The rented training ground was located in a region within the inner sect, completely isolated from the external world. The whale obtained a badge that granted him control over the formation of an area of ten kilometers; he paid for all the available space. With this badge, only the sect leader could invade, making the place completely safe for the others.
When everyone gathered, Deryu emerged from the beastly world. He had also reached the ninth level of the Core Formation Realm and was preparing to face the tribulation. Corin watched alongside the whale, and Alm addressed Ruri and Loeus.
"This is a great opportunity for both of you to face a high-level tribulation together. You two have fought many times on the brink of death, and now you’ll have to use your wills to survive."
The two looked at the whale full of motivation. Alm continued, "Don’t form the spiritual root initially; open all defenses of the body and direct it to your bloodlines. You’ll be able to elevate them with the help of the heavens to a more acceptable level. Of course, there’s a limit. But your bloodline is thin enough for Ruri to double its density, and Loeus to multiply several times."
They and all the disciples broke into a cold sweat. Open all defenses? Wouldn’t that be complete suicide?
"The celestial tribulation is not meant to kill the cultivator initially, but to test their will. One-third of it contains celestial energy, another part has destructive force, and the last consists of pure electrical laws," the whale continued. "You must use the destructive force to break the bloodline runes and then the celestial energy to rebuild them stronger. This is a concept very similar to what you will have to do in the Body Destruction Realm."
Everyone there had already heard of the planet’s last and greatest cultivation peak, the Body Destruction Realm. Reaching this realm involves intense self-destruction to be reborn, converting a part of the mortal body into a semi-divine body.
During this process, all impurities of the body are naturally eliminated, refining it into pure energy. At each level of this realm, the cultivator must rebuild themselves again. Much Qi is used in the process, just to reconstruct it. The energy to destroy oneself must be pure and intense; any impurity increases the chances of people dying in one of the attempts by 90%.
This was an extreme threshold for cultivators of mortal planets. It was challenging to find pure and efficient materials. And even if someone manages to rebuild themselves, with limited resources, the increase in their power is up to 50% when reconstructing. People from the divine realm, on the other hand, can do this reaching 100% or more per level. Thus, people from mortal worlds rarely manage to go to the divine realm and stay, as they are much weaker than the average.
"You don’t need to worry so much. I’ve done this in the past. You will only have to deal with electrical energy trying to take your lives. The process will be slow, and when you’re on the brink of death, you must stop by activating your defenses. If you delay for a second, your life energies will be destroyed."
The whale sighed lightly, recalling a distant past. In the previous universe, they had to hunt individuals about to breakthrough and follow them until they went through the tribulation. That’s how they perfectly remade their bodies, using the force of the heavens at a step from death. They had to intensify the tribulation to the maximum. That way, they refined themselves using others, although most of the time the person ended up dying because of it. Well... now, Bruno felt a bit ashamed of that.
After everyone focused, Alm and Bruno saw the confident looks of Ruri and Loeus. Then, they stepped back. "Begin."
At the same time, more than fifteen thousand cultivators cracked their bodies. In an instant, the sky darkened completely. Within those dark clouds, everything fell into a deadly silence for a moment. But behind this calm, a destructive will and a power capable of annihilating all life were hidden.
As for the location where the disciples were, the ground could not withstand the terrible pressure and began to sink. Everyone’s tribulations accumulated, and their power multiplied several times. Faced with this terrifying power, everyone’s faces paled in fear. Compared to this power, they were incredibly tiny.
As the heavens accumulated more and more power, Ruri and Loeus roared simultaneously and attacked. Two pillars of Qi destroyed the clouds, creating two gigantic holes. At that moment, the disciples awakened from their stupor.
BOOM!
The lightning danced wildly in the sky, the power increased drastically. However, 70% of it was concentrated on these two.
All the disciples clenched their fists. For a moment, they forgot everything they had been through and bowed before the tribulation. This test was to examine their wills, and they failed in the first second. Their lives had changed rapidly, and instinctively, they still felt like mediocre cultivators, as always.
However, without anyone needing to say a word, they all turned their cold gaze upwards; they could not afford to remain like this forever. If it meant living as mediocrities again, it was preferable to die right there.
BOOM!
All the clouds above were pierced by fifteen thousand Qi strikes. The whale, watching from afar alongside Corin, nodded in satisfaction. The will to fight against the heavens was crucial; without it, the cultivator would soon stagnate, afraid of being punished. This tribulation now became almost a punishment, but, as there were so many together, its level was equivalent to a celestial punishment.
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Amidst the turmoil, Deryu remained motionless, watching the sky without making any move. It was at this moment that a chill ran down his spine, leaving him covered in cold sweat. Slowly, he turned in the direction of Ruri, noticing the rune on her forehead glowing faintly. It was Runula staring at him; he did not feel fear, but rather a deep conviction that he could not let himself be embarrassed in front of her. With determination, he opened his mouth, and a beam of black energy burst towards the sky.
Suddenly, the space vibrated as if it were on the verge of rupture. Then, a shower of purple lightning fell upon everyone, each bolt about an inch thick.
This new thunderous force pierced the disciples’ skin, wreaking havoc on their bodies. They all writhed and spat blood, feeling the violent power coursing through their bodies and forming their spiritual roots.
They all nearly succumbed in the first wave, but when they looked to the center, they saw a sea of lightning pouring down on Ruri and Loeus; they stood firm, eyes closed as if meditating calmly.
The two were facing a tough battle against the lightning ravaging their bodies. It was imperative to subdue this thunderous force as quickly as possible. The thunderous force was being accumulated in their bodies, and they sealed it inside, as if they had closed the doors and were facing a pack of wild dogs.
However, these dogs were truly fierce. Even without additional reinforcements, they refused to surrender. They continuously clashed with their minds and souls, and within their meridians, causing bloody explosions in their bodies.
Both were trying to deal with the situation seriously. However, the lightning tribulation above their heads showed no mercy. The second wave of thunder crashed down on everyone with even greater intensity than the first. The sea of lightning over the two multiplied several times.
Ruri and Loeus suddenly spat out blood frantically. Then, they opened their eyes and, with a simple look, seemed to share mental messages. In seconds, they came up with a risky idea, but from the exchanged glances, it was extremely dangerous. Both nodded simultaneously; then, they fully activated their bloodlines without holding back.
A violet lotus enveloped Ruri, while dozens of Yang runes pulsated around Loeus. Ruri used her mental energy to guide the fury of the tribulation thunder into her blood. On the other hand, Loeus employed the Yang runes as lightning rods, attracting and channeling the thunderous force more smoothly into his inner lineage.
The moment the thunder force infiltrated their blood, the original bloodline runes began to disperse as if a cat had been set loose among a pack of rats. Instinctively, the tribulation thunder force began to devour the fleeing bloodline, consuming and destroying everything in its path.
Bruno watched the events unfold with admiration. ’Their bloodlines were used as bait to catch the lightning. The thunderous force is concentrated on devouring what is more powerful, sparing their bodies for a while. We never had such a powerful bloodline, so we never thought of this. They found an efficient solution.’
After accumulating a significant amount of lightning energy in their bodies, they activated their defenses to prevent more energy from entering. With what was already inside, after destroying the bloodlines, the force of the lightning diminished considerably. Soon, they mastered this power, using celestial energy to rebuild it.
Both were excited and repeated the process. Their bloodlines were continuously destroyed and refined. In a matter of minutes, Ruri closed her eyes. She had reached her limit; this method only served to refine what she had, making it stronger, but it didn’t multiply. Thus, there was a limit to how much she could strengthen herself.
On the other hand, Loeus seemed far from done; the density of his bloodline was originally very, very subtle. However, he wouldn’t have more time.
’Enough, now just form your spiritual root,’ Alm sent a message directly to Loeus’s soul, using their souls, not Qi.
The moment Loeus stopped, a roar echoed in the skies, and the torrent of lightning disappeared. In its place were lightning pillars, hitting everyone below with all their might.
BOOM!
That immense bolt struck them fiercely, as if it were a giant hammer crushing their bodies. They felt their skins tearing, blood gushing, but their eyes remained calm as they circulated that power to form their spiritual roots, pulsing with vigor.
The earth shook beneath them, and all the disciples and Deryu resisted until the last moment. When the thunderous force ceased, they fell unconscious. However, the clouds above Ruri and Loeus did not diminish.
Nine of those thick bolts continued to fall on them, one after another. Ruri was covered in blood, but her expression didn’t reveal pain, only insane determination as she stared at the stormy clouds in the sky. Loeus simply closed his eyes, focused.
Alm sighed, thoughtful. ’Her mind and will are her strongest points. After all, that’s what made the queen move in the prison and trigger her internal rune at that time. But... why do I feel her soul directed towards us?’
Several minutes later, everything calmed down. Loeus passed out along with the others there. Ruri, in turn, turned her gaze to the whale. They just nodded in understanding, then took a step to her side. As soon as they arrived, she moved, and they sighed; it had been a while since she had done that. She threw herself at them and fell asleep.
’Well, we can use this to say that she has already received the reward for the effort,’ Bruno commented calmly.
Then, Corin began to put pills directly into the mouths of all the disciples. When he approached Deryu, Ruri’s forehead glowed. Then, Runula emerged in her true form and said that he didn’t need it. She dragged him back to the bestial space herself.
Alm and Bruno analyzed Ruri calmly. ’Her bloodline is much stronger, I think this is already enough for the Moonlight family to notice. With her talent growing, it’s almost certain that she will be able to follow the plan,’ Bruno analyzed.
Then, they focused on Loeus. His bloodline increased, but it was something very subtle. Bruno then concluded. ’The power of thunder is something very close to Yang. His bloodline has strong resistance to it. Even if he goes through other tribulations, it won’t reach the maximum of his bloodline just with this.’
At that moment, Alm, who was silent before, spoke. ’No, but now his Yang power has become strong enough.’ Bruno didn’t understand at first, so Alm continued. ’With his bloodline ignited, he can use the Yin and Yang Supreme Qi Collector on a smaller scale. Let’s teach him that.’
’I understand... his bloodline will serve as fuel instead of our divine soul that we use. His Yang power will multiply, but that will only happen when he activates the tattoo. This and it will be considered a technique and won’t make a difference for the Yangta family to notice. How about...’ Bruno stopped abruptly, having the same idea. ’That disease, the Yang body. You don’t want it?’
’Yes, let’s teach the same to Langrum. She will control the Yin rune. Thus, Loeus can ignite the Yang of the tattoo, and thanks to his bloodline, accumulate it in himself. After accumulating a lot, it will change his body and raise the level of Yang even without the lineage. The Yangta family will be amazed by this. The cost is to lose all Yin; that would be quick suicide for anyone. But if you have Yin to balance it, everything will be fine,’ commented Alm.
This method was similar to a rare disease among all races. Sometimes, someone was born with a completely Yang or Yin body. Among mortals, within a few months after birth, the baby would die. Those born among cultivators could stack pills and other things to balance it. But inevitably, in less than 100 years, the disease would become more intense, inevitably leading to death.
Alm’s method was to force Loeus to create such a body. All living beings needed Yin and Yang in the body to maintain their vitality, doing this was a taboo.
’You don’t need to think too much about it. Just teach him and tell only Langrum the method,’ Alm said emotionlessly. ’When he can use the technique, we send him to the city. His body will desperately seek balance; it will be like throwing oil on the fire.’
’We’re practically handing him over to that maniac... poor boy... but it will be for a greater good. Forgive us, Loeus,’ Bruno said with a sigh.