CHAPTER 383: CHAPTER 352: THE TIDE OF THE ERA_2

Hong Yuan chuckled lightly. "Heh." He allowed the three lightning chains to strike him.

With the three lightning chains upon him, every cell in Hong Yuan’s body seemed to cry out with extreme thirst.

They were greedily devouring the lightning’s power, using it to temper his body.

This was the marvel of the Human Strength Equilibrium Flow.

Feeling the fierce attack, Hong Yuan cast his gaze into the Tribulation Cloud above.

The Tribulation Cloud was still brewing, and a suffocating sense of dread was building.

The Five Elements Divine Thunder, the Nine Beasts of Dragon Sons, the phantom of the Heavenly Horned Ant...

Suddenly, Hong Yuan narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the tiny green sprout deep within the Thunder Pool.

Hong Yuan let out a cold snort. "Hmph." His body shook, and his robes billowed.

One after another, terrifying phantoms of Ancient Great Evil leaped from his blood and skin, shrieking as they charged into the thunder of the Tribulation Cloud, heading straight for the depths of the Thunder Pool. Under this pressure, the tribulation thunder immediately evolved, becoming even more terrifying and appalling. The Jia GOld Divine Thunder, Decreasing Wood Thunder, Kui Water Divine Thunder, Qiao Fire Divine Thunder, and Earth Divine Thunder were all extinguished within Hong Yuan’s next breath.

The resolution of the first tribulation caused the Tribulation Cloud to stall momentarily.

But in the next moment, nine Dragon Sons with savage auras instantly burst forth from the Tribulation Cloud, their momentum ferocious.

However, facing thirty-six Ancient Great Evils, especially the Great Moon True Dragon Phantom, these Nine Beasts of Dragon Sons couldn’t withstand them at all and were torn apart instantly.

By now, Hong Yuan had already combined the radiant celestial qi, the Golden Earth Qi, and his violent blood qi to form a triangular structure.

He had reached the second step of Saint Achievement!

The balance formed by the three qis converged within his shattered Aperture, bringing Hong Yuan an endless stream of inspiration.

"Questioning the Heaven and Earth!"

This was an extremely precious state of sudden enlightenment. For those unparalleled Heavenly Talents, it only occurred two or three times in their lives and was immensely precious.

Seizing it once could bring about an astonishing transformation, causing a world-altering change in strength.

This step severely tested one’s mental fortitude, for the more Heaven and Earth Qi absorbed, the deeper the foundation of the resultant blessed land.

Liu Mantang, for instance, had previously overindulged in this state of enlightenment, thereby missing his chance to achieve Sainthood!

But for Hong Yuan, such a state of enlightenment was merely ordinary.

What had always hindered his growth and progress was not a matter of aptitude, but the scarcity of resources.

Because Hong Yuan’s aptitude was rated at ninety-five points!

He possessed talent on par with a Great Emperor, enough to make him stand out even among the Ancient Emperors or Human Clan Emperors.

Therefore, he did not indulge in the "Questioning the Heaven and Earth" phase.

On the contrary, his gaze, bright and spirited, was fixed on the still-dormant Great Emperor Mark of the Heavenly Horned Ant Emperor within the Thunder Pool.

Endless lightning gathered, pouring into the Heavenly Horned Ant Emperor’s Great Emperor Mark, hastening its revival.

A cold sneer touched Hong Yuan’s lips. "Heavenly Horned Ant Emperor? Heh."

「...」

The phantoms of the thirty-six Ancient Great Evils immediately dissipated, returning to nothingness.

A tremendous aura spread from Hong Yuan, displaying an invincible and dominant grandeur.

Hong Yuan ascended step by step, his aura growing more majestic, building upon itself like ten thousand layers of colossal waves.

One could only imagine the terrifying power of the strike once it was unleashed.

This was precisely the Heaven and Earth Grand Power Flow!

RUMBLE—

As Hong Yuan’s majestic presence unfolded, the Heavenly Horned Ant Emperor’s Great Emperor Mark in the Thunder Pool swiftly took shape, its figure incredibly clear as its eyes suddenly snapped open.

It gazed at the ascending Hong Yuan with cold eyes as a similarly domineering aura swept out from its form.

The two supremely domineering auras clashed, seeming to share the same origin.

BANG. BANG.

BANG. BANG. BANG.

The two substantial auras crashed together like titanic waves, each impact more violent than the last.

Each collision unleashed dazzling arcs of lightning that instantly pulverized mountains and shattered the void.

However, the victor was quickly determined.

Hong Yuan had actually overcome the Heavenly Horned Ant Emperor in one fell swoop!

Although the Heavenly Horned Ant Emperor had suppressed its cultivation to match Hong Yuan’s, limiting its techniques, this still demonstrated the terrifying depth of Hong Yuan’s attainments in the Power Tao.

Hong Yuan chuckled softly, his eyes concentrated. "Heh... Old thing, you enjoyed hitting me, didn’t you?!"

He stepped into the void, endless frost lightning coiling around him, making him appear as radiant as a Thunder God.

In the blink of an eye, Hong Yuan rushed into the Thunder Pool, arriving right before the Heavenly Horned Ant Emperor.

The Heavenly Horned Ant Emperor remained expressionless as crimson lightning rapidly enveloped its body.

Both were employing the lightning power of the Heaven and Earth Grand Power Flow!

Simultaneously, without prior accord, they both threw their punches.

Myriad Power Tao Tao Marks swirled like a tempest, instantly saturating the Thunder Pool.

One hundred thirty thousand versus one hundred thousand—Hong Yuan was victorious once more.

Hong Yuan’s gaze was resolute, his punch like a dragon. "Die..."

The vital blood qi within him, already seething, surged even more furiously, blazing with unparalleled intensity.

Although the Human Strength Equilibrium Flow had emerged much later and was far less developed than the Beast Strength Illusion Flow or the Heaven and Earth Grand Power Flow, it was undoubtedly one of the best schools for Power Tao Cultivators to temper their bodies!

White frost lightning and crimson electricity clashed. Then, Hong Yuan and the Heavenly Horned Ant Emperor engaged in a brutal contest of fists and bodies.

BOOM!

The Heavenly Horned Ant Emperor’s arms shattered inch by inch, transforming into purple lightning. This was the primal lightning of heaven and earth used to awaken its mark, yet Hong Yuan had now smashed it to pieces.

In momentum, it lost.

In Tao Marks, it lost again.

In physical body, it lost yet again.

In fist techniques, it lost once more.

Most terrifyingly, even in the Heaven and Earth Grand Power Flow, the pride of the Heavenly Horned Ant Tribe, it had lost to Hong Yuan!

This scene was too horrifying.

It was truly astounding that Hong Yuan could suppress a Great Emperor of the Power Tao while at the same cultivation realm.

"Haha, exhilarating, truly exhilarating!" Hong Yuan laughed wildly, a triumphant song in his voice.

It wasn’t that the Heavenly Horned Ant Emperor was weak; rather, Hong Yuan’s accumulation in the Power Tao was too profound.

Not only was Hong Yuan on the same path as the Heavenly Horned Ant Emperor, but his Power Tao cultivation was also built directly upon the shoulders of the Heavenly Horned Ant Tribe and Han Jiuming.

Furthermore, he possessed all the advantages of the Human Strength Equilibrium Flow.

However, this didn’t mean Hong Yuan’s talent in the Power Tao could be declared superior to that of the Heavenly Horned Ant Emperor.

It merely showed that Hong Yuan had leveraged the advancements of the era, taking a clever shortcut!

If the Heavenly Horned Ant Emperor were to revive in the current era, with its aptitude and talent, it would undoubtedly swiftly absorb the fruits of modern cultivation trends and become even more terrifying.

At that point, the victor would be uncertain.

Unfortunately, there were no ’ifs.’

Hong Yuan roared, "From now on, the glory of the Power Tao and the Heavenly Horned Ant Tribe will be carried solely on my shoulders—Hong Yuan!"

He firmly grasped the immobilized Heavenly Horned Ant Emperor. With a forceful tear, the primal lightning of heaven and earth bathed him in its glow.

The moment Hong Yuan utterly vanquished the Heavenly Horned Ant Emperor’s Great Emperor Mark, the Single-horned Ding, the Heavenly Horned Ant Tribe’s Life Holy Artifact, suddenly flew out.

It shot towards the primal lightning of heaven and earth that had constituted the Great Emperor Mark, greedily absorbing this lightning essence and the Heavenly Horned Ant Emperor’s unique Tao Rhyme.

In the process, the Ding grew more profound and terrifying, layers of lightning patterns manifesting on its surface.

Hong Yuan’s eyes flashed with surprise as he looked at the vivid embodiment of the Heavenly Horned Ant within the Ding. "Absorbing?" Well, it seems I really do have a destiny with the Heavenly Horned Ant Tribe...

Suddenly.

Hong Yuan’s gaze sharpened as he looked towards the deepest part of the Thunder Pool.

In the deepest part of the Thunder Pool, the small, green sprout rapidly elongated, endless lightning essence pouring into it.

Auspicious radiance shone, and green mist permeated the air. Fissures in the void erupted one after another. Ethereal immortal music played, accompanied by faint visions of gods and demons devouring the sun and moon, their hands snatching at the Stars...

In the blink of an eye, it had grown into a colossal Eternal Azure Lotus that pierced the heavens and spanned the earth.

The Eternal Azure Lotus shattered the void, transforming into a veil of immortal mist from which a figure emerged.

His features were handsome, his eyes bright and clear, full of spirit. His hair was bound by a ribbon; he wore a green robe, and a cold sword hung at his waist. He projected an air of transcendent pride and dashing elegance.

He moved with an effortless grace and an extraordinary bearing.

The Saint Achievement Immortal Transcending Tribulation of the Power Tao...

How could it be him? The legendary fourth emperor of the Human Race—Azure Lotus Heaven Lord!

Hong Yuan narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the Great Emperor Mark of Azure Lotus Heaven Lord.

His heart ignited with a surging battle intent once more. The fight against the Heavenly Horned Ant Emperor’s Great Emperor Mark hadn’t allowed him to use his full strength, as he had completely countered it.

But Azure Lotus Heaven Lord was different. He was a Great Emperor of the Wood Tao, a venerable figure in the Sword Tao, and even the creator of the Painting Tao! Fighting this Great Emperor Mark would surely allow me to identify and rectify flaws in my combat system, yielding great gains.

The massive, tri-colored sphere of Qi formed by the convergence of Heaven, Earth, and Man brought immense reassurance to Hong Yuan.

If anything went awry, I could immediately take the third step of Saint Achievement and attain Sainthood instantly!