“In the end, the primal chaos bead is the most reliable!”

Long Chen was delighted by this surprise. This mysterious object that he had obtained from the Jiuli secret realm and still didn’t understand had helped him out countless times.

At this moment, Long Chen realized that the lightning runes within the tribulation had been changed by some kind of mysterious energy. The original half life energy within them had been covered up, leaving only death energy for him.

The primal chaos bead had then smashed apart that cover, unleashing the life energy. That allowed Long Chen to absorb them.

Long Chen’s numb body gradually recovered. It was also at this moment that his 108,000 astral spaces began to activate on their own.

The FengFu, Alioth, Life Fate, and Enlightenment Palace lit up in his hands and feet, absorbing the lightning.

The Divine Gate within his mind-sea opened, and the Divine Gate Star started to blaze even more intensely. As a result, his Yuan Spirit began to grow once more and appeared on his forehead.

“Ah, no wonder their Yuan Spirits appeared but mine didn’t.” Long Chen came to a sudden realization.

When Meng Qi and the others had started their tribulations, their Yuan Spirits had appeared. At that time, he hadn’t felt anything odd. He had just thought that his cultivation technique was different.

However, now he realized that the problem was that the lightning targeting him contained only death energy, resulting in him being unable to absorb it to strengthen his Yuan Spirit. Now that the life energy had been uncovered, his 108,000 stars were activated. His Yuan Spirit grew stronger and stronger. It gradually began to be affected by the color, becoming a six-color little figure.

“The intersection of life and death, the clash of positive and negative, the interaction between Yin and Yang, now I understand. This is a demonstration of the Heavenly Daos. Two opposite energies clash, and yet they are inextricably linked. Life cannot exist without death. To step into the Netherpassage realm requires grasping this balance.”

A flash of understanding struck Long Chen. The lightning pouring into his body contained life and death, positive and negative, Yin and Yang. After comprehending this law, he had to maintain a subtle balance between them. He wasn’t quite able to describe how, but he would slowly figure it out.

“Lei Long, work with me.” Lei Long was being badly beaten by these ancient heavenly geniuses. Its body was constantly being broken and reforming. Even if it had an undying body, it couldn’t stop them. Long Chen jumped onto its back and swung Evilmoon, sending one of them flying.

As Long Chen crazily absorbed the lightning through his divine ring, the amount of world energy he could control grew. With every passing moment, his astral spaces expanded, and his power increased with them.

Another heavenly genius was sent flying, while midway, it was slapped back by a dragon tail.

“Split the Heavens 8!”

The heavenly genius was instantly killed, transforming into runes.

Long Chen had to pay a price for this. He took two attacks in the back, pulverizing his flesh.

However, when he absorbed these lightning runes, he sensed pure life energy quickly healing his injuries. Not only that, but the runes contained such immense power that he sensed his 108,000 astral spaces grow to a new level.

“So these lifeforms are the greatest benefit here.” Long Chen’s eyes lit up. With a roar, he charged toward a second one. That heavenly genius stabbed a sword at Long Chen’s heart, while Long Chen ignored it and stabbed Evilmoon toward him as well.

Qu Jianying and the others let out startled cries upon seeing this suicidal exchange. Had Long Chen really been forced into such desperate straits?

Long Chen’s saber stabbed through his opponent’s body, while his opponent’s sword also stabbed through his chest. Long Chen coughed up a mouthful of blood, while his opponent was killed, transforming into runes.

By taking an injury, he had managed to kill his enemy in one blow. These heavenly geniuses were all incredibly powerful existences; hence, that attack had almost blown his body apart. Fortunately, he had managed to endure it.

Long Chen quickly absorbed the lightning runes. After they went through the primal chaos bead’s transformation, a huge amount of life energy rapidly healed his injuries.

“Die!”

Long Chen started chasing after the heavenly geniuses, launching crazy blows with a practically suicidal fighting style. He repeatedly used his body to receive his enemies’ attacks.

Long Chen was constantly injured and covered in blood, but he only grew more brazen. With each blow, he killed one of them.

“How ruthless.” The spectators shivered.

On the other hand, Kun Pengzi, Tian Xiezi, and Di Feng were much more conservative. Only when they had a perfect scenario would they attack. That way, they avoided injuries.

After killing their targets, they could also absorb the lightning runes. However, they didn’t have Long Chen’s ability to heal after absorbing the runes. That was why they couldn’t easily receive injuries like he did.

However, Kun Pengzi and the others were Netherpassage experts, and they had reached the second Heavenstage. They had the power to kill these heavenly geniuses.

Seeing Long Chen fighting so desperately, they sneered. They had no intention of attacking Long Chen. They were delighting in his miserable struggle.

However, as more time passed, their contemptuous smiles faded. They noticed that Long Chen was growing stronger and stronger.

At first, Long Chen had been forced to risk his life to kill one of them. But now, he had gone from a position of absolute inferiority to taking control of his battlefield.

After another half an incense stick’s worth of time, Long Chen was in full control. Rather than being surrounded and trapped, he was going around and hunting them down.

His divine ring rumbled behind him, and his aura continuously grew stronger. As for his Yuan Spirit, it was blazing with six-colored divine light, blazing like a brilliant sun.

“This lightning can be used to temper the Yuan Spirit?” Kun Pengzi and the others had only used the lightning to temper their physical bodies. They didn’t dare to allow it to touch their Yuan Spirits.

This wasn’t their tribulation. They were afraid of the heavenly tribulation not recognizing them and instead damaging their Yuan Spirits.

However, Long Chen’s Yuan Spirit was clearly growing stronger. Long Chen had yet to pass his tribulation, but the power of his Yuan Spirit had far surpassed those who had reached the second Heavenstage of Netherpassage. After some hesitation, Kun Pengzi clenched his teeth and sent a strand of the lightning into his Yuan Spirit.

A small Kunpeng appeared on his forehead. This Kunpeng was originally golden, but as it absorbed the lightning, some multicolored lines appeared within it. His Yuan Spirit’s aura also began to rise.

Kun Pengzi was delighted. His Yuan Spirit was starting to grow stronger with the nourishment of this six-color divine lightning.

The Yuan Spirit was very difficult to cultivate. A method that could improve a Yuan Spirit this quickly was practically heaven-defying.

Seeing Kun Pengzi nourish his Yuan Spirit with the lightning, Di Feng and Tian Xiezi tried it as well, although not all at once. After all, Kun Pengzi had a lightning spirit body, while they didn’t. They waited for a while and carefully absorbed a trace of the lightning.

The results made them smile. The six-color divine lightning was tempering their Yuan Spirits as well.

Seeing the three of them start tempering their Yuan Spirits, the Pill Fairy, the Zither Fairy, Dongfang Yuyang, Ximen Tianxiong, Nangong Zuiyue, and the others also started.

There were no problems for any of them. That made the others lower their guard and start tempering their Yuan Spirits.

“Do you think we should charge in and help Long Chen? We’ll also be able to absorb purer divine lightning like that,” said Beitang Rushuang, looking at Long Chen and the others in the core region with some desire.

“I think we shouldn’t. Kun Pengzi, Tian Xiezi, and Di Feng were intentionally drawn in by Long Chen. Although it looks like the three of them are taking advantage now, do you really believe that Long Chen will allow them to take advantage of him?” Nangong Zuiyue shook her head. Although she didn’t know what Long Chen was thinking, based on her intuition, Long Chen wasn’t such a nice person. Not just anyone could take advantage of him.

Hearing that and thinking about it herself, Beitang Rushuang nodded. It was best to continue staying here and absorbing the lightning.

“The great era is truly the great era. There are countless opportunities to get stronger. But they’re the favorites of this era, while we can only watch.” The seniors of the disciples within the lightning sighed emotionally. Those disciples were upgrading their Yuan Spirits at an incredible speed; everyone was benefiting from Long Chen. This could be considered a second, man-made qi flow eruption.

After two hours, Long Chen’s aura had grown increasingly powerful. His body suddenly shuddered, and the Nethergate Star, which had not made any moves this entire time, slowly lit up. An invisible energy unfurled within his body.

Long Chen was delighted. He had entered the first star transformation. He felt like a volcano of power was awakening within him.

However, at that moment, the ancient heavenly geniuses suddenly exploded, transforming into runes.

Those runes didn’t scatter. Instead, they condensed into twenty-seven figures. When those twenty-seven figures appeared, everyone’s expressions changed, including Long Chen’s.