Chapter 1339: Chapter 1337: An Era Brilliant as a Dream
Shi Xiaole did not immediately enter the tenth life but looked towards the calm sky.
Far above a swamp, a distance he could not fathom, blood-red lightning surged like ravenous giant serpents, frantically striking the figure undergoing tribulation, yearning to shatter him.
To those standing nearby, the whole world had turned a shade of blood-red.
Shi Wuyou, Immortal Scholar, Saintly Love Young Master, and others all arrived, tensely fixating their gaze on the center of the scene, their breathing slightly erratic.
Crack!
Just as the "Hell-exterminating Thunder Tribulation" seemed to be ending, suddenly, a seven-colored lightning bolt violently struck down, only as thick as a needle’s eye but it made Immortal Scholar and the others’ pupils contract, a chill emanating from their bodies.
The person undergoing the tribulation was exceedingly strong, although he had been hit until his whole body was a bloody mess and his crown almost flew off, the sword intent in his body did not wane but instead grew stronger. As the seven-colored lightning struck down, he mustered the remaining strength in his body and violently swung his sword upward.
A brief chaos emerged in the void!
Alas, the "God-slaying Thunder Tribulation" was not merely words. It delayed only for a fraction of a blink before a thunderous roar violently penetrated the tribulation sufferer’s skull, declaring the end of the thunder tribulation.
"Not good!"
Immortal Scholar and the others changed their expressions drastically.
"Fourth Junior Brother!"
Shi Wuyou was the first to rush over, embracing Yao Yuxuan, who had fallen to the ground with a disfigured face. Seeing his breathing halted and his life’s flame about to be extinguished, his complexion turned extremely unsightly.
Yao Yuxuan’s fate was bleak; having lost his family at an early age, so over the years, Shi Wuyou had completely treated him like his own younger brother. How could he stand by and watch him suffer?
With no hesitation, Shi Wuyou channeled his power, and a rich aura of life spread throughout Yao Yuxuan’s body.
"The Martial Way of Life!"
Immortal Scholar and the others looked at each other in dismay.
It was then they realized, apart from the great lord of Wuling Villa, this gifted young man, no less talented than the villa’s lord, also possessed multiple martial ways, which he had never revealed before.
Although Yao Yuxuan was nourished by the breath of life, his condition continued to worsen. The "God-slaying Thunder Tribulation" was extraordinary and involved the laws of heaven, to pass it one could only rely on oneself.
"If my father were here, he would surely be able to save Fourth Junior Brother!"
Shi Wuyou clenched his fists.
He didn’t know to what extent his father had reached, but a long-standing belief convinced him that not even the laws of heaven could prevent his father from doing anything.
In fact, Shi Wuyou only hated that his own cultivation time was too short; otherwise, he also had the confidence to reverse the laws himself.
Just when everyone was in despair, a strange power permeated Yao Yuxuan’s body, igniting his life’s flame anew. He opened his eyes and smiled at Shi Wuyou, "Third Senior Brother, if I couldn’t even overcome a mere thunder tribulation, how could I live up to Master’s expectations?"
That day, Yao Yuxuan successfully transcended the tribulation and the name of Bear Pure Sword Lord spread throughout the world.
And this seemed to be a fuse that completely started an era of glory. Later generations commented on this history, calling it the most brilliant martial epoch ever.
Merely twenty years had passed.
The South Sea welcomed a fearsome thunder tribulation, and a day later, Xuanyuan Di was successful in his tribulation, marching into the ranks of the Supreme Lords. This peerless figure, once on par with the great lord of Wuling Villa, finally stood at the pinnacle of the world, on equal footing with the many Supreme Lords.
Another fifteen years passed.
The South Sea faced a second thunder tribulation, no less terrifying than the first, and the one undergoing it was Qi Muchu.
Many said that Qi Muchu was the most talented in the South Sea, and if he had focused on martial arts, his achievements would have surpassed Xuanyuan Di’s. This tribulation seemed to prove something because Qi Muchu took half a 2-hour period less than Xuanyuan Di had.
A year later, in a wide area of the Bei Liang dynasty, a thunderclap like a clear sky peal was heard. According to witnesses, the lightning was ten zhang in thickness, not the usual blue-white but pitch-black.
This was the second-tier "Heaven-devouring Thunder".
The tribulation sufferer was not any well-known person from the Martial World but a middle-aged swordsman with an ancient and noble countenance. After his successful tribulation, he went to Sword Evaluation Elegant Mountain of the Flying Horse Dynasty and quietly looked at the place.
"Sect Master!"
Sensing the pressure of Heavenly Collapse and Earth Shattering, everyone on Sword Evaluation Elegant Mountain was panic-stricken. When the Grand Elder led the crowd out and clearly saw the figure in the sky, they were shocked to their core, overcome with emotion, and immediately fell to their knees.
It turned out that this middle-aged swordsman was the long-missing Sect Master of Sword Evaluation Elegant Mountain.
"Blue Lotus Brother, long time no see."
Immortal Scholar emerged from the void, looking at the middle-aged swordsman with sentiment.
"Lost for 160,000 years, I return only now, and yet, the battle has already ended. Alas, my talent is too poor!"
Blue Lotus Sword Lord, one of the ancient Supreme Lords of old days, was mighty enough to rank within the top 20 in East Victory.
After the first Great War of Heaven and Earth, Blue Lotus Sword Lord had not entered the Ten Great Dangerous Places but instead delved into the mundane world, seeking a path to grow stronger, and today, his efforts had finally come to fruition.
But Blue Lotus Sword Lord was very clear that without the existence of the Holy Monarch and others, even if he had returned in time, he would not have been able to change the outcome of the great war.
His current strength was not to speak of comparing with that deep and unfathomable villa master; he probably wasn’t even a match for Shi Wuyou.
"Hahaha, if your talent is poor, how good can others be? Everyone is more or less the same. I’d rather wish the younger generation to grow stronger, so we old folks don’t have to run around east and west."
The Immortal Scholar was very open-minded, laughing out loud, "It’s been many years, let’s go have a drink together, the brothers of Witchcraft are all waiting."
"When it comes to drinking, I am second to none."
The Blue Lotus Sword Lord also laughed, and the two of them disappeared into the sky in an instant.
The fourth one to successfully pass the tribulation was also an obscure figure who was secretly nurtured as an unmatched genius by the Three Divine Generals. After years of hidden cultivation, he finally broke through his shackles, known as the Seven Strings Supreme Lord. (Chapter 1245)
The fifth one was none other than Shi Xiaole’s Senior Brother, Che Renzhong, who, at the last moment, endured the "Hell-exterminating Thunder Tribulation" and from then on roamed the mortal world freely.
In the following years, Zhang Xiangfeng, Gui Zhihang, Duanmu Keren, Mu Ling, Hua Yiyun, Wudao Xuan, Golden Rainbow Fairy, Fu Shuijing, Mu Yuanhao, Liu Ruofei, Fan Shengnan, and even Zhang Mengyun, Shui Wuling, and others all stepped into the ranks of the Supreme Lords, shaking the world!
For a while, the number of Supreme Lords in East Victory increased from just over thirty after the great war to nearly double.
Nine Heavens Mountain was particularly conspicuous among them; of the ten villa masters, aside from Shui Wuling, only Wuling Villa’s Xin Zhuliu had not broken through.
In addition to the Seven Strings Supreme Lord, the five Holy Emissaries, Fairy Xinluo, Red Jade Saint, Che Renzhong, Golden Rainbow Fairy, the four Divine Talents, and the villa master, one power actually possessed twenty-four Supreme Lords, and not just any ordinary ones.
In the world of East Victory, this was simply unprecedented, and in any era, Nine Heavens Mountain was an existence like a colossus, without any power that could compete, not even qualified to compare.
Besides the twenty-four Supreme Lords, Nine Heavens Mountain’s Void Origin Realm masters even dominated the ranks of the giants, Heaven Kings, and the fifty emperors on three major lists.
The prestige of these lists far exceeded any past eras, and also few future ones could compare.
Even more exaggerated was the fact that of the hundred prodigies on the roster of geniuses, more than thirty were from Nine Heavens Mountain.
In the ancient books excavated by later generations, one could often see various records describing the terrifying heyday of Nine Heavens Mountain during this period.
"It stood independently of the world, transcending all, but as you walk in any corner of the East Victory world, its influence is inescapable. Even a servant or lackey from Nine Heavens Mountain, upon going into the Martial World, would be treated by many first-rate sects’ Masters as an honored guest. A command from Nine Heavens Mountain could mobilize the power of the entire world."
"Yet precisely this sanctuary that could easily control the world, was extremely strict about recruiting disciples or servants, and the sect adhered to its principles. Thus under its deterrence, the Martial World was actually more just and peaceful than at any other time."
Countless people in later generations could hardly imagine such splendor and could only glimpse it through the lines of these ancient books, recalling bit by bit that dreamlike era.
Nine Heavens Mountain stood aloof and neutral, which was good for most people of the Martial World, but there were a few who could only helplessly smile wryly, feeling deeply frustrated.
"Twelve destinies appearing in the world should have been the prelude to chaos for the common people, yet how could I have not imagined that one of those stars would be so dazzling, making the other eleven destinies pale in comparison, without even the qualification to threaten! Hahaha, master, did you foresee this day coming, which is why you could leave so peacefully?"
In a small boat drifting in the middle of the lake, Zhou Ziheng, wearing a square scholar’s hat, was both crying and laughing.
Compared to the past, a large portion of his hair had turned snow-white, and his face bore some more wrinkles. Suddenly, his body staggered, and a mouthful of fresh blood spurted onto the table, his complexion immediately turning pale.
"Junior Brother, if it can’t be done, why force it? I have always said, the five of us brothers together still cannot outsmart master. Perhaps only that deceased Junior Sister could compete with him."
A sigh sounded from outside, the curtain lifted, and Liu Niansheng walked in, holding a jar of wine in his hand.
The two brothers, one assisting Fu Shuijing and the other Wen Yuxing.
According to their calculated trajectories, the second Great War of Heaven and Earth was not supposed to end so soon, and the East Victory world would have also gone into chaos. That was when the twelve destinies would each develop a faction, and in the end, only one person would be able to preside over the world.
However, all this was disrupted. Some of the ones fated did not even meet their supporters.
Liu Niansheng sighed, "We all underestimated Junior Sister. From the moment she occupied Nine Heavens Mountain, her scheming began. Even Master, while outwardly imprisoning her, was actually providing cover for her!"
Zhou Ziheng lifted his head, "When did you realize this?"
Liu Niansheng shook his head, "I didn’t figure it out myself, it was Senior Brother who told me."
Zhou Ziheng let out a cold laugh tinged with sarcasm. Back then, he was jealous that Senior Brother had found Mu Yuanhao of the Flying Horse Dynasty first. Now, it seemed like nothing but a joke.
Liu Niansheng sat across from him, unsealed the jar, and poured the wine into two bowls, saying, "Of the twelve fates, aside from Shi Xiaole, Zhang Xiangfeng, Gao Kun, Wen Yuxing, Xuanyuan Di, Fu Shuijing, and Mu Yuanhao, there are five others who remain obscured and unknown."
"It must be that the laws of Heaven felt everything, and blocked their destinies. These five will appear in later times, so the world destined to be in chaos will still be in chaos."
Zhou Ziheng shook his head, took a sip of wine, and huffed, "What’s the point of that if we won’t be alive to see it?"
The two brothers drank bowl after bowl, unable to recall how long it had been since they last indulged so freely.
Until the dawn light appeared on the horizon.
Liu Niansheng, drunk and lying on the table, suddenly smiled, "Although we can’t show our prowess, we can leave a legacy, and let our descendants complete it!"
Zhou Ziheng, similarly drunk, his eyes closed, a sharp light flashed through them.
Not long after, they freshened up and went their separate ways, neither looking back at one another. For the rest of their lives, they traveled the world, never to meet again.
