Chapter 112 Golden Immortal Descends to the Mortal Realm

At noon, three days later, the sky over Luoyang Divine Capital was cloudless, yet it was filled with the tense atmosphere of a coming storm.

Hundreds of millions of citizens and cultivators crowded every corner of the Divine Capital, standing on tiptoe to gaze up at the Star-Gazing Platform, not even daring to breathe.

Around the Star-Gazing Platform, one hundred and eight Ascension Platforms lit up with golden light simultaneously, forming a massive protective formation that enveloped the entire Divine Capital.

Emperor Cao Xukun stood alone at the top of the Star-Gazing Platform, dressed in his black dragon robe.

With his hands behind his back, he gazed calmly toward the Nine Heavens. The pressure of his Tribulation Transcendence peak stage was restrained to the extreme, making him appear as if he had merged with heaven and earth.

Li Tieniu stood below the Star-Gazing Platform carrying a giant axe, with Crown Prince Cao Hao standing beside him holding the Crown Prince's seal. The patriarchs of the three ancient guardian clans led their people in a state of high alert, ready to respond to any unexpected situation at any moment.

"Why isn't Emperor Xuan nervous at all?" a young cultivator in the crowd asked in a low voice. "That is the Nine-Layer Heavenly Tribulation! Throughout history, anyone who could trigger even a Three-Layer Heavenly Tribulation faced a nine-in-ten chance of death, let alone the Nine-Layer Heavenly Tribulation!"

An old cultivator nearby stroked his beard with a look of certainty. "What would you know? Emperor Xuan is the Chosen One; even the Heavenly Dao has to defer to him. Never mind the Nine-Layer Heavenly Tribulation, even a ninety-Nine-Layer Heavenly Tribulation would be something His Majesty could easily withstand!"

Just then, the clouds above the Nine Heavens suddenly began to churn, and a terrifying heavenly might slowly descended.

The sky gradually turned purple, and countless purple lightning serpents rolled and roared within the clouds, emitting sizzling sounds.

"It's here! The first layer of the heavenly tribulation is coming!"

The crowd instantly erupted, everyone holding their breath and staring intently at the sky.

Meanwhile, above the clouds, three figures were hidden in the void, watching the scene below with cold eyes.

These three were the Golden Immortals sent by Crown Prince Ling Chen of the Central Dynasty in the Immortal Realm—Golden Sword Immortal, Blazing Fire Immortal, and Mystic Water Immortal.

All three were at the early Golden Immortal stage and were somewhat famous in the Immortal Realm. They had been ordered to descend to the mortal world to ambush and kill Emperor Cao Xukun when he was at his weakest during his tribulation, in order to seize his destiny and the Primordial Chaos Source.

"Hmph, is this the so-called miraculous ruler of the mortal world, Emperor Cao Xukun?" Golden Sword Immortal said, arms crossed with a look of disdain. "I don't see what the fuss is about. A mere peak Tribulation Transcendence stage cultivator is no better than an ant in my eyes."

Blazing Fire Immortal licked his lips, a flash of greed in his eyes. "I heard this brat intercepted the destiny of countless Sons of Destiny and possesses the Primordial Chaos Source. If we can kill him and seize his destiny and source, the three of us will surely be able to break through to the mid-Golden Immortal stage. When that happens, His Highness the Crown Prince will surely reward us handsomely!"

Mystic Water Immortal was more cautious, frowning as he said, "Don't be careless. This brat was able to unify the mortal world and trigger the Nine-Layer Heavenly Tribulation; he must have some tricks up his sleeve. We should wait until he reaches the seventh or eighth layer of the tribulation, when he is at his weakest, to ensure nothing goes wrong."

"What are you afraid of?" Golden Sword Immortal sneered. "He's just a native of the mortal world. No matter how strong he is, how strong could he possibly be? I can slash him in one strike! If you ask me, we should act now to avoid any complications."

"Don't be hasty," Mystic Water Immortal waved his hand. "His Highness the Crown Prince specifically ordered us to ambush him when the heavenly tribulation is at its most intense, leaving him besieged from both sides so he will surely die. Let's wait a bit longer; he can't escape anyway."

The three stopped talking and continued to hide in the void, waiting for Emperor Cao Xukun to undergo the tribulation. They thought they were well-hidden, but they didn't know that Emperor Cao Xukun had sensed their presence the very moment they descended into the mortal world.

"A few clowns from the Immortal Realm want to ambush me?" Emperor Cao Xukun curled his lips into a cold smile, thinking to himself, "Since you delivered yourselves to my doorstep, don't blame me for being impolite. You'll make perfect practice targets for me to test my current strength."

Just then, a loud roar came from the sky. A purple divine lightning bolt as thick as a water bucket, carrying earth-shattering power, struck down fiercely toward Emperor Cao Xukun.

"The first layer of the heavenly tribulation! Purple Firmament Divine Lightning!"

An exclamation erupted from the crowd, and everyone nervously clenched their fists.

Emperor Cao Xukun stood motionless. Just as the divine lightning was about to strike him, he slowly raised his right hand and squeezed gently. The seemingly terrifying Purple Firmament Divine Lightning was instantly crushed in his hand, turning into a wisp of purple current that dissipated into the air.

"Holy crap! That's awesome!" Li Tieniu jumped up in excitement. "Emperor Xuan is too powerful! He crushed the Purple Firmament Divine Lightning with a casual gesture!"

The onlookers also erupted into thunderous cheers: "Long live Emperor Xuan! Victory in the tribulation!"

Just as everyone was cheering, a discordant voice suddenly rang out.

"Emperor Cao Xukun! Do not get cocky!"

A white figure shot up into the sky from the crowd and landed in mid-air opposite the Star-Gazing Platform. This person was dressed in a white Daoist robe, held a horsetail whisk, and was surrounded by a faint white immortal aura, fully embodying the persona of someone trying to look cool.

This person was the last Son of Destiny from the reclusive White Cloud Sect, Bai Yunzi. His sect had previously been wiped out by Emperor Cao Xukun for refusing to submit to Great Xuan. He had been hiding in the deep mountains to cultivate, and having now broken through to the late Integration stage, he foolishly believed himself to be invincible. He had come specifically to ambush Emperor Cao Xukun before the tribulation to avenge his sect.

"Emperor Cao Xukun! You murderous devil!" Bai Yunzi pointed at Emperor Cao Xukun and roared fiercely. "You destroyed my sect and killed my mentors; your crimes are heinous! Today, I will act on behalf of the heavens and kill you before your tribulation to rid the world of this scourge!"

"I am the reincarnation of the Great Immortal White Cloud, the leader of the righteous path ordained by the Heavenly Dao! Today, I will trigger the Nine Heavens White Cloud Divine Lightning and blast your soul into oblivion! All who follow me are disciples of the righteous path and will surely attain the Dao and become immortals in the future; all who oppose me are remnants of the demonic path and will surely be destroyed by heaven and earth!"

A dozen or so remnants of the White Cloud Sect followed him, raising their long swords in unison and shouting, "Great Immortal White Cloud is invincible! Kill Emperor Cao Xukun! Avenge our sect!"

The onlookers instantly exploded into an uproar:

"Where did this lunatic come from? Daring to cause trouble at a time like this!"

"Exactly! Emperor Xuan is about to undergo the tribulation, and he actually dares to come and ambush him. How shameless!"

"Get lost! Or we'll beat you to death!"

Li Tieniu was so angry his nose was crooked. He grabbed his giant axe and prepared to rush up. "Damn it! Another poser looking for death! Emperor Xuan is about to undergo the tribulation, and you dare to come and cause trouble! Watch me split you in two with one axe, you old White Cloud ghost!"

"You don't need to do it," Emperor Cao Xukun said indifferently, not even bothering to look directly at Bai Yunzi. "Just a buzzing fly; I can swat it to death with a casual gesture."

As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his hand. An invisible force instantly struck Bai Yunzi.

"Pfft—!"

Bai Yunzi spat out a mouthful of blood and flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily onto the ground and creating a large crater. His Daoist robe was torn, his horsetail whisk was broken in two, and his entire cultivation base vanished in an instant.

"Impossible... This is absolutely impossible..." Bai Yunzi's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief. "I am the reincarnation of the Great Immortal White Cloud... How could I lose..."

"With such pathetic tricks, you dare to call yourself a Great Immortal?" Emperor Cao Xukun's tone was cold. "I wiped out your sect because you committed countless evils and oppressed the people. You didn't repent, and yet you dared to come and ambush me; you are simply seeking death."

He flicked his finger, and a bolt of spiritual energy shot out. Bai Yunzi instantly turned into ashes, leaving not even his soul behind. The dozen or so remnants of the White Cloud Sect were scared out of their wits and turned to run, but they were surrounded by the surrounding soldiers and slaughtered to the last one.

"Good! Well killed!"

The onlookers erupted into thunderous cheers.

The three Golden Immortals above the clouds, seeing this scene, were not the least bit vigilant; instead, they were even more disdainful.

"I thought this Emperor Cao Xukun was powerful, but it turns out he can only bully Integration stage trash." Golden Sword Immortal sneered. "It seems we were overthinking it. In a moment, I can finish him off in one sword strike."

Blazing Fire Immortal nodded. "That's right, this brat only has this much skill. Once he withstands the first six layers of the heavenly tribulation, we will make our move and ensure he dies without a burial place."

Mystic Water Immortal also relaxed, sneering. "Hmph, a native of the mortal world is just a native of the mortal world. No matter how much he struggles, he cannot escape our grasp. Once we kill Emperor Cao Xukun and seize his destiny and source, we can return to the Immortal Realm to claim our reward."

The three exchanged smiles, their eyes filled with greed and triumph. They did not know that they had already become the prey in Emperor Cao Xukun's eyes.

On the Star-Gazing Platform, Emperor Cao Xukun looked up at the clouds, a cold smile curling on his lips.

"Don't be impatient; the good show is still to come. Once I withstand the first six layers of the heavenly tribulation, I will slowly play with you."

As soon as he finished speaking, another loud roar came from the sky. The second, third... and sixth divine lightning bolts struck down in succession, each one more ferocious than the last.

Emperor Cao Xukun stood on the Star-Gazing Platform, neither dodging nor avoiding, letting the divine lightning strike him. His dragon robe remained undamaged; instead, he used the power of the divine lightning to continuously temper his physical body and cultivation.

"Long live Emperor Xuan! Long live Great Xuan!"

The cheers of hundreds of millions of citizens resounded throughout the entire mortal world.