Before Xu Mo could think further, the ninth wave of heavenly tribulation descended.
Compared to the eighth wave, this ninth wave was far more violent, laced with a destructive aura that made the heavenly lightning’s power even more unpredictable.
The most striking change was that the heavenly lightning of the ninth wave was no longer purple but as black as ink, resembling a divine punishment of world annihilation!
Xu Mo endured just one strike of heavenly lightning and was instantly torn to shreds, his spiritual energy shield shattered.
His expression turned grave. The power of the ninth wave of heavenly tribulation far surpassed his imagination!
With just one strike leaving him severely wounded, a few more would likely spell his doom.
Without hesitation, Xu Mo immediately unleashed the Chaos Furnace, positioning it before him.
The drifting bottle within the furnace cried out, “You’re insane! Let me out first! If you can’t withstand this lightning, neither can I!”
Its body flickered violently as it tried to break free from the Chaos Furnace, but it was clearly unable to.
Xu Mo pondered for a moment. He still had use for this drifting bottle; he needed to interrogate it later about secrets, such as what an Immaculate Dao Foundation was.
“I can let you out, but you have to behave. If you try any tricks, I’ll refine you next time!” Xu Mo threatened before releasing the drifting bottle.
As soon as it was free from the Chaos Furnace, the drifting bottle shot out of the tribulation zone, terrified of being caught in the ninth wave.
However, it kept its word. After leaving the tribulation area, it stopped, not fleeing entirely, but hovering in the air to watch Xu Mo’s tribulation. Its curiosity about the ninth wave of heavenly tribulation seemed to outweigh the danger Xu Mo was in.
Seeing that the drifting bottle hadn’t fled, Xu Mo paid it no further mind and focused entirely on withstanding the ninth wave of heavenly tribulation!
The ninth wave of heavenly tribulation poured down like a curtain, engulfing Xu Mo from above, intending to erase him from existence without a trace!
“Hmph!” Xu Mo grunted. The Chaos Furnace bore the brunt of the heavenly lightning, but many strikes still slipped through, bombarding his body.
Flesh and blood splattered, exposing bone. His chest was charred black, flesh obliterated, revealing his internal organs.
Xu Mo took a deep breath, and a surge of pure spiritual energy flowed from the Chaos Furnace into his body, constantly nourishing it. Instantly, his flesh regenerated, and his injuries healed.
This spiritual energy was refined from the heavenly tribulation by the Chaos Furnace, incredibly pure and far superior to ordinary spiritual energy.
Rumble!!!
The tribulation struck again, seemingly endless, without pause.
Xu Mo cursed inwardly. Without the Chaos Furnace, he would have been reduced to dust long ago, unable to withstand it.
Watching the scene unfold, the drifting bottle flickered with agitation, deeply shaken.
“It truly is the ninth wave of heavenly tribulation, no, it’s a heavenly punishment! It has surpassed the scope of tribulation! Ordinary tribulations forge the cultivator’s Dao Fruit, but this ninth wave seems intent on annihilating it?”
The drifting bottle sensed something amiss and grew even more astonished. It realized that this ninth wave of heavenly tribulation felt unnatural, as if it possessed consciousness, a deliberate attempt at annihilation.
“And what is that broken furnace? How can it suppress me and withstand heavenly punishment, remaining unharmed?”
The drifting bottle felt utterly bewildered. This tribulation, this furnace, and this human were all extraordinary.
Since it had gained sentience, it had never witnessed such strange and peculiar events.
At this moment, even if Xu Mo told it to leave, it wouldn’t. It was intensely curious, wanting to understand who Xu Mo truly was.
The tribulation struck again, and Xu Mo spat out a mouthful of blood. The tribulation’s power intensified.
He also realized then that the tribulation seemed to have a will of its own, intending to annihilate him.
“Who is playing tricks? Come out!”
Xu Mo was enraged. He communicated with the Chaos Furnace and unleashed a blast of dark light, condensed from Chaos Fire, into the heavenly tribulation. The dark clouds churned violently.
With a deafening roar, the tribulation was provoked and began to unleash heavenly lightning frantically, determined to utterly annihilate Xu Mo.
Xu Mo’s expression changed. The tribulation was indeed being manipulated from behind the scenes. Was it now enraged?
He no longer attempted to resist head-on and instead leaped into the Chaos Furnace to take shelter.
Countless bolts of heavenly lightning struck the furnace’s body, but they only produced faint sparks, causing no damage whatsoever to the Chaos Furnace.
This continued for about ten minutes. The consciousness behind the tribulation realized it couldn’t annihilate Xu Mo and, with reluctance, retreated.
As the consciousness departed, the heavenly tribulation gradually dissipated. The tribulation for achieving sainthood had been overcome.
Xu Mo did not immediately emerge from the furnace. He remained inside for a few more minutes until the drifting bottle shouted from a distance that it was safe. Only then did he cautiously step out.
“The tribulation is finally over!” Looking up at the clear, azure sky, Xu Mo exhaled heavily.
At that very moment, the barrier of his cultivation realm shattered with a ‘crack.’ His cultivation naturally progressed, directly reaching the Saint realm!
All his injuries, large and small, instantly healed. His skin became crystal clear, like fine jade, and his hair was lustrous and radiant.
“You’ve become a saint. What kind of Dao Foundation did the ninth wave of heavenly tribulation forge for you?” the drifting bottle asked, filled with curiosity.
“Dao Foundation?” Xu Mo blinked, finally focusing his attention on his own Dao Foundation.
He used his spiritual power to look inward and discovered a dark ink-colored platform at the location of his heart. Wisps of chaotic energy flowed around it, appearing profoundly mysterious.
Xu Mo’s spiritual power attempted to probe the Dao Foundation, but as soon as it approached, it was blocked by the chaotic energy.
Xu Mo exclaimed in astonishment, “This Dao Foundation… hasn’t been fully forged yet. It’s still being reshaped.”
He sensed that the Dao Foundation was slowly remolding itself and had not yet reached its final form.
“Reshaping an Immaculate Dao Foundation takes a day, an Supreme Dao Foundation takes a month. You experienced the ninth wave of heavenly tribulation, so your Dao Foundation must be extraordinary. It should take even longer,” the drifting bottle replied, clearly surprised by this outcome but accepting it.
“Is that so?” Xu Mo looked at the drifting bottle, frowning. “What is this Supreme Dao Foundation you speak of? Is it very beneficial to cultivators?”
He knew about Dao Foundations; they were essentially a cultivator’s innate talent. The stronger the Dao Foundation, the higher the cultivation talent.
His own Dao Foundation was of a very low grade, making his cultivation speed extremely slow. If not for the Chaos Furnace, he would have only been able to cultivate to the Body Forging realm at most.
“Dao Foundation is crucial! Whether one can transcend the mortal realm and achieve immortality depends on their Dao Foundation!” the drifting bottle stated.