he's weakened, we won't be able to handle him."

They had previously witnessed Immortal Lord Baopu suppress a Ghost King with a single glance; that kind of power was beyond their imagination, leaving them no chance whatsoever.

Gazing at the flashing lightning above in the distance, Zu An said solemnly, "I heard that undergoing tribulation is very dangerous. In his current state, will he fail and die directly?"

The two women shook their heads. "That applies to cultivators with unstable realms. But he has been stuck at the peak of Earth Immortal for so many years; he should have broken through long ago. It was only because the origin of our previous world wasn't strong enough that he was restricted there. Now, in this world, with its abundant spiritual energy and various stimuli, his breakthrough should be a natural progression."

Having experienced the Xia Dynasty Secret Realm with Zu An previously, and now this one, they understood why no one in their world had ever achieved immortality for so many years.

Zu An immediately understood: Zhao Hao was accumulating power for a breakthrough, and success in this tribulation was highly probable.

"The tribulation process should be extremely perilous. If we attack him at this critical moment, wouldn't that increase his chances of failure?" Zu An asked again.

"Absolutely not!" Yan Xuehen quickly warned. "Once the lightning tribulation begins, it attacks indiscriminately anything within a certain radius of the one undergoing tribulation. Furthermore, the more people present, the greater the power of the lightning tribulation. Zhao Hao has the body of an Earth Immortal; both his physical body and primordial spirit are extremely powerful, allowing him to barely cope with those lightning strikes. But if we enter the range of the lightning field, we would be instantly obliterated by the tribulation lightning."

Zu An's heart sank. "Are we just supposed to stand by and watch him break through, only for him to come and kill us afterwards?"

Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue's delicate brows were tightly furrowed. They had exhausted all their knowledge, but there was no solution to the current situation.

At this point, the situation on the field changed. A bolt of lightning suddenly struck directly towards Zhao Hao from the sky.

Zhao Hao raised his hand and directly punched, scattering the lightning bolt. With a flash of electrical light, the massive bolt simply vanished.

"The lightning tribulation has begun!" Even as an enemy, Yun Jianyue felt a grudging admiration. Zhao Hao's insight and technique in that last strike were truly astonishing. One must remember that tribulation lightning was many times more powerful than ordinary lightning, yet he had effortlessly dispelled it with a single punch.

At that moment, seven or eight more lightning bolts gathered in the sky, all striking towards Zhao Hao.

Each bolt was thicker and more concentrated than the previous one, and their power was clearly much greater.

However, Zhao Hao's expression remained unchanged. He simply opened his hand and snatched one of the lightning bolts, gripping it in his palm. The lightning struggled desperately, like a white snake.

He then swung that lightning bolt sideways, making it collide with other bolts, forcibly snapping them in half. Those lightning bolts quickly dissipated into electric light.

Two more lightning bolts struck from the sides. Zhao Hao caught one in each hand, clenching his fists and crushing the tribulation lightning.

The last lightning bolt took the opportunity to strike directly at his head. With his hands occupied, he couldn't react in time.

Zhao Hao, however, tilted his head back, suddenly opened his mouth, and simply swallowed the tribulation lightning whole.

Zu An and the two women stared in disbelief.

What kind of monster was this? He actually ate the tribulation lightning?

The tribulation lightning posed no threat to him at all?

Just then, Zhao Hao's triumphant laughter echoed. "I see the path now! As expected, it wasn't my problem before; I should have broken through long ago!"

His voice was full of joy. Previously, plagued by the Five Decays of Heavenly Beings, even though he was unrivaled, he had lived in constant trepidation for years.

He had searched everywhere for elixirs of immortality and methods to become an immortal. After arriving in this world, he had even relentlessly pursued the "Baopu True Scripture."

But now it seemed he didn't need any of that. His lifelong learning was already sufficient for a breakthrough; it was merely the limitations of their previous, weaker world that had held him back.

Once he successfully underwent tribulation and became a True Immortal, everyone else would be mere ants.

Feeling the opponent's aura rising higher and higher, Yun Jianyue's expression grew solemn. "Let's run, quickly, or it will be too late!"

Yan Xuehen sighed. "Run? Where can we run to? Even if we escape this time, we won't escape the next."

"We can't just wait here to die," Yun Jianyue said, though with a hint of nervousness. "At worst, come back to the Holy Sect with me. There are still some powerful cultivators there; he might not be able to do anything against so many of us. Or perhaps we could go to the demon race. Isn't this boy their Regent? The demon race also has considerable heritage; he might not be able to act as he pleases there."

Listening to her words, which sounded grand but were actually an admission of defeat, Yan Xuehen also felt a pang of despondency.

At this moment, Zu An's voice rang out. "Let me confirm something with you: the more people there are within the lightning tribulation's range, the greater its power becomes?"

"Of course," Yun Jianyue replied, startled. "You're not thinking of going in, are you? Absolutely not! Although your body is exceptionally tough, your current cultivation is far from the peak of Earth Immortal, making you utterly incapable of withstanding this level of lightning tribulation!"

Zu An glanced at Zhao Hao, who was undergoing tribulation in the distance, his eyes resolute. "I have a plan!"