Chapter 2767: Burning Ambition

Leng Qing held his sword in his hand as stellular energy returned to him. He stared up at the darkness within the vortex and took a deep breath. An unrestrained excitement and eagerness filled his eyes. He could feel it—the scream of a blade. This was the ultimate attack, and it was about to fall.

His blade suddenly shot upwards, releasing a slash. There was a bang as the void exploded.

Another sword appeared just beneath the vortex of the tribulation. It extended out from the void and slashed down at Leng Qing, only for him to slice through the attack.

That easy?

Leng Qing stared into the darkness of the stellular tribulation, and his pupils suddenly shrank. An endless storm of blades fell upon him, the silver rain of blades forming a massive sword in space.

Lu Buzheng and several others shouted out, "Galaxy Sword Emperor?"

Cai Er’s face grew pale.

Hen Xin clenched a fist. Sure enough, Leng Qing was facing a truly terrifying opponent.

Lu Yin frowned. "Third Uncle, what is that?"

Lu Buzheng's voice dropped low, and Lu Yin could hear fear, nervousness, and sympathy in the man’s voice. "That is Galaxy Sword Emperor’s attack. That endless rain of swords that forms a river large enough to transform a portion of the universe belongs to Galaxy Sword Emperor, who was one of the most powerful people during our era. He was the most powerful cultivator from the Second Mainland and was one of the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas."

Lu Yin's expression changed. So was this the power of one of the masters of the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas from the Heavens Sect era?

Cai Er spoke up as well. "Galaxy Sword Emperor was a ruthless person, and he dominated all with his sword. After becoming a Progenitor, he confronted the Mavis family on his own to avenge some humiliation that he once suffered. He forced the proud Mavis family to apologize to him and show him respect."

"Didn’t the Mavis family have a Dao Monarch?" Lu Yin asked. During the Heavens Sect era, the Mavis family had ruled the Second Mainland, and they had been led by one of the Three Realms Six Dao. How could they have been intimidated by one of Nine Mountains and Eight Seas?

Lu Buzheng quietly replied, "Galaxy Sword Emperor earned their respect, and the incident that he was avenging was indeed the Mavis family’s fault. When you are wrong, you should admit it. Those were the words of Galaxy Sword Emperor. He was arrogant yet reasonable, even if his own reasoning did not always make sense to others. Even if it was impossible for him to face one of the Three Realms Six Dao, he was willing to fight to the death in order to seek justice for himself.

"Many people respected Galaxy Sword Emperor, but at the same time, many feared him."

"Leng Qing is a fanatical admirer of Galaxy Sword Emperor," Cai Er added.

Lu Yin looked back at the tribulation. This would be a difficult opponent.

This master of one of the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas had lived during the Heavens Sect era and had been bold enough to draw a sword against a Dao Monarch. This was the person blocking Leng Qing’s way forward. Even if the man was not being forced to face Galaxy Sword Emperor’s full power at his peak, Leng Qing was facing the greatest power that Galaxy Sword Emperor had reached as a Semi-Progenitor. Could the man survive such a confrontation?

As the silver river of swords fell down, Leng Qing’s excitement seemed to be growing, and his eyes turned bloodshot. He was the most excited he had ever been, and he wanted to roar loudly.

After Leng Qing was released from the sourcebox, the most frustrating thing for him was that he would never be able to see Galaxy Sword Emperor again and challenge him. However, the man had now appeared in front of Leng Qing, and he could face Galaxy Sword Emperor’s power.

"Come on!" Leng Qing roared. Then, in a rare lapse of self control, he started to laugh maniacally as his sword rose up and slashed upwards. As he attacked, the man transformed into a sword and shot upwards, looking as though he intended to directly attack the river of swords.

Everyone watching realized at this moment what it meant to be one of the most powerful Semi-Progenitors in existence. Leng Qing's strength made people like Lan Xian to tremble. She knew that she would not be able to endure even a single one of the man’s attacks.

Blood dripped from Leng Qing’s eyes as he fought at his best, ignoring the risk of death. He rushed upwards, feeling that Galaxy Sword Emperor was inside the stellular tribulation’s black hole. Leng Qing wanted to challenge Galaxy Sword Emperor himself.

Since Leng Qing’s tribulation seemed to believe that the Semi-Progenitor Galaxy Sword Emperor could prevent Leng Qing from becoming a Progenitor, the man wanted to test that.

Leng Qing's body was constantly being attacked, and so much blood was spilling out that people could not bear to continue watching.

Leng Qing directly confronted the attack.

"Why doesn’t he use his inner world?" Some people felt puzzled, but others felt despair.

"Because the stellular tribulation has only just begun."

A gleaming light from the sharp sword lit up everyone's faces as Leng Qing finally broke past the silver sword river, surrounded by a sea of blood. Not a single part of his body remained whole, and he was trembling. His breathing had grown weak.

Lu Yin held his breath, though he watched calmly.

His own stellular tribulation had been freakish, but that did not mean that Leng Qing’s was unimpressive.

Galaxy Sword Emperor had been one of the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas during the Heavens Sect era, and he had been bold enough to draw his sword against a Dao Monarch. This kind of courage reminded Lu Yin of Progenitor Chen. At this moment, Leng Qing was facing his era’s invincible Progenitor Chen, and seeing this made Lu Yin wonder what sort of opponent he would face during his own tribulation.

No one spoke as everyone stared into the distance.

The swords from the broken river swirled around Leng Qing, creating a sea of silver swords. This was the Galaxy Sword Emperor’s ultimate attack, and it was the equivalent of his own inner world.

Leng Qing clenched the hilt of his sword tightly as his blood dripped down the blade.

"Galaxy Sword Emperor, finally, we can duel!" Leng Qing muttered to himself. Eager to see the fight to its conclusion, a long sword appeared above his head as Four Arts: Celestial Blade appeared.

As if sensing something, the sea of swords rose upwards to contend with Four Arts: Celestial Blade.

Countless swords fell upon the Celestial Blade, and the clash of blades caused an endless amount of sword qi to scatter out, forcing everyone to retreat further away.

The black hole at the center of the tribulation had become a world of blades as countless swords and broken blades clashed, creating a world of death. Just entering this place would shred almost any Semi-Progenitor to pieces.

No one knew how Leng Qing was faring, as it was impossible to see or sense anything within the tribulation.

Lu Yin's mind churned. Leng Qing had always behaved very well. While he was a rather dour man with no real sense of presence, he had managed to rise up to become one of the Twelve Heavenly Gatemasters. Despite his station, he had never complained about being sent to oversee the Astral Beast Domain. Even though he was such a powerful expert, Leng Qing would be content serving wherever he was sent.

It would be such a pity for this man to die while trying to become a Progenitor. It would be a loss for humanity itself.

Why did the Origin Universe force cultivators to face stellular tribulations?

If the Origin Universe functioned in the same manner as the Cyclic Universe, then just how many Progenitors would there be by now? It would have been impossible for Aeternus to destroy the Origin Universe.

As Lu Yin considered this matter, the swords filling the region beneath the stellular tribulation slowly disappeared.

Leng Qing stood tall in the middle of the universe. His blood had congealed, but he had not been swept away by the sea of swords. His own Celestial Blade had prevailed.

Lu Buzheng and others heaved sighs of relief.

Cai Er’s pale face slowly regained a bit of color.

Leng Qing had just faced off against Galaxy Sword Emperor, someone who had stood at the peak of his own generation, and Leng Qing had been victorious in a contest of swords. This was impressive enough of an accomplishment for Leng Qing to become famous. Additionally, he had just fulfilled his own dream.

In that case, would the tribulation attack again during this phase?

Leng Qing looked up at his tribulation and saw that the sword qi had disappeared. He had managed to defeat the Semi-Progenitor-level Galaxy Sword Emperor. Unfortunately, the man must have died, or else Leng Qing would have tried to fight the man himself after becoming a Progenitor.

There was no reaction from the tribulation, which surprised everyone.

Destina spoke slowly. "Questioning the heart, retrospecting on your inner self. If you can’t question yourself, then you’ve already failed."

"What’s the question?" Lu Yin wondered.

Lu Buzheng replied, "It’s different for everyone. This is a tribulation of the heart. Progenitors can have flaws, but at this moment, he cannot have any. This means that he needs to either conceal or remove his flaws. Only by doing that will he be able to become a Progenitor."

"Basically, he needs to lie and deceive the tribulation," Cai Er clarified.

Lu Yin looked back at Leng Qing. Lie to the tribulation? Leng Qing seemed incapable of lying.

This was the same thought that plagued Lu Buzheng and the others. Was Leng Qing able to tell a lie? Their immediate answer was no.

Questioning the heart was the phase of a Progenitor’s tribulation that Leng Qing had regarded as the most difficult to overcome. The only reason why he had not attempted his breakthrough long ago was because he had known that he would not be able to overcome this aspect of the tribulation.

Lu Buzheng, Destina, Cai Er, and Hen Xin had all been gatemasters of the Twelve Heavenly Gates, meaning that they had been the most powerful Semi-Progenitors of their era. Logically speaking, they should have all become Progenitors long ago, but they had all postponed their Progenitor’s tribulations because they lacked the confidence to succeed.

The more powerful a person was, the better they would understand themselves. These Semi-Progenitors understood the challenges that they would face, as well as where they would most likely fail.

Questioning the heart had been Leng Qing’s greatest obstacle, but that was in the past.

Lu Yin's words had repeatedly echoed in the man’s ears. A young man who was only an Envoy possessed such impressive courage. He had dared to laugh and challenge the universe itself, daring his stellular tribulation to give him even more stellular energy before going on to suppress the stellular energy. Why could Leng Qing not question his own heart? What was so difficult to let go of?

Leng Qing slowly raised a hand and turned to face the darkness of his tribulation. His arm trembled, and his sword silently shattered.

Lu Buzheng and the others were all startled. "His sword shattered?"

Destina's eyes blazed. "That is Leng Qing's question! He cultivates the sword, and he grew grown to strength with the sword. He can even transform himself into a sword. Throughout all of his cultivation, he has been inseparable from the sword. It is even said that, when he was born, countless blades appeared and bowed down to him. The sword has accompanied him throughout his entire life.

"All of his success has been built upon the sword, but his failure is also due to the sword. He has broken his sword to demonstrate his will. He questioned his own heart and has passed his tribulation."

Everyone remained silent, not even breathing as they looked at Leng Qing. As they looked at the relaxed expression on his face, it was as though they were looking at a different person.

The sword had paved the way for Leng Qing’s success, but it had also trapped him. He had shattered his own sword, which was no different from breaking away from his own stubbornness. At that moment, he might as well have been reborn.

With a long roar, Leng Qing let go of all restraints. He had fought against Galaxy Sword Emperor himself and then broken his own sword to demonstrate his determination. He was done, and he had no regrets at all, not even if he failed his tribulation at this very moment and was reduced to ashes.

The man’s laughter created a commotion in outer space, and countless people inexplicably felt happy, as if they had let go of their own burdens.

Even Lu Yin was affected by the laughter, and he unconsciously touched his cosmic ring.

Yan'er, one day, the two of us will be together. My Lu family will be able to return, and all grudges, love, hatred, life, and even death will be settled. That day... will definitely come!

A light appeared in space, and swords filled the region, startling everyone. Was this Four Arts: Celestial Blade?

The Celestial Blade had returned, but Leng Qing was not using the battle technique. It had instead appeared on its own, and as it did so, a long sword fell into Leng Qing's hands. It looked exactly like the sword that he had shattered. As the weapon fell into his hands, Leng Qing’s three meridian points opened, and creatures resembling his Blade Mist poured out and joined the Four Arts: Celestial Blade. Slowly, the Celestial Blade transformed. While it remained the same visually, it now had a slight pressure to it that everyone could feel. This was the dominance of a Progenitor. Leng Qing’s inner world had transformed into a Progenitor’s world. He had succeeded and become a Progenitor.

Sword in hand, standing in the middle of the Four Arts: Celestial Blade, Leng Qing was the first of the ancient Heavens Sect’s survivors to successfully become a Progenitor.

The man had not been an ordinary Semi-Progenitor, but rather one of the Heavens Sect’s gatemasters. Upon becoming a Progenitor, Leng Qing had become someone who even Cloudflow feared. What sort of power did that Four Arts: Celestial Blade contain? Cloudflow did not want to find out.

Lu Yin's eyes opened wide as he laughed. "Congratulations, Gatemaster Leng Qing, for successfully becoming a Progenitor! My Heavens Sect has gained one more elder!"

"Congratulations, Lord Leng Qing."

"Congratulations, Lord Leng Qing."

...

Everyone who had seen Leng Qing’s tribulation grew envious, though they were also thrilled. It was an incredible privilege to personally witness the birth of a new Progenitor.

Throughout the history of mankind, just how many people had been able to see a Progenitor’s successful breakthrough for themselves?

With Leng Qing's success, a vague and strange feeling drifted across the Fifth Mainland.

The tribulation vanished, as did the Four Arts: Celestial Blade.

Leng Qing put his sword away, and his entire demeanor was completely different from the past. Before, it had been readily evident that the man was a master of the sword, but at this moment, he revealed nothing. If he did not wield a sword, then no one would be able to determine what his weapon of choice was.