Immortal Divine Tribulation

Chapter 169: Rage

The sun was setting in the west, and Windwood Ridge in the Northern Region was already packed with people. 

Representatives from all five major regions had gathered here, for this event was no simple matter—it could very well become the fuse that ignited the Dark Upheaval. Every major power had sent people to observe.

“Kid, don’t come any closer! I didn’t wrong you—I even avenged you once! Even if you’ve turned into a ghost, don’t come after me!”

The Holy Son of the Demon Saint Palace wore a pitiful expression, his eyes bulging wide. 

Murong Qiu and the two men with her, standing behind Tian Fan, were completely bewildered.

“Pervert, did you burn your brain or something?”

She tugged at a corner of Tian Fan’s robe, holding the little dragon in her arms while glaring at the Holy Son of the Demon Saint Palace.

“I—… Beauty, what’s with that talk? Come to me quickly—what you’ve got beside you isn’t human!”

Three black lines instantly popped up on Tian Fan’s forehead. ‘What do you mean I’m not human?’ He stepped forward and said, “You’re the one who’s not human. I’m still alive!”

“Impossible! You can’t trick me! I’m not just some legend—I’m the legend!”

The Holy Son of the Demon Saint Palace crossed his arms, staring at Tian Fan with exaggerated vigilance. 

Behind Tian Fan, Murong Qiu and her companions could only look on with puzzled expressions.

“If you don’t believe me, come touch me—see if I’m warm or cold!”

Tian Fan was speechless. This guy was really something. With a bitter smile, he pointed at himself.

The Holy Son of the Demon Saint Palace hesitated, then cautiously approached. He poked Tian Fan’s body with a finger, tugged at his cheek, and finally gasped in shock. At last, he was convinced the person before him was alive.

“You actually survived! How could you not be dead?!”

His voice trembled with disbelief. He had seen Tian Fan fall into the Dark Abyss with his own eyes. Even peak experts of the Immortal Ascension realm who entered there never returned alive—yet here Tian Fan was, walking out.

Hearing this, the black lines on Tian Fan’s forehead returned. D*mn it, why does this sound so unpleasant no matter how you put it?

“It’s… a long story.”

Tian Fan sighed softly, a little guilty. There were some things he really couldn’t explain to the Holy Son of the Demon Saint Palace. But his worries were unnecessary—the other man had no interest in hearing explanations. Instead, he pushed right past him and eagerly tried to cozy up to Murong Qiu.

Naturally, the two men at her side were furious. They glared daggers at him, nearly drawing their blades.

“You two know each other?”

Murong Qiu blinked curiously, glancing between Tian Fan and the Holy Son of the Demon Saint Palace.

“Know him? Of course I know him! But forget about that brat. Beauty, the moment I saw you, I knew we were destined. How about tonight we find a quiet place to discuss life and ideals? I’ll tell you, I’m a man of great ideals, great ambition—a true legend of the new era…”

Tian Fan curled his lip. This shameless pervert—how could he say such nonsense with a straight face? What kind of thick skin did that take?!

“Hey, pervert, long time no see…”

The tender voice interrupted the Holy Son’s self-praise. He instantly bristled, looking around for the source, until Murong Qiu giggled and pointed at the little dragon in her arms.

“A snake for a pet? As expected of a beauty—you’ve got a unique eye. But, little guy, what right do you have to call me a pervert? You’ve never even met me. You’d better have proof, or I’ll sue you for slander!”

The Holy Son of the Demon Saint Palace now looked just like a child, locking eyes with the little purple-gold dragon.

“Go away! Don’t bully my little snake!”

Murong Qiu snapped, not shy in the least—she actually kicked him aside.

Tian Fan smiled faintly and turned away, his expression calm as his gaze shifted to the battlefield. 

Shangguan Yunfeng was truly formidable. Just a hair’s breadth from stepping into the Primordial Unity realm, he was evenly matched with the Sword Immortal Sect’s Divine Son.

“You know him?”

The Holy Son of the Demon Saint Palace walked up beside him, speaking solemnly. “That guy’s terrifying. He only showed up recently—no one had ever heard of him before. But his strength can only be described as frightening. Over the past three months, he’s killed countless Sword Immortal Sect disciples, striking fear into everyone’s hearts.”

Tian Fan silently nodded. Shangguan Yunfeng was almost certainly the Shangguan clan’s future head. Though his cultivation was still far below his sister’s, Shangguan Yuntian would never let Zi Ying inherit his position—and besides, she herself would never agree.

He knew better than anyone how much the Shangguan brothers loved Zi Ying. They couldn’t bear to let her suffer even the slightest grievance. The Sword Immortal Sect had touched their deepest pain. How could they not be enraged?

Since arriving in the Northern Region, Shangguan Yunfeng had walked alone, silent and cold. Whenever he saw a Sword Immortal Sect disciple, he struck them down without a word. Even he had lost count of how many he had killed. And now, fate had brought him face-to-face with the sect’s Divine Son. The two had already been fighting for a full day.

Boom!

They were both peerless geniuses, their combat strength unmatched. Even early Primordial Unity experts dared not take them lightly. Windwood Ridge, once a scenic place of beauty, was now ravaged with deep scars and broken ground.

“Shangguan Yunfeng, stop this. You can’t defeat me. This battle is meaningless.”

The Sword Immortal Sect’s Divine Son spoke calmly, even with a faint smile. Hypocritical, affected—just as the Holy Son of the Demon Saint Palace would say, his very face begged to be stomped on with a shoe.

Shangguan Yunfeng said nothing. His expression remained cold, his golden sword aura tearing across three thousand li, carving deep chasms into the earth.

“Shangguan Yu, for the sake of some so-called Son of God, do you truly intend to start a war with my Sword Immortal Sect?!”

Opposite him, a mid-Primordial Unity elder of the Sword Immortal Sect spoke gravely.

“My sister’s very life is bound to his. You dared to throw him into the Dark Abyss—your entire sect could die ten thousand times over and it still wouldn’t be enough!”

Shangguan Jingyi roared, his voice shaking, his eyes red with grief and fury. He feared never again seeing his mischievous, lovely sister.

“Hmph. You’d shake your entire clan for a mere girl? How laughable. She’s dead. You think the dead can return? Absurd. By now she’s surely nothing more than a wandering ghost, maybe even lurking in some dark corner, cruelly sucking the blood of mortals. And yet for such a corpse, you would fight my Sword Immortal Sect? Ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous!”

The mid-Primordial Unity elder sneered, echoed by several old men behind him, their laughter fanning the flames of Shangguan clan’s fury. 

Faces twisted with rage, murderous intent blazing, Shangguan Jingyi could endure no more. He charged forward, even Shangguan Yu unable to hold him back. His eyes were scarlet.

“Oh hell, this is bad—time to run!”

The Holy Son of the Demon Saint Palace paled, instantly flashing away with lightning speed, dragging Murong Qiu and her companions far back.

Back in the ancient tomb, he had learned all about Tian Fan, especially the girl named Zi Ying. As a man, he understood all too well—Zi Ying was everything to Tian Fan.

Now someone had insulted her so viciously. Having known Tian Fan, however briefly, he knew exactly how this would end—Tian Fan would never let it go.

“What are you doing? Let us go!”

Murong Qiu’s two companions panicked, thinking the Holy Son of the Demon Saint Palace meant them harm. They struggled desperately—until they looked ahead, and fell silent, swallowing hard.

Boom!

A tide of murderous intent swept across Windwood Ridge. Dark demonic energy engulfed heaven and earth. 

Step by step, Tian Fan advanced. The ground trembled, the void twisted. He looked like a demon lord risen from hell. His eyes, cold and merciless, glowed with mingling darkness and blood-red light, locked on the Sword Immortal Sect elder.

“H-he…”

Murong Qiu’s mouth fell open, her gaze fixed in awe on Tian Fan’s back. The delicate, gentle man she had seen before now seemed impossibly tall and imposing.

“You… you didn’t die!”

Sword Immortal Sect disciples stared in horror.

“Kid, you really didn’t die! You made it out—you’re alive! Thank heavens!”

Shangguan Jingyi froze, then shouted with wild joy. Even Shangguan Yunfeng paused mid-battle, looking down. Tian Fan’s survival meant Zi Ying might still live.

“How is this possible?! You actually survived?!”

The elder was utterly shaken. That someone could walk out of the Dark Abyss alive—it was unthinkable. But soon his shock gave way to a cruel smile. “You should have stayed hidden. To come out now is nothing but courting death!”

They had long since laid ambushes, meant for the Shangguan clan. But now that Tian Fan had appeared, they had to seize the chance.

 A secret order had recently come down from the sect: this man had to be erased from the world.

“Attack! Kill him!”

The elder’s eyes gleamed coldly as he bellowed the order. Around him were peak Cloud Heaven cultivators—more than the Shangguan side could muster. No wonder they bore the name of the number one immortal sect. Other sects might need centuries of effort and resources to produce a single Cloud Heaven expert, but the Sword Immortal Sect had them in droves.

“Don’t you dare!”

The Shangguan clan roared. They would sooner all fall than let any harm come to Tian Fan.

“Kill!”

The Sword Immortal Sect’s disciples surged forward, blood boiling. One in particular sprinted to the front—second only to the Divine Son himself. Long overshadowed, his resentment had grown heavy. Now, if he could kill Tian Fan, the position of Divine Son would surely be his.

He brimmed with confidence. As the second-ranked genius of the number one immortal sect, he was undoubtedly a supreme talent.

“Pfft…”

The thought barely finished when his expression froze. His body exploded midair, reduced to a mist of blood, shredded apart by sheer killing intent.

Tian Fan had not lifted a hand. His eyes, cold and merciless, remained fixed on the elder as he strode forward.

“W-what kind of person is he…?”

One of the men beside Murong Qiu trembled in horror. A single breath of killing intent had annihilated a peak Cloud Heaven expert, body and soul. Could such a terrifying person even exist in this world?

At that moment, Tian Fan seemed blind to all else. His gaze never wavered from the Sword Immortal Sect elder. Demonic energy swirled around him, his murderous aura filling Windwood Ridge. The very air grew icy, the warmth of the land vanishing, leaving only bone-piercing cold.

“Hmph. Your cultivation has grown, but you’ll still die. Kill him!”

The mid-Primordial Unity elder barked. Behind him, three early-Primordial Unity experts sneered. They unleashed their supreme divine arts together, three colossal swords of heavenly light appearing in the sky, dazzling and overwhelming, sword qi enough to dim the sun.

“Impudence!”

Shangguan Yu thundered in rage. If Tian Fan were harmed or slain before his eyes, he would have no face left to return to his clan.

“Pfft…”

As the three divine swords descended, Tian Fan moved. His face was blank. His right fist swung forward. Terrifying sword qi shattered instantly. His golden fist tore through the sea of energy and landed almost gently on the foremost enemy—blowing him to pieces. 

Blood and flesh scattered. 

Even his soul had no time to escape, shattered on the spot.