Chapter 268: Chapter 258: The Power Tao Incarnation Passes the Tribulation, The Great Emperor Mark!

"Finally, we’ve reached Central State. This must be the Capital City of the Daxuan Dynasty, truly bustling with life."

Standing atop the mountain, Hong Yuan gazed down upon the towering city walls below, covered in rust and the signs of history. Yet, the radiant glow of the Formations rising all around spoke of the walls’ steadfastness. By now, Hong Yuan had changed his appearance, transforming from a rough martial artist into a refined scholar. He waited there, silently observing the myriad lives unfolding below.

Maple leaves drifted down, swirling before him, as layer upon layer of bitter Cold Wind billowed, lifting his green robe high.

TING—

A point of Sword Light suddenly appeared before Hong Yuan, slowly expanding, and a figure, sharp as a frosty sword, stepped out from it. Hong Yuan’s Sword Tao incarnation met his Power Tao incarnation! Shortly thereafter, their figures gradually faded, leaving no trace.

「Phoenix Heron Palace.」

The area was surrounded by tall, upright paulownia trees, all belonging to Phoenix Princess Tang Xi. Inside the splendid palace, Phoenix Princess Tang Xi was refining the essence of the Paulownia Origin Wood, advancing her cultivation in preparation for her attempt to reach the Martial Saint Stage.

Before long, her personal maid, Mu Ruan, hurried over, reporting from the other side of a wall, "Princess, a secret report has just come in; the Marquis of Dragon Sword has left the Capital City, and his whereabouts are unknown."

Tang Xi paused briefly in her refinement of the Paulownia Origin Wood, then resumed at an even faster pace. Her lips parted slightly, "It’s normal for the Marquis of Dragon Sword to make a move after years of stillness. You may go."

Tang Xi knew what Mu Ruan was worried about, but she chose not to say more. She was the Phoenix Princess; she did not need to explain herself to anyone. After pondering for a moment, Tang Xi also contemplated Bo Qing’s whereabouts, thinking to herself: Aside from my Daxuan royal clan, Bo Qing has nowhere else to go. With the opening of the Eastern Wilderness Academy in three months, he is likely preparing for this event.

The Bo Qing who occupied Tang Xi’s thoughts had already taken flight, arriving at Green Heaven.

「Green Heaven.」

Green Heaven is the first of the Ninth Heavens, separated from the human world. Martial Saints who engage in combat often ascend to Green Heaven. Otherwise, if they fought in the human realm, frequent natural disasters and man-made calamities would occur, damaging ley lines and water veins. In such cases, neither the Five Great Academies nor the various Overlord Sects would let these Martial Saints off the hook. The existence of the Five Great God Continents greatly helped the Human Race alleviate the onset of Heavenly Calamities and Earthly Tribulations and also mitigated a portion of the disaster’s power.

Among the Five Great God Continents, Loose Cultivator Martial Saints without a fixed territory suffered from more severe blessed land disasters than other Martial Saints. Every piece of territory in the human world was incredibly important. This was a significant distinction between Loose Cultivator Martial Saints and those who belonged to a Sect.

Amidst undulating mountains that seemed like a chain of hundreds of thousands, the Sword Tao incarnation arrived gracefully.

"Heavenly River Sword, arise!"

Forming a sword seal with his hand, the Heavenly River Sword split into myriad beams of Sword Light, gathering information about the area. It didn’t take long for the Sword Tao incarnation to have a crystal-clear understanding of the surrounding events.

A gentle breeze blew by, and the Power Tao incarnation stepped out from inside the Heavenly River Blessed Land, touching the ground. Most of Hong Yuan’s perspective shifted to his Power Tao incarnation, granting him full control over it.

Hong Yuan took a light breath, centering his mind. Even though he had experienced Saint Achievement Immortal Transcending once before, facing it again, he still felt a sense of nervousness. Because Martial Artists and Martial Saints existed on nearly two different levels of being. The former were human, while the latter were clearly Transcendent, akin to Immortal Gods.

Three steps to Saint Achievement Immortal Transcending: the first step is to break the Aperture, the second is to absorb Qi, and the third is to explode the Aperture.

At this moment, Hong Yuan had begun the Saint Achievement Immortal Transcending Tribulation for his Power Tao incarnation.

This place is Green Heaven, where the Yin and Yang energies of heaven and earth are not as rich as below, so I assume the tribulation will be somewhat lighter.

Hong Yuan closed his eyes and began to shatter his Aperture. The first step, breaking the Aperture, had begun.

The Aperture of the Ten Extreme Bodies was vastly different from those of ordinary martial artists, who refine theirs postnatally, whereas theirs form innately. In seizing Creation, they also concealed tremendous tribulations. Their breaking of the Aperture was uncontrollable; it was spontaneous! 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

As soon as Hong Yuan retracted the suppressive power of his Xuanwu Transformation Divine Power, the Aperture of his Great Power True Martial Body shattered violently. Under the oppressive force of the Yin and Yang energies of heaven and earth, his robust and sturdy body resembled a shattered porcelain figure. A dark void appeared in his abdomen, ceaselessly absorbing the Yin and Yang energies from heaven and earth.

In a flash, dark clouds gathered densely, and lightning serpents slithered through. A layer of Frost spread across the ground, and various terrifying auras began to awaken.

Hong Yuan’s expression remained unchanged as he allowed the forces formed by the Yin and Yang energies of heaven and earth to lift him steadily into the air. His skin was a bronze color, tough and forceful. His head of thick black hair whirled in the tempest, and his green robe tore apart piece by piece, making him appear even more powerful, like a wild lion undergoing a trial.

The wind began to rise, and the rain began to fall. In just a moment, the breeze turned into a gale, and the drizzle turned into a downpour. Thunder roamed restlessly among the dark clouds, with flashes of firelight occasionally appearing, and layer upon layer of green smoke and white mist began to accumulate. With the oppressive pressure from the Heaven and Earth Qi, the tribulation became increasingly violent.

Faced with such a terrifying scene, the Sword Tao incarnation had no choice but to retreat a thousand miles and continue to stand guard.

The tribulation of a genuine Ten Extreme Body is truly terrifying. My Original Body, born from flesh and soul, flawless and complete—if it were to undergo tribulation, I fear the power would be even more ferocious than this, a thought suddenly flashed through Hong Yuan’s mind.

The tribulation was still brewing, and a suffocating sensation slowly emerged. In the midst of the thunderstorm, not only did the Five Elements Divine Thunder converge, but the Nine Beasts of Dragon Sons also revealed their traces. Moreover, Hong Yuan saw a golden ant figure within! This figure dominated heaven and earth, unchallenged and supreme, as if all things in the world were but components of its will.

Tianli!?

No, it’s the revival of the Great Emperor Mark, activated by the Power Tao of this world!

Hong Yuan’s heart sank. This is not good, he thought. He never expected to confront a Heavenly Horned Ant, much less one more powerful than Tianli. The Heavenly Horn Ant Clan had produced several Great Emperors who reached the pinnacle of Power Tao numerous times. This was why those ancient Demon Clan seniors in the dream had staked everything on Tianli.

Now, Hong Yuan faced an opponent more powerful than Tianli. Even though they were on the same level, Hong Yuan still felt immense pressure.

Hong Yuan roared, stomping his foot forcefully, and his body shot out like a cannonball.

Divine Power—White Tiger Transformation!

The White Tiger, the spirit of the West, represents autumn and controls the authority of the Golden Spear for slaughter and battle. Among the Four Images Divine Powers, its offensive capability is the most ferocious.

In the midst of flight, Hong Yuan transformed into a White Tiger Divine Beast. He roared as he fought amidst the Tribulation Cloud and thunder, but the Tribulation Cloud evolved even faster and became more terrifying.

Jia GOld Divine Thunder, Decreasing Wood Thunder, Kui Water Divine Thunder, Qiao Fire Divine Thunder, and Earth Divine Thunder bombarded him in succession. Hong Yuan opened his tiger mouth wide and forcibly swallowed them.

Using this method, he resolved the first layer of tribulation, causing the Tribulation Cloud to pause slightly. But in the next instant, nine ferociously spirited Dragon Sons burst forth from the Tribulation Cloud at tremendous speed, their aura savage.

And at this moment, Hong Yuan had just begun merging the clear atmospheric Qi, Golden Earth Qi, and violent blood Qi, not yet reaching the second step of breaking the Aperture.

I must hold on! Even if I fail, I have to reach the step of Questioning the Heaven and Earth! Hong Yuan clenched his teeth. Last time, it was during the step of Questioning the Heaven and Earth that the Sword Tao incarnation successfully condensed the Ancient Sword Dragon Transformation, an earth-level Divine Power.

No matter what, this time the Power Tao incarnation must also bring forth an earth-level Divine Power.

Yet, even at this moment, Hong Yuan still couldn’t understand why the Saint Achievement Immortal Transcending Tribulation of his Power Tao incarnation was so terrifying...