With a shattering explosion, the axe-shaped Heaven-Opening Divine Thunder was completely destroyed in an instant.
The power contained within the Heaven-Breaking Spear had utterly shattered the divine thunder. After all, most of its energy had already been worn away by the Hell-Suppressing Seal. Taking another direct hit, its collapse was inevitable. However, even the Heaven-Breaking Spear itself shattered as well. The divine thunder's power was too overbearing, its edge limitless.
It was nearly a force of slay gods if gods block, slay Buddhas if Buddhas stand in the way.
"No wonder," Yi Tianxing murmured inwardly, "no wonder all the records about the Three Calamities focus on avoiding them. If you can't avoid them, you must be fully prepared. Without Calamity-Dispelling Pills, without cultivating the corresponding divine abilities, facing the Three Calamities recklessly is a death sentence. It's a gateway to the Yang God Realm that stops most cultivators in their tracks."
He finally understood why the number of top-tier cultivators, grand divines, and great powers declined sharply in later stages. Especially between the Nascent Soul and Yang God Realm, nearly 90% of cultivators are eliminated.
Crack!!
The tribulation clouds in the void had not yet dispersed. Countless bolts of lightning flashed, darting like silver serpents. With a thunderous boom, a newly formed Heaven-Opening Axe emerged—not yellow this time, but blue. The blue axe carried not only thunderous power but also the chilling force of absolute ice.
It descended from the heavens, radiating an unmatched edge as if to cleave the world apart.
"Fight!!"
Yi Tianxing roared as his figure flashed and appeared in the open skies outside Golden Scale City.
With a swing of his arm, he threw another punch at the oncoming axe.
From that punch, a blazing heart-shaped projection emerged, engulfed in roaring flames. On its surface, the magma-like texture pulsed with a destructive force that could incinerate the heavens and boil the seas—the Heart of Flame, a projection of a Heaven-Opening Divine Artifact from the Heavenly Emperor's Tower of Primordial Chaos.
Boom!!!
The fiery power within the Heart of Flame clashed with the Heaven-Opening Axe, causing a tremendous explosion. Fire and ice collided with apocalyptic destruction. The red flames surged wildly, trying to melt the axe.
Unfortunately, the axe's edge was simply too fierce. It cleaved the Heart of Flame in half, although its divine radiance dimmed significantly.
"It worked. Even as a projection, when fused with the power of heaven and earth, it can still unleash a majority of its strength. But instead of brute-forcing it, I could just dodge. Some Heaven-Opening artifacts aren't suited for combat—like the Celestial Wandering Talisman of the Starry Sky."
"This Celestial Wandering Talisman allows me to astral-project myself into other realms, using the power of the stars to traverse the void. Perhaps... I can incorporate it into my movement technique."
Having blocked the Heaven-Opening Axe twice, Yi Tianxing's mind surged with a torrent of inspiration. Ideas sparked endlessly in his sea of consciousness.
With the blessing of Primordial Chaos Purple Qi and the Bodhi Seed of Enlightenment, his comprehension soared to its peak. He could even hear a subtle voice within guiding his intuition—showing him the right path forward.
With a thought, a talisman radiating starlight appeared outside his body.
It fused seamlessly with his form.
Taking a step forward, Yi Tianxing's body streaked across the void like starlight, tracing an elusive stellar path that mysteriously dodged the Heaven-Opening Axe.
Boom!!
The axe struck where he had once stood, splitting the earth open. Ancient trees shattered, and magma burst forth from below—only to be instantly frozen by the chilling force.
A crack thousands of meters long split open in the ground.
"Merging the Celestial Wandering Talisman into my movement technique lets my aura completely vanish. As I step along the stellar path, I leave no trace at all. Even the Heaven-Opening Divine Thunder is fooled."
Yi Tianxing was overjoyed.
The Three Calamities track one's vital essence, locking onto soul and flesh alike. Unless you can mask or alter your soul's aura, even fleeing to the ends of the earth is useless. Only divine abilities from the Thirty-Six Heavenly Stars or Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends can break this lock.
And now, with the talisman incorporated, he had evaded it.
The implications were staggering.
Crack!!
Just then, from the tribulation clouds above, another axe descended—fiery red, roaring with violent flame.
Yi Tianxing once again fused with the Celestial Wandering Talisman, vanishing into a stellar trail that narrowly dodged the blow. The axe struck a mountain, splitting it in two and igniting the entire peak in searing flame. Grass and trees vaporized. Fierce beasts and birds roasted alive.
"It really works. I can dodge the Lightning Tribulation."
The realization filled Yi Tianxing with ecstasy. The significance was enormous: if he could use this technique, others in the Great Yi Dynasty might also use it to avoid the Three Calamities.
Crack!!
The tribulation did not end.
Again and again, Heaven-Opening Axes formed, each of different colors and containing different destructive elements. The most terrifying was the golden axe, which moved faster than the eye could follow. Its edge was so sharp that even being a hundred feet away brought searing pain to the skin.
But each time, Yi Tianxing avoided it with the stellar movement, letting the axes fall to the ground, leaving behind horrific, jagged scars in the land.
Without realizing it, after the final axe fell, the tribulation clouds finally began to dissipate. A divine light descended from the heavens, enveloping Yi Tianxing's body.
Streams of Heaven and Earth Creation Power surged into him, washing over his Heavenly Emperor Dragon Map and refining his Emperor's Nascent Spirit. The impurities in his soul were purged, and the previously cold yin energy was replaced by strands of pure Yang energy.
The sensation was euphoric—almost enough to make him moan aloud.
"Two-thirds of my Nascent Spirit has turned pure Yang. The transformation to the Yang God Realm has begun. Only one part remains—the Fire Calamity, the final stage of pure Yang."
His control over the world's essence had soared. His perception of the laws of the universe had grown sharper. Even his mana now contained hints of pure Yang, making every spell exponentially more potent.
The crystals of Dao comprehension in his divine sea hadn't increased, but each one had become more refined. Control over his powers grew smoother and more natural.
Whoosh!!
With a flicker, Yi Tianxing returned to his meditation chamber.
His thoughts surged like a tidal wave. The insights gained during the tribulation had shaken his soul. The urge to create his own battle technique had taken firm root. He would seize this moment of inspiration to forge the prototype of his personal combat art.
Meanwhile, in Golden Scale City, the cultivators remained stunned long after Yi Tianxing vanished.
"He... he dodged the Heaven-Opening Divine Thunder?"
"Was that a divine ability? I thought the Three Calamities locked onto a cultivator's aura. Is the Emperor in possession of a way to dodge the calamities?"
"Incredible... If such a method exists, and it can be taught, then the strength of the Great Yi Dynasty will skyrocket."
Murmurs spread like wildfire.
If someone survived by brute force, that was expected. But evading the Three Calamities—this was different. It held immeasurable allure, especially for high-level cultivators. If this method could be shared, it would offer a path to power many could never otherwise reach.
At that moment, on Skyhawk Island, within a secluded flower valley where hundreds of stunning women cultivated among the blossoms, Hua Lianyu looked up at the sky. A strange gleam flashed in her eyes.
"Someone actually dodged the Three Calamities. That divine art—it seemed like a movement technique. A true evasion of the Lightning Calamity. If I could obtain it, Flower Immortal Valley would grow immeasurably stronger."
"So that's the Emperor of Great Yi... It seems I must pay Golden Scale City a visit."
In Flower Immortal Valley, there were cultivators stuck at the Nascent Soul Realm, unable to break through and sealed in stasis out of fear of the Calamities. If this method worked, many could finally step into the Yang God Realm, drastically enhancing the sect's strength.
Not just Flower Immortal Valley—countless powers across the world were shaken.
The Three Calamities were a blade hanging over every cultivator's neck.
And now... someone had found a way to evade them.
The value of such a technique was simply immeasurable.