Chapter 326: Chapter 322: The Three Calamities and Five Difficulties
The Divinity Sealing Tower stood only three stories tall. Its form was slightly illusory, enveloped in a faint glow.
This was not the Divinity Sealing Tower’s strongest form. The Primordial Spirit Treasure was upgradable; as Ning Jiang’s Realm increased, so too would its power.
In its current state, the Primordial Spirit Treasure could block even the Primordial Spirit Attacks of Immortal Realm experts. The Annihilation Black Wind, though formidable, was helpless against the Divinity Sealing Tower.
As the Annihilation Black Wind relentlessly invaded his mind, Ning Jiang instead used its power to further temper the Divinity Sealing Tower.
After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the Divinity Sealing Tower grew more solid. Light surged from its three stories, and the faint, illusory outline of a fourth story appeared, as if on the verge of manifesting.
If the fourth story were to be fully refined, it could not only withstand the attacks of an Immortal Realm Primordial Spirit but could even contend with one on equal footing.
And at five stories, suppressing an Immortal Realm expert would be a simple matter.
"The Celestial Tribulation isn’t over."
At this moment, Yue Wenfu and the others wore grave expressions. Normally, a Celestial Tribulation ended after a Martial Artist overcame the three calamities.
But above Ning Jiang’s head, the thunderclouds roiled and churned, growing ever deeper. An increasingly terrifying aura descended, making the hearts of countless Martial Artists pound with fear.
"The worst has happened, just as I feared. The Celestial Tribulation the Sect Leader faces is far more terrifying than any we have known."
"There’s no need to worry. With the Sect Leader’s strength, he will surely overcome this Celestial Tribulation."
"Legend speaks of five difficulties that follow the three calamities. Three calamities and five difficulties... this is the highest possible grade of Celestial Tribulation for the Divine Travel Realm. I wonder how many difficulties the Sect Leader will have to face?"
As they spoke, an incomparably sharp aura manifested in the sky.
"This is..."
Yue Wenfu and the others stared in shock.
One by one, weapons materialized in the sky, suspended in mid-air. They radiated a chilling light, their killing intent astonishingly sharp.
Sabers, spears, swords, halberds—thousands of different weapons hovered in the air.
The sight was so stunning it would be seared into one’s memory for a lifetime.
"The Weapon Difficulty!"
Everyone’s pupils contracted sharply, their hearts racing.
This was the first time they had ever witnessed one of the difficulties that followed the three calamities. Its sheer power inspired a profound terror and dread.
SWOOSH.
The next moment, dozens of weapons shot forward. The sharp energy radiating from each one was enough to kill a Divinity Transformation Realm expert.
And this army of thousands of weapons was enough to thrust even a Divine Travel Realm expert into a life-or-death crisis.
CLANG.
A metallic sound rang out as sparks flew. Ning Jiang soared into the sky, his body wreathed in Thunderbolt. He struck out with his palm, batting a sword away.
With his Nine Tribulations Celestial Thunder Body at the Great Success stage, his physical durability was nearly on par with a Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact.
"Kill."
Ning Jiang stretched his limbs and went all out, clashing head-on with the sky full of weapons using only his bare hands.
CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG—
The sound was deafening, and sparks erupted across the sky. Ning Jiang’s entire body was enveloped in lightning, forming a faint Thunder Realm within a three-foot radius around him.
This was a defensive perimeter formed by the external projection of his Blood Qi, a result of his Nine Tribulations Celestial Thunder Body reaching the Great Success stage.
Of course, while this defensive perimeter was called a Thunder Realm, it had nothing to do with the Domain of an Earth Martial Realm expert. A true Domain involved control over the Power of Heaven and Earth, something far beyond his current abilities.
However, the true power of the Nine Tribulations Celestial Thunder Body would only be revealed upon reaching the Perfection stage.
Once he achieved Perfection, he would be able to form a true, small-scale Domain extending ten yards around his body. With this minor Domain, he would even have the power to fight an Earth Martial Realm expert.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Some of the weapons struck him, only to be deflected by the three-foot radius of his Body-Protecting Thunderbolt. Even the few attacks that broke through this defense could only penetrate about two feet before their momentum was spent.
At this moment, Ning Jiang was truly displaying the domineering power of the Nine Tribulations Celestial Thunder Body.
In his battle against Pang Jie, the truly formidable aspect of his Nine Tribulations Celestial Thunder Body had not been revealed at all.
Body-Protecting Thunderbolt, impervious to the Myriad Techniques—this was the true Nine Tribulations Celestial Thunder Body!
"Nine Tribulations Celestial Thunder Seal."
Ning Jiang executed his ultimate attack. The Thunderbolt coalesced into one Great Seal after another, bombarding the weapons that swarmed him from all sides. The Thunder Seals surged forth, sweeping across the battlefield and carving paths of destruction. All weapons in their way were annihilated.
Gradually, the number of weapons in the sky dwindled. After half a cup of tea’s time, the sky was swept clean, and not a single one remained.
However, it was not yet over.
An even more oppressive aura began to emanate from the sky.
"I believe the second difficulty is the Sickness Difficulty," Yue Wenfu said, his voice heavy.
The records he had read about the Sickness Difficulty had left a deep impression on him.
Generally speaking, Martial Artists were impervious to heat and cold. Once their Cultivation reached the Spirit Realm, they were essentially immune to all disease. The concept of a sick Martial Artist was unheard of.
Yet, the Sickness Difficulty forced a Martial Artist to experience illness.
"Look!" Fang Xue cried out in alarm.
Black spots were beginning to appear on Ning Jiang’s skin.
The Sickness Difficulty had begun!
This second difficulty struck silently, without a trace or any warning. It gave a Martial Artist no time to prepare, erupting directly within their body.
The first thing Ning Jiang felt was weakness, as if all the Power in his body had been drained away. Then, an unbearable itch erupted from within, his entire body grew feverishly hot, and his head began to split with pain.
It was as if he had become a mortal again, experiencing the agony of mortal disease.
The illness struck like a landslide.
As time passed, the affliction intensified. Ning Jiang’s breathing grew faint, and his internal organs began to fail. An immense agony, as if ten thousand insects were devouring his heart, erupted in every inch of his flesh and blood.
"Sickness Difficulty? Break!"
Ning Jiang let out a sudden, explosive roar. With a tremendous RUMBLE, a torrent of Thunderbolt surged forth from his Dantian.
’The moment the Sickness Difficulty began, I contracted all my power and condensed it into a single point, returning my essence to its origin. I was waiting for this exact moment to unleash it all.’
Instantly, the black spots on his body vanished. All feelings of discomfort were driven away, reduced to nothing.
He stood there, his skin flawless and his eyes shining brightly, glinting with a sharp light. The aura emanating from him grew even more terrifying.
This was because his Realm was in the process of breaking through to the Divine Travel Realm. Once he passed the remainder of the Celestial Tribulation, he would officially enter the Divine Travel Realm.
"The third difficulty is the Primordial Spirit Difficulty."
As the name suggested, this tribulation targeted the Primordial Spirit.
Within the Thunder Tribulation, ethereal chains materialized and shot fiercely toward Ning Jiang.
These chains were illusory and intangible, appearing almost transparent. They could not harm Ning Jiang’s physical body, but they were devastatingly lethal to a Primordial Spirit.
"Go."
Without hesitation, Ning Jiang summoned the Divinity Sealing Tower.
A small tower emerged from between his eyebrows. Within each of its stories, a small figure sat cross-legged. These were his three Primordial Spirits.
RATTLE.
The chains rattled as they wrapped around the Divinity Sealing Tower, coiling around it like a python constricting its prey.