It Turns Out, They Are the Protagonists
Chapter 528: A Double Reversal!

The Primordial Witch’s Protection, this was one of the titles in Mu Zhian’s personal interface.

It was unlike any other title he possessed. Its sole ability was to rewind time.

However, for some reason, in the past, Time Regression only triggered after Mu Zhian’s death, but this time, it was displayed as a countdown timer.

When Mu Zhian opened his eyes, he saw a vast sea of lightning surrounding him. Under the sky, two tribulation clouds were silently dissipating, and a woman with an indifferent expression had descended, enveloped in a milky white halo.

The embodiment of the Heavenly Dao’s will.

Time hadn’t rewound to before Mu Zhian’s tribulation, but restarted after the seventh level!

“Can you rewind time?”

Just then, the woman who descended from the tribulation clouds spoke coldly.

Her voice was as cold as ice, crisp and pleasant.

The silver moon behind her faintly emitted a holy and gentle light, her gaze calm.

She knows I can rewind time!

Mu Zhian was inwardly surprised, but his expression remained calm.

Thinking about it, it made sense. After all, this was a part of the Heavenly Dao’s will, her methods heaven-defying. It wasn’t strange that she knew he could rewind time.

However, this lofty goddess clearly wasn’t interested in Mu Zhian’s ability. She simply spoke again in a flat tone, “Disrupting the order of heaven and earth shall be punished with a nine-lifetime tribulation.”

As soon as her voice fell, Mu Zhian suddenly asked, “Which of my actions disrupted the order of heaven and earth?”

The woman’s expression was indifferent: “You are an anomaly.”

Mu Zhian understood. His very existence defied the rules of heaven and earth, and he had just caused an anomaly in the Heavenly Tribulation, therefore, he was an ‘anomaly’.

Mu Zhian knew it was impossible to persuade the Heavenly Dao to give up. He just wanted to use this time to think of a countermeasure.

The Primordial Witch’s Time Regression ability allowed him to return to the past after a thirty-minute countdown. This ability also triggered after his death.

Until he successfully passed this Heavenly Tribulation.

The reason for the thirty-minute countdown was probably because the Primordial Witch was worried he would be forcibly restrained.

If Time Regression only triggered upon death, then once the Heavenly Dao’s will discovered this secret, it might find a way to trap Mu Zhian, preventing him from killing himself.

Wei Mengrou was watching from a nearby mountain peak. This was likely the Primordial Witch’s doing.

Rumble…

Just as Mu Zhian was thinking of a countermeasure, a green light flashed before his eyes.

The phantom of the World-Purifying Green Lotus descended once again.

“Damn it, it’s starting again?!”

Mu Zhian cursed inwardly. This time, he expertly opened his personal interface. Before he could even manually save, the Primordial Witch had already started the thirty-minute countdown again.

…

In the Nine Provinces, very few people knew that the Heavenly Dao possessed self-awareness.

And only after the goddess-like figure descended with the soft white light did they finally realize the gravity of the situation.

Even the elders hadn’t expected someone’s Heavenly Tribulation to attract the Heavenly Dao itself.

Ye Lingxuan stood in mid-air, her gaze fixed on the young man within the vast sea of lightning, and said softly, “Do you have any solutions?”

“None. Every time a cultivator enters the Heavenly Tribulation, the difficulty increases… You can only hope that Mu Zhian can successfully pass through it,” the Reincarnated Empress said in a low voice.

“But Brother Mu has already regressed once. If it were you at the peak of Nascent Soul Realm, would you be confident in facing nine great powers simultaneously?” Ye Lingxuan abruptly turned to the Reincarnated Empress and asked.

The woman fell silent.

Among those present, only Ye Lingxuan and the Reincarnated Empress knew about Mu Zhian’s Time Regression, because both their Daos were related to time.

They had witnessed the disastrous scene of Mu Zhian’s first encounter with this Heavenly Tribulation.

That wasn’t a tribulation meant for a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator. At least, from the past until now, no one had ever heard of someone’s tribulation involving fighting against the phantoms of nine great powers simultaneously.

“I also don’t know how he can pass this Heavenly Tribulation,” the Reincarnated Empress said softly after a long silence.

Ye Lingxuan didn’t say anything more, just subconsciously tightened her grip on the Desolate Time Lock in her sleeve, her gaze fixed on the young man within the sea of lightning.

After the previous regression, Mu Zhian was clearly more experienced in battle. When the two great powers attacked together, shattering the Measuring Ruler, Mu Zhian immediately summoned the Eight Chaos Dream Scroll, instantly absorbing Gong Lianyue’s Bronze Sword.

Then, he turned and blocked Luo Tan’s Myriad Transformations Qi Cauldron with his elbow.

Weng!

This Myriad Transformations Qi Cauldron seemed to have a wisp of Immortal-grade Artifact Spirit will, instantly severely injuring Mu Zhian with a single blow, his spiritual sense almost shattering.

And at this moment, time regressed for the third time.

It was like playing a video game, Mu Zhian repeatedly doing the same thing.

But to the lofty will of the Heavenly Dao, this was just a futile struggle.

The woman’s long dress fluttered, her upper body clad in armor forged from several types of immortal gold. The material of her dress was also incredibly tough, clearly made from some kind of heavenly material and earthly treasure silk.

She looked down at the struggling young man below without any emotion, just silently watching.

And it was true. Within the Heavenly Tribulation were phantoms of nine Dao Integration Realm experts, each with combat power no less than a Soul Transformation cultivator.

Unless Mu Zhian used the power of the Heavenly Court Lord, this was a dead end.

But every time he descended as the Heavenly Court Lord, that drop of Immortal Ascension Realm Essence Blood would be consumed, and the Heavenly Tribulation was a trial set by the Heavenly Dao. If the Heavenly Court Lord descended, wouldn’t that be violating the rules of heaven and earth again?

After the Heavenly Court Lord’s time ran out, could the Heavenly Dao still send down another Heavenly Tribulation?

Mu Zhian wasn’t sure, and he didn’t want to gamble yet.

If he lost the gamble, the difficulty of the Heavenly Tribulation might double again. By then, it would truly become a ‘dead end’, even the Primordial Witch’s Time Regression wouldn’t be able to help.

Boom…

Yao Meng summoned the World-Purifying Green Lotus, attacking Mu Zhian again.

Mu Zhian quickly dodged, the nine fox tail phantoms behind him unfurling. He abruptly turned his head, looking at Gong Lianyue attacking from behind.

His enchanting pink eyes seemed to flow with a myriad of charms.

Almost at that instant, Gong Lianyue’s movements faltered.

And Luo Tan’s attack also slowed down slightly.

The Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox’s charm can actually affect them, making them instinctively feel ‘pity’ for me?

Mu Zhian was surprised, discovering this fact.

But then, he felt a surge of regret.

He suddenly thought of something.

The Spiritual Energy of the Innate Celestial Furnace was currently actively emanating through the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox body, thus affecting all the female cultivators in the Heavenly Tribulation.

But this influence was ultimately limited.

If he could get close and directly infuse the Innate Celestial Furnace’s Spiritual Energy into their bodies… what would happen?

Unfortunately, although this method might work, he couldn’t get close to these phantoms at all.

Boom!

With the Underworld Lord’s technique, Mu Zhian’s feet were tightly bound by withered bones.

He gasped for breath, his gaze calmly fixed on the countdown timer in his personal interface.

Only ten seconds left.

“How many times do you plan to regress?” the woman’s cold and emotionless voice, from above the tribulation clouds, echoed in Mu Zhian’s ears.

She quietly gazed at Mu Zhian, her expression calm. She wasn’t mocking him, but genuinely asking.

“No more,” Mu Zhian said decisively, unexpectedly choosing to give up this time.

Before the Heavenly Dao’s will could speak, Mu Zhian continued, “I plan to submit to you.”

The Heavenly Dao’s will was stunned, seemingly not expecting him to give up on the third regression.

Mu Zhian glanced at the countdown timer.

Three seconds left.

He looked up at the woman, whose face was as emotionless as a machine, and said with a smile, “After the next regression, I will submit to you.”

“Please look forward to it.”

…

The fourth regression.

For Mu Zhian, he had already experienced the Heavenly Tribulation four times, but to the Forbidden Zone clan members in the distance, it had only just begun.

Seeing the woman, the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao’s will, descend, their expressions changed.

After all, that was the Heavenly Dao!

In the Nine Provinces, which cultivator didn’t hold both reverence and yearning for the Heavenly Dao?

Whether a cultivator could reach Soul Transformation or Dao Integration was almost entirely determined by the rules of heaven and earth set by the Heavenly Dao.

Yet now, the Heavenly Dao had sent down a part of its will, even manifesting it in human form to descend upon the Forbidden Zone.

And it did so just to eliminate Mu Zhian, this unstable factor.

Just thinking about it was despair-inducing.

“Look, what is Mu Zhian doing?!”

Just then, someone cried out in surprise, looking at the young man within the vast sea of lightning from a distance.

Above the tribulation clouds, the goddess formed from the Heavenly Dao’s will was walking towards Mu Zhian step by step, stepping on the void.

And Mu Zhian was actually slowly kneeling before her, even holding the goddess’s jade-white foot.

He looked like a guard pledging allegiance to a princess.

“How could this be, how could Brother Mu…?”

Ye Lingxuan stared at this scene, subconsciously gripping her skirt, a sense of helplessness washing over her.

This was indeed the best solution for Mu Zhian to deal with this impossible situation.

—Submitting to the Heavenly Dao’s will.

But she still found it hard to accept.

A flicker of emotion finally appeared in the Reincarnated Empress’s usually cold and indifferent eyes. She lowered her eyelids slightly.

“This is a necessary choice…” she murmured softly.

“I know, but I believe Brother Mu isn’t someone who would easily submit, he must be planning something…” Ye Lingxuan whispered.

The Reincarnated Empress was silent for a moment, but clearly didn’t believe it, “Perhaps.”

Just then, as if noticing something, Ye Lingxuan suddenly grabbed the Reincarnated Empress’s sleeve, her gaze fixed on the young man’s figure, “No… Brother Mu is planning something…”

The Reincarnated Empress was stunned. She subconsciously looked up at the young man holding the goddess’s foot, seemingly about to pledge allegiance.

At this moment, a deathly silence fell upon the entire Forbidden Zone, countless gazes fixed on this scene.

If it were them, they would probably also choose to ‘submit’.

Although failing the tribulation, pledging allegiance to the Heavenly Dao wasn’t anything shameful.

After all, for such a lofty existence to manifest in human form and personally test a cultivator, it was already giving him enough face.

Submitting to her, perhaps there might still be a chance to reach Soul Transformation in the future—

Just as this thought flashed through their minds, they saw Mu Zhian suddenly step forward and embrace the expressionless woman.

Then, under the astonished gazes of the Forbidden Zone disciples, Ye Lingxuan, Wei Mengrou, and the others, he lowered his head and kissed the woman’s cold, soft lips.

For a moment, the entire world seemed to fall completely silent.

“Is he crazy?!” This thought flashed through almost everyone’s minds.

And at this moment, the Spiritual Energy of the Innate Celestial Furnace surged into the goddess’s body.

The Spiritual Energy within the Innate Celestial Furnace was completely different from the Spiritual Energy of the world, also beyond the Heavenly Dao’s comprehension.

If the Heavenly Dao’s will was the strongest shield in this world, its will unshakeable, then the Spiritual Energy within the Innate Celestial Furnace was the most invincible spear.

It was enough to captivate any woman.

Then, using a spear against a shield…

What would happen?