Chapter 420: Something's Wrong! This is Very Wrong!
"Amitabha your mother! You're insane!" Monk Burning Karma was nearly in tears.
Above the Sumeru Realm, the Heavenly Dao's thunder eye had already penetrated his Twelve-Petaled Golden Lotus with rolling thunderclouds.
Was his Twelve-Petaled Golden Lotus some cheap trinket that anyone could just barge into?
"This tribulation is unavoidable now, but as the one who provoked it, the Sword Pavilion Patriarch will bear eighty percent of its wrath!" Monk Burning Karma huddled beneath his spiritual treasure, forcing himself to calm down and analyze the situation.
The Sword Pavilion Patriarch had deliberately provoked the heavenly tribulation and even challenged the heavens' authority. This definitely wasn't an ordinary minor tribulation—it was likely a second or even third-level heavenly punishment.
If it were only second-level, he could endure it. If only he still had his Brocade Kasaya! He'd relied on that very kasaya to survive his second minor tribulation at the Great Ascension Stage. Even if this turned out to be a third-level tribulation... since most would target the Sword Pavilion Patriarch, the residual strikes shouldn't be fatal.
There was still hope—if the Sword Pavilion Patriarch died to the tribulation, it would naturally dissipate. In that case, he'd still emerge victorious.
After this analysis, Monk Burning Karma finally relaxed slightly.
His eyes glinted venomously as he stared at the Sword Pavilion Patriarch at the storm's epicenter, sneering:
"Provoking the heavenly tribulation, eh? Mutual destruction, eh? How naive! Let this humble monk see how many strikes you can withstand!"
"Brother, we're doomed!" Zhang Yibai sighed bitterly. "It's my fault for not explaining clearly—invoking the heavenly tribulation isn't about rudely poking the heavens' backside! You're supposed to gently invite it! But you... sigh—!"
"Now we're finished. The Heavenly Dao has been provoked and enraged. The coming tribulation won't be some minor first-level calamity."
Chen Huaian remained utterly calm despite Zhang Yibai's frantic words.
"Elder Brother, what if I told you I deliberately angered the Heavenly Dao?"
"You once told me that we cultivators steal resources from heaven and earth through our defiance, and the Heavenly Dao won't tolerate this. That's why it sends tribulations to Great Ascension cultivators—unless they're strong enough to earn its recognition. Correct?"
"Right..." Zhang Yibai blinked. "But what does that have to do with your current actions?"
"Everything." Chen Huaian smiled. "Therefore, minor tribulations won't attack cultivators below Great Ascension. True?"
"Well... theoretically, yes." Zhang Yibai nodded, then shook his head. "Brother, are you thinking of suppressing your cultivation to cheat the system? Impossible! No method of cultivation suppression can fool the Heavenly Dao. Countless cultivators have tried every trick to evade tribulations, including suppressing their cultivation, but none succeeded."
Before he could finish, Zhang Yibai froze.
Because Chen Huaian's cultivation had suddenly plummeted from Great Ascension all the way down to Void Treading ninth stage.
And this wasn't some superficial disguise—it genuinely felt as if... Chen Huaian had always been at Void Treading ninth stage. That previous Great Ascension strength now seemed like a temporary boost from pills that had worn off, revealing his true level.
"Brother, you..." Zhang Yibai was dumbfounded.
Chen Huaian grinned mysteriously. "Standard procedure, all standard procedure! Hahahaha..."
His avatar's strength depended entirely on which "package" he activated. By canceling his "Great Ascension package," his avatar reverted to Void Treading level—not a regression, but his actual base strength.
As Chen Huaian's realm stabilized at Void Treading ninth stage, the gathering thunderclouds visibly hesitated overhead.
The Heavenly Dao's consciousness repeatedly scanned Chen Huaian, seemingly verifying his true cultivation level. After prolonged inspection yielded no answers, the crimson-gold thunder eye began darting about in confusion.
Its initial resolve melted into hesitation—one could almost see visible bewilderment in those clearing thunderclouds.
Its locked target had vanished!
Now what? Well, since it was already here... might as well find another target.
The thunder eye fixed on Monk Burning Karma at Great Ascension Stage, and the suspended heavenly wrath began gathering anew.
Chen Huaian felt the Heavenly Dao's oppressive gaze abruptly lessen—exactly as he'd predicted.
The Heavenly Dao was merciless, operating like a self-checking program that viewed cultivators as "pests" stealing worldly resources.
Once pests reached Great Ascension Stage, the Heavenly Dao would mark them and design customized "extermination programs" based on their deeds. Some pests who'd benefited the world would receive lighter punishments—this was why virtue could weaken tribulations. Conversely, evil cultivators who harmed natural order would face maximized extermination protocols.
True, he'd poked the Heavenly Dao's backside—but that was Great Ascension Chen Huaian's doing!
What did that have to do with Void Treading ninth stage Chen Huaian?
Frankly, he hadn't even grown enough to warrant the Heavenly Dao's attention, so the extermination program simply ignored him.
But Monk Burning Karma... that was another story.
The thunderclouds above Golden Buddha Sea swirled violently, forming a pitch-black vortex centered around the golden thunder eye. Lightning flickered within the dark clouds, initially rumbling like some primordial beast's breathing before escalating into mountain-shattering roars.
"Something's wrong! This is very wrong!"
Monk Burning Karma stared skyward, his murky aged eyes reflecting the storm clouds, prayer beads trembling in his grip. Having survived two minor tribulations, he knew exactly how heavenly retribution's targeting felt.
And right now—instead of striking the Sword Pavilion Patriarch—it was coming for him?!
Escape was impossible. His only option was to endure this enraged tribulation head-on.
The first heavenly bolt struck, illuminating Golden Buddha Sea like daylight. This wasn't mere light and heat, but pure destructive force carrying the judgment of natural law.
The lightning crashed against the three-foot radius of Buddhist light surrounding Monk Burning Karma, producing an ear-splitting explosion whose shockwaves rippled for miles.
The second and third strikes followed instantly, each ten times more powerful than the last. Beneath this celestial fury, reefs powdered into dust and seawater vaporized into mist.
Monk Burning Karma's true essence was nearly depleted, forcing him to desperately block with spiritual tools and treasures.
By the seventh strike, his mid-grade spiritual treasure Vajra Pestle had dimmed and begun crumbling.
At the ninth strike, all his protective artifacts had lost their glow, their spirits severely damaged.
Charred and bleeding, Monk Burning Karma raised his ruined face to the heavens and howled in rage:
"Damnable heavens! Why strike this humble monk instead of the Sword Pavilion Patriarch?!"
"Where is the justice?!"
"Damn you! Go on, strike me dead!"
Yet the thunderclouds showed no signs of dispersing.
The twelfth heavenly bolt descended like a god-thrown spear, piercing straight through Monk Burning Karma's chest.
For one world-shaking instant, all color drained from existence. Within the apocalyptic lightning, a fleeting glimpse of a radiant Buddha statue appeared before vanishing.
As this final strike landed, the thunderclouds dissipated with the abruptness of spent rage—leaving only scorched earth, shattered artifacts, and curling smoke where Monk Burning Karma once stood.