Nine Astra Skies
chapter-301

Chapter 301: Crashing Thunder of Heavenly Tribulation

Within the Ye Clan, Ye Chen raised an eyebrow after he released the messenger hawk, a smirk tugging at his lips. “It’s best not to look a gift horse in the mouth.”

The Wolven Kingdom wanted to use these items to buy off the Ye Clan, hoping to get in the good graces of that “super Almighty” behind the Ye Clan. They did not know this was merely a trick Ye Chen was playing upon the Wolven Kingdom. It did not matter how much effort they put in.

Ye Chen was unable to feel favorably toward the Wolven Kingdom. Today, if Master Lion had not stepped in, there was no telling how the Ye Clan would end up. At the same time, Little Tanuki’s clan was nearly wiped out by the Wolven Kingdom, only escaping thanks to the Leo King’s Palace. Many of Little Tanuki’s family members had died at the hands of the Wolven Kingdom, so she would not likely forgive them either.

In the conflict between the Wolven Kingdom and the Leo King’s Palace, Ye Chen was definitely on the side of the Leo King’s Palace!

Ye Chen would restrain the Wolven Kingdom with fear for now. When he had sufficient strength, he would settle the score with them.

Ye Chen must head to the Central Empire quickly and look for a way to advance his abilities. First, he had to resolve the matter of the Soul Pearl.

Ye Chen called Little Wingsy over.

“Little Wingsy, call your master to come out,” Ye Chen told Little Wingsy.

Little Wingsy took out the Soul Pearl. There was a bright streak of light and the apparition of an old man appeared above the Soul Pearl. He sat cross-legged, encircled in demonic energy.

“Senior Tuntian,” Ye Chen saluted politely.

“What have you called me for?” Elder Tuntian cast a glance at Ye Chen.

“We’re now in the Xiwu Empire’s Donglin County, not far away from the Sunken Jade Tower. Should I send you back to the Sunken Jade Tower?” Ye Chen looked toward Elder Tuntian and asked.

Elder Tuntian wore a hesitant look. “After returning to the Sunken Jade Tower, will Little Wingsy be continuing to train under me?”

“That… I’m afraid not.” Ye Chen paused for a while before speaking. He would not rest easy if he left Little Wingsy in a place like the Sunken Jade Tower.

“Master, I want to continue cultivating under you, but I wish to follow Big Brother Ye Chen too!” Little Wingsy said miserably.

Elder Tuntian was silent for a long time. “How about this – you bring me to the Sunken Jade Tower’s entrance. I’ll do a test first before deciding whether to return to the Sunken Jade Tower.”

A test? What test? Ye Chen was at a loss. Still, bringing Elder Tuntian to the Sunken Jade Tower first was not a difficult matter, so he immediately nodded. “Sure!”

Elder Tuntian went back into the Soul Pearl while Ye Chen started off for the Sunken Jade Tower with Little Wingsy in tow. At their current pace, going from the House of Ye to the Sunken Jade Tower took only a few hours.

After around half a day, Ye Chen and Little Wingsy had arrived at the Sunken Jade Tower’s entrance. Little Wingsy took out the Soul Pearl and summoned Elder Tuntian.

“What test are you doing, senior?” Ye Chen Asked Elder Tuntian. Behind him was the Sunken Jade Tower’s entrance, above which the words “Sunken Jade Tower” were written in vigorous strokes.

“I want to see the extent of heavenly punishment I’d suffer now!” Elder Tuntian exclaimed. His eyebrows wriggled as he flew into an open space, saying to Ye Chen and Little Wingsy, “You’d better stand back. The power of heavenly punishment isn’t something you can withstand.”

Ye Chen was highly surprised. Was Elder Tuntian going to incur heavenly punishment?

Elder Tuntian had always been desperately hiding his energy, so the heavenly punishment still had not descended. As time passed, it would slowly discover Elder Tuntian’s location, only stopping when it had annihilated Elder Tuntian to smithereens. Elder Tuntian wanted to see if he could withstand this heavenly tribulation now.

Ye Chen and Little Wingsy stood beneath the words Sunken Jade Tower. Ye Chen realized that, when he approached the entrance, the Sunken Jade Tower’s restriction had been automatically released. It was just as Senior Tian Yuan had said – the Sunken Jade Tower would automatically open for Ye Chen, only he would not be able to see Senior Tian Yuan.

From the Soul Pearl out came an intense energy.

Ye Chen sensed a formidable wave of pressure sweeping toward him and his heart pounded in fright. Was this the actual energy of a spirit arcana?

Although this energy was slightly weaker than the Purple-fire Astra Lion and the Heavenly Astra Master Seal, it was still definitely a matchless powerful existence. A spirit arcana did not have offensive abilities. Only the one controlling the spirit arcane could unleash its full might.

The Soul Pearl would not attack on its own but its defenses were very impressive.

Even with Little Wingsy’s current strength, he still could not use the Soul Pearl!

“Big Brother Ye Chen, what’s Master doing?” Little Wingsy blinked. After Elder Tuntian released his energy, the Soul Pearl hovered there without moving for a long time.

“Your master is incurring heavenly punishment. We’ll wait here first,” Ye Chen replied, his eyes glued to the Soul Pearl in front.

The Soul Pearl floated there while Elder Tuntian’s apparition sat above it, cross-legged, three skulls orbiting him. The sockets of the skulls burned with a faint fire. Elder Tuntian had dug out these three skulls from a ten-thousand-year tomb and refined them into a protective formation. According to the actual cultivation method of the demonic technique, Elder Tuntian was supposed to find three fighters and refined them into Flaming Skulls while they were still alive. However, Elder Tuntian dared not kill, so he could only scavenge the tomb of powerhouses, digging up three skulls. Due to this, the power of the Flaming Skulls was downgraded ninety percent.

Still, even with just ten percent of their power remaining, the might of these Flaming Skulls were astonishingly overpowering.

After a few minutes, there was a distant rumble of thunder in the distant sky. This thunder contained endless power.

“The heavenly punishment has arrived!” Ye Chen’s heart leaped in shock.

As they looked into the distance, there was a black cloud with flashes of lightning, appearing above the Soul Pearl.

Elder Tuntian’s manner had changed at last. His beard fluttered and his long black robe flapped loudly. With a low cry, beams of black light shot out from his body.

Rumble!

Instantly, ten bolts of lightning raced toward Elder Tuntian, crashing into the black radiance and exploding deafeningly.

Electric ropes whipped about, causing sand and stone to fly up for dozens of meters around.

The land and mountains trembled as if the world itself was crumbling down.

After the lightning, torrents of heavenly fire descended in wave after wave like a storm of meteorites.

“My Ghostly Secret Technique, Soul Light Veil!” Elder Tuntian roared furiously. The three Flaming Skulls around him suddenly unleashed bursts of black light which formed into a massive veil of light, shrouding Elder Tuntian. “Boom boom boom”– the heavenly fire bombarded the light shield. Sparks and flames abound, exploding and crackling.

Wave after wave of heavenly fire and thunderous light was blocked by Elder Tuntian. The Soul Light Veil, under the intense attack of the heavenly punishment, slowly began to show cracks. The scorching flames also burnt Elder Tuntian’s beard.

Elder Tuntian looked rather strained, which was pitiful to see.

“Ghostly Black Lotus, blossom!” Elder Tuntian cried with rage and a black lotus gradually bloomed above his head. The Soul Light Veil gained a few additional layers.

“Big Brother Ye Chen, should I help Master?” Little Wingsy looked from afar and asked Ye Chen anxiously.

Ye Chen shook his head. “The might of heavenly punishment isn’t something we can resist at all. At our current level, if we even touch the slightest wisp of that heavenly fire, we’ll be turned to ashes in a blink!”

“Will Master be in danger then?” Little Wingsy asked, taken aback. This heavenly punishment was this fearsome.

“Senior Tuntian is channeling the defensive light shield of the Soul Pearl. He should be able to hold off the heavenly punishment, right?” Ye Chen was not certain. He asked the Purple-fire Astra Lion, who replied that he did not know either. It depended on what grade of heavenly punishment Elder Tuntian was faced with.

After around half an hour of the attack, the distant open area had been reduced to a pile of rubble. Everything was razed to the ground and traces of black scorch marks were everywhere.

The heavenly punishment slowly dwindled out, then finally stopped.

With a rumble, the Soul Light Veil surrounding Elder Tuntian also fell apart at that moment.

“Hahaha, I no longer have to fear heavenly punishment at last. I’m truly a genius!” Elder Tuntian’s clothes were in tatters, his beard and hair disheveled, and his body was burned black in many places. Still, his expression was one of triumph as he danced gleefully like a lunatic. “You thought that puny heavenly punishment of yours can destroy me, the Heaven Devouring Devil Lord! I can halt even heavenly punishment itself. From now on, I, the Heaven Devouring Devil Lord, shall boldly go anywhere I please!”

Just as Elder Tuntian was happily celebrating, Ye Chen seemed to sense something and he frowned slightly.

At this point, Elder Tuntian’s expression changed as well. A distant rumble of thunder came again. That booming sound was even more overbearing than before. In an instant, a black cloud was above their heads.

“My goodness, it’s the Seventh Grade Crashing Thunder of heavenly tribulation, which can even reduce dark refined steel to dust!” Elder Tuntian turned white with alarm. He spurred on the Soul Pearl and flew toward Ye Chen and Little Wingsy with a whoosh, yelling in panic, “Quickly go into the Sunken Jade Tower! Quickly!”

With a “swoosh”, the Soul Pearl had sped into the Sunken Jade Tower, even faster than Ye Chen or Little Wingsy. Ye Chen immediately dragged Little Wingsy along and dashed into the Sunken Jade Tower. Although they had no idea what Seventh Grade Crashing Thunder of heavenly tribulation was, from Elder Tuntian’s reaction, this Crashing Thunder of heavenly tribulation was nothing to laugh at.

After Ye Chen and Little Wingsy made it into the Sunken Jade Tower, its restrictive spell immediately sealed shut.

Outside the Sunken Jade Tower, the Crashing Thunder of heavenly tribulation seemed to have its own mind, turning into a dark cloud flashing with thunder and lightning. It tried to enter the Sunken Jade Tower and collided into the Sunken Jade Tower’s restrictive spell. The words “Sunken Jade Tower” suddenly glowed blindingly and a vivid, colorful light descended upon that Crashing Thunder of heavenly tribulation.

“Bang!”

When the colorful light shone upon the Crashing Thunder of heavenly tribulation, it immediately exploded and dispersed into thin air.

“We’re safe now.” Elder Tuntian sighed in relief. “I didn’t think that I’ll incur the Seventh Grade Crashing Thunder of heavenly tribulation. Luckily, I ran fast enough or I’d surely have been blown to smithereens!”

“Master, is the Crashing Thunder of heavenly tribulation so powerful?” Little Wingsy asked.

“Of course. With most spirit arcana, it’d already be impressive if one can withstand the Fifth Grade Fiery Thunder of heavenly tribulation. Like me, I could just about hold back the Fifth Grade Fiery Thunder of heavenly tribulation. If it’s the Seventh Grade Crashing Thunder of heavenly tribulation, I’ll surely be reduced to ashes in a second.”