Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 234 – Crossing Tribulation

After that, three days passed uneventfully. The news of the Sea Sovereign crossing tribulation was still blocked out, but if one had the qualifications to touch upon the circles of highest power, then they would have received a prompt concerning this.

On one hand, these people tried to control their subordinate forces, lest they be cleaned away by His Majesty in a critical moment to avoid any problems. On the other hand, their eyes widened as they stared towards the royal palace.

If His Majesty was crossing tribulation, then whether he succeeded or failed it would inevitably create a great disturbance. If they could grab onto this moment then it would be an amazing opportunity for them. Of course, this opportunity might be good and it might be bad. It might appear as if they were walking on a gilded path towards wealth and glory, when in truth they were falling down into an abyss beyond redemption.

At noon, when the time-sensing corals were their brightest red, the skies above the royal palace started to quietly dim down. This color was pale, as if it were a dappled landscape painting. Yet, it carried with it a deep and heavy aura, and when it appeared it attracted the gazes of countless people.

The majority of seafolk within the capital city revealed astonished gazes; they had no idea what was happening. But at this time, the truly great people could feel their heartbeats speed up and their complexions turn incomparably dignified.

His Majesty, he had…begun!

Although everyone knew of this, when His Majesty truly started to cross tribulation, they discovered that the news they obtained ahead of time was completely different from the reality before them.

Soupman raced in circles, like an ant in a hot pot. “Old Turtle, do you think His Majesty will be alright? Peh peh peh! My mouth deserves to be slapped. What kind of character is His Majesty? If he chooses to cross tribulation now then he must be confident in himself!” But even as he said this, he couldn’t help but pace in endless circles, mumbling to himself the entire time.

Turtle Origin was agitated. He shouted out, “Can you just hold still, you are making me dizzy!”

Soupman clenched his teeth. “I want to stop too, but I can’t! As soon as I stop I start to panic!” He began to curse at himself, “You old bastard, just what are you so nervous about!? Do you not have any confidence in His Majesty? You should just go and die!”

This sort of self-scolding was truly refreshing. Turtle Origin didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. “That’s enough. Qin Yu was able to eliminate the Whale Sovereign. Forget how he managed to do it. Since he did, that point alone is enough to push him to the peak of society. If he and His Majesty join forces, they are absolutely the strongest combination in the world! With them together, it is highly possible for them to cross tribulation successfully. Moreover, do you remember what Qin Yu has been doing lately? Do you not know that the heavenly tribulation he has seen far surpasses you and me together? Since he has agreed to help His Majesty, he should know that if he fails here, his fate will be miserable. So, you should rest assured that everything will be fine!”

Soupman nodded again and again, as if saying ‘you are right, I worship your every word’. But in the blink of an eye, he had a mournful expression plastered on his face once more. “You old turtle, do you think I don’t understand you by now? You are always lazy and sloppy. During ordinary times, when would you speak so many words? The more you speak, the more it proves you don’t have any faith at all! You cannot trick me!”

Turtle Origin gnashed his teeth in anger. At this time, it was fine enough for the both of them to mutually comfort each other. Even if Soupman sensed something, did he really have to say it out loud?

This was fine. He was also beginning to panic.

The skies above the royal palace began to darken, turning deep and rich. It was like drops of ink falling into a lake, quickly melting away, turning it increasingly black.

Then in the blink of an eye, that black water covered the entire lake. It spread out at an astonishing speed.

Everything mentioned happened slowly, but in truth it was shockingly quick. In just several blinks of an eye, the entirety of the skies above the capital city was covered in darkness.

Billowing black clouds tumbled about. It was bizarrely silent, but the terrifying aura that rained down caused everyone’s mind to tremble.

Countless seafolk widened their eyes, their faces full of panic and horror. They had no idea what was happening.

Was someone crossing tribulation?

But, the key point was that they had never seen a heavenly tribulation on such a massive scale, or one that possessed such a terrifying momentum! action

Within the grand hall, the Sea Sovereign looked up. His eyes seemed to pierce through the hall and gaze straight towards those formidable tribulation clouds above.

With a deep breath, he slowly stood up. His movements were slow, and even a little stiff. But with this simple movement, there were loud rumbles in the air, like heaven-shaking roars, as if a massive tide was racing forwards!

This sound was incredible beyond belief. In a mere moment it resonated through the entire capital city. Countless seafolk turned pale white. They felt as if a mountain was pressed against their chests, making it hard to breathe.

Because following the descent of this dreadful sound was an unimaginably boundless aura. This sort of overwhelming aura caused their minds to shake with fear.

Deep underground, in a place no one could see, the terrifying vine crazily rolled about. Countless vines withered and crashed to the ground.

The strength of the Sea Sovereign stored within the vine’s body began to leave at a rapid rate. This sort of sudden extraction actually caused heavy damage to it.

But it silently withstood the pain, not preventing it at all. This was because the vine knew that only through the Sea Sovereign taking back its strength would it have any chance of living on. Otherwise, all that awaited it was death.

The Sea Sovereign stood straight and tall. He was like a peerless divine sword that had been unsheathed after hundreds of years. His aura recklessly erupted outwards, announcing his existence to the world.

Boundless, deep, dignified, formidable, this aura shot up straight like a beacon towards the skies, connecting the heavens and earth. From the dragon throne which he stood upon, the entire grand hall began to crack apart. Then, it disintegrated into rumble, dust and ash flying into the air.

To outsiders, this was the center of the royal palace, the place where the highest authority in the world lay. But to the Sea Sovereign, this was merely a prison where he had been locked away for 300 years.

Since he chose to risk everything and cross tribulation, then there naturally wasn’t a need for this place any longer.

The grand hall broke apart. It was not able to block the majesty of the world. Strong winds howled forth, whipping up the robes of the Sea Sovereign. His black hair danced behind him and he narrowed his eyes and looked up towards the rolling tribulation clouds ahead. “The feeling of being free, that’s something I haven’t experienced for a long time.”

Qin Yu stood outside the hall and watched as it collapsed. He quietly said, “Your Majesty, you can rest assured that from this day forth, you can travel as high as the skies and as wide as the seas. There will be nothing stopping you anymore.”

The Sea Sovereign laughed heartily. “High as the skies and wide as the sea, good, this Solitude likes that very much. However, you should also know that if any accident happens when this Solitude crosses tribulation, you shall be accompanying this Solitude to the yellow springs.”

To fail crossing tribulation meant that the Sea Sovereign would die. Even so, with his status, he wouldn’t do something so lowly as speaking out to scare someone.

Qin Yu was well aware that if the Sea Sovereign died, he would also die. But, his complexion remained as calm as before. “Although I would be honored to take a trip to the yellow springs with Your Majesty, there are still many things I worry about in this world. So, I do not wish to die. I can only disappoint Your Majesty’s kindness.”

“Hahaha! Qin Yu, only now does this Solitude discover you are an interesting person!” The Sea Sovereign looked up, “But now, this Solitude will first test the might of this heavenly tribulation. Do not interfere!”

Bang –

A heaven-shaking bang seemed to split open the heavens and earth. Blinding lightning instantly sparkled and countless watching seafolk were left amazed. Tears began to subconsciously flow down their eyes. Then, a horrifying sound followed, as if the sea was breaking down above them. The sound roared into their ears, making it hard for them to compose their thoughts.

They all impatiently opened their eyes, wanting to know what was occurring. As they did, they saw a figure standing tall and proud below the tribulation clouds. The terrifying presence was like a dragon, diving up and down all around him. On the long yellow robes, there were places that were broken all over, and the person’s neatly combed hair was somewhat disheveled.

But this didn’t ruin his aura. In fact, it made others feel that he was even more dignified and regal. He was grand and noble, looking down upon all others with disdain. Just by standing there he seemed to be the center of the world.

Because of the terrifying aura that surrounded him, space itself was distorted, making it impossible to clearly see his appearance. But, in the entire sea region, there was only one person who possessed such an aura and such a cultivation.

His Majesty! It was that supreme ruler who wielded sovereignty over all the sea races, His Majesty!

The sea races were shocked, but they immediately realized what was happening. No wonder this heavenly tribulation was so momentous; it was because His Majesty was the one crossing tribulation!

No one knew just what sort of cultivation boundary His Majesty had reached. But, there were well-informed people in the capital city who knew His Majesty had probably touched upon some very, very high threshold. Just another step further and he would reach the limits of power of this world.

However, this threshold was not easy to cross. This was the conclusion drawn from His Majesty not appearing in public for hundreds of years.

Then…could His Majesty successfully cross tribulation today?

The seafolk felt their hearts begin to race. Their eyes widened further.

“What is going on? His Majesty is crossing tribulation alone? Where is Qin Yu? Where is that bastard Qin Yu!?” Soupman flew into a rage. “That bastard swallowed up so many of my treasures. If he can’t help His Majesty cross tribulation then I will skin him alive!”

Turtle Origin coldly sneered. “He even slaughtered the Whale Sovereign. If you go there it’s the same as seeking death.”

Soupman roared. “I don’t care! If he can’t help His Majesty then I will kill him myself!” He turned his head, his expression fierce. “Even at this time you still have the mood to smile? How can you be so calm? Aren’t you worried about His Majesty?”

“So what if I’m worried? Do you think you and I can rush up to help block that heavenly tribulation for His Majesty?” Turtle Origin lightly said. “You don’t need to blindly worry over His Majesty. Right now, His Majesty wants to use his own strength to resist heavenly tribulation. On the contrary, this makes me even more confident in his success. Since His Majesty dares to do this, this must mean he has the ability to do so.”

These words seemed to be very sensible.

Soupman was stunned. He looked at His Majesty in the skies and took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He told himself that it was still too early to act crazily!

Princess Lushy had a nervous expression. Her hands were twisted together. She stood along with her numerous brothers and sisters, watching their father cross tribulation.

Only several people knew that Qin Yu had been brought to the capital city. She silently thought to herself: Qin Yu, as long as you can help my father cross tribulation, then we can write off all our grievances!

You must not disappoint me, no matter what.

Rumble rumble –

The second heavenly tribulation descended. The Sea Sovereign laughed, “Wonderful!” He stepped up into the skies. With a flick of his sleeves, a torrential level of energy rushed out, raging forth like an endless river, completely breaking apart the thunder.

“This Solitude has avoided you for several hundred years, but now it seems that your strength is nothing but mediocre!” Daring valor flashed across the face of the Sea Sovereign. “Come! Come! Come! This Solitude is waiting for you to kill me!”

Within the black skies, two traces of red appeared and locked onto him like two eyes. Then, the tribulation clouds’ aura deepened. The air turned thick and sticky, as if an invisible swamp was about to submerge and swallow all.