Immortal Divine Tribulation

Chapter 153: Divine Awakening

The ancient tomb was now completely shrouded in pitch-black death mist, with not a trace of light. Within the swirling black cloud ahead, a glimmer of red light appeared, and everyone felt as though their souls were beginning to crack.

A tall, demonic figure emerged before them. If it weren’t for the overwhelming killing intent and those blood-red eyes, the man would be the very definition of perfection—an otherworldly beauty capable of driving countless women mad. His waist-length hair was crimson red, and his clothes were so ancient it was impossible to tell what era they came from.

“He’s out! He’s out!”

A wraith screamed in terror and turned to flee into the darkness, vanishing in an instant. The towering demon seemed to notice someone fleeing before his eyes. His scarlet eyes looked into the endless black.

“Ahhh…”

A non-human shriek echoed through the darkness, then was abruptly cut off, as if nothing had happened at all.

“Who… am I?”

A deep voice rang out as if lost in eternal void. The figure stood there, dazed and confused. His crimson eyes alternated between viciousness and bewilderment.

“Ugh… kill… kill!”

Suddenly, a deathly glow lit up in his blood-red eyes as he stared directly at the crowd ahead. Wherever his gaze passed, space shattered and the earth trembled. Many cultivators instantly turned into clouds of blood.

Pfft…

Tian Fan stood to the side, bearing an immense pressure. Even with a body comparable to a Immortal Ascension Realm expert, he couldn’t withstand it. Blood spilled from his mouth, and his body was covered in cracks, like a porcelain doll on the verge of shattering into dust.

“Junior Brother!”

Sun Yueying cried out in alarm. If Tian Fan hadn’t shielded her behind him, she would have been reduced to ashes long ago. Now, supporting Tian Fan, her slender hands were stained red with his blood. It poured endlessly from his wounds, and his eyes had grown dim—but he was still staring intently at the shimmering pearl in the sea of lightning.

“You… who are you?”

Suddenly, the towering demon turned, his blood-red gaze descending. Sun Yueying immediately coughed up blood under the sheer pressure. Even with Tian Fan shielding her, it was useless.

“You… you feel so familiar… who am I?”

Those crimson eyes locked onto Tian Fan. The demon didn’t even consciously release his aura, but just standing there, Tian Fan felt as if a mountain was pressing down on him. Another mouthful of blood burst out—he couldn’t even remain kneeling anymore. The only thing holding him up was the Reversed Dragon Blade.

The heir of the Huangpu Clan watched coldly, blood dribbling from his lips. The Divine Son of the Sword Immortal Sect was no longer calm; his face was ashen, and his body looked like it might crack apart. Everyone was completely immobilized, unable even to speak.

The members of the Great Sealing Sect wore deeply anxious expressions—even the Holy Son of the Demon Saint Palace appeared concerned.

“Enemy… you’re the enemy… kill! Kill!”

The demon fell into another frenzy. He reached out with a massive hand toward Tian Fan. It was just a simple gesture, yet the surrounding space shattered instantly, as if turning into primordial chaos.

Tian Fan struggled desperately. He couldn’t die—absolutely not. But all his efforts were in vain. Despite using every ounce of strength, it had no effect. An intangible mental pressure engulfed him. Being near the demon was no different from standing on the edge of death. He couldn’t move a muscle, and cold sweat soaked through his clothes.

He wasn’t afraid to die—but he couldn’t die. If he died, there would be no way to save Zi Ying. But in the face of an existence that even Immortal Ascension wraiths feared, what could he possibly do? He had never felt so powerless, so filled with unwillingness.

Seeing this, the crowd in the distance wore various expressions—unease, mockery, sympathy, worry. Some were numb. They all knew their own deaths were coming—just a matter of time.

Buzz…

Just then, Tian Fan’s heavily wounded body radiated a divine light. Blazing golden radiance burst forth as a brilliant divine glow slowly emerged from between his brows. An ancient and majestic aura spread out as though it had traveled across endless time from a distant age.

At that moment, the demon’s death-shrouded hand was mere centimeters from tearing into Tian Fan’s neck—but it could no longer move forward. A vast and boundless energy pushed his hand back.

Everyone looked on in shock. For the first time, they saw the ancient divine script within Tian Fan’s body. It had managed to resist this overwhelmingly terrifying being.

“So familiar… so familiar…”

The demon stood dazed, blankly staring at the brilliant golden light. Confusion flickered in his red eyes as he murmured over and over.

Buzz…

The radiant gold light trembled, like it was sighing, then drifted out of Tian Fan’s body on its own. It floated toward the demon shrouded in mist and gently hovered above his head, streaming down endless golden divine light.

“Xiao Fan… Junior Brother…”

Still coughing blood, Sun Yueying gently helped Tian Fan up, only to find his eyes completely devoid of color. His life force was nearly gone, flickering weakly and erratically.

“Xiao Fan!”

She cried out in grief, shaking his battered body. In the distance, Li Yunyang and the others were stunned, their minds ringing with a loud bang.

“Who are you? Who am I?”

The demon kept repeating the same questions. The ancient divine script hovered silently above him, golden light continuously pouring into his body. His eyes slowly regained color as the blood-red faded, and the demonic energy gradually dissipated. A divine power within him was awakening.

“Companions…my companions… I failed you… I failed you all…”

He finally seemed to regain clarity. The ancient divine script floated lightly in front of him, shimmering with divine brilliance.

The distant onlookers were stunned. Suddenly, they could move again—the suffocating demonic aura had completely vanished.

“Xiao Fan!”

“Junior Brother!”

Li Yunyang and the others cried out, ignoring everything else. As soon as they could move, they rushed to Tian Fan’s side, calling his name loudly.

“Divine King… Immortal Emperor… Princess…”

The demon seemed to recall something—or perhaps the divine script was communicating with him. Each word he spoke caused his body to tremble. Then he knelt deeply before the divine script.

“I was wrong… I was wrong…”

He cried out in anguish, pounding his chest with both fists. Blood-tears streamed from his eyes.

Buzz…

The divine script trembled slightly. A faint golden light shot into his body, then slowly floated away. With a flash, it disappeared from view and returned to Tian Fan.

The demon looked forward and saw Tian Fan on the verge of death. Panic surged in his eyes, and cold sweat poured from his face as he rushed over.

Li Yunyang thought the demon was coming to seize the divine script. Though no match for him, he stood firmly in front of Tian Fan to block the way.

“Quick! Let me through—I need to heal him! Hurry!”

The demon clearly realized these people were Tian Fan’s friends and didn’t force his way through. But just the urgency in his voice sent Li Yunyang and the others coughing up blood and flying backward. The demon was shocked and quickly sent out several beams of divine light into their bodies.

He flashed to Tian Fan’s side, his towering frame trembling. He carefully lifted Tian Fan as though afraid of hurting him further. 

A golden divine light poured from his body, softly and cautiously entering Tian Fan. It was a gentle, divine energy—and he seemed even more anxious than Li Yunyang and the others.