Chapter Ninety-Two: The Third Minor Tribulation

Chu Jie’s eyes were bloodshot. As Li Xiuping’s Blood Cloud Palm descended, the pressure mounted inexorably, and the spiritual power within Chu Jie was nearly depleted, on the verge of exhaustion. He had already consumed three Azure Spirit Pills. While these pills could provide a small burst of spiritual energy, their primary effect was to stimulate the body’s latent potential, meaning that taking several in succession had little additional effect. Now, all they did was barely allow him to withstand Li Xiuping’s relentless onslaught.

“Boom! Boom!”

The massive Blood Cloud Palm struck furiously at the shimmering barrier above Chu Jie’s head. Under this assault, the Primal Cauldron wavered in midair, teetering as if it might drop at any moment.

Li Xiuping let out a cold laugh. “You cannot block my attacks. A martial artist at merely the fifth level of the Spirit Convergence Realm—how could you possibly be my match? Cease your futile resistance. If you persist, once I shatter this barrier, I’ll tear you to pieces and feed you to the abyssal beasts.”

Chu Jie’s spiritual power was nearly spent, yet he refused to surrender. At this moment, only a tenth of his energy remained; his dantian felt hollow and uncomfortable. If his spiritual energy ran dry, he would lose control of the Primal Cauldron, the barrier would vanish, and the huge Blood Cloud Palm would crash down upon him, ensuring his utter destruction.

Yet Chu Jie would not submit. An indomitable will surged forth within him—a staggering aura erupting from his body. The Wheel of Reincarnation spun wildly as he summoned every last vestige of spiritual power, striving to unleash the Nine Suns Heaven-Splitting Claw against Li Xiuping once more.

At that instant, within his dantian, a tribulation that had been on the verge of manifesting finally began to take shape. Earlier, when suppressed by the terrifying presence of a peerless fiend, this minor tribulation had almost formed. After surviving several battles since, it now emerged at this critical juncture.

A wave of excruciating pain enveloped Chu Jie. In this desperate moment, he retrieved over a hundred high-grade profound crystals from the Primal Cauldron and arranged them around himself. All the spiritual power he had intended for the Nine Suns Heaven-Splitting Claw was instead absorbed by the emerging tribulation.

An astonishing aura radiated from him.

“Empty bravado!” Li Xiuping sneered, convinced that Chu Jie was merely burning the last dregs of his strength—a dying flicker before final extinction, powerless to harm him.

But at that moment, the third minor tribulation fully descended. Chu Jie’s body convulsed violently; this third ordeal was more agonizing than any that had come before.

His Nine Tribulations Sacred Body was destined to endure nine great tribulations, each with nine minor trials. Surviving each ordeal elevated his cultivation and strengthened his physique.

The Primal Cauldron above his head did not fall, though the barrier it cast had thinned considerably.

Believing victory was at hand, Li Xiuping redoubled his attacks with the Blood Cloud Palm, the sound of impact echoing unceasingly.

Meanwhile, the profound crystals encircling Chu Jie shattered, their energies flowing into his body, nourishing him. As a torrent of spiritual energy surged into him, his dantian swelled to bursting, with surplus power coursing through his limbs and bones.

In truth, every tribulation allowed the Nine Tribulations Sacred Body to absorb ambient spiritual energy automatically. However, the density of energy in the air was usually too scant for much benefit during such trials. This time was different: with Chu Jie’s deliberate placement of the profound crystals, an abundance of energy rushed into him—so much that he could feel his cultivation on the verge of breaking through.

The Primal Cauldron blazed with dazzling light, and the barrier thickened at once, becoming nearly impregnable. Even Li Xiuping felt that his attacks no longer caused much vibration. Only now did he sense that something was amiss—but it was already too late.

Under the force of the third minor tribulation, not only did Chu Jie’s dantian refill, he also broke through to the sixth level of the Spirit Convergence Realm. His spiritual power now doubled what it had been at the fifth level. The Nine Suns Heaven-Splitting Claw, though still limited to five uses, now struck with twice its former might.

His body, too, had grown markedly stronger.

The agony vanished; the ordeal was conquered. Now, an awe-inspiring aura surged from Chu Jie’s entire being. At his feet, the crushed remains of the profound crystals formed a powdery ring—over a hundred high-grade crystals absorbed in full.

The barrier vanished in an instant, the Primal Cauldron soared back into his dantian, and Chu Jie looked up at the descending Blood Cloud Palm with disdain.

Great Sun Heavenfire Fist! A blazing sun materialized atop Chu Jie’s fist. With his breakthrough, this technique had grown even more formidable; the sun that now gathered on his knuckles was twice as large as before, dazzling and searing.

He hurled the sun at the Blood Cloud Palm, meeting and withstanding its force, even threatening to shatter it outright.

Li Xiuping was aghast. A moment ago, Chu Jie had been unable to resist his attacks, yet now, a single punch nearly shattered his Blood Cloud Palm. What kind of opponent was this?

Gritting his teeth, Li Xiuping realized he must go all out or face certain death. His dantian surged, pouring vast reserves of energy into the Blood Cloud Palm for a final, all-or-nothing assault.

The Blood Cloud Palm swelled even larger, swirling with power—a strike into which Li Xiuping poured his very soul.

Chu Jie gazed at the massive hand descending upon him. Spiritual power surged within; the Wheel of Reincarnation spun frenetically. A golden dragon’s claw, larger than any before, formed and launched upward against the palm.

Behind Chu Jie, nine blazing suns appeared, each more immense and brilliant than ever, their radiant heat so fierce that even Duan Kun, fighting nearby, could sense it.

Wu Long, too, noticed the shift; his spirit soared—victory was at hand!

Chu Jie’s Nine Suns Heaven-Splitting Claw collided with Li Xiuping’s giant palm. In a flash, it pierced through; in several exchanges, the golden claw tore the palm apart. In Li Xiuping’s terror-stricken eyes, the claw swept toward his head.

At the same time, the nine blazing suns behind Chu Jie surged forth.

Both the nine suns and the golden dragon’s claw struck Li Xiuping in unison.

Li Xiuping’s head was crushed instantly by the dragon’s claw, his body below the neck reduced to a mangled ruin. The nine suns obliterated the rest, leaving nothing but a pool of blood on the ground, which quickly evaporated in the lingering heat.

Every martial artist in the cavern witnessed this scene and was left speechless in utter shock. Sun Guanyu’s heart leapt with dread—sure enough, Chu Jie’s next target was him.

Chu Jie strode toward Sun Guanyu. Moments before, Sun Guanyu had been close to victory over Duan Kun, whose cultivation was far inferior, though his physical resilience had made him a tough opponent.

Now, with Chu Jie joining the fray, Sun Guanyu saw no hope of triumph.

Though he wished to beg for mercy, after such a savage battle, reconciliation seemed impossible.

Moreover, for a seventh-level Spirit Convergence martial artist to plead for mercy from those he deemed inferior was humiliation beyond bearing.

He resolved to die with dignity. Sun Guanyu’s hands were stained with blood, countless lives lost to him—now, at last, his time had come.

Chu Jie became a streak of light as he charged, unleashing the Great Sun Heavenfire Fist in concert with Duan Kun’s kicks, both attacks converging upon Sun Guanyu.

Sun Guanyu, weaker than Li Xiuping, could not withstand the two-pronged assault for long—death loomed near.

At the brink, a man often sees things with sudden clarity. Mere moments before, Sun Guanyu had sworn never to beg for mercy; now, with death upon him, his will to survive grew overwhelming.

With a crash, Sun Guanyu fell to his knees, kowtowing to Chu Jie. “Spare my life! I’ll do anything you ask—anything at all!”

Both Chu Jie and Duan Kun were taken aback by this. The battle had just been fierce—now, in a blink, he was begging for mercy?

Sun Guanyu knocked his head to the ground repeatedly. “I failed to recognize your greatness. I never should have targeted you. Please, just spare my life!”

All pride and dignity were now abandoned—what was reputation, what the opinions of others, compared to his own life? If he perished, nothing else would matter.

Chu Jie said coolly, “You’ve never begged for mercy before, have you? With such a pathetic plea, you hardly deserve to be spared.”

Sun Guanyu’s expression grew grim. He took out some possessions, including a storage pouch, and poured out its contents. “Much of this I stole from others.”

Indeed, there was a considerable haul: at least a thousand high-grade profound crystals, along with various odds and ends, and some lower-grade treasures. Clearly, he had killed many in the abyss.

“If I kill you, these things will still be mine,” Chu Jie remarked.

He glanced aside—Wu Long and the others had already slain most of the remaining martial artists, leaving fewer than ten alive. With Duan Kun now helping Wu Long, only Chu Jie and Sun Guanyu remained on this side.

Sun Guanyu’s expression darkened; he truly had no way to persuade Chu Jie to spare him.

“I’ll take these,” Chu Jie said flatly, gathering all the items into the storage pouch and hanging it at his waist. This pouch would be useful for concealing the Primal Cauldron in the future. The cauldron’s internal space was vast, but if he summoned it every time he needed something, it would attract unwanted attention. Though the pouch was much smaller, it served well as a disguise.

Sun Guanyu’s eyes lit up, thinking that since Chu Jie had claimed his belongings, perhaps his life would be spared. He immediately adopted a sycophantic demeanor, eyes lowered, nothing at all like the vicious figure from before.

Without warning, Chu Jie’s Celestial Wheel slashed out, severing Sun Guanyu’s neck in a single blow. His head thudded to the ground, frozen in shock.

“A coward like you is of no use. Die here and be done with it,” Chu Jie said coldly.