The northern sky turned molten gold as Feng Hao stood atop the Heaven-Command Platform. His Primordial Golden Core throbbed, Dao threads intertwining with every strand of the dynasty. The Heavenly Force Tribulation arrived—not as lightning or storms, but as an all-encompassing judgment from the cosmos itself.
Golden runes formed across the sky, ancient and impartial.
[Heavenly Force Tribulation — Spirit Level Initiation]
The first wave struck the dynasty, a pressure unlike any before. Mountains groaned. Rivers shifted. Cities trembled under the weight of laws older than the oldest dynasties.
Divine Soldiers, Cavalry, Captains, Generals—all surged forward instinctively, their cultivation reacting to the tribulation. The entire Nine God Dynasty moved as a single, living body, responding to the trial with precision beyond comprehension.
Feng Hao closed his eyes. His hands hovered above his core. He drew the Heavenly Dao strands that threaded through the universe, weaving them carefully through his Tao Pagoda Seed.
"Let it come," he whispered.
The Tribulation tested not his body, nor his mind, but his authority, his dynasty, his Dao, and the strength of every living unit under him.
First Judgment: Golden qi surged, trying to penetrate his defenses. Yet the Nine God Dynasty absorbed it, distributing the pressure through formations, soldiers, and elders.
Second Judgment: Law manifested as massive spectral entities—phantoms of Pure Dao, testing his strategic and spiritual comprehension. Feng Hao's Golden Core flared, Tao Pagoda Seed spinning violently. With a single command, the units acted with flawless coordination, scattering the tribulation's projection across kilometers.
Third Judgment — Authority Over the Cosmos: The pressure now focused on Feng Hao himself. Spirit-level intensity, beyond Mortal comprehension. Golden strands of the Heavenly Dao intertwined with his cultivation, his Primordial Golden Core spinning faster than ever.
A week passed on the Three Thousand Immortal Island, the time within flowing at a rate thousands of times faster than the outside world. Every day, every breath, every pulse of qi counted as centuries of cultivation. The Tao Pagoda Seed absorbed the Heavenly Dao strands, spinning threads of ultimate law into Feng Hao's core.
When he finally opened his eyes, the Nine God Dynasty's golden aura had changed fundamentally.
[Heavenly Force Tribulation — PASSED]
[Tier Advancement — Spirit Level Tier 1 Imperial Force]
Immediately, the system flooded with rewards:
Spiritual Qi Bonus Across Dynasty Territories: ×2,500
Core Locations Spiritual Qi: ×10,000
Subjects' Combat Power: ×250
Comprehension Multiplier: ×250
Golden light poured from the capital, the Divine Barracks, the Elder Hall, every city and fortification. The units themselves skyrocketed in cultivation:
Divine Soldiers: Early Golden Core. → Mid Void shattering.
Divine Cavalry: Late Golden Core.→ Peak Void Shattering
Divine Captains: Late Golden Core → Half Step Body Integration
Divine Commanders: Peak Golden Core. → Mid Body Integration
Divine Generals: Early Nascent Soul. → Peak Sky Devastating
Divine Marshals: Half Step Sky Devastating → Lord Realm Early
Dragon Guards: Half-Step Sky Devastatingl → Lord Realm Early
Low-Level Elders: Half-Step Lord Realm → Early True Lord Realm.
Mid-Level Elders: Mid Lord Realm → Peak True Lord realm
High-Level Elders: Mid True Lord Realm →
Early Heavenly lord realm
Supreme Elders: Early Great Lord Realm →
Early Great Heavenly Lord Realm.
[National Power Increased.]
[Current National Power: 900 Trillion]
Feng Hao extended his senses through the Heavenly Dao strands, and the system informed him:
*"Every force, upon reaching Spirit Level, must undergo a Minor Tribulation every 10 years to absorb accumulated energy:
Normal Tier: 50 years of accumulation
Great Tier: 250 years
Super Forces: 2,500 years
Heavenly Forces: 25,000 years
Imperial Forces: 1,000,000 years
Higher Tiers: exponentially greater."*
Feng Hao's golden eyes scanned the horizon. The northern alliance, the tiered dynasties of the region, even the distant Thunderclap Temple—they all paled before his presence now. One High-Level Elder could sweep across entire Tier 12 forces and bend them to submission.
He took a deep breath. The Three Thousand Immortal Island had completed its task. The Nine God Dynasty was no longer just a force—it was now a spirit-level power.
And now, he would move against the remaining Tier 12 forces in the northern region.
The era of Feng Hao's absolute dominance had truly begun.
Far above the northern plains, in the sacred ancestral halls of the Thunderclap Temple, the oldest of the ancestors stirred within their meditative seals. Eons of spiritual cultivation—ten thousand years or more—had made them attuned to even the slightest shifts in the northern region's power.
A subtle ripple reached them: golden strands weaving through the mortal world, flowing like molten light across the lands. One of the oldest ancestors, his hair like drifting silver clouds, opened his eyes slowly.
"The Nine God Dynasty…" he murmured, voice calm yet carrying the weight of centuries. "Their aura… Spirit Level."
The other ancestors glanced at him, expression measured. None flinched, none panicked. Spirit Level Imperial Forces were not unknown to them. Over ten thousand years of existence, they had witnessed countless dynasties rise and fall, many claiming Spirit Level for the first time, only to be swept aside like autumn leaves.
"They've only recently ascended," another ancestor said softly, their gaze tracing the faint golden light spreading from the Nine God Dynasty's capital. "A newly promoted Spirit-Level force. Their peak… is likely far below ours. Nothing to worry over yet."
The eldest chuckled faintly, amusement hidden beneath layers of detachment. "Let them grow. Let them consolidate their power. We have survived millennia. One Spirit-Level force that just crossed the threshold is but a child learning to walk."
And so, the Thunderclap Temple's ancestors returned to their meditation, their aura calm, almost indifferent. To them, the Nine God Dynasty's breakthrough was noted—but in the scale of eternity, it was yet insignificant.
Even as golden waves of power spread across the northern region, the ancestors remained unshaken, confident in the supremacy their Spirit-Level mastery had built over countless ages.
Feng Hao's golden eyes extended across the northern horizon, threading through the strands of the Heavenly Dao, sweeping into the deeper regions beyond his current territories. His senses brushed against the faint aura of the ancient Tier 12 dynasties still untouched—but one presence in particular stood out.
The Thunderclap Temple.
A Spirit-Level force whose foundations had been built over a million years of foundation, its power resonating far beyond mortal comprehension. Feng Hao scanned carefully, his perception slicing through space and spiritual barriers.
From his vantage, the numbers became clear:
Population under their control: ~200 billion souls. Every city, village, and settlement meticulously governed, disciplined, and cultivated under the Temple's laws.
Territory controlled: Approximately 3 to 5 billion km², spanning not just the northern regions but a neighboring Region even larger than the Great Wilderness. Vast plains, towering mountains, rivers that glittered with spiritual energy, and islands scattered like jewels across endless seas—all under a single dynasty's rule.
Cultivators: Tens of thousands of Void-Shattering and Body Integration level elites, forming the backbone of their military. Numerous Mid to Late True Lord elders commanded spiritual formations and armies across the provinces.
Supreme Powers: Among them, one Heavenly Lord level cultivator had just recently broken through, their aura still raw but formidable, anchoring a key region of the dynasty.
Feng Hao's Golden Core throbbed faintly. He noted every number, every thread of power, every strategic point. For a newly promoted Spirit-Level force, the Thunderclap Temple was not to be underestimated—its longevity, territory, and population alone made it a force capable of shaping the entire northern region for Milleniums to come.
And yet…
Even this sprawling, ancient Sect—with its 200 billion souls, billions of square kilometers, and newly minted Heavenly Lord—was still within the reach of the Nine God Dynasty. From his perspective, a single High-Level Elder of his force could dismantle key strongholds, bending even the might of this Spirit-Level power to submission if needed.
The Northern Sky seemed to pulse with golden light as Feng Hao's gaze lingered. The game was far from over, but the board was now fully visible.