Chapter 544: Devastation

Endless lightning and ten thousand feet of purple light completely engulfed the world. This was no longer just a single bolt of lightning, but a veritable sea of thunder! Nothing remained; everything was submerged by the thunder. The sight was blinding, and its destructive power could be felt even from afar. It was even worse for those undergoing tribulation within it. The vast expanse of purple light caused a suffocating sensation even miles away, making everyone tremble.

Heart-rending screams erupted instantly as some unfortunate souls were struck down, turning into ash and vanishing forever from existence. "Damn it, little Ye, this Emperor will fight you!" The big black dog cursed ceaselessly, as it too was engulfed.

"Ah..." The area erupted in chaos, with many people crying out in panic. How many could possibly endure such a heavenly catastrophe? No one had anticipated that Ye Fan would employ such a tactic. "Awooo... Ye Hei, you motherf**ker!" Even the big black dog was swearing, which showed just how everyone else felt. Everyone wished they could flay Ye Fan alive. To conceive such a ruthless move was beyond comprehension; no matter how much they planned, they hadn't foreseen this unforeseen turn of events. Some people, aware of the Black Emperor's unparalleled mastery of Dao patterns, had deliberately chosen a site where ancient holy spirits had fallen, hoping to render its abilities useless. They had prepared for every contingency, but never expected this particular move. This brat was truly despicable! Everyone wanted to curse. Unleashing such a destructive trick was clearly intended to trap and kill them all. Every face was as white as snow; the legendary heavenly tribulation was indeed the most bizarre and terrifying phenomenon.

"Boom!" A thunderous storm, ten thousand feet high, submerged an unknown number of mountain ranges. Purple light connected the heavens, and every inch of space was filled with tribulation lightning, making it terrifying to the extreme. "Too cruel, I don't want to die, ah..." Screams echoed ceaselessly. "Ye Ruthless, I'll haunt you even as a ghost, ah..." Piercing screams echoed weakly through the thunderous sea. This was a true celestial killing tribulation.

The day Ye Fan learned of Yiyi's imprisonment, he immediately went into seclusion at the Jade Pool, holding back his power. In truth, he could have broken through much earlier, but he had been suppressing his cultivation, specifically waiting for this very day. He had intended to bring the Red Dragon and Peacock King, among others, but his plans were detected by his enemies. Yet, those weren't his ultimate tactics; the heavenly tribulation was his true trump card for this venture! By undergoing tribulation within this deadly trap, he would draw everyone into it. He would succeed, ascending to the Four Extremes Grand Completion realm, while all his enemies would be annihilated. Dragging everyone into the tribulation was a truly ruthless move, one he was forced to devise as a last resort to break out of the situation.

"Boom!" The immense heavenly tribulation arrived as scheduled, scorching the earth, melting snow-capped mountains, leaving not a single inch of intact land. "You..." a Saint-level figure cried out, his entire body enveloped by lightning as he fiercely resisted. "You're suffering too much like this," Ye Fan said with a cold smile, "I'll send you on your way!" He advanced step by step. At this moment, he was the epicenter of the thunderous sea, the very source of its fury. Endless bolts of lightning were directed solely at him; any movement he made truly unleashed a mountain of thunder and a sea of electricity!

The Saint-level figure screamed; he couldn't withstand such a heavenly tribulation at all. Every inch of his flesh was charred black. "Let me see who you truly are," Ye Fan said. "I didn't expect you to have a secret treasure concealing your true appearance." With a single step, he was before the man. Though he too was resisting the tribulation lightning, he could endure it. "Crack!" The secret treasure on the man shattered amidst the thunderstorm, revealing a familiar face contorted with terror. He had already been struck down. "It's you..." Ye Fan was surprised. This was Li Rui, a substitute Saint Son from Yaoguang, whom Ye Fan had once suppressed and later released in the Divine City. "Crackle!" Five bolts of thunder struck down on his head. Li Rui's skull shattered, his brains spilled out, and his spirit disintegrated. Another wave of lightning followed, and he was utterly annihilated, reduced to ashes, leaving nothing behind. Ye Fan knew without a doubt that a Grand Elder from a certain Yaoguang lineage must have accompanied Li Rui here.

On the other side, a Grand Elder-level figure, who had reached the Eighth Transformation of Dragonization, screamed as his body was lacerated, bones exposed, and flesh charred and stinking. Although powerful, they weren't necessarily faring better than the Saint-level figures. Resisting the heavenly tribulation required secret treasures. Most Saint Sons possessed formidable artifacts interwoven with fundamental laws, allowing them to struggle on for a short while before succumbing. "You're from Zifu, I saw you in the Jade Pool!" Ye Fan approached the Grand Elder, extended a finger, and tapped his glabella. Electrical energy surged in, and with a bang, the man exploded, sending bone fragments flying.

This was a murderous sea of thunder, inescapable for anyone within it. Everyone was submerged; even trying to breathe would fill their lungs with electricity. "No justice!" Many older cultivators cried out in despair. Seeing Ye Fan move through the electrical storm as if in an uninhabited land, unharmed and continuously killing, they lost all hope. "Monster! He's the one undergoing tribulation, yet he's completely fearless. We can't take this anymore!" "May he be struck by divine thunder! Why doesn't he die? Such a monster shouldn't exist in this world!" Many cursed and roared fiercely; no one could withstand such divine punishment. "Pffft," "Pffft"... Ye Fan moved like a grim reaper in the darkness, harvesting lives. Wherever he went, people constantly dropped dead, turning into ash. In fact, he didn't even need to attack; merely his presence was enough to overwhelm the powerful figures. As the epicenter of the thunderous sea, he wielded the strongest destructive power.

As early as when Ye Fan broke the curse and underwent his first heavenly tribulation in the Divine City, he had already triggered the Nine-Five Heavenly Tribulation, a phenomenon powerful enough to make even Saint Lords blanch. Thereafter, with each cultivation realm he ascended, the tribulation he faced intensified significantly, reaching a point where few could now endure it. Ye Fan himself was grimacing, resisting with all his might. His physical body strength had, in fact, long surpassed that of the Saint Lords. It wasn't that they didn't want to escape, but that escape was impossible. Many were inadvertently pulled into his tribulation, with no means of evading it. Ye Fan had long understood this situation because, during his first tribulation, the Black Emperor had warned him that anyone caught within it would inevitably be implicated. In ancient times, Emperor Wushi was also frequently struck by lightning. Once he underwent tribulation, anyone caught within it faced destructive consequences. If a highly cultivated individual tried to help resist, an even more terrifying lightning tribulation would descend, specifically targeting that person. For this very reason, Emperor Wushi had once specifically created "Heaven-Deceiving Array Patterns" to avoid implicating innocent people. Unfortunately, those present had no knowledge of such techniques.

Dao Yi Saint Son Li Donglai, his hair disheveled, cried out in terror. His golden warship had been obliterated, and he was now desperately activating his life-bound artifact, a gift from the Dao Yi Saint Lord, to resist the tribulation. "Aren't you afraid of revealing your identity now?" Ye Fan questioned, resisting the heavenly tribulation as he approached step by step. "Ye Fan, you are so ruthless! Do you even know who is here? Do you intend to kill everyone?" Dao Yi Saint Son Li Donglai asked, terrified. Lightning coiled around his body, making him convulse. Many parts of him were scorched, and even the Heavenly Net Umbrella, interwoven with fundamental laws, could no longer withstand the onslaught, slowly beginning to crack. "Who you are is irrelevant," Ye Fan demanded. "If you set a death trap to kill me, then be prepared for annihilation. Tell me, who orchestrated all of this?" "Boom!" Eighty-one consecutive crimson lightning bolts descended, many times more terrifying than the surrounding sea of thunder. All of them struck Ye Fan, causing him to stumble. "Damn it, there's no justice!" The Dao Yi Saint Son's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He was fighting for his life, unable to withstand the terrifying sea of thunder and on the verge of annihilation, yet Ye Fan, facing even more terrifying crimson lightning, merely stumbled.

Li Donglai was incredibly enraged, almost driven to madness. But he had no time to ponder; the thunderous sea shook him violently, cracking his body open, exposing his bones, and leaving him without any power to resist. His Heavenly Net Umbrella was destroyed, leaving him without any barrier. He could barely survive another moment; his physical body simply couldn't withstand the purple sea. "Speak quickly!" Ye Fan lifted him. "I truly don't know!" Dao Yi Saint Son Li Donglai exclaimed in terror, revealing everything. "We merely received orders. We are all from the Suicide Saint Alliance, but we don't know the true identity of the mastermind." "Pfft." Ye Fan slammed his palm down, shattering Li Donglai's head, killing him instantly.

"Damn it, little Ye, come save me quickly! This Emperor can't hold on much longer!" the big black dog shrieked. Ye Fan knew it was unharmed, as he had been observing the situation, but he still rushed over immediately. The big black dog held the Ancient Emperor's Token in its paw, its auspicious light flickering, surprisingly holding back the thunderous sea and preventing it from approaching. Liu Yiyi was protected within. "Ah... this Emperor is dying of pain!" The big black dog screamed, convulsing all over. It had been fine before, but Ye Fan was the epicenter of the thunderous storm. Once it approached, every type of lightning struck it, an endless display of colorful lights, including five-element lightning and even wisps of chaotic lightning. "Damn it, get away, get away!" the big black dog shrieked. With Yiyi on its back, it scrambled backward on two legs, then bolted away as if fleeing a venomous viper, vanishing into the distance. "Brat, you've cursed me!" the big black dog lamented. "This time, I'm stuck undergoing tribulation with you." Although it had bolted away, unlike last time, it had actively engaged in the tribulation today. Thus, no matter where it fled, it would have to face a heavenly tribulation. This, without a doubt, was the effect of "implication"—no matter where one fled, it was useless; they were bound to endure the tribulation alongside him! It was now too late, even if it managed to find a place to carve "Heaven-Deceiving Array Patterns."

Ye Fan retrieved the "Immortal Treasure" from the Myriad Dragon Nest, placing the Archaic Saint within it. He then suspended the Cauldron of All Things Mother Qi above his head, allowing it to undergo tribulation alongside him. He had discovered that each tribulation imprinted and wove traces of fundamental laws into the cauldron, a crucial step for its evolution into an Ultimate Saint Weapon. Furthermore, Ye Fan unleashed his terrifying divine consciousness. The golden pond in his glabella transformed into an Immortal King, identical to him, sitting cross-legged before his forehead, also receiving the baptism of lightning. He used the terrifying heavenly tribulation to temper himself, undergoing a complete sublimation. Having now entered the Four Extremes Grand Completion realm, his golden blood qi surged, and his combat power increased significantly.

Screams rose and fell ceaselessly; this place was a living purgatory. Ye Fan's heavenly tribulation was so terrifying that even Saint Lord-level figures couldn't endure it, let alone anyone else. Ye Fan continuously attacked, killing many people in succession. Two half-step Great Sages had already perished, turned into ashes by the tribulation. At this moment, he spotted two Grand Elders from Wanchu, along with their Saintess Zhao Yanran. They were jointly activating several powerful artifacts to resist the tribulation, but all were on the verge of annihilation. "You..." Everyone's complexion paled; seeing Ye Fan approach, they were all overcome with terror. "Pfft." Ye Fan was cold and merciless. With the Cauldron of All Things Mother Qi hovering above his head, he advanced step by step, then struck out with a palm-blade, sending the Wanchu Saintess's head flying. "Bang..." Before the headless corpse could even spurt blood, it was carbonized by the lightning, and the severed head exploded with a bang. "Saintess!" the two Grand Elders of Wanchu cried out, but sadly, they too could not escape the deadly tribulation. "Bang!" The two were transformed into ashes by the chaotic lightning threads guided by Ye Fan, vanishing completely.

Ye Fan's eyes were deep. He channeled hundreds of feet of divine lightning into his body, continuously tempering his physical form, divine consciousness, and the Cauldron of All Things Mother Qi, making his entire being shimmer translucently. At this moment, his flesh and bones flowed with radiance, stronger than ever before. The golden divine consciousness in front of his glabella had transformed into a "mini-him," only fist-sized, yet it was absorbing and expelling the boundless lightning. This was an incredibly terrifying sight, as if he were about to absorb the entire heavenly tribulation. He inhaled the thunder qi, forging his divine consciousness to be incredibly powerful and resilient. The golden mini-figure now sat cross-legged, appearing like seven-colored glazed crystal, utterly flawless and pure, dazzling brilliantly. As for the Mother Qi Cauldron, it too was transforming, acquiring intricate patterns imprinted onto its inner walls. Mysterious and unfathomable, it had formally begun to intertwine with the Dao and its principles, evolving towards a Saint Lord-level weapon! Ye Fan was constantly transforming, his entire body radiating brilliant light, every inch of his flesh shimmering with precious luster. As he advanced, he saw numerous corpses, including seven or eight Saint-level figures who had been annihilated and reduced to charcoal.

Finally, he spotted a Great Sage who had already escaped the thunderous sea and was now undergoing his own heavenly tribulation on a distant snowy peak. This, without a doubt, was the effect of "implication"—no matter where one fled, it was useless; they were bound to endure the tribulation alongside him! Ye Fan let out a long laugh, his body pure and unblemished. He breathed in the thunderous sea, then surged forward, carrying ten thousand tons of divine thunder with him. "I'll lend you a hand!" "You..." The Great Sage was terrified. He had never experienced a heavenly tribulation before, and his own was already more than he could bear, forcing him to stop here to try and resolve it. How could he possibly withstand the various, unshakeable lightning bolts that Ye Fan brought? "Boom!" The thunderous sea swept over. Just then, chaotic heavenly thunder descended—incomparably terrifying and blindingly bright. Though there were only a few wisps of mist, it annihilated everything! This kind of tribulation made even Ye Fan cough blood, and the Cauldron of All Things Mother Qi trembled, sustaining numerous marks. Although this Great Sage was powerful, he could not resist it. "Crack!" In just nine strikes, his weapon was pulverized, vanishing forever from existence. Then, eighty-one chaotic lightning threads struck down continuously, making him thrash wildly like a lotus leaf caught in a gale. "Little Ye, you rogue, I won't let you go even as a ghost!" he screamed tragically. "So, you're the Dao Yi Saint Lord's junior brother," Ye Fan sneered. "You're Li Muqing; I've seen you at the Jade Pool!" "Ah..." After the eighty-one chaotic lightning threads struck, Great Sage Li Muqing became nothing but tribulation ash, removed from the world forever!

Ye Fan adjusted his breathing. The golden mini-figure in his glabella, like a sea encompassing all rivers, swallowed all the chaotic lightning, continuously refining itself. His physical body and the cauldron likewise endured the ordeal together, glowing like divine beings, emanating a dreamlike, brilliant radiance. At this moment, he was truly a living god walking among mortals! Impenetrable to the heavenly tribulation, untouched by disaster, he walked through the endless ocean of lightning. He saw one charred corpse after another, continuously personally striking down those who had not yet died. A total of four half-step Great Sages had already perished. "You... you're a demon!" someone cried out. "Do you realize how many people you've killed, or their status? The Eastern Lands will surely face a great upheaval!" As Ye Fan unleashed another ten thousand-foot thunderous storm, sending the second Great Sage undergoing his own tribulation to his demise, he said, "I told you, a miracle will happen today," Ye Fan said, unmoved, "and I will slay all of you!"