"What is that... thing?"
From afar, Danchen Yu, Yun Xiao, and even Tu Xiu all had the same question pop into their minds.
They had seen tribulations transform, but those were always lightning snakes, lightning pythons, or at most, larger ones. A lightning dragon was already terrifying!
But what was this tribulation before them?
It had transformed into a person!
A living, breathing person!
This was something they had never even heard of, let alone seen!
Bu Bu and Shi You exchanged a glance. After a brief exchange of looks, Bu Bu spoke calmly.
"Immortal."
"What?"
As soon as these words left his mouth, Yun Xiao was the first to react.
She was among the first in this era to learn the truth about immortals and demons. Hearing Bu Bu utter that word, she was stunned!
Was that an immortal?
The legendary beings who created humankind?
But why...
"Immortal?"
Danchen Yu also frowned and asked, "But Senior Bu Bu, why does this immortal look so much like Yun Ze? You could even say it *is* Yun Ze!"
"Because this immortal was born in response to Yun Ze."
Shi You said from the side, "The so-called heavenly tribulations are meant to punish humankind for stealing immortal and demonic power. The higher the talent, the more immortal and demonic power is stolen, and the higher the punishment."
"Under normal circumstances, humans can overcome heavenly tribulations with their wisdom. Moreover, the celestial beings do not always strike with full force, especially after the severance of heaven and earth."
"For example, a common heavenly tribulation is just a simple strike. The celestial beings do not pay attention to those without talent or power. They merely reserve more power for those humans with exceptional talent who are likely to steal more immortal and demonic power."
"Thus, the four types of tribulations—Three Thunders, Five Elements, and Seven Heavens—came to be."
"But this Nine Profound Heavenly Tribulation is different."
"When a human's talent reaches a certain level, they are sufficient to rival the body of an immortal or demon. If this were in ancient times, before the severance of heaven and earth, such a person would be recruited by the celestial beings, either to become their lackey or to perish."
"After the severance of heaven and earth, the celestial beings could not cross the barrier to this mortal realm. The demons from the Nine Netherworld thought of the Gate of the Nine Netherworlds, while the celestial beings from the Nine Heavens changed the rules of heaven and earth, setting this trap within the heavenly tribulations!"
"A trap?"
Tu Xiu frowned and retorted, "Stop playing coy! What exactly is this thing?"
"Among the vast celestial beings, they find the most compatible immortal spirit with the one undergoing the tribulation, manifest it through the heavenly tribulation, and then... possess it!"
As the last two words fell, everyone frowned!
They were not unfamiliar with these two words, yet a chill ran down their spines.
No wonder!
No wonder the first eight tribulations of the so-called Nine Profound Reincarnation Tribulation were mostly about tempering Yun Ze's body or his spiritual sea!
So all of this was preparation for the celestial beings to descend!
These celestial beings... their hearts are truly damnable!
"Of course, all of this has a prerequisite."
Shi You's lips curved slightly as he looked at the two 'Yun Ze' figures before him, as if watching a joke. "And this prerequisite is something those celestial beings can never fulfill!"
"Senior Tian Ming, what is this prerequisite you speak of? Tell us!"
Danchen Yu couldn't help but become anxious. However, Yun Xiao and Tu Xiu seemed to have already realized something, their faces no longer showing any anxiety, but instead, they looked forward with the same expression as Shi You.
"Soul."
Shi You uttered two words and looked at Danchen Yu with a smile. "Little girl, you are too worried. What else is required for possession besides the soul?"
Soul!
That's right, the soul!
After the baptism of the Great Dao's voice earlier, everyone's souls were now solidified. If possession relied on soul power, then wouldn't these celestial beings be walking into a trap?
Just as everyone was contemplating this, the celestial being descending from the sky lunged towards Yun Ze!
Yun Ze wanted to dodge, but the auspicious cloud that descended with the celestial being directly enveloped him, giving him no chance to evade.
But the moment the celestial being descended and its body touched Yun Ze, a wisp of smoke slowly rose, condensing into a pure white bead before his eyes.
Almost simultaneously, thunderclouds gathered in the sky again, as if it were about to happen all over again!
This is...
Shi You and Bu Bu were startled. They quickly reacted and shouted towards Yun Ze at the same time!
"Quick! Swallow it!"
Yun Ze hadn't even processed what was happening, but hearing the voices of the two from afar, he didn't hesitate at all. He opened his mouth and swallowed the pure white bead.
Even though he didn't know what it was, it looked like it wouldn't affect his digestion.
At worst, he could just excrete it later.
The moment Yun Ze swallowed the pure white bead, the thunderclouds in the sky instantly dissipated, and a nine-colored light descended, enveloping Yun Ze completely!
Instantly!
Yun Ze felt all his injuries heal, and his spiritual sea was filled to the brim!
Late stage Golden Core!
Five Glazed Golden Cores rotated in his spiritual sea, constantly absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy. The spiritual energy passed through his spiritual roots, poured into his spiritual sea, and then nourished the Golden Cores, forming a cycle.
It is said that one Golden Core establishes the Great Dao. Now that he had five Golden Cores, and they were Glazed Golden Cores, he wondered what kind of Dao they would establish.
Yun Ze closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling his current state.
He could directly attempt to reach the peak of the Golden Core stage, or even the complete Golden Core stage, without needing to stabilize his realm or even recuperate!
When he opened his eyes again, Bu Bu and the others had already arrived before him.
"What was that thing in the ninth tribulation just now?"
Yun Ze directly asked the question in his heart. "It seems I didn't even touch it, and it just disappeared."
Shi You smiled helplessly. "I've already explained that. Shall I have your master explain it to you again?"
Yun Xiao rolled her eyes.
Master, indeed!
This old man Tian Ming is definitely doing it on purpose!
"Let me explain,"
Tu Xiu said from the side, repeating what Shi You had just said.
Yun Ze listened with a mix of confusion and shock!
"Immortal?"
He pointed to his stomach and looked at the two with a look of horror. "Then what did I just swallow?"
"It's not something bad, is it?"
"Don't worry, it's definitely something good."
Shi You said, looking up at the sky, and couldn't help but sigh. "I wonder what those guys were thinking, sending this thing down. Are they really that impatient?"
"Impatient?"
Yun Ze frowned and asked, "Impatient about what?"
"Let's not talk about that for now."
Shi You stared at Yun Ze, examining him from head to toe, and asked, "Let me confirm first, can you sense where that bead is?"
Yun Ze closed his eyes and sensed for a moment, then opened them and said, "In my spiritual sea, next to Xin Jue, Miao Jue, and Yan Jue."
Shi You looked at Bu Bu again. The two nodded at each other, as if confirming something.
"Then it's correct."
Shi You continued, "You all know about Immortal Jade and understand it quite well. Haven't you ever suspected anything?"
"Immortal Jade is made of only one material, with no formations, inscriptions, or anything else on it. And that material does not exist in the mortal realm."
"Yet, this thing can serve as a key to seal both the celestial beings from the Nine Heavens and the demons from the Nine Netherworlds."
"Aren't you curious why such a thing would appear in the mortal realm?"
"Wait!"
Yun Ze was startled. He heard the tone in Shi You's voice, as if he had already guessed something.
He pointed to his spiritual sea and asked in a questioning tone, "Senior, you're not suggesting that the bead in my belly is the material used to create Immortal Jade, are you?"
"Yes, but not entirely."
Shi You frowned. "According to ancient texts, the celestial beings call it Chaos. It inherently contains the five elements of heaven and earth. Its original purpose was to control the power of heaven and earth, which is the power that we humans have stolen."
"The appearance of Immortal Jade is said to be when that legendary figure used a portion of Chaos to create nine pieces of Immortal Jade. The five elemental Immortal Jades sealed the five elemental forbidden zones, and the other four pieces were entrusted to the ancestors of our four races for safekeeping, thus severing heaven and earth."
"However, we do not know how that figure created Immortal Jade from Chaos."
"But later, our four races also obtained a portion of Chaos, and its true purpose is..."
"What is it?"
Yun Xiao asked subconsciously.
This was a material that could create Immortal Jade! She knew that besides its other uses, Immortal Jade had one crucial function for her!
Improving spiritual root levels!
If she could find more of it and study it, even if she couldn't create Immortal Jade, even a slight improvement in her spiritual root level would be beneficial!
"Ignore bottlenecks, ignore limitations."
As Shi You spoke, he placed his hand on Yun Ze's shoulder, and a massive amount of spiritual energy surged into him!
Yun Ze was stunned for a moment, then felt the Golden Cores within his body rapidly rotating!
In just a few short breaths, he felt his spiritual sea continuously filling up...
Peak Golden Core!
Complete Golden Core!
Then, a crisp sound was heard...
*Crack~*
The Golden Core shattered!
The heavenly tribulation that had just dissipated returned once more!
Last time it was the Golden Core tribulation, and this time it was the Nascent Soul tribulation!
Shi You quickly withdrew his hand, and everyone was about to retreat, to move outside the tribulation clouds first.
But Bu Bu and Shi You did not move. Instead, they looked up at the sky.
Seeing this, they also looked up.
The tribulation clouds had dispersed!
"This is ignoring bottlenecks and limitations."
Shi You said calmly.
He placed his hand on Yun Ze's shoulder again. This time, no spiritual energy flowed in, only the heavy pressure from an elder's palm.
Shi You's eyes were filled with hope!
This was the first time in thousands of years that he had seen a miracle called opportunity!
An opportunity for humankind to counterattack the celestial and demonic realms!
"Kid, the burden on your shoulders is not light, but can you still stand firm?"
"I can stand firm!"
Yun Ze knew that he had already entered the Nascent Soul stage!
The events that had transpired in such a short time made him understand what he would have to face.
Neither the bottleneck of the Nascent Soul stage nor the heavenly tribulation of the Nascent Soul stage were significant. The key lay in what came after!
The bottleneck of the Emperor Realm, the heavenly tribulation of the Emperor Realm!
If he could also ignore these, then he... might very well become the only existence in this era to break through to the Emperor Realm and beyond!
Given the current predicament of humankind, he would bear the weight of all humanity on his shoulders!
"Good! It's good that you can stand firm!"
Shi You patted him twice again, then raised his hand to his mouth and bit down lightly.
A drop of blood emerged.
He casually flicked it towards the sky!
It exploded into a crimson bloom, forming an ancient character '令' (Ling)!
"Emperor's Order!"
Tu Xiu frowned. "Tian Ming, what are you doing?"
As soon as he spoke, everyone looked at Shi You, their eyes filled with shock and confusion!
It was as if they all knew what this was.
"Emperor's Order?"
Yun Ze asked with some confusion. "What is that?"
"It's nothing."
Shi You looked at Yun Ze with doting eyes.
To put it nicely, it was like an artist admiring a masterpiece he had created.
But to put it crudely, it was like a father looking at his son.
Even his tone was filled with affection. "It's just calling some old friends over for a meeting. You can claim to be my disciple then. They won't make things difficult for you."
Old friends?
Yun Ze was stunned for a moment, but he understood what Tian Ming meant.
These old friends... they must all be Emperor Realm cultivators!
"Hey!"
Tu Xiu, hearing this, was displeased and directly shouted, "Tian Ming, you shouldn't snatch disciples like this!"
Although Yun Xiao remained silent, she nodded in agreement!
Exactly!
Among those present, only she had been called master by Yun Ze. Even though it was a pretense, she had more qualifications than him!
"Then what else can be done?"
Shi You retorted, "Should I let you guys do it? Can you handle it?"
As soon as he said this, Tu Xiu was instantly silenced, and Yun Xiao looked up at the sky as if she hadn't heard anything.
Tu Xiu, as an Emperor Realm cultivator in his previous life, naturally knew what the Emperor's Order signified.
Each Emperor Realm cultivator could use it only once every thousand years to summon all current Emperor Realm cultivators for a meeting. Even if those Emperor Realm cultivators had urgent matters, they had to send their direct disciples.
All Emperor Realm cultivators!
What authority was this!
However, if it were a trivial matter, the Emperor Realm cultivator who issued the Emperor's Order would inevitably face the condemnation of all other Emperor Realm cultivators!
In the ten thousand years since this era began, the Emperor's Order had only been issued three times!
The first time was when the Gate of the Nine Netherworlds was discovered, issued by the Demon Lord at the time to summon all Emperor Realm cultivators to discuss matters.
The second time was when the Gate of the Nine Netherworlds underwent a drastic change, and an Emperor Realm cultivator in this realm defected and joined the Nine Netherworld faction. It was issued by another Emperor Realm cultivator, and the Emperor Realm cultivators established a protection agreement.
The third time was this one.
Issued by Old Man Tian Ming to summon everyone, blowing the horn for the counterattack against the celestial and demonic realms!
In this matter, besides Tian Ming, they truly could not hold the situation together.
"Hmph, you old fellow got off easy."
Tu Xiu snorted coldly, but merely stood aside and said no more.
Seeing that even Tu Xiu was like this, Yun Xiao naturally had nothing more to say and stood by silently.
"Um... may I be so bold as to ask."
Yun Ze, now a Nascent Soul cultivator, was still worried that the Immortal Lord and Demon Lord would come together to dissect him for research.
After all, even Shi You only had himself.
His research value now was far greater than that of a Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment cultivator. If the Immortal Lord and Demon Lord were to act together, he didn't know if Senior Shi could handle it!
"I know what you want to ask."
Shi You pursed his lips and smiled.
He placed his hand on Yun Ze's shoulder, and surging spiritual energy poured into him again. "Since you're afraid of one against two, what about two against two?"
Two?
Yun Ze was stunned. Before he could even react, he felt his realm climbing madly once more!
He... he intended to forcibly push him into the Emperor Realm!
But Yun Ze had studied calculation methods.
To forcefully create an Emperor Realm cultivator, wouldn't it consume the equivalent of an Emperor Realm cultivator?
Yun Ze frowned and couldn't help but ask, "Senior, I know what you mean, but this way, you also..."
"Me?"
Shi You pursed his lips and smiled, shaking his head. "You don't need to worry about me. Rather, I have been waiting for this opportunity for a very, very long time!"
"Kid, do you know the feeling of having too much spiritual energy in your body but being unable to break through?"
"I have been stuck at this realm for a thousand years! I can't even fight with all my might, for fear of accidentally breaking through and causing the collapse of heaven and earth."
"These thousand years of accumulation, I will give it all to you. How much you can absorb, and to what extent, depends on yourself!"