Chapter 872 - 389: Nine Deaths, No Life

"Miss Xuanzhao?"

The female voice caught everyone’s attention, and they all turned their heads to see a woman whose figure was ghostly. She approached swiftly from a distance — it was the long-sought Xie Xuanzhao!

"Miss Xuanzhao, it’s truly wonderful that you’re unharmed!" Mao Qi exclaimed joyfully.

With Xie Xuanzhao, who possessed the powerful rule of a Tenth-level Civilization Envoy, their strength suddenly increased immensely, making him very pleased indeed.

Chu Xiu, however, furrowed his brows slightly. He believed he had already subdued the others, but Xie Xuanzhao’s appearance might incite them to try their luck again. Unable to hold back, he spoke, "Miss Xuanzhao has been silent all this time. Why suddenly make ominous predictions upon reappearance? What is the meaning behind it?"

Facing his clearly hostile inquiry, Xie Xuanzhao smiled faintly: "Brother Chen need not be tense; I harbor no malice toward you."

"The protracted delay was due to Brother Chen’s copy being too troublesome. It took me considerable effort to finally shake it off."

This revelation left everyone with an enlightened expression—it turned out that Chu Xiu’s copy had pursued her. They understood Chu Xiu’s strength very well, and even a copy of it is not easily dealt with.

Chu Xiu himself was surprised; this woman could break free from his copy, which indicated her rule was potentially more troublesome than he previously estimated. But she claimed not to bear malice, leaving him unsure of her motives.

Mao Qi was already a step ahead, declaring, "Miss Xuanzhao arrived at the perfect time; we’ve discovered who the tribulation-survivor among us is!"

Having said that, Mao Qi looked expectantly at Xie Xuanzhao, surprised when she didn’t show the slightest sign of surprise, merely smiling gently: "Is it Brother Chen then?"

This statement caused Mao Qi to pause, then prompted a suspicion: "How do you know this, miss? Could it be that you’ve been nearby the whole time?"

Xie Xuanzhao raised her gaze, looking at the varied expressions among the group, smiling as she said, "I will explain this matter in detail. But for now, I have another question."

"What rules do each of you possess?"

It was a sensitive question, and for a moment, none spoke. Xie Xuanzhao was unconcerned and turned to Zhu Jiu, saying, "If my calculations are correct, Brother Zhu should possess the Rule of Destruction?"

Zhu Jiu paused, then nodded.

Xie Xuanzhao then turned to Mao Qi: "Brother Mao should possess the Law of Transformation?"

Mao Qi frowned slightly, displeased, "Since the lady knows, why ask again?"

Xie Xuanzhao chuckled, continuing to identify each person’s rule.

Even though her classification was general, it was basically accurate, causing everyone’s expression to slightly change.

Facing suspicious glances, Xie Xuanzhao remained composed, chuckling lightly as she said, "Indeed it is so. Please don’t overthink; I was merely testing a hypothesis. Now, I will share everything I know."

"Do you all recall when I mentioned my teacher had mentioned tribulation being linked to an ancient plan?"

Mao Qi replied, "We certainly remember, but Miss Xuanzhao said at the time she didn’t understand the specifics."

Xie Xuanzhao said, "I mentioned I didn’t know the specific plan but didn’t say I was completely ignorant on ’tribulation’ itself."

"The information I have is fragmentary, requiring evidence to piece it together. At the time, the tribulation-survivor was among us, so I did not disclose it."

"Is the tribulation-survivor not among us now?" Mao Qi’s tone was somewhat impatient.

From his perspective, the situation was very clear: either they dealt with the final boss or collectively confronted the obvious tribulation-survivor, Chu Xiu. While Chu Xiu was powerful, he was much more manageable than the terrifying god’s corpse. After all, everyone’s true strength lies within their varied rules, and each Tenth-level Civilization Envoy had their own trump cards.

That initial burst of momentum was waning, and knowing full well Chu Xiu was the tribulation-survivor, yet not joining forces against him left Mao Qi suspicious.

Still, Xie Xuanzhao maintained a calm face, unhurriedly saying, "Why not hear me out first before making a judgment?"

Mao Qi fell silent, and Xie Xuanzhao continued: "According to my teacher’s research, the origin of tribulation is exceedingly ancient, tracing back billions of years to an era when gods, rules, and the whole Awakened system didn’t exist."

This comment caused Mao Qi and Zhu Jiu to react simultaneously. Coming from a Tenth-level Civilization, they knew that the Awakened were not innate with the laws, but an acquired development. Before the Awakened existed, there once had been a splendid civilization within this universe. Its traces are still occasionally discovered.

Xie Xuanzhao continued: "During that era, tribulation symbolized trials. They came in various forms, including the Transformation Tribulation, which a Demon Beast could pass to take human form, or the Immortal Tribulation, where surpassing it allowed one to become immortal... marking an advanced life form of the ancient era."

"Tribulations also came in diverse forms: the most common being the Heavenly Tribulation, where Celestial Thunder strikes the tribulation-survivor. If persevered through, it signifies successful Crossing the Tribulation. Of course, this Celestial Thunder is not ordinary thunder, containing frightening rules of destruction, merely resembling thunder and lightning in manifestation."

"There are also tribulations like the Heart Inquiry Tribulation, Heart Demon Tribulation, and more..."

"Cultivators of that era who could cross tribulation would experience a leap in strength, breaking through the bottleneck that held them back."

"Sounds a bit... like an Ascension Trial, doesn’t it?"