Chapter 1275: Thousand Calamities and Hundred Difficulties

A boundless waterfall of lightning cascaded down, yet this was merely a small corner of the vast and magnificent sea of thunder. This immense tide of tribulation swept across countless star fields.

Ye Fan was facing the most terrifying tribulation of his life. He struggled to withstand the divine punishment, all while remaining wary of fluctuations emanating from the depths of the sky, where the aura of ancient Great Emperors lingered.

“Kid, you’re on your own. I can’t help you; I can barely protect myself,” the Dragon Horse shouted from afar. Its skin was torn, flesh ripped, and bones shattered, yet it continuously reassembled and refined its body.

Witnessing Ye Fan’s exceptionally tragic tribulation, the Dragon Horse was greatly stimulated. It reasoned that if such an ordeal existed, then what it faced was minor by comparison, and it would surely overcome it.

In a sense, Ye Fan’s current tragic plight significantly boosted the Dragon Horse’s conviction. This unscrupulous creature began to charge forward desperately, clearing the obstacles on its path to sainthood.

“Boom!” A vast darkness engulfed the star field as Lunar Divine Lightning descended. Greater than all previous tribulations, it completely filled the star field, submerging many stars which then exploded in quick succession.

This was an unparalleled horror, a scene capable of striking fear into the heart of any Saint-to-be. If the Heavens intended to allow someone to pass through, how could such a tribulation possibly descend?

This was a sign of rejection by Heaven and Earth, a punishment unleashed with all their might, beyond all limits, seeking to annihilate the aspiring Saint.

This bolt of Lunar Divine Lightning, permeated with wisps of immortal mist and shimmering with dark light, utterly shattered Ye Fan and even cracked his cauldron. It was arguably the most tragic tribulation he had ever experienced.

From his body emanated a thunderous, drum-like vibration, accompanied by streaks of golden divine radiance. His shattered body and fractured bones reassembled and reconnected once more, fusing into a single entity.

Enduring the pain of being completely shattered, Ye Fan re-refined his Myriad Things Mother Qi Cauldron. He chanted hundreds of ancient characters, obtained from within the Nine Dragons Coffin, injecting them into the cracks on the cauldron, allowing them to permeate its structure, and then submitted it to the tempering of the heavenly tribulation.

This cauldron was extraordinary and refined, originally an immortal material exclusive to Great Emperors, destined to forge peerless Emperor Weapons. Now, having been reforged and tempered in countless ways, it appeared even more ancient and mysterious.

Boom! Another boundless sea of lightning descended, dazzling with golden light that illuminated the entire universe. It was as if a stellar explosion had occurred, with the blinding light ten thousand times more terrifying than the conflagration of countless stars.

The Solar Divine Lightning struck, scattering Ye Fan’s flesh and blood everywhere. Even with his powerful Holy Body, he was on the brink of death; his bones were shattered inch by inch, his meridians burst, and blood splattered, creating a truly horrific sight.

Similarly, the cauldron cracked once more, nearly breaking into fragments that floated heavily before Ye Fan’s brow, threatening to scatter in all directions at any moment.

Ye Fan circulated his profound techniques, melding his shattered physical body back into one, strengthening his bloodline. He used the ‘Zhe’ character art to maintain his indestructibility, continuously purifying his nascent bones.

Simultaneously, he tempered and reforged the cauldron countless times, repeatedly embedding hundreds of ancient characters into its cracks, causing them to fuse into its structure.

This was a painful ordeal. The sheer magnitude of the lightning tribulation and the immense power of the divine punishment surpassed Ye Fan’s expectations. He could no longer calmly face the tribulation as before; the slightest misstep would result in his complete annihilation, body and spirit.

“Boom!” Next, the Five Elements Heavenly Tribulation descended. Five streaks of divine light swept down, shattering Ye Fan five times in quick succession. The Myriad Things Mother Qi Cauldron also vibrated continuously, nearly shattering into pieces.

Ye Fan endured extreme tribulations repeatedly. For an ordinary person, any single strike would have reduced them to ashes. Few throughout history could withstand this; it was the ultimate punishment for those aspiring to the Emperor’s path.

Yet another great tribulation descended, its dazzling lightning filling the boundless sky. He gritted his teeth and held on, but worried that the cauldron would be destroyed, ruining his artifact of enlightenment.

Crack! The most terrifying thing finally happened: the Myriad Things Mother Qi Cauldron shattered, piece by piece, floating in the cosmic void around him, its luster gone.

“How could this happen?” Ye Fan whispered bitterly. The Myriad Things Mother Qi origin, a globally rare substance, had been sought by Empress Ruthless, perhaps from some unknown star field. It was a truly immortal artifact, yet it had shattered like this.

Myriad layers of lightning, billions of divine rays, struck down upon these fragments, clanging loudly and emitting deafening sounds. Wisps of mysterious aura flowed from them.

Ye Fan’s body cracked and was once again destroyed by the lightning tribulation. His bones creaked, and blood splattered everywhere, landing on the cauldron fragments.

As his blood scattered, all the cauldron fragments began to glow, emitting soaring sword energy that tore through the sky, shattered the immortal lightning, and rumbled, causing the entire firmament to tremble.

“This is…” Ye Fan was surprised. The cauldron was not dead; it contained a vibrant fighting spirit. This was merely the beginning—a path of metamorphosis, a struggle for transcendence, unfolding in this very moment.

Endless lightning descended. Although the cauldron fragments continued to break into even smaller pieces, Ye Fan was no longer so worried.

He realized a possibility: the Dao Sutra recorded a method for refining a “single artifact,” which, during the Saint’s tribulation, would undergo extreme sublimation and a qualitative transformation. This required the cauldron to die and be reborn, giving birth to a “divine spirit.”

This was the cauldron’s self-destruction and rebirth, a manifestation of its drive for transformation!

Blood mixed with the cauldron fragments, trembling and roaring together. Each fragment emitted soaring sword energy that cut through the sea of thunder, clanging defiantly, unyielding in its resistance to the tribulation.

Ye Fan’s physical body was disintegrated repeatedly. His blood drenched the cauldron fragments, making them even more spiritual, causing them to hum softly as if murmuring.

This was a painful tribulation. Every minute, every second, Ye Fan endured the divine punishment of being shattered to pieces. His flesh, broken bones, and cauldron fragments mingled together.

“Forge my Dao, forge my cauldron.” Although he suffered pain unbearable to ordinary people, with each reassembly, his eyes grew brighter. Hundreds of ancient characters continuously flew out, merging into the fragmented cauldron pieces.

These were ancient scriptures from within the Nine Dragons Coffin. To this day, Ye Fan still couldn't fully comprehend them; they were beyond his current realm of understanding, obscure and difficult to grasp.

But even without full comprehension, it didn't hinder his progress. He utilized them. Ever since he began forging the Myriad Things Mother Qi Cauldron, he had continuously infused these scriptures into it, subtly transforming it.

Especially on the other side of the starry sky, during the Immortal III Dao-Slaying Tribulation, he had even chanted this scripture, tempering the Myriad Things Mother Qi Cauldron, and together they had overcome the tribulation.

Although he didn't know the secrets of this scripture, he persisted tirelessly, ensuring his cauldron memorized it, forging and imprinting hundreds of ancient characters into his unique artifact of enlightenment.

Humming and rumbling! The Ninety-Nine Great Tribulation descended. Nine beams of colored light struck down, destroying everything. Many stars exploded, and the area covered by the heavenly tribulation suffered widespread devastation.

Ye Fan roared. The golden figure within his glabella surged out, undergoing the same baptism as his physical body. Finally, it too could not endure and slowly shattered.

This was a great catastrophe. If the spirit was destroyed, death was certain. While the physical body could be reassembled if destroyed, once the primordial spirit was annihilated, all efforts would likely be in vain.

“Ah…” Ye Fan roared, filled with reluctance. His Saint Tribulation was incredibly difficult to overcome, and he refused to succumb to eternal silence; he was determined to push through.

The ‘Zhe’ character art activated. After the golden figure had shattered into countless fragments, it was once again pulled together by a powerful force, reassembling and emitting boundless light.

“My body is immortal, enduring through all tribulations…” He chanted scriptures, solidifying his Dao. His belief was unwavering, his will like iron, and the golden figure grew increasingly radiant, finally overcoming this ordeal.

Of course, this was merely one tribulation along the way. Many more hardships awaited, but Ye Fan had found hope and firmly believed he could overcome them.

One, two… countless seas of lightning descended again and again, each time different. In the end, the golden figure had been dispersed multiple times, yet each time it struggled to coalesce into a single entity.

He didn't know if it was a hundred or a thousand tribulations, but Ye Fan felt no pain. All he heard was a hum of the Dao in his ears. At this moment, a strange transformation was occurring within him.

His flesh, broken bones, the fractured golden figure, and the fragmented cauldron pieces actually merged together, floating and sinking in the sea of thunder, accepting tempering.

He was forging a cauldron, fusing his scattered flesh, primordial spirit, and Mother Qi fragments into one, performing an astonishing ritual refinement.

The cauldron is me, and I am the cauldron.

At this moment, there was nothing else but the hum of the Dao. Only a cauldron of flesh and blood, enveloped by Myriad Things Mother Qi, floated and sank, appearing incredibly mysterious.

Such a strange cauldron actually blocked the heavenly tribulation, achieving momentary eternity, remaining immortal and eternal in the cosmic void.

Flesh, bones, and blood, shattered primordial spirit, and cauldron fragments merged into one. This was a miraculous scene—forging a cauldron with one’s own body, becoming a part of it. If ordinary people knew, they would surely be dumbfounded and unable to comprehend.

Yet at this moment, it was truly happening, so profound.

As the divine sound of the Great Dao roared, Ye Fan felt a profound realization. He involuntarily recalled a widely circulated saying: “Ultimate Imperial Weapons are an alternative continuation of the lives of ancient Great Emperors.”

This saying was true. Even after Great Emperors passed away and their primordial spirits were annihilated, their Imperial Weapons contained their divine radiance, capable of illuminating all eternity, remaining undying.

At the same time, Ye Fan realized that some of the paths he had trodden must have been experienced by ancient Great Emperors. The true Emperor’s path, walked by the invincible, though not identical, shared commonalities.

Boom! A violent tremor occurred. This was a devastating catastrophe, the most terrifying tribulation. Chaotic energy boiled, sweeping through the star sea, as a boundless Chaos Divine Tribulation descended.

It shattered the calm and pierced through the sea of thunder, causing the cauldron to explode and destroying Ye Fan’s balance and immortality.

Moreover, this time the cauldron fragments were reduced to powder, almost grinding his flesh and primordial spirit into light, scattering them within the chaos.

This was the most tragic moment. This tribulation represented utter destruction; it was as if Heaven sought to annihilate everything, turning those who stubbornly pursued the Emperor’s path into dust and smoke.

However, amidst this destruction, a new force emerged, piercing through the vast chaos and shining down from the depths of the firmament—a force of hope.

Ye Fan felt no fear, no anxiety. At this final moment of life and death, he became calm. Having navigated so many tribulations, hovering between life and death, he had done everything he could. Even if he perished, there would be nothing to regret, for he had given his utmost.

“I can overcome this.”

At this moment, such a thought arose in him, accompanied by a premonition that after the Chaos Divine Tribulation, there would be another tribulation: the creation of heaven and earth.

“The creation of heaven and earth signifies the end of destruction and the rebirth of all things. I and the cauldron will be reborn.”

Ye Fan’s will grew even firmer. The cauldron was already dust, and his primordial spirit and physical body were also tattered, yet they contained the hope of life and were on the verge of a qualitative transformation.