Immortal of the Ages

Chapter 184: Who Pissed Off the Heavens?

In that moment, regardless of human or demon, streaks of wind and fire seemed to emanate from their flesh and bones, causing excruciating pain.

"So, we\'re all facing this tribulation together? If we win, we celebrate; if we lose, we shoulder it together?" Yun Xiao had never in his wildest dreams imagined that his first wind fire tribulation would look like this.

To destroy the Heavenly Realm and obliterate himself countless times? Such thoughts were terrifying, and he was at a complete loss, his mortal soul drawing a blank.

"Could it be that a mortal soul inhabiting the body of the Creator Immortal is destined to be a dream without conclusion?"

If it were the Creator Immortal himself, could he withstand this inevitable great tribulation of rebirth?

As Yun Xiao was lost in thought, the massive wind fire tribulation cloud continued to expand, transforming into a monstrous demon, voraciously absorbing the energy of the entire Heavenly Realm, and even drawing from the spiritual and immortal energy of both the Divine and Demon Continents.

The release of the immortal energy from the deaths of the two great Cosmic Immortals only served to accelerate the expansion of the tribulation cloud! Every cause would find its effect.

"This is the rule of the Dao Realm. Under these fundamental rules, the birth of an ultimate creature that could disrupt balance isn\'t permitted. Only this way can the world continue to function..." Blue Star murmured under the immense pressure.

"Who, in their pompous, rigid, domineering, and malicious wisdom, created such rules?" Yun Xiao exclaimed indignantly.

"That\'d be you, my dear Creator," Red Moon replied, its face twisted but breaking into a grin.

"Don\'t you see? You dug a pit for yourself eons ago, and now... it\'s time to bury yourself in it." Blue Star chuckled mischievously.

"You\'re just going to stand there and watch?" Yun Xiao was exasperated. Even at this moment, they were still cracking jokes?

"For one lifetime, as brothers, how could I simply watch you die?" Blue Star declared with righteous fervor, pausing before adding, "At the very least, I\'ll handle the shoveling."

"I\'ll be in charge of the gravestone!" Red Moon said, giddy with excitement.

"Let\'s bury some fine wine and tiger\'s whisker liquor with him. Even in death, our brother should remain a playboy," Blue Star suggested.

"Brilliant idea!"

"..." Yun Xiao gawked at the two, speechless.

While they conversed, the colossal cloud of tribulation had expanded to the point where it obscured the entirety of the Heavenly Realm. This cast the upper region of the miniature universe into a whirlwind of storms and roaring flames. Beneath such apocalyptic power, all living beings below oscillated between confusion and outright panic.

"What in the world...?"

"Who pissed off the heavens? Whose sins are so vast? Is this calamity meant for me?"

"Dad, Mom! My stomach\'s on fire!"

The entire Heavenly Realm descended into utter chaos.

Countless humans and demons flooded the streets, staring in disbelief and bewilderment at the unfolding scene.

At the Ascension Gate, the 108 Demon Saints and the officials from the Immortal Empires wore faces as pale as ghosts, staring up at the vast clouds of tribulation.

"This... This is the legendary Ascension Tribulation! To endure it is to become a true Immortal! But according to records, the tribulation cloud was only supposed to be a hundred feet wide..." An elderly human stood up, his eyes trembling with terror as he murmured.

"Are we going to get caught up in this?" someone else quivered.

"Do you have wind and fire on you?"

"Yes!"

"That\'s the prologue to the Ascension Tribulation. If you possess wind and fire, the tribulation will strike you, annihilating your organs and soul!"

The moment this explanation was voiced, it spread like wildfire, sending every being in the Heavenly Realm into a panicked frenzy.

Who cared about the War of Immortals now?

For a time, the atmosphere was filled with collective wails of despair.

Even the Demon Saints and officials of the Immortal Empires gathered together, their faces ashen, intending to pool their powers to resist this impending doom.

In the Arena Champion Battle, a young girl in a white dress halted her combat, her face paling as she asked, "Pomelo, what\'s happening?"

A series of tiger stripes on her coalesced on her palm to form the face of a white tiger, which dumbfoundedly replied, "I\'ve no idea! Who the hell did something to incur this heavenly wrath?"

As they spoke, the entire Heavenly Realm began to tremble.

Above in the sky, fierce winds roared like a hundred thousand dragons, while the flames surged like a million stampeding elephants, clashing and exploding.

Fire birthed from wind, and wind fueled the fire.

As the powers of wind and fire intertwined, dragons and elephants entwined, causing an explosive ruckus that shook the heavens.

BOOM BOOM BOOM! The terrifying roar reverberated in everyone\'s ears, deafening all under the sky.

HUM! Within Yun Xiao\'s flesh, nine dragon-shaped gales sprouted wildly, as flames stomped through his bones like a stampede of fiery mammoths. This tumult of dragon winds and mammoth fires was a tribulation unto itself, and at the same time, the prime trigger for the great merciful tribulation unfolding above.

To put it plainly, Yun Xiao was the lightning rod in the making. Amidst this maelstrom of wind and fire, he was in disarray. He saw the calamity descending, about to refine and consume him!

WHOOSH!

Yun Xiao reached into his chest and pulled out a little black beast.

"What are you up to?" Blue Star demanded, eyes wide.

Yun Xiao cast a heartfelt glance at them and said slowly, "Just securing our bottom line..."

"We can\'t withstand this!" Blue Star screeched.

"We have to withstand it!" Having said that, Yun Xiao swung his arm in a circle, flinging the little black beast sky-high! The world was in a panic by then, no eyes on him anymore.

"Darn it!" Blue Star thrashed about, fur dancing wildly.

"I don\'t wanna die, I haven\'t had my share of demon milk..." Red Moon lamented, tears streaming down on the spot.

"After this, you\'ll have your fill," Yun Xiao promised.

"Really?" Red Moon\'s eyes sparkled, its tongue lolled out in sudden delight, turning sobs to snickers, "Then I guess I can hang on for a bit!"

"You\'re so naïve!" Blue Star rolled its eyes in disdain.

Then they morphed into a streak of black lightning soaring toward the heavens.

BOOM BOOM BOOM! The calamitous tribulation had amassed its power, zeroing in on Yun Xiao\'s position, with the divine might of thousands of wind and fire forces rallying together.

A hundred thousand wind dragons roared, a million elephants thundered, the power to obliterate existence peaking in a flash!

Seeing the little black beast\'s silhouette pierce the sky, Yun Xiao felt a sense of satisfaction.

Ever since the arrival of the great merciful tribulation, these two had been cracking jokes. Yun Xiao knew then that they would solve the problem.

"These creatures were left by the Creator Immortal himself, meant to aid in the revival of their creator. And this tribulation, being his work, must have been calculated long ago, right?"

But could the Creator Immortal have anticipated that a mere mortal soul would take his place in rebirth?

Swallowed by the internal tribulation of wind and fire, dragons and infernos cascading over his face, only a pair of deep black eyes remained, gazing steadfastly at the vault of heaven!

"In this life, with brothers by my side, stability reigns supreme!" Yun Xiao caught a glimpse of the little coffin soul beast transforming and couldn\'t help but feel a rush of emotion.

"Can it endure this calamity without harm?" he wondered, his fists clenched, heart thundering in his chest so loudly that even the roaring flames and wind of the tribulation seemed to quiet for him.

"There\'s something beneath the tribulation clouds!"

At the moment of utter despair, many people suddenly noticed a black light swelling below the heaven-scourging clouds.

BOOM! A tiny shadow suddenly unfurled into an ancient bronze coffin of boundless size, matching the colossal tribulation clouds in stature.

Its surface was shrouded in billowing black mist, severe and mysterious, with mottled copper rust marking the passage of eons.

Of course, from below, it was hard to discern the entirety of this ancient relic; one could not even tell it was a coffin.

What the people saw was a rectangular expanse of blackness, like a celestial curtain spread above their heads, shielding them from the onslaught of the apocalypse.

In the chaos of continuous change, numbness settled in the hearts of all.

Back in the Arena Champion Battle, a maiden in white caught sight of this endless coffin. In that instant, her eyes grew vacant as if her soul had departed, yet the corners of her mouth curled into a strange, twisted smile...

Beneath the tribulation clouds, the coffin rumbled.

"To hell with it, let\'s go all out!" Blue Star roared with fury.

"For grandma\'s sake, let\'s risk it all!" Red Moon bellowed back.

"It\'s mostly you risking; I\'ll be the one to close the lid when it\'s done!" Blue Star quipped.

"What? What? What?" Red Moon\'s face was a picture of confusion. As its words fell, the lid of the ancient bronze coffin burst open, revealing the abyss that once entombed the Creator Immortal.

BOOM BOOM BOOM! Tens of thousands of tribulation clouds transformed into a storm of dragon winds and a stampede of colossal fiery mammoths, thundering down with a deafening crash. The tribulation had truly begun!

"I\'m in it now!" The coffin\'s body met the deluge head-on, gaping as if a stretch of the firmament itself had turned into a ravenous maw.

With a hum that promised to devour worlds, the primordial bronze coffin opened its massive jaws and roared a bite that would consume all. In an instant, the endless calamity of destruction was sucked into its abyssal maw!

"Hot, hot, so blasted hot!" Red Moon cried out in a howl that cut through time itself.

"Eh? This has nothing to do with me!" Blue Star chuckled heartily, watching as the full force of the destructive calamity rushed into the coffin. Seizing the moment with quick wits and quicker hands, it slammed the lid shut.

BOOM BOOM BOOM! The lid sealed tight over the coffin with precision, but not without complaint.

"The lid\'s on, but—ah! Scorching!" Two blue eyes on the coffin twisted in agony.

"Ah, my goodness!" Red Moon continued to screech. "Bluey, what now? I can\'t eat it all. I\'m about to burst!"

"Let\'s bust out of the Heavenly Realm first!" Blue Star cried out, making their great escape.

And with that, the ancient coffin bulldozed through the dimensional barriers of the realm, disappearing from the sight of all celestial beings.

Those who witnessed were stunned silent, their minds blank. The entire realm lapsed into a hush as if a colossal hand had yanked their millions of souls by their necks, dragged them to the precipice of hellish cauldrons, then, in a teasing flip, flung them back to the mortal coil. Indeed, it was enough to baffle the most unshakeable soul.

"Are you all alright out there?" Yun Xiao called into the void, but no answer came, thickening his anxiety.

Outside the realm, Red Moon fumed and fuss, steam billowing, wailing like a bat out of hell, crashing through the smoke-filled nothingness in all directions.

"Where do I even spit this out? My mouth\'s blistering!" Red Moon bellowed.

"Hold steady, brother, we\'re almost clear!" Blue Star cackled with mischief clearly afoot.

Just then, a vast, shadowy land loomed ahead, a dark continent that stretched beneath the flight of the runaway coffin...

JustLivingJL\'s Thoughts