Ding!
Space folded violently, as though an invisible hand had grabbed reality itself and twisted it.
The world around Lin Feng shattered into countless fragments of light before instantly reforming.
When his vision cleared, Lin Feng was already standing in a vast, endless desert.
Golden sand stretched to the horizon in every direction, rolling like a frozen sea.
Not a single blade of grass grew here.
No birds flew overhead, no beasts roamed the land… only deathly silence and scorching heat.
Even the wind seemed reluctant to disturb this place.
Lin Feng released his divine sense in all directions. It expanded rapidly, sweeping across the dunes, piercing deep beneath the earth, and stretching far into the distance.
After several breaths, his eyes opened.
"There are no living human beings within several hundred miles," he murmured. "Good."
This was exactly what he needed.
Breaking through to the Divine Tribulation Realm was no trivial matter.
The tribulation lightning alone was enough to erase mountains and dry up seas.
If he attempted it anywhere near civilization, the collateral damage would be unthinkable.
With a single step, Lin Feng sat cross-legged in midair.
His expression turned solemn, and his previously restrained aura slowly began to leak out.
"Let's begin."
The moment those words left his lips, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth responded.
A low hum filled the air.
Invisible currents of spiritual qi surged from every direction, rushing toward Lin Feng like rivers flowing into the sea.
The sand beneath him trembled, small grains lifting into the air and spinning wildly as if caught in a storm.
His cultivation base climbed at an astonishing speed.
Boom!
The sky darkened without warning.
Black clouds gathered from beyond the horizon, piling atop one another in thick layers.
Thunder rumbled endlessly within them, each roar heavier than the last, as though the heavens themselves were angered by Lin Feng's attempt to advance.
A terrifying pressure descended.
Even before the first lightning strike fell, cracks began to spread across the desert floor.
Deep fissures tore through the sand, revealing scorched earth beneath.
Mountains in the far distance collapsed under the sheer weight of the heavenly might.
Then…
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The tribulation lightning descended.
Bolts of divine lightning, each thicker than ancient trees, crashed down from the heavens in relentless succession.
They carried destruction, judgment, and the will of heaven itself, seeking to erase Lin Feng's existence.
Lin Feng sat strong amid the storm, his robes snapping violently in the raging winds.
His eyes burned with sharp light as he raised his head to face the heavens.
"So this is the Divine Tribulation…" he muttered, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his lips.
The lightning struck him head-on.
The desert exploded.
Endless sand was vaporized in an instant, turning into molten glass.
Shockwaves rippled outward, flattening everything in their path.
Any living creature within a thousand miles would have been reduced to ashes without even realizing what had happened.
The destruction was absolute.
Yet just as the tribulation lightning intensified, growing more violent and more numerous, a sudden change occurred.
Ding!
The thunder froze.
Time itself seemed to pause.
A clear, emotionless woman's voice echoed calmly within Lin Feng's mind, completely unaffected by the raging heavens.
"Detected: Host is undergoing a critical breakthrough."
"Warning: External interference probability increasing."
"Activating emergency protocol."
A translucent, unseen force descended, isolating Lin Feng from the world.
"Providing an independent safety space for the host to complete the breakthrough."
"This measure will prevent assassination, interference, karmic backlash, and unintended collateral damage."
Before Lin Feng could even process the words, the world around him collapsed inward.
His body, along with the countless strands of tribulation lightning wrapped around him, vanished without a trace.
The desert was left behind, and time itself flowed backward.
Cracked earth knit itself together as if it had never been broken.
Melted sand reformed into pristine dunes, scorched rock returned to its original state, and every trace of destruction was erased.
The devastation brought forth by the heavenly tribulation was repelled entirely, restored by the reversal of time as though the calamity had never occurred.
Not a single scar remained.
Once more, the desert lay quiet… as though nothing extraordinary had ever taken place.
Elsewhere, within an unknown isolated space…
The true Divine Tribulation had only just begun.
When Lin Feng appeared, existence itself seemed to lose its meaning.
He arrived within a deep, endless void… so vast and profound that even concepts such as direction, distance, and time became irrelevant.
This was an ancient space severed entirely from reality, a forbidden domain that existed beyond the reach of the multiverse's laws.
No causality flowed here. No karma could trace this place.
Even the gaze of fate itself was blind within this void.
It was a space prepared long ago.
A sanctuary created solely for him.
Here, even true immortals… those who had surpassed endless eras and stood above countless worlds… would fail to detect the faintest trace of Lin Feng's presence.
No divine sense could pierce this void. No heavenly calculation could deduce his location.
The message was clear.
The system had treasured him to the absolute extreme.
Lin Feng sat silently at the center of this ancient space, his posture steady as he crossed his legs into a lotus position.
His expression was calm, almost indifferent, as if what was about to occur was nothing more than a trivial matter.
Then…
The heavens noticed him.
Bang!
A thunderous explosion echoed through the void as the tribulation descended.
Massive arcs of lightning tore through nothingness, each bolt as thick as a towering mountain range.
They carried with them not only raw destruction, but also the wrath, judgment, and suppression of the heavens themselves.
This was no ordinary tribulation.
This was the heavens attempting to erase a being that should not exist.
The first bolt slammed into Lin Feng's body with terrifying force.
Yet…
Nothing happened.
His body remained flawless, his skin unblemished, as if the lightning had struck an illusion.
The second bolt followed, then the third, each more violent than the last.
Only after dozens of strikes did faint cracks finally appear upon his flesh.
Blood spilled.
Golden and radiant, it dripped down his body like molten light.
The tribulation intensified.
Lightning fell without pause, wave after wave, as if the heavens had lost all patience.
Lin Feng's body was torn open again and again, bones cracking, organs shattered, divine blood spraying into the void.
Still…
He did not move.
Not a scream.
Not a groan.
Not even a change in expression.
He remained seated in his lotus position, allowing the raging thunder to temper his body, refine his soul, and forge his dao.
Every strike obliterated his limits, only for them to be rebuilt stronger than before.
Time lost all meaning.
An hour passed.
Then two.
The tribulation began to waver.
Bang!
A terrifying aura erupted from Lin Feng's body, shaking the ancient space to its core.
First Stage of the Divine Tribulation Realm!
The void trembled violently as his cultivation surged forward like a tidal wave.
Bang!
Second Stage of the Divine Tribulation Realm!
His aura doubled, then tripled, rapidly climbing without resistance.
Bang! Bang!
.
..
…
Each explosion marked another realm shattered, another limit destroyed.
Tenth Stage of the Divine Tribulation Realm!
The heavens roared in fury.
Before they could recover…
Bang!
First Stage of the Dao Overlord Realm!
The laws within the void distorted as Lin Feng's presence began to dominate them.
The dao itself bent under his will, unable to suppress his ascent.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
.
..
…
Realm after realm collapsed beneath his feet.
Tenth Stage of the Dao Overlord Realm!
By now, the tribulation had lost all rhythm.
Lightning descended chaotically, wildly, as though the heavens themselves were panicking.
Yet Lin Feng continued to rise.
Bang!
First Stage of the True Immortal Realm!
At this moment, the void shook violently.
Ancient echoes rang out, and distant realities trembled in response.
True immortality… an existence beyond life and death… had been achieved in an instant.
But it did not stop there.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
.
..
…
Each explosion resonated across countless dimensions.
Tenth Stage of the True Immortal Realm!
Silence followed.
The tribulation dispersed unwillingly, as though retreating in fear. The heavens had failed.
Slowly, Lin Feng opened his eyes.
In that instant, an immeasurable divine light burst forth from his pupils.
His divine sense expanded endlessly, crossing planes, tearing through dimensions, and sweeping across timelines without resistance.
Worlds were laid bare before him.
Realms were exposed like open scrolls.
Every law, every being, every secret… nothing escaped his awareness.
His divine sense covered the entire multiverse.
There was no longer a corner of existence beyond his reach.
Lin Feng stood.
And with that single motion, the multiverse acknowledged him.
He was no longer merely a cultivator.
He was no longer bound by realms or titles.
At this moment…
Lin Feng was the strongest being in the entire multiverse.