"Boom."
The fifth bolt of heavenly lightning descended.
It submerged Chen Fan's figure.
Amidst the endless lightning, only one silhouette kept flashing.
He was fighting the lightning.
With every punch he threw, the lightning would shatter.
Amidst the thunderous roars, it continued to explode.
Moments later, the fifth bolt of lightning dissipated.
Chen Fan emerged from the lightning's afterglow, his entire body scorched black.
Dry cracks spread across his flesh.
"Cough cough."
He was injured, a Dao injury.
His cough could no longer expel blood, but shattered rule power.
Yet, he persevered.
...
"Only the sixth one," Long Ling clenched her fist.
Behind her stood the disciples of Yi Fu, all of them present.
Worry was etched on every face.
Not far away, Xi Qiu, leading a group of people who emerged from the Mad Realm, watched from a distance.
"Mad Emperor," Chu Lao Mo, standing with the Mad Emperor, asked, "Have you ever seen a Chaos Thunder Tribulation?"
"I have," the Mad Emperor replied gravely, "When the Immortal Monarch entered the Emperor realm back then, he underwent the Chaos Thunder Tribulation."
"How long does it last?"
"At least nine bolts."
"Then... can the City Lord endure it?"
This was only the sixth bolt.
"..." The Mad Emperor did not answer this question.
Who knew if he could endure it?
"Boom."
At this moment, the sixth bolt of heavenly lightning struck.
It was stronger and more colossal than the previous ones, a pillar of light piercing the heavens and earth.
"Life and death, descend."
At this instant, Chen Fan felt an intensely potent aura of death.
This strike could very well kill him.
Without further hesitation, he directly employed the power of life and death.
Even though the power of life and death was not yet balanced, he had no choice. This bolt of lightning was too powerful.
The Grinding Wheel of Life and Death spun upwards to meet the lightning.
Boom.
Life and death collided with the lightning.
The Grinding Wheel of Life and Death ground away the lightning, a fusion of annihilation and rebirth.
While the lightning power, supremely rigid and yang, continuously destroyed the power of life and death.
Finally...
With a resounding boom, the Grinding Wheel of Life and Death and the sixth bolt of lightning shattered simultaneously.
It was like a massive firework blooming in the sky above Sword City.
In the distance... that colossal Azure Sky Tree still stood, observing the battle of heavenly tribulations below.
"Ugh."
Chen Fan spat out a large mouthful of blood.
The life and death power within his body became even more turbulent.
It was too difficult.
The seventh bolt of lightning arrived.
The heavenly tribulation's speed was increasing, giving Chen Fan no time to rest.
This scene made all the onlookers' scalps tingle.
Was this heavenly tribulation?
This was the true might of heaven and earth; who could remain fearless?
Boom.
The lightning descended.
The seventh bolt.
Rolling thunder annihilated everything.
"Kill."
Chen Fan soared into the sky once more.
So what if it was a heavenly tribulation?
As the City Lord, he would never wait for death, not even against a Chaos Thunder Tribulation.
"Dong."
Chen Fan directly plunged into the heavenly tribulation.
The lightning power spread, completely dissolving Chen Fan's physical body.
Yet his bones were as crystalline as white gold, and with each punch, he fiercely clashed against the lightning.
The aura of destruction wore down his vitality.
"Again."
The lightning had not dispersed, and Chen Fan's attacks would not cease.
The power of the River of Rules surged madly, infusing his white bones.
This exchange lasted for a full half hour.
Bang.
The lightning dissipated.
The bone-formed Chen Fan did not fall but remained standing in the sky, awaiting the eighth bolt of lightning.
Come.
Let's see if you can destroy me.
Boom.
The eighth bolt of lightning descended with even greater speed.
Before it even struck, Chen Fan's bones vanished.
This destructive force was too potent, supremely rigid and yang.
Nothing could survive under the supremely rigid and yang lightning.
Chen Fan disappeared.
He died beneath the lightning.
...
"How is this possible?"
Below, disbelief echoed all around.
"No."
Soon, someone noticed something was amiss.
The River of Rules in the sky was still present.
If the City Lord had truly perished, the river would have collapsed.
The Mad Emperor suddenly spoke, "It's coming."
"Hm?" Chu Lao Mo asked, confused, "What did you say?"
"..." The Mad Emperor remained silent.
His gaze was fixed intently on the sky.
The rampant lightning showed no signs of dissipating, continuously striking.
It was as if it were striking air.
But...
"Dong."
The sky trembled, and Chen Fan reappeared.
At this moment, he was perfectly intact.
All the injuries left by the heavenly tribulation had been completely healed.
"What's going on?"
Everyone was bewildered, unable to comprehend any of this.
A divine light appeared in the Mad Emperor's eyes, "Born from death, Chen Fan has been reborn once... I understand, I know why he has drawn the Chaos Thunder Tribulation?"
At this moment, the Mad Emperor finally understood.
Chaos Thunder Tribulations did not appear easily.
And when the Dao of Life and Death was cultivated to its depths, it could revive a person from death.
In the world, life and death were destined to cycle.
Resurrection after death was not permitted.
Chen Fan cultivated the Great Dao of Life and Death; once cultivated to its depths, he would undoubtedly be able to revive the dead from the underworld.
Therefore, the Chaos Thunder Tribulation had appeared.
The Mad Emperor's eyes, incredibly sharp, exclaimed excitedly, "Master of the Dao of Life and Death, this is on the path to becoming a Dao Master!"
Dao Master, a title that could overlook Emperors.
Even the Immortal Monarch of the past was not qualified to be called a Dao Master.
This was a form of supreme respect.
"Chen Fan," the Mad Emperor whispered the name, his eyes shining with divine light, "If you can pass these nine bolts of heavenly tribulation, then I, the Mad Emperor, will submit to you, what of it?"
A Dao Master was worthy of his prostration.
"Shatter."
In the sky, Chen Fan threw a punch, shattering the eighth bolt of lightning.
The eighth bolt of lightning that had just killed him had already consumed most of its power. Now, having been reborn, he was in peak condition and naturally able to withstand this strike.
And then...
The ninth bolt of lightning arrived as expected.
The final bolt.
"Boom."
The lightning descended, its blinding radiance blinding everyone's eyes.
Even a Second Tier Emperor Venerable could not withstand this strike.
No one dared to look up, nor dared to gaze at this descending heavenly tribulation.
Except for the pair of eyes in the distance that propped up the heavens and earth, everyone closed their eyes.
The heavenly tribulation once again engulfed Chen Fan.
"Heavenly Splitting."
The Ten-Thousand Heaven Cloud Sword was in his hand.
Simultaneously, the Heavenly Crown, the Gravity Pearl, the Golden Silk Cicada Robe, and the Dragon Pattern Compass all appeared.
The final strike, I will withstand it.
In an instant, the five divine weapons fused.
"Shatter."
With a roar, the five divine weapons ascended.
Rumble.
Heaven and earth exploded at this moment.
In the world, all was silent.
All sounds were suppressed, leaving only the sound of that single collision.
"Hahaha."
Moments later, the familiar laughter reached everyone's ears.
Following closely was an aura of life and death that permeated the world.
Life, death.
Walking the path of reincarnation.
"Today, I am the Emperor Venerable of Life and Death, haha," Chen Fan laughed heartily.
The ninth bolt of lightning had collapsed.
After the lightning came endless life and death, piercing and intermingling the power of life and death.
Chen Fan, at this moment, looked entirely different.
There was an indescribable aura about him; this world, it seemed, was no longer worthy of containing him.
"Chen Fan," suddenly, the voice of Azure Emperor echoed from afar, "Come to the Azure Emperor Palace within three days, and you may enter my sect as my direct disciple, this Heavenly Emperor's personal disciple."