A cultivator's tribulation is born from their own heart demons and the turbulence of their vital energy.
The more natal divine abilities one cultivates, the stronger one's mana becomes—and the more terrifying the tribulation grows. At this very moment, Fang Han's Wind and Fire Tribulation had been fully triggered. Given the sheer ferocity of his divine powers and the vastness of his vitality, the instant it manifested, even the Demon Marshal was shaken and instinctively retreated several steps.
The raging flames bursting from the core of Fang Han's golden core took on a pure, crystalline red, condensing into lotus-shaped phantoms. Blazing heat flooded the void, dyeing everything crimson. This was the most fearsome element of the Wind and Fire Tribulation—
Red Lotus Tribulation Fire.
Even an uninvolved cultivator who so much as brushed against a trace of this flame would be doomed beyond redemption.
The Red Lotus Tribulation Fire was among the most terrifying flames in existence—exceptionally adept at incinerating mana, souls, bodies, and every form of qi and vital energy.
Hundreds, then thousands of red lotus phantoms bloomed from Fang Han's body, spinning wildly. Each lotus was as large as a water vat, and every single one radiated horrifying destructive force—seemingly even more fearsome than the Crimson Emperor Flame Sovereign Qi. This fire transcended the myriad worlds, existing outside the Five Elements altogether.
Once the Red Lotus Tribulation Fire wrapped around Fang Han's flesh, even his Immortal Body began to visibly wither. It was as though his blood, essence, marrow, and flesh were being burned dry from within.
At the same time, wind erupted from the golden core's depths—wailing like ghosts and howling like demons. Each gale was pitch-black, denser and fiercer than the Nine Heavens Gang Winds by hundreds of times. Every strand of this black tribulation wind condensed into a savage, sinister black dragon, baring fangs and claws.
These wind-dragons worked in tandem with the Red Lotus Fire—wind feeding flame, whipping the blazing lotuses into violent rotation.
This was the Black Nightmare Dragon Wind.
A cultivator's Wind and Fire Tribulation consisted precisely of the Red Lotus Tribulation Fire and the Black Nightmare Dragon Wind. Nightmare—meaning that once touched by the wind, the cultivator would unknowingly be reduced to ashes within a dream, body destroyed and Dao extinguished.
Both the fire and the wind erupted from the core of the golden core itself—an internal catastrophe.
In an instant, Fang Han became a pillar of fire reaching the heavens, wind and flame roaring around him, spiraling endlessly as they poured forth from the golden core's depths, growing ever more violent, ever more overwhelming.
Within moments, the entire arena—spanning three thousand zhang—was consumed by wind and fire.
Even the platform formed from Great Sumeru Divine Light began to sag slightly under the inferno. The wind shredded the void itself, leaving fractured space everywhere, saturated with the aura of calamity.
More disturbingly, the crackling of wind and fire seemed to form whispers—
"Tribulation… tribulation… tribulation…"
"None can escape fate… none can escape…"
As if destiny itself were declaring that Fang Han, at this moment, was doomed.
The Demon Marshal did not attack.
In truth, he could not attack.
The instant Fang Han's Wind and Fire Tribulation erupted, the Red Lotus Fire and Black Nightmare Dragon Wind forced the Demon Marshal back inch by inch. He couldn't even approach Fang Han, let alone strike him.
Nor did he dare touch the most terrifying flames known to the cultivation world.
Though he himself had survived the Wind and Fire Tribulation, he had no desire to relive that agony—especially when Fang Han's tribulation was at least ten times more ferocious than his own.
"What an overwhelming Wind and Fire Tribulation…" the Demon Marshal thought, shaken. "When I underwent mine, the Red Lotus Fire was only bowl-sized. Fang Han's are as large as vats. They're not even comparable. I want to see how he plans to survive this. I've heard that even my father's tribulation was nothing like this."
His ears were filled with the roar of wind and fire; his vision drowned in crimson, as though he had stepped into a sea of infernal flames.
Fang Han's tribulation was simply too powerful.
The Demon Marshal dared not enter its core to attack him. He knew Fang Han couldn't hold out for long—this tribulation consumed vitality at an insane rate. Even if one survived it, their mana would be completely drained.
And Fang Han? He had no chance of surviving.
With such power, such calamity—even the mightiest figures would struggle to escape.
Fang Han's greed—cultivating ninety divine abilities—had finally brought him the greatest retribution and catastrophe of his life.
"Demon Marshal!" Fang Han roared from the heart of the inferno. His entire body had withered, burned down to skin stretched over bones, like a living skeleton wrapped in human hide. His golden core was no longer solid, melting into flowing liquid gold. Countless divine abilities within—five emperor demon arts included—were collapsing, unable to withstand the tribulation's force.
Even the Abī Hell Qi had long since been burned away without a trace.
At the brink of extinction, Fang Han glared savagely at the Demon Marshal and suddenly lunged forward, as if to seize him and perish together.
"Die together? Impossible."
The Demon Marshal smiled faintly. The vertical eye on his brow flared, releasing beams of light that wrapped around his body. He flickered across the arena—now west, now east, suddenly south, suddenly north—vanishing and reappearing, weaving through space itself.
The Eye of the End of Law could actually traverse space!
Truly worthy of a high-grade Dao Artifact infused with the essence of the Dao. With this ability alone, the Demon Marshal stood invincible. He roamed freely across the arena, and no matter how Fang Han lunged, he could never catch him.
He simply waited—waiting for Fang Han to burn out completely, to be consumed by the Wind and Fire Tribulation. When that happened, he would act.
He knew Fang Han carried the Yellow Springs Diagram. Once Fang Han turned to ashes, the artifact would reveal itself—and he could seize it.
"Something's wrong! Fang Han's Wind and Fire Tribulation has been triggered!"
Far below Mount Sumeru, on a distant Reception Immortal Island, Black Nether King and the Twenty-Fourth Prince, along with the fox-demon girl Ni Shang, were struck dumb with shock. Black Nether King even sprang to his feet, desperate to rush up Mount Sumeru to see for himself.
This time, Fang Han hadn't entered Mount Sumeru. Starcloud Baby, the Twenty-Fourth Prince, and Black Nether King had gone instead to a separate reception island. Only distinguished guests of Linglong Paradise—at least Golden Core realm ancient giants—were permitted within Mount Sumeru itself.
Black Nether King, though a ninth-layer Divine Ability expert and far from forming a Golden Core, had stayed outside to accompany Starcloud Baby.
Mount Sumeru towered at the center of Linglong Paradise like a pillar holding up the heavens, surrounded by thousands of islands. Tens of thousands of cultivators had come to celebrate Immortal Linglong's birthday. Fewer than one in ten were allowed onto Mount Sumeru; the rest were hosted on the surrounding islands by Linglong Paradise's female disciples.
Still, even those of lower cultivation could see projections of the arena battle atop the Mountain of Light.
The clash between the brightest figures of the immortal and demonic paths—fighting over the inheritance of three supreme divine abilities—had thrilled countless fifth- and sixth-layer experts.
But now, Fang Han's sudden self-triggered Wind and Fire Tribulation stunned everyone.
"It's fine," Starcloud Baby said casually, gnawing on a Linglong Fruit. "Brother Fang Han will definitely get through this tribulation safely."
Hearing this, Black Nether King felt slightly more at ease.
"Such a terrifying tribulation… can he really survive it?" Six Dao Wanderer murmured, watching the arena engulfed in fire and wind. At the core, Fang Han had become a skeletal figure—organs seemingly burned away, hair gone, skin turning to ash and flaking off. This was a very bad sign.
"It depends entirely on his own potential. No one can help him now," said Mirror Water Scholar, gripping his fan. Even he felt uneasy—this tribulation far exceeded his expectations. At this scale, he couldn't be sure anymore. And after all, this was a wager between him and Six Dao Wanderer—one Dao Artifact at stake.
"What a pity," Wood Daoist sighed. "Fang Han's Wind and Fire Tribulation—there's a ninety-nine percent chance he won't survive. Once his half Immortal Body turns to ash, even we won't be able to kill him anymore. Taiyi Sect's bounty will come to nothing."
"Indeed," Dragon Daoist sneered. "But burning himself to death is his own doing. Forcing the fusion of so many divine abilities—did he think it was a game? He's deeply possessed and doesn't even realize it. He's already at the end. Without replenishing vitality, he'll be dust within an hour or two."
"Who do you think will get the Yellow Springs Diagram?"
"Of course Immortal Linglong. With her methods, once she obtains the Yellow Springs Diagram, she'll restore it, then head to the Yellow Springs Demonic Sect and open the Yellow Springs Treasury—claiming all the peerless Dao Artifacts inside. From then on, Linglong Paradise will become the number one immortal sect, surpassing Taiyi Sect!"
"Yes. I used to doubt that Immortal Linglong was the strongest in the Xuanhuang Great World. After witnessing her Grand Wish Technique—Primordial Wish—I believe it completely. With the Yellow Springs Diagram, her power will be limitless."
Dragon Daoist shook his head regretfully.
"Wait—no!" Wood Daoist suddenly roared. "Fang Han is swallowing our four Nirvana Pills!"
On the arena, Fang Han was utterly burned out—mana exhausted, flesh turning to ash, even the vitality from the World Tree within his brow world failing to keep up.
But at this final moment, inspiration struck.
The four heaven-grade supreme pills—Nirvana Pills—that he had purchased for forty billion spirit pills were suddenly drawn out from the Yellow Springs Diagram and swallowed in one breath.
The Nirvana Pill contained incomparably vast vital energy, used by cultivators at critical breakthrough moments.
And Fang Han—
Was standing precisely at such a moment.