Divine Rebirth

His tail, wings and horns all grew almost instantly afterwards.

Large clouds above the sky continued to grow countless of times, slowly covering the entire Divine Eastern Region but it did not stop there. These clouds could be seen across the entire Primal Chaos Dimension once they were done forming! It seemed like the Primal Chaos Dimension was now trapped in an abyss of darkness.

"What the hell is that!?" A Sky Piercing Sect disciple looked up, the sky was entirely black and the only sign of light was the crimson flames which burned brightly as if made out of starlight.

"These clouds... this aura... it feels so familiar, but why?" The Dragon Monarch wondered.

"This... it's the end of the world! Everyone run!"

"Run where, you damn idiot?"

"I don't know... somewhere!"

All of the Ancestral Gods already knew what it was, especially Raela who was watching it first hand. "You really managed to surpass my expectations... maybe you are worthy."

Then the lightning started to strike. Despite being the first stage, this stage was unlike any other. Aerion came out of the first stage unfazed and so, the next stage came straight after. The second round was two strikes of lightning.

BOOM, BOOM.

By now, the ground below was completely crushed by the three strikes of lightning.

The third round... fourth round... fifth round... sixth round they all happened consecutively without any breaks in between. The sixth round featured thirty-two strikes of lightning yet it did not harm him in the slightest, it did the complete opposite.

Hmph, this is nothing!

The seventh, eighth and ninth stages all followed suit. The seventh and eighth stages featured red lightning while the ninth was white lightning, it was the Heavens last effort to rid him off the face of the world. However, it was a futile effort as the lightning recognised him as master after it was all done.

Is this all the Heavens have to offer? I'm slightly disappointed...

"Oh, don't be. There's more coming your way."

That voice... could it be Him? That lightning... what's up with its colours?

The lightning turned pitch black with only its outlines being white. The power of it was beyond anything that struck him previously combined!

"Aerion, open the sixth gate immediately! This is something even the Lightning Seed won't be able to protect you from!" Rotias commanded.

This is beyond a Creation God... alright, I'll do it!

Sixth gate, Dragon God, break open!

BOOM.

The scales on his body started to grow and expand. His body was covered in a mix of crimson and silver scales in just a few seconds. Then he started to grow... in overall size!

Three meters... four... six... ten... twenty... fifty... one hundred... one thousand... ten thousand meters tall! He became a complete dragon in both soul and body at last. Aerion's power suddenly rose to something that was far, far, beyond the Divine Tribulation Realm.

He had finally turned into a real Dragon.

The black lightning formed into a frightening spear, its size was of normal proportions but the aura around it suggested that it was no pushover. This spear could destroy an entire star realm with ease but it had its spear point on the crimson-silver dragon and the crimson-silver dragon only.

This one... it might just kill me.

The spear wasted not a single moment longer and struck him in the heart.

BOOM.

What... Izana...

Aerion was reduced to his normal size. His heart was nowhere to be seen, instead only a giant hole remained. His eyes lost their glow, dimming greatly.

Aerion started to fall as no more than a dead man.

His inner world remained black as ever with only two residents, Rotias and the Dragon.

"The eleventh round... but he's dead, isn't he? Or it only seems so..."

"I see, so this is where I have to lend him all of my strength." The Dragon sighed.

"Hmm?" Rotias questioned. "What can you do?"

"I hold some of the power which he cannot handle yet... but now, he needs it more than ever. It is time for him to break free... I was but a chain which kept him from going too far all along. This will be the day...that I will join with him fully."

"The Fire Dragon God... I see, so Aerios still left a few restrictions on Aerion."

"After all that I've seen... my last hope is that he completes this conquest and the wishes of the Fire Dragon God."

"Hmph, don't worry. I'm with him..."

"Rotias... he would've wanted you to see this."

The Dragon's flames suddenly grew and lit up the entire dark plane. In its flames, the Dragon burned away.

"Aerios... what is this, your last words?"

"After all these years, I've come to realise that it was not your fault, Rotias. As much as I would like to burn you... there is an even greater enemy. The Transcendent Being... he who treads alongside his creations without worry and plays with them like pieces on a board game. He came to fear this King once I started to step into the realm beyond. Perhaps, there is a high chance that you will never come to see this... but I've left it behind either way. Know this; only the combined efforts of all Ancestral Gods would be enough for a chance of defeating him... now that Celia has fallen, that will be even more difficult."

"I believe that there will come a day when our divine power returns... that will be when He must be slain. For now, it seems that nothing is going to change... so I will be the one to act. I will grant my legacy to someone who has endless ambition and talent... he will interest the Transcendent Being and so, his path will be even swifter. I understand how He does things now, so this plan of mine may actually work. I hope that my successor will, one day, surpass the peaks which I once stood on and avenge all those who have fallen because of Him."

"When will he come to me... I wonder? Unfortunately, I won't be there to witness his path... I only hope that you will assist him along the way since you owe me and the others an irreparable debt, after all. Consider this duty as your atonement!"

The fire continued to burn but there was no sound except for the raging fire. The mighty voice of the Fire Dragon God was no longer filling the void.

"I see. The unification of the Ancestral Gods won't be easy... but he just might be able to do it."

~

Darkness... why do I keep finding myself in darkness? Death keeps chasing me, over and other again... it looks like I'll just have to reject her again!

Suddenly, Aerion's soulless body lit up once more. That was when the dark clouds started to flare up again in response.

This was the eleventh and final round. A child-like voice reached out to him before it began.

"Master... forgive me..."

"The Sky... it is my domain." Aerion calmly reminded the Heavens. "You are mine to control yet you stand against me? This God will teach you the error of your ways!"

Seventh gate... the Seventh and final phase... all my shackles have shattered... now the World will witness the strength of the mighty Fire Dragon God once more... Divine Rebirth!!!

His silver hair grew longer and turned crimson as the fire around him joined with his once dead body. The hole in his chest was refilled in a single moment of time. His entire body was covered in silver scales as he stared at the black lightning.

The black lightning grew into one simple bolt of lightning. However, around this one giant bolt of lightning, appeared several other elements. The eleventh stage consisted of lightning, fire, water, earth, wind, light and darkness. But it did not stop there. The bolt was tampered with by more supreme elemental laws right after... space, time and even the Law of Nothingness.

Its sheer power could destroy the entire Primal Chaos Dimension if needed. However, it condensed into a smaller bolt of lightning aimed directly at Aerion. Even so... this kind of attack would result in most of the Eastern Divine Region being destroyed if it were to strike.

Aerion remained calm and confident as he looked up at the Eleven Tribulations of Absolute Destruction.

I have gained absolute control in this form... everything you throw at me... it will only serve to strengthen this God.

Heaven Absorbing Silver Body.

Crack...

~

The Snow Song Realm was in turmoil. Everywhere, smaller strikes of lightning came and went. They had to place a formation in order to secure the safety of the Divine Ice Phoenix Sect. Mu Xuanyin definitely had a few suspicions on who it was that triggered THIS kind of Divine Tribulation Lightning. After all, when he left he was in the ninth stage of the Divine Tribulation Realm... it would only make sense.

Even from the Snow Song Realm, the original source of Divine Tribulation Lightning could be seen.

"The eleventh stage..." Mu Xuanyin was, in her heart, worried about his well-being. Since he had come so far, there was still a chance that he could come out of it alive.

You leave my side for less than a month and this is what happens as a result... is it my fault for letting you go? No, this would have happened either way. This is something you must face alone.

"This kind of disturbance... must be my Lord's doing. He better come out of it alive or I'll be lost again. Perhaps, even more lost than before..." Robb laughed. "What am I worrying about? My Lord can walk through all Seven Hells and come out alive!"

"This kind of Divine Tribulation Lightning..." Izanami smiled. "Hmph, what a show-off. It can be no one but him."

~

"So it is true... he did not lie."

"What do you mean by that, Senior Shen Xi?"

"He Lin, your master is, indeed, the complete inheritor of the Fire Dragon God's legacy. Only someone who has the potential to reach the Ancestral God Realm can trigger this many rounds. In fact... his potential may be even greater than that."

"Huh... the Ancestral God Realm?"

"Never mind, he might tell you about it later... if he survives, that is."

~

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM.

The entire Sky Piercing Realm went black. It was completely and utterly destroyed into pure nothingness. At what was meant to be its centre, a shell of silver scales remained in space.

Crack...

Suddenly, some part of the shell cracked.

BOOM.

Then the entire shell broke apart, revealing a God. His hair remained crimson but his eyes had changed. His eyes had expanded fully and gained a ripple-like pattern. Both eyes had two layers of three tomoe, resulting in six per eye and twelve in total. The divine crimson aura around him was boundless in strength and it was clear that nothing in the world could match him in this state. Even the Dragon Monarch would be burned into nothingness the moment he got too close.

However, this divine strength was only temporary. He could keep the Seventh Gate open only for so long.

I understand... so much... now.

Before creation, comes destruction, isn't that right?

Aerion put his hands together.