The great bell hovered near Su Yan's ear, puzzled. "A-Yan, Zhou Qiyun's genius is undeniable. The spectacle before us is magnificent. But even if he kidnaps every god in the celestial cycle, what changes? The tribulation remains."
"The gods' passage back to the Heavenly Dao world," Su Yan said, "is sealed by the tribulation itself."
The bell rang once, struck dumb.
Su Yan went on. "Every god now stands beneath the thunderclouds. They must fight the tribulation alongside Zhou Qiyun. They have no choice. His survival is their only ticket home."
He paused. "Lord Bell, do you remember the Heavenly God Hall?"
Of course it remembered. The hall was an ascension ground, a place where the barrier between worlds grew thin enough for gods to descend. But they could only project their consciousness into stone idols. Their true bodies remained trapped above.
"Their only chance," Su Yan said, "is the ascension light that falls when Zhou Qiyun breaks through. In that moment, they can ride the light back to the Heavenly Dao world."
The bell understood. "So no matter what, all three hundred and sixty gods must protect him. Help him survive. He kidnapped the heavenly bureaucracy itself."
Su Yan's heart surged. This would be the first ascension in the era of nuo masters. It would give hope to countless seekers.
If Zhou Qiyun succeeded, the Mud Pill Palace Master's schemes would crumble.
On Mount Jiuyi, gods who had been feasting on sacrifices looked up. They roared at the thunderclouds. The clouds did not flinch.
They were now part of the tribulation too.
* * *
From Mount Wuwang, the watchers saw lightning strike Mount Jiuyi's main peak. The flash was so bright that shadows stretched across the ground hundreds of miles away.
When the light faded, the lightning flowed downward like liquid silver. It spread across the valleys, illuminating every ridge.
Guo Tianxiong whispered, "That single strike would have killed me."
The other patriarchs thought the same. This tribulation was not meant for mortals. Even grazing it meant death.
Then the mountains began to change. Some peaks stretched taller. Others compressed to half their height. An invisible force kneaded the earth like dough.
"Spatial distortion," the great bell said. "The energy in that lightning is so dense it warps space itself. Peaks at the wave's crest rise. Valleys in its trough sink. Don't worry. We won't feel a thing."
The ripple hit them anyway.
Su Yan's soul shuddered. It felt like passing through the ruined temple's layered space, that sensation of thickness and mass.
More thunder followed. Each strike was drawn to Mount Jiuyi's central peak as if magnetized.
Between flashes, the watchers saw gods leaping across the eight lesser peaks. Three hundred and sixty divine forms. Three hundred and sixty unique stances. Ancient. Powerful. Beautiful.
They were fighting for Zhou Qiyun.
"Can gods be bribed?" Guo Tianxiong murmured.
"No," Li Huangshu said. "This is kidnapping. He chained them to his fate. They have no choice but to fight."
Shi Chong's voice was hollow. "Living in his era is our misfortune."
"Fortunately," someone said, "he's about to leave it."
* * *
Yuan Qi's tongue lashed like a flag in a gale. "Dao manifestations! The gods' dao manifestations! Write them down! Every one is a peerless technique!"
The clan disciples scrambled to memorize. To them, divine dao manifestations were Inner Realms—sources of incredible nuo arts.
But the gods moved too fast. The lightning came too quickly. The changes blurred together.
Those who forced themselves to remember began to bleed. The donkey collapsed, vomiting blood. Niu Zhen and Niu Gan sprayed crimson. Guo Xiaodie groaned, blood seeping from her eyes and ears. Even Li Yingzhu crumpled, unconscious.
"Why isn't Seventh Lord bleeding?"
The bull demons stared at Yuan Qi. He sat perfectly calm, eyes fixed on the spectacle.
They were in awe. "As expected of the one the teacher calls Seventh Lord. His foundation runs so deep we can't compare."
Yuan Qi blinked. He didn't understand a single thing he was watching. But he couldn't admit that. "A-Yan will figure it out," he thought. "I'll watch a bit longer so he can't call me half-hearted."
Su Yan had stopped trying to comprehend the gods. Instead, he studied the tribulation itself.
"If I map the Azure Sky Scripture's forms against the lightning patterns," he mused, "I can forge a ninth technique."
Behind him, a thundercloud formed.
It started small. Then it grew. An acre. Ten acres. A hundred. Thunder rolled within it.
Yun Qian stepped back without thinking. She caught herself. "Tribulation intent. My instincts are warning me to flee."
The great bell burst from Su Yan's head. "Miss Qing! Do you sense something?"
"Karma tribulation," she said, pale. "What is happening?"
The bell guessed. "A-Yan immersed himself in the tribulation's patterns. His consciousness merged with it. This happened before on Mount Jiuyi."
The small cloud swelled to a hundred li. It touched the edge of Zhou Qiyun's massive tribulation. Energy poured into it. Lightning detonated inside.
The watchers on Mount Wuwang felt crushing dread. If the two clouds merged, none of them would survive.
Guo Tianxiong swept Guo Xiaodie into his arms and fled. The other patriarchs grabbed their disciples and ran.
Three figures appeared beside Su Yan—Elder Chou, Lady Hong, and Elder Bai. They reached for his body to sever the connection.
Yun Qian's sleeve flicked. Elder Chou's finger stabbed Elder Bai's brow. Lady Hong's hand pierced Elder Bai's chest. Elder Bai's own finger punctured his own throat.
He collapsed, vomiting blood.
"Stop!" Elder Chou shouted. "We mean well! We must sever his connection or he drags us all to ruin!"
In moments, Su Yan's cloud touched Zhou Qiyun's. The smaller cloud ignited with borrowed fury.
Elder Chou and Lady Hong rallied. Even the wounded Elder Bai crawled up, covered in blood, and joined them. Their combined power pressed into Su Yan's body.
The clouds separated. The pressure faded.
The Underworld Emperor stared at Su Yan. "How can a snake catcher manipulate heavenly tribulation? Who is he?"
He looked at the three administrators. "And who are they?"
Elder Chou sensed the scrutiny. "We've drawn too much attention. Leave. Now."
They vanished into the sky.
"Qing," the bell called. "Do you know those three?"
Yun Qian was gone. So was her black coffin.
The Underworld Emperor's voice rang out. "Return to the underworld!"
His ghost kings carried his coffin down the mountain, onto a ship, and into the mist of the Naihe River.
Su Yan's breathing steadied. "Lord Bell, I felt like I became the tribulation itself. I could see Zhou Qiyun and all three hundred and sixty gods. I could sense everyone's karma. I even felt like I could strike them down. I was the Heavenly Dao."
The bell went silent with fear.
"Then something pulled me back," Su Yan said, disappointed. "Just when I wanted to try it."
He looked around. Mount Wuwang was empty except for Yuan Qi, Niu Zhen, and Niu Gan.
"Where did everyone go?"