Chapter 2517: Crossing the Tribulation

Zhao Hao's primordial spirit was damaged, and a stabbing pain shot through his head, leaving him unable to dodge quickly.

Countless streams of sword qi poured down, and Zhao Hao struggled to erect a golden light shield to defend himself.

However, he was already severely wounded, and now his primordial spirit was injured by the Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger, leaving him feeling an unprecedented weakness.

The golden light shield's defensive power was far weaker than usual; it quickly buckled under the assault of countless sword qi and shattered.

Immediately after, Zhao Hao's body glowed as his protective artifacts activated, resisting and dissolving the various streams of sword qi.

But there were simply too many streams of sword qi, and his protective artifacts began to crack one by one.

Eventually, Zhao Hao's body was pierced by sword qi; once the first stream penetrated, others followed, then more.

When this wave of sword qi finally dissipated, Zhao Hao was bleeding profusely, his condition unknown, hovering between life and death.

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

Zu An couldn't help but inwardly complain. This man was clearly the strongest in the world, yet he wore so many protective artifacts; he was utterly terrified of death.

The only thing to be thankful for was that this round of dense sword qi had completely exhausted all his protective artifacts.

Just then, a low, suppressed laugh echoed, then grew increasingly high-pitched.

Zhao Hao slowly raised his head. His hair, disheveled by the sword qi, fell across his face, and streaks of blood marked his cheeks. He no longer looked like the high and mighty emperor he usually was, but rather appeared deranged.

"It has been many years since my cultivation reached its peak; no one has been able to wound me like this," Zhao Hao murmured, as if to himself. "Not even during the previous battle at Mount Zi, or my recent life-or-death struggle with the Imperial Tutor, was I in such a wretched state. You truly have cause to be proud."

Zu An did not reply. Instead, his brows furrowed deeply. The opponent's aura had just fallen to its lowest point, yet now it was rising again, and the speed was increasing. What exactly was happening?

Zhao Hao suddenly began to ascend slowly, his eyes, fixed on Zu An, no longer held their previous anger but had gradually returned to calmness. "I don't know what methods you just used," he said. "Indeed, many laws and skills were affecting me, and I felt several life-or-death crises. But now, all of that is over."

The sky, which had been clear moments ago, was suddenly covered in dark clouds. Faintly, lightning could be seen flashing, and all of this was directly above Zhao Hao.

Zu An looked confused. Why did the heavens and earth suddenly change, and why did it seem so strongly related to Zhao Hao?

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

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

However, the terrifying fluctuations from the battle, emanating intermittently from this location, served as the best navigation. The two women followed them all the way and arrived just in time to witness this scene.

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

Both women exclaimed a warning simultaneously, and Zu An's heart sank. Although he had read about tribulations in novels before, after transmigrating to this world of cultivation, he had never heard of anyone needing to undergo one, so he didn't immediately react.

As sect leaders, Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen naturally had a deeper understanding of cultivation theories. Numerous predecessors had explored the path forward and conducted extensive theoretical research on the ancient tribulations, which was why they could recognize it at first glance.

Zhao Hao burst into laughter. "As expected of Sect Leader Yan and Matriarch Yun," he said. "Indeed, I am about to undergo tribulation and break through."

"Speaking of which, I must thank the Imperial Tutor for bringing me to this world," he continued. "The spiritual energy here is far more abundant than in our world, and combined with feeling the power of Immortal Lord Baopu earlier, and the bitter battles along the way, my long-dormant cultivation realm is finally showing signs of breakthrough."

"Originally, I intended to recover from my injuries before attempting a breakthrough, but I never expected to be pushed to such an extent by you all."

Zhao Hao's voice carried a hint of triumph, as if he viewed them as mere clowns. He had only been toying with them before, but now he was getting serious.

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

Having witnessed Immortal Lord Baopu suppress the Ghost King with just a glance before, that kind of power was beyond their imagination. They stood no chance at all.

Looking at the flashing lightning above Zhao Hao in the distance, Zu An said in a deep voice, "I've heard that undergoing tribulation is a very dangerous thing. In his current state, will he fail the tribulation and die?"

Both women shook their heads. "That's for cultivators with unstable realms," Yan Xuehen explained. "But he's been stuck at the peak of the Earth Immortal realm for so many years; he should have broken through a long time ago. It's just that the origin of our previous world wasn't strong enough, which kept him limited there. Now that he's in this world, with its vast spiritual energy and various stimuli, his breakthrough should be a natural progression."

The two women had previously followed Zu An through the Xia Dynasty secret realm and now this secret realm. They also understood why no one in their own world had ever achieved immortality for so many years.

Zu An immediately understood that Zhao Hao was making a breakthrough after a long period of accumulation, and his success in this tribulation was highly probable.

"The tribulation process should be extremely dangerous," Zu An asked again. "If we attack him during the critical moment of his tribulation, will that increase his chances of failure?"

"Absolutely not," Yan Xuehen immediately warned. "Once the lightning tribulation begins, it will indiscriminately attack anything within a certain radius around the transcender. Furthermore, the more people present, the greater the power of the lightning tribulation. Zhao Hao possesses the body of an Earth Immortal; both his physical body and primordial spirit are extremely powerful, allowing him to barely cope with those lightning tribulations. But if we enter the lightning field, we will be instantly struck down and turn to ash."

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 frowned deeply. They racked their brains, recalling everything they had learned throughout their lives, but there was no solution for the current situation.

At this point, a change occurred in the field. A bolt of lightning suddenly struck down from the sky directly towards Zhao Hao.

Zhao Hao raised his hand and punched, directly dispersing the bolt of lightning. With a flash of electricity, the thick lightning bolt simply vanished.

"The lightning tribulation has begun!" Even as an enemy, Yun Jianyue was quite impressed. Zhao Hao's insight and technique in that last strike were truly astonishing. Tribulation lightning was many times more powerful than ordinary lightning, yet he had resolved it with such an understated punch.

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

Each bolt of lightning was thicker and more condensed than the previous one, and its power was clearly far greater.

However, Zhao Hao's expression remained unchanged. He simply opened his hand and grasped one of the lightning bolts. The lightning bolt struggled violently, like a white snake.

He then directly grabbed that lightning bolt and swung it aside, colliding with other bolts and forcefully snapping them in two. Those lightning bolts quickly dissipated into electrical light.

Two more bolts of lightning struck from either side. Zhao Hao took one in each hand, and with a clench of his fists, he actually crushed the tribulation lightning into dissipation.

The last bolt of lightning took the opportunity to strike his head. At this moment, his hands were occupied, and he couldn't react in time.

Zhao Hao raised his head, and suddenly opened his mouth, actually swallowing the tribulation lightning in one gulp.

Zu An and the two women stared in disbelief.

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

The tribulation lightning posed no threat to him at all?

At this moment, Zhao Hao's boisterous laughter echoed. "I have already seen that path," he declared. "Indeed, the problem was not with me before; I should have broken through a long time ago!"

His voice was filled with joy. Previously, because he had been plagued by the Five Decays of Heavenly Beings, he had lived in constant fear for years, even though he was already invincible in the world.

He had searched everywhere for elixirs of longevity and methods of immortality, and after coming to this world, he had even constantly sought the *True Scripture of Embracing Simplicity*.

But now it seemed he didn't need any of that. What he had learned throughout his life was already enough to break through; it was only the weaker world he came from that had limited him.

As long as he successfully underwent tribulation and became a true immortal, everyone else would be like ants.

Sensing the opponent's increasingly rising aura, Yun Jianyue's expression grew serious. "Let's hurry and run," she urged, "otherwise, it will be too late."

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

"We can't just wait here for death, can we?" Yun Jianyue said, a hint of hesitation in her voice. "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 to 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 do whatever he wants there."

Listening to her seemingly bold words, which were actually an admission of defeat, Yan Xuehen also felt somewhat disheartened.

At this moment, Zu An's voice rang out. "Let me confirm with you again," he said. "The more people within the range of the lightning tribulation, the greater its power, right?"

"Of course," Yun Jianyue paused. "You're not thinking of going in, are you? Absolutely not! Although your body is exceptionally tough, your cultivation is currently too far from the peak of an Earth Immortal; you absolutely cannot withstand this level of lightning tribulation!"

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