Shrouding the Heavens

Chapter 573: Chapter 577 The Great Dragon Calamity

The world was a vast expanse of white, deafening. Silver snakes danced wildly; lightning was everywhere, like a great ocean, its power incomparably more overwhelming than before.

At this moment, Yan Yunluan felt like crying. Who on earth is undergoing the Heavenly Tribulation? Why is everything reversed, making me a mere foil, accompanying Ye Fan through this Heavenly Punishment?

CRACK!

Great Dragons crossed the sky—not just one, but thousands. Each bolt of lightning was as thick as a mountain range, dancing wildly in the void, indistinguishable from a Great Dragon.

At this moment, Ye Fan sat cross-legged in the void, submerged in the Thunder Sea. He was combating the Heavenly Tribulation while also capturing the Dao Marks within the roiling thunder, actually achieving Enlightenment!

Yan Yunluan gritted his teeth, exerting all his strength to resist the Heavenly Tribulation. His entire body already bore many scorch marks; he was severely wounded.

SWISH!

He soared across the sky, trying to leave this place. He finally realized that Ye Fan was using him to draw the Heavenly Tribulation, attempting to break through to a new realm here while he was merely accompanying the Crown Prince in his studies.

I can’t bear this suffering! This was his heartfelt cry. He had seen perverse things before, but never anything this perverse. Each bolt of lightning was thicker than a mountain range, and there were thousands of them; even a half-step sovereign who entered would be struck dead.

Ye Fan opened his eyes and pointed a finger. A divine scan shot out from between his brows, taking control within the Thunder Sea and drawing myriad bolts of Heavenly Thunder.

In the void, a great golden bell took form. It was completely condensed from golden lightning, and upon its surface were countless—these were the Heaven and Earth Laws.

Ye Fan, moved by this, also formed his own Thunder Tribulation Divine Bell. However, his was much more substantial than Yan Yunluan’s, forged from the Taiyang True Tribulation, its golden light.

The Heavenly Tribulation contained endless Dao Marks, which were instantly onto the bell. The Big Bell grew ever more resplendent, becoming as tall as a small mountain. With a great tremor, its sound spread for hundreds of miles, instantly suppressing Yan Yunluan within it.

DONG…

The bell tolled, its sound profound, harmonious, and mysterious, stirring the very soul. It was like the grand bells of antiquity were ringing, bringing a wave of peace to the world, yet the lightning only grew more intense.

Especially inside the bell, where Yan Yunluan thrashed about from the electric shocks, his body emitting white smoke. He was almost scorched, nearly shattered by the strikes, and excruciating pain surged through him.

“Yan Yunluan lives up to his name; he truly is a prodigy of his generation! Under such circumstances, he has formed yet another Thunder Tribulation Divine Bell, even surpassing his previous one, using it to protect himself.”

“This young man’s methods are heaven-defying! This Thunder Tribulation Divine Bell is imprinted with the traces of all heavens, with endless markings, embodying all the Laws that have appeared in the Thunder Sea.”

People were amazed, all thinking it was Yan Yunluan who had formed the Thunder Tribulation Divine Bell for self-preservation, and they were astounded.

Yan Yunluan nearly cried. None of this had anything to do with him. He was suppressed by the Big Bell, on the verge of death, overwhelmed by endless lightning that he simply couldn’t withstand.

DONG…

The bell tolled again, its sound resonating through the heavens and earth. People marveled once more, but inside the Divine Bell, Yan Yunluan was debilitated, nearly roasted alive.

Very well, let him remain half-dead out there. People will think he’s the one undergoing the Heavenly Tribulation, while I can calmly focus on my breakthrough here, Ye Fan decided, making his resolution.

Ye Fan sat cross-legged in the Thunder Sea. His spine was like a dragon, continuously erupting with enormous Qi. His entire spinal column seemed about to fly out—a sign of the Dragon Transformation.

This secret boundary truly lived up to its name. It nurtured a Great Dragon within, which manifested as the body’s great spinal column, the pillar upon which all power relied for support.

Dragon roars emanated from within Ye Fan’s body, accompanied by crackling sounds. His entire spinal column shimmered like gold, each vertebra shifting, as if a barbarian dragon was awakening.

The Dragon Transformation Heavenly Tribulation finally descended. It was not as immense as imagined, not much different in scale from before, yet Ye Fan felt a terrifying aura.

Eighty-one Heavenly Dragons charged forth. They did not merely resemble dragons; they were exactly alike, imbued with divine grace. These dragon-shaped bolts of lightning seemed alive, roaring and pouncing.

BANG! BANG!

Ye Fan opened his eyes, sitting cross-legged in the void, confronting the Heavenly Dragons. Almost instantly, his skin was flayed and his flesh torn. Though it wasn’t a vast Thunder Sea, this was even more terrifying.

Great Dragon Tribulation!

The Dragon Transformation threshold is so hard to break through… Ye Fan’s heart raced. He was already halfway into the Dragon Transformation realm, one foot having already stepped across. But only when the Heavenly Tribulation arrived did he realize how truly difficult it was.

Eighty-one Heavenly Dragons, lifelike, coiled in the void, all their dragon heads facing him. They seemed eternal, exuding a mysterious and eerie Qi Mechanism.

No one knew how many years it had been since such a Heavenly Tribulation had last appeared. People had always thought it was merely a legend, but today, Ye Fan encountered it firsthand.

In the distance, the vast Thunder Sea surged, boundless, yet it dared not approach this area. All the lightning seemed to possess intelligence, utterly terrified of these eighty-one Heavenly Dragons.

Ancient Books recorded that the Great Dragon Tribulation was profoundly mysterious. It was said that the essence blood of the Ancient Heavenly Dragons had been imprinted within the Thunder Sea, nourished over time into a Great Heavenly Tribulation.

Ye Fan had long anticipated that when challenging the threshold of a Great Secret Boundary, the Heavenly Punishment would be extraordinary. However, he never imagined he would face the fabled Great Dragon Tribulation.

Eighty-one Heavenly Dragons circled, forcing back the Thunder Sea, leaving a vacuum zone with him trapped in the center.

ROAR!

A dragon roar shook the Nine Heavens above and reverberated through the Nine Netherworld below, spreading throughout the land. The first Ancient Heavenly Dragon charged, no longer making probing attacks as before.

At this moment, the dragon’s head was like a mountain, its horns like sacred weapons. It crashed directly forward with such momentum that it seemed capable of slaughtering even Daoist saints, advancing relentlessly!

Ye Fan had no way to evade. This was the Heavenly Tribulation; he had to face it. Escaping would be futile. Only by enduring could he survive; otherwise, he would turn to ashes.

BOOM!

His fists dripped blood, wreathed in lightning, as he fiercely clashed with the Great Dragon. The entire Heavenly Universe trembled, unable to withstand such pressure.

“Did you hear that? A dragon’s roar came out!”

Those in the distant sky were astonished. Their eyes could not pierce through the Thunder Sea to see the scene at its center, and expressions of puzzlement appeared on their faces.

“Yan Yunluan truly is remarkable! Is he undergoing the Heavenly Tribulation? Accompanied by dragon roars, he might really break through two realms at once!”

Even now, some people were still marveling, completely unaware that the protagonist of this Heavenly Tribulation had long since changed.

At this moment, Yan Yunluan was close to tears. His entire body was scorched, nearly roasted, trapped inside the Thunder Tribulation Divine Bell. It was truly unbearable.

Fortunately, this Heavenly Tribulation was extraordinary, as if possessing a Divine Soul. It was rapidly draining the power of the Thunder Sea to nurture the eighty-one Heavenly Dragons to deal with Ye Fan. Otherwise, Yan Yunluan would have already turned to ashes.

In that brief instant, Ye Fan was already battling six Heavenly Dragons. The Heavenly Tribulation descended, and the impacts made his bones creak all over. His physical body was incredibly powerful; if it were anyone else, they would have been reduced to bone fragments by now.

“Dragon Transformation!”

Ye Fan gradually found a method, discovering a glimmer of life in the hopeless situation. He desperately charged into the Dragon Transformation Secret Boundary, his great spinal column becoming a Golden Divine Dragon, devouring the Heavenly Dragon Essence Qi.

CRACKLE! POP! The void resounded endlessly. Eighty-one Heavenly Dragons coiled, exhaling and inhaling enormous Qi, yet all of it was gathered by his great spinal column, refining the golden bones, the vertebrae continuously shifting.

DONG…

Ye Fan once again brought out the Origin Qi Cauldron to undergo the Heavenly Tribulation together with him. It attracted almost all eighty-one Heavenly Dragons inside, emanating the aura of the beginning of all things.

He had already discovered that these eighty-one Heavenly Dragons could not be destroyed. However, amidst the desperate situation, there was a glimmer of hope: he just needed to exhaust their enormous Qi to fortify himself during the Heavenly Tribulation.

At this moment, Ye Fan’s hands moved, embracing the moon and pushing the mountains, evolving Taiji. Shortly after, he mimicked the Myriad Transformations Saint Technique that Hua Yunfei had once displayed, attempting to transform the eighty-one Heavenly Dragons into something ordinary.

Unable to obliterate them, he could only resolve them. His bones were on the verge of snapping, cracking amidst the onslaught of the eighty-one Heavenly Dragons, his joints moving incessantly.

DONG…

On the other side, Yan Yunluan finally broke through the Thunder Tribulation Divine Bell and rushed out, heavily wounded and on the brink of death. Yet, Ye Fan struck again, inducing a swath of lightning to descend, imbued with the aura of Heavenly Dragons. It transformed into a Nine-layered Tower, suppressing Yan Yunluan inside once more.

In that hurried glance, Yan Yunluan was immensely shocked. He could hardly believe his eyes: eighty-one Heavenly Dragons hovered in the air, swallowing primal chaos—a frightening spectacle—besieging Ye Fan.

Could this be the legendary Great Dragon Tribulation!?

He hadn’t even had time to think carefully, nor could he get a clear look, before he was suppressed within the Thunder Tribulation Divine Tower. In this Thunder Sea, even sovereigns were powerless; Ye Fan was the absolute master, let alone him.

“Did you see? After that Big Bell was destroyed, Yan Yunluan conjured another Thunder Tribulation Divine Tower! He’s navigating the Heavenly Tribulation with ease; truly a monstrous talent!”

“I wonder what happened to Ye Zhetian. He was sealed into the center of the Thunder Sea; he’s likely been annihilated, body and soul.”

At that moment, in the center of the Thunder Sea, a strange change occurred. Ye Fan was shocked to discover that the eighty-one Heavenly Dragons had quieted considerably, no longer so fierce and rampant.

However, he seemed to be in another world. An ancient True Dragon Ancient Platform floated there, also formed from lightning, and it too contained the Qi Mechanism of a True Dragon.

Furthermore, a palace suddenly descended from the skies, pressing down above his head. Pavilions and halls appeared in all four directions, all woven from intersecting lightning.

What is this? Ye Fan was quite surprised.

Surrounding him, it seemed as though an Ancient Celestial Court had emerged. It exuded antiquity and timelessness, as if it had endured endless epochs—tens of thousands to millions of years.

Lightning wove into such structures. Ye Fan was almost stupefied; it was as if a true heavenly watchtower stood before him, with eighty-one Heavenly Dragons coiling above.

What kind of Heavenly Tribulation is this? I’ve never heard of it before! His heart shook.

Suddenly, he was astonished. In this Ancient Celestial Court, there were several humanoid beings—no, perhaps they should be called Human-shaped Lightning—overlooking him from above.

One of these Human-shaped Lightning beings moved slightly, and a massive black hole appeared. One could only imagine the tremendous power it concealed!

Is that also Heavenly Punishment? Humanoid Heavenly Tribulation? He was horrified. If he had to face them now, even if his strength increased several tens of times, he wouldn’t be able to withstand it.

Fortunately, those Human-shaped Lightning beings in the Ancient Celestial Court hadn’t descended yet. Otherwise, he would be dead for sure.

Could that be the Heavenly Tribulation I’ll have to face in the future?

Ye Fan speculated but had no time to dwell on it. The eighty-one Heavenly Dragons and the floating Dragon Platform pressed down upon him.

BOOM!

He fought with all his might. His body was nearly shattered several times. His spinal column transformed into a dragon, creaking and crunching loudly, while the Origin Qi Cauldron was also imprinted with one dragon mark after another. His divine sense also emerged, refining itself.

Finally, he experienced the Heavenly Tribulation of the eighty-one Heavenly Dragons one by one. Ye Fan almost faced destruction of body and soul but managed to endure. The eighty-one Heavenly Dragons then flew into the Thunder Sea and vanished from sight.

Damn it! I just remembered! The Great Dragon Tribulation has a time limit! Surviving against just nine Heavenly Dragons is enough!

Ye Fan was somewhat dumbfounded. He had accomplished an incredible feat, withstanding all eighty-one Heavenly Dragons. It was an unprecedented achievement, or nearly so; apart from a few Great Emperors, very few had ever done such a thing.

Undoubtedly, he had broken into the Dragon Transformation Secret Boundary. His spinal column seemed to have resurrected like a dragon, brimming with endless power; a gentle move from him could collapse the void.

“Dragon Transformation First Transformation, Circle of Perfection!”

Ye Fan was amazed. By passing through the Heavenly Tribulation, not only did he cross the threshold from the Four Extremes realm to the Dragon Transformation realm, but he had also almost directly become a powerful cultivator of the Second Transformation of Dragon Transformation.

It was important to note that he hadn’t cultivated the ancient scriptures of the Dragon Transformation Secret Boundary. Theoretically, this made it impossible for him to advance so far. All these benefits were brought by the Great Dragon Tribulation.

Ye Fan sat in the void, drank a few sips of Divine Spring, and quickly recovered, advancing to his peak state in an instant. He sensed an immense, unparalleled power.

This was what it meant to be a Dragon Transformation practitioner. He had finally ascended to this realm, much stronger than before, with gestures powerful enough to shatter the skies!

The Heavenly Tribulation receded, and the Thunder Sea dissipated. Ye Fan donned new clothing and rose majestically. At this time, his Essence, Qi, and Spirit were abundant. His eyes were deep, and his skin was crystal-clear, shimmering with a precious glow, immaculate and flawless.

On the other side, the Thunder Tribulation Divine Tower shattered, and Yan Yunluan fell out, smoke billowing from his body. He was almost roasted.

“Oh my God, what happened? Ye Zhetian actually emerged unscathed, while Yan Yunluan is near death!”

“What in the world is going on? Did Yan Yunluan call down the Heavenly Tribulation, fail to strike down his opponent, and instead fail his own tribulation?”

People were dumbfounded. Not long ago, they had marveled at Yan Yunluan, but now many were left speechless.

“This guy is too wicked!” In the distance, Ji Ziyue mumbled, her large, expressive eyes already curved into crescents, her long eyelashes flickering, dimples appearing on her cheeks.

Ji Haoyue was also speechless. He and his sister understood Yan Yunluan’s situation well. He mourned for Yan Yunluan. If his Combat Power was sufficient, why suffer so? Why choose the Heavenly Tribulation?

“Little Yan is cooked through…”

“He’s almost become a roast duck.”

On another side, Jiang Huairen, Li Heishui, and Liu Kao gathered, murmuring and chuckling to themselves.

“How could this happen?” Qi Huoshui’s small mouth formed a perfect ‘O’. She found it incredible. Did the Heavenly Tribulation strike the wrong person? How did the main one collapse while the other walked out, lively and unharmed?

“His own Heavenly Tribulation nearly beat him to death. He’s not even as tough-skinned as that Wild Dragon I ate while it was undergoing its tribulation,” the barbarian mumbled.

Upon hearing this, people immediately distanced themselves by tens of meters. This was a humanoid Fierce Beast. When it came to comparing hide thickness, everyone, even other monstrous prodigies, felt a shiver of dread.

“Unscathed…” Princess Yu Die had also arrived. Her flawless, jade-like face showed some surprise, her beautiful eyes shimmering with a unique luster.

The scene fell into serene silence for a long time, then suddenly erupted with excitement. People felt it was incredible.

“Can someone tell me what happened?”

“Who exactly underwent the Heavenly Tribulation? Why was Yan Yunluan almost struck dead, while the other person walked out, lively and unharmed?”

Many found it hard to accept. Moments ago, they had been marveling at Yan Yunluan, but now, in the blink of an eye, they were left with their jaws on the floor.