A soft smile bloomed on Yao Ziyan's face—gentle yet radiant, like a flower unfolding in the morning sun.
This answer is just like him.
Before she could say anything else—
Boom!
A deep, resonating thunderclap shook the heavens.
At some point, the sky had darkened.
Ominous storm clouds churned above, as black as ink, swirling violently like an endless, raging ocean.
Flashes of lightning flickered within them, brief bursts of light illuminating the heavens—like streaks of silver slashing through a sea of darkness.
A suffocating pressure descended, sweeping across the land like an invisible force of destruction.
Yao Ziyan's expression changed.
"This… this is a tribulation!"
She had seen it before—this terrifying power that descended when someone defied the natural order.
And now, it was coming for her.
---
In the Nine Stars Mountains, adjacent to Nine Stars City, countless demonic beasts shuddered in fear.
Even the strongest among them, those who had touched the threshold of Pathseeker, could do nothing but prostrate themselves, their bodies trembling beneath the oppressive might.
Inside a hidden cavern, a massive Crimson-Gold Blackbird—a legendary beast brought to Nine Stars City by Soaring Cloud Academy—huddled low, its golden-red feathers trembling.
Ancient memories whispered warnings from its bloodline.
"This… this is not an ordinary tribulation. This is divine judgment!"
In the distance, a Nine Nether Thunder Eagle, a creature born to devour lightning, should have been ecstatic at the sight of storm clouds.
Yet now—
It hid, suppressing its own aura, terrified that the storm might notice its presence.
This was not a tribulation one could simply endure.
This was divine retribution.
A force meant to annihilate.
---
Within Nine Stars City, cultivators lifted their heads, their expressions shifting from confusion to sheer dread.
The storm had descended too quickly—one moment, the sky had been clear, and in the next, an all-consuming darkness had swallowed everything.
By the time people reacted, they could barely see their own hands in front of them.
The streets fell silent.
Only the distant rumble of thunder filled the air.
---
In the Imperial City
Within the palace, Ji Wuhui, the emperor of Nine Stars, stood frozen, his eyes locked on the sky above.
His voice, usually steady, trembled with disbelief.
"This level of power… is this really just a tribulation?"
Beside him, Old Bai, one of the strongest cultivators in the empire, wore a grim expression.
He had once endured a Heavenly Tribulation, a trial that nearly cost him his life.
Yet compared to this—
They weren't even the same thing.
The power surging within these clouds made his own tribulation feel insignificant—as if he had merely been drenched in rain, while this was a storm capable of obliterating entire worlds.
Old Bai's voice was heavy.
"This is not an ordinary tribulation. This… this is destruction."
---
Heaven's Judgment
It was known—both cultivators and demonic beasts had to face tribulations as they ascended.
But there was always a chance of survival.
The heavens, while merciless, always left a path.
Even the most brutal thunder tribulations were not meant to erase—they were tests of strength, trials to prove one's worth.
But this… this was different.
As Old Bai gazed at the storm, he felt no mercy within its depths.
No test.
No trial.
Only pure annihilation.
His hands clenched.
"Something has defied the heavens themselves. Something that was never meant to exist."
"And now… the heavens are trying to erase it."
He swallowed.
"If that thing succeeds in surviving… the benefits will be unimaginable."
But right now, benefits were the last thing on his mind.
Because at this moment—
The sheer magnitude of the impending lightning strike…
Even a single stray bolt could destroy all of Nine Stars City.