CHAPTER 93: CHAPTER 93: THE DRAGON’S CHANT AND THE TIGER’S ROAR, HUNYUAN TRANSFORMATION!

Qi Xiu’s voice had not yet faded.

The Sky Dome suddenly changed color; the originally cloudless expanse was instantly covered with dark clouds. A huge fissure, like an eye of heaven, looked down indifferently upon the myriad creatures below.

An endless influx of Heavenly Gang Qi converged into a vast sea of silver. Each strand emitted an unmatched, terrifying aura.

This was a true cataclysmic tribulation! Even before it began, it imparted a sense of impending death, a desperate inescapability that filled one’s heart.

"You have some gall, attempting to transcend the tribulation without an elder protector! You’re seeking death!"

Gazing at the terrifying and boundless silver sea above, the corners of Tianshi’s eyes split. He roared furiously, fear simultaneously gripping his heart.

Which ancient land’s proud son is this fellow from? A Heaven Gang Qi Tribulation of this level... how could anyone possibly transcend it! What’s more terrifying is that the moment the heavenly tribulation descended, we were too close to Qi Xiu and got enveloped by it as well! That’s also why we can witness this extraordinary phenomenon!

"He wants to use the Heavenly Stem Tribulation Sequence to wipe us all out in one fell swoop!" Tianshi, his face fierce, guessed Qi Xiu’s intentions.

The guy lured away Third Brother and Second Brother before, creating the illusion that he was entering Red Flower Town to capture demons. Then he forced me out. Thereafter, our three groups converged. And then he directly triggered the Heavenly Stem Tribulation Sequence, using the power of the heavenly tribulation to crush the three of us brothers! What a scheme! Indeed, what a brilliant scheme!

The tribulation spread far and wide. Layer upon layer of oppressive force made the three demons feel as if their skin was being torn apart inch by inch.

Such a vast Heaven Gang Qi Tribulation was simply unimaginable. In comparison, the tribulations they faced when they entered the Initiate Realm seemed like child’s play. There was simply no comparison.

The strong wind raged, and robes flapped violently. Qi Xiu sliced his fingertip and let a drop of fresh blood fall from his hanging hand.

PAT—

The soybean-sized blood drop seemed exceedingly heavy. When it hit the ground, it smashed a basin-sized hole.

「The next instant!」

Blazing fires burst forth from the earth. The pure and yang blood-flame trembled and spun, emitting a thick, intense aroma.

"Blood like lead and mercury, igniting flames upon touching the ground! Hunyuan Body Refinement, completed!"

Seeing the blood’s anomaly, Qi Xiu’s heart steadied. Hunyuan Body Refinement is complete. Next, it’s time to formally transcend the tribulation.

Almost in the blink of an eye after Qi Xiu’s thought, the heavy and somber clouds above the Sky Dome suddenly began to surge tumultuously. From the giant, eye-like fissure, endless Gang Qi of Heaven poured out. Like a silver waterfall, over ten thousand feet long, it cascaded down with deafening roars, resounding for hundreds of miles. It was beautiful and resplendent, yet it also emitted boundless majesty.

Feeling that intense and refreshing energy, and witnessing that rare, world-defying spectacle, any remaining trepidation, tension, and anxiety in Qi Xiu’s heart were swept away.

A sense of pride inexplicably arose in his heart. He stepped forward with long strides, bursting into loud laughter, "As the saying goes, ’Its torrent plunges three thousand feet down, as if the Silver River has fallen from the Nine Heavens!’ HA HA HA! To witness such a sight in one’s lifetime, what regrets would there be, even in death!"

"No regrets, my ass! This is your heavenly tribulation; of course, you have no regrets!" Tianxiang cursed, jumping up and down in anger as he heard Qi Xiu’s carefree and heroic words.

"Second Brother, conserve your energy. The tribulation has descended; let’s figure out how to get through it," Tianyu said in a grave voice.

"Third Brother is right. The main target of this heavenly tribulation is that Daoist. We’re just caught in it; the majority of the tribulation’s power will concentrate on him. As long as he dies, the heavenly tribulation will naturally dissipate. We just need to hold out until then."

After his outburst of rage, Tianshi also calmed down, analyzing how to survive this unwarranted disaster.

「And at that moment.」

The Heaven Gang Qi Tribulation officially began!

An overwhelming deluge of silver-white light-rain swept down with tremendous pressure, its target aimed directly at Qi Xiu!

BOOM—

As the light-rain cascaded down, the Heavenly Gang Qi turned into silver threads that poured relentlessly. Anything that barely touched these threads would instantly be shredded into powder.

Within the scope of the tribulation, all trees and rocks were instantaneously wiped clean. The three demons clenched their teeth, erecting their dark, vile miasma to withstand the scouring of the Heavenly Gang Qi.

DING! DING! DING!—

The moment it made contact with the Heavenly Gang Qi, countless sparks burst forth all over Qi Xiu’s body. The robust body forged by Hunyuan Body Refinement blocked the first wave of the Heavenly Gang Qi’s assault, preventing him from being ground into mincemeat in that first moment.

Enduring the bombardment of tens of thousands of strands of Heavenly Gang Qi, Qi Xiu felt as if he were bearing two silver mountains. The immense weight bent his knees, nearly forcing him to the ground. He clenched his teeth tightly, blood oozing from his mouth. Forcing up his spine, which felt on the verge of snapping, Qi Xiu straightened his body. His hands formed a hollow shape in front of him, his eyes alight with a vibrant glint.

"Hunyuan... Body Refinement... Absorb!"

HUM—

Between his hands, a burst of void-like fluctuations erupted. Yin and Yang merged, seemingly transforming into a grinding mill that ceaselessly drew in the Heavenly Gang Qi, grinding, digesting, and merging it into his body.

Continuously absorbing the Heavenly Gang Qi, Qi Xiu’s body began to emit a gleaming light. His life essence was undergoing a transformation, tempered by this Power of Heaven and Earth.

"Eldest Brother, he... he... he withstood it?!" Not far away, Tianxiang’s eyes widened in shock as he saw Qi Xiu actually withstand the first wave of the Heaven Gang Qi Tribulation.

Such a terrifying bombardment of Heavenly Gang Qi! Even for me, already in the Dao-Entering Realm, it would be unbearable for more than a single breath. Yet, this human youth managed to resist it and even seems to be continuously extracting the Gang Qi of Heaven, transforming his physical body! Oh, heavens! This kid couldn’t possibly be an Ancient Demon disguised in human skin, could he?

"Shut up! I’m not blind!" Seeing Qi Xiu resist the heavenly tribulation, Tianshi’s heart lurched, and a shadow swiftly enveloped his thoughts.

As if sensing that Qi Xiu had not died in the first wave of the tribulation, the rupture in the Sky Dome, like a heavenly eye, suddenly widened further. The vast silver sea churned, kicking up huge waves that piled layer upon layer, threatening to crush, destroy, and obliterate everything!

BOOM—

The second wave of the Heaven Gang Qi Tribulation was even more terrifying! It was no longer a dense rain of light like the first; this time, the Heavenly Gang Qi condensed into a furious torrent, a rolling tidal wave that thundered toward them.

"Damn..." Qi Xiu, who had been steadily absorbing Heavenly Gang Qi to refine his body, was instantly submerged as the torrent, now several times stronger, crashed into him.

The extremely dense and pervasive Heavenly Gang Qi surrounded Qi Xiu, ceaselessly eroding him. His skin began to rupture, and torrents of fresh blood gushed out. Even the formidable body forged by Hunyuan Body Refinement could not withstand such an intense scouring by the Heavenly Gang Qi.

Feeling excruciating pain, as if being sliced by a thousand knives, Qi Xiu’s body trembled slightly. Instinctively, he tried to form Dharma Seals and chant Sutras and Mantras. But the moment he moved his fingers, his rationality snapped him back to clarity.

No! It isn’t the final moment yet!

The erosion of his flesh deepened; large patches of flesh, and even bones and organs, began to dissipate under the wash of the Heavenly Gang Qi.

His gaze intensified. Qi Xiu activated his Mana, and the Flood Dragon Pool opened instantly, wrapping a scarlet protective canopy, inscribed with a full thousand Suppression Talismans, around his body.

A thousand talismans become one! Protect the body, guard the spirit!

In an instant, a thousand beams of golden light gathered to form a massive ’Suppress’ character, hovering above Qi Xiu’s head. He had begun preparing this scarlet protective canopy months earlier, when he sensed the advent of the Heavenly Stem Tribulation Sequence. Each Suppression Talisman contained the maximum Divine Marvel that could be infused. In some respects, the power of this protective canopy could be deemed equivalent to that of a Magic Artifact. Only, it couldn’t be preserved as long as a Magic Artifact.

Wisps of golden light cascaded down like a magnificent baldachin, stable and firm, unshakeable as a mountain. The protective power firmly guarded Qi Xiu, blocking the scouring Heavenly Gang Qi and preserving his dissipating flesh and blood.

Under the protection of the Suppression Talismans, Qi Xiu operated the Hunyuan Body Refinement technique at full strength, drawing upon the Gang Qi of Heaven to repair his damaged body. The ferocious bombardment of the Heavenly Gang Qi had also cleansed a great portion of the residual "mortal blood" from within him. His physical body began to transcend. Skin, flesh, tendons, and internal organs all began to circulate strands of pure, ethereal essence.

"Eldest Brother, he withstood it again... OUCH!" Struck to the ground by a slap from Tianshi, Tianxiang screamed as his head was shoved straight into the dirt.

"I know!" With the corner of his mouth twitching slightly, Tianshi stared at Qi Xiu, who sat calmly beneath the golden script, his own heart sinking to the depths.

Who knows? This kid might really be able to endure this tribulation.

As the torrent of Heavenly Gang Qi swept and struck, Qi Xiu, sitting beneath the Suppression Talisman, was like a rock amidst the waves.

His battered body had largely recovered. Qi Xiu slowly opened his eyes and looked up toward the character above him. A sharp light burst forth from his gaze.

My physical body has been mostly refined. Next is the main event. Ascending from the mundane to the Dao. The physical body’s baptism and refinement are only the most basic part. The true core lies in the Dao Seeds condensed from one’s Cultivation. Except, unlike others... whether martial artists or spellcasters, their Dao Seeds tend to be singular. Even prodigies with innate talents, who walk the path of both martial and magical cultivation, have at most two! But the number of Dao Seeds within me... is a staggering ten!

This unprecedented, astonishing number of Dao Seeds meant that Qi Xiu needed a massive amount of Heavenly Gang Qi to irrigate them, enabling these Dao Seeds to evolve and transform.

Taking a deep breath, Qi Xiu spread his arms, forming Dharma Seals and chanting Sutras and Mantras.

"Dragon’s Chant!"

Black light shimmered at the center of his brow. A huge, solemn, highly condensed, domineering black-scaled dragon with black horns and green eyes emerged from behind him, coiling around Qi Xiu. It unleashed deep, profound, cold Mana in raging torrents, roaring with its mouth wide open, causing an icy wind to suddenly cut through heaven and earth.

"Tiger’s Roar!"

With a thunderous shout that shook the heavens, an overwhelming, pure Yang, fierce purple fire rose from Qi Xiu’s lower abdomen. The fire surged with a tyrannical blaze, and a majestic purple-and-white giant tiger stepped out with measured pace. Its calm eyes surveyed the surroundings. Then, with a resounding roar that reached the skies, a sea of fire erupted, seeming to burn through heaven and earth!

One dragon and one tiger encircled his body. The Yin Yang Energy Mechanism clashed and ground against itself, like an enormous vortex seeking to absorb the essence of heaven and earth to strengthen itself.

"Hunyuan Transformation!"

Following Qi Xiu’s final low shout, endless rays of iridescence burst forth, weaving into a sea of radiant light. A radiant pearl rose and hovered within the sea of light. The tiger lay to the left, the dragon swam to the right. Streams from the Yin Yang Energy Mechanism breathed onto the pearl, making its circulating iridescence more vibrant and clear.