Chapter 158: The Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation

Death descended.

In the instant the Celestial Cycle Profound Astral Formation shattered, a crimson longsword streaked across the sky.

The massive Blood Sword dominated the heavens, resembling a colossal, heaven-piercing divine artifact. It dragged behind it an endless Blood Sea, where demonic creatures writhed and roared, unleashing immense psychological pressure on all who beheld it.

This was the Blood God Sword, the supreme-grade magic treasure and Immortal Sword inherited by the Blood God Sect, reserved solely for its Sect Leaders throughout history.

"It's the Blood God Sword!"

"It's Jiang Yichuan, the Sect Leader of the Blood God Sect!"

"Damn it!"

"A supreme-grade magic treasure! Get out of the way!"

Exclamations of shock, anger, despair, and confusion erupted across the Profound Pill Sect.

...To be continued.

High above, a bizarre murmuring suddenly arose. The whispers, low and fragmented at first, gradually intensified, evolving from barely audible mutterings to normal speech, then rising to a shout, and finally culminating in a deafening roar.

Yet regardless of the volume, no one could discern the specific words. The sound was vague, eerie, as if they had almost understood it—only to forget it immediately.

A Foundation Establishment Stage Peak Lord from the Outer Peak, positioned near the edge of the airborne formation, frowned as he overheard the murmurs. In the next instant, his expression abruptly shifted as a single word pierced through the noise with unnerving clarity:

"Die!"

He hadn't understood any of the preceding whispers, but this single word resonated with stark, unmistakable force.

The moment his face changed, the word "die" surged from his ears into his Sea of Consciousness Space, its volume swelling with an eerie, demonic power. Though not from a Heavenly Demon, it seemed to mimic such a being's influence, growing until even his Divine Soul could no longer withstand the onslaught.

Die... die... die...

The word "die" echoed relentlessly within his Sea of Consciousness Space, showing no sign of fading but instead growing stronger with each repetition.

Within his Sea of Consciousness, his Divine Soul rose to its feet, writhing in agony. Before it could react, the entire soul shattered into fragments. Even as the remnants desperately tried to coalesce anew, the word "die" persisted, its power intensifying. Like a sinister force, it ground the struggling soul into nothingness, crushing it into wisps of Primordial Chaos Qi.

The Peak Lord's demise was swift. From the moment he heard the word "die" to the crushing of his Divine Soul, only three kshanas had passed—less than a moment. The light in his eyes vanished as his corpse plummeted from the sky.

"No! It's the Soul-Reaping Bell!"

"Feng Wusheng, Sect Leader of the Heavenly Soul Sect!"

"My life is over..."

"Where's our Sect Leader? Only he can stop him!"

As the disciples cried out in panic, two more Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators lost the light in their eyes and fell from the sky.

The remaining Foundation Establishment cultivators stared in horror. Such silent, sudden deaths were the most terrifying of all.

Azure Dragon Peak, nestled beside Profound Pill Peak among the Nine Inner Peaks, lay relatively deep within the sect's territory. As Han Yi soared into the air, he witnessed the despair-inducing scene unfolding below.

The Profound Pill Sect was finished.

Yet, now that the moment had arrived, Han Yi felt no confusion. Instead, he scanned his surroundings, searching for an opportunity to escape.

The Profound Pill Sect's gates had fallen. As Bai Wanqing had declared, those willing to fight to the death would do so, while those seeking escape were free to flee—no one would be forced to stay.

At that moment, a beam of golden sword light erupted from Pill Sword Peak. Shimmering like starlight, it pierced the sky with dazzling brilliance.

"It's Martial Uncle Mu! He's emerged from seclusion!" a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator exclaimed ahead of Han Yi, who turned to look.

The airborne sword light transformed into a middle-aged cultivator with a ruddy complexion. Before him hovered a palm-sized sword radiance, its form constantly shifting between Sword Pill, Sword Globule, Sword Spirit, and Sword Qi.

Mu Jianxu of Pill Sword Peak.

Then, another cultivator emerged from the White Tiger Palace, cradling a pill furnace in his hands. Dressed in white robes, his face was grave.

Zhuge Wuyou.

Han Yi whirled around to see Zhuge Wuyou, his heart skipping a beat.

Apart from these two Supreme Elders, Qin Wuxian, Si Hongxue, and Huo Ming—the remaining Golden Core True Persons of the Profound Pill Sect—were nowhere to be seen.

"Today, the Profound Pill Sect falls!" Jiang Yichuan, Sect Leader of the Blood God Sect, roared, his Heaven-Piercing Blood Sword sweeping across the battlefield.

Zhuge Wuyou ascended into the sky, wielding not his own Magic Treasure, but the Profound Pill Sect's most treasured artifact—Sect Leader Yuan Shun's Supreme-Grade Magic Treasure: the Supreme Profound Primordial Eight Trigrams Furnace.

The "Profound" in the Profound Pill Sect's name was derived from "Profound Primordial."

This Pill Furnace served as both a vessel for Pill Refinement and a treasured artifact protecting the Profound Pill Sect.

With a gentle toss, the Supreme Profound Primordial Eight Trigrams Furnace transformed into a colossal structure, no smaller than the Heaven-Piercing Blood Sword. As the furnace opened, a sentient divine flame leaped forth, surging toward the Blood Sword.

This flame was known as the Profound Primordial Six Ding Divine Fire.

The Pill Furnace itself was a replica of a Pill Refinement Furnace belonging to a revered Immortal Lord in the Immortal Realm. The flame within, however, was a unique creation. For generations, the Sect Leaders of the Profound Pill Sect had gathered rare otherworldly flames from the Jade Balance Realm, fusing them into this potent divine fire. Its name, too, was inspired by one of the celestial fires of the Immortal Realm.

As the divine flame soared into the sky, it transformed into a vast, all-encompassing river of fire that crashed against the Blood Sword with a deafening roar.

Beneath the point of impact, a low-lying mountain, not yet incorporated into the Outer Peak range, instantly crumbled under the pressure. Boulders rained down, forests were utterly annihilated, and the land trembled.

The terrifying shockwave radiated outward from the devastated mountain. Several nearby Outer Peaks shook violently, their disciples pale with terror as they scrambled for safety, their hearts pounding as if their souls were fleeing their bodies.

At the same moment, Mu Jianxu, having sealed his wounds with secret techniques and clinging to life by a thread, transformed into a streak of light and engaged Feng Wusheng, Sect Leader of the Heavenly Soul Sect, in battle.

Thanks to his flawless Sword Soul, Mu Jianxu was immune to the Soul-Reaping Bell's Divine Soul attacks. Feng Wusheng dared not underestimate the Profound Pill Sect's second-strongest fighter, especially since he knew Mu Jianxu was destined to die in this battle. He had to be wary of the man's desperate fury in his final moments.

After all, the Profound Pill Sect was destined to fall to the Great Qian Immortal Kingdom today. Feng Wusheng resolved to proceed cautiously, step by step, lest they stumble at the last hurdle.

Feng Wusheng retracted the Soul-Reaping Bell and produced a Magic Artifact: a black whip. With a casual flick, he snapped it through the air, producing a thunderous crack that tore the Void itself.

The Sword Light collided with the whip. The Sword Light recoiled, its brilliance dimmed by a third.

Feng Wusheng also stumbled back three steps, each footfall shaking the Void beneath his feet.

Undeterred, the Sword Light surged forward again.

Clash after clash, the two warriors fought with the tenacity of fearless soldiers charging headlong into the enemy's lines. Even knowing defeat was inevitable, their battle spirit burned fiercely, refusing to yield.

On Azure Dragon Peak, Han Yi tore his gaze from the two main battlefields below. His pupils constricted as he looked down, and his heart trembled.

Two fierce battles raged high above, where the Profound Pill Sect's treasured defensive artifacts and Mu Jianxu's fearless defiance had temporarily stalled the Blood God Sect and Heavenly Soul Sect's two strongest cultivators.

Below, however, the battle was a one-sided slaughter.

Thirteen Golden Core cultivators swept through the ranks of defenders like unstoppable juggernauts, crushing all resistance in their path.

Those who dared to stand against them died!

Indeed, including Feng Wusheng and Jiang Yichuan, there were fifteen Golden Core cultivators, not the eleven Mo Wen had recalled.

The scene was beyond redemption.

Han Yi turned toward the mist-shrouded Profound Pill Peak, the last flicker of hope within him gradually fading.

"Yuan Shun... do you still have a way to turn the tide?"

During his Foundation Establishment breakthrough, he had never forgotten Yuan Shun's parting words, claiming the Profound Pill Sect still had a path to survival.

What that path might be, Han Yi couldn't fathom.

Yet, over the past few days, Profound Pill Peak remained shrouded in impenetrable mist, and Yuan Shun had not reappeared. Rationally, Han Yi knew there was no hope, but deep down, he desperately wished for Yuan Shun to emerge from seclusion, proclaiming, "I can reverse this calamity and save the Profound Pill Sect from its impending doom!"

Han Yi turned back, his figure blurring as he plummeted downward. In mid-air, the overwhelming number of Golden Core cultivators made every Foundation Establishment cultivator a sitting duck. His only chance of survival lay in reaching the ground, infiltrating the Profound Pill Mountain Range, and using its terrain to escape.

He wasn't alone in this desperate strategy.

Seeing the battle irrevocably lost, countless Foundation Establishment cultivators retreated, while Qi Refining Stage disciples from the Inner and Outer Peaks scattered in chaos, suffering staggering casualties.

In an instant, the Profound Pill Sect descended into pandemonium.

Boom!

High above, a colossal sword light erupted in a dazzling explosion, its radiant fragments scattering like stardust across the sky.

Within the shimmering cascade, a Daoist figure lingered for a moment, regret and reluctance etched across his face, before fading into nothingness, gradually dissolving into oblivion.

Mu Jianxu, master of the Profound Pill Sect's Pill Sword Technique, had fallen.

Before him stood Feng Wusheng, Sect Leader of the Heavenly Soul Sect. His long whip, now severed in two, clattered to the ground on an Outer Peak with the force of a celestial meteorite. The impact shook the entire Immortal Peak violently, causing it to sink three meters before finally stabilizing.

The sight sent chills down Han Yi's spine, making his eyelids twitch uncontrollably. He had been fleeing toward the mountains, preparing to lose himself in the dense forest.

A mere fragment of a shattered Magic Treasure could crush an Immortal Peak—such was the might of a Golden Core True Person, such was the power of a Magic Treasure. To Han Yi, it felt like the power of an Immortal.

Han Yi didn't linger. He turned and plunged into the forest.

Then, in that very moment...

Suddenly...

High in the heavens, the sea of clouds vanished in an instant, as if something colossal and terrifying had descended.

A heavy, suffocating pressure settled upon the minds of all cultivators within a ten-mile radius, a primal dread that their doom was imminent.

Han Yi, already deep in the forest, froze in his tracks, his face paling. Looking upward through the sparse canopy, he saw the clouds had dissipated, and the very fabric of the sky seemed to crack open.

Something's coming, Han Yi thought, the hairs on the back of his neck prickling.

Then...

Boom!

A bolt of thunder descended from the void, striking a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator from the Blood God Sect directly below. The cultivator's soul shattered, and his physical body was annihilated into nothingness.

No.

This was no ordinary thunder.

Neither its power nor its manifestation resembled typical lightning.

In that instant, a single term flashed through the minds of everyone watching from above:

Heavenly Tribulation.

A calamity imposed by the Dao itself.

Just as Foundation Establishment cultivators faced the Five Tribulations upon completion, cultivators advancing to the Golden Core stage and those probing the Nascent Soul realm faced similar trials. However, the transition from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core did not involve the Heavenly Tribulation.

Only when one attempted to peer into the Nascent Soul realm would the Heavenly Tribulation descend.

The Nascent Soul marked one as a True Monarch. The ascent from True Person to True Monarch meant seizing the very essence of heaven and earth, a transgression that inevitably invited punishment from the Dao.

Thus, the Heavenly Tribulation arose.

At that very moment...

Even as the Celestial Cycle Profound Astral Formation crumbled, Profound Pill Peak remained shrouded in mist, eerily silent. Then, a figure burst through the fog and soared into the sky. The Heavenly Tribulation that had annihilated the Blood God Sect cultivator crashed into this ascending figure, blasting him back dozens of meters.

Yet the figure faltered only momentarily, then resumed its relentless ascent.

As soon as he emerged...

Boom!

The second Heavenly Tribulation struck with deafening force, followed by the third, the fourth...

Crack!

It was too fast.

From the dissipation of the sea of clouds to the descent of the Heavenly Tribulation, to the figure bursting forth from Profound Pill Peak and charging into the tribulation itself—by the time Han Yi had turned his head, he caught only a fleeting glimpse: a figure being struck down, then rising again to challenge the heavenly wrath.

"Yuan Shun?"

The name flashed through his mind, but the figure's speed had been astonishing, rivaling even the Heavenly Tribulation itself.

Just then, the Supreme Profound Primordial Eight Trigrams Furnace, which had been clashing with the Heaven-Piercing Giant Sword, suddenly shrank rapidly and flew into the heart of the Heavenly Tribulation. The lightning-drenched figure caught it in their hand.

At that moment, the fifth bolt of the Heavenly Tribulation struck. The figure convulsed violently, blood scattering into the void.

As the sixth bolt descended, a faint golden light emanated from the Supreme Profound Primordial Eight Trigrams Furnace, enveloping the figure and shielding them from the tribulation's might. Just as the Heavenly Tribulation was about to dissipate, the furnace abruptly opened its lid, devouring the remaining tribulation energy into its alchemical belly.

Whirr!

The Heavenly Tribulation vanished, leaving the sea of clouds clear.

A lone figure stood in the void, tattered robes billowing in the wind, cradling a purple Pill Furnace in their hand.

Above the figure's head, a miniature version of themselves, barely a foot tall, materialized and hovered in the air.

A Nascent Soul.

As if sensing an invisible restraint, the Nascent Soul retreated back into the figure's body.

The Pill Furnace in the figure's hand glowed with divine fire. The Magic Treasure Spirit within leaped with joy, celebrating its consumption of half a bolt of the Heavenly Tribulation as if it had received an unparalleled Immortal Opportunity.

To be precise...

From the thunderous explosion that heralded the Heavenly Tribulation to the figure soaring into the sky as the tribulation bolts rained down, the six stages of the Heavenly Tribulation passed in the blink of an eye, leaving the clear sky brightly illuminated. All this happened in the time it takes to snap a finger.

Yet what Han Yi witnessed was merely the surface. He couldn't discern the full extent of the Tribulation Crosser's struggles against the celestial ordeal within the storm.

The might of a Heavenly Tribulation was far from ordinary.

Only then did a cry of alarm erupt, its tone betraying barely suppressed terror.

"The Nascent Soul Tribulation!"

The voice belonged to none other than Jiang Yichuan, Sect Leader of the Blood God Sect. His usually stern face twisted into a grotesque mask of horror.

Then, high above, the Heaven-Piercing Giant Sword abruptly shrank into a crimson longsword, a meter in length, and landed at Jiang Yichuan's feet. In the next instant, he mounted the blade and fled into the distance on Sword Flight.

But even as fast as he was, someone was faster.

In the heavens, the figure clutching the Pill Furnace revealed himself after the thunderous tribulation subsided—none other than the severely wounded Yuan Shun.

Without a word, Yuan Shun gently tossed the Pill Furnace forward. In an instant, it swelled into a colossal ten-zhang (thirty-meter) vessel. Crashing through the void as if teleporting, it descended directly above Jiang Yichuan's head, looming overhead like a celestial judgment.

"A Half-Step Spirit Treasure?" Jiang Yichuan instinctively looked up, the words flashing through his mind.

Then...

Bang!

The Pill Furnace crashed down, its newly formed immortal spiritual aura, tempered by the Heavenly Tribulation, pulverizing Jiang Yichuan's physical body and Divine Soul into dust.

Jiang Yichuan, Sect Leader of the Blood God Sect and a ninth-layer Golden Core cultivator, was dead.

The Blood God Sword wailed mournfully as it plummeted to earth, piercing into an Outer Peak. The mountain trembled violently, cracking in half with a thunderous roar and splitting into two solitary spires.

Meanwhile, Feng Wusheng, having just exhausted Mu Jianxu, turned and fled without a word. His speed far surpassed Jiang Yichuan's.

As he fled, Feng Wusheng witnessed Jiang Yichuan's annihilation. His Divine Soul shuddered, but without hesitation, he swept his Divine Sense across the battlefield and located the second and fourth Vice Sect Leaders of the Heavenly Soul Sect—one in the early Golden Core stage, the other in the mid-stage. Their eyes dimmed momentarily, and as if possessed, they lunged forward without hesitation to block Feng Wusheng's path.

Then, they detonated themselves. Their Magic Treasures, Divine Souls, and physical bodies erupted into terrifying destructive energy that surged toward Yuan Shun.

Feng Wusheng had long ago secretly planted soul-binding seals within the Vice Sect Leaders' Divine Souls. Now, with life or death hanging in the balance, he could no longer afford restraint.

At that very moment, the Pill Furnace in the void opened its maw and swallowed the two self-detonating Golden Core cultivators whole.

Thump... Thump... Thump...

The force of their self-detonations echoed within the Pill Furnace as a series of muffled booms.

In that fleeting moment, Feng Wusheng had already fled several kilometers. Activating some unknown secret art, he further accelerated his escape, leaving behind trails of ghostly wails and demonic howls.

Yuan Shun didn't pursue. For the first time, he surveyed the devastation around him.

The Profound Pill Sect had been transformed into a scene of utter ruin. The nine Inner Peaks remained intact, but of the hundred-plus Outer Peaks, four had been shattered, one leaned precariously, three had been destroyed by Magic Artifacts, and another was split open, now a hellscape of raging flames, a realm overrun by malevolent spirits, or a Blood Sea of annihilation.

The sect's cultivators had suffered catastrophic losses.

Only Zhuge Wuyou, a Golden Core cultivator, remained airborne, accompanied by a handful of scattered Foundation Establishment cultivators.

A single glance was enough for Yuan Shun to grasp the full extent of the disaster, and his expression darkened.

"You... you all deserve to die."

The usually mild-mannered Yuan Shun now radiated overwhelming fury.

The Pill Furnace hovering in mid-air seemed to sense its master's wrath. It burst open, unleashing the Profound Primordial Six Ding Divine Fire. Wherever this divine flame touched, the physical bodies, divine souls, Magic Artifacts, and even Magic Treasures of cultivators were instantly reduced to ash.

"It's Yuan Shun!"

"Damn it, he's broken through to the Nascent Soul stage!"

"Run! They said he was critically wounded!"

"We're doomed."

"Run, run, run..."

Only now did the cultivators in the sky begin to recover from the shocking scene they had just witnessed.

Jiang Yichuan, Sect Leader of the Blood God Sect, had been crushed to death. The Sect Leader of the Heavenly Soul Sect had fled, and the Heavenly Soul Sect's Second and Fourth Vice Sect Leaders had committed suicide by self-detonation.

This sudden reversal of fortune had unfolded so rapidly that the Foundation Establishment cultivators, except for those who had reached the Golden Core Stage, were completely bewildered. As they regained their senses, their hair stood on end, and they frantically fled for their lives.

But it was futile.

Under the Heavenly Tribulation, the Supreme Profound Primordial Eight Trigrams Furnace had transformed into a Half-Step Spirit Treasure. Its power was beyond the comprehension of ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators. Even more than half of the dozen Golden Core cultivators present were instantly engulfed in divine flames.

In less than ten breaths, the sky above was cleared of invaders. Only seven Golden Core cultivators and a handful of Foundation Establishment cultivators on the periphery managed to escape.

Yuan Shun lightly beckoned, summoning the pill furnace into his palm. The purple furnace, floating in the void, made Yuan Shun the focal point of the entire Profound Pill Sect.

Then, he strode forward in pursuit.

In the back mountain, Han Yi, who had already entered the forest, also witnessed this spectacle.

His heart swelled with a single overwhelming emotion:

Ecstatic joy.

The Profound Pill Sect would not be destroyed. He wouldn't be reduced to a rogue cultivator, constantly hunted by the Blood God Sect and the Heavenly Soul Sect. This was the source of his unbridled joy.

Han Yi emerged from the mountain forest, his gaze sweeping over the chaos engulfing the Inner and Outer Peaks. Without pausing, he soared skyward on his sword, ascending toward the Inner Peak.

At that moment, the Qi Refining Stage cultivators were still locked in fierce combat across the Inner and Outer Peaks of the Profound Pill Sect. To call it a "battle" was inaccurate; it was more like the invading cultivators desperately trying to flee while the Profound Pill Sect disciples clung relentlessly to their heels.

Han Yi's Sword Flight carried him into the fray like a wolf among sheep. Beneath the Green Ripple Sword, no enemy stood a chance; even a Legendary Qi Refining cultivator was decapitated with a single strike.

In this desperate hour, the usual prohibition against Foundation Establishment cultivators targeting Qi Refining cultivators had been abandoned. With the sect on the brink of destruction, such concerns seemed trivial. Every moment of hesitation meant more Profound Pill Sect disciples would fall.

Instantly, the air crackled with murderous intent. Pursuits, escapes, and slaughter unfolded in rapid succession, spreading from within the Profound Pill Sect to its outskirts, and eventually reaching the Five Great Immortal Cities.

Han Yi didn't pursue the fleeing invaders down the mountain. Reaching the foot of Profound Pill Mountain, he turned his sword back toward the sect.

Hovering high above, he surveyed the battered Profound Pill Sect, his fury still simmering. After a long silence, he sighed deeply.

"This is a tragedy for the Profound Pill Sect, yet also its greatest blessing in disguise."

Meanwhile, Yuan Shun also returned. Having just hunted down several fleeing Golden Core cultivators, he found that the Supreme Profound Primordial Eight Trigrams Furnace now glowed with newly added karmic fire.

Seeing Han Yi, Yuan Shun nodded briefly in greeting without a word before returning to Profound Pill Peak.

Han Yi returned the gesture, then looked up to watch Yuan Shun descend. His expression immediately turned grave.

There was something off about Yuan Shun's demeanor.

This wasn't something Han Yi could discern through his Qi Observation Technique; given Yuan Shun's cultivation level, even using such methods would be futile. It was purely intuition.

Could Yuan Shun have been injured during the recent pursuit?

The possibility couldn't be dismissed. Although Yuan Shun had advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, he was still relatively new to it. Having slaughtered numerous Golden Core cultivators immediately after enduring his Heavenly Tribulation, there might be hidden consequences Han Yi was unaware of.

Suspended in the void, Han Yi surveyed the ravaged landscape of the Profound Pill Sect. Instead of relief, a fresh sense of urgency settled over him.

With the battle concluded, the tedious post-war affairs loomed. Han Yi decided to fly straight to Azure Dragon Peak and return to his courtyard.

Fortunately, the courtyard remained intact. However, its inherent formation arts were rendered unusable due to the destruction of the Celestial Cycle Profound Astral Formation.

Han Yi quickly established his own defensive formation before stepping into the Meditation Chamber.

A wave of exhaustion washed over him—not physical fatigue, but mental and spiritual weariness.