Hello, dear readers! Here's chapter 115! The Tribulation continues and the danger grows.
This week: Well, I've had a hard time finishing chapter 125 this week. I even had to rewrite it twice. It was not a complete rewrite since I used some inspirations from the previous rewrites, but it was a huge project. I ended up with a 4770 words chapter that exhausted me so much I had to take a day off writing on Wednesday or my brain might have shut itself off automatically windows-forced-update mode. But the result is pretty cool, so I can't say I regret it. Also, it helped me find a clearer path for Book 2. Beside that, I decided to post images on patre0n related to this novel. To give you an example: this week I posted an image of the Leaping Yang Serenity. It's not the exact image I have in my mind, but that gives you an idea. It's for member only, by the way. That way, members will get something more than advance chapters. Right, the posting will be mostly random, so no idea about how many per week you'll get. Probably one. Maybe two. Who knows?
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Bright Star City, Bright Star Island, Flowing Stars Archipelago, Earth
Demian's P.O.V.
As soon as those words resounded in their ears, a massive change appeared in the atmosphere above the platform, with the fiercest fluctuations coming from right above Bryn's position. The sky, which was previously azure blue with the massive solar star shining brightly, was swiftly hidden behind a growing mass of grey clouds. At first light grey, the sea of clouds took less than a minute to change into a dark grey color before only pure black was left, its appearance oozing ominousness. 'If I remember right, Roman's Tribulation Clouds were light grey. They also felt much weaker...' He thought solemnly. Indeed, if Roman's Tribulation was akin to a small stream, then Bryn's tribulation was similar to a fierce River powerful enough to destroy anything blocking its way. "Well, I think you have your answer, Protector General..." Sergei commented with casual words, although his expression was anything but. Shaking his head, the General replied. "With her talent, I expected her Tribulation to be somewhere around Low Third-Grade, or, at most, a Mid Third-Grade. But not a High Third-Grade... It's going to be tricky for the kid..." Demian felt a bit confused when he heard their words, not knowing that Tribulations had particular categories. In his uneducated Mind, they were divided into 'Weak', 'Average', and 'Strong' denominations. Nothing overly specific, although that was mostly because Sergei did not include that information in his Void Ring. Feeling both curious and worried at the same time, he asked his Teacher. "There are categories for Tribulation?" Nodding his head to the young man's question, Sergei explained. "From First to Third-Grade, with each divided into three Sub-Grades: Low, Mid, and High. The Major Grade refers to the number of Lightning Bolts and the Quality of their Essence. As for the Sub-Grade, they're determined by the Quantity of Energy, something that can be inferred by observing how dark the Tribulation Clouds are. Light Gray is Low, Deep Gray is Mid, and Pure Black is High." Pausing for a second, he added, while glancing at the group of three. "What I just explained applies to most situations, but exceptions do exist, so always be cautious regardless of your future Tribulation's appearances."
The three nodded, and, as Demian was about to ask another question, a deafening sound of Thunder resounded in their ears, so powerful that anyone below the Chi Gathering Rank would either have their Mind scatter from the Soul assault if their body was on the strong side or simply turn into bloodmist if their Physique was on the weak side. Naturally, none of those present on the boat was weak, and coupled with the double protection of the boat and the City's Protective Formations, even Adeliya, whose Cultivation Base was the lowest by far, was merely shaken slightly, if her pale expression was any indicator. Her reaction, however, was immediately noticed by Ling, who remarked. "Increase the Soul Protection Array output, Darling, or Sister Liya will have a hard time getting through the whole thing." As those words reached the handsome man wearing a suit, his previously focused expression turned apologetic as he turned toward Adeliya while some vague Energy fluctuations erupted from his Body. "I'm sorry, Sister. Because I didn't expect little Bryn here to make such a commotion, I didn't mobilize enough of the Protective Formation's power. It should be better now." As Demian sensed the slight change in the barrier surrounding the flying boat, another colossal rumbling sound erupted from the black clouds in the sky, washing over the boat so quickly that Demian only had the time to reflexively embrace the woman's soft body to protect her before it was already gone. Because of his enhanced Senses, it barely took an instant for him to notice that, despite being as loud as previously, the soundwave's Soul attack had completely vanished, making his gesture completely superfluous. Apparently, Seraphine also caught onto the situation as she was quick to tease him through a Voice Transmission directed at Liya and him. ["Now that you've got Mom, you've already forgotten me, uh? Out with the old and in with the new? I feel so betrayed!"]
Despite knowing she was joking, Demian did feel a tinge of guilt, prompting him to reluctantly let go of Liya's warm body and exclaim through another Voice Transmission. ["I knew the Sound wouldn't do anything to you, unlike Liya. That's why I only protected her... Why am I even justifying myself, anyway?"] While the mischievous woman was giggling at his exasperated tone, he noticed the red hue on his Aunt's cheeks, along with the silly smile gracing her lips. The view made him briefly absent-minded, with only a singular thought appearing in his Mind. 'Why is it that the more time passes, the younger she acts...' His random ponderings did not last long, however, as another rumbling noise erupted from the Clouds, but this time, the sound did not arrive alone. Indeed, a gigantic purple-colored Lightning also emerged from the sea of black clouds right above Bryn's location. As soon as it was out, it immediately fell at a speed so fast that even Demian, with his current abnormal strength, could not take it lightly, especially when his Senses told him that it should be powerful enough to instantly obliterate that previous Danilov woman who was at the Peak Third Level of the Foundation Building Rank. However, Brynhild was now much stronger than the woman, although her Cultivation Base was still a Rank lower, and as soon as the Lightning Lance was about to reach her, she erupted instantly. From her body, whose every visible part, which, this time, were only her face, neck and hands, mysterious tattoos appeared, boosting her Aura instantly before her relaxed posture fluidly morphed into a cleaving strike filled with powerful killing intent that immediately shattered the deadly lightning attack into deceptively small sparks that were still falling toward her body. Although those would have still been dangerous for normal Foundation Building Cultivators, it merely tickled the woman, leaving no trace after their Energy was completely drained. Knowing her Earth and Metal affinity, coupled with her incredibly powerful Physique, Demian was not surprised. After all, even he would have no trouble dealing with those sparks with his current Water Physique, and that was without even needing to use his Physiology Perk.
However, there was still something that bothered him. "Why isn't she using her Peak Tier 2 Armor...?" With her eyes narrowing slightly, Seraphine replied. "Knowing her, she probably wants to test how well she can deal with the first few Bolts..." The two seemed a bit annoyed at Bryn's seeming recklessness. After all, not using such a crucial protective measure in a situation where she could die with the slightest mistake was stupid in his view. Of course, he decided to selectively ignore his own previous recklessness when he staked his life against those three Danilov Cultivators when he could have just run with the three women until he was strong enough, all for a vague promise from a strange man and with the will to protect his estranged father. Talk about hypocrisy... At that moment, a second bolt fell down from the sky, its Energy even greater than the first, although its fate was the same as the previous one: cleaved into similarly small sparks that vanished against her body, her clothes being protected from the destructive Energy by her Energy Field. Noticing the ease with which the older woman dealt with the threat, the worry in Demian's Heart lessened considerably. At the same time, he felt Liya's dainty hand grabbing his, her naturally silky voice delivering her reassuring words directly into his ears. "Don't worry about her, Darling. She's not one to act recklessly. I'm sure that once she feels some danger, she'll immediately wear her armor." Gently squeezing her hand, Demian's expression turned gentle as his gaze fell on the woman who could not help herself from trying to protect them from every danger, no matter the pain wracking her body and the fear gripping her Heart.
She has lost so many loved ones, from her husband to her blood sister, and even her parents. She also had to raise three children pretty much on her own while dealing with her own business, while bearing an incurable, partially crippling hip injury. And that was just what he was aware of. But how many other events has she experienced? How many times has she felt too tired to continue but still found the strength to keep going? Honestly, how she had held on so far baffled him. She had no man to support her, to truly share what she was feeling, and share her burden. Sure, Bryn tried to help, but that was different. She was her daughter and not her life partner. It certainly helped, but it also certainly did not resolve the problem completely. The saying went 'behind every great man is a great woman', but Demian was convinced that it went both ways, as 'behind every great woman was a great man'. 'Funny, how I always took her for granted, or more specifically, what she did for me... It's only now, after going through everything I went through, that I'm waking up to what she has done for me...' Even now, he could sense the woman's concerns for her oldest daughter's safety through every subconscious movement, every twitch of her body, and every micro-expression on her face, no matter how much she was trying to hide her inner turmoil. Once more, she tried her best to hide the fear gripping her Heart while reassuring both Seraphine and him. Seeing the woman who was a paradox of strength and vulnerability acting that way brought a pang of heartache, his discomfort swiftly turning into firm conviction as a thought surfaced in his Mind. 'Although I was too stupid to see it in the past, and frankly, too weak-minded to do anything about it even if I did see it, it's not the same now. I can.. NO! I WILL be her pillar from now on! I'll be the one she can completely rely on. I'll be her partner in every sense of the word. Otherwise, how can I look myself in the mirror?'
As soon as those thoughts appeared in his Mind, he let go of Liya's hand and, in a swift motion, grabbed the mother and daughter's waists before gently but firmly pulling them against his chest. With a matching expression on his face, he transmitted to the two while gazing into the middle-aged woman's striking blue eyes. ["I'm sorry, Liya. I promised you to be someone you can rely on a while ago, but here you are trying to make me feel better when you're as worried as us. I let you down..."] The mix of guilt and care in his tone seemed to touch something inside her Heart, her surprised expression vanishing progressively. Instead, he noticed some mist gathering in her eyes while her lips started twitching. As if his gaze was too much for her to bear, she pressed her face against his muscular chest and transmitted softly. ["You didn't let me down..."] On his right side, Seraphine's face briefly turned complicated before a relieved smile appeared on her face, followed by her arms tightening around the young man's and mother's waists, her words reaching their ears right after. ["See how good he is, Mom? That's our man."] Her tone, a mix of complicated emotions matching what he could sense from the Bond, although the woman did her best to hide it behind a mask of bravado. 'How similar to her mother...' He thought with a delight tainted by some faint guilt. The three then fell silent, with Demian having half of his attention on the two women in his embrace and the rest on the Purple Lightning Bolts continuously falling on the valiant redhead. One after another, lances of Energy fell on her before being cleaved into 'pieces' with an ease that belied the true danger of her situation. 'This is the Ninth Bolt. Strange. How come it seems so easy...' He wondered with surprise. Indeed, although most Foundation Building Cultivators would have been pulverized with the first, and weakest, bolt, going through the nine bolts for Bryn and himself was pretty much a walk in the park, something completely unexpected for him.
However, his confusion was swiftly dispelled by the General, who, along with the other two, stayed silent during the three's little 'emotional moment'. "The first phase is over. Good thing the kid dealt with it so easily, or she would be in trouble now." The words brought back the worry in Demian's Heart, and, if the sudden tension he felt from the two soft bodies lying in his arms was any indicator, Seraphine and Adeliya felt the same. In an inquisitive tone, hiding the concern in his Mind, the young man asked. "What... What's up with the phases you're talking about? I thought Tribulations only had Nine Lightning Bolts..." Shaking his head slightly, Sergei went on to explain. "That's only for First-Grade Tribulation. Second-Grade ones have Thirty-Six Lightning Bolts. When it comes to Third-Grade... Well, the difficulty increases even more with Eighty-One Lightning Bolts. That aside, the Tribulation is also divided into Phases linked to their respective Grades. In other words, from one to nine is the First Phase, from ten to thirty-six is the Second Phase, and from thirty-seven to eighty-one is the Third Phase. Of course, in her case, every phase will have Purple Essence Lightning due to her Tribulation reaching the Third-Grade..." Pausing his words for a second, the mustache-wearing man then added in a solemn tone. "Prepare yourself mentally, all of you. Because it's only a Tier 1 Tribulation, her odds of passing it are decent, but she will still most likely receive heavy injuries through the whole ordeal." Despite feeling reluctant, Demian still nodded his head as there was truly nothing else he could do besides waiting. 'If only we had bonded with each other. That way she'd be much safer.' Subconsciously, his grip on the two women's waists tightened slightly, which was swiftly matched by them squeezing his chest even tighter. Recalling his previous inner vow, the young man whispered in their ears. "She'll be fine. She's always been tough. Much more than I've ever been." The words seemed to work as their bodies softened slightly before Liya muttered back in a tone that suggested she was more likely trying to convince herself than others. "Yes, she'll definitely be fine! Definitely!" Feeling a slight pang in his Heart at her uneasiness, he gave a gentle kiss on her forehead, followed by one on Sera's, as he was not one to play favorites, and remarked. "Let's just watch her, okay?"
After seeing the two nod slightly, he fell silent and directed his entire focus on the thunderous sounds coming from the Black Clouds above. Unlike previously, where every Lightning Bolts were hidden completely in a sea of dark clouds, this time, a few purple sparks appeared here and there before disappearing back into the black 'lake'. Demian was not sure if he was imagining things, but those sparks seemed to form a special pattern, forming a vague nine-pointed star, although, for all he knew, it may have been his imagination. Shoving that thought aside, his gaze fell on the huangfu-wearing redhead located a few kilometers away from their position. As if she noticed the mounting danger, her body shimmered slightly before a golden brown full-body armor materialized on her figure, covering every inch of her skin behind its metallic luster. The helmet seemed to have been made from one piece of metal, with its only aperture being the thin horizontal slit running across the eyes, while the rest was completely covered. Even her striking red hair, styled in a high ponytail, was covered by a sharp bulge, seemingly too small to hide her red 'mane'. Then again, who was he to question magical artifacts' functions? As for the rest, from her shoulder pauldrons to her golden brown metallic boots, every piece of armor seemed designed to protect her from any physical attack, with no visible gap where conventional armor had them. Interestingly, a longer glance made him notice a few more details, such as the numerous semi-hidden spikes located at strategic places, along with every edge being so sharp that a simple glance brought a slight shiver to his body. 'Fuck! Is it an armor or a weapon?' He cursed inwardly, surprised, but not displeased, by that fact.
With the appearance of her armor, her Aura turned even fiercer, akin to a volcano about to erupt, which fitted the name of the newly unlocked Cultivation Arts she unlocked after purifying her Bloodline further, the Casting Star Arts, perfectly. 'Speaking of the devil...' He remarked inwardly as the woman's Aura experienced a second ridiculously high boost, the fluctuations similar to the Technique she showed them a few days ago during a friendly spar. 'Her Casting Star Arts are truly something. Merging every aspect of Cultivation into a comprehensive Arts perfectly fitting her Bloodline and Special Physique. With no weakness to exploit, you'd need to be massively more powerful than her to defeat her, and with her Golden Jade Giant's physical specialization, killing her would be borderline impossible, unless one is a few Ranks higher than her.' Even his own combat power was no match for the current her to the point that she had to control herself to avoid defeating him in a few moves. Although that was because his own Arts were not only much weaker but also not attuned to each other. 'I wonder if I can create my own Arts in the future... With my Perks guiding me, it should be possible, right?' He wondered as a Lightning Bolt with a much deeper shade of purple fell on the armored woman, its width as large as a bucket, unlike its previous waist-like size. Naturally, the Fluctuations it emitted were also much stronger, reaching somewhere around the Peak of Foundation Building in terms of firepower. It may even be slightly higher. From what the group tested the previous day, Bryn's unboosted combat power should be relatively similar, so with the combination of her activated Intrinsic Power and her Casting Star Arts, that much should be easy to fend off. Indeed, the Tenth Lightning Bolt that would have been hard to fend off for an average Peak Foundation Building Cultivator easily crumbled under her Halberd Strike, leaving even fewer sparks than earlier. The sight elicited a relieved sigh from Demian, who subconsciously mumbled. "Seeing her like this, she should be fine..." Fortunately, the following strikes proved his words true. From the Eleventh to the Eighteenth, each attack was incrementally stronger, but not strong enough to fluster the woman. The Nineteenth Strike received a bigger boost, which was the result of a fundamental principle in the Cultivation World: The importance of the numbers one through nine. From One to Nine, from Ten to Eighteen, from nineteen to Twenty-Seven, and finally, from Twenty-Eight to Thirty-Six. Each 'Nines' was considered a small cycle, with the first Nine being its own Major Cycle, along with the following Twenty-Seven and the Forty-Five Strikes after that. For whatever reason, mathematics seemed to be a big thing in the Cultivation World, as the Universe tended to follow patterns that were waiting for Cultivators to comprehend, similar to the Golden Number in his previous life.
One after the other, the Bolts fell. The Twenty-First. Twenty-Fifth. Twenty-Ninth. Thirty-Second. All the way until the 'final' Thirty-Sixth' dropped on her like an unstoppable flood made of electricity, defying every scientific notion from Demian's previous life. Despite the furious attack from the Heavens, the redhead looked undaunted, her Aura as composed as when she started her Heavenly test, those Purple Lightning Lances that were as powerful as Non-Nuclear Ballistic Missiles appearing as weak as a light breeze for the woman, instead of the death machines strong enough to obliterate entire swath of those major cities in his previous life. "Damn, she's so fucking attractive..." He muttered subconsciously, not realizing he was saying those words aloud. However, the other two women in his embrace were too distracted by the epic scene happening in front of them to catch his words. Unlike the three Mikhailovs, however, the three veteran Cultivators felt no awe toward the majestic unleashing of heavenly wrath. Instead, their tone became even more solemn when the Thirty-Sixth Lightning Bolt fell on Brynhild's 'small' figure. Feng Ling, who usually wore an easy-going smile, now sported a neutral expression as she commented. "The real test starts now..." To which Sergei added in a tone that was meant to be reassuring, while grabbing her hand. "She'll be fine, Dear. She refined her Cultivation to the limit, and she did the same with her Combat Arts. If she can't pass this test, then no one can." Throwing a quick glance at her husband, she responded. "Let's hope so." Before turning her attention back toward the Tribulation Platform's center, where another change was happening.
On Bryn's side, her Aura, which was almost at the Core Formation Rank previously, seemed to have crossed that threshold after the woman destroyed the previous Lightning Bolt. Was it because of a Spell, or something else? Demian was not sure. However, with the sudden shift in the sky, it was clearly a good thing. Maybe even vital if she wanted to survive the coming onslaught. Why? Because, if previously the Fluctuations erupting from that massive dark cloud Sea were powerful, then it was now utterly terrifying. And that was with Demian being protected by so many layers of Formations. In his arms, Seraphine was merely tense, but Adeliya was properly shaking, and from what he could tell, the only reason she was not fainting from the phenomenon's Aura was thanks to both his and Sera's Elemental Field, shielding her partially from the monstrous pressure radiating from the Tribulation Clouds. It was not 'just' the Soul-crushing Aura, though. No, it was also the previously faded Nine-Pointed Stars turning completely 'corporeal', if a gigantic Nine-Pointed Star made of car-sized-width Purple Lightning Bolts and circled by the same things could be considered corporeal. Similar to the transition between the Ninth and Tenth Lightning Bolts, the Tribulation hit the pause button, preparing itself for the next Lightning flood and giving the armored redhead time to ready herself for the last 'sprint'. Given the fact that almost an hour had already passed, and, although she made it look effortless, Demian was certain that her Energy reserves took a big hit, a hunch that was quickly proven true by Bryn's following actions of taking out some colorful bean-sized Pills from her Void Ring before gulping them down instantly.
Minutes went by as Demian observed, absent-mindedly, the woman who had spent years pushing him to better himself, with next to no results before a few months ago. A woman embodying the saying of 'Tough on the outside and soft on the inside'. She was the one he would not have dared to pursue in the past, feeling too inferior, too weak, to deserve her. But now? Now, he wanted her. He wanted her very badly! Just like her mother and her sister. He wanted them all! The feeling was so strong that he could not help but notice that there seemed to be something wrong. While furrowing his brows, he wondered. 'What's happening to me? It almost feels like I'm being influenced. As if my emotions are being amplified... ' His ponderings were quickly halted, though, as his senses caught a sudden shift in the clouds above the golden-skinned woman standing warily a few kilometers away. As his gaze moved to its source, a curse subconsciously left his mouth. "Fuck me!"