Star Gate-Chapter 1661: Killing Sixth Ranks (III)

At the same time.

The Orchid Forest master blinked when a patch of thunderclouds appeared!

That was a chaos tribulation. Was it one for ascension?

He extended his senses toward it and heaved a sigh of relief. It wasn’t, it came from the Silver Moon king. They said that the Silver Moon king’s attacks were accompanied by chaos tribulations. It would seem that the rumors are true.

The chaos tribulation wasn’t strong, just fifth or sixth rank at most. Although Li Hao had accumulated a lot of it, he himself was only a fourth rank. He’d also been careful to restrain himself before and didn’t elicit tribulations that were overly strong.

The situation was manageable!

The thought had just crossed the young man’s mind when the chaos tribulation picked up speed. Perhaps it was due to the repeated instances of the presence of time that the tribulation was well and truly irked. It’d eliminated the source of time each time, but time swiftly reappeared afterward.

That was so annoying!

The chaos tribulation took human form, wielding a mallet as it darted into Orchid Forest. At the same time, a seventh rank hiding in the chaos observed from a distance. He’d also discovered the chaos tribulation.

He took one look and didn’t mind it too much. It was just fifth to sixth rank and perhaps... it belonged to the exalted emperor of life and death. It would seem that this exalted emperor was a bit stronger than the world master had said.

Life and death existed in a state of integration that wasn’t nearly as incompatible as one might imagine. Cultivating life and death, as well as combining the two, would give rise to chaos tribulations. Of that, high ranks were well aware of.

......

Those in the formation attempting to break it suddenly sensed something different around them. A figure of thunder and lightning had appeared overhead. It ignored the formation and everything beneath it, attacking without discretion in the next moment!

Boom!

A bolt of thunder and lightning appeared over everyone’s heads. Rumble!!

It smashed down in a split second, not giving them time to react! Bloodlust’s eyes widened with alarm, but then promptly relaxed. This chaos tribulation wasn’t too strong.

But damn it, how had those two managed to divert the chaos tribulation to them? Was it that unique dao that’d appeared moments ago?

There was no time to ponder the question; a sword appeared in Bloodlust’s hand. He slashed out, calling upon the dao of slaughter. The shadow over his head broke apart with a loud rumble!

His strength was immeasurable and the thunder and lightning was only fifth to sixth rank!

Tribulations erupted over everyone’s head. After Bloodlust easily cut down a thunderbolt, he whirled around and eradicated some more. It was easier for the sixth ranks to handle the attack—the tribulation didn’t prove much of a challenge when the sixth ranks joined hands.

“Is this a result of the dao of life and death?” murmured Soul Eclipse. “There doesn’t seem to be much to the tribulation. Rumors say that chaos tribulations are supposed to be incomparably formidable and never rest until they destroy their target...”

The seven sixth ranks made quick work of what faced them. And while the low ranks were in slight danger, the Red Moon exalted emperors weren’t purposefully neglectful either. In this way, not much damage was delivered when the group handled the thunderbolts as a whole.

This was when the eradicated thunder tribulation once more appeared.

Li Hao was still deploying the power of time without concealment or disguise. The thunder and lightning started striking him as well. More appeared—the young man was helping Void recover.

Void continuously utilized currents of special strength, flooding the formation with them. The world of emptiness began to unfurl. He didn’t need to recover the energy that he was using—Li Hao was helping him with that.

The thunder tribulation continued to appear!

Rumble!

Loud rumbles sounded repeatedly, but the exalted emperors within the formation were still relatively at ease.

“They’re also suffering from the chaos tribulation!” came Bloodlust’s voice. “I’d like to see who buckles first!”

How laughable!

If Myriad Dao wasn’t being hit by the thunder and lightning, then everyone would worry about those two fellows continuing to attract the chaos tribulation. That would be a very dangerous situation indeed. But right now, Li Hao was also being struck by thunderbolts!

If a fourth rank could hold on, could they not do the same?

The Red Moon contingent moved toward the center of the formation as they smashed through the thunderbolts.

Rumble!!

The chaos tribulation seemed angered by their actions and erupted with greater strength. It blasted all of those assembled, filling the sky with thunderclouds!

Bloodlust picked up speed, ignoring the thunder tribulation and shooting forward. He rammed through formation pillars with incredible strength. The other sixth ranks focused on handling the chaos tribulation. There would be no more thunderbolts if they eliminated the source.

Bloodlust moved at an exceedingly fast pace and with extreme battle strength. He understood what the two sought to do—deplete everyone’s strength. But it’s not like only our dao strength is being depleted—isn’t yours too?

The group swiftly rammed through multiple layers of formations. Li Hao and Void had no effort to spare for defending them.

The young man needed to face the thunder tribulation and deploy the power of time to help Void recover. He could only permit the intruders to break through the formation as they would. It was just a buffer zone, anyhow. It didn’t matter if it broke.

Meanwhile, the other sixth ranks were growing impatient. It was one thing to endure their own chaos tribulation, but they had to help the low ranks with theirs? Now that was annoying.

“Don’t just stand and watch, everyone!” Soul Eclipse called out to the wandering cultivators. “Work together to break down the thunderbolts. They’re not impossible to handle if you work together!”

We brought you here to be minions, not young masters.

The wandering cultivators quickly leapt into action, smashing through bolt after bolt!

The disturbance of so many exalted emperors in joint action shook the world. Their strength was not to be taken lightly. Large numbers of thunderbolts were swiftly eliminated, which in turn attracted a bigger tribulation.

......

“Are you ready?” Li Hao was starting to feel the strain. The thunder and lightning were laying waste to his skin. Was Void ready with his formation of emptiness or not?

Void nodded with a chuckle. He was ready!

“Then I’m going to retract time.”

“Mmhmm.”

Li Hao swiftly dispersed time and operated the dao of hiding. The remaining chaos tribulation bolts agitated with fury. However, there was no further reason for them to exist since they’d lost their target.

After the final thunderbolt crashed down and was quickly demolished on all sides, the thunder tribulation fully dispersed. Bloodlust and the rest smirked. That had been completely futile!

That left those two as sitting ducks. They only had a few layers of formations left, ones that looked like they were about to completely break apart.

“I’m a little bit excited...” Void laughed and looked at Li Hao. “Step aside!”

The young man very naturally took a few steps back. Young master Void is about to let loose with everything he has. I’ll just wait and watch.

“Rise!” A grunt plunged the area into darkness. The power of emptiness filled the land!

The premises were quiet as could be—even the world had been silenced!

“Die!” The power of death erupted with a rumble!

Bloodlust’s expression shifted and he roared, cutting through the world with one sword stroke. Bafflement dawned in his eyes. Was this... the power of emptiness? Was it?

It was said that the crown prince of Light, Ming Tang, had given up on the path of light and transferred to the path of emptiness...

The thought had just taken shape when a small flower appeared in the world. It was exceedingly weak and an almost imperceptible flower in the darkness of this world.

“Revitalize!” Void chuckled.

The world came back to life as the flower bloomed. It lacked sufficient vitality, which was when the dao of life flared. It furiously drank in life force throughout the domain!

A world of emptiness appeared and enveloped everyone. Bloodlust and the rest could sense their vitality being sucked away from them. Bloodlust’s expression chilled and he barked, “Kill him!”

Seven sixth ranks made their moves at the same time!

Boom!

The world shook violently, but the low ranks keened painfully. The power of silence made them move sluggishly, whereas the combination of revitalization and life pulled at their vitality to supplement what revitalization lacked.

At the same time, a dao star once more appeared in Li Hao’s hand. There was no answering chaos tribulation this time, he’d hidden his movements again. Time seemed to speed up in the entire world! Vitality that had not passed as fast before flowed like the waters in a river!

A first rank had been able to hold on at first, but his expression suddenly shifted and he looked around in abject horror. Exalted emperors were undying, but his body was visibly aging to the naked eye!

A scent of decay rose from his body and a vast sum of vitality was sucked out of him!

Mid ranks could stand for a second, but low ranks were nearly obliterated in the blink of an eye.

“I.... I...” yelped the first rank, fear and weakness shaking his voice. It’d take only a split second!

His physical body began to rot and decay, fading away into powder and dust. It’d declined to the point of breaking apart. The man’s dao mark then appeared—a wandering cultivator’s dao mark was filled with impurities. The vitality within it was furiously streaming away as well.

The dao mark began to crack. Exalted emperors around him paled in horror at the sight! How was this possible??

An exalted emperor should live almost one hundred thousand years, but it took only a moment for his life force to be extracted to the point in which his dao mark could not withstand the strain. He’d been drained before he met the enemy!

Even Li Hao’s eyes widened. Life and death, matched with emptiness and revitalization, were incredible! Added to that his own power of time meant that it took only a little while before the first rank was dry!

The little flower beside Void seemed to be growing. It swayed with good health—the stolen life force was helping it bloom!

Boom!

When Bloodlust’s last stroke broke the last layer of formations, the dao mark of the first rank whose vitality had been drained crumbled to pieces. He was dead!

It was nothing to lose a first rank, and a wandering cultivator at that! But to have one die without battle being joined horrified the other exalted emperors that still had their life force streaming out of them. How could this be??