Chapter 213: Escape from the Heavens

Little Lion stared in awe, her voice trembling with disbelief. "Master, our cultivation… mine is rising?"

She could hardly fathom the changes, as if trapped in a dream. She had braced for death alongside Lan An, yet events had taken an unimaginable turn.

Lan An chuckled, leaning down to kiss her lips tenderly. "How could we die? We haven't yet trampled this world beneath our feet!"

His domineering words echoed with unshakable confidence.

Little Lion's heart melted, captivated by his presence. She nestled her cheek against his chest, her eyes soft with adoration.

The Tri-Colored Thunder Tribulation's energy cycled between their joined bodies, their spiritual power surging an expected outcome of their dual cultivation.

Boom! The Eye of the Heavenly Dao, seeing them unprotected, unleashed another Tri-Colored Thunderbolt, tearing through the void.

Lan An sneered, opening his mouth to swallow it whole. Boom! His body erupted, but this time, only half his face and one shoulder were destroyed a vast improvement from the prior obliteration.

Nirvana Spirit Water, bolstered by his advancing cultivation, swiftly enveloped the wounds, knitting them together. The thunderbolt acted as a catalyst, accelerating their breakthroughs.

Within his dantian, the Tri-Colored Thunder Cauldron fully formed, its three-colored lightning shimmering with condensed might, rivaling the Flame Heart Cauldron in size. Though Lan An channeled most of the energy to Little Lion, her innate affinity for lightning and higher cultivation allowed her to refine it faster. Her body also housed a high-grade lightning demon core, awaiting refinement.

Her hair, once purple and white, now gleamed with a mysterious black hue, reflecting the Tri-Colored Thunder's white, black, and purple shades. Her cultivation soared: Late Fifth-Order, Peak Fifth-Order, Early Sixth-Order, teetering on the edge of Mid Sixth-Order equivalent to human Refining Void. Such rapid advancement demanded immense energy, a testament to the tribulation's power.

Even Lan An, sharing much of the energy, reached Late Spirit Transformation a remarkable feat. Unlike Anomalous Wood or Fire, which granted him a single major realm breakthrough, the Tri-Colored Thunder propelled them both to new heights.

"Come on!" Lan An roared, laughing defiantly at the Eye. "Thanks to you, my lioness is breaking through!"

The Eye's relentless pursuit, driven by his Forbidden cultivation, had cost him dearly: a Soul-Protecting Talisman, a mysterious Body-Reconstructing Herb, the Seven Seas Mysterious Zither's energy, the Soul-Stabilizing Coffin's strain, the Giant Clan's cracked Stone Tablet, and the damaged Heaven-Splitting Gauntlets meant for his master. The price for forming the Thunder Cauldron was steep.

Yet, one more thunderbolt could push Little Lion to Mid Refining Void. Cultivators across the continent would envy such a breakthrough, achieved by devouring lightning a hallmark of the Forbidden's terror.

But the Eye's killing intent surged, far fiercer than before.

Lan An's heart sank. "What's happening?"

Jin Ni's face paled, her voice shrill. "Young master, think fast! It's summoning a thunder stronger than Tri-Colored!"

"What the hell?" Lan An and Little Lion cursed in unison.

Just when victory seemed near, the Heavenly Dao escalated to a deadlier force.

"Stronger than Tri-Colored? What is it?" Lan An asked, dreading the answer.

Jin Ni's voice was grim. "This planet's rank limits the Heavenly Dao to the Five-Colored Thunder Tribulation at most."

"Damn it!" Lan An exclaimed, stunned. He'd thought Tri-Colored was the peak, but now a Five-Colored threat loomed.

The sky turned apocalyptic, killing intent blanketing Viet Dragon Star. Countless creatures knelt in terror, and peak cultivators stood, faces pale.

"This tribulation surpasses Tri-Colored?" they whispered. "Impossible!"

Even Blood Slaughter Demon Monarch, at Peak Transcending Tribulation, hadn't faced such a calamity.

Thousands of miles away, Wu San Niang's eyes bled. Since the Eye appeared, her connection to her disciple had shattered, unable to sense him.

"What's happening, you little brat?" she muttered, her face ashen. Before this tribulation, even she faced only death.

For the first time, she felt powerless against the Heavenly Dao, praying her disciple wasn't involved.

Lan An's mind reeled, his plans crumbling. Despite his cultivation surge, the Five-Colored Thunder Tribulation seemed insurmountable.

"Little Lion," he called softly.

Understanding, she transformed into her small beast form, curling into his arms, her Sixth-Order aura dimmed by fear.

Lan An knew hiding in the Spirit Realm Pearl was futile the Eye had locked onto him. Even without the Immortal aura, it wouldn't relent. He considered unsealing the system again.

Boom! Boom! Boom! The thunder sea condensed, a Five-Colored Thunderbolt, like a divine pillar, slashing across the sky toward Lan An.

"Is this the end?" he growled, fists clenched until they bled.

But a miracle unfolded.

The Eye shifted its gaze, the thunderbolt veering away.

"What the hell?" Lan An seized the chance, fleeing frantically.

To his shock, the Eye ignored him, focusing elsewhere.

A voice, laced with doubt, echoed across Viet Dragon Star, shaking the planet. "A Forbidden cultivator… on this remote star?"

The heavens darkened, as if doomsday neared. Peak cultivators gazed skyward, their eyes piercing space to find the voice's source.

Above, a pair of majestic eyes appeared, scanning every creature. Even Lan An, fleeing, wasn't spared, but with his Immortal aura sealed, he seemed ordinary.

"Jin Ni, what are those eyes?" he asked, curiosity burning as he escaped the thunderclouds.

Jin Ni's voice was heavy. "An Immortal Realm Great Power sensed the Forbidden aura on Viet Dragon Star. He's forcibly scanning to seize it."

"Damn him!" Lan An cursed, fury rising.

Jin Ni giggled. "He's your savior, young master."

"What?" Lan An glanced up, nearly laughing.

The Eye of the Heavenly Dao now targeted the new eyes, their cold gazes locked in a bizarre standoff.

"The universe has rules," Jin Ni explained softly. "Those above Half-Immortal in the Immortal Realm can't invade lower stars, or they'd cause chaos. This Great Power's intrusion breaks cosmic law, so the Eye prioritizes him."

"I see," Lan An realized, feeling the Great Power's gaze sweep over him.

He halted, feigning nonchalance by picking his nose and urinating into the sea, even waving cheekily.

"No shameless fool like this could wield a Forbidden technique," the Great Power muttered, dismissing Lan An to scan elsewhere.

Lan An sighed in relief, pulling out a chair and popcorn to watch the sky.

Boom! Boom! Boom! The Five-Colored Thunderbolt struck the intruder, the Eye locking onto the rule-breaker, immortal or not.

The Great Power, Great Hand Immortal King, snorted, his voice darkening Viet Dragon Star. "A low-star Heavenly Dao dares challenge this King?"

Two devastating beams shot from his eyes, shattering space.

Boom! Boom! Lan An, caught in the shockwave, was flung back, spitting blood.

"I just formed the Thunder Cauldron and haven't shown off, yet I'm blasted by their fight? This is too much!" he cursed, tucking the Spirit Realm Pearl into his chest and fleeing.

Western Hai Zhou became a void, countless creatures perished, their bodies piling high. Only Nascent Soul cultivators and above escaped.

The Five-Colored Thunderbolt shattered, the Immortal King blocking it with his gaze alone, though blood tears streamed from his eyes a heavy price.

"You dare wound this King?" he roared. "This star's Heavenly Dao needn't exist!"

A colossal arm, brimming with destructive power, descended, shattering Hai Zhou's sky. Viet Dragon Star trembled, unable to withstand a power beyond Peak Transcending Tribulation.

Countless beings knelt, even some Transcending Tribulation cultivators. Only the proud, like Lan An, stood firm, his pores bleeding under the pressure, yet refusing to kneel.

Little Lion, nestled in his arms, glared at the eyes, vowing to crush them one day.

"Five-Colored Thunder, die!" the Immortal King bellowed, his arm piercing the thunder to strike the Eye.

Boom! The shockwave made all beings vomit blood, an unprecedented event destined for Viet Dragon Star's history.

"Is this our star's doom?" cultivators whispered.

Lan An watched, stunned, as the Eye bled profusely but fought back, condensing five Five-Colored Thunderbolts to strike the arm.

"Stubborn fool," the Immortal King sneered. "Let me find the Forbidden and leave!"

His fist shattered the thunderbolts, obliterating part of Western Hai Zhou. The Eye weakened, and the arm faded.

"This is Immortal Realm power? He wants my technique?" Lan An's heart raced, his pride from forming the Thunder Cauldron gone. Viet Dragon Star, even Bing Tian Continent, was nothing compared to this.

"Don't despair," Jin Ni consoled. "This foe is strong even in the Immortal Realm, but with the system and Forbidden technique, surpassing him isn't impossible."

"How does he compare to Lac Long Quan?" Lan An asked.

Jin Ni replied sternly, "He's not worth a hair on Lac Long Quan's leg. One spit from Lan Quan could turn Viet Dragon Star to dust."

Lan An shivered, his blood boiling with ambition. Cultivating Lac Quan's Dragon Immortal Sacred Canon and bearing the Rebellious Dragon Bloodline, how could he not dream big?

The Immortal King roared, a second arm appearing to crush the Eye. A horse's neigh, like war drums, echoed across the star.

"Stop, Great Hand Immortal King!" a voice thundered. "You've broken Immortal Realm rules by invading a lower star!"

Another Immortal Realm figure, Phu Dong Immortal King, emerged.

"Phu Dong, you dare interfere?" Great Hand retorted, wary.

"Don't think your Immortal King breakthrough makes you invincible," Phu Dong snapped. "One swing of my bamboo staff could kill you. Return to the Immortal Realm!"

"Share the Forbidden when I find it," Great Hand bargained, unwilling to leave.

"Absurd!" Phu Dong roared. "A Forbidden here? Nonsense! Begone!"

A massive green bamboo staff descended toward the arm.

Great Hand snorted, his arms and eyes vanishing, choosing retreat.

The bamboo staff disappeared, leaving devastation.

Boom! Boom! The Eye closed, fading into the sky, gravely wounded and entering slumber, ignoring Lan An.

"Is it over?" Lan An asked, dazed.

"Yes," Jin Ni said gravely. "You've escaped the Eye, but never use the Immortal aura again, or more Immortal Realm powers will come."

Lan An nodded, gazing at Western Hai Zhou's ruins, swallowing hard. "Jin Ni, what's an Immortal King? How much stronger than Transcending Tribulation?"

Jin Ni paused, then said, "You're not yet qualified to know. Strive harder."