First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 986 – Entering the Profound Dao Once More

Immortal Gourd Mountain

Beneath the Netherworld King’s stunned, terrified gaze, the vortex of tribulation clouds suddenly started revolving beneath the dome of heaven.

Murky tribulation light full of a taboo aura descended from the depth of the vortex.

Kccch!

Tribulation light swept outward like a bolt of cloth, slashing through the skies and slamming into the Platform of Rebirth. Light scattered like rain, and booms rang out.

That destructive air of calamity, like the supreme might of heaven, caused a stinging pain in the Netherworld King’s eyes, and she almost felt suffocated.

She was incomparably certain that were this streak of tribulation light to strike her, she wouldn’t even be able to flee, let alone resist. It would instantly reduce her to power!

But against all expectations, the Platform of Rebirth didn’t move in the slightest.

On the contrary, that wisp of tribulation light scattered like rain and disappeared into nothingness.

“This…” The Netherworld King stared. She was finally starting to understand why Su Yi had chosen to prove his Dao here of all places. So, the Platform of Rebirth could resist divine tribulation!

“But where is Su Yi after being frittered away to nothingness? Don’t tell me he’s hiding inside that mysterious sword?”

Before the Netherworld King could get a handle on the situation, tribulation clouds churned overhead, lightning flashed, and thunder boomed as yet another streak of explosive tribulation light descended upon the world below.

It seemed as if it would split heaven and earth in two, like all of creation was as brittle as rotten wood.

But as obviously powerful as it was, when it slammed into the Platform of Rebirth, something stopped it. It couldn’t shake the platform, and it ultimately dispersed into nothingness.

In the time that followed, the power of the tribulation only became even more terrifying. The vortex of cloud surged and revolved, and streak after streak of tribulation light descended, all of them full of the imposing might of the heavens. It was like an explosive downpour.

The light illuminated the entire landscape, and it was as bright as midday. Especially atop the Platform of Rebirth, where tribulation light scattered and misty radiance danced. It was radiant beyond measure.

The Netherworld King squinted, her eyes narrowing into slits, and her heart shook. Her slender, graceful figure was taut; she couldn’t help it.

This grand tribulation was more than just strange. It simply seemed that someone had violated a taboo, and the tribulation was dead set on erasing the Platform of Rebirth from existence!

“When the First Executioner welcomed his Tribulation of Profound Serenity, the Heavenly Prayer Star Realm called it a tribulation unmatched throughout the ages. A full six Wardens personally acted as his dharma protectors. It was thanks to them that the First Executioner survived this unprecedented grand tribulation and successfully broke through.”

“But compared to Su Xuanjun’s Tribulation of Profound Illumination, the First Executioner’s Tribulation of Profound Serenity seems a bit lacking…”

The Netherworld King was shaken.

How extensive was her experience? She’d seen too many rare and grand tribulations to count. And this was “only” the tribulation of someone entering the Imperial Realm. She would never have guessed it would be this strange and taboo!

She even dared say with certainty that even a Profound Serenity Emperor most likely couldn’t have withstood this tribulation!

But against the Netherworld King’s expectations, no matter how fiercely this taboo, grand tribulation raged, the Platform of Rebirth never even budged. It just stood there, the intricate Dao Markings shifting and flowing as it surged with the gray power of the Laws of Rebirth. It seemed no amount of time or external power could move it!

The first round of the tribulation soon ended.

The depths of the ink-black tribulation clouds suddenly surged with silvery firelight, and the tribulation clouds filling the sky were suddenly radiant silver.

Then, countless streaks of electric tribulation light poured down like glittering silver snowflakes. However, they were full of a calamitous, destructive, lethal aura.

The second layer of the tribulation was even more terrifying than the first!

But a little less than ten minutes later…the last of the second layer of the tribulation fell, and the Platform of Rebirth was still entirely unharmed.

After taking all of this in, the Netherworld King was completely rooted to the spot, and her mind was blank.

All she could think was, This strange, powerful tribulation isn’t leaving him any path to life at all! In other words, anyone who underwent such a tribulation would be doomed beyond a doubt!

But it seemed that Su Yi had long since anticipated this. That was why he’d come to the Platform of Rebirth. He was using a method the Netherworld King still couldn’t understand to contend with this grand tribulation.

In the time that followed, the tribulation clouds became increasingly violent and explosive, as if they were intent on shattering the entire landscape. Boundless destructive power tore through the skies.

The third layer of the tribulation was a radiant, searing gold. It manifested tens of thousands of lotuses that released arcs of electric light. They were utterly gorgeous, but also utterly terrifying.

As the lightning fell, it stained heaven and earth a golden hue radiant beyond measure.

The fourth layer of the tribulation was a clear green. It formed a range of immortal mountains covered in pavilions, palaces, and pure lands… All of these scenes were straight out of legends of immortals, and they didn’t seem of this world. However, as they descended upon the Platform of Rebirth, they released appalling destructive power.

The fifth layer of the tribulation manifested all manner of True Spirit sacred beasts: the Bi’an, the Qiongqi, the Bifang, and the Xiezhi, among others.

But no matter how strong the tribulation got, it couldn’t destroy the Platform of Rebirth! The platform shrouded in a portion of the mysteries of reincarnation seemed utterly indestructible, as if ten thousand tribulations couldn’t destroy it. It seemed as if it would exist in perpetuity.

And when the ninth layer of the tribulation appeared——

The Netherworld King, whose mind had gone completely blank, suddenly shuttered.

A moment later, she sensed a powerful, lethal threat. She felt as if she’d been plunged into an icy abyss.

She dared not even look at it. Instead, she instinctively closed her eyes, sealed off her senses, and circulated her cultivation base to unprecedented heights!

Up in the sky, the massive vortex of tribulation clouds suddenly shrank until it was just thirty feet across.

And their shape changed too, like a talisman unfurling in the sky. They burst with dim light, like the radiance of primordial chaos. Streaks of contorted tribulation lightning surged within the “talisman” of cloud, as if it contained the will of the heavens.

All of heaven and earth trembled.

As enormous as the Burial Grounds of the Dao were, both the terrifying lifeforms lurking throughout its territories and the expert cultivators exploring them felt irrepressible terror and dread well within their hearts. Without exception, their expressions shifted.

This was like the descent of the apocalypse, a divine punishment. That aura alone seemed capable of eradicating an entire world and every living thing in it!

“How could an Emperor trigger such a tribulation!?” Shangguan Jie cried out, and his hair stood on end.

An older-generation cultivator gasped, astonishment all over his face. “Never mind a Profound Serenity Tribulation; even a Profound Unity Tribulation wouldn’t necessarily contain such terrifying power.”

These experts from the Wilds all felt an instinctive terror and unease.

Within that grand hall, Huo Yao suddenly rose, walked up to the gates, and gazed into the distant dome of heaven.

“A long time ago, I was fortunate enough to accompany Master to the Nine Extremes Profound Capital and bear witness as Old Monarch Resplendent Skies proved his Dao and entered the Profound Unity Realm. However, the old monarch’s Tribulation of Profound Unity’s aura was nowhere near as strange or unsettling…” Huo Yao murmured, his handsome face shifting and uncertain.

Ye Luo’s voice suddenly resounded from a shadowed corner. “Afraid? I urge you not to even attempt to escape. With the strength you’ve recovered thus far, you’re no match for me.”

Huo Yao’s expression froze, and he suddenly wiped around and stared at the corner in which Ye Luo was seated. After a moment’s silence, he laughed, “Nevermind whether I’m afraid or not. If I really wanted to leave, are you certain you could stop me?”

Ye Luo rose, his gaze cold and indifferent. “Master already reclaimed your treasures, including the Controlling Currents Shuttle, and I’m dead-set on stopping you, even if it costs me my life. If you insist on trying it, well, go right ahead.”

His voice was calm, without the slightest ripple of emotion.

But Huo Yao’s expression shifted in response to the implications of his words.

A while later, Huo Yao sat cross-legged once more and said expressionlessly, “Junior Apprentice Brother, you’re too nervous. If I wanted to flee, why would I be waiting here?”

With that, he silently shut his eyes and focused on treating his wounds.

Ye Luo silently returned to his shadowed corner.

Practically simultaneously——

In the skies above Immortal Gourd Mountain, the ninth layer of the tribulation, the massive cloud talisman swathed in the light of chaos, trembled and swept forth.

It seemed as if the skies could no longer take that level of destructive power. They rumbled, boomed, and split, forming countless rifts. The surrounding mountains and rivers swayed.

And then, a thirty-foot talisman slammed into the Platform of Rebirth.

Boom!!

Shockingly, this time, the “unmovable” Platform of Rebirth shook. It burst with misty light in an attempt to block the power of the tribulation, but the talisman nonetheless gradually pushed it back.

This was truly shocking.

After all, the Laws of Rebirth filling the platform were damaged, but they still represented a portion of the secrets of reincarnation. How could they possibly be ordinary?

Yet the lightning of the ninth layer of the tribulation was forcefully suppressing them, bit by bit!

Just as it seemed the talisman’s power was about to envelop the Platform of Rebirth, an inscrutable sword hum rang out.

The illusory figure of a sword wrapped in nine divine chains appeared atop the platform.

Bang!!!

An explosion followed, shaking heaven and earth.

The thirty-foot talisman emanating the dull light of chaos shockingly split into pieces!

The tribulation light filling the skies scattered, illuminating the entire landscape.

It was then that a bundle of source power emerged from the mirror-smooth surface of the top of the Platform of Rebirth. A moment later, this source power absorbed the scattered tribulation light like mad!

Whoosh~ Whoosh~

As more and more of the tribulation light was devoured, the source power grew increasingly bright and resplendent. And amidst the misty, churning light, the source power outlined an illusory, indistinct silhouette.

At first, this figure was nothing more than a transparent shadow, but it quickly solidified. Finally, after all of the misty light had been devoured, a tall, upright figure stood proudly upon the Platform of Rebirth. His eyes were bright, and his black hair hung loose. His handsome face was as unblemished as jade, and his gaze was as deep and profound as an abyss.

When his eyes opened and closed, streaks of golden light flashed by and manifested all manner of unbelievable scenes: the passing of countless years, the ups and downs of worldly affairs, withering and flourishing, the transformations of life and death, and the endless flowing of the long river of history…

A powerful, imposing majesty spread from that tall, upright figure, piercing the nine heavens and ten earths and stirring up the wind and clouds!

Gazing upon him from afar, it seemed he stood at the peak. The radiant full moon hung above him, while the Sword of the Nine Hells hovered beside him, and the platform beneath him shone with the Dao Light of Rebirth.

Unmatched throughout heaven and earth, as contemptuous as a god!

On this day, just two years after regaining the memories of his past life and restarting his cultivation, Su Yi overcame a nine-layered, taboo tribulation, broke through, and stepped into the Imperial Realm once more!