"Your Majesty..." Ruan Tianhe stood still, a complex expression appearing on his aged face.
The vision of the young emperor before him was truly unattainable, a stark contrast to his own, where he, as an old man, had been frightened by the higher world. It was a world apart.
Suddenly, his long-dormant passion surged, and Ruan Tianhe hastily cupped his hands in a salute. "Hearing His Majesty's words, even this old bone of mine is ignited!"
"I shall go immediately to lift the seal and restore my cultivation!"
"Go," Fang Yuan waved his hand. "As soon as possible."
"Yes!" Ruan Tianhe, full of vigor, turned and left. At that moment, the "Book of the Good Man" in Fang Yuan's sea of consciousness suddenly erupted with golden light, and rows of gilded characters appeared like a swimming dragon:
[Your good name has reached the eighth stage—Thunderous Reputation: The East and West continents are in your grasp, and you are the one and only king here!]
[You may upgrade one of your martial talents.]
"Good name upgrade, it's coming faster each time."
"The speed of my good name's advancement is indeed accelerating." Fang Yuan smiled faintly, satisfaction flashing in his eyes. As ascension was imminent, being able to enhance one of his martial talents was undoubtedly a welcome addition.
"Upgrade [Fourth Calamity]."
As soon as Fang Yuan's words fell, the golden light on the "Book of the Good Man" surged, and new text quickly appeared—
[The Fourth Calamity level has been upgraded to the eighth stage. You have awakened a new ability—Team Summon.]
[Team Summon]: You can turn others into 'teammates,' granting them attributes and sharing part of your divine abilities with them.
Additionally, teammates can accumulate good deeds on your behalf.
Current number of teammates that can be converted: Five, team conditions: Target's favorability must be at least friendly.
Once the golden words on the "Book of the Good Man" solidified, even Fang Yuan's steady nature couldn't help but pause slightly.
"This ability... is indeed an unexpected joy!"
But it was completely logical. As the Fourth Calamity, it was only right to have teammates to assist him.
Although this ability wouldn't directly improve his combat power, it represented a qualitative leap for the forces he had cultivated!
The best part was that teammates could also contribute good deeds, which was truly a win-win!
The conversion quota for teammates was something to consider carefully, as the number of slots was limited...
---
Time flew by, and ten days passed in the blink of an eye. Ruan Tianhe had finally regained his Martial Saint realm.
Originally, after slashing himself and sealing his own cultivation, it shouldn't have been so quick for Ruan Tianhe to restore his cultivation. But now, with the resources of the entire Western continent under Fang Yuan's control, rare elixirs were at his disposal.
With the full support of the Western continent's heavenly materials and treasures, Ruan Tianhe's recovery was indeed rapid.
At this moment, deep within the vast mountains of the Western continent.
Fang Yuan and Ruan Tianhe stood facing each other, their robes billowing in the biting mountain wind.
To avoid harming innocents, Fang Yuan had specifically chosen this remote, desolate location.
"Your Majesty, the next step is to undergo the Tribulation..." Ruan Tianhe's expression grew serious, and he said in a deep voice, "I have experienced a lightning tribulation before, so there won't be a second one for me. But Your Majesty must be extremely careful. The tribulation varies with the person. The stronger one is, the more terrifying the tribulation..."
At this point, Ruan Tianhe couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart. Even though he had restored his peak cultivation, he could still clearly feel the gap between him and Fang Yuan.
With Fang Yuan's unfathomable strength, how earth-shattering would this tribulation be?
"I know." Fang Yuan nodded calmly. "You should retreat a little farther."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Before Fang Yuan could say more, Ruan Tianhe had already prepared and swiftly retreated, his figure vanishing in the blink of an eye, already several miles away.
But that wasn't enough. He retreated even further, continuing to distance himself!!!
On the mountaintop, Fang Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, slowly closing his eyes. Since achieving Martial Saint, he had been able to sense the mysterious connection between him and the heavens.
At this moment, with just a thought, he resonated with the heavens and the earth—
"Boom!"
In an instant, the sky suddenly darkened, and thick thunderclouds churned like an ink sea, quickly obscuring the sky for thousands of miles.
Within the clouds, purple-golden lightning danced like dragons and serpents. Every flicker caused the space to tremble, as if even the laws of the universe were twisting in this moment!
"Boom—crack!!"
The first tribulation lightning struck down, a hundred feet wide, resembling a heavenly sword of punishment, carrying the aura of annihilation as it descended!
Where it passed, the void shattered, the mountains trembled, and even the spiritual energy of the heavens and earth was instantly evaporated!
"This..."
Far away, watching the tribulation, Ruan Tianhe's pupils contracted sharply, his hair standing on end!
He had personally experienced the Martial Saint tribulation and knew its terror—he had nearly died, using up all his treasures to barely survive three bolts of tribulation lightning.
Yet now, the first lightning bolt Fang Yuan faced was already far more powerful than the sum of the three bolts Ruan Tianhe had encountered!
Facing this world-destroying thunder, Fang Yuan remained unmoved, not even a frown crossing his brow. He stood like a drawn sword, upright between heaven and earth, allowing the violent lightning to strike him.
"Boom!"
That lightning, capable of splitting mountains, vanished without a trace the moment it touched Fang Yuan's body, leaving not even a scorch mark on his fair skin.
"To take it head-on like this... Truly worthy of Your Majesty..." Ruan Tianhe's throat felt dry, and his eyes were full of shock. The first tribulation lightning was so terrifying—how fearsome would the next two be...?
In reality, Ruan Tianhe had miscalculated, because the next tribulation was not just two bolts!
"Boom! Boom boom boom!!"
The tribulation seemed to be enraged, as seven bolts of lightning descended, each more vicious than the last!
The seventh bolt even turned blood-red, and a shadow of an ancient fierce beast vaguely appeared, roaring and tearing down!
But Fang Yuan remained completely unperturbed, standing like a wooden stake, devouring each bolt of lightning like a glutton!
The only difference from a wooden stake was that Fang Yuan stood much sturdier, unmoving, with no trace of injury.
"The tribulation is truly fierce..."
Looking at his health bar, which had lost a third of its value, Fang Yuan couldn't help but sigh. Now, as a true Martial Saint, he was far stronger than when he faced the Pope, even at ninety percent Martial Saint power.
His health had skyrocketed to a terrifying eighty million!
One could only say, the tribulation was truly terrifying!
Actually, Fang Yuan could have used the Shadow Shift to dodge, but he realized that when the thunder struck him, a force also entered his body, tempering his physical body and soul.
"Heaven and Earth's creation, truly profound."
Fang Yuan looked up at the rolling tribulation clouds, a pleased look in his eyes.
Within the seemingly violent lightning, there was clearly the essence of Yin and Yang's balance, destruction and rebirth reaching a subtle equilibrium amidst the thunder and lightning!
This was precisely why he chose to face the tribulation head-on with his body—because every lightning strike was an opportunity from the heavenly path to temper his body!