Evolution: From Little Devil to Devil Empress

Chapter 679: Tribulation

Countless thoughts raced through Liora’s mind.

The doubts and confusion she had previously faced slowly dispersed, as though the veil covering her perception was slowly being lifted.

She seemed to have gained a deeper understanding of the Cosmic Universe as well as her own situation overall.

A few minutes later, she shook her head.

She organized her thoughts, turning her focus back to reality.

Her gaze swept through the River of Time, briefly landing on the other Ancient Devils surrounding her.

The number of Thrones was hard to count.

However, there was something Liora had failed to notice in the past.

Some of these Thrones were indeed occupied by vague creatures.

But a large portion of them were not.

The Thrones stood alone, with countless cracks covering their bodies and slowly spreading. Their auras fluctuated violently with every second, as though they were about to break apart.

Had it been in the past, Liora would not have understood what such a sight meant.

Having become an Ancient Devil, however, she now understood what the scene represented.

“Every Ancient Devil from the beginning of the Origin Sea until now has placed their Throne on the banks of the River of Time. It can serve as their anchor, connecting their past with their present.”

“But over the long years, a large number of these Ancient Devils have disappeared.”

“Some are dead. When that happens, their Throne will be directly destroyed.”

“Others are stuck in a state between life and death, waiting to either perish completely or for their backups to work and revive them.”

“The empty Thrones represent the latter.”

One day, their owners could very well return, and the vague figures would reappear.

It was just as likely, though, that the Thrones would break down, signaling their utter destruction.

Liora’s expression turned solemn.

There were many reasons why Ancient Devils would perish.

In a bitter struggle against beings of the same level. In a confrontation between them and higher-level beings.

More importantly…

“In a Tribulation…”

The word couldn’t help but escape Liora’s mouth.

It was a term the Ancient Devil she had briefly interacted with earlier had muttered, as well as something she had learned about following her advancement.

In the past, she had always wondered why Ancient Devils were so rare and hard to meet.

Throughout her journey in the Demon World, she had only ever encountered two Ancient Devils.

Hollow Ancestor. Four Elements Devil.

This doubt had always been at the back of her mind.

Especially when one considered the large number of Thrones resting on the banks of the River of Time, one would have expected that Ancient Devils would be found almost everywhere.

But with her advancement, Liora came to understand where their rarity came from.

Tribulation.

A test imposed by the Demon World upon all Ancient Devils, occurring every set number of years.

The form of the Tribulation was different each time.

Some faced lightning from the heavens. Others underwent tests of their will. Some would have to resolve their karmic relationships.

Either way, every Ancient Devil would find themselves in extreme danger whenever faced with a Tribulation.

“Moreover, Tribulations are never-ending.”

“As long as you’re an Ancient Devil, you will experience them again and again. There’s no way to truly get rid of them.”

Take Liora as an example.

She could sense that her Tribulation would arrive in three hundred years.

If she succeeded in surviving it, she would gain a brief period of peace.

After that, however, she would have to experience another Tribulation a set amount of time later.

Each Tribulation was stronger than the last!

This meant that for all Ancient Devils, there were only two paths ahead of them.

Either advance further and break free from the Demon World’s shackles, or die under the power of the Tribulation and perish forever.

“This can be considered a trial of the Demon World, such as that faced by Young Devils in the Crucible. Of course, such a trial is of the highest order…” Liora whispered.

Then, her eyes flashed.

She glanced at the many Thrones around her.

Most of the figures were in a deep sleep.

Only a few were semi-conscious, like the Ancient Devil she had encountered earlier.

The reason was simple.

“Ancient Devils are not stupid. Since they have to undergo Tribulations, they will try to find ways to counter them.”

“People have developed many methods. But the most common is simply going to sleep.”

The sleep here did not refer to the sleep of mortals.

Instead, Ancient Devils would extinguish every trace of their vitality, constructing a timeline loop around themselves and slowing down time.

This allowed them to extend the period between their Tribulations.

Using Liora’s situation as an example, she could extend the three hundred years to millions, if not billions, of years if she wanted to.

Unfortunately…

“This is a dead end.” Liora shook her head.

“Save for rare exceptions, Ancient Devils cannot practice while they are asleep. Even if they possess awakened clones, the progress they make is far slower than that of their true bodies.”

“Ultimately, creating a timeline loop is useless. The Tribulation will eventually arrive. And because you haven’t practiced, the chances of falling under it are even higher.”

Liora felt somewhat emotional.

Since she could understand this immediately after her advancement, other Ancient Devils could as well.

It wasn’t that they were stupid.

To have reached this point, they were all apex individuals, whether in terms of talent, mind, or intelligence.

The reason they chose this method was that they were truly desperate!

If they didn’t use this method, they would die even sooner!

Moreover, it was not as though there was no way to make use of timeline loops.

As long as they found a suitable opportunity during this time, they could always break out of their slumber and fight for it.

The lucky ones could pass one more hurdle, earning even more time until their next Tribulation.

Liora’s expression shifted between several emotions.

In the span of a few minutes, she had gained a rough understanding of the Ancient Devil stage. Not only of its powers, but also of how such beings survived.

The way she looked at the surrounding Thrones changed subtly.

Of course, she had no reason to break that balance.

After taking one final look at the many Ancient Devils, her body shook violently, separating from the Throne and descending into reality.

Only a split consciousness remained in the River of Time, seated on top of her Throne.

As long as something changed, Liora would be able to sense it and react.

This included changes both to her timeline, as well as future opportunities.