Chapter 396 - Horrifying Grand Tribulation

Boom, crack, crack!

After Chen Fan's dantian's 'core nucleus' condensed, a golden aura burst within him.

This made the tribulation clouds above him churn fiercely, rapidly expanding to a width of two and a half kilometers.

Chla, chla!

Crackle!

Lightning dragons frolicked within the clouds, gathering tremendous power.

The tribulation would descend once Chen Fan’s golden core was complete to destroy it and turn him into tribulation ash.

Hiss!

Everyone sucked in a breath of cold air as Chen Fan’s tribulation clouds expanded to become two and a half kilometers wide.

“Heavens, is this for real? How terrifying is Chen Fan’s golden core tribulation?”

“Do you guys know the width of Senior Brother Duan Jingtian's tribulation clouds during his golden core tribulation?”

“I heard tribulation clouds for the Core Formation realm are usually about half a kilometer wide. And talented martial artists can see one as wide as a kilometer. It takes a genius among geniuses to reach two and a half kilometers.”

“Wasn’t Senior Brother Duan Jingtian’s tribulation cloud three kilometers wide? It was terrifying. It wasn't just any Extreme Lightning Universe Tribulation; it was a unique variant. Lightning divine bells descended, aiming to shatter Senior Brother Duan Jingtian’s golden core. However, being the heavenly genius he is, he passed through the tribulation effortlessly, without relying on any treasures.”

“If you put it that way, it does seem that Chen Fan's tribulation clouds seem less formidable than Senior Brother Duan Jingtian's.”

“True. Chen Fan’s talent is monstrous, but when measured against Senior Brother Duan Jingtian, it’s a bit lacking.”

“But, look! Chen Fan’s tribulation cloud is still expanding. Wait... isn’t that already three kilometers?!”

“......”

Everyone paused what they were doing to gaze at Chen Fan’s mountaintop.

They witnessed a terrifying tribulation; it seemed as if a lightning demon would suddenly descend and obliterate the world below.

“Heavens, Duan Jingtian’s tribulation cloud was three kilometers wide, and that made him a once-in-a-century monstrous genius in the Great Chu Empire. Chen Fan’s tribulation clouds have reached the same level. Is he as talented as Duan Jingtian?!”

“I don’t think so. His cloud is still expanding. It’s already three and a half kilometers wide, surpassing Duan Jingtian!”

“Terrifying. Incredibly terrifying! If he overcomes this golden core tribulation, his future in martial arts will undoubtedly be brilliant!”

“Unfortunately, even if he succeeds, he might become the shortest-lived holy disciple in our sect’s history. Don’t forget that he has a life-and-death match against Duan Jingtian. He’ll die for sure!”

“It’s too soon to talk about that. We should wait until after he successfully passes his golden core tribulation and completes his holy disciple mission.”

“......”

The holy disciples stared wide-eyed. Looks of disbelief could be seen in their gazes, shocked to the core. They were seasoned holy disciples, having held their positions longer than Duan Jingtian

However, Duan Jingtian was too much of a genius. His cultivation improved rapidly, quickly surpassing them to a point where they struggled to keep up.

......

On the mountain peak, Chen Fan tried his best to advance to the next level.

Eighty percent!

Eighty-five percent!

Ninety percent!

Ninety-three percent!

The illusory core within Chen Fan’s dantian had almost completely solidified, radiating a resplendent golden light. True primeval surged, resembling golden stars.

As Chen Fan's golden core neared completion, his tribulation clouds expanded from two and a half kilometers to finally four kilometers, still showing no signs of halting their growth.

Just as the onlookers were absorbed in the ever-expanding tribulation clouds, another unexpected change occurred.

Thunder roared within the clouds, and numerous war gods materialized.

Human-shaped lightning!

In addition, various treasures with lightning attributes emerged amidst the lightning flashes.

A lightning lamp ascended slowly, its brilliance causing nearby mountains to nearly crumble.

A lightning divine bell appeared, and its toll ruptured the space. The sounds of that bell could jolt mountains into nothingness and shatter cultivators’ souls.

A lightning spear materialized from the void, slicing through the air and ready to strike at any moment.

A lightning pagoda oscillated with a powerful rumble, ready to suppress and kill Chen Fan.

A lightning heavenly palace also appeared in the skies, seemingly inhabited by celestial warriors and commanders, ready to descend with formidable force to take down Chen Fan.

Every cultivator striving to reach the Core Formation realm was essentially challenging the laws of heaven and earth. So, the laws of heaven and earth rained down heavy punishment upon them.

This was common knowledge among cultivators, so many people would kill those wicked martial artists before undergoing their tribulation, accumulating karma to offset the intensity of their tribulation a bit and improve their chances of success.

Chen Fan had killed many, yet his golden core tribulation was exceptionally terrifying. His accumulated karma was almost insignificant in front of this grand tribulation.

The tribulation clouds displayed a myriad of phenomena.

Within a five-kilometer radius of the mountain peak, the air was displaced, creating a vacuum.

Lightning filled the sky; electrical phenomena were everywhere. Even a phenomenon of star-like objects falling as rain emerged, with clusters of spherical lightning crashing down like colossal meteors.

Everyone stared wide-eyed and slack-jawed. They muttered incredulously as if their very souls were being pulled from their bodies.

“Ancient Tribulation Lamp!”

“Lightning Divine Bell!”

“God of Thunder Tribulation Spear!”

“Duke of Thunder Pagoda!”

“And that Thunder Punishment Heavenly Palace!”

“Heavens, is he a heavenly god or an exiled immortal banished to the mortal realm? How could so many phenomena appear? Is he even human? He is only advancing to the Core Formation realm, but he has already drawn so many terrifying tribulations. These terrifying calamities would only appear when advancing to the Divine Nascent realm or beyond!

“This is astonishing, simply astonishing. If he still advances to the Core Formation realm, it will be nothing short of a miracle!"

“Senior Brother Duan Jingtian’s tribulation only had the Ancient Tribulation Lamp and the Lightning Divine Bell. What makes him so much more talented than Senior Brother Duan Jingtian?”

“How horrifying. With a tribulation this intense, he will surely die!”

The spectators were utterly shaken, feeling as though they had glimpsed paradise and lost all claim to their own lives.

Rumble!

Suddenly, everyone watched as Chen Fan's tribulation clouds expanded rapidly to five kilometers wide.

The entire space shook violently. The mountains below started cracking open under this terrifying pressure, as if on the brink of collapsing under the weight of heaven and earth.

“Five kilometers! The tribulation clouds are now five kilometers wide! Heavens, I’m afraid there has never been and never will be another person like him, not even on the entire Tianwu Continent!”

The crowd’s eyeballs nearly fell out of their sockets.

“Alright, alright, alright!”

Chen Fan suddenly opened his eyes. Fierce light shot out of them as he quickly got up on his feet. His robes billowed in the wind, his face brimming with confidence as he burst into laughter.

“With so many phenomena manifesting to challenge me, my journey to the Core Formation realm sure feels refreshing. I am just built different. I am a legend unmatched throughout history!”

Chen Fan flew up and stood in the air, facing the baptism of the boundless lightning.

“Come on! Today, I’ll advance to the Core Formation realm. Let the heavenly tribulation be even fiercer. Laws of heaven and earth, unleash your might! Let me advance with a completely unprecedented metamorphosis!”