The Strongest Businessman

Dylan did as Barry requested and distanced himself when Barry and the Poison Demon fought. He was observing every bit of the battle while using his Heavenly Eye. Although it was taxing, it helped him oversee the entire battle. When he saw that Barry seemed to be in control of the battle, he watched like a bystander.

However, when the Poison Demon transformed to his Tri-fire Demon Form and effortlessly broke out of the plant's encirclement, Dylan immediately moved as fast as he could because he knew the devastating effects of flames to Barry after their discussion in the carriage earlier.

"The Poison Demon could turn into a Flame Demon as well?! Oh no, Barry!" When he was just building up speed, it was also that time that the Poison Demon created the fire circle and enclosed both of them. A foreboding feeling crept into Dylan's heart.

Suddenly, the flames seemed to weaken and flicker unstably due to the Poison Demon's daunted mental state. Although Dylan did not know the cause, it helped him view what was happening inside. Along the spaces of each flickering flame, he was vaquely able to see Barry smiling and performing handseals that seemed to be some sort of secret skill that originated from the Vernon Clan.

He quickly remembered the Sacred Vernon Arts that Barry mentioned to him. Although Barry did not explicitly explain the technique, the words, 'each technique requires us to sacrifice our vitality' left a deep imprint in Dylan's mind. "Damn it, don't tell me you're using those skills again! You said you wouldn't!"

"Jiyan (Dylan)!" While Dylan was dashing to Barry's rescue, he also encountered Rian along the way who was still eating some sort of spirit beast meat weighing anout five kilos on his mouth which made him spout some wierd sounds. In another second, he crunched the whole meat and devoured it awhole.

"You're finally here. You glutton! What took you so long?" Dylan scolded Rian for taking too long. Normally with Rian's speed, the little rascal could reach where they were in two minutes but it actually took him five minutes to get here. This made Dylan rather angry because if he were here earlier Barry would not have resorted to use such methods.

"I fought a Core Transformation Beast which was really hard to kill so it took some time. I'm sorry." Rian lowered his head when he saw Dylan's livid expression which lead him to crash to a tree. He concluded that Dylan was scary when he was pissed off. Avoiding Dylan's gaze, he changed the subject when he felt the changes in the sky, "Dylan, look up, those clouds are..."

Dylan followed Rian's words and he saw giant torrents of clouds converging on top of Barry. A dark expression covered Dylan's face, "But he's not even done fusing with the Poison Demon! Why is it already trying to destroy Barry when they have not even..." His words caused him to somewhat understand the intention of the heavens and mumbled, "It's trying to destroy Barry before he could fuse with the Poison Demon...?"

"But why?" Rian also carried a worried look on his face. His running speed somewhat became slower due to this.

"I am not exactly sure why the heavens is doing this but I can guess that it's most likely related to us having simultaneous heavenly tribulation just several days ago." Dylan spoke of a rough guess but in truth, Dylan could already deduce the reason why.

'The both of us passing the heavenly tribulation at the same day must have angered the heavens which warranted surveillance. Now, another person with heaven defying potential has appeared yet again... The heavens won't sit by watching three rebels appear at a single world...' Dylan thought grimly.

Dylan almost got all points but he missed the detail that Barry's tribulation clouds were already as big as his. This meant that Barry's potential were no less than Dylan's. Another fact that Dylan did not know, was that there was never an instance in which three heavenly tribulations happened within a month in the entire Great Mystic World.

After a few more seconds, Dyla and Rian finally arrived at the forest clearing. But they did not approach Barry because they were afraid that they might not disrupt his concentration while meditating. They could only stare at the sky and watch as the lightning vortex formed and pray, "You have to live and will definitely live, Barry!"

Dylan spoke and said without looking at Rian, " Rian, if the time comes that Barry's waves exceed 9, you have to quickly step in and defend Barry."

"En." Rian seriously nodded. They both stood there ready to move to rescue Barry while being mindful of what was happening to their surroundings to repel any sort of interference for Barry's tribulation.

....

The flames around Barry has already receded. Among the twelve, only six remained unbroken. Barry was currently sitting in meditation as he tried to convert the flame to poison and create a 60% and 40% of poison and fire in composition.

'Everything is progressing smoothly...' The four pots that Barry used were all to stabilize and to convert the poison to his desired extent. The medicinal fluids he created were all working as perfectly as planned. The Poison Demon's conciousness has already faded from the constant weathering of the four fluids which contributed to the partial scattering of his conscience.

Without the resistance of the Poison Demon, the medicinal fluid was able to reduce the fire-poison ratio from 80-20 to 70-30 in a matter of minutes. With caution, Barry started the process of contrast polymerization by integrating minute amounts of the Tri-fire Corrosive Venom which were already refined. He repeated in his mind, 'Make no mistake... make no mistake..'

Each step requires ability and meticulousness because a mishap could lead to disastrous outcomes. A lapse of concentration would result the Tri-fire Corrosive Poison to burst out and spread all over his body which may result to him being crippled or even dying directly on the spot. A slight mistake might lead to stagnancy and mediocrity. Thus, Barry was extremely elaborate with his work.

'What the...' But before he could proceed with the conversion any longer, he felt his hair stood all over. Following that weird feeling, he felt an unusual intuition of impending doom that made him look up and saw gigantic mass of grey clouds covered the sky. This action greatly disrupted his concentration which triggered the poison to react violently.

"Fuck! The poison has..." At the same time that Barry cursed the poison for going out of control, a lightning bolt came crushing down in the most opportune time!

*Tzzzzzk* *Tzzzzk*

"?!" The yellow lightning came so abrupt that Dylan and Rian were caught off guard. They were momentarily overcome by shock that delayed for over a second. That second was also the only time that the heavenly lightning needed in order to cross the distance between it and Barry. By the time they were able to react the lightning had already hit Barry!

*Boom*

"Nooo!" The two screamed as they watched the lightning envelope Barry who was already struggling internally due to the outburst of the Tri-fire Corrosive Venom. When they executed their movement techniques, unexpectedly, another lightning also came crashing down like the first!

"Another lightning?! This is far different than my tribulation!" Dylan exclaimed with an ugly expression. It was indeed different from his cultivation, not only that, it also differs from a typical tribulation.

"This is bad..." Even Rian thought so as well because according to his memories, man and beast have the same tribulations they need to undergo as the heavens view the two races as nothing more than pawns that just have dissimilar appearances.

A Heavenly Tribulation usually starts with a single lightning for the first wave, two for the second wave, four for the third wave and so on. For each wave, the number of waves increase by multiples of two. Along with the increase of the number of lightnings, the strength of the lightning also increases by a single stage after every wave except for the first wave whose strength is equal to the strength of the defiant and the second wave whose strength hikes to four stages stronger than the defiant.

However once it reaches the seventh stage, the number of lightning ceases to increase but instead changes color from yellow to purple and turns into lightning dragons which further increases the unpredictability and ferociousness of the lightnings. On the eighth wave, the lightning becomes deep purple in color and reduces into four fewer yet larger lighthing dragons! On the ninth wave, the lightning dragons turn into a singular red lightning dragon twice as big as the prior ones.

The legends thought that Heavenly Tribulations could only foster nine waves, however, Rian proved it wrong when he told Dylan that he experienced twelve waves of tribulation lightnings. When he described that the tenth offers four red dragons, Dylan did not expect that at all because that just one of those could nearly kill what more of three more?

Rian told Dylan that the eleventh and twelve wave was similar to the ninth and tenth but the difference was that the lightnings turns black and becomes more realistic than it was before.

But Barry's heavenly tribulation actually summoned two devastating lightnings on his first wave. Dylan and Rian did not expect this to happen at all. But unbeknownst to them, the reason for this happening was actually them.

...

In a vast empty space that seemed to be infinite and endless, there were no stars, planets or galaxies anywhere in it but a strange milky white energy could be seen densely scattered everywhere. There seemed to be no signs of life along this space only deafening silence existed along with the subtle flow of the strange milky white energy along it.

Suddenly, a pair of eyes opened somehwere within this space. Concurrently, the figure of a human started to materialize as the milky white energy was being sucked towards this person. The next moment, the person was fully formed and a man whth otherworldly charm appeared while sitting cross-legged. His face was devastatingly dashing and exuded an exuberant aura of masculinity.

This otherworldly handsome man seemed to look around twenty one years old with a height of one hundred ninety centimeters. This young looking man had crimson hair that accentuated his striking gold eyes. His body was well built and very proportional to his handsome face. He opened his mouth as a charming voice sounded, "How many eternities has it been already...?"

When he stood up, his aura was briefly unleashed and at that moment, it was as if the entire universe had to bow down in front of his grandeur. Quickly recalling his aura, he extended his right hand outwards as the milky white energy spiralled and formed a transparent mirror that emitted the similar energy. He muttered to himself as he covered his mouth with his left when he yawned, "Hm, why is Retribution so agitated?"

The transparent mirror, then flashed, the image of the glaxy that Great Mystic World belonged to. It zoomed towards the planet and flashed once more as an extremely large continent was shown on the mirror almost three times the size of the theorized size of pangeae. This large continent is known as the Grand Heaven Continent which the Mystical Clouds Country belonged to. A surprised look on the face of the red haired man emerged, "A Minor World? This is why he's agitated?"

Suddenly, eight images of different people started to appear as they pointed out a certain spot of the continent which implied the location of the person showed in the image. Among those pictures, Dylan, Rian, and Barry was included. Very close to their images were Victor, Elizabeth and Rea was also found. The two other guys were rather far from the previous six.

An amused smile appeared on the man's face as he mumbled, "Eight unknowns, huh? For a Minor World, this is... a miracle over miracles! A high ranking Cosmic Beast, A person who has an Avatar of Celestial Lotus, A man who possess the Ultimate Thunder, A girl who possess the heart of the Sword Sage, Another who possess the Absolute Frost Physique, two transmigrators and one ancient cultivator. No wonder, Retribution is angry..."