Yan Qiu's eyes flickered as her mind calculated. However, Yan Zaizen and Yan Shijing had already entered the room. Yan Shijing's gave Yan Qiu a look suggesting her to not make any rash actions. Currently, Yan Zaizen had yet to turn hostile, so taking any course of action to offend would be unwise. As for preparations?
The other two Heavenly Genesis Realm experts of Broad Creed Palace had been notified of his arrival. If anything happens, they are able to reach this location in a second. Yan Shijing was confident in stalling Yan Zaizen's movements if he only needed to do so for a second. After all, he was at the Heavenly Genesis Realm with confidence in his abilities.
Yan Zaizen didn't care about their plans, their safeguards, or intentions. His gaze only saw Tao's brilliantly white smile. With that, his warmth overwhelmed him and he smiled. To Tao, it may have been three years, but to Yan Zaizen, it was over sixty years. As he recalled their time in the Deep Mines, he couldn't help but be washed with nostalgia.
"Look what you got yourself into," his words caused all the geniuses who were gawking at his appearance to follow his gaze to Tao. Arriving with the Yan Clan's Ancestor, his attention wasn't focused on Yan Qiu but on a servant of hers. This left them perplex about the situation. All their assumptions were thrown out of the window.
Tao coldly snorted, "If she hadn't cheated, how could I lose?"
Yan Qiu's eyes gawked at Yan Zaizen with rapt attention. Her gaze traced his well-proportioned, well-crafted muscles, his domineering height, his amber-gold eyes that seemed to contain warmth and unlimited confidence, and a dashing countenance that put all men to shame. She was mesmerized by his looks and aura, her body tingling all over feeling unbearably hot. It reached the point that her legs shifted continuously to hide her twitching. Even her soft, smooth hands clenched and unclenched slowly.
As a Heavenly Genesis expert, how could Yan Shijing miss this? It wasn't only Yan Qiu who was having this reaction, pretty much all the young female geniuses were fiddling in their seats with various emotions of embarrassment from shameful thoughts to brazen staring. There was even one who puffed out her chest unconsciously, revealing her deep valley and alluring curves.
Tao was shocked by the sudden shift in atmosphere, but as he looked at all the female geniuses, he couldn't help but inwardly chuckle. He recalled when Yan Zaizen was in the Deep Mines, before he cultivated the Immortal Herculean Method, and how ordinary he looked. His eyes only had lifeforce but lacked intelligence, his aura was unstable and violent, and now, it was the complete opposite.
"Tao, break your heavenly oath." Yan Zaizen directly demanded. The problem with Heavenly Oaths is that they must be honored till death. Therefore, unless Tao broke the oath, he'll never be able to escape from being Yan Qiu's slave. Unless he killed Yan Qiu.
"..."
"..."
"..."
His words silenced everyone, including Tao. However, Tao looked at Yan Zaizen in the eyes and softly nodded. With that, he closed his eyes feeling the internal heavenly aura that resonated with his existence. It was like a song always reminding him of his oath, and if this song stops, then that meant his death or the time for his punishment.
"I, Tao, break this heavenly oath!" His words caused the skies to darkened as if night, the air to turn turbid and oppressive, and the surrounding space started to tremble in fear. With a wave of his hand, Tao was directly brought over to him, and then directly stored in the Meteor Ring. Afterwards, he looked towards Yan Qiu, "I'll be back when this is over."
With those words, he took a step forward, his body shifting through space to arrive outside. His eyes were calm, but deep within was intense excitement. Heavenly Tribulation was an act of punishment, but it had various levels to it. The stronger the one who swears the oath, the greater the punishment for breaking it. Therefore, unless you could rival the heavens, you'll never be able to handle punishment alone. Hence, 99% of cultivators see their lives end at this. Of course, only a small amount would actually break their oaths.
The clouds above turned inky-black. From time to time, they sparkled with vibrant, golden lightning that seemed like dragons soaring across the skies. Yan Shijing arrived outside, his eyes filled with fear. Every True Essence and Heavenly Genesis expert looked upwards with shock and horror. The only one in the entire continent that showed no reaction was the Xiantu Emperor, Gu Yu, and Yan Zaizen.
Their gazes revealed only interest!
"To overcome a Heavenly Tribulation, there are only two ways: Destroy the black clouds suffused with heavenly lightning or survive until the heavenly lightning runs out," Pinaka informed. The act of overcoming heavenly lightning has its benefits, not only does it enable one to develop their own nascent dao, but they can also gather Heavenly Law Liquid!
However, a heavenly oath's punishment had slight differences. The case was, it was far, far stronger than the one to formulate your own dao! Only lunatics would use a broken heavenly oath as a way to obtain Heavenly Law Liquid.
"Well then!" Yan Zaizen's eyes suffused with intense battle intent. He held out his hand, a faint light emerged from his chest and materialized in a bow! Pinaka's true form! As it appeared, all those who were watching had their eyes widened, even the Xiantu Emperor and Gu Yu.
Pinaka had recovered about 90% of her strength, and as a weapon used by someone who was at the peak middle-stages of the Heavenly Genesis Realm, how could she be weak?! She wasn't just a spirit-rank armament, she was a top-grade spirit-rank armament! Even Guàn Yin, an actual Heavenly Genesis cultivator, only had a pseudo spirit-rank armament! The difference was far too huge to describe with words. However, if one tried to then:
Alone, Pinaka could dominate the entire Xiantu Realm!!!
Getting into stance, Yan Zaizen pulled by the bowstring. As he did, the essence of the world gathered at such a speed that it was as if ten thousand li of distance turned into a whirlpool of essence! This essence funneled into Pinaka's body as a crystalized arrow appeared. With the bow fully drawn, the arrow finished its gathering of the surrounding essence, processing it into a single arrow, and shined with a faint purple glow.
This arrow contained destruction laws within! To be exact, it carried the Archery of Pure Destruction conceptual law!
Yan Zaizen felt his body being stressed completely, and he couldn't help but be shocked by the feedback of the arrow. As for his qi-essence, it mimicked the exact signature of destruction and archery and was drained in a single go.
The black clouds started teeming with lightning dragons, swimming within as if they were its homes. From time to time, they'd roar violently causing the hearts of all those who saw them to quiver. The clouds spanned an entire three hundred thousand li of distance! However, they were shrinking at a visible speed.
From 300,000 to 100,000.
100,000 to 10,000.
10,000 to 1,000.
1,000 to 1.
As it condensed, the black clouds no longer existed. Instead, they were completely golden surrounded by brilliant lightning. It hovered above Yan Zaizen's head with heavenly ferocity, as if it wishes to destroy all that profaned its existence! Annihilate all that dares to go against its laws!
"HAHAHA! COME!" Yan Zaizen was fearless, his Mortal Dao of Sovereign Ascension exploded!!! The world was pressured by his dao, and despite not possessing a Heavenly Genesis qi cultivation base, the surrounding space trembled, but it wasn't in obedience! It was in inferiority and absolute submission!
"If you want my brother to be a slave for his entire life, then you OVERESTIMATE YOURSELF!" Yan Zaizen thunderously roared, his voice surged outwards like violent dragons as the sky above the clouds sundered apart.
ROAR!!!
As if provoked intensely by Yan Zaizen's declaration, the heavenly lightning dragons looked towards Yan Zaizen's with golden eyes, their gazes looked down on him with towering fury and supremacy. As if saying: 'You overestimate yourself, your death shall declare this!"
"Hahaha!" Yan Zaizen continued to laugh, his laughter was filled with madness, but his unyielding confidence didn't falter a single bit. In truth, any person who saw this would believe he was a madman. For some odd reason, Yan Zaizen felt enlivened while facing heavenly punishment. It was as if he'd dealt with it thousands of times before, and it was very little to him. He gave it zero of his respect nor will he ever!
Herculean Avatar Art!
His form changed as faint golden inscriptions appeared on his body, and at his glabella was a diamond of swirling black and white, but the outline of that diamond? It was sky-blue! He pulled Pinaka's bowstring further back, reaching 120% of its limit, and the pressure on his body increased hundred-fold, but he resisted it with a smile and a burning gaze.
The atmospheric essence within the 500,000 li surged towards the crystalized arrow, and it increased in size by three times!
"Impossible!" The Xiantu Emperor's eyes looked at Yan Zaizen facing Heavenly Tribulation fearlessly, galvanizing the surrounding essence for his use and even taunting the heavens themselves. Originally, this person was only a chess piece on his board, but it seems like he was an actual player! To him, if he faced this arrow, all he could do was run! Run fast, fast and far!
Gu Yu's eyes flickered, but his expression still contained that calm and prideful look. However, inwardly, his feelings were in turmoil. Did he have to courage to face heavenly tribulations with such fearlessness? The answer left him conflicted and his dao quivered.
The concept of fighting one's Heavenly Tribulation was inconceivable! Even the Heavenly Tribulation of an Origin Core cultivator could kill all those in the realm! If the Origin Core Realm cultivator faced it alone, if he had sufficient talent, treasures, and will, perhaps he could wait it out, but defeat it? This was punishment, not the judgment to determine if your dao is sufficient to be given a chance or not. The difference was simply far, far too huge.
Yan Zaizen's mad laugh ceased, his eyes contained unyielding confidence, and his physique thrummed with power! At this moment, he was very close to his absolute strongest state!
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
RELEASE!!!
The crystallized arrow soared across the sky, but it didn't cause any turbulent reactions from the surroundings. The skies weren't sundered, the earth didn't quake, and space did not ripple. The arrow moved through the air as if it was simply an ordinary arrow, all of its power and destruction was condensed within this single arrow, and not a single ounce of it was released!
The heavenly lightning dragon fully condensed, seeing Yan Zaizen take action, it responded in kind. With a heaven-quaking roar, it pushed forward with a near invincible momentum. At this moment, the world went silent. Even the heartbeats, breathing, or even the mind of all onlookers went quiet! All that defined the existence of everyone was focused on this single crystal arrow facing this god-like lightning dragon!
They continued forward until the inevitable collision occurred.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!
SWOOOOOOOSH!!!!
The very air, the very space, the very elements that quietly surrounded the black cloud disappeared. It's not that they were scattered, shattered, or sent elsewhere. No. They were wiped out of existence.
An orb of purple energy detonated into a perfect spherical orb that surrounded the inky, black cloud and lightning dragon in its entirety. The sudden was deafening, but there were no gushes of wind, massive tsunamis created due to such an impact, or intense quaking of the earth. The inky, black cloud that was immersed in that purple sphere of pure destruction.
For three minutes, it stayed silently in the sky like a miniature sun radiating an aura that caused all those who felt it feel insignificant.
After three minutes, the orb vanished. However, as those who looked at the sky where the tribulation gathered, they could see the brilliant outer space. For one li, the myriad of stars littered the skies, as if it was night, but there was no refilling that area as if it was permanently deleted.
Yan Zaizen took a step forward, his eyes filled with excitement. With that step, he arrived in that empty area, and Pinaka was raised into the air. With a tap, Pinaka radiated a brilliant light that seemed to gather heavenly aura. Even though the clouds and tribulation may be destroyed, the deep heavenly aura could not be destroyed without possessing a power that equals to the heavens itself.
Pinaka, as a spirit-rank armament for a Heavenly Genesis expert, had the function of gathering heavenly aura to produce Heavenly Law Liquid. However, she couldn't do so normally as the aura was far too little. It'll likely take a thousand years for simply one drop.
Taking out the small, golden bottle he obtained from Guàn Yin, he held it beneath Pinaka's body. All onlookers saw Yan Zaizen harvest Heavenly Law Liquid as Pinaka produced a drop at a time. Before long, all the dense heavenly aura was refined into Heavenly Law Liquid.
"Two hundred and thirty drops," a smile couldn't help but form on Yan Zaizen's lips. However, he also felt some fear. If the heavenly tribulation was stronger, it's unlikely he could harvest any. He also had very little intentions to try doing this again.
From Pinaka's words, if the same person attempted to shield another from the heavenly tribulations, it'll invoke heaven's wrath, in which case, Heavenly Annihilating Light will descend. If it descended, it would destroy you in body and soul without you being able to resist. Unless you rivaled the heavens, you were dead! If he wished to do so, he would have to wait 999 years before doing so.
Unless it's the breaking of your own oath. However, in that case, the tribulation you'll face will far exceed the one he faced today. Even with Pinaka, it's unlikely he'll survive.
Waving his hand, Tao appeared with a calm expression. Currently, Tao was the only one who was ignorant of the events that occurred, nor did he understand the gravity of the punishment for his freedom. He was simply greeted casually by Yan Zaizen's warm smile, "It's done. Now, tell me what happened."
With that, Tao had a mischievous glint in his eyes as he turned towards Yan Qiu.