Chapter 241: Mid-Stage Spirit Grade!
Boom!
Suddenly, just at that moment, from within the chaos beyond the Dou Qi Continent, a strange, thunderous rumble sounded out. The sound was deeply mystical. Merely by spreading out, it caused Jiang Yun's nearly reformed body to shudder and waver.
"A Heavenly Sovereign Thunder Tribulation?"
Although Jiang Yun's physical body had shattered, his soul remained undying. Sensing that rumbling vibration, he raised his head, his gaze piercing through layer after layer of void to look beyond the planar boundary. A low murmur escaped his lips.
There, amidst the primal chaos, the void trembled. Masses of pitch-black clouds surged forth layer upon layer. Within them, black light churned, obscuring whatever was brewing. The clouds ceaselessly absorbed the chaotic light, becoming increasingly profound, deep, and unfathomable.
It was said that when one broke through the heavenly barrier, a tribulation was inevitable. That tribulation was known as the Heavenly Sovereign Tribulation—a terrifying ordeal that even true Heavenly Sovereigns regarded with great wariness, let alone those below that realm.
The Dou Qi Continent belonged to the same overarching universe as the Great Thousand World. Therefore, even though Jiang Yun had broken through to Heavenly Sovereign within the Dou Qi Continent, he could not escape this trial.
"What is that?"
"A thunder tribulation? Does breaking through cultivation always attract a thunder tribulation?"
"Jiang Yun has already reached a realm we couldn't even dare to imagine. Perhaps this is just what happens at such an advanced breakthrough!"
The thunder tribulation was vast and mighty. Even the inhabitants of the Dou Qi Continent could feel the terrifying aura transmitted from beyond the heavens. Though separated by an unknown distance of tens of thousands of zhang, they still felt waves of heart-piercing dread, as if they might perish the very next second. It was truly unbearable, keeping everyone on edge.
Zi Yan and the other women, having just endured a rollercoaster of despair and elation, had no time to calm their nerves. As the thunder tribulation descended, their hearts, which had just begun to settle, rose once more. They stared at Jiang Yun in the sky, their eyes brimming with worry.
After all these twists and turns, it seemed that even after Jiang Yun overcame this Heavenly Sovereign Tribulation, the "tribulations" awaiting him at home would still be something he would not soon forget.
"Yun'er, the path ahead in the Heavenly Sovereign Tribulation... you must walk on your own!" A faint light flickered at Jiang Yun's neck, and a complex sigh entered his ears.
For Qing Ming, who had witnessed Jiang Yun from his very first steps in cultivation to this day when he had finally reached the Heavenly Sovereign realm, his feelings were immensely complicated. The fledgling eagle of the past had finally, completely grown. Even without his protection, he could now spread his wings and soar freely upon the grand stage of the Great Thousand World.
"Hahaha, Senior Qing Ming, rest assured. A mere Heavenly Sovereign Tribulation cannot stop my steps!" Hearing Qing Ming's words, Jiang Yun chuckled softly. His figure moved, transforming into a streak of light that shot toward the void outside the Dou Qi Continent.
Where he had stood, an ancient-looking seven-story stone pagoda slowly rotated. In the next instant, unnoticed by anyone, it quietly drifted down into Zi Yan's palm.
The Heavenly Sovereign Tribulation could only be faced by Jiang Yun himself. It could not help him in the slightest. In fact, if it were to intervene, it might cause the thunder tribulation to mutate, leading to irreversible changes.
Rumble...
As the gloomy tribulation clouds churned and rolled, bolt after bolt of pitch-black thunder came crashing down. The black thunder carried the divine might of world-destruction, dancing wildly across the sky like countless giant pythons and turning this entire stretch of the world into a prison of thunder and lightning.
The instant Jiang Yun appeared, flickering black thunder surrounded him on all sides, trapping him within.
Jiang Yun strolled leisurely through this sea of thunder, not the slightest trace of panic on his face. He looked up at the furious dragons poised to strike in the sky and laughed heartily. "Bring it on!"
Whoosh...
Just as Jiang Yun stood ready and waiting, the black clouds churned high above. A stream of jet-black liquid poured down from the sky. That liquid seemed light and graceful, yet it was formed from highly concentrated thunder magma. As it fell, even the void was crushed and shattered beneath its weight.
Seeing this, Jiang Yun erupted with ten-thousand-zhang rays of black-and-white chaotic light. A colossal Heavenly Sovereign Dharma Body condensed into existence. Its hands formed seals, and the black-and-white streams of energy within it coalesced into a chaotic-colored shield, standing erect above him.
Boom!
The black liquid crashed onto the shield, causing it to shudder violently. Every single drop of that black water was as heavy as a mountain. Falling together, it was as if ten thousand mountains were smashing down in unison—a truly terrifying display of force and might.
Under the impact of that black torrent, cracks began to spider across the surface of the chaotic shield. Fortunately, it did not shatter completely. It endured to the very end, until the black liquid vanished into nothingness.
The moment the black liquid disappeared, the black clouds high above churned once more. In the next instant, the temperature between heaven and earth abruptly skyrocketed. A single spark drifted down from the sky.
The Heavenly Sovereign Thunder Tribulation showed no intention of giving Jiang Yun any time to react. Wave after wave of attacks descended relentlessly, one after another.
Ssssss—
The black spark landed on the shield. There was no earth-shattering explosion. Instead, like a drop of some intensely corrosive venom, it rapidly melted through the shield in a hissing sizzle.
Seeing this, Jiang Yun flung the shield away with a thought. Moments later, the shield that had blocked two attacks for him dissolved into a pool of molten slag under that single black spark.
Passively taking hits was not Jiang Yun's style. So, before the third wave of the tribulation could descend, his hands were already forming seals. Heavy, dense fluctuations of energy emanated from his palms.
The world around Jiang Yun suddenly ignited. The flames that rose up were somewhat illusory, yet paradoxically, intensely real. They seemed capable of incinerating even spiritual power itself.
With a single thought from Jiang Yun, flame dragons condensed into existence and shot toward the tribulation clouds above, intent on tearing them apart.
BOOM—
The flame dragons had only just soared into the air when a tremendous roar echoed from the sky. The black clouds churned again, and a black meteorite slowly emerged from within them, finally howling down with a deafening roar.
Boom!
Under the watchful eyes of countless gazes, the flame dragons slammed viciously into the black meteorite, causing it to tremble violently. Immediately after, the illusory flames, clinging like a bone-deep parasite, incinerated the meteorite into nothingness.
Rumble...
The flame dragons rampaged through the sky, constantly blasting the black meteorites into oblivion. As time passed, the ceaselessly falling black meteorites dwindled in number, until they finally vanished completely.
After the black meteorites ceased, the black clouds above fell slightly silent, clearly brewing an even more terrifying assault. But Jiang Yun paid this no heed. His hand seals changed once more, and an indifferent voice rang out across the heavens and earth, entering the ears of everyone present like a Buddhist chant.
"Reversal of Life and Death—Heaven-Devouring, Earth-Consuming!"
As the void trembled, a Dharma Body tens of thousands of zhang tall, a body of chaotic hue, appeared between heaven and earth. Its face was clearly visible, and black-and-white flames coiled around its form, flames that seemed capable of incinerating all creation.
Then, in the next moment, the colossal Dharma Body opened its mouth. Under the utterly horrified gazes of countless onlookers, it swallowed the ten-thousand-zhang expanse of tribulation clouds whole. Instantly, muffled, thunderous explosions rang out from within the Dharma Body's form. Clearly, the tribulation clouds were not something easily digested.
However, under Jiang Yun's manipulation, countless strands of Saint Demon Heavenly Flame swarmed in, refining the thunderclouds within the Dharma Body's interior. Finally, under the tempering of the Saint Demon Heavenly Flame, the tribulation clouds slowly dissipated.
With the Heavenly Sovereign Thunder Tribulation overcome, Jiang Yun had thoroughly broken through to the Heavenly Sovereign realm. Moreover, because he had accumulated such vast energy reserves and had refined the Plane Seed, he had even broken through to the mid-stage Spirit Grade Heavenly Sovereign level in one go—saving himself several years of arduous cultivation.
Within the primal chaos, a tall, slender young man stood with his hands clasped behind his back. He wore a dark, flowing robe with wide sleeves. Light of chaos swirled around him. Every flicker of that light stirred the world, whipping up the winds and gathering the clouds.
His pitch-black eyes seemed to contain the very universe itself, unfathomably deep. A mere sweep of his gaze caused the void to tremble.
After formally breaking through to Heavenly Sovereign, his physical body shone with a jade-like luster, having reached a state of true and absolute purity—flawless and untainted. For this body was now one in which flesh, blood, and spiritual power were completely fused.
From this day forward, even if his physical body were utterly destroyed, as long as spiritual power still existed in the world, he could, with a single thought, reform his flesh. Truly, he was akin to an undying, indestructible being.
At this moment, he sensed the information flooding into his mind. With his complete entry into the Heavenly Sovereign realm, his own Nine Divine Meridians had subsequently fully activated. The Supreme Divine Ability born from the Nine Divine Meridians had also formally matured and taken shape.
Unlike Mu Chen back then, who upon breaking through to Heavenly Sovereign had cultivated three Supreme Divine Abilities, Jiang Yun had only cultivated one. But he did not feel that this single ability was weak in the slightest.
"Spiritual Power Immunity!" This was the Supreme Divine Ability he had birthed. Just as the name implied, it granted him immunity to all spiritual power attacks of the same cultivation level as his own. In other words, from now on, only physical attacks and soul attacks could deal "true damage" to him. All other energy attacks based on divine abilities would be negated entirely. Even magical attacks from those with higher cultivation than his own would have their power significantly reduced by this Supreme Divine Ability.
In his eyes, this divine ability surpassed every other peerless divine art in the entire Great Thousand World.
He, Jiang Yun, could be called the Great Thousand World's Little Wushang!
Recalling that invincible titan from another universe, Jiang Yun chuckled lightly. With a wave of his sleeve, his figure gradually faded and dispersed amidst the void. The pervasive chaotic mists likewise receded.
Under the watchful eyes of Dou Qi Continent's masses, Jiang Yun slowly reappeared in the skies above the Central Plains. At the sight of him, wild joy surfaced on countless faces. Looking at the loved ones who had survived beside them, everyone's hearts surged with emotion, and they could not help but burst into laughter. This time, their laughter was utterly unrestrained.
They had truly weathered this world-ending crisis. And all the credit for this belonged to that young figure standing in the sky.
"Xiao Yun..."
"Jiang Yun..."
Amidst several cries of joyful surprise, two graceful figures shot forward, crashing fiercely into Jiang Yun's embrace. Not far away, two more beautiful figures stood, their eyes glistening with tears as they gazed at him.
Zhu Kun led the experts of the Ancient Dragon Clan as they converged around Jiang Yun. His face was wreathed in smiles. My son-in-law is a Heavenly Sovereign—doesn't that carry far more prestige than my son-in-law being a mere Dou Di?
At this moment, besides his yearning to break through to Dou Di, his heart was also brimming with curiosity about the Great Thousand World. Truly, he could not wait to venture there!
"Don't make us worry like that ever again..." A muffled voice rose from Jiang Yun's arms. It was unclear who exactly was complaining—perhaps both.
Hearing the grumbling in his embrace, Jiang Yun sighed softly in his heart, a trace of apology flickering in his eyes. He then turned his head toward Little Medical Fairy and Qing Lin, who also had tears brimming in their eyes, and gave them a gentle, warm smile. Then, he looked toward Zhu Kun at his side and said, "Uncle, are you ready?"
"In a few days, I will help you become a Dou Di."
Zhu Kun's heart lurched violently at these words. His breathing instinctively quickened. Though he had long anticipated this, when the moment finally arrived, he still could not suppress the wild joy surging in his heart.
This was the long-cherished wish that had haunted him for over ten thousand years.
Jiang Yun had not lowered his voice. Gu Yuan and the others standing at a respectful distance heard him clearly and felt their own hearts pound madly in their chests. Gu Yuan, in particular, had his eyes practically glued to Jiang Yun. The longing in his gaze was something anyone could plainly see.
"Good, good! Excellent!" Zhu Kun exclaimed repeatedly. Subconsciously, he blurted out, "My matter isn't urgent. Why don't you and Zi Yan complete your wedding first, and I'll go into seclusion to break through afterward?"
Hearing Zhu Kun's words, Zi Yan in Jiang Yun's arms finally raised her head, wrapping her arm around his as she gazed at him with a face full of happiness.
Jiang Yun was momentarily taken aback. Then, he said softly, "On the day Uncle achieves his breakthrough, Zi Yan and the others and I will complete the wedding. That way, it will be a double blessing."
As he finished, his gaze swept over Medusa on the other side, and Little Medical Fairy and Qing Lin, who stood quietly waiting nearby.
"Hmph—" Medusa gave a light snort, tilting her head away with a rather proud, coquettish air. But the upturned corner of her lips betrayed the turbulent emotions within her heart.
Qing Lin and Little Medical Fairy also blushed, lowering their heads shyly. Yet the happiness in their eyes was impossible to conceal.
"Excellent, excellent! A double blessing it is! It seems this old man must work hard. Otherwise, I might delay the auspicious date." Zhu Kun laughed heartily, looking at Jiang Yun and Zi Yan.
He had completely failed to catch the distinction between what Jiang Yun had said and what he himself had said.
Afterward, Jiang Yun's gaze shifted toward the imperial clans and the major powers of the Central Plains nearby.
"Greetings to Heavenly Emperor Jiang." As Jiang Yun's eyes swept over them, the crowd tensely bowed in his direction.
Jiang Yun was now the sole Dou Di of the Dou Qi Continent, its undisputed sovereign. With a single word from him, the entire Dou Qi Continent could be unified. So the crowd knelt without a shred of hesitation.
Seeing everyone kneeling, Jiang Yun waved his hand, and a gentle, warm breeze lifted them all back to their feet.
He looked at them and said softly, "I have no intention of unifying the continent. Things will go on as they always have."
As for the future arrangements for the Dou Qi Continent, though Jiang Yun was the Plane Lord, he had no desire to toil over such matters. He would leave all that to Xiao Yan, who would one day break through to Dou Di and Heavenly Sovereign himself.
Yes, in Jiang Yun's eyes, Xiao Yan's eventual breakthrough to Heavenly Sovereign was a foregone conclusion; it was only a matter of time.
Hearing Jiang Yun's words, many present wore expressions of surprise, but more than a few privately breathed a sigh of relief. They had grown accustomed to being kings and hegemons; no one liked the idea of having a new "father" lording over them.
"This great war has brought losses to every sect and clan. Now that it is all over, return to your homes and recuperate."
--------------
Thanks for reading the chapter!
I started a new translation and I would be very happy if you decided to check out my new translation story. It's a crossover of Toaru and One Piece... Well, the only Toaru element here is one cute Misaka. This is all that came of my desire to translate a Toaru fanfic, but I'm not complaining—even though I've only just started reading and translating it, I'm really enjoying the story. It has plenty of slice-of-life elements, and the pacing is quite slow and detailed. It's written in a sweet, positive way—at least for now. There likely won't be any romance, as there were no tags indicating such, but I won't say for sure until I've finished reading it myself. I'd recommend it to those who aren't craving violence, carnage, or excessive cruelty. In my opinion, it's a worthwhile story, though it's definitely a matter of personal taste—especially since the protagonist is a girl, which isn't everyone's cup of tea (though it doesn't really matter for now—at least as of 30+ chapters in, Misaka is still 6 years old). Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story as much as I do.
One Piece: Railgun Misaka Misaka https://www.webnovel.com/book/one-piece-railgun-misaka-misaka_37195209600636405