In the central plaza, all the Golden Asuras and the demon beasts were already gathered, waiting for the last few hours to pass to capture the Heaven-Defier. Veria watched the Elemental Condensation World, anxiously pondering all possible outcomes. That was when the central barrier of the world opened completely.
"Hahahahaha, finally!" Dexo roared excitedly. "We’ve lost a lot, but if we kill them, we can still recover a part!"
All twenty major beast cultivators drew their weapons and their cultivations surged as they assumed their true form. ’Go now!’ The unquestionable order from the whale echoed in the minds of everyone behind him, without him even turning around.
The four clenched their fists, completely stunned. Yanson was the first to turn around and pull Lirelia by the hand with him. Shuki snorted and turned, looking at Muphs, and then the two fled along with the others. After a great distance, they turned around and watched the center of the place as if they really intended not to be dragged into this chaotic battle.
"Hahaha!" Outside the world, in the plaza, the leader of the Infernal Mammoth race laughed. "I thought sacred and primordial bloodline life forms were all honest and loyal. Seems that’s not the case, huh?"
These words were clearly directed at the Black Phoenix race. They had always had an impeccable reputation not only among the flying beast race, but also among the entire underworld. The main reason for this was their loyalty. They always kept their word.
Lirelia was an ally of the whale, but she simply left now. Because of this, countless people mocked Veria. It wasn’t just those inside the Elemental Condensation World who targeted them. It was the same thing out here.
"Hmph, are you blind? That evil guy is shameless and despicable, and brought disaster upon himself. My daughter realized who he is and doesn’t want our people involved in this. How is that wrong? Do you think the Black Phoenix is so easy to intimidate? Damn it, why don’t we start a war right now and see if my race has a single person afraid to die?!" Veria raged, drawing her weapon. She had been at his limit for a long time.
However, the others didn’t dare to push her too much. Everyone knew that once this woman erupted, she would truly start a massacre without caring about the consequences.
It had always been those who didn’t care about their lives the most dangerous. If these demon beasts were to fight them here, the Black Phoenixes would definitely drag some others down with them. Even though they had numerical advantage, they didn’t dare to press them too hard.
"Everyone, calm your anger. Just watch; this Heaven-Defier is daring, but our twenty heroic youths aren’t pushovers. Twenty of them can defeat him," said the Golden Asura Elder. Only then did the others shut up and continue watching.
The millions and millions of demon beasts inside the world were essentially the young elites of the underworld. They were the future of countless clans. As for these twenty, they were their utmost elite. Now, these future emperors had completely sealed off any chance of escape, and the only one trapped inside was the whale. However, his gaze was indifferent, as if he were watching clowns doing strange things.
"Taking long, are we?"
The whale lazily spoke to the twenty surrounding them. They were gigantic demon beasts of various types and techniques. He was just one. Even if he wanted to fly, a rain of techniques would fall upon him without a chance of defense.
"You arrogant bastard..." a gigantic Infernal Mammoth began to speak when the whale vanished before their eyes.
He reappeared in the air two meters above and delivered a punch downward. The Mammoth chuckled, being the most powerful in terms of physicality among all the beasts, he was willing to compete. He countered with all his might.
CRASH!
The Mammoth raised its body to block the punch head-on. At that moment, the void trembled, and cracks appeared in the air.
The impact of the whale’s punch was like the pressure of an entire world. As a result, the Mammoth’s entire body trembled, and it began to sink into the earth. The void reverberated as if it were about to explode.
"The Infernal Mammoth race is nothing but an insect in front of this human hybrid? What happened to your ’mighty physical body’?" Veria jeered at the Infernal Mammoths, who were completely stunned in the square.
"You damn... he was just arrogant against a Heaven-Defier. He’ll activate his bloodline yet!" The response came loaded with fury.
Inside the world, the Mammoth roared furiously. He tried to activate his bloodline... but something completely suppressed his blood, and it refused to manifest. All the Qi in his core was unstable, affecting his combat power. That’s when he looked into the eyes of the whale and saw a brown color, illuminating everything around him.
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The Infernal Mammoth race was recognized as an ancestral species, but only in the face of a bloodline at the level of a true dragon would their own bloodline be suppressed. No matter how powerful he was, in the face of such power, he would inevitably feel pressured and inferior.
"A primordial bloodline ..." The mammoth murmured dazedly.
The whale pressed the Mammoth, causing him to sink into the ground. Everyone could see that, in terms of raw power, he was no match. Soon after, all the others surrounding him roared and launched into the attack.
"Back off! He’s just a humble human hybrid! I don’t need anyone else’s help!" the Mammoth shouted, displaying his own pride and refusing interference from others in his battle.
CRASH!
Suddenly, an explosive sound echoed within the Mammoth’s body. It was as if something snapped and an infinite power surged from his body. The whale was instantly forced to retreat in the face of that overwhelming power. However, the Mammoth was stunned. He saw a malicious smile spread across the whale’s face.
The skies roared. Shortly after, lightning struck, and the Mammoth’s body quickly absorbed them, causing his aura to skyrocket.
He had truly initiated his own tribulation. Due to the suppression he was facing, he had no choice but to do so. With the heavens focused on him, the suppression on his bloodline would not work. Now, if the whale were to try to use the behemoth bloodline or his Qi against him, he would be marked by the heavens and suffer severe punishment.
The obvious choice for the whale was to face his own tribulation; but fighting so many opponents in the midst of it was taboo, as all a cultivator’s power should be directed towards their protection and refinement. They were many, able to attack using only a portion.
Influenced by him, the other cultivators also broke their shackles and initiated their own tribulations.
"Kill him quickly! He can’t fight back. If we all attack him together, he won’t have the power to protect himself from his own tribulation," Dexo shouted. Since they were already under their own tribulations, the tribulation from the whale wouldn’t target them. It was all heaven’s power, after all.
Far away, the four who were with the whale were also going through their own tribulations. They were all anxious, unsure whether they should help him or not.
Just then, the twenty came attacking. "Your bloodline is now useless in the face of the heavens’ influence! Let’s see how you’ll fight now!"
The whale smiled. "If I want someone to die, not even a god can save them."
In the next moment, the whale’s entire body was enveloped in a black aura, it was a curse. At the same time, a wave of Qi emanated from his body like a storm, his physical cultivation was activated. An explosive power ran through his entire being, and seeing Dexo and the others attacking him, he unleashed a single punch.
BOOM!
The earth shook. With a single movement, all those who had aggressively advanced were thrown into the air. He took a single step against the siege of the demon beasts, quickly all twenty received another impact and spit blood frantically.
Alm and Bruno smirked in ridicule. They could compete head-on against a cultivator an entire realm above them. Someone on the same level? Was that a joke?
All the spectators in the square and the others were shocked. His power had suddenly multiplied, as if the very heavens were about to collapse or as if the world were plunging into darkness.
But soon they realized it wasn’t an illusion. The world was actually growing darker.
They looked up. The sky over the central city, once filled with formation runes that kept the place separate from the outside world, now displayed a vast sea of black clouds. All the formation runes trembled and bowed before the fury of the heavens.
Inside the world. Everyone going through the tribulation looked at the thundering lightning above their heads; it seemed they had lost all their power. They felt like rabbits flaunting their claws in front of a slowly approaching wild dragon. They shrank back.
"What is that?" Someone spoke, leaving everyone inside the city stunned. The black clouds covering the sky made even those with divine cultivation feel suppressed. They had never witnessed such a terrible tribulation before.
The tribulation clouds completely obscured everyone else’s tribulation clouds. While other people’s tribulations were usually purple, these black clouds were as dark as pitch.
All the other tribulations had their lightning weakened and dissipated. Everything then merged into the black clouds and disappeared, being absorbed by this domineering mist. The demon beasts had not finished tempering their bodies with lightning before their tribulations came to an end. They couldn’t advance like this.
The black tribulations began to slowly coil. In the center, a giant vortex appeared, resembling an eye staring down at the whale.
"Heavens, it’s a celestial punishment! It’s focused on the whale!" A beast in the square exclaimed, and everyone reacted with disbelief.
"He... he just unleashed his power and was marked by the heavens. After all, he’s a Heaven-Defier," said a Golden Asura. Everyone took a deep breath, the legends were true and everyone witnessed the celestial wrath directed at him.
Inside the world, the whale smiled at the efficiency of the curse. Adding to it was all the karma alteration they caused. For a hundred years, his faith must have benefited from the statues built using the charms of luck and misfortune. All of this fell on his account; now, even without breaking through realms, a punishment one step away from annihilation came to collect from him. One can only imagine what it would be like if the whale tried a real breakthrough right now. Too bad his breakthroughs were different.
BOOM!!!!!
The world collapsed with lightning falling like deadly black pillars. In the center of it all were the twenty beasts and the whale; there was where the maximum power was accumulated. Immediately, all the beasts roared and spat blood, their bodies almost bursting.
The tribulation lightning, which normally contained a Yang used for refinement and body balance, was absent. Instead, it was only a deadly Yin, entirely focused on killing them.
In the same second the lightning struck the center, all those undergoing tribulations also received a share of that power. Yet, in the farthest place were the four who were closest. They were completely stunned... their lightning was just the purest Yang...
All the Yin from the heavens was focused on killing those in the center. And all the Yang, of the same level, was left for them. For those beasts almost entirely Yin, that lightning was a divine refining power. They felt no discomfort or urge to kill; they only infinitely benefited from it.
That was thousands of times more powerful than the tribulation they would normally undergo. The closer they were to the deadly Yin lightning, the more powerful the benefits of the Yang. They were practically alone there. Everyone understood the whale’s intentions in keeping them away, and their eyes trembled.
At the center of the venue, it was like the end of the world. The whale stood with arms crossed, its fists illuminated with the two tattoos like stars in the darkness of the night.
’Excellent, the three inner runes are rising as if they’ve been hungry for millennia,’ Alm commented excitedly.
Minutes passed, and the lightning continued to fall upon them. It was then that muffled sounds echoed within the whale. The three runes shattered and began to rebuild themselves. Soon, a new power began to awaken within them.
Among the demon beasts, thirteen of them had already perished and the others fought with all their might to survive. It was when a sarcastic voice resonated.
"Let’s go to the second part of the show!"
The whale’s body levitated and rose high into the air. Then, a punch struck the black clouds, splitting them. Instantly, the whole world fell into a deadly silence...
ROAAAAAAAAR!
A roar from the heavens made everyone in the central city and the world jump. A shadow resembling a dragon emerged from between the clouds, radiating a presence. This was no longer a punishment; it had become a legitimate celestial annihilation.
’Now!’
They spoke mentally, and the Gaia rune vibrated in response. Due to the annihilation, all the runes of the stellar formation destabilized. Gaia gained more autonomy, it was the perfect moment carved out by them.
"AH, GO FUCK YOURSELF!"
The whale roared, attacking and cursing the heavens furiously. The dragon was still gathering power when it was destroyed...
At that moment, everyone in the central city was petrified. The black clouds multiplied, now covering an area of thousands of kilometers, and they seemed unwilling to stop.