I alone am the Honoured One!

579  The Heaven sent child [5]

The skies churned, the storm clouds above growing darker and more oppressive.

The golden lightning that had been coursing down moments before now shifted into hues of deep crimson, streaked with eerie, radiant blue.

*RUMBLE* Each crackle of thunder sounded like the roar of an enraged god, shaking the very ground beneath the gathered spectators.

The air turned suffocating, an unbearable weight pressing down on everyone present.

WHAT THE FUCK?

Fear and shock rippled around the people who had been watching from the distance.

"H-He is entering the 9th degree?"

"No way..."

"He is going to die."

"No one survived the 8th degree and he is going to the 9th?"

Li Jia who was standing amongst the disciples, her lips quivered in horror and her legs gave out as she stumbled on her knees "Tian?"

Everyone could feel the oppressive energy from the storm even though there is a great distance between them and Zhao Tian. As Zhao Tian stood there, his battered body glowing faintly from the energies he had just soaked.

"Fuck..." n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Muttering under his breath, he raised his gaze to look at the swirling vortex above him "I know you won't stop until the tenth degree..."

The vortex above began to shift. Its rotation slowed, only to accelerate again with even greater intensity.

*WOOOSH* Suddenly, a massive pulse of energy shot downward, wrapping around Zhao Tian.

The crowd who were watching gasped in unison as his body jerked violently, and then—

He was dragged skyward. *woosh*

The invisible force pulled him upward like a ragdoll, pulling him into the very heart of the storm.

Zhao Tian struggled but he could not break away from the force as it dragged him to the eye of the storm.

The crimson, blue, and gold lightning crackled ominously around his ascending body, illuminating his figure against the darkened sky.

"What is happening?!" Yao Jing cried out, her voice trembling with both fear and desperation. "He's… He's being pulled into the skies!" muttered one of the elders from the Obsidian Shadow Wing, his usually calm demeanor shattered by the sight.

"Impossible!" bellowed another elder, clutching at his robes.

"Even for the eighth degree, this is unheard of! The ninth degree... no one has ever survived it."

Yan Zijin closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh "Such a great genius... but, it's a shame he will die."

She glanced at Ji Shuang and uttered "Sect Master, I think we should show our concentration on saving the other disciples instead of focusing on him."

Ji Shuang waved her hand, her gaze fixed on the swirling storm "You can help the disciples along with other elders."

"I have a job."

...

High above, Zhao Tian found himself enveloped in an oppressive silence, the chaos of the storm muted now that he was at its epicenter.

He floated in the swirling void, suspended by forces far beyond mortal comprehension.

The golden arcs of lightning that had battered him moments ago were nothing compared to what awaited here. The first bolt struck without warning.

*CRACKK* *THOOM* A streak of red lightning, thick as a mountain, tore through the skies, slamming into Zhao Tian's chest with a sound like the world splitting apart.

His body convulsed, veins lighting up as if molten lava coursed through them.

The sheer intensity of the strike sent waves of energy rippling outward, distorting the air and casting a blood-red hue over the land below.

On the ground, the spectators stumbled backward, shielding their eyes from the overwhelming light.

"What kind of..." muttered one disciple, his voice trembling with awe and fear.

Another elder from the Ivory Spirit Wing clutched his staff tightly, "To face the ninth degree of tribulation is to challenge the heavens themselves."

"Truly the Heaven sent child."

Back in the vortex, Zhao Tian barely had time to catch his breath before the second strike descended... a blue bolt of lightning, colder than the ice mountains he experienced.

BOOM!

The freezing energy pierced through him, clashing violently with the remnants of the red lightning.

His body was caught in a tempest and his breath hitched as the sheer frost spread across his skin, only to be shattered by the residual heat still burning within him.

"Haa..."

Zhao Tian's body was suspended in midair, the energy that bound him pulling him upward even further.

He raised his head, his eyes narrowing against the unbearable radiance of the golden strike bearing down on him. There was no time to prepare. BOOMOOMMM! CRACKLE!!

The lightning struck him directly, engulfing his entire body in a cascade of radiant energy.

The impact sent shockwaves rippling outward, shattering the remnants of the arena below and sending jagged cracks racing across the land.

For a moment, it seemed as though the skies themselves had swallowed Zhao Tian whole.

His figure was completely obscured, lost in the golden blaze.

The energy churned violently, arcs of golden lightning lashing out in all directions.

...

Li Jia's body shuddered as she again heard the terrific noise in the sky and her face went pale.

"Tian… You stubborn fool," she choked out, her words barely audible.

Her lips trembled as tears gathered in her eyes, threatening to fall.

She had always kept her feelings buried, concealed behind a mask of pride and grace.

But now, watching him endure what no one else could, her heart felt as though it might shatter.

Her thoughts raced as fear gripped her heart 'He's not invincible. Even he can't endure this…'

"Please, please don't die," she whispered under her breath, the plea barely audible even to herself.

The tears she had been holding back finally spilled over, streaking down her face as she reached out toward the sky as if she could somehow pull him back. "Zhao Tian…" she said his name softly, her voice trembling with a mix of love and despair. She clenched her fists, her tears falling freely as she whispered one final plea. "Please… come back." ...

High above in the skies, the 9th degree of the tribulation ended, triggering the 10th degree of the tribulation...

To trigger the 10th degree was to reject the very foundation of the world itself. It was to defy the order of creation. It was to call forth the wrath of the Heavens' ultimate guardian. When mortals ascend to such heights, when they shatter the laws that bind all of existence, it arrives. The Sustainer of Heavenly Laws.

The Arbiter of Divine Balance.

The Overseer of Fate's Threads.

The Heavenly One.

"Happy Birthday, Darling..."

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