The storm had quieted. The heavens seemed defeated. The black clouds were beginning to disappear being absorbed by Long Chen's Divine Ring.
But Long Chen was not done.
He lifted his head, his eyes filled with disdain. He spat on the ground and roared, his voice echoing across the heavens.
"You call yourself righteous? You claim to be the law that governs all?" Long Chen sneered. "Then why do you allow evil to thrive? Why do the wicked grow stronger while the righteous suffer? You are only a fucker--fucking Heavenly Daos..."
A deafening silence followed. Then, the skies trembled.
A divine might surged down, so powerful that even Long Chen felt his bones crack. The heavens were angry. The Heavenly Dao had never been questioned and disrespected like this.
A low rumbling sounded from the void. The storm clouds, which had begun to fade, now roared back to life. A terrifying pressure descended, and from within the depths of the storm, a figure emerged.
Longshen's pupils shrank.
It was Elder Xie, the last of Starry Sky Line but his soul had not left for Afterlife as it still exists.
But now, his soul had been copied by the tribulation itself.
Though he was just a mere fragment of his true self, his power was monstrous. His cultivation once stood at the Peak of the Mortal Realm, and even though his strength was now limited to the Peak of the Xuantian Realm, it still carried the pressure and strength of a Peak Sea-Forming Realm expert.
Long Chen took a deep breath. This battle would not be easy.
The moment Elder's gaze locked onto Long Chen, the sky ignited with divine power. The ground beneath them cracked, unable to withstand the sheer force of their presence.
Then, Elder moved.
With a single step, he vanished.
Long Chen barely had time to react before a palm, brimming with celestial energy, slammed into his chest. He felt his ribs crack as he was sent flying, smashing through mountain peaks before finally regaining his footing.
Blood trickled from his lips, but he wiped it away and smirked.
"That all you got?"
Elder didn't reply. He simply lifted his hand, and the very air around him began to twist. A thousand swords of pure astral energy formed in the sky, each one humming with terrifying power.
Then, they descended.
Longshen clenched his fists, activating 9-Star Hegemon Body Art. His Two-Star Divine Rings spun wildly behind him, their speed increasing to the point where they became invisible. His Feng Fu Star and Alioth Star glowed like celestial bodies, their energy surging into his body.
He raised his saber (made from Intent).
With a single swing, a storm of Saber Intent erupted. The incoming astral swords clashed against his will, shattering upon impact. But before he could retaliate, Elder had already appeared above him, his palm descending like a divine hammer.
Boom!
Long Chen crashed into the ground, creating a deep crater. The impact shook the heavens.
But he refused to stay down.
Roaring, he shot back up, his physical energy, soul energy, and Astral Qi surging to their peak. He knew he couldn't hold out for long. His energy reserves were running low, and Elder was still at full strength.
Long Chen gritted his teeth. I need more time…
In a desperate move, Long Chen ripped open his storage rings, pulling out hundreds of high-grade pills.
Tier 5 pills, near perfect purity—80 to 90%—these were rare, precious treasures. Consuming even one would require days of refining.
Long Chen swallowed all of them at once.
A violent energy erupted inside him. His body burned as the medicinal power rushed through his meridians, forcefully healing his wounds and restoring his depleted energy. His organs twisted, his veins expanded, and his muscles screamed in agony.
But he endured.
Elder frowned. "Foolish brat. Even if you restore your strength, you will never defeat me!"
But Long Chen only laughed.
"You think so?"
Long Chen focused his mind and so his Saber Intent condensed—tighter, denser, more refined. His Starry River of the Sky Art activated along with Nine Star Hegemon Body art drawing in every trace of primal energy from the surroundings. His Divine Rings shone even brighter, and within his Dantian, the Jiuli rune formed, glowing with an ancient light.
For three days and three nights, the battle raged on. Mountains crumbled, rivers dried, the sky itself seemed to fracture under their clash.
Yet Long Chen fought. And with every clash, he grew stronger.
His strength increased at an impossible rate. His attacks became sharper, his speed faster, his Qi denser.
Elder's expression darkened. He had been summoned by the heavens to be more exact a incarnation made by Heavens, but even he felt the terrifying change within Long Chen.
Then, suddenly, Long Chen stopped moving.
His breathing steadied. His eyes, once burning with battle intent, were now… calm.
The Heavens -- surrounding Void trembled violently.
The Incarnation of Elder felt an instinctual sense of danger.
Then, from the storm above, the storm clouds condensed into the Elder forming a colossal figure, its presence more terrifying than anything before.
It was an Incarnation of the Heavenly Will, a final attempt to crush Longshen.
Its Cultivation surged to the Peak of the Sea-Forming Realm.
But Long Chen only sighed.
He raised his hand and grabbed the air.
A single Saber Image formed.
Behind him, an ethereal version of himself appeared, mirroring his stance. The Saber Essence was now compressed to its absolute limit, its power now beyond anything he had ever wielded and Long Chen had successfully reached the level of the Saber Essence.
"The saber does not seek to slash, yet nothing remains unslashed. The storm does not rage for destruction, yet mountains crumble in its wake. To wield is to impose, but to understand is to become. From this moment, my saber is not wielded—it simply is. And before it, all things shall fall."
With a soft voice, he muttered—
"Split the Heavens, Second Form."
The sky itself split apart.
A single slash tore through the Incarnation, reducing it to nothing.
The force of the attack did not stop. It cut through the sky, through mountains, through the very fabric of existence itself.
When the dust settled, a deep abyss had been carved into the land, stretching for miles as a huge crack appeared in void.
Long Chen stood in the center, battered, exhausted, but victorious.
The heavens had fallen silent. The storm was gone.
Long Chen had defeated the tribulation.
His body trembled, but within his core, a new power had awakened. His Saber Intent had surpassed all known limits. His Divine Rings had become more refined.
He had reached a new level of strength, one that rivaled the strongest beings in existence.
Yet, he simply smirked.
"Heavens, do you see now? You cannot control me. I will carve my own path, whether you approve or not."
And with that, Long Chen took his first step forward—
Long Chen had fought for three whole days and nights, facing an incarnation formed by the fury of the Heavens. He had pushed his limits, battling to the brink of death. His body had endured countless wounds, his soul had nearly collapsed, and his energy reserves had run dry. But even so, he had refused to fall.
But now, Long Chen, utterly exhausted, fell unconscious, his body descending like a lifeless leaf in the wind.
As he lay unconscious, a shadow approached from the distance. A woman of unparalleled beauty, her delicate yet powerful aura exuding mystery, stood beside him. Unlike others who might have left him to his fate, she was drawn to him—no, she felt something familiar about him. An inexplicable force told her that this man was special.
She knelt beside him, examining his wounds. "What kind of monster are you?" she murmured. "To have battled Heaven itself and still survive?"
With a soft sigh, she reached into her robe and retrieved a golden pill, shimmering with divine energy. This was a Tier 7 Golden Pill, a heavenly treasure that could restore even the gravest injuries. She hesitated for a moment before gently feeding it to him.
Despite receiving the pill, Long Chen remained unconscious for two more days. His body, however, had undergone a miraculous recovery.
To Be Continued...