Chapter 781: Fighting the Emperor Spirit

An invisible Sword Intent pierced the Void, passing right through the Netherworld Particles Ye Tianling had manifested.

A piercing pain shot through Ye Tianling’s body. His figure flickered as he executed the Kunpeng Hidden Dragon Technique, instantly putting ten thousand meters between him and the attack.

Ye Tianling came to a stop, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His breathing was ragged as he stared at the Emperor Spirit in horror.

The Emperor Spirit didn’t attack again. This was seemingly the second strike of the Celestial Tribulation.

The Third Layer of Hell Celestial Tribulation consisted of a full nine hundred and ninety-nine strikes.

Yet, after withstanding the first strike, he was already at a disadvantage under the second.

Ye Tianling stared intently at the Emperor Spirit manifested from the Celestial Tribulation.

The Emperor Spirit pulsed with Celestial Tribulation Power. Its strength was merely at the Sword Tribulation Second Refining Great Perfection Realm, yet the Laws and Cultivation Techniques it wielded were far beyond anything Ye Tianling could have imagined.

Even when it executed the very same Emperor’s Qi Dragon Swallowing Heaven Divine Technique, it was utterly invincible, capable of sweeping away all opposition.

’This... this is a Young Emperor? This level of Battle Power...’

Ye Tianling’s heart trembled. He finally understood just how far he was from what he considered to be true invincibility.

’To be worthy of the title "Young Emperor"... right now, I’m truly not enough!’

Ye Tianling experienced an indescribable feeling. It was just like how Ji Yun must have felt when facing him—a deep sense of powerlessness and despair, a powerful wave of negative emotion that crashed against his spirit.

A few breaths later, the Hell Celestial Tribulation resumed.

The Celestial Tribulation Emperor Spirit struck again.

The blood-red lightning enveloping its body converged, and its aura intensified.

Ninety-nine streams of Bloodline Power circulated around its body, lending its aura an even more desolate and ancient quality.

Each stream of Bloodline Power seemed to contain the power of ninety-nine strands of Ancient Essence Blood.

When this power converged, it formed a surging and terrifying aura.

This was no longer just a Celestial Tribulation. The Celestial Tribulation had undergone Transformation, and the resulting Celestial Tribulation Emperor Spirit possessed peerless intellect.

’How could anyone possibly survive a Celestial Tribulation like this?’

Ye Tianling finally understood the terror of the Hell Celestial Tribulation. He also realized that choosing to increase its difficulty had been a completely suicidal act.

But the Celestial Tribulation was already here, and escape was impossible.

’This Emperor Spirit...’

Ye Tianling stared at the Emperor Spirit, his eyes filled with deep contemplation.

’Azure Dragon Fist... Emperor’s Qi Transformed Dragon...’

This was the young Thunder Inference King—the Emperor’s Path Thunder Inference King in his youth, an Emperor Spirit manifested from a Law imprint gathered by the Celestial Dao.

The Celestial Tribulation had manifested the Thunder Inference King in his youth, at the Sword Tribulation Second Refining Great Perfection Realm!

Ye Tianling had suspected as much for a while but couldn’t be certain.

But now, as the Celestial Tribulation Emperor Spirit attacked again, his suspicion was finally confirmed.

Azure Dragon Fist!

The Celestial Tribulation Emperor Spirit unleashed the Azure Dragon Fist once more.

A single punch shattered the Void. It transformed into a Fierce Soul in the form of an Azure Dragon Totem, gathering all the Power of Destruction Law around its body. Wisps of crackling Thunderbolt arcs wreathed it, creating an incomparably stunning scene.

The moment the punch was thrown, it blotted out the sky, pressing down on Ye Tianling with crushing force.

As its figure moved, it stepped forward. With each step, Heaven and Earth trembled as if it contained a Law that made them resonate with its rhythm, allowing the power of the entire World to be channeled into its body.

Meanwhile, Que De and Wan Jimie, who were watching the scene unfold, felt an intense sense of suffocation. It felt as if their hearts were about to leap out of their chests; the pressure was immense.

They were beginning to worry for Ye Tianling, as the power of a Celestial Tribulation of this level was beyond imagination.

How could this even be called a Celestial Tribulation anymore?

Ye Tianling instantly activated his Kunpeng Hidden Dragon Technique and, at the same time, chose not to use the Azure Dragon Fist.

’Using the Emperor’s Path Thunder Inference King’s own Azure Dragon Fist against the Celestial Tribulation Emperor Spirit would be suicide.’

’How could my mastery of the Azure Dragon Fist possibly compare to that of the Celestial Tribulation Emperor Spirit?’

Ye Tianling manifested the Xuanyuan Dragon-Controlling Immortal Sword Technique. For the first time, he fully unleashed this Cultivation Technique using his Celestial Dao Rule Domain Law, activating it to its absolute limit.

Simultaneously, his body and his bloodline gathered the Thunder Power from between Heaven and Earth. He also absorbed the Heaven and Earth Laws, attuning himself to the Tribulation Thunder and entering a state of Harmonization Dao.

A bluish-purple halo, accompanied by a blood-red one, swirled around him. He looked like an immortal deity bathed in Divine Law.

This radiance grew even more brilliant as he pushed the manifestation of the Xuanyuan Dragon-Controlling Immortal Sword Technique to its peak.

Ye Tianling’s entire body blazed with resplendent light, his qi and blood soaring to the heavens.

He unleashed the Reincarnation Life and Death Fist.

Another fist. Another display of the peerless Sword Venerate Dominating Body and the ancient Thunder Flame Sword Body.

He even harmonized and merged the Eight Great Ancient Divine Bodies, uniting all of his Divine Bodies into one. With a peerless and Invincible Heart, he threw a punch to meet the Celestial Tribulation Emperor Spirit’s Azure Dragon Fist.

BOOM—

A terrifying Fist Intent erupted as the two attacks collided. The Void tore open, and a ripple of Destruction spread out in all directions.

The Power of Destruction transformed into rings of blue light that battered the surrounding world.

The Celestial Tribulation roared, and thunder pealed without end.

Wisps of Dao Patterns flowed across Ye Tianling’s body, tinged blood-red and bluish-purple.

Yet, after the strike, the Celestial Tribulation Emperor Spirit remained completely motionless, as if it hadn’t been affected by the impact at all.

Ye Tianling, on the other hand, felt his qi and blood roil, and a series of sharp CRACKS echoed from his body.

Dense cracks spread across his physical body. Although he hadn’t been blown apart by the punch, the recoil alone had already injured him.

"Nirvana Rebirth Skill!"

In that instant, Ye Tianling used his Nirvana technique to heal his injuries as he retreated once more.

He was still reeling from the shock.

Even after unleashing a strike of near-peerless Battle Power, he had still barely managed to block the Celestial Tribulation Emperor Spirit’s second move, the Azure Dragon Fist.

’That was only the second move. How am I supposed to block the nine-hundred-plus strikes that are left?’

It wasn’t that Ye Tianling hadn’t considered using Yanyan’s true body for Crossing the Tribulation. But if he did, the Celestial Tribulation would become correspondingly stronger to match the sudden surge in his ’power’.

And if Yanyan failed to shatter and destroy the Celestial Tribulation in a single blow, the consequences would be disastrous.

Furthermore, as the Venerable Female Corpse, if Yanyan were to use her full power now, it would be exceptionally difficult for her to restore her reserves.

After using the Nirvana Rebirth Skill to heal himself, Ye Tianling took a deep breath. He absorbed a portion of the Celestial Tribulation Origin Power to mend his physical body, then seized the moment to regulate his breathing for a few cycles.

Before ten breaths had passed, the Celestial Tribulation Emperor Spirit struck again.

Although the Hell Celestial Tribulation was outrageously powerful, there was a brief interval after each of its attacks.

This brief interval was the only chance of survival while undergoing the Hell Celestial Tribulation.

Taking advantage of this gap to recover, Ye Tianling knew he couldn’t afford to be defensive. He had to make his offense his defense.

Under these circumstances, simply relying on the Defense Power of his Mirror Flower Water Moon Battle Armor would only cause the Celestial Tribulation’s Battle Power to escalate further, making it impossible to resist later on.