Now it was Long Chen's tribulation to break through from the Tendon Transformation Realm to the Bone Forging Realm.
And it was unlike anything seen before. The heavens, as if angered by his existence, unleashed their full wrath in the form of a nine-layered Heavenly Tribulation, each more terrifying than the last.
From the moment the tribulation clouds gathered, the world darkened, and a terrifying pressure descended. Unlike normal tribulations, which simply tested a cultivator's endurance, this one was meant to almost annihilate him. However, Long Chen wasn't alone. Lei Ling'er, the spirit of his Heavelnly Tribulation Lightning, was growing stronger with each bolt of tribulation lightning.
First Layer:
The first layer of tribulation arrived with a deafening roar. Golden lightning bolts, thick as mountain peaks, streaked through the sky and crashed down like a celestial hammer. Each bolt carried 50% of the Law of Annihilation, a terrifying force that could erase anything in its path.
Despite this, Long Chen's body was no ordinary one. With the Two-Star Battle Armor, the Astral Starry Sky Chart, and his monstrous physical strength, he stood his ground. The sheer force of the lightning was comparable to a Peak Early Xuantian Realm expert, but to Long Chen, this was nothing more than a warm-up.
The battle against the tribulation became a dance of destruction, where each strike he endured was turned into nourishment for his Tendon Transformation Realm physique. Every shattered bolt released lightning runes, which Lei Ling'er devoured eagerly, her power growing visibly stronger.
Second Layer:
No time was given for Long Chen to catch his breath. The second layer followed immediately. This time, the lightning was deep blue, pulsating with an even greater annihilation force. The sheer energy fluctuations from the bolts could vaporize weaker cultivators instantly.
Each strike carried the power of a Mid Xuantian Realm expert. Boom! Boom! Boom! Thunderous explosions filled the air as Long Chen dodged, deflected, and endured. The ground beneath him shattered, forming deep craters. His body began to feel the strain, but rather than resisting, he welcomed it.
Every shockwave sent his blood boiling, his bones vibrating, and his Tendons hardening to near-unbreakable levels. And as before, the lightning runes that were released were instantly absorbed by Lei Ling'er, causing her presence to surge.
Third Layer:
The third layer descended with unparalleled fury. Unlike the previous layers, this one contained 70% Annihilation Laws, meaning even a slight touch could obliterate flesh and soul.
A massive lightning dragon took form in the sky, its entire body composed of surging annihilation lightning. With Peak Xuantian Realm strength, it lunged at Long Chen, its fangs crackling with energy capable of reducing him to dust.
Long Chen roared and activated his Two-Star Battle Armor, causing two divine rings to appear behind him. With a punch imbued with his Starry Sky power, he clashed with the dragon, shattering it into countless bolts of energy. But even as it died, each fragment turned into smaller lightning beasts, forcing him to fight a hundred battles at once.
The battle raged on, and by the end of it, Lei Ling'er had grown even stronger, her aura becoming more pronounced.
Fourth Layer:
The tribulation escalated once again. The fourth layer manifested as a parade of 1001 lightning beasts, each at the Peak of the Xuantian Realm, and infused with 75% of the Heavenly Tribulation's annihilation essence.
The beasts were of all kinds—tigers, wolves, eagles, serpents, and even mythical creatures. Each beast contained the essence of the Dao, their attacks carrying the unforgiving will of the Heavenly Daos.
Long Chen found himself in a battlefield filled with relentless enemies, but his battle intent only burned fiercer. The beasts swarmed him from all directions, forcing him to fight with his sword, fists, and spiritual attacks. He became a one-man army, his Dragon Blood energy surging as he tore through the horde.
As the last beast was vanquished, the lightning runes flooded toward Lei Ling'er, making her grow exponentially stronger.
Fifth Layer:
As the battlefield cleared, a new wave of tribulation emerged—human-shaped lightning beings. To Long Chen's shock, they were all people he had slain before.
These specters, filled with the will of the Heavenly Daos, attacked with Peak Xuantian Realm strength and 80% Annihilation Prowess. They wielded their past weapons, executing familiar techniques that Long Chen himself had seen before.
A chilling sensation filled the air as they struck in unison. Long Chen fought them head-on, using his superior combat techniques to dismantle them one by one. However, each strike he landed caused Annihilation Qi to corrode his body, making this battle even more challenging.
Still, he persisted, erasing them from existence once more.
Sixth Layer:
As if things weren't bad enough, the sixth layer descended with Peak Sea Forming Realm experts—all of whom Long Chen had slain in the past.
These enemies were far stronger than anything before. Their combat experience and mastery over their domains made them nearly invincible.
Each clash created massive shockwaves, and Long Chen found himself forced to use his full strength, activating his Astral Starry Sky Chart to withstand the blows.
After a prolonged battle, he annihilated them all, but he was injured, his body nearly at its limit.
Seventh Layer:
The seventh layer was unlike anything before. Only two creatures appeared—a Dragon and a Phoenix, both at Peak Sea Forming Realm, but their true terror came from the Cry of the Heavenly Daos, which reverberated across the world.
The cry shook Long Chen's soul, making him momentarily freeze. Even his Dragon Blood suppressed itself instinctively, feeling the pressure of these celestial beings.
This battle was fierce, but Long Chen overcame them by unleashing his full power, calling upon his Dragon Bloodline's ancestral resonance. Lei Ling'er absorbed the remaining runes, growing terrifyingly strong.
Eighth Layer:
The eighth layer was the greatest nightmare yet—a lightning clone of Elder Xie appeared, possessing Peak Early Foundation Forging Realm strength. Not only that, but it was infused with the power of a Grade-5 Celestial.
This battle was a true life-and-death struggle. Long Chen was already injured, but he gritted his teeth and pushed beyond his limits, using everything in his arsenal. The fight lasted for hours, each clash devastating the landscape.
In the end, he obliterated Elder Xie's clone, but his body was completely battered.
Ninth Layer:
A thunderous explosion resounded across the land as the tribulation clouds swirled violently, a celestial vortex forming in the sky. The condensed lightning wasn't dispersing. Instead, it took shape, condensing into the outline of a man—a warrior who radiated an ancient and terrifying presence.
His body was forged of pure lightning essence, crackling with tribulation laws, but his eyes were sharp, filled with wisdom, experience, and overwhelming battle intent. He wore an armor of stellar radiance, and behind him, three Divine Rings shimmered with boundless astral energy.
Long Chen's heart pounded. He recognized this figure instantly.
Lin Yang.
The Nine-Star Heir of the Past—a legend who once stood at the peak of the Mortal Realm, just like Long Chen himself.
But Lin Yang had perished thousands of years ago.
Long Chen had inherited his Nine-Star Astral Source, absorbing his karmic destiny. And now, the tribulation had dragged him back from oblivion, forcing Long Chen to face his own legacy.
It was his fate to battle those who had come before him. To prove that he was worthy of the power he had inherited.
Lin Yang did not waste words.
With a single step, he crossed space and struck with a fist that carried limitless astral power. Long Chen barely had time to react before he was sent flying.
BOOM!
He crashed into the ground, tearing a hundred-mile-long canyon into the battlefield.
Lin Yang descended like a god, giving him no time to breathe. He rained down blows, each one infused with the power of the tribulation, shaking the very fabric of reality.
Long Chen coughed blood. This was far beyond any battle he had faced before.
This wasn't just Heavenly Tribulation anymore. This was a battle of inheritance, karma, and destiny.
Lin Yang was suppressed to Peak Sea-Forming Realm, but unlike the previous tribulation opponents, he wasn't just an entity made of lightning—he was a true warrior.
And worst of all, he was wielding Three-Star Battle Armor and Three Divine Rings, something Long Chen had yet to unlock.
This meant that in a direct confrontation, Lin Yang held the advantage.
But Long Chen wasn't someone who accepted defeat.
He roared, activating his Two-Star Battle Armor, and his twin Divine Rings erupted, sending shockwaves across the battlefield. His Astral Starry Sky Chart spread out, absorbing astral energy from the heavens to strengthen him.
The true battle had begun.
For hours, the battlefield became a realm of destruction.
Long Chen and Lin Yang clashed, their punches shattering space itself. Astral energy and tribulation lightning intertwined, turning the world into a chaotic storm of divine power.
Every exchange left scars on the earth, every impact sent seismic tremors across the land. Their battle wasn't just physical—it was a test of wills, souls, and Dao comprehension.
Lin Yang's mastery over the Nine-Star Heir legacy was absolute. His battle techniques were refined, and his combat instincts honed over countless wars.
But Long Chen wasn't just any inheritor.
He had fought against impossible odds, had been tempered by countless battles, and had never lost his will to fight.
Even as his body bled, even as his bones fractured, even as his organs rattled from the force of each exchange—he did not break.
Instead, he adapted.
He analyzed Lin Yang's attacks, his footwork, his rhythm. He absorbed every lesson, every movement, and turned it into his own power.
And then—he began to counterattack.
Lin Yang was incredibly powerful, but he was only a shadow of his past self, bound by the tribulation's suppression.
Long Chen took advantage of that.
After hours of brutal exchanges, Long Chen's battle instincts surpassed Lin Yang's.
His attacks became sharper, his defenses more fluid. His understanding of the Nine-Star Heir's power grew by the second.
And then, in one final clash, he poured everything he had left into a single strike.
BOOM!
A devastating explosion of astral power erupted, shattering Lin Yang's lightning-forged form. The heavens split apart, and for a moment, time seemed to freeze.
Lin Yang, his body dissolving into golden motes of energy, looked at Long Chen one last time.
His expression was unreadable.
Then, with a faint smile, he vanished, leaving behind a torrent of astral energy that surged into Long Chen's body, strengthening him beyond measure.
The tribulation was finally over.
As Long Chen stood amidst the ruins of his battlefield, panting heavily, a familiar voice echoed in his mind.
"You have truly surpassed my expectations, Long Chen."
Long Chen froze, turning around to see a fading figure, surrounded by golden motes of astral energy.
It was Lin Yang.
The Nine-Star Heir of the past stood before him, his body dissipating, his time fragment of Soul dissipating.
Long Chen felt a strange pang of sorrow. He had just fought against this man with everything he had, and yet… now that it was over, he couldn't help but feel a deep sense of respect for him.
Lin Yang chuckled, his voice warm. "You really are an anomaly, Long Chen. No heir before you has ever accomplished what you have. You are truly the hope of the Nine-Star lineage."
Long Chen clenched his fists. "Lin Yang, tell me… what is our purpose? Why does the Nine-Star lineage need to suffer such an unforgiving fate?"
Lin Yang's gaze became solemn. "Because we were never meant to exist."
Lin Yang sighed. "The Nine-Star Heirs are anomalies in this world, born outside the natural laws of the heavens as we were the ones hated by those around us—we were the powerless unable to defend ourselves but the Nine Star Line chose us; it showed and paved a true path for us—those who should have died in suffering and pain. We carry the will of something far greater… something that the heavens don't fear but the ones who might be behind the changes in the heavens does. That is why our tribulations are merciless. These changed heaven and the Heavenly Daos will never allow us to thrive."
A faint light flickered in Lin Yang's fading body, his voice growing softer.
"I have no regrets, Long Chen. I only have one wish… That the Nine-Star Line's Will is completed."
Long Chen felt the weight of those words pressing against his heart.
Lin Yang gave him a final smile, his golden astral energy fading completely. "Do not falter, my junior. Carry our will forward. And if the heavens stand in your way—"
His eyes gleamed one last time.
"Crush them."
And with that, Lin Yang Soul fragment was gone—fallen in cycle of reincarnation.
Long Chen stood in absolute silence, his fists clenched.
The Will of the Nine-Star lineage did rest upon his shoulders.
For generations, they had suffered.
For generations, they had fallen before their time.
But Long Chen was different.
He wasn't just going to survive.
He was going to win.
Lifting his head to the starry heavens, Long Chen's voice was filled with unbreakable determination as he whispered:
"I will complete the Nine-Star Line… and no force in existence will stop me."
As the storm cleared, the battle finally over, a collective sigh of relief echoed through the cosmos.
For there were others watching this battle.
From within the Realm of Stars, the Primal Chaos Dragon Sovereign, one of the most ancient beings in existence, watched with interest. His golden eyes glowed faintly, as if acknowledging Long Chen's strength.
Within Long Chen's body, the other Long Chen, his second soul, had also been watching in silence. He remained deep in thought, contemplating what had just transpired.
Elder Xie, Master Yun, let out a deep breath, his normally calm demeanour showing a flicker of satisfaction.
And finally, Long Chen's **comrades—his Dragonborn Legion—his sworn brothers and sisters-in-arms—his lovers—**they had all witnessed his battle.
They had seen him fight against fate itself.
And once again, he had emerged victorious.
But the next scene turned everyone's eyes and thoughts upside down as how could they forget the idiocrasy of a habit of Mr. LONG CHEN…
To Be Continued…