by Dragon King
“Gongzi! Gongzi!” Lu Lili waved her hand before his eyes, pulling him back to reality.
“Oh. Take a break when you’re done,” Hao Ren said.
Lu Lili pouted with disapproval at Hao Ren’s words. “Gongzi, you don’t care about us…”
Hao Ren froze at Lu Lili’s complaint, realizing that while he bombarded them with questions, he didn’t show any concerns for them.
“Ok, ok! You two can watch TV, and I’ll read a book with you.”
Hao Ren was planning to go back to his room upstairs to cultivate, but he changed his mind. He went up and grabbed two architectural books before going downstairs to keep them company.
Lu Linlin and Lu Lili nodded happily. Hand in hand, they sat on the sofa to watch TV while Hao Ren read his books beside them.
It was still drizzling outside, but the atmosphere was warm inside with the twin beauties in the house.
The humid air carried a sweet fragrance.
Lu Linlin and Lu Lili discussed the leading actor of the drama they were watching and also made comments about the leading actress like two ordinary girls.
After lunch, the Lu sisters showed no intention of leaving, and Hao Ren was ok with them staying. Since it was still raining, he spent the afternoon reading.
In the evening, Lu Linlin and Lu Lili told him that they couldn’t go back due to the rain and wanted to stay the night here. Knowing that it was just an excuse for them to stay here and keep him company, Hao Ren didn’t object to their plan.
Since it was their first time staying the night in Hao Ren’s home, they were excited and messed with each other in their room. However, they didn’t go to Hao Ren’s room to bother him.
The drizzle continued to Monday morning. Hao Ren didn’t want to drive, so the sisters followed him to the bus stop each holding a small flower-patterned umbrella.
While they were waiting for the bus at the bus stop, the handful of people who were also waiting for the bus kept glancing at Lu Linlin and Lu Lili who looked cute holding small umbrellas in the rain.
On the bus, they sat on each side of Hao Ren.
Life was simple and warm, and Hao Ren felt like he was back in middle school.
The bus drove slowly, and they arrived at East Ocean University one hour later.
High spirited, Lu Linlin and Lu Lili skipped and hopped to class hand in hand. Hao Ren also went to his classroom.
Due to the rain, the floor of the classroom was damp.
Xie Yujia walked in with an umbrella in her hand, and the edges of her pants and shoes were damp as well.
She leaned her umbrella against the wall in a corner, and she smiled at Hao Ren after seeing that he was already there.
They were the only people in the classroom. Hao Ren was early today since he came directly from home, and Xie Yujia came early to the classroom so she could take one of the seats in the front row before others took them.
Pitter-patter! The drizzle continued. Hao Ren looked out through the window and saw Su Han passed by elegantly while holding an umbrella.
A black Mercedes-Benz drove from a distance and stopped in front of the Administration Building. The short Elder Sun got off the car as two bodyguards in black suits followed him.
Then, the passenger door opened, and another man got out of the car. In a suit and a pair of sunglasses, a man walked out elegantly, though his back was a little bent.
On a second look, Hao Ren almost choked! It was Premier Xia!
He had only been on land several times, but he looked entirely different now! A bodyguard in a black suit walked to him and held up a black umbrella for him.
Premier Xia only nodded slightly.
“Damn, he looks like a boss now!” Hao Ren thought.
The group walked into the Administration Building while the black Mercedes-Benz waited outside. Meanwhile, in the classroom, Xie Yujia already sat down and was flicking off the water droplets from her shoes and the edge of her pants. Then, she looked back at Hao Ren and opened her mouth; she was about to say something.
Buzz… Hao Ren’s cell phone suddenly vibrated.
It showed Lu Qing’s phone number.
Hao Ren answered it.
“Gongzi Hao, Elder Zhao’s Heavenly Tribulation got activated earlier than we expected. We must go to the Dragon Palace right now!” Lu Qing told him over the phone.
193 Grand Array Formation, Activate!
After hearing this news, Hao Ren stood up immediately with his cell phone in his hand.
Xie Yujia was about to talk to him but blinked instead when she saw the expression on his face.
Through the window, Hao Ren saw the Mercedes-Benz driving toward the Academic Building he was in and rushed out of the classroom without hesitation.
Xie Yujia wanted to call out to him, but it was too late.
Dashing out of the Academic Building, Hao Ren saw that the black Mercedes-Benz had already stopped at the entrance.
Without thinking, he pulled open the door and got in.
Lu Qing, Elder Sun and Premier Xia were already in this car while the bodyguards sat in the car that was following them.
Their expressions were not as grim as Hao Ren had expected, but they didn’t seem relaxed, either.
The car drove out of the school steadily and headed toward the direction of the sea.
“Zi and the others are already there, right?” Hao Ren asked.
“Right.” Lu Qing nodded.
This Mercedes-Benz was spacious inside. Light music resonated in the car while the drizzle continued outside.
Buzz… Hao Ren’s cell phone vibrated.
He picked up the phone and saw a text message from Xie Yujia. “Hao Ren, why did you run out of the class? It is about to begin. Where are you going?”
After a moment of consideration, Hao Ren answered back. “Something happened, and I will probably come back quite late.”
Then, he turned off the cell phone to avoid further interruptions.
“How about Linlin and Lili? Are they coming?” Hao Ren asked Lu Qing.
“No. They are not a part of East Ocean,” Lu Qing answered him simply.
Probably due to the presence of Fuma, Lu Qing and the others didn’t talk. The only sound in the car was the light music.
They arrived at the seaside and got to the huge black rock. Lu Qing and others took Hao Ren into the undersea tunnel.
When they came to the main gate of the Dragon Palace, Hao Ren felt like it was quite different.
All kinds of array formations were activated, and the number of patrolling soldiers had doubled!
As Zhao Kuo’s Heavenly Tribulation drew near, the whole East Ocean Dragon Palace looked as if they were preparing for a war. All array formations were being used, and even the patrolling soldiers had all changed into armors.
After passing the heavily guarded main gate, Lu Qing, Hao Ren, and the others entered the Dragon Palace.
The altar for Zhao Kuo’s Heavenly Tribulation was situated in the northwest corner of the Dragon Palace. Since they couldn’t fly in the Dragon Palace, they had to walk there. On the way, they passed through several checks points. Even though the soldiers recognized Lu Qing and Premier Xia, they still checked their identifications.
Hao Ren looked around and saw that the number of soldiers protecting key places such as the Profound Cultivation Palace and Godly Treasure Palace had doubled as well.
They were impenetrable.
If anyone wanted to take the opportunity to break into the East Ocean Dragon Palace, they would be killed on the spot.
Lu Qing, Hao Ren, and others finally arrived at a huge white altar where more than 10,000 soldiers were guarding on its edge
Each gold-armored general led 1,000 silver-armored soldiers as they stood at one out of the 12 Earthly Branches. There were 12 Earthly Branches, so there were 12 gold-armored generals and 12,000 silver-armored soldiers.
Standing in uniform intervals beside the altar, it looked like a large compass from above.
>
The altar that was made with one massive piece of white jade was even more majestic than last time Hao Ren saw it.
All kinds of complicated patterns and engravings were put on the altar, glittering brightly. All sorts of complex array formations could be activated at any time.
All the elders in the Dagon Palace were present. The ten Purple-Robed Elders who had the highest cultivation powers stood in the inner circle according to the positions of the ten Heavenly Stems.
Even Hao Ren, who knew nothing about array formations, could tell that it was a very powerful array formation.
At the center of the hill-sized white jade altar, Zhao Kuo, who was in a simple cyan robe, was sitting on the ground cross-legged with his eyes closed.
Except for a black belt, he had no other decorations on him.
On his right, there stood a black tri-point double-edge sword that had a handle of more than three meters long.
Made from Ten-thousand-year Blue-Water Mystic Iron, the tri-point double-edge sword weighed 6,500 pounds. It had a similar shape as a trident, but it was 100 times more powerful than a trident. This was Zhao Kuo’s weapon that contributed to his reputation. It was called ‘Killing Tribulation’!
Black hair, black beard, and black face!
Zhao Kuo was resting peacefully, and Hao Ren found that this man was extremely magnificent for the first time.
Over ten thousand people stood grim-faced around the altar while Zhao Kuo was alone in the center.
He was ready to embrace the Tribulation of Life and Death with calmness! He deserved the name of the No. 1 Cultivator of the Mortal World!
“Your Majesty.”
Hao Ren was woken from his daze by Lu Qing’s greeting.
He turned and saw Zhao Guang walking toward them with Zhao Hongyu and Zhao Yanzi.
Zhao Guang nodded. The tension on his face showed his anxiety.
Zhao Hongyu lightly smiled at him, and Zhao Yanzi’s big eyes glanced at Hao Ren while she remained silent.
She had a deep bond with her Third Uncle and was very nervous about his Heavenly Tribulation.
“Elder Zhao estimated that the Heavenly Tribulation would come in six hours,” Premier Xia stepped forward and told Zhao Guang.
“Ok. Get everyone prepared.” Zhao Guang waved his hand.
“Six hours? The East Ocean put so much importance on Zhao Kuo’s Heavenly Tribulation that the whole Dragon Palace is getting ready six hours beforehand,” Hao Ren thought.
Time ticked away, and everyone was tensed up. Although the Heavenly Tribulation was estimated to come in six hours, no one was sure if it would come earlier than that.
Zhao Yanzi was tired after standing for so long. She wanted to rest for a while but couldn’t find anywhere to lean on. Unless she sat on the ground, she couldn’t really rest.
However, as the Princess, she would never do such an inappropriate thing. Seeing Zhao Hongyu and Zhao Guang staring at Zhao Kuo in the center of the altar, she silently moved to Hao Ren, clutching onto his clothes as she leaned onto his arm.
Hao Ren had been cultivating the Light Splitting Sword Shadow Scroll, and he stopped and held her when he sensed her movements.
Since Hao Ren had swallowed her Dragon Core, Zhao Yanzi was now like an ordinary girl. It was too much for her to stand for several hours.
However, Zhao Guang ordered everyone to stand ready for the upcoming event, and no one could rest. Even he himself was standing, so Zhao Yanzi couldn’t be an exception.
At this moment, the entire East Ocean Dragon Palace had to unite and face the Heavenly Tribulation together. Zhao Guang wouldn’t let anything distract them!
Zhao Yanzi sighed in relief when Hao Ren held her; her feet were less sore. However, her glances at him still weren’t so friendly.
Boom… Thunder could be heard in the sky.
“Your Majesty, the Heavenly Tribulation will come in half an hour at most!” Premier Xia walked over and bowed as he reported.
“Array Formation, activate!” Zhao Guang ordered.
The altar made of one piece of unique white jade began to move upward slowly.
Zhao Yanzi clutched Hao Ren’s arm to steady herself.
Shortly, the altar that was as big as several soccer fields rose above the sea. It was dark all around!
In the boundless darkness of the night, thunder resonated in the sky while lightning flashed.The 12 Earthly Branches or Terrestrial Branches are an ordering system used throughout East Asia in various contexts, including its ancient dating system, astrological traditions, and zodiac.The ten Heavenly Stems are a Chinese system of ordinals. The Heavenly Stems were used in combination with the Earthly Branches, a similar cycle of twelve days, to produce a compound cycle of sixty days.Tri-point double-edge sword is an ancient Chinese weapon that looked like a spear, but its head is a tri-point double-edge sword.
194 The Power of Heavenly Tribulation
Surrounded by the dark sea, Hao Ren didn’t know where this altar was in the vast ocean.
But he guessed this location was selected beforehand by the East Ocean Dragon Palace and had been kept as a top secret to prevent their enemies from attacking them at this vital moment.
In the sky, the thunder sounded, and the lightning rolled in the dark clouds that were now very close to the surface of the sea. The occasional flashes turned the sea surface silver white.
There was no trace of land in sight, and the frightening scene would have scared an average person.
A platform slowly rose from the altar, and Zhao Guang and Zhao Hongyu stood it. Today, the Dragon King Zhao Guang would personally command the Heavenly Tribulation Array Formation.
Instantly, the wind picked up, and the sea waves surged up high.
Zhao Yanzi staggered slightly, and she immediately clutched onto Hao Ren’s arm. Afraid that she would fall into the sea from the edge of the altar, Hao Ren firmly held her hand.
Her palm was warm, but her fingertips were cold.
Boom!
A lightning bolt arced across the sky.
Even Hao Ren who had never experienced such event knew that the Heavenly Tribulation was coming.
Zhao Yanzi was nervous. Her grip on Hao Ren’s hand tightened.
The lightning bolts traveled in the clouds, and the atmosphere on the huge altar, where more than 10,000 Dragon Cultivators gathered, was getting grimmer.
Bang!
The first lightning bolt crashed down from the clouds.
It was as thick as an arm and looked like a purple jade!
“Ninth Heaven Eighteen Lightning Tribulation!” Premier Xia who was standing beside Hao Ren and Zhao Yanzi murmured.
“Is it very powerful?” Zhao Yanzi asked him anxiously.
“Extremely powerful, more powerful than the Wind Fire Lightning Tribulation we expected,” Premier Xia furrowed his brows and said.
“Can Third Uncle withstand it?” Zhao Yanzi asked again immediately.
Premier Xia turned his attention to the center of the altar and didn’t answer. He acted as if he did not hear Zhao Yanzi’s question.
The purple lightning bolt crashed down from the sky and landed on the top of Zhao Kuo’s head.
Zhao Kuo remained in the same place and didn’t move a muscle. With a grunt, he withstood the first round of Heavenly Tribulation with his body!
Since he had reached top-tier Qian-level, his body was almost unbreakable!
The moment the first Heavenly Lightning Bolt crashed, the rain poured down from the dark clouds in the sky.
The huge white jade altar released a pale blue light shield, blocking the rainwater.
“The first lightning bolt is not difficult to withstand, but the latter ones get more and more powerful,” Premier Xia said, “Each of them of them would double in power compared with the previous one, and there are altogether 18 of them!”
Hao Ren made the calculations silently. “If each lightning bolt is going to be twice as powerful as the last one, then the last lightning bo
lt would be almost 100,000 times more powerful than the first one!”
“100,000 times! It is terrifying just to think about it.”
Zhao Yanzi’s math was not as good as Hao Ren’s, but she was worried when she heard that each of the 18 lightning bolts was stronger than the one before it. She bit her lower lip, and her breathing became uneven.
While they were talking, the second Heaven Lightning Bolt crashed down!
It was twice as loud as the first one, and it was thicker and brighter!
Zhao Kuo still sat there motionlessly, letting the lightning bolt crash into his body. His body lit up for a few seconds before returning to normal.
“Elder Zhao is indeed the No. 1 Cultivator in the Mortal World. He didn’t resist the Heavenly Tribulation. On the contrary, he absorbed the power of the Heavenly Tribulation and saved it to withstand the later lightning bolts,” Premier Xia said in a low voice.
Hao Ren and Zhao Yanzi held each other’s hand tightly while their eyes were locked on Zhao Kuo who was in the center of the altar. It was their first time witnessing a Heavenly Tribulation, and it was very important to East Ocean!
Boom!
The third Heavenly Lightning Bolt came with the booming sound!
It lit up half the sky.
Hao Ren had toyed with the idea of helping Zhao Yanzi’s Third Uncle absorb the power of lightning bolts with his technique. Now seeing the great power of the Heavenly Lightning bolts, he knew how naive his idea had been!
They were not only Heavenly Lightning bolt; they represented the power of the Heaven!
Cultivation itself was against the natural law. It was ok if the cultivators just wanted to chill in the mortal world. But if they wanted to challenge the natural law and gain the same privileges and powers of the Heaven and the Earth such as immortality, they must pass the tests of the Heavenly Tribulation!
Still sitting, Zhao Kuo quietly waited for the third Heavenly Lightning Bolt to crash into him.
But this time, his body shook slightly.
Premier Xia’s frown got tighter. “18 Heavenly Lightning Bolts, not easy…” he thought.
Boom!
