The Origin of the Great Tribulation?

With those words, a brief silence fell between the two. The attractive, middle-aged woman instinctively wanted to deny Fatty Zhou's words. In her urge to refute him, several absurd thoughts even crossed her mind. Perhaps someone else had killed Old Man Tian and then shoved his severed head into Xu Changtian's hand. Or perhaps Old Man Tian had killed himself just for kicks. After all, based on the common sense she had accumulated over a hundred years of life, given Old Man Tian's cultivation, even if he stood motionless and let Xu Changtian hack at him for three days and three nights, in the end Xu Changtian would only die of exhaustion. Yet no sooner had these thoughts flashed through her mind than she forcefully suppressed them. She recalled the ultimate purpose of their mission. The Great Tribulation. Common sense could not be applied to the origin of the Great Tribulation. Did this bizarre turn of events before them not prove that Xu Changtian was indeed the origin of the Great Tribulation? Slowly inhaling a breath of turbid air, the middle-aged woman said softly, "It seems Brother Taishi was right. This Xu Changtian is indeed inextricably linked to the Great Tribulation. On this mission, we must execute him right here!" Hearing this, the corner of Fatty Zhou's eye twitched uncontrollably. He shot an unobtrusive glance at the woman beside him, his gaze full of exasperation. He had come here to pick on the easy target. Now that things had gone wrong, the obvious move was to pull back first. Yet this woman actually wanted to kill Xu Changtian. If this Xu Changtian really could instantly kill Old Man Tian, did she really think the two of them combined would survive? Even if this Xu Changtian truly was the Great Tribulation, didn't they have the old Pavilion Master above them to deal with it? After a brief silence, Fatty Zhou weighed his words, looking at the dense fog all around. "The fog at the very core is somewhat similar to a Luanyin Formation. Were it not for my Forest Soul Divine Eyes, even with my cultivation I would only be able to perceive an area thirty zhang around us. If a fight truly breaks out, the two of us will likely be constrained at every turn." For cultivators of their level, a distance of thirty zhang was far too short—it was practically fighting with all five senses blocked. Fighting like this was far too disadvantageous, so they really ought to pull back first. The middle-aged woman seemed not to catch Fatty Zhou's underlying meaning. After a moment of contemplation, she asked softly, "How far are we from Xu Changtian's position?" "About a hundred zhang." "I am already this close, and he hasn't moved at all?" "Not an inch." Fatty Zhou stared fixedly through the depths of the mist at the two motionless, statue-like figures, choosing this time to lay his cards directly on the table: "That kid has the power to instantly kill Old Man Tian. Venturing further in will likely be dangerous for the two of us." The middle-aged woman fell silent for a moment, a trace of disgust surfacing in her eyes. "Fatty Zhou, this concerns the Great Tribulation of the world, yet right now you're still thinking of saving your own skin?" "..." Fatty Zhou smacked his lips, not answering immediately. What a heavy label to pin on him. Publicly speaking, eradicating the Great Tribulation was absolute political correctness within the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion. Privately speaking, the horror of the Great Tribulation was rooted deep in the hearts of experts like them who had grown up under the control of the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion. If he could, he naturally wanted to wipe out the origin of this Tribulation right here, but the problem was: could the two of them actually pull it off? This woman simply hadn't seen the bizarre state of those two figures in the deepest part of the mist. Within the vision of Fatty Zhou's Forest Soul Divine Eyes, however, he could clearly see what bloody state those two figures were in. The two figures were joined together by a strange wooden saber. The hilt was gripped in Old Man Tian's hands, while the blade was lodged deep in Xu Changtian's chest. Old Man Tian seemed to have initially intended to dismember Xu Changtian's corpse. The saber had hacked directly into his shoulder and slashed diagonally down to his waist and abdomen; a massive, hideous wound nearly tore the kid's body in two. One had to know that Old Man Tian was a Transcendent expert who had mastered Dao Charm and Intent. Taking a strike like that from him, even a fellow Transcendent cultivator would essentially be dead. And besides this gruesome wound, there was an inch-wide hole between Xu Changtian's brows. Yet even so, Xu Changtian still stood there, his head hanging low, standing lifelessly with vacant eyes. Going solely by appearance, not a single sign showed that he was still alive. Yet due to the interference of the mist, Fatty Zhou could not use his qi dynamic to sense whether there was any life left in him. Old Man Tian, on the other hand, was definitely confirmed dead—and he had died horribly. The ragged break between his head and neck showed jagged muscle and viscous blood, as if someone had pressed one hand down on his shoulder while gripping his jaw with the other and forcibly ripped his head from his torso. Crimson blood was splattered all over the ground. And beyond that, across the ground at the center of that black mist, an unknown black gelatinous fungal organism was slowly writhing, covering everything. After seeing such an eerie scene, unless one was a Saint or Semi-Saint, who would be insane enough to provoke it? Seeing Fatty Zhou remain silent, the disgust in the middle-aged woman's eyes deepened, and she said in a low voice, "If you will not go, then return and report what happened here to Brother Taishi. I, Fu, shall go alone." Fatty Zhou sighed and muttered under his breath, "That's not what I mean. The situation right now clearly calls for a careful plan—" "Zhou Bowen." The middle-aged woman cut him off, her voice very quiet. "The meaning of the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion's existence is to protect the human race. Now that the origin of the Great Tribulation is right before us, I, Fu Qinggeng, cannot simply cling to life cowardly." With that, she retrieved a soft sword from her Sumeru ring, channeled her cultivation method, and slowly walked toward the depths of the black mist. "..." Fatty Zhou stood motionless, watching the woman's graceful silhouette recede into the distance. He let out a soft snort and muttered with faint disdain, "Truly courting death. It's just a Heaven Pavilion Token—is it really worth throwing your life away? If it truly threatens humanity's survival, there will always be someone taller to hold up the sky. The Imperial Clan, the Sect Alliance, the Pavilion Master—those old monsters aren't freeloaders." Having said that, Fatty Zhou shook his head lightly, leaped up, and his plump figure darted away in the exact opposite direction of the middle-aged woman. Her gaze fixed on the bizarre mist gently drifting with the air currents around her, the middle-aged woman's expression grew increasingly grim. After advancing merely fifty zhang, the surrounding fog had already compressed her perception to a radius of twenty zhang. Moreover, the fog's suppression of perception steadily intensified the deeper she went. If she truly reached Xu Changtian at the very heart of the mist, her perception of her surroundings would likely be suppressed to a pitifully small radius. Pausing in silence for a brief moment, the middle-aged woman chose to press on anyway, though she could clearly feel her heartbeat quickening. Nervousness. It had been a very long time since she had felt such an emotion. Even when facing Chief of the Black Scales Lou Ji moments ago, no such feeling had arisen in her heart. This was the nervous tension of being about to confront the Great Tribulation of the world and the unknown. As she drew closer, her steps gradually slowed. The only sound around her was the rustle of her boots stepping over the charred rubble left behind by the raging flames. Fifty zhang. Forty zhang. Twenty zhang. Just as the middle-aged woman was about to step within twenty zhang of Xu Changtian, a gentle, calm female voice suddenly drifted into her ears: "Are you from the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion?" "Who's there?" The middle-aged woman grew instantly vigilant. With a flick of her wrist, her soft sword twirled into a blossom of swordlight, sweeping directly toward the direction behind her where the voice had come from. The soft sword stiffened, sweeping out a sword glow whose gust of wind dispersed the mist behind her. But the strike hit empty air, for there was no one behind her. Seeing this, the middle-aged woman did not know whether she should rejoice or worry. The good news was that someone else truly was present in the deepest part of the mist, meaning Old Man Tian might not have died by Xu Changtian's hand. The worrying news was that to instantly kill Old Man Tian, this woman's cultivation had to be far beyond anything she could handle. Furthermore, this woman had actually recognized that she belonged to the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion. Although her name had been revealed, the connection between her sect and the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion was unknown to anyone. Once the dust settled and everything returned to stillness, that voice, gentle as water, sounded once more with a hint of hesitation: "This seat... could be considered an old acquaintance of your Overseeing Heaven Pavilion." "..." An old acquaintance of the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion? If she truly was an old acquaintance of the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion, how could she leave such a world-ending Great Tribulation here unattended? The middle-aged woman's expression did not change in the slightest. She did not believe a word of it, assuming the other party was merely probing her, and said in a low voice: "I do not understand what Your Excellency means. Why not show yourself so we may speak?" Luo Xiran had no intention of showing herself: "There is no need to show myself. I only spoke up out of consideration for old ties, to warn you not to advance any further." "Not to advance any further... What does Your Excellency mean by that?" "Go any further, and you will die." "..." The middle-aged woman tightened her grip slightly on the hilt of her soft sword, narrowing her eyes. "If I insist on advancing, will Your Excellency take action?" Luo Xiran's voice remained calm as she spoke the truth: "This seat is currently no match for you, so naturally I will not make a move against you." The middle-aged woman's eyes constantly scanned the surrounding mist, trying to pinpoint the other's hiding spot. But the mist's suppression of intent-soul and Source Qi made it impossible for her to determine where the voice originated. "Your Excellency is quite modest. But since you will not take action against me, could you be implying that old man surnamed Tian can kill me?" Even at this point, the middle-aged woman did not forget to fish for information. In the depths of this bizarre mist, if she wanted more information, she could only obtain it through this unidentified woman. And Luo Xiran's voice carried a sigh: "How can a dead man take action against you?" The middle-aged woman's expression grew graver. "Old Man Tian is dead?" "Whew..." Luo Xiran exhaled softly, saying with mixed emotions in a low voice, "Girl, you need not try to pry information from me. I have said all I will say. If you insist on going forward, then go. As someone of the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion, that is indeed how you should act. After all, eradicating tribulations by any means necessary to protect humanity is the very meaning of our existence." The middle-aged woman's pupils constricted slightly. Furrowing her brows, she demanded in a low voice: "Who on earth are you?" "..." No voice answered. All that replied was the endless silence within the black mist. Standing in place for several breaths, the middle-aged woman suppressed the countless doubts in her heart, cupped her hands in a brief bow, and said in a low voice: "If so, I hope Your Excellency will not hinder me." With that, without any hesitation, the middle-aged woman continued onward toward the deepest part of the mist where Xu Changtian was. And after she left, a complex sigh quietly sounded within the mist, then faded back into stillness. The instant that girl from the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion stepped within twenty zhang of the mist's center, Luo Xiran immediately sensed through the mutated black death creep carpeting the ground that the statue-like brat had moved. At first, it was barely noticeable—merely a slight twitch of the fingers clutching the old man's severed head. But as the middle-aged woman drew closer, Xu Yuan's body began to twitch subtly and eerily. Seeing this, a sigh surfaced in Luo Xiran's eyes once again. When that sudden arc of lightning pierced the brat Xu Yuan's brain, she had attempted to use Qi's demon crystal to repair his body. At first, her efforts went smoothly. Because of his past aberrant ghost transformation, the brat's body indeed retained some traits of an aberrant ghost, and the life origin contained within the demon crystal was indeed capable of healing that mere fatal wound through his head. However, Luo Xiran had not used a large amount. After all, without the aberrant ghost transformation to support it, Xu Yuan's current body could not endure the massive life origin contained within Qi's demon crystal. Yet an unexpected turn of events occurred right during that time. That crazed elder infected by the epidemic suddenly arrived before them and attempted to dismember Xu Yuan with that wooden saber. She had wanted to stop him, but could not. And the instant the wooden saber hacked into Xu Yuan's body, perhaps attracted by their shared origin, the yin ghost power within the wooden saber surged en masse into Xu Yuan's body. Influenced by this immense yin origin, the life origin that Luo Xiran was controlling to repair his body also went out of control and flooded in. The influx of two completely different Saint Tier powers left Luo Xiran with no room to maneuver, leaving her to watch helplessly from the side as those forces surged. And what happened next was something Luo Xiran could not comprehend. According to the knowledge stored in her mind, when two completely different forces—the life origin of an aberrant ghost and the yin origin of a yin ghost—surged simultaneously into a single body, the only outcome should have been exploding to death under their violent clashes. Not to mention that both forces were at the Saint Tier, while the recipient possessed only the physical constitution of a Soul Condensation cultivator. Yet for reasons unknown, these two forces achieved a state of balance within the brat Xu Yuan's body. And then, the rampage began without warning. Luo Xiran directly lost control over the vast majority of the black death creep. An Inter-Abyss and ghost mist formed instantaneously with Xu Yuan at the epicenter, expanding to shroud the entire Huizhou County. Those common folk and low-level martial apprentice cultivators—whether dead or surviving—were all converted into its nourishment. As for the crazed elder who had caused this whole ordeal, the instant "Xu Yuan" awakened, he had his head torn off without the slightest room for resistance. Yet after that, the brat made no further moves, standing quietly in place as if he had crashed into complete stasis. Taking advantage of this window, Luo Xiran attempted to inspect the brat's body. And everything inside him was already beyond her comprehension. His meridians, dantian, internal organs, and even his brain were completely destroyed. She did not know whether Xu Yuan could still be considered a living person right now, let alone whether he would ever regain consciousness, for everything inside the brat had been ruined. All she knew was that this long-premeditated assassination by the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion seemed to have personally forced into being the origin of the Great Tribulation...