Chapter 159: The Ninefold Sovereign Tribulation!

Two Sovereigns descended simultaneously, like two towering mountains rising from the earth, casting a shadow that enveloped everyone.

To the east, the sun blazed in the sky.

To the west, the stars and moon hung high!

It seemed as if the original sun in the sky had vanished, completely replaced by the presence of these two Sovereigns.

The crowd felt an overwhelming pressure, suffocating them. Each person's face was pale, and they didn't even dare to breathe heavily.

Even Qin Chuan, standing between the two Sovereigns, felt a slight pressure. The aura of the two powerful Sovereigns bore down on him, making it feel as though he carried two towering mountains on his back, his entire body tensing up.

This was a pressure he had never experienced before.

When he had faced the Feather Sovereign and the Sword Sovereign previously, he had been at ease, as he had the power of a Sovereign at that time.

But now, he was just a Ninth Heaven Saint.

For the first time, he truly sensed the insurmountable gap between a Ninth Heaven Saint and a Sovereign. It was a chasm impossible to cross!

Still, there was no trace of fear on his face. Instead, he smiled and said, "With all due respect, even with the two of you, it still won't be enough."

"What an arrogant young man!" The Jiang family Sovereign laughed coldly, his eyes gleaming.

"Heh, 'young' might be the wrong word. I've been around for tens of thousands of years; I wouldn't dare pretend to be youthful anymore," Qin Chuan replied with a smile.

The crowd was stunned.

Tens of thousands of years?

Qin Chuan didn't offer any explanation. He continued with a smile, "The Sovereign realm is divided into nine tribulations, and each tribulation into nine heavens. I wonder, how many tribulations have you both endured?"

Both Sovereigns' expressions shifted subtly. Such a question gave them an unsettling feeling.

Most people viewed Sovereigns simply as Sovereigns, without concern for the specifics. After all, a Sovereign could crush them with ease.

But when someone asked what level of Sovereign they were, it placed them in direct comparison with others of the same realm.

And this reminded them of something they had forgotten—that even among Sovereigns, they were not particularly outstanding!

Moreover, the question itself carried an air of condescension, as if an elder was testing a junior, which made them feel both displeased and insulted.

"This Sovereign has an average talent. After cultivating for two thousand years, I've barely reached the Third Tribulation, Fifth Heaven," the Ji family Sovereign said indifferently, though he still held a hint of pride. After all, he was not at the bottom.

"My talent is ordinary as well. After three thousand years of cultivation, I reached the Third Tribulation, Seventh Heaven," the Jiang family Sovereign added coldly.

"That's indeed very average," Qin Chuan nodded.

Cold light flashed in the eyes of the two Sovereigns!

Qin Chuan continued, "However, in a barren land like the Eastern Domain, reaching the Sovereign realm is commendable."

"Oh? Is that so?" The Ji family Sovereign sneered. "I'm curious, where does a mere Ninth Heaven Saint get the courage to pass judgment on Sovereigns?"

"A mere?" Qin Chuan chuckled, his gaze meaningful as he asked, "Is the Ninth Heaven so lowly? Have you ever reached the Ninth Heaven yourself?"

"If I'm not mistaken, you likely stopped at the Fifth Heaven, didn't you? I'm also curious—where does someone who stopped at the Fifth Heaven get the nerve to look down on the Ninth Heaven?"

"Hahaha! Hahahaha!" The Ji family Sovereign burst into laughter, his tone dripping with mockery. "What a ridiculous joke! Everyone knows the Fifth Heaven is the best opportunity to ascend to Sovereignhood. Anyone beyond the Sixth Heaven has no hope of becoming a Sovereign, and the Ninth Heaven... While it may seem strong, it's nothing but a dead end!"

"No matter how ambitious you are, you'll only remain below the Sovereign realm! You may be hailed as the strongest below the Sovereigns, but that's all you'll ever be—the strongest below Sovereigns!"

"Every Sovereign will forever look down on you!"

As he finished his words, the pressure around him surged. The last traces of apprehension in his heart vanished.

A Ninth Heaven Saint was destined to fail. He was not worth worrying about.

"Utter foolishness!" Qin Chuan snorted coldly, mocking him. "You take ignorance as glory and are pleased with yourself. You're nothing but a frog at the bottom of a well."

"The Eastern Domain truly is a barren backwater—full of ignorant and arrogant savages!"

"What did you say?!" The Ji and Jiang family Sovereigns were thoroughly enraged, their eyes flashing with terrifying light. The power of the Sovereigns erupted from them like terrifying beams of light shooting into the sky.

"A Ninth Heaven Saint cannot ascend to Sovereignty? That's only because you couldn't do it. Taking your own failures as truth—how laughable!"

Qin Chuan laughed heartily, his voice bold. "Today, I will show you how a Ninth Heaven Saint ascends to Sovereignty!"

Boom!

As he finished speaking, he stomped hard in midair, sending a transparent shockwave rippling outward, sweeping across the area.

Using the recoil, his body soared upward like a great roc spreading its wings, soaring tens of thousands of miles into the sky!

"Tribulation, come!!!"

He raised his right hand high and shouted.

"Boom! Boom!"

Suddenly, the sky above his head swirled with storm clouds, and an overwhelming divine power descended, blanketing the surrounding hundreds of miles!

Everyone felt a massive, invisible force pressing down on them, rendering them immobile. Even the two Sovereigns felt an immense weight pressing on them, as if a giant mountain had been dropped onto their heads.

"This is... a Sovereign Tribulation?!"

"Is he really attempting the tribulation? Has he lost his mind?!"

Everyone was shocked. A Ninth Heaven Sovereign Tribulation—what kind of sight was that? It was unimaginable!

It was known that even a Fifth Heaven Sovereign Tribulation was terrifying, with an eighty percent chance of death.

A Sixth Heaven Sovereign Tribulation doubled in power, and a Seventh Heaven doubled again. By this logic, the Ninth Heaven Sovereign Tribulation would be beyond terrifying.

"Hmph, trying to pass the Ninth Heaven Sovereign Tribulation? Utter delusion. Let's see how you meet your end!" the Ji family Sovereign sneered coldly.

"Overestimating yourself!" The Jiang family Sovereign scoffed as well.

In their hearts, they felt a deep sense of anger, even humiliation—this man was treating the Sovereign Tribulation as if it were a joke!

Did he truly believe the Sovereign Tribulation was so easy to pass?

Did he think they were cowards for choosing the easier Fifth Heaven Sovereign Tribulation?

It was utterly absurd!

"Boom!"

At this moment, the storm clouds above Qin Chuan swirled faster, forming a vortex ten meters in diameter.

It resembled an overturned cauldron, and looking up into it, the inside glowed red, as if molten lava was boiling within.

"Buzz!"

Suddenly, a golden ring of light appeared above the vortex, like a massive crown descending, overlapping with the vortex. Immediately, the vortex doubled in size!

It grew to twenty meters!

"Buzz!"

Next, a green ring of light, representing the Law of Wood, descended, and the vortex expanded again, reaching forty meters!

"Buzz!"

A blue ring of light, the Law of Water, appeared, descending in turn...

Soon, rings representing the Laws of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth had all descended, and the vortex had expanded to 160 meters in diameter!

At this point, the vortex began to reveal its terrifying nature. The destructive energy emanating from it caused the surrounding experts' scalps to tingle in terror as they retreated, fearing they'd be caught in the aftermath.

But it didn't stop there.

A ring representing the Law of Light appeared above the vortex.

"Buzz!"

The ring descended, causing the vortex to swell once more. Then, another ring fell, followed by another...

"Buzz!"

"Buzz!"

"Buzz!"

Finally, after nine rings of law had descended, the vortex expanded to an unimaginable size—2,560 meters!

At this moment, the entire area within hundreds of miles was shrouded in darkness. In the center of the massive vortex, dazzling light glowed, as if a sun were contained within. An indescribable power of destruction radiated from it.

"Hiss!!"

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!"

The surrounding experts retreated again, backing away by several dozen miles, yet still feeling their skin crawl in terror as they gazed at the scene.

Even the two Sovereigns, sensing the immense power of the tribulation, couldn't help but twitch their facial muscles...

The destructive force contained in this tribulation—could they even survive it? At best, they'd barely escape with their lives!

"What a terrifying Sovereign Tribulation. If he survives this, what will happen?"

The two Sovereigns exchanged a glance, their hearts trembling.

Based on the growth pattern of the tribulation's power, if a Ninth Heaven Saint survived, they'd probably rival a Fourth Tribulation Sovereign right away!

And if this person reached their Ninth Sovereign Tribulation, they'd surpass them by four minor realms—but how could there be more than nine tribulations?

Nine tribulations were the limit.

In other words, passing the Ninth Heaven Sovereign Tribulation would give one an advantage equivalent to four entire minor realms.

"He won't succeed!"

"No one could survive this. He will surely die under this tribulation!"

The two Sovereigns breathed heavily, their eyes fixed on the small white-robed figure beneath the terrifying vortex.

They hoped to see him crushed in the next moment.

They needed to see him crushed.

If he passed this tribulation, the consequences would be unimaginable—the entire Eastern Domain would be reshaped...

"Boom—"

Finally, like the wrath of the gods, the terrifying Ninth Heaven Sovereign Tribulation descended.

There were no flourishes—just pure destructive power, condensed into a crimson beam that shot down from the sky.

From a distance, it looked like a red waterfall crashing down, the beam over a hundred meters wide, like a heavenly river.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

The crimson beam engulfed Qin Chuan entirely, then continued crashing down onto the land next to Shenxia Mountain, causing the ground to quake violently.

Everything within several thousand meters—plants, mountains, rivers—instantly evaporated, leaving behind a pitch-black abyss that seemed bottomless.

The sheer force of the heavens was utterly terrifying!

The beam continued pouring down for a full two minutes, its violent, scorching energy seeming as though it might bore a hole through the earth.

At last, the beam dissipated.

The vortex of the tribulation slowly dispersed, and where Qin Chuan had once stood, there was nothing but a vast, pitch-black abyss.

"Hahaha, he's dead!"

"Heh, there's nothing to celebrate—it was expected."

"Arrogant fool, brought about his own demise!"

After a brief silence, the crowd erupted with excitement. The terrifying man was dead. Who could stop them now from capturing Qin Zi?

"Qin Zi, come out and face your punishment!"

"Qin Zi, come out! No one can protect you today!"

Several of the powerful figures jeered, preparing to cross the black abyss and enter Shenxia Mountain to apprehend Qin Zi.

But as they flew over the abyss, a sudden sense of dread washed over them. Glancing down, they were almost scared out of their wits.

"Aah!!"

"What is that?!"

They screamed and retreated hurriedly.

"Boom—"

In the next moment, a massive pillar of magma erupted from the depths of the abyss, narrowly missing them as it shot into the sky. The heat was so intense that it caused their hair to rise, blown upward by the searing wind.

"Don't be afraid! It's just magma, a result of the Ninth Heaven Sovereign Tribulation piercing through the earth's crust and causing the magma to erupt under pressure."

An elderly scholar stroked his goatee, exclaiming, "Such a terrifying tribulation. It even pierced the earth's crust. That Qin Chuan must have been..."

"Boom!"

Before he could finish speaking, a deep thud echoed from the sky, as if someone had stomped down hard.

"Crack!"

The sound of ice breaking followed. The towering magma pillar, which had risen thousands of meters into the air, rapidly cooled from the top down, turning pitch black as it solidified into a towering, black mountain!

And at the summit of the mountain stood a commanding figure, hands clasped behind his back. His white robes billowed in the wind, his black hair dancing freely, while the overwhelming aura of a Sovereign spread across the heavens and earth...

The elderly scholar's mouth twitched as he stammered, "He must have... survived after all."