Chapter 278: Unyielding Resolve

Chapter 278: Unyielding Resolve

“Our lifespans are of no concern. Regarding these corrupted beings, Old Ox and I have long found a way to counter them. Xiao Chi, get back to the ship.”

“Moo moo!”

“Huh?!”

Xiao Chi’s eyes lit up with joy. So that was it—Brother Xun wasn’t just any human after all. “Haha, got it, Brother Xun! Now I’m relieved!”

Chen Xun smirked at Xiao Chi’s reaction, surprised that Xiao Chi had been hiding such a trump card. What made this Flameglow Ancient Lion form so special?

Black Ox also gave Xiao Chi a puzzled look. The catastrophe that had befallen Xiao Chi’s clan might not be as simple as it seemed. With abilities like these, Xiao Chi wasn’t just any ordinary spirit beast.

Xiao Chi shrank back to his usual, cheeky form, chuckling quietly in the crater. However, his aura seemed slightly diminished.

“Don’t worry. We’re not going to die.”

Chen Xun laughed heartily, slinging his Mountain Splitting Axe over his shoulder. “Let’s go, Old Ox—time to kill.”

“Moo moo~~” Black Ox nodded at Xiao Chi.

With that, the two figures disappeared in an instant. The battlefield ahead was now a barren wasteland, but the corrupted beings showed no understanding of fear or death.

Xiao Chi cast a deep glance at them before turning back to the ship.

He closed his eyes, beginning to condense his Nascent Soul’s essence blood again—this was his second life and could allow him to rebuild his physical body.

The current form he inhabited was merely a disguise; all his essence blood was condensed within his Nascent Soul. Cultivating this technique had cost him dearly, and none in his clan had ever succeeded.

But to survive, he had no choice but to push himself, driven by his greatest obsession. In the end, persistence paid off, and he succeeded in mastering the technique!

Time passed slowly. Chen Xun and Black Ox grew bolder with every battle. As long as no Deity Transformation-stage corrupted beings appeared, they remained unstoppable.

*Boom!*

The two Nascent Soul avatars shone like blazing suns, cutting down every corrupted being in their path. The eerie silence and gloom of the black soil lands were finally shattered...

...

Across the War Realm, all cultivators were trapped in the abyss of lost years, unable to escape. Darkness loomed, and the tainted blood’s curse etched itself into their bodies, slowly corroding them, turning all efforts into futility.

On the battlefield.

At an unremarkable section of the coastline lay a mountain of corpses—a vast expanse of blood and remains, piled high with the mutilated bodies of corrupted beings. Even the chilling aura had settled into silence.

Time left no trace; lifespans vanished like shadows. Amid the long passage of time, they sought eternity in brief moments.

When all seemed lost, drowned in the ancient stillness, only two figures remained, seated atop the mountain of corpses. Their eyes were deep, as calm as ancient wells, unmoved by the passing storms.

The once cursed land, covered with tainted blood, now served as nourishment. The ravaged black soil beneath them slowly mended itself, inch by inch, revealing its depths.

Chen Xun and Black Ox had been fighting these corrupted beings for a year.

This area had become a graveyard for the corrupted.

Chen Xun, now fully restored to his true form, had silver hair that flowed like lightning, emanating a sense of extraordinary power.

Over the past year of research, Chen Xun had discovered that the structure of these corrupted beings differed entirely from that of living creatures—they couldn’t even reproduce. Their existence was shrouded in mystery.

Their cultivation relied on the dark, chilling energy of the War Realm, which allowed them to elevate their spiritual senses and achieve breakthroughs.

Like cultivators, they could die if slain, and they could also succumb to the natural lifespan limits of their realm. Yet, their origins remained unknown.

“I humbly ask the heavens to grant their blessing and aid me on my path to Deity Transformation!”

His voice rang out, majestic and powerful, rippling across the land as the force of the Five Elements stirred, expanding like a tidal wave.

As the words echoed, fierce winds surged like a storm, spreading in all directions, enough to make all living beings tremble.

Chen Xun’s silver hair billowed wildly, his face a mix of reverence and cold amusement. From his position, fissures radiated outwards, cracking the black soil for hundreds of miles.

Corrupted beings within that range were startled. Dark shadows appeared, looking up, their eyes betraying emotions they had never shown before—fear, a deep and primal fear.

An overwhelming anger gathered in the pitch-black sky.

“Brother Ox!!”

“Moo!!”

Xiao Chi and Black Ox both trembled, shouting in unison. Even the small crane on the ship let out nervous chirps.

Black Ox broke into a sweat. Something was wrong; this was no ordinary tribulation.

It raised its hoof, casting a protective charm, praying for the heavens’ mercy—they were the good guys!

Far away.

Chen Xun remained seated. His eyes twitched as he sensed the deep rumbling beneath the earth.

Boom! Boom!

Lightning arcs stretched from the heavens to the earth, the blackness pierced by blinding bolts. Thunder roared, its might overwhelming.

“Damn it!!”

Chen Xun’s eyes widened, his hair standing on end. He quickly levitated, gathering the incense burners around him. “Heavenly tribulation—and an earthly one too?!”

The lightning surged without clouds, filling the sky with a relentless storm. But beneath the ground, something seemed to be locking onto him, and he felt an overwhelming urge to flee.

The heavenly might bore down, and corrupted beings retreated in terror, knowing that the wrath of the heavens was no mere foe.

“Stay calm. The heart demon tribulation is still ahead; I can’t lose focus.”

Chen Xun’s skin began to shed, hardening into an impenetrable armor. He prepared every trump card for the tribulation ahead.

A sea of lightning gathered in the sky, vast and boundless. Thunder crackled furiously, stirring immense waves.

Boom!!!

A massive bolt of lightning struck, connecting the heavens and the earth, enveloping the black soil lands in light.

Chen Xun’s eyes blazed with fury as he roared, bracing for impact.

But his eyes narrowed as he felt his mind being dragged into the heart of the tribulation, his consciousness fading...

On the giant ship.

The lightning storm surged across the black sea as the Crane Spirit Five Elements Tree glowed brilliantly, shielding the vessel with all its strength.

Black Ox mooed in panic, unable to gauge the situation or know if Chen Xun was prevailing.

Xiao Chi twitched on the deck, foaming at the mouth, his eyes blank. Everything he knew about cultivation had been shattered.

Chen Xun’s breakthrough to Deity Transformation had triggered the Three Tribulations: Heaven, Earth, and Man.