Chapter 355 – Entering the Game to Draw Heavenly Thunder, Mortal Body Slays Fiends

“Zhuge Yan…”

Serpent Mountain Immortal narrowed his eyes slowly as he looked at Zhuge Yan.

Immediately afterward, a piercing, bone-chilling cold began to spread.

This was not some kind of Concept or illusion—it was something truly happening.

Countless black snowflakes fell from the sky, swiftly blanketing the Great Thousand Mountains and the surrounding ten-thousand-mile radius.

As soon as these black snowflakes touched the ground, they began to corrupt the land.

Demons or Immortal Fiends who failed to evade in time were immediately affected upon contact with the black snow.

Their bones rapidly softened, and their limbs contracted.

In just a few breaths, these demons and Immortal Fiends transformed into grotesque “serpent-like creatures” of various shapes.

It could be said that from the moment the Great Thousand Mountains’ protective Formation was breached until now,

the demons and Immortal Fiends within the mountains had not perished at the hands of the Central Province cultivators.

Instead, they died in droves, slain by Serpent Mountain Immortal.

As for the Central Province cultivators, they were fortunate enough to avoid being tainted by the black snow, thanks to the protection of Zhuge Yan’s Eight Trigrams Formation.

Witnessing the fate of those ancient Immortals and demons, the expressions of the Central Province cultivators grew complex.

Apprehension, fear, greed…

A mix of complicated emotions played across their faces, revealing their reverence for the power of Immortals.

With just a glance and a surge of Aura, beings below the Immortal level could be subjected to an almost dimensional-crushing effect.

The distinction between Immortals and mortals was indeed not just an empty saying.

In the presence of Serpent Mountain Immortal, only Mortal Realm Immortals at the Great Vehicle Stage held any significance.

As for the rest, even Transformation Soul Stage cultivators were no different from mortals without cultivation.

Faced with Serpent Mountain Immortal’s sudden black snow,

Zhuge Yan turned to those around him and said gravely, “I will send you all away now. Regardless of the outcome, do not recklessly set foot here again.”

Without waiting for their responses, Zhuge Yan activated the Formation beneath his feet.

In the next moment, everyone felt as if heaven and earth had turned upside down.

When they reappeared, they were already ten thousand miles away.

From this distance, they could only see the celestial phenomena summoned by Zhuge Yan and Serpent Mountain Immortal, with little else visible.

Even though they could only glimpse the general scene from afar,

they were already content.

After all, battles at the Immortal level were not something one could witness at any time.

If they could glean even a fragment of insight from this,

it would be a life-altering opportunity, a chance to defy heaven and change their fate.

Thus, even though they knew that observing an Immortal-level battle from this distance still carried risks of being affected,

none of the cultivators wished to leave.

While everyone focused their attention on Zhuge Yan and Serpent Mountain Immortal,

Lu Chen was observing something else.

He gazed at the thick, dark clouds in the distance, unable to suppress a frown.

He had keenly sensed the terrifying power of the Heavenly Tribulation within those clouds.

Undoubtedly, that Heavenly Tribulation power had been summoned by the Great Vehicle Stage ancestor of the Azure Cloud Sect—Zhuge Yan.

The reason it had not yet descended was that Zhuge Yan was situated within the complex terrain of the Great Thousand Mountains.

Various forces within the area had indirectly obscured the heavenly secrets.

However, if this continued, the Great Vehicle Stage Lightning Tribulation would eventually lock onto Zhuge Yan’s exact location.

By that point, it would no longer be easy for Zhuge Yan to evade the Heavenly Tribulation.Or perhaps… he never intended to avoid it from the very beginning?

At this thought, Lu Chen faintly felt he had guessed Zhuge Yan’s true intentions.

The Great Vehicle Stage Lightning Tribulation was Zhuge Yan’s contingency plan.

If he could suppress Serpent Mountain Immortal with his own cultivation, that would naturally be the best outcome for all.

But if he couldn’t achieve this through his own cultivation…

Then he would unreservedly release his aura, summoning the Great Vehicle Stage Heavenly Tribulation.

Thereby achieving the goal of killing someone with a borrowed saber.

However, doing so meant that regardless of the final outcome…

Zhuge Yan would inevitably have to leave Central Province.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen began carefully observing the distant scene.

It might sound unpleasant, but the current strength of Lu Chen and the others wasn’t just unhelpful to Zhuge Yan—it was actually a limitation.

Before Lu Chen and the others departed, Zhuge Yan hadn’t displayed particularly powerful cultivation.

At least not to the extent where he could casually control the life and death of all beings like Serpent Mountain Immortal.

But as Lu Chen and the others left, Zhuge Yan’s power was completely unleashed.

Now, the Great Thousand Mountains had been utterly transformed.

The former Martial God Mountain site, which had become riddled with holes after numerous battles…

Had now completely transformed into a mysterious celestial mechanism space.

An inverted sun and moon, a disordered heaven and earth.

The space around Zhuge Yan seemed completely disrupted by some force.

The manifestation of this was rain flying upward, mountains turned upside down, with no distinction between above and below.

This was the power that only Great Vehicle Stage cultivators, or Immortals, could wield—a domain of their own.

An Immortal creates their own heaven.

Although Serpent Mountain Immortal didn’t follow the orthodox path of the Immortal Cultivation World…

All methods under heaven ultimately lead to the same destination.

A distorted Heavenly Dao remained the Heavenly Dao.

Serpent Mountain Immortal now stood upon a colossal serpent.

The giant serpent reached between heaven and earth, stretching for thousands of miles.

Even a single scale from it could easily destroy a city if it fell.

Such an existence could crush a Transformation Soul Stage Revered One as easily as breathing.

If not for Zhuge Yan blocking him…

Even if all the schools in Central Province united their forces, they wouldn’t be a match for Serpent Mountain Immortal, a descended ancient immortal.

They might not even be able to injure him.

This was the absolute difference in power.

Any strategy, any method, appeared meaningless before absolute strength.

And collisions at the Immortal level had transcended ordinary comprehension.

The duel between Zhuge Yan and Serpent Mountain Immortal wasn’t as earth-shattering as outsiders might imagine.

Because at their level, what they competed in was their comprehension of the Dao.

As a true ancient immortal whose cultivation was only suppressed due to his descent…

Serpent Mountain Immortal’s understanding of the Dao naturally far surpassed Zhuge Yan’s.

Thus, after just a few simple exchanges…

Serpent Mountain Immortal’s heaven-devouring serpent completely surrounded Zhuge Yan’s Eight Trigrams domain.

From a distance, it appeared as if continuous mountains had directly enveloped Zhuge Yan.

Making it impossible to see what was happening inside.

This situation made everyone in Central Province hold their breath in anxiety.

Although they couldn’t comprehend the contest between Immortals…

They could still simply judge who had the upper hand.

No matter how one looked at it, Zhuge Yan was currently at a disadvantage.

And if Zhuge Yan were defeated, it would undoubtedly be devastating news for Central Province.If they still wish to suppress Serpent Mountain Immortal by then,

the price they will pay will be extraordinarily heavy.

Within the Myriad Snakes Domain,

Serpent Mountain Immortal looked down at Zhuge Yan, who was being restrained by his “domain,”

and said with a light laugh: “Among mortals, you are undoubtedly the most outstanding. Compared to that self-proclaimed Martial God, you amuse me more.”

“However, mortals are ultimately just mortals. What limits you is not your innate talent, but this very world.”

“Never having transcended, your defeat was predetermined from the start.”

“Still, as the first interesting opponent I’ve encountered since arriving in this world, I may remember you for the next millennium, Azure Cloud Sect’s… Zhuge Yan.”

Faced with Serpent Mountain Immortal’s arrogant praise,

the blind Zhuge Yan also began to laugh.

But his laughter made Serpent Mountain Immortal sense something amiss.

“Merely a group of parasites stealing heavenly power, yet you dare call yourselves immortals.”

“As for the so-called predetermined defeat, that’s nothing but a joke.”

“Hmm?”

Serpent Mountain Immortal frowned, a strong unease surging within him.

For in the depths of his consciousness, he sensed danger.

Yet no matter how he thought, he couldn’t pinpoint where this threat originated.

Clearly, Zhuge Yan had already been “swallowed” into his “Myriad Snakes.”

For an ancient immortal who controlled a domain,

being trapped in another’s domain was no different from being at their mercy.

After all, in another’s domain, they made the rules.

Thus, no matter how he looked at it, Zhuge Yan’s life and death were now in his hands.

There was no possibility of a reversal.

But the smile on Zhuge Yan’s face seemed to tell Serpent Mountain Immortal

that things were not proceeding as smoothly as he had imagined.

What was it?

What was this mortal’s confidence based on?

Just as Serpent Mountain Immortal was lost in thought,

a clap of thunder suddenly echoed in both their ears.

The sound of this thunder jolted Serpent Mountain Immortal awake.

“So this is your trump card?”

Feeling the heavenly thunder drawing closer above,

Serpent Mountain Immortal revealed a scornful smile.

After all, not long ago, he had experienced this world’s Heavenly Tribulation.

Not only had that tribulation failed to harm him in the slightest,

but he had even seized a portion of the world’s Origin, accelerating his control over this body.

Now, with Zhuge Yan repeating the same trick,

it was merely another gift delivered to him.

But as he laughed, Serpent Mountain Immortal suddenly fell silent.

For he realized the Heavenly Tribulation above was growing increasingly powerful, far surpassing the one he had encountered earlier.

No, this tribulation was different.

In an instant, Serpent Mountain Immortal detected the anomaly.

Though this tribulation appeared similar to the previous one,

their natures were fundamentally distinct.

The reason lay in the fact that the previous Heavenly Tribulation was born from the Azure Cloud World’s own celestial power,

while this one originated from beyond the azure clouds… the Thirty-Three Heavens.

For the true meaning of this tribulation was “ascension.”

Only by enduring the baptism of the Upper Realm’s Heavenly Tribulation

could one fully integrate into the Upper Realm.

And the Heavenly Tribulation of the Upper Realm was naturally incomparable to that of the Lower Realm.

After a moment’s thought, Serpent Mountain Immortal concluded that he absolutely could not withstand this tribulation head-on.

Even if he survived, he would be severely wounded at best.Therefore, in an instant, Serpent Mountain Immortal dispelled his own domain, preparing to directly leave this Heavenly Tribulation area.

But though he wished to leave, Zhuge Yan would not let him go so easily.

Zhuge Yan, who had previously been in a defensive stance, now unreservedly unleashed his own domain—Nine Revolutions Cosmos.

Seeing Zhuge Yan tightly entangling him, Serpent Mountain Immortal finally lost his earlier composure.

“Have you gone mad? Using all your means to hold me back, do you think you can survive this Heavenly Tribulation?”

Hearing this, Zhuge Yan laughed.

“If one does not stake their life in the game, how can a Mortal slay an Immortal?”

Sensing Zhuge Yan’s determination, Serpent Mountain Immortal grew utterly enraged.

Yet anger could change nothing.

Admittedly, Zhuge Yan’s strength was inferior to his.

But the gap between them was not as vast as imagined.

Holding back Serpent Mountain Immortal was not particularly difficult for Zhuge Yan.

Amid their entanglement, the guiding heavenly thunder from the Thirty-Three Heavens descended.

The terrifying Heavenly Tribulation instantly transformed the entire Great Thousand Mountains into a thunderous purgatory.

Each bolt of heavenly thunder was comparable to the Divine Abilities of a Great Vehicle Stage Cultivator.

From the perspective of the guiding Heavenly Tribulation, the current state of Zhuge Yan and Serpent Mountain Immortal appeared as though Serpent Mountain Immortal was attempting to help Zhuge Yan transcend the tribulation.

This directly increased the power of the Heavenly Tribulation even further.

Consequently, Serpent Mountain Immortal found it even more unbearable.

However, as the true target of the guiding Heavenly Tribulation, although Serpent Mountain Immortal endured much of the tribulation, Zhuge Yan bore even more.

Already injured, Zhuge Yan could not hold on for long under such circumstances.

After just a few strikes from the Heavenly Tribulation, Zhuge Yan’s Dao body was already covered in cracks, clearly on the verge of Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering.

Yet Serpent Mountain Immortal was not much better off.

At this moment, Serpent Mountain Immortal was disheveled, his body charred black, his aura feeble.

But compared to the nearly dead Zhuge Yan, he still held the upper hand.

Thinking this, Serpent Mountain Immortal mocked, “So what if you summoned the Heavenly Tribulation? In the end, the victor is still me.”

“Everything you did was in vain.”

Hearing this, as his body began to continuously spiritualize and rapidly dissipate, Zhuge Yan smiled and said, “Do what one must, leave the rest to heaven, and… trust in those who follow.”

With these words, Zhuge Yan’s body completely transformed into countless points of Spiritual Power, vanishing before Serpent Mountain Immortal’s eyes.

Witnessing this scene, the anxiety that had been weighing on Serpent Mountain Immortal’s heart finally lifted.

Then he looked into the distance ten thousand miles away, narrowing his eyes.

In that direction, the Cultivators of Central Province were staring at him with grief and indignation.

But no matter how furious they were, the Central Province Cultivators had no good options at the moment.

Because an illusory barrier of serpent scales stood between them and Serpent Mountain Immortal.

Although Serpent Mountain Immortal was severely injured, he could still barely maintain a portion of his ‘Myriad Snakes Domain.’

As long as this domain remained, the Central Province Cultivators could not harm him.

And if he could recuperate for just a moment, even recovering a sliver of Origin Qi would make slaughtering these Cultivators—who lacked anyone at the Great Vehicle Stage—a trivial matter.

But to Serpent Mountain Immortal’s surprise, a figure flew out from the crowd and arrived at the boundary of the Myriad Snakes Domain.

This person was none other than Lu Chen.

Seeing Lu Chen’s actions, both Serpent Mountain Immortal and the other Central Province Cultivators were stunned.Then, under the horrified gaze of the Serpent Mountain Immortal, he discovered that the Heavenly Tribulation that should have dissipated had actually reappeared.

And all of this was due to the aura emanating from Lu Chen at this moment.

Lu Chen’s eyes were now streaming with tears of blood, and a trace of a technique that felt all too familiar to the Serpent Mountain Immortal had emerged once again.

It was none other than Zhuge Yan’s Nine Revolutions Cosmos.

Although Lu Chen’s imitation of the Nine Revolutions Cosmos was far less powerful than Zhuge Yan’s original,

it was more than sufficient to deceive the Heavenly Tribulation.

As long as the Heavenly Tribulation believed that Zhuge Yan was not yet dead and its mission remained unfulfilled,

the Heavenly Tribulation would not cease.

Thus, under the astonished gazes of everyone present, a terrifying tribulation cloud once again loomed overhead.

Lu Chen controlled his Immortal Sword, aiming it at the nearby Myriad Snakes Domain.

To slay an immortal with a mortal body had never been an easy task.

Under different circumstances, Lu Chen would not have believed he could achieve this in his current state.

But after understanding Zhuge Yan’s purpose,

Lu Chen had already anticipated this very situation.

Among all those present, he alone possessed the ability to deceive the Heavenly Tribulation.

This… was the wisdom of the successor.

“Slay!”

Under the horrified gaze of the Serpent Mountain Immortal, Lu Chen channeled the imitated power of Zhuge Yan into his Immortal Sword, sending it flying toward the immortal’s location.

Accompanying it was the Heavenly Tribulation that filled the Serpent Mountain Immortal with immense dread…

(End of Chapter)