South of the Viet Nation, atop Wuxing Mountain, a figure stood, robes fluttering in the wind.
Draped in black robes, he sat cross-legged on a large rock. His profound gaze made one's heart quicken just by looking into it. On his resolute face, no expression was visible; he simply sat in silence, as if awaiting something.
Tonight, the moon shone exceptionally bright, and thousands of stars twinkled in the sky. Under the moonlight, he resembled a solitary black wolf.
This young man was named Shen Nan, a super-level cultivator. He had undergone countless Heavenly Tribulations to reach the Ninth Layer of the Vấn Đỉnh realm today. However, in his previous tribulations, the Heavenly Tribulation had only been a Five-Layer one. To shed his mortal coil and ascend to immortality, he would have to withstand a Nine-Layer Heavenly Tribulation.
The Nine-Layer Heavenly Tribulation was a trial of "Nine Deaths, One Life." If successful, he would transform into an Immortal Body, escaping the cycle of reincarnation. But if he failed, his soul would be scattered and his spirit destroyed; from then on, Shen Nan would cease to exist forever, unable to re-enter reincarnation.
In a moment, black clouds slowly appeared in the sky, and Wuxing Mountain suddenly became shrouded in gloom. Shen Nan was slightly startled, and he was heard to whisper:
"It's finally here."
The black clouds grew thicker and thicker, submerging Wuxing Mountain in a hazy night. A terrifying aura permeated from the sky.
"Come then, let me see just how powerful this Nine-Layer Heavenly Tribulation truly is!"
He looked at the sky and laughed wildly, his hands continuously forming strange seals, emitting concentrated streams of true qi.
Cultivators, whether they cultivate immortality or devilry, all defy the heavens, and thus the Heavenly Dao does not permit it. Therefore, in the end, they must endure the Heavenly Dao's punishment in the form of Heavenly Tribulations to impede their progress. There are nine Heavenly Tribulations, each stronger than the last, and among ten thousand people, only two or three can cultivate to this stage. Currently, those who reach the Vấn Đỉnh realm are few, and those who reach the Ninth Layer of the Vấn Đỉnh realm are even rarer, pitifully so. Shen Nan was able to reach this stage from being a rogue cultivator in just 400 years, which demonstrates just how monstrous his talent is.
At this moment, Shen Nan suddenly felt the aura in the sky growing stronger and stronger. Streaks of lightning appeared in the sky. No, more precisely, they were purple lightning bolts, carrying an aura of destruction. These purple lightning bolts formed extreme black holes, shooting directly towards Shen Nan.
Shen Nan's expression became solemn. His body-protecting vital energy was pushed to its limit, quickly enveloping his body.
"Boom! Boom! Crash!"
A bolt of heavenly lightning struck him directly. Immediately, his body-protecting vital energy was dented in one spot, and Shen Nan's face turned pale. His hand seals shifted again, instantly repairing his body-protecting vital energy.
"Boom! Rumble!"
Shen Nan's body-protecting vital energy, just repaired, was struck down by the second bolt of heavenly lightning. The entire Wuxing Mountain was shattered, and the body-protecting vital energy enveloping Shen Nan was also torn and riddled with holes.
"Damn it all, the second wave of this Heavenly Tribulation is even stronger than the fourth wave of the previous tribulation!"
A moment later, he finally managed to withstand four waves of Heavenly Tribulation. Shen Nan couldn't help but curse loudly, his face pale, blood already trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"Crackle! Crackle! Rip!"
The terrifying black holes once again flashed with frightening lightning bolts. The cloud layers continued to press down, growing thicker, the voids also grew larger, and the lightning grew stronger.
"Five Elements Burning Demon Seal!"
A blood-red magic sigil was hurled into the air by Thần Nam. His hand wove a strange hand seal, and the sigil quickly flew above his head, shrouding Ngũ Hành Sơn. A dense blood-qi shot skyward, engulfing Ngũ Hành Sơn.
—Boom, Crackle…
The fifth bolt of heavenly lightning poured down onto the Ngũ Hành Demonic Seal. Its blood-red radiance grew even denser, and five terrifying blood-qi ghost heads surged forth, carrying a stream of red liquid to resist the heavenly lightning.
—Crackle, crackle.
The five terrifying blood-red ghost heads shrieked, and swallowed the lightning bolts whole.
—Rumble, rumble.
Amidst the fierce assault of the heavenly lightning, the five ghost heads of the Ngũ Hành Demonic Seal slowly devoured it. Their blood-red hue also began to fade, but they still frantically met each incoming bolt of heavenly lightning.
A long while later, with the sixth wave of heavenly lightning, the Ngũ Hành Demonic Seal shattered into tiny fragments, and the five blood-red ghost heads were struck by the heavenly lightning, vanishing into thin air.
Thần Nam opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. The true qi within his body surged erratically, and his entire body became weak and listless.
—Whoosh, whoosh…
The entire world was plunged into darkness. The moonlight had long since been obscured by dark clouds; only the lightning within the black void flickered with light, shimmering in the dark night atop Ngũ Hành Sơn. Thần Nam took a medicinal pill and popped it into his mouth, then reluctantly gathered all the true qi within him.
"Only three more waves left, I must persevere, I absolutely must persevere…" Thần Nam muttered to himself.
—Rumble, rumble.
Flashes of lightning incessantly roared within the black void. Immediately afterward, the heavens and earth began to tremble. A bolt of lightning, about a meter long, shot out from the vortex and fiercely struck towards Thần Nam.
Clenching his jaw, Thần Nam roared loudly. His hand unleashed an incredibly terrifying orb of light to meet the colossal lightning bolt.
—Boom, boom, boom.
A series of earth-shattering sounds followed as the two opposing forces collided, creating a colossal burst of light, visible even from thousands of miles away.
Thần Nam assessed the power of this heavenly lightning bolt. The colossal heavenly lightning bolt was not stopped by his orb of light, and in that instant, Ngũ Hành Sơn was flattened.
"Failure, I have failed… I refuse to accept this…"
Those were Thần Nam's last thoughts at that moment, as everything before his eyes faded into darkness…