The Eternal Calamity of the Heaven-shading

Chapter 285 The Tribulation of Freedom, A Sigh for Freedom
Rumble!
In an instant, the sea of ​​stars surged like boiling water, and layers of tribulation clouds condensed into a world-destroying millstone, which began to spin with a deafening roar.

That oppressive force was truly terrifying; the surging, repressive aura filled the entire universe, reaching far and wide, suffocating everyone.

The sages who witnessed all this trembled, exclaiming, "That was... the tribulation of enlightenment!"

"Haha, more than 100,000 years have passed, and the great tribulation of enlightenment has reappeared in the mortal world. Will a new Heavenly Venerable rule the world from now on?"

"Doesn't that mean that the era of Lingbao Tianzun is about to end, and the shadow of the corpse disaster will eventually dissipate?"

People around the world were amazed.

No one felt regret or resentment, because the outcome was already predetermined: it would either be Wu Gen or Chu Xiaoyao.

At this moment, looking at the handsome man with a refined and ethereal appearance below the vast sea of ​​lightning, it was clear that the final victor was Chu Xiaoyao.

boom!
A wisp of chaotic lightning flashed by, like a sign of an impending explosion, instantly turning countless dead stars into dust.

Chi!
The Wheel of Tribulation descended from the top of the sky, its entire body shrouded in endless death energy; immediately afterward, the Spirit Treasure Killing Array Diagram combined with five killing swords slashed down, and before the sword light even arrived, thirty percent of the starlight in the sky had already been cut off.

The calamity became even more ferocious, giving no one a chance to breathe.

Deep within the Thunder Sea, the booming sound of war drums continued to echo. Boundless Mask, Longevity Sword, Azure Profound Furnace, Serpent Spear, White Tiger Claw, Devouring Heaven Pot, Sky-Splitting Halberd—one after another, these renowned and deadly weapons filled the sky, exuding a terrifying aura and the law of world destruction.

“Those are… projections of the weapons of past Heavenly Venerables. They manifested in the Heavenly Tribulation to hinder this contemporary hero from achieving enlightenment.”

Upon seeing this, the pupils of the several quasi-celestial beings who had mustered their courage to watch shrank in disbelief.

From the beginning of the new era to the present, over a period of more than 500,000 years, a total of twelve Heavenly Venerables who attained the Dao through the Mysterious Realm of the Human Body have been born, each of whom has been recorded in history and shines brightly.

Now, apart from the Eternal Calamity Celestial Venerable, who holds a transcendent and unique position, the Chaos Celestial Venerable, who chose to conquer the Immortal Path and leave the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths in his second life, and the Seven Kill Celestial Venerable, who died prematurely, all the other Daoist Celestial Venerables' Extreme Dao Soldiers' weapons have been copied, totaling exactly nine.

It should be noted that nine is the ultimate number. Even if they are just nine unclaimed phantom weapons, when they attack together, the vast starry sky will immediately shatter into pieces, which is the most terrifying thing.

"How would you respond to the most outstanding person of this era?"

Faced with such a critical situation, the several quasi-celestial beings were all curious about Chu Xiaoyao's next move.

call out!
As fragments of the laws of time scattered and danced, various celestial radiance and divine mists filled the air.

Suddenly, a Great Dao Treasure Bottle appeared in Chu Xiaoyao's hand, emitting a faint green light. It was a powerful Dao weapon forged from Immortal Tears Green Gold, bound to his life and bearing the Dao of Extreme Speed.

"You didn't have a chance to use your skills in the previous battle with Fellow Daoist Wu Geng, but now your opportunity has arrived." Chu Xiaoyao said softly, his eyes becoming increasingly clear. "Go, temper yourself with the Tribulation of Proving the Dao, and achieve your ultimate leap!"

As if in response to his words, the Immortal Tear Green Gold Bottle flew out on its own, its mouth spewing out a dazzling light, intending to fight against the nine weapons.

boom!
The next moment, world-destroying heavenly lightning fell like a rain of stars, and the great calamity intensified.

Nine Taoist temples suddenly appeared in the sky, each carrying a layer of heaven, magnificent, spectacular, and awe-inspiring.

"It's actually the Ninefold Immortal Tribulation!"

In the distant Kunlun Mountains, an ancient creature awoke from its slumber. Upon opening its eyes, it witnessed this extraordinary sight, and its expression immediately changed.

"This young man is extraordinary; his future achievements will likely rival those of us." Even in the long-dormant Immortal Tomb Forbidden Zone, a supreme being sighed.

The Ninefold Immortal Tribulation, also known as the Nine Heavens Great Tribulation, is said to have been named by the Eternal Tribulation Celestial Venerable himself.

As its name suggests, when it is born, nine heavens will appear, and nine Taoist palaces will suppress the past and present.

Throughout history, only four individuals—the Tribulation-Crossing Celestial Venerable, the Longevity Celestial Venerable, the Boundless Celestial Venerable, and the Spiritual Treasure Celestial Venerable—have experienced this, and each of them is an extremely amazing and unparalleled powerhouse.

Unexpectedly, it reappeared 100,000 years later.

"Do you think so highly of me?"

Chu Xiaoyao spoke softly, then smiled helplessly.

Nine ancient Taoist temples stood atop the nine heavens, each housing a supreme Heavenly Venerable weapon.

Moreover, the four Taoist temples were quite different, and there were actually living beings inside them. Some were ethereal and indistinct, some were filled with blood and qi, some were hazy and invisible, and some were sharp as swords. The corresponding illusory images of the Heavenly Venerable weapons were the Wheel of Tribulation, the Sword of Longevity, the Mask of Boundless Power, and the Spirit Treasure Killing Array.

Although their temperaments are different, they all have one thing in common: they are extremely powerful, and the extreme aura they exude sweeps across the universe, making people shudder.

"Four of you have come at once, what an honor!" Chu Xiaoyao muttered to himself.

The moment he finished speaking, he was attacked in the most terrifying way.

The being, suspected to be a manifestation of the Great Dao traces of the Celestial Venerable Lingbao, made its move, activating the killing formation. Instead of any mysterious or unpredictable changes, it returned to simplicity, unleashing its killing power to the fullest extent.

Chu Xiaoyao subconsciously shifted his body, but he did not expect that his usually invincible speed would suddenly slow down at this moment, as if the void was frozen and time was slowed down.

Left with no other choice, he had to accept it.

boom!
Fragments of laws flew everywhere, and turbulent energy flowed in all directions.

Even someone as powerful as Chu Xiaoyao was sent flying, coughing up mouthfuls of blood.

For some reason, at this critical moment of life and death, he suddenly thought of Wu Geng and sighed inwardly: "This is the ultimate manifestation of the secret of character formation, pointing directly to the core of the array."

At the same time, the Heavenly Venerable of Tribulation and the Heavenly Venerable of Longevity arrived together and used forbidden divine powers to seal off his escape route.

As for the Boundless Heavenly Venerable, his whole body was glowing, and the Heavenly Venerable weapons such as the Serpent Spear, White Tiger Claw, and Devouring Heaven Pot were all floating around him.

The other party has set its sights on the Immortal Tear Green Gold Bottle, intending to use the "Soldier" secret technique to interfere with the internal deities and seize control.

"What a formidable group of four secret masters of the Linzhe Army! They have reached the pinnacle of technique, almost reaching the Dao. However, my secret techniques are no less impressive."

"I travel at lightning speed, roam freely across the universe, and shall be the supreme ruler of the world!" Chu Xiaoyao roared.

"kill!"

Before he finished speaking, his aura changed abruptly, and his figure suddenly became ethereal, hazy and indistinct, carrying a trace of time.

That was because the speed was so fast that it even broke through the constraints of the Spirit Treasure Killing Array, after all, it wasn't the Spirit Treasure Celestial Venerable himself in person.

Rumble!
An unparalleled collision erupted, annihilating spacetime and shattering the divine laws of order.

Chu Xiaoyao wandered amidst endless lightning tribulations, engaging in a fierce battle with the illusory Dao traces of four Heavenly Venerables and nine Heavenly Venerable Weapons.

Without a doubt, he now stands in the realm of divine prohibition, and his combat power has reached its peak.

However, his enemies were equally terrifying. No matter how amazing or extraordinary they were, they were ultimately outnumbered and outmatched, and human strength has its limits.

Under the successive blows, Chu Xiaoyao was quickly sent flying, a large hole appearing in his chest, and blood splattered everywhere.

Everyone was stunned by this scene. They had finally found a promising talent to prove himself, but was he going to perish with regret?

"My foolish disciple, run! Don't forget what your master taught you: running away is the best policy!" Xiao Yaoxing, the old charlatan Zhao Yuanxing, who was stuck at the Saint realm, broke out in a cold sweat.

Immortal Tomb Forbidden Zone

The Celestial Venerable of Immortality watched indifferently as his illusory image sent Chu Xiaoyao flying with a single sword strike, his face expressionless.

Just then, a sudden reversal occurred.

"Hey!"

An indescribable wave surged forth, exceeding the limits of human speed. Then, the illusory image of the Eternal Celestial Venerable seemed to suffer a fatal blow, inexplicably shattering into pieces, with flesh and blood flying everywhere.

That was actually Chu Xiaoyao's true form. He had just defied the laws of the universe, displaying unparalleled speed, and at the cost of severe injury, he had eliminated the illusory image of the Eternal Heavenly Venerable. This was because the latter possessed the strongest healing ability and was the most effective counter to the "Zhe" secret technique; only by defeating it first could Chu Xiaoyao calmly recover from his injuries.

"Humph!"

Seeing this, the Celestial Venerable of Longevity's eyes flickered slightly, and he let out a cold snort without leaving a trace.

"Fellow Daoist Changsheng, more than 100,000 years have passed in the blink of an eye, and another successor is about to step into the realm of the ultimate path." Deep within a certain great tomb, the Devouring Heaven Venerable transmitted his divine thoughts, with surging radiance.

The Heavenly Venerable Rift also awoke and exclaimed, "Indeed, this person's speed is so fast that it even affects the stability of spacetime; even I can't quite understand it."

……

In the center of the sea of ​​lightning, Chu Xiaoyao once again displayed extreme speed, almost disrupting the flow of time.

This time, his target is the Boundless Heavenly Venerable, and he wants to expand his breakthrough point.

puff!
Beside the Boundless Heavenly Venerable, the Serpent Spear and the White Tiger Claw suddenly exploded, half of them shattered. The speed was so fast that it was impossible to defend against and difficult to deal with.

"So powerful!" Chu Xiaoyao exclaimed inwardly.

He originally pointed directly at the masked figure, but under the influence of the "Soldier's Secret" technique, the two Heavenly Venerable Weapons were forcibly conscripted and used as a shield.

Before he could adjust his strategy, Chu Xiaoyao's expression suddenly changed again.

Suddenly, the illusory image of the Boundless Heavenly Venerable's Dao traces changed, seemingly resonating with his own Great Dao. At the same time, his speed increased many times over.

As a result, two speedsters appeared at the same time, and the universe began to collapse and become unstable because the power of time was indeed surging, producing extremely serious effects.

In the face of life and death, Chu Xiaoyao's heart sank.

The rumors are not false. As the first being to evolve into a chaotic body after birth, Wuliang Tianzun not only created the "Soldier's Secret" but also a strange forbidden technique that can simulate the laws of others' Great Dao.

In fact, the term "Wuliang Tianzun" originally had another meaning, referring to the collective title for all the celestial deities.

Looking back at his many achievements: founding the Taoist school, clarifying the chaotic cultivation methods of the past, forging the Big Dipper... Now it seems that the ambition of that legendary celestial being was quite great.

"However, in my field, no one is faster than me. Even if you are the Boundless Heavenly Venerable, you cannot surpass me; imitation and borrowing are ultimately inferior to the original."

Chu Xiaoyao had thick hair and flowing robes, exuding an indescribable air of transcendence.

This is his method of attaining enlightenment. He has such confidence that he would dare to fight even the Eternal Heavenly Venerable in person.

boom!
The heavenly tribulation was earth-shattering, with a vast sea of ​​thunder descending, accompanied by the illusory figures of three celestial beings emanating world-destroying laws, and the blazing Dao fire.

"From now on, I will call this secret technique the 'Xing Zi Secret'. Once the 'Xing Zi Secret' is revealed, even time itself will bow down to me."

Chu Xiaoyao laughed loudly, shattering the starry river behind him.

Wow!
At this moment, the turbulent river of time reappeared, and the countless years of time floating in the waves solidified into a crystalline water curtain to greet the Dao fire that burned the heavens.

The moment water and fire collided, the flow of time in the entire star field suddenly became disordered. Under the influence of this strange force, countless stars cycled between birth and decay, endlessly living and dying.

"puff!"

Chu Xiaoyao spat out a mouthful of blood, and his originally thick black hair gradually turned gray.

Before fully breaking through to that realm, he unleashed the power of the River of Time, and the price was naturally high. Moreover, after such a long life-or-death battle, there was no time to catch his breath.

As his white hair turned to ash, he reached into the turbulent currents of time and space, and the laws of order he touched crumbled one by one.

After retrieving his hands, Chu Xiaoyao looked at his withered and aged hands and sighed, "The Way of Time is indeed terrifying. Fortunately, I am still young and can afford to wait."

Having said that, he activated the "Zhe" character secret technique and unleashed a vast wave of Dao energy, which was entirely composed of the power of time.

Throughout the universe, many powerful figures felt their scalps tingle. What a ruthless Dao heart this must possess, willing to risk personal injury to defeat a powerful enemy. No wonder Wu Gen of the Guijian Sect was no match for him.

……

Burial Island
Floating silently in some deserted star field, isolated from the world, as if forgotten by time.

On one of the dragon veins, a white tortoise lies leisurely under the immortal laurel tree, its legs crossed.

At the same time, its two front paws gently gripped a bluestone slab, inside which was engraved a miniature celestial observation array, clearly made by a peerless powerhouse at the Heavenly Venerable level. Even across endless star systems, the scene of the Dao Tribulation could be clearly displayed.

The white tortoise was watching Chu Xiaoyao undergo his tribulation when it saw him unleash the "Word of Movement" technique, and its two small eyes widened instantly.

Accompanied by chirping sounds, a fiery red bird suddenly descended from the sky and landed directly on the branch of the immortal laurel tree.

The Divine Phoenix Elixir of Immortality had arrived. Seeing the white tortoise so engrossed, it immediately tilted its head to watch as well.

Soon, the immortal herb took a keen interest in it, and the tortoise and the bird stared intently at the bluestone slab.

"My lord, this new Celestial Venerable's method of speed is indeed formidable. It seems that he will rule the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths for the next tens of thousands of years."

At the heart of the central location of Burial Sky Island, both Wei Yangxian and Chen Wu were keeping a close eye on the situation.

"Yes!"

Chen Wu said meaningfully, "You're still young, so of course you're full of vigor, just like the Celestial Venerable of Immortality back then. Only by personally experiencing the power of time can you understand the difficulty of the path to immortality!"

"My lord, that carefree Celestial Venerable entered the realm of time using the 'Travel' secret technique. Couldn't he reverse the passage of time, rejuvenate, and thus extend his own lifespan?" Wei Yangxian asked curiously.

"No, the laws of heaven and earth do not allow it!"

Chen Wu shook his head. "Even if one cultivates to the peak and can influence the passage of time, one still cannot change oneself."

According to the original historical trajectory, the Free and Unfettered Celestial Venerable's attainments on the path to immortality were roughly equal to those of the Celestial Venerable of Immortality. The latter had consumed almost all the divine objects of heaven and earth that could prolong life, and relied on instigating dark turmoil and self-sealing to eke out a living into later generations.

The carefree Celestial Venerable, on the other hand, used a much more brutal method. He directly possessed a person who was about to attain enlightenment, took their place, and merged with them.

This method allowed him to retain more complete combat power, and even caused considerable trouble for Ye Fan, who had achieved the Great Perfection of the Holy Body. On the other hand, the Eternal Heavenly Venerable was dragged down to his death by another Great Perfection of the Holy Body in his later years.

Although Chen Wu didn't quite agree, he couldn't say anything, after all, it was someone else's path to immortality.

"So, in that game of chess, the Heavenly Venerable of Tribulation Crossing won, right?" Immortal Weiyang asked again.

"Yes! At most 600,000 years, Cao Yusheng will reappear in the world." Chen Wu nodded.

"And what about Lingbao Tianzun?"

“Lingbao?” Chen Wu murmured, calmly. “He’s probably in a period of confusion, but it’s better than before. At least he’s found his way out of a dead end. Once he unravels the mystery of life and death, you’ll be close to reaching your full potential.”

Upon hearing this, Wei Yangxian smiled faintly, "Then I'm really looking forward to that day!"

Looking at Chu Xiaoyao, who was full of vigor in the distant star field, Chen Wu sighed softly: "The Tribulation of Xiaoyao, alas for Xiaoyao. Those who chase the times are trapped by the times, and those who fear death are drowned in life."

……

Several days later, this world-destroying lightning tribulation finally came to an end.

An overwhelmingly powerful aura swept across the heavens and the earth, causing all living beings of all races to tremble in fear.

It was Chu Xiaoyao who survived the great tribulation and successfully fused with the Heavenly Heart Mark.

"I am the Free and Unfettered Celestial Venerable, and from this day forward I reign supreme over the world, seeking the eternal Dao."

(End of this chapter)