So You're the Great Tribulation? You Think You're the Only One Who Can Call Backup?

A colossal, mind-shattering, bloody maw opened wide toward it. It was a gigantic entity, yet the blood-colored being perched above its head was vast beyond measure. Muddled as it was, it seemed incapable of reacting in time, merely mumbling on instinct, "Huge." At that moment, the legs of every cultivator began to tremble uncontrollably. All they saw was... scarlet light spilling across heaven and earth! The endless darkness receded completely, supplanted by boundless crimson and purple radiance. That immensely vast form was clad in blood-red armor, which was carved with intricate, exquisite patterns. Even at its towering scale, it lacked none of the fine detail. The barbed blood crystals on his shoulders were larger than Heavenly Pillars! Qi Yuan stood in the void, primal chaos sprawling before him, while an infinite starry cosmos stretched behind him. The stars were strewn like fireflies, and the primal chaos resembled a mass of dough. He opened his gaping maw and bit down toward that chaos. Yet the living beings of the Canglan Realm could not see this spectacle; only the Great Tribulation witnessed it. *Crunch.* Every living being in the world seemed to hear the sound of a gulp. They did not understand what had transpired, knowing only that the Blood-Robed Sword God had seemingly appeared. Right then, a confused voice tinged with bewilderment resonated. "Challenger... did you just eat... the Canglan Realm and me together?" Muddled and dazed, the Great Tribulation found itself situated in a bizarre realm. Hearing this, all the cultivators were jolted in shock. "The Canglan Realm was eaten?" "We were eaten?" "I think I heard the sound of swallowing!" "...The Blood-Robed Sword God could swallow the Great Tribulation whole? Just how powerful is he?" Countless beings were baffled—or rather, utterly incapable of comprehending it. Wang Lingtong's expression shifted slightly at this moment. He hurriedly activated a Realm-Breaking Talisman. The Realm-Breaking Talisman was sufficient to carry him back to the Xingli Realm. Yet now, the Realm-Breaking Talisman failed. His face drained of color. "What the Great Tribulation said... is true?" Wang Lingshan also wore a look of utter shock. "We were eaten?" This was simply unimaginable! As Great Venerables, they knew where their limits lay. A great world like the Canglan Realm was larger than even the dharma idol body of an ordinary Yang God. Yet in the end... it was swallowed by the Blood-Robed Sword God? What kind of concept was that?! Furthermore... why had the Blood-Robed Sword God swallowed this world? What state were they in right now? The same bewilderment arose in the hearts of all cultivators. Then, the Great Tribulation spoke: "Where is this place?" It seemed entirely unafraid of the Blood-Robed Sword God who had swallowed it. "Here... is my Purple Mansion!" From the distant void, the Blood-Robed Sword God's voice drifted over, frigid yet nonchalant. Today, he had traversed all of Canglan specifically to leave a mark upon every living soul. In confronting the Great Tribulation, he needed to seize the initiative. Thus, he had directly manifested his dharma idol body, merged with Xiao Jia, and swallowed the Great Tribulation along with the Canglan Realm into his Purple Mansion in a single gulp. With the Gate of Ultimate Principle present, this domain was completely cut off. Even if that entity from the Taihuang Palace employed the marks, they would be unable to obliterate the living beings of the Canglan Realm. Most importantly, he could close the gates and beat the dog. Otherwise, should that figure from the Taihuang Palace descend, he would lose this battle nine times out of ten. He was merely a Purple Mansion cultivator—at most, the richest man in a village. How could he compare to the influence of that world-class magnate from the Taihuang Palace? "The Purple Mansion?" The muddled Great Tribulation was surprised, yet unpanicked. "Peak Great Heavenly Position... no, far stronger than the Great Heavenly Position." It stared at Qi Yuan, still dazed. "For beings such as us, physical size does not matter. "Why manifest a dharma idol body? It makes me rather uneasy to look at." Qi Yuan did not reply. He did not agree with the Great Tribulation's words. In the Upper Realm, most beings believed that beyond the Great Heavenly Position lay ultimate principles. Without cultivating ultimate principles, no matter how immense a dharma idol body was, it was nothing more than a giant toy. Yet Qi Yuan felt this was merely because the toy was not big enough. If he were trillions of times larger than the sun, larger than the universe itself, could an ultimate principle even scratch an itch on him? If he had not been large enough when swallowing the Canglan Realm, he would likely have crushed quite a few continents with his teeth. Sometimes, being bigger truly was useful. Still, having swallowed the Canglan Realm and placed it inside his Purple Mansion, there was indeed no need for him to maintain this dharma idol body. His figure shrank abruptly by a thousandfold, then ten thousandfold. His eyes truly locked onto the Great Tribulation at this moment. [Great Tribulation, origin body of the Great Sun's past body, created by a special mutation, severed from the Great Sun.] Information regarding the Great Tribulation surfaced before Qi Yuan. The Great Tribulation before him possessed a body composed of intangible primal chaos, bizarre in the extreme. And it was the origin body of the Great Sun's past body. "You are the Great Sun's past body?" Qi Yuan was astonished, a trace of wariness stirring within him. Did that not mean the Great Sun's true body—that world-class magnate—had already discovered a village-level magnate like him? A glimmer of sentience flashed in the Great Tribulation's muddled eyes. "It is not me, and I am not it. Strength is tribulation." Hearing the Great Tribulation's words, Qi Yuan understood somewhat. Although the Great Tribulation was the Great Sun's past body, it differed from an ordinary Yang God's past body; it had been stripped away and discarded. Qi Yuan did not know the reason, and no Yang God had ever informed him of such details. Even the true Buddhas of ultimate principle in the Buddha Realm were unaware. It seemed this was a secret involving the realm of Great Ultimate Reason. "Alright, the lines are done. Any more talking and we'll have to pay overtime—the investors will get heartache... Better get on with... 'Qi Yuan Eliminates the Great Tribulation'!" Qi Yuan's voice rose sharply, and all the cultivators between heaven and earth finally saw that Blood-Robed Sword God, who was no smaller than the Great Tribulation. Clad in blood-red armor, his entire body was coated in crimson, leaving only his eyes exposed. Surging battle intent erupted at this instant. The continental plates of the Canglan Realm trembled in rhythm with Qi Yuan's voice. "Challenger, even if you stand supreme over Canglan, you must still die by the hands of the Great Tribulation. This is destiny!" The muddled Great Tribulation's voice was vast and resonant. It had no intellect, possessing only sentience, and fought purely driven by instinct. An incomparably formidable clash occurred at this juncture. *Boom!* Heaven and earth quaked. A colossal shockwave seemed poised to sweep outward, threatening to shatter the Canglan Realm. Just then, in a distant place, Qi Qi wore a solemn expression. "Yin and Yang are separated, neither interfering with the other." At her words, the Canglan Realm plunged abruptly into the Netherworld. A layer of peculiar qi instantly divided the Canglan Realm from the battle raging above. The battleground was Yang, and the Netherworld was Yin, entirely segregated from one another. A colossal strike collided. Beneath the blood-red armor, Qi Yuan's expression was indifferent. "Is this all the strength the Great Tribulation has?" The Great Tribulation's combat prowess was far weaker than that of the ultimate boss from the Star Arch World. A single straightforward, violent blow had already cracked this chaotic form. Evidently, the Great Tribulation was at a disadvantage in this clash. Watching this scene, the other cultivators felt waves of excitement wash through their hearts. "The Blood-Robed Sword God... isn't truly about to eradicate the Great Tribulation, is he?" "Just how... powerful is he!" A gleam of intellect flashed through True Monarch Dazhi's eyes. "This time, the Netherworld has severed connection to the Upper Realm. The Great Tribulation cannot call for backup... perhaps..." Wang Lingtong also trembled throughout. He could not fathom why a powerhouse like the Blood-Robed Sword God would emerge in the Canglan Realm. By swallowing the Canglan Realm, he stripped the Great Tribulation of the ability to summon reinforcements from the Upper Realm, then proceeded to dismantle it methodically. After all, when three Yang Gods of the Xingli Realm had jointly assaulted the Great Tribulation while it was still frail, it had directly called for backup. At that time, two Yang Gods from the Taihuang Palace descended, slaying gods and Buddhas alike. Was this... the correct answer to saving a world? He felt thrilled, already contemplating inviting the Blood-Robed Sword God to the Xingli Realm if he succeeded here. Could he have the Sword God swallow the Xingli Realm as well? Many powerhouses were deeply shaken. The Great Tribulation's might had already made them shudder, yet the Blood-Robed Sword God... appeared even stronger than the Great Tribulation! And they were seemingly inside the Blood-Robed Sword God's Purple Mansion. Hiding inside a stone cave, the little fox girl looked up at the sky. "Since I'm in Senior Blood-Robed Sword God's Purple Mansion, does that mean I'm also in his heart?" At this moment, her love-struck delusions ran rampant. The cultivators who had previously insulted and defamed the Blood-Robed Sword God now shrank back like frightened quail. At this moment, the muddled Great Tribulation spoke. Its expression remained solely dazed, betraying no other emotion. "In the words of mortal beings, your plot to sever my link with the Upper Realm was well calculated. "Yet you do not know that origin bodies... share what they have with one another!" A trace of delight seemed to surface on the muddled Great Tribulation's face. Then, all of a sudden, a magnificent echo reverberated across the Canglan Realm, resounding through the Netherworld. It sounded as though three thousand gods and Buddhas were chanting in unison. "Origin bodies... share what they have with one another." "Origin bodies... share what they have with one another." Above the boundless void, an immense leviathan struggled its way through. Its appearance resembled the Great Tribulation, though roughly a third smaller in size. "That is the Great Tribulation of the Qianmo Realm!" Bloody tears streamed from the black-robed man's death-qi-laden eyes. He recognized it: this newly emerged Great Tribulation originated from the Qianmo Realm. Wang Lingtong's pupils contracted violently as well. "Th-that... is the Great Tribulation of the Xingli Realm!" His teeth chattered as horrifying thoughts raced through his mind. According to those from the Upper Realm, there were three thousand worlds housing Great Tribulations. Three thousand Great Tribulations... Ahead, from within the boundless sea of the void, colossal monstrosities crawled out one after another. One terrifying, gigantic black silhouette after another crept forth, none appearing inferior to the Great Tribulation of the Canglan Realm. Some were chaotic, some rigid, some hideous, some drenched in blood. In an instant, this domain of heaven and earth was engulfed by an amalgamation of endless chaos. They jammed together, their bodies pressing into one another. Densely packed origin bodies of the Great Tribulation, thousands of colossal eyes coldly and blankly fixated on Qi Yuan. They opened their mouths, revealing closely set, barbed, razor-sharp teeth. Within every mouth hung tens of thousands of bifurcated, slimy tongues, squirming and flicking like thousands of entangled serpents in a snake pit—a terrifying sight to behold. At this moment, the gaze of the muddled Great Tribulation held an added trace of something called greed as it stared at Qi Yuan. Countless greedy eyes locked onto Qi Yuan, as if gazing upon an extraordinarily delicious cake. "Origin bodies share what they have with one another. Your scheme has failed!" "Strength is tribulation. The destiny of a challenger is to become meat within the tribulation." Three thousand Great Tribulations were stacked together, indescribable and exceedingly horrific. Every living being in the Canglan Realm fell into despair. A single Great Tribulation was already this terrifying. Yet now... three thousand Great Tribulations had arrived! They could not comprehend it, feeling only that doomsday hung over their heads. Many Yin Gods and Great Venerables did not even have the courage to look at the densely packed Great Tribulations; a single glance induced nausea and threatened to shatter their Dao hearts. Jiang Lingsu gritted her teeth, her face pale. She stared at that scarlet figure before the Great Tribulations, her eyes filled with resolve. *If you descend to the Netherworld, I will follow!* A trace of bitterness finally surfaced in True Monarch Dazhi's profound eyes. "He severed the link to the Upper Realm, yet there are still three thousand Great Tribulations..." Sitting within the Ascending Heaven Pavilion, Elder Wutian wore a bleak expression. "What... does the Great Sun truly desire to do?" Jiang Ruhua pushed his spiritual energy to its utmost limit. Looking at the sky, his jaws ached with tension. "Senior Blood-Robed Sword God, hang in there and hold on a bit longer! Junior will head straight to Fengtian Domain to slap that gutless kid who shares your name silly!" At this moment, Qi Yuan remained completely composed. Before confronting the Great Tribulation, he had checked his fortune. The result: difficult. To prevent mishaps, he had swallowed the Canglan Realm along with the Great Tribulation into his Purple Mansion, severing the Great Tribulation's chance of calling for aid from the Taihuang Palace. Yet he had not anticipated that the Great Tribulation would actually summon... all the other Great Tribulations. Qi Yuan swept his gaze across them. All three thousand Great Tribulations were origin bodies of the Great Sun's past body. If even origin bodies of the past body were this formidable, the might of the true body... was unimaginable. Yet right now, that was not something Qi Yuan needed to contemplate. He looked toward the Great Tribulation, his expression indifferent. "Are there any other origin bodies? Why not come together?" "I am not the Great Sun. Good things... we eat together." Three thousand muddled Great Tribulations, terrifying behemoths, spoke simultaneously, their voices in perfect unison as if uttered by a single entity. They had provided their answer. All the Great Tribulations had gathered in the Netherworld. "Not bad. You must be sworn brothers who vowed to die on the same day!" Qi Yuan inhaled deeply. He had to admit, if the Canglan Realm were a game and the player were a cultivator, it would be impossible to clear without cheating! Even after cutting off the Taihuang Palace and the Upper Realm, this Great Tribulation could still call for backup! The scarlet figure stood before the three thousand Great Tribulations, confronting the three thousand terrifying entities. Qi Yuan roared, "You think you're the only one who can call backup?" "Calling backup... who can't do that?!" His roaring voice turned sacred and solemn at this instant. "Bright and blazing, let the infants emerge from the divine treasury! Hear my command!" "Gods and Buddhas, descend upon the world!" At this moment, all living beings across the Canglan Realm looked up at the sky. Yet they could see nothing, beholding only those terrifying Great Tribulations. However, beside their ears, the voices of gods and fiends chanted and echoed! "The Jade Emperor of the Great Canopy Golden Palace obeys the order!" "The Southern Great Emperor of the Supreme Ultimate obeys the order!" ... "The Three Officials Great Emperors obey the order!" "The Ten Directions Celestial Venerables obey the order!" ... "The Twenty-Eight Mansions obey the order!" "Righteous Gods of the Thunder Bureau, hear my command: fight for the Celestial Venerable!" "Righteous Gods of the Dipper Bureau, hear my command: fight for the Celestial Venerable!" ... "The host of the Grand Duke Bureau respectfully honors the Celestial Venerable's order: fight!" The voices were endless, like the collective roar of a hundred thousand gods and fiends. Looking up toward the horizon, all one saw was... Myriads of gods and fiends acting as soldiers and generals, descending together to wage war for their master! At this moment, Qi Yuan's four thousand Divine Infants surged forth in unison, riding the clouds and mist as they loomed into the cloudbanks. Every god and Buddha possessed awe-inspiring majesty, bathed in divine light and incomparably august, evoking dread and compelling worship in the hearts of all. All the deities lined up behind Qi Yuan like soldiers in an army. Four thousand against three thousand—a clash exceedingly rare in the Upper Realm, or perhaps completely unrecorded in history, erupted within Qi Yuan's Purple Mansion. "You think you're the only one who can call backup?" "So you're the Great Tribulation?" "Kill!" The terrifying crimson figure charged straight into the Great Tribulation origin bodies. In the eyes of the three thousand muddled Great Tribulation origin bodies, alongside greed, a trace of emotion called astonishment finally appeared. "Kill!" "Kill!" "Kill!" Countless divine radiances and boundless divine spiritual power surged and submerged the space. High in the heavens, the figure of no living being could be distinguished; as far as the eye could see, there were only diverse divine domains, brilliant rays of divine light, and various forms of divine spiritual power. A single stray wisp leaking out would have been enough to pierce right through the Canglan Realm. Yet at this moment, they were all jumbled together like a massive stew, locked in a chaotic brawl. Formidable divine spiritual power was everywhere; boundless auras of destruction filled the air. A Mythological powerhouse stepping inside would not survive for even a ten-thousandth of a breath. Countless drops of blood fell like rain, spattering upon the boundary separating Yin and Yang. The slaughter progressed, the battle raged on, and blood and fire burned. All living beings lifted their heads toward the sky, looking upon this tragic and desperate clash, their eyes filled with utter terror. In Wang Lingtong's eyes, there was also a mix of astonishment and profound shock. He had not expected the Great Tribulation to be this powerful, nor had he anticipated... that the Blood-Robed Sword God would be even stronger than the Great Tribulation!