CHAPTER 401: CHAPTER 358 DESTINY DEMON REALM TRIBULATION_3

"Is it Guangqiao, my young friend? Your growth rate is truly astonishing," the Flame Sparrow Great Saint remarked softly, a hint of amazement in his voice.

Li Jianqiu, lost in thought, felt her carp-like eyes widen.

Xuan Guangqiao is about to break through? How many years has it been... she trembled inwardly. Supreme Demon Dynasty, Supreme Demon Dynasty—

The desire to establish the Supreme Demon Dynasty and crush Hong Yuan burned fiercely in Li Jianqiu’s heart. She was never the kind of cultivator to shrink from difficulties, never!

THRRRUM. THRRRUM.

Within the Destiny Demon Realm, the grand formations protecting all resource points and major cities began to awaken. Protective shields of various colors emerged, safeguarding everyone. The Mini Five Continents and Nine Heavens and the Little Endless Sea Area formed a vast expanse, one that Hong Yuan had invested considerable effort into cultivating. If not absolutely necessary, it was best to avoid the calamity’s destructive reach.

At this moment, inside Hong Yuan’s body, the Flood Gathering War Banner, Dragon Sparrow Zither, and the Purple-Gold Furnace Holy Artifact fully reactivated, suppressing the nascent turmoil within the Destiny Demon Realm.

Normally, a Demon Realm is hosted within a Demon Saint’s physical body. Now, however, the Demon Realm had descended into the external world, paradoxically enveloping the Demon Saint’s body within itself. Hong Yuan’s physical body currently acted like an Earth Spirit, capable of commanding wind and rain within the Demon Realm. Meanwhile, the Destiny Demon Realm constantly absorbed external Heaven and Earth Qi, continually strengthening itself.

When Saints undergo tribulation, they commonly place their inner small world into the vast outer world. Another reason for this is when a Saint’s inner world is rich in resources but lacks sufficient Heaven and Earth Qi; the small world must then be lowered to draw upon external Heaven and Earth Qi for replenishment. The Demon Realm’s portal was the bridge in this process, the channel connecting the inner world to the outside.

When Hong Yuan actively opened the gate to the Destiny Demon Realm, the heavens and earth instantly roared, and the Star River trembled. Endless Heaven and Earth Qi, mingled with myriad starlights, spiraled and surged, flooding into the Destiny Demon Realm like a raging torrent. Huge amounts of Heaven and Earth Qi poured in, causing the entire Destiny Demon Realm to shudder.

Simultaneously, the tributaries of the River of Time within the Destiny Demon Realm began to merge with the main River of Time in the external world. Consequently, the flow of time within the Destiny Demon Realm started to slow significantly. A small world situated between heaven and earth would experience a greatly decelerated time flow, approaching that of the Five Great God Continents.

The rumbling of the Destiny Demon Realm also affected the beings living within it.

"Stay calm," Hong Yuan said softly.

The Mysterious Water Guards within the Destiny Demon Realm indeed calmed down. Obeying the clan elders’ orders, they dispersed to various parts of the Demon Realm to support the major cities.

The next moment, a premonition informed Hong Yuan that the Earthly Calamity and Heavenly Tribulation were imminent. This was normal. Every Saint is a Transcendent being; when a catastrophe approaches, Saints invariably experience such a premonition. It is much like how ordinary animals exhibit unusual behavior before terrestrial disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis, having sensed the impending crisis.

As the Heaven and Earth Qi surged, its influx ramping up to a peak before gradually subsiding, it resembled the mighty flow of a great river. Two hours later, the Destiny Demon Realm returned to tranquility. Its territory had expanded by a full thirty percent from its original size—a terrifying increase, truly befitting its status as Destiny itself.

Hong Yuan should have been pleased with such an achievement, but instead, he narrowed his eyes. He knew the real test was about to begin!

WHOOSH... WHOOSH...

WHOOSH... WHOOSH... WHOOSH...

The Destiny Demon Realm experienced even more severe tremors. The Purple-Gold Furnace and the other two Holy Artifacts radiated divine light, striving their utmost to protect it. But the fierce wind continued to howl, and torrential rain surged tumultuously.

With the lashing of the violent winds, the sky of the Destiny Demon Realm instantly darkened. Boundless thunderheads spread across it, lightning serpents slithering through them like a titanic, inverted river hanging in the sky—an utterly terrifying sight.

TING! TING!

Amidst the wind, rain, and lightning, bizarrely shaped monsters materialized one after another. They almost blanketed the entire sky of the Destiny Demon Realm. If not stopped, they would undoubtedly destroy the Destiny Demon Realm, sending Hong Yuan back to square one overnight, possibly even leading to his death.

Seeing this, Hong Yuan’s eyes shone. "Good, good. Some prime targets have arrived; time for a big feast."

Behind him, the blue Immortal Cave floated ethereally before transforming into a black hole. An endless suction force emanated from it, madly rushing towards these calamity beasts. No, it targeted not only the calamity beasts but also the raging wind, torrential rain, and the ocean of lightning—it spared nothing.

BOOM!

The blue Immortal Cave, the personification of greed, devoured endlessly. Food Tao Marks surged wildly, spreading across the sky, frantically hunting down the calamity beasts.

A miraculous event occurred. Before this horde of calamity beasts could even assault Hong Yuan’s Destiny Demon Realm with the power of wind, rain, and lightning, they were transformed into the fundamental essence of heaven and earth, becoming nourishment for the Destiny Demon Realm’s growth.

[Wind Tao +100]

[Wind Tao +100]

[...]

[Thunder Tao +100]

[Thunder Tao +100]

[...]

Hong Yuan’s Destiny Demon Realm underwent another transformation, the most noticeable aspect being the more pronounced changes in its weather patterns.

The tribulation of the wind, rain, lightning, and thunder disaster beasts...

The tribulation of the ancient Soul Beast, the Thunder Overlord Dragon...

A full thirty-six tribulations were effortlessly resolved by Hong Yuan in rapid succession, as if he were speedrunning them, taking him only a single day and night.

"BURP."

Hong Yuan could not help but let out another satisfied belch, exhaling a breath of turbid air.

So full, so very full.

After the tribulation, following Hong Yuan’s directives, the Mysterious Water Guards worked to maintain the stability of the Destiny Demon Realm. They prioritized "economic construction," establishing a three-hundred-year plan. One year in the outside world equated to three hundred years in the Destiny Demon Realm. For Hong Yuan, this vast period was merely the time it took for him to take a nap.

Meanwhile, Hong Yuan himself returned to the Purple Golden Palace within the Mini Nine Heavens to take stock of his gains.

The first, naturally, was the enhancement of his strength. He had already been capable of defeating seventh-tier Saints from a lower realm, dominating amongst those of the seventh tier. Now, with the transformation of the Destiny Demon Realm’s Immortal Aperture Origin, the increase of his Food Tao Marks to four hundred thousand, and the strengthening of his "Myriad Silence Realm" Divine Power, Hong Yuan was confident he could exchange a move or two with an eighth-tier Saint.

One should not underestimate these one or two moves; they were the hard-won result of Hong Yuan’s immense efforts and what amounted to an unfair advantage. Now, Hong Yuan had a decent chance of escaping if pursued by a Great Saint—a cause for celebration!

In the eyes of the Human Race, I must now be seen as a ’boss seed’ with the greatest potential, Hong Yuan thought. Extreme combat strength, luxurious equipment... and then there’s that long Life Span, unknown to others!

Thinking about the future growth of his Demonic Body, Hong Yuan’s smile grew even brighter.

The second gain was the various treasures acquired from Han Jiuming’s treasure trove. There were two portions of Divine Origin Marrow, and a single portion was sufficient to seal one person. With the current amount, he could seal two people, thereby extending their Life Span to some extent.

Aside from that, there was also the Jade Simple for "Star God Comes," a secret Divine Power of the Tao of Great Moon, passed down from Great Moon Saint Han Jiuming. Hong Yuan had long since grasped this legacy; he merely lacked the catalyst to begin practicing the Divine Power...

"Sadly, no Immortal Nuance Stones were left," Hong Yuan sighed lightly.

He composed himself, activated the Communicating Sky Bug in his hand, and arrived at Treasured Yellow Heaven. The Human Race had the information exchanges of the Five Great Academies; naturally, the Demon Clan also had those of the Four Great Holy Lands.

Hong Yuan arrived at one such exchange. He listed the "Star God Comes" Jade Simple at the joint auction house of the Four Great Holy Lands and then logged off.

However, this action caused a considerable stir among the Demon Saints. This was because the "Star God Comes" Divine Power was a quintessential expression of Great Moon Saint Han Jiuming’s mastery over the Tao of Great Moon. Rumor had it that at advanced levels of cultivation, one could borrow the heaven-shattering Great Power of the Great Moon Saint himself through this Divine Power!