Swoosh!
Golden flames shot up into the sky under everyone's watchful eyes.
When the golden flames reached a certain distance away from the center of the Tribulation Clouds, it transformed into a giant flaming bird.
The crowd had just regained their sense when the bird unfurled its wings and flew into the Tribulations Clouds without creating any ripples.
"What's that golden flame?"
"I don't know. I can't tell!"
"I've not heard of anything like this happening during the Celestial Ascension Tribulation..."
"The golden flame turned into a bird in the end. I don't recognize the bird. Does anyone know what bird it is?"
"I haven't seen it before either."
"No, I don't know."
The Sun Force that had turned into golden flame before it surged out of Duan Ling Tian's body confused everyone. When it turned into a bird, no one knew what kind of bird it was as well. Even Shi Nan Feng, the Palace Master of Great Spirit Palace, and the high-ranking officials from the Three Palaces and Six Halls could not identify it.
Yuwen Hao Chen who was solely focused on his preparation was also slightly distracted by the golden flame. Naturally, he did not know what the flaming bird was as well. However, he did not let it distract him for long when he noticed nothing had changed even after the flaming bird had flown into the Tribulation Clouds. For this reason, he shifted his attention back to passing the Celestial Ascension Tribulation! As a Palace Master of Wandering Saint Palace, there was no doubt he would pass the tribulation. However, he could only cast the technique he had inherited during the second half of the Heavenly Tribulation. He still had to face the weaker part of the Heavenly Tribulation with his own strength.
The Three-legged Golden Crow?' No one, except for Duan Ling Tian, knew what the flaming bird was. He was shocked when he saw this. After a while, he felt a sense of relief when he thought of something, 'I almost forgot... The Sun Force is actually Elder Huo's force that he gave me through the enlightenment technique. It isn't strange for it to take the form of a Three-legged Golden Crow. After all, Elder Huo himself is a Three-legged Golden Crow, and the Sun Force is the exclusive force of a Three-legged Golden Crow.'
Mom, it's that bird again!" Duan Si Ling cried out.
Duan Ling Tian was shocked when he heard his daughter's words. He did not know his daughter had seen the bird before.
"Si Ling, you've seen this bird before?" Duan Ling Tian asked as he looked at his daughter.
"Daddy, you're so silly... Previously when you were cultivating, wasn't this bird protecting you? Because of the bird, auntie couldn't wake you up at all," Duan Si Ling replied.
"Protecting me?" Duan Ling Tian shifted his gaze to Gan Ru Yan.
Duan Ling Tian finally understood what happened after Gan Ru Yan and Peng Lai recounted what had happened to him.
According to them, it appeared a year ago... At that time, my cultivation base had broken through to the Eighth Form of the Saint Celestial Stage. The Three-legged Golden Crow protected me while I was cultivating? Based on their explanation and description, the Three-legged Golden Crow should be the same one that's formed by the Sun Force. Previously, Elder Huo did not mention anything about this at all...' Duan Ling Tian felt upset again when he was reminded of Elder Huo. This was because he thought Elder Huo had died when he used the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda to save him.
"The golden flame came from Duan Ling Tian!"
Apart from the people on Duan Ling Tian's side, Shi Nan Feng, the Palace Master of Great Spirit Palace, noticed it as well even though he was looking at the Tribulation Clouds that signified the start of the Celestial Ascension Tribulation. After all, half of his attention was always on Duan Ling Tian. For this reason, he saw the golden flames surged out of Duan Ling Tian's body before it shot into the Tribulation Clouds.
"What's that?" Shi Nan Feng was, naturally, confused since this was the first time he had witnessed something like this. He had not read about anything like that before. "Even the bird it has turned into looks unfamiliar..." He felt rather annoyed because he could not identify the flaming bird. After all, he had always thought of himself as knowledgeable. Perhaps, he would not have felt so annoyed if he knew that bird did not exist in the mundane realm.
When Shi Nan Feng regained his senses, he looked at Duan Ling Tian coldly. "Duan Ling Tian, when Yuwen Hao Chen passes his tribulation in a few days, I wonder how you'll die!" If looks could kill, Duan Ling Tian would have died multiple times.
Duan Ling Tian felt Shi Nan Feng's murderous stare and was about to turn to look at him when he was suddenly stunned. At this moment, he could clearly feel the Saint Origin in his body had begun to roil in his body as well along with the Sun Force. Moreover, he discovered his ability to comprehend heaven and earth had risen a few stages in just a blink of an eye!
Is this due to the Sun Force that shot out of my body? What has happened actually?' Duan Ling Tian thought about the Sun Force that had turned into golden flames before it shot into the Tribulation Clouds. He was very certain the sudden rise in his ability to comprehend heaven and earth had something to do with the Sun Force.
It's still rising...' Duan Ling Tian discovered that his ability to comprehend heaven and earth continued to rise, showing no signs of slowing down. Each time it rose, he sensed heaven and earth differently. Initially, he had felt a strange and faint connection to heaven and earth, but now, they felt familiar and intimate to him. The changes were extremely obvious.
Meanwhile, high above the Tribulations Clouds. Two figures who had been hovering there for a while were also shocked by what they saw.
"That's..."
These two figures were none other than the Patriarch of the Human-Devil clan and his master.
"Master... Wh- what's this?" The Patriarch of the Human-Devil clan could not help but ask the grey-clad old man. He did not know what was happening at all.
"I don't know." The grey-clad old man shook his head even though his eyes shone brightly as though he could see through all things.
At this moment, both of them saw the colorful clouds above the dark Tribulation Cloud dispersing before converging together again. This was caused by the strange bird that had flown through it!
Similarly, the Patriarch of the Human-Devil clan and the grey-clad old man did not recognize the bird as well. They were even more surprised when they saw the bird flying playfully around the colorful clouds after passing through the Tribulation Clouds.
The colorful clouds were not just any ordinary clouds. They were the Colorful Auspicious Clouds that would appear after the Celestial Ascension Tribulation ended! It was said that the birth of Colorful Auspicious Clouds had something to do with the Devata Realm.
"This bird is formed from golden flames. Its force seems to surpass the force of Saint Origin! I can sense that it's level is equivalent to the Celestial Origin Energy," the grey-clad old man muttered to himself.
"What?" The Patriarch of the Human-Devil clan exclaimed in shock when he heard his master's words. It was only natural that he was shocked when he learned that the bird's force was equivalent to the Celestial Origin Energy! If someone else had said this, he would not have believed them. Since his master already possessed Celestial Origin Energy, he did not doubt his master's words at all.
"The golden flame that transformed into a bird seems to have come from..." The Patriarch of the Human-Devil clan said as he tried to peer past the Tribulation Clouds in Duan Ling Tian's direction. However, before he could finish his sentence...
Boom!
The deafening sound of thunder rang in the air. The Tribulation Clouds continued to expand as the purple bolts of lightning continued to flash restlessly. Suddenly, a blindingly bright purple and white light flashed.