On This Day, I Said To Death "NO"

RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

Above the Thousand Flames upper realm, a ball of purple lightning hung illuminating the land like a sun shining its immortal rays. This ball was the final tribulation of an Immortal, the legendary Thunder punishment tribulation.

Humans were not born immortals, nor gods, nor buddhas. To truely transcend they must overcome the heavens. By breaking the door to immortality Hu Wenxi qualified to become a True Immortal. Yet the heavens have always been against cultivators. This lightning is the ultimate test, the punishment for the mortal who dares think himself immortal.

The first bolt took the form of a pillar of concentrated purple lightning. It slammed into the emperor consuming him, sending him down onto the earth. The sheer heat of the electricity instantly melted the nearby land to a crater of molten lava the moment it impacted the ground.

BLUB! BLUB! BLUB!

A lake of lava was produced and bubbled everywhere. The land was consumed with blazing heat yet at the same time radiant immortal energy can be felt in the air. It was weirdly comforting to cultivators.

This immortal energy also began to heal Long Chi Bai and the rest. They realised as their cultivation was compatible with Heavenly Qi, they could gain benefits by absorbing left over remnants of the heavenly tribulation. However the army of fiends and shadow devils was also among them.

These experts were already severely injured and weakened after Sam's fiend's surprise invasion. Their opposition had within the span of time Hu Wenxi chose to undergo tribulation, had mass produced over 10 billion shadow devils. This included the billions of lesser fiends.

For the average low level cultivator, their wills were easily crushed. For the high levelled ones, the sight of their leaders losing also crushed their wills. Even the ones not at the capital, but far away who were watching the events or witnessed their ancestor's life linked jade talisman disintegrate had their wills crushed. They were all prime targets for fiendish corruption.

This army was truely quantity of quality. Yet in such quantities, they too became a quality. Most of the lesser fiends were Crossing Tribulation minor saint, most of the devils ranged from Foundation Establishment to as high as Heavenly Connection. To a normal Human Immortal, this will be a massacre.

However as these beings came from the same source, they had the potential of interlocking energy to become a super being. This had the potential of amping the source being to higher levels of power. Knowing this, the Human Immortals attacked the leading fiends with intent to destroy.

The second pillar of purple lightning struck with greater force then the first. This forced all lifeforms back from the crash sight. They could not see the emperor but the fact that the tribulation hadn't ended meant that Hu Wenxi was still alive.

The experts attacked the fiends with their last resorts hoping to push them back. The remedy the power gap, the fiends interlocked their sinful energy producing a pseudo battle formation effect. The result of giant replicas of the black skeletal fiends. These fiends attacked without hesitation.

Hu Wenxi was bathed in a third shower of lightning, then a fourth. He knew there were 9 bolts total and each successively grew stronger. He was also progressively growing stronger by absorbing Heavenly Qi contained within the tribulation lightning.

The purple electricity were a part of the Heavenly Tao, it contained aspects of the Wuxing. Hu Wenxi could use this opportunity to prematurely gain knowledge of the other 4 Heavenly Qi. But he also knew to be wary for his safety.

The fish bolt struck with much greater force. Hu Wenxi's right arm was completely destroyed. Parts of his skin was also torn off forcing him into a recovery position. Hu Wenxi took out several healing pills and ate them to replenish his energy. His wounds began healing and his stump grew back to the elbow.

Hu Wenxi's river map was long since destroyed. His sword was charred, and his bell was near shattered. The emperor diverted power from his throne above him to create a large barrier around him. As he was invigorated he could afford to do this.

As he prepared for the sixth bolt, the emperor grabbed his wooden shelf and began absorbing Qi from it. Although he possessed 3 Immortal Artefacts, the tribulation was far greater then ordinary ones. His steady heart allowed him to resist the heart demons attack but the physical attacks greatly reduced the vitality of his treasures. Even the 3 Immortal Artefacts dimmed.

He calculated that by the ninth bolt, he may need to sacrifice one of them. Just thinking about this possibility made his heart ache. It would be such a huge loss for him. Hu Wenxi fed more power to the barrier as the sixth bolt descended upon him.

"GRR" he grunted under the pressure. His barrier held firmly for some time before cracking all over. Thankfully it protected him from this bolt, a second longer and it would've shattered. The first 3 bolts he resisted with his physical body. The next 2 he expended a large amount of Qi to protect himself. This one greatly reduced his treasure's strength.

Hu Wenxi threw the compass up and recalled his throne. He decided the chair had taken enough punishment. Hu Wenxi used the compass to begin mending the barrier. The purple orb pulsed high above him signalling the seventh bolt.

Hu Wenxi frowned, he let go of the compass who remained in place above him and chanted a spell. Mystical runes appeared around him circling into a centre point. Above him the seventh bolt descended.

"HAH" Hu Wenxi unleashed his own spell, roaring sandy energy in shape of a pull ran into the sky clashing against the lightning. It was unable to resist and dissipated however it did weaken the lightning.

The bolt struck the barrier with tremendous force. Hu Wenxi brought up his left arm and held the barrier in place. Eventually the barrier completely broke apart but fortunately the lightning dissipated before it reaches him. Hu Wenxi reaches into the cabinet and ate dozens of pills all at once.

He didn't have much time to recover but the eight bolt was soon charging. "Heaven really is hateful" Hu Wenxi took out another pill and poped it inches mouth. He threw the shelf into the air as the eight bolt struck him whole. The emperor desperately held up both treasures to resist the lightning.

The shelf even used its own unique powers to absorb parts of the tribulation to let it dissipate harmlessly inside it. Hu Wenxi's left arm held firm while his right side regenerated.

CRAKLE! CRAKLE!

Sparks of electricity arced across his body tearing apart his skin. The emperor was struck by residue electricity but even that was enough to force him to bleed. Hu Wenxi stomped the air defiantly, he created a sand platform under himself to help in his push.

CRAK!

The compass' glass covering cracked under the pressure. More lightning got through and struck the emperor. "GAH" Hu Wenxi grunted as he was hit. Another got through and penetrated his chest. The emperor fell back somewhat before the eighth bolt dissipated.

"Few" the emperor fell out of the sky into the crater below him. He got up onto his feet and examined his reemerged right arm. "Good as new!"

"Hehehe! Not so tough now aren't ya. It seems the heavens is rightfully punishing you tyrant" the fiend slaughter at the emperor's miserable state hoping to get a rise out of him. However Hu Wenxi ignored them completely. Instead the Human Immortals were pissed at the fiends.

It seems even with the added innate knowledge Sam received as a fiend he was still the same old delusional retard. His own knowledge of the universe stopped at "I'm the good guy, any girl I like is my harem, anyone I don't like is a bad guy, and old men who randomly talk to me must be pedophiles". Even if his fiendish mind told him otherwise, and his insane mind's inability to form coherent thought, this thought process persisted.

Hu Wenxi ate the last of his stash of pills, his shelf was empty now. The inner dimension it contained lacked any alchemical pills, pellets, nor elixirs. He had depleted his whole stash. Hu Wenxi called his sword, throne, compass, and hourglass back to him. They were the ones who survived. But anything below a genuine Immortal Artefact will be destroyed.

Hu Wenxi looked at his sword and sighed in defeat. He wasn't a sword immortal nor the best swordsman around but this weapon had accompanied him for many centuries. It held many sentimental memories to him.

"When I was still new to this life, you were but an ordinary wooden practice sword my father gifted me. It seems after so many years you and I will part ways" Hu Wenxi looks at the skies. The ninth and final bolt was rapidly descending.

Hu Wenxi softly smiled, "I can't afford to lose this time". He saw the distant fiends fighting Long Chi Bai. The old dragon was holding strong. Even Qiang Mei Hua was defending him, they may've had a rocky beginning but they turned out all right. Hu Wenxi held his sword and flew up to meet the tribulation lightning.

"Who knows if I'll survive or die. But I have a duty to this empire, so I have to beat you." Hu Wenxi used all his treasures to empower him, he seemingly transformed into a sand pillar that rose into the sky to defy the heavens.

BOOM!

The two forces collided. The pillar was split in two instantly but Hu Went within it remained strong suffering underneath the fierce electricity. This bolt definitely can kill True Immortals. But on this day Hu Wenxi faced this bolt with 3 Immortal Artefact. Had had wanted to wait for the fourth and a primal heavens primitive life pill but today he was forced to take the tribulation.

On this day Hu Wenxi swore to look death in the eye and tell him "NO". Hu Wenxi was determined to become a True Immortal, doing so will mean his life will no longer be decided by fate. Destiny had no hold on him. Ancient records always told of carefree True Immortals, today Hu Wenxi will become one of them.

BOOM!

The fierce energy rippled across the skies culminated in a massive purple lightning storm visible from beyond space. Hu Wenxi at the centre it all felt his hourglass break giving him the last bit of healing he could afford. The compass was already riddled with cracks and even the throne was charred to the point of being black.

At the same time Hu Wenxi surged with energy. He circulated his Qi pushed all the temporal powers he had mastered, all the spells he had learned and pushed outwards. The images of 12 divine beasts appeared behind him to resist the heavens.

"Today, I taoist Zodiac, emperor of Thousand Flames upper realm transcends" Hu Wenxi screamed to the heavens as his whole body was zapped black and blue. His nerves were so fried he could bare register anything any more. His arms, legs and half his torso were already blown off. Even his face resembled more of a skull.

ZING!

The storm began dissipating bit by bit. Slowly a charred figure was revealed. Sam's fiend all saw this and began laughing, "Hehehehehehe! I told you villains never win. My Nakama" it pointed to its army, "Is with me, I cannot lose". The fiends all laughed crazily and paraded around even as they were killed.

Suddenly all things in the world stopped as if time itself stopped. Twelve divine beasts appeared mid air standing proudly a rat, a bull, a tiger, a rabbit, a dragon, a snake, a horse, a goat, a monkey, a chicken, a wold, and a boar. They stood in a circular shape resembling a disk hanging vertically mid air.

At the centre was the figure. It had lost its tarnished black figure but instead was covered in sandy immortal light. He slowly formed into arms, legs, and soon a full body completely followed. He also formed rich imperial robes and a crown for himself.

"AIE" the fiends immediately turned to run. Subconsciously they just knew to run. Hu Wenxi said softly, "Stop" and all the fiends and devils froze in the air. "And just where do you think you're going" Hu Wenxi brought up his right hand and snapped.