2326 The Path of a Bodiless Celestial

As a Three Tribulation Bodiless Celestial, Liao Nai Jiang was much stronger than an Eminent Celestial. Currently, his energy surged out of his body like a ferocious dragon, causing ripples in its wake. It was so powerful that it seemed as though it could tear a hole in the void.

'How strong!' As soon as Liao Nai Jiang released his energy, Duan Ling Tian could feel how strong it was. 'So this is the power of a Three Tribulation Bodiless Celestial? His strength is not something an Eminent Celestial could compare to.'

Since this was Duan Ling Tian's first time hearing about Three Tribulations Bodiless Celestial, he did not know anything about them at all. However, one thing was for certain, he knew how strong they were when he felt the energy that surged out of Liao Nai Jiang's body.

'Such power… His strength is definitely much stronger than the power-burst of that one-time kill from those three Eminent Celestials I met in the Upper Province previously! According to Elder Huo, the strength of that power-burst from that one-time kill is at the peak in the mundane realm. This means Liao Nai Jiang, a Three Tribulation Bodiless Celestial, is an existence above the Eminent Celestials in the mundane realm. His strength is probably comparable to those in the Devata Realm.' Duan Ling Tian's expression darkened. As it turned out, he was not invincible in the mundane realm even after he had cast the assist-type Divine Ability, the Elementary Devouring Tactic, to increase the strength of his Celestial Origin Energy! It was out of his expectation that someone whose existence and strength surpassed those in the mundane realm would exist.

'What's a Three Tribulation Bodiless Celestial? Why are they so powerful?' Duan Ling Tian was, naturally, curious about Bodiless Celestials.

…

Meanwhile, the people from the Three Palaces and Six Halls were stunned when the energy surged out of Liao Nai Jiang's body and wreaked havoc in the place. They had never seen anything like that in their lives.

"This is..."

"It feels as though the sky is about to fall… How strong!"

"This is the strength of a Three Tribulation Bodiless Celestial?"

"What's a Three Tribulation Bodiless Celestial?"

"I don't know!"

The people from the Three Palaces and Six Halls marveled at Liao Nai Jiang's show of strength. Naturally, they were also curious about Three Tribulation Bodiless Celestials. Based on what they could see, a Three Tribulation Bodiless Celestial seemed to be much stronger than Eminent Celestials who were supposed to be the strongest powerhouses in the mundane realm.

"Vice Palace Master Xing, do you know about Three Tribulation Bodiless Celestials?" Another Vice Palace Master of Great Spirit Palace asked Xing Yuan Ba. Curiosity filled his eyes when he looked at Xing Yuan Ba. He had turned to ask Xing Yuan Ba because he noticed Xing Yuan Ba had been staring at the grey-clad old man reverently since the beginning. Xing Yuan Ba did not seem shocked or curious. It was obvious Xing Yuan Ba knew about Three Tribulation Bodiless Celestials.

As soon as the Vice Palace Master from Great Spirit Palace finished speaking, the other high-ranking officials from the Great Spirit Palace instantly turned to look at Xing Yuan Ba curiously as well.

"Three Tribulation Bodiless Celestials are much stronger than Eminent Celestials. Their existence is above Eminent Celestials!" Xing Yuan Ba felt obligated to answer when he felt all those gazes laden with curiosity were trained on him. His expression was solemn, and his tone was reverent when he spoke about Three Tribulation Bodiless Celestials.

"Vice Palace Master Xing, how does one become a Three Tribulation Bodiless Celestial? After a powerhouse at the Ninth Form of the Saint Celestial Stage successfully passes the Celestial Ascension Tribulation and becomes an Eminent Celestial, he would undergo transcendence and ascend to a higher realm, right?" The Vice Palace Master of Great Spirit Palace asked a question that was in many people's minds.

"That's right. Could it be that some Eminent Celestials are able to withstand the force of celestial ascension and forcefully remain in the mundane realm? After that, they cultivate further and become a Three Tribulation Bodiless Celestial, right?" An elder from Great Spirit Palace asked.

"No." Xing Yuan Ba shook his head. "Three Tribulation Bodiless Celestials, or Bodiless Celestials, has nothing to do with Eminent Celestials. In fact, they've never been Eminent Celestials at all! This is because all of them failed the Celestial Ascension Tribulation. After all, one would only become an Eminent Celestial after overcoming the Celestial Ascension Tribulation."

When the high-ranking officials from the Great Spirit Palace heard Xing Yuan Ba's words, they felt a jolt in their hearts.

"Doesn't one die if one fails the Celestial Ascension Tribulation?" A Great Spirit Palace elder was in shock.

The other high-ranking officials from the Great Spirit Palace nodded along with the elder when they heard his question.

"It doesn't mean one would die if one fails the Celestial Ascension Tribulation." Xing Yuan Ba continued to say, "When a powerhouse at the Ninth Form of the Saint Celestial Stage is about to fail the Celestial Ascension Tribulation, he can try and cast the Soul Detaching Technique. If he succeeds, he would be considered as 'a deserter of the celestial ascension' by heaven. Therefore, he won't be able to hijack a body and has to exist in soul form. These souls are what we call Bodiless Celestials. As punishment, for the next 10,000 years, a Heavenly Tribulation would come every 1,000 years. If he's able to successfully overcome all ten Heavenly Tribulations after 10,000 years, he'll gain a chance to ascend to a higher realm! These ten Heavenly Tribulations are collectively known as Thousand Years Tribulation or Bodiless Celestial Tribulation. There are only two destinations on the path of a Bodiless Celestial. He would either fail the Heavenly Tribulation and die, or pass the Tribulation and survive. After passing each tribulation, the strength of the Bodiless Celestial would increase greatly."

Xing Yuan Ba continued to explain patiently as the others looked at him. "In the beginning, when a powerhouse at the Ninth Form of the Saint Celestial Stage fails the Celestial Ascension Tribulation and becomes a Bodiless Celestial, his strength is weaker than a powerhouse at the Ninth Form of the Saint Celestial Stage. He would only gain the strength of a powerhouse at the Ninth Form of the Saint Celestial Stage after 1,000 years if he passes the Heavenly Tribulation. A Bodiless Celestial who has passed the first Heavenly Tribulation is called a One Tribulation Bodiless Celestial. When he passes the second tribulation, he would become a Two Tribulation Bodiless Celestial. With that, his strength would be comparable to an Eminent Celestial. If he passes the third tribulation, he'll become the Three Tribulation Bodiless Celestial. His strength would surpass Eminent Celestials at this stage. And it would continue every 1,000 years, and each time his strength would increase if he passes the tribulations. However, the tribulations would get increasingly difficult to pass as well. It's a difficult task to overcome all ten tribulations. It's so difficult that it's rare to find Nine or Ten Tribulation Bodiless Celestials in the history of the Devil Clans."

At this point, Xing Yuan Ba finally stopped speaking. He had explained everything he knew after all.

This information was an eye-opener for those people from the Great Spirit Palace. It felt to them like a door to a new world had just been opened. They began to discuss among themselves, still shocked by this new information.

"Who knew Eminent Celestials aren't the strongest in the mundane realm?"

"I can't believe Bodiless Celestials exist in the mundane realm. Moreover, Three Tribulation Bodiless Celestials are stronger than Eminent Celestials. They would get increasingly stronger with each tribulation they pass. I wonder how strong are the following Bodiless Celestials?"

"Three Tribulation Bodiless Celestials are probably as strong as common celestials in the Devata Realm. As for Four, Five, and the following Bodiless Celestials, I'm sure they're terrifyingly strong! Stronger than what we're capable of imagining."

"Since the Bodiless Celestial Tribulation gets stronger one after the other, the number of Bodiless Celestials must be dwindling!"

"I thought one would only meet death when one fails the Celestial Ascension Tribulation. I didn't even think that there's a possibility of surviving after failing the Celestial Ascension Tribulation. Who knew one could become a Bodiless Celestial and gain a second chance to ascend to the Devata Realm!" An elder from the Great Spirit Palace exclaimed.

"It's not easy to gain a second chance to ascend! Didn't you hear Vice Palace Master Xing? He said it's rarely heard of for a Nine Tribulation Bodiless Celestial to pass the tenth Bodiless Celestial Tribulation!"

"Based on Vice Palace Master Xing's words, it seems like it's difficult to pass the Bodiless Celestial Tribulation. I'm afraid many Bodiless Celestials have died in pursuit of this second chance..."

...

Duan Ling Tian had overheard Xing Yuan Ba's explanation. He was thoroughly shocked. 'I didn't know Bodiless Celestials exist in the mundane realm!'