Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 1416 - 1416 802 One in Ten Thousand_2

Chapter 1416: Chapter 802: One in Ten Thousand_2 Chapter 1416: Chapter 802: One in Ten Thousand_2 Qi Tian and Gao Jinmei didn’t try to climb the city wall, as it was already packed with people, leaving them no place to stand. Instead, they had climbed a tree early on, finding a branch with an excellent view and stood there looking toward the exterior of Tribulation City. Many cultivators were doing the same, either scaling trees or rooftops, and it was rare to see anyone flying above the small city, as if everyone were avoiding something.

In the blink of an eye, the sky became clouded with dark clouds, and thick Tribulation Clouds quickly gathered above Xu Chen. Bolts of Tribulation Thunder crashed down one after another, and Xu Chen did everything in his power, using spells and magical instruments, ceaselessly resisting the strikes of the Heavenly Tribulation…

Gasps and cheers periodically arose from within the small city; however, their shock and applause could not reverse Xu Chen’s fate. At first, Xu Chen performed impressively, but as the Heavenly Tribulation’s power intensified, he gradually could not withstand it. In the end, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, a bolt of Tribulation Thunder, thicker than a table, descended from the sky, engulfing Xu Chen.

By the time the Tribulation Thunder retreated, Xu Chen had disappeared, replaced by a charred figure barely distinguishable as human.

Xu Chen’s tribulation had failed, and a wave of regret swept through the city, occasionally mixed with some Schadenfreude.

The cultivators who had escorted Xu Chen there all had grim expressions, but they were helpless in this situation. They rose into the air and flew off; they had no face to stay any longer, and they needed to hurry back and report to the elders of their factions to decide on the next steps.

Although Xu Chen had died, the crowd didn’t disperse; they continued to stand in their places, seemingly waiting for the next person to face tribulation.

Sure enough, before long, another group flew in, crossing above the tribulation ground, arriving at the place where Xu Chen had faced his tribulation.

The cultivator who just arrived showed no interest in Xu Chen’s corpse and started to release the energy that had been suppressed to its limit at a distance from Xu Chen’s remains, quickly drawing the Heavenly Tribulation towards him.

According to the Cultivation World, undergoing tribulation at the same site, provided they don’t simultaneously provoke the Heavenly Tribulation but rather take turns, the ones going first have a relatively lower chance of success, while those going after have a higher one. Some Great Masters say that like cultivators, the Heavenly Tribulation consumes Spirit Qi, which is finite within a certain area. In the beginning, the Tribulation possesses abundant Spirit Force, unleashing powerful strikes, but later, as the Spirit Qi is heavily depleted, the Tribulation also faces a lack of Spirit Qi and thus becomes more restrained, not easily unleashing powerful attacks. Thus, those who face tribulation at this point may gain a considerable advantage.

Of course, while this is the common belief, no Great Master can positively guarantee its truth. To some, it’s just a hopeful wish, merely a psychological comfort. Even so, cultivators are eager for this belief, dreaming that when their turn comes to face tribulation, someone would have gone before them to take the brunt of the heavenly fury and deplete some of its strength, perhaps giving them that slight edge in their success rate.

This second cultivator who came for tribulation harbored such hopes, but when he truly confronted the Heavenly Tribulation, he didn’t feel any decrease in its power. It seemed to be even mightier than what Xu Chen had faced, leaving him somewhat flustered. He had thought the tribulation would be an opportunity to benefit, but the reality was far from what he had expected.

When cultivators faced their Heavenly Tribulation, no one dared to be distracted, much less show the slightest disarray. This man had clearly violated a grave taboo, and his end came even quicker than Xu Chen’s. In a very short span of time, he was obliterated by a strike of Tribulation Thunder, leaving even less of his charred remains than Xu Chen had.

Deathly silence pervaded Tribulation City, all too aware that ascending from the Gold Core Stage to the Nascent Soul Stage was exceedingly difficult—one success out of a hundred was an achievement to boast about for decades, and the chances of success were slim to none.

This was clear to everyone, but knowing this did little to lessen the horror when witnessing a fellow cultivator’s tribulation end so tragically. Which Gold Core Realm cultivator could remain unaffected?

As if by agreement, following the failure of the second person to face the tribulation, four or five more stepped forward. Yet, their fates were no different from Xu Chen’s—none survived, all met with death. This only added to the oppressive silence in Tribulation City. Initially, people would comment and give advice, but now, hardly anyone spoke up anymore.

The Nascent Soul Masters sitting in the same room were entirely composed, having anticipated this outcome. They even believed if all the Gold Core Realm cultivators in Tribulation City met the most basic requirements for attempting the tribulation, with a crowd of fifty thousand, it would be remarkable for even one to succeed. These Masters understood the slim odds of success far better than the Gold Core Realm cultivators did.

The series of failed tribulations did not just suffocate the cultivators in Tribulation City; even those who had agreed beforehand to undertake the tribulation here felt stifled. It was a journey known to lead to death, and few were willing to resolutely face it.

To face the tribulation was to have an eighty or ninety percent chance of death. In contrast, if one chose to stop the tribulation now, abandon the dreams of becoming a Nascent Soul Master, then a continued life, enjoying the pleasures of a carefree existence, was assured—one was death, the other life. The choice seemed painfully obvious.

Thus, Tribulation City experienced an eerie lull, as no one came forward to face the tribulation, as if it had all ended.

The voice that had earlier warned all the inhabitants of the city once again resounded.

“Do not say I didn’t warn you. A deal agreed upon beforehand must be honored. Should anyone dare to renege, bear the consequences yourselves. Do not think that, having agreed earlier, you can now go back on your word without repercussions. If you fail to uphold the agreement and dare to turn and flee, we Masters won’t let you off easily, nor will we spare your sects and powers standing behind you.

Moreover, the state of your own cultivation has already become extremely precarious. Even if we do not pursue and eliminate you, do you think you can suppress your own cultivation any longer? Ten days, half a month, or one or two months? Can it be any longer? If not, what use is there to turn back now? Here, during your tribulation, no one will interfere with you. But if you return, once you can no longer contain your cultivation and are forced to face the tribulation, who will be there to help you? Who will refrain from interfering? Will your tribulation site be as safe as it is here? Surely, you do not wish to risk destroying the very grounds of your sect and power due to your tribulation. After all, what point would there be in success if you brought ruin to your own sect and home—even if it were by some freak chance?”