Chapter 326: Heavenly Tribulation's Return

The night was anything but ordinary for the citizens of Sakura Island.

On their networks, news spread like wildfire: an armored convoy had rolled out of Dami's military base and entered one of their cities. Posts multiplied across social platforms, making people anxious while they speculated on what had happened.

Such an event was rare. In fact, it had not occurred for many years.

No one initially connected the news with the recent string of serial murders or the Hua Republic cultivators in the city. However, it all changed when an anonymous user posted a claim online:

The recent series of murders was part of the Jialington Corporation's experiments. They were testing a new weapon, but it has now fallen into the hands of corrupt cultivators from the Hua Republic.

Although the post was swiftly deleted, it had already spread across the internet. Citizens of Sakura Island began condemning it fiercely online.

Every nation had its share of keyboard warriors, and Sakura Island was no exception. After years of internal strife and external pressure, the people lived in frustration, quick to unleash their pent-up anger on the web.

About an hour later, explosions erupted in one of the city's bustling districts. Ordinary citizens and cultivators living near the area began uploading videos.

Soon after, the mastermind behind the chaos acted again. Within minutes, clear, multi-angled footage of a fierce battle spread online, and the entire world watched it. It went viral just like the infamous recording of heavenly tribulation "destroying" a city.

The footage began with an aerial shot of Dami's armored convoy in motion, giving a clear view of the vehicles' modifications. At the very front were six heavily armored vehicles, their plating as sturdy as bulldozers. They had traditional artillery systems, rapid-fire cannons, and heavy machine guns.

Behind them rolled several short-range missile launcher trucks, ready to provide devastating artillery support. Radar vehicles followed them, then their trump card: heavy tactical vehicles carrying laser weapons. Various support vehicles and a few troop carriers also accompanied them.

From a tactical perspective, their armored troop formation was carefully designed for fighting cultivators. The concept was not without merit.

However, the same wasn't always true in practice.

The video quickly revealed the four people that the army targeted. It zoomed in on them one by one: a clear-featured monk, Sakura Island's most hated sharp-tongued cultivator, and a celestial beauty whose presence alone outshone the entire entertainment industry of the nation.

Still, in the first half of the video, the camera lingered most often on the youth who stood on a flying sword in midair with his hands clasped behind his back. The world had not forgotten the protagonist of the "Heavenly Tribulation's City-Wide Destruction" video, which was still at the height of its notoriety.

A battle soon erupted between the four cultivators and the armored convoy. The artillery unit was the first to open fire, their laser weapons and missiles bombarding the "Heavenly Tribulation Wielder." The blast hurled the young cultivator away, prompting the other cultivators to retaliate.

The monk, solid like a vajra incarnate, charged straight into the storm of gunfire and crushed a defensive vehicle flat with one swing of his staff. The beautiful fairy raised her hand lightly, lifting over ten armored vehicles into the air. The video could not capture the surge of yin-yang qi, but its effects were undeniable.

Even Shi Qianzhang, the much-reviled cultivator of the Hua Republic, showed surprising might. He deployed one talisman after another, each brimming with lethal power.

The most awe-inspiring of them all was the man faintly visible in the sky. Explosions endlessly occurred around him.

High-energy lasers could not touch him, and missiles that were meant to annihilate cultivators shattered as harmlessly as toys before him. When he counterattacked, seven swords descended, cutting more than ten armored vehicles in half.

Starlight and sword radiance then swept through the already-chaotic formation, tearing vehicles to shreds and obliterating their troops. Distant explosions followed as aircraft burst into flames, their fiery blooms appearing like celebratory fireworks that marked the end of the slaughter.

By the time the short video ended, several impressions had started burning brightly in the hearts of its viewers.

First was the beauty of the female cultivator. Second was the seven enormous swords that fell from the heavens. Third was the notorious Shi Qianzhang's strength. Finally, the most shocking of all: four cultivators from the Hua Republic had effortlessly annihilated Dami's armored troop formation.

As the video spread, public discourse quickly centered on the involvement of the Hua Republic cultivators. Soon, even more explosive rumors surfaced. It was said that in retaliation for their attempt to crush the four "helpless" cultivators, the young man who had already been dominating the headlines for two days had gone on to assault Dami's military base.

***

A few minutes earlier, just after the battle ended.

The street before the international hotel, which stretched more than two hundred meters, had been transformed into a narrow battlefield.

Over forty different armored vehicles now lay wrecked. They had either been flipped over, cleaved in two, or reduced to smoking piles of junk. Not one of the more than a hundred Dami soldiers survived. Flying swords or talismans had finished off even those who had been gravely wounded.

The soldiers had shown no mercy when they attacked. Why should mercy be shown in return? Since they had chosen to fight, they had to have accepted the consequence of death.

Wang Sheng stood atop the barrel of a tank, his gaze sweeping across the devastated battlefield. The buildings along both sides of the street bore the marks of heavy bombardment. Stray missiles had hit some Sakura Island civilians, resulting in casualties, but such matters were none of their concern.

"

Amitabha,

" Huai Jing murmured. The monk stood before a troop carrier, chanting softly to deliver the souls of the dead.

Mu Wanxuan lightly descended and landed upon a bent lamppost. Gazing at the ruins, she pressed her lips together. She remained calm and unshaken, showing no discomfort at all.

Meanwhile, Shi Qianzhang drifted over with the aid of a flight talisman. Looking disgruntled, he asked, "We've won, Brother Sheng, but what now? This could turn into an international incident."

"They attacked us. Are we not allowed to fight back?"

Huai Jing stopped chanting and leaped onto the wreck of a tank, his devil-subduing staff in hand. He grinned. "They forged a devilish sword, and we happened to destroy it. They grew furious and sent their army after us, yet somehow we're to blame for defending ourselves?"

"Reason is required in judging all matters," Wang Sheng said calmly. "If they cannot see reason, then we shall fight them until they learn."

"

Mm!

" Mu Wanxuan smiled softly, expressing her unconditional support for her junior brother.

Shi Qianzhang chuckled mischievously. "I'll look around and see if there are any spoils worth taking."

Wang Sheng pulled out his phone and contacted Xi Lian. He was told that their scientists were safe and preparing to return to the Hua Republic overnight, skipping the international conference. One missed meeting could hardly be considered a loss.

Now, Wang Sheng and his companions had become the world's focus.

Just as Wang Sheng hung up, Yaoyun warned, "

A lot of strange devices are flying out of the base...

"

Wang Sheng extended his spiritual perception in the direction of the Dami Empire's military base and soon detected a swarm of drones.

Better to strike first than to wait.

"Shall we investigate their base directly?" Wang Sheng promptly suggested.

"Investigate what?" Shi Qianzhang asked, fluttering back with his talisman "wings."

Huai Jing laughed. "To gather proof of their crimes and reveal it to the world!"

Mu Wanxuan nodded gently in agreement.

After some thought, Wang Sheng instructed, "We will split into two groups. Huai Jing, Qianzhang, you two will draw their attention. Senior Sister, watch over them from the shadows. I'll fly over and try to plunge them into chaos."

"Chaos? What do you mean?" Shi Qianzhang asked, puzzled.

Wang Sheng smiled calmly. He opened his left hand, and a wisp of cyan cloud gathered in his palm. Tiny sparks of lightning crackled within.

Half a minute later, Huai Jing and Shi Qianzhang swaggered off in the direction of the armored convoy, while Mu Wanxuan cloaked her aura and followed silently in the shadows.

Wang Sheng rose into the air. He released waves of enchanted power and gathered them into a cyan cloud above him.

His sword-shaped Golden Core blazed brightly. The sensation of imminent breakthrough stirred once more, yet he suppressed it, sensing that there was still room to deepen his foundation at the Heavenly Abode Realm.

The firmer the base, the greater the benefits he'd reap.

Flying Haze flew toward the drones. Guided by Wang Sheng's spiritual perception, it fought alone against the swarm. At the same time, Wang Sheng advanced at roughly the same pace as Huai Jing and Shi Qianzhang. Above him, the cyan cloud thickened, drawing dark clouds from every direction toward the Dami military base.

He deliberately moved slowly, offering his enemies a chance to retreat or negotiate. He would rather not be branded again as a "destroyer of cities."

Bzz!

𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Bzz!

His phone vibrated. Refusing to give his mistress's projection a chance to pop up on its own, he answered immediately.

The projection flickered due to the interference that the tribulation clouds were causing. Chi Ling also sounded faintly distorted.

—Fei Yu, what's your next plan of action? The situation is still under control.

"What we've done so far doesn't count as causing trouble?"

—Of course not.

Wang Sheng was speechless.

How was any of that not trouble?!

—If you wish to continue fighting, you may, but—

Bzz.

Static hissed. The 3D projection flickered a few times, then vanished.

What did she just say? 'If you wish to continue fighting, you may'? Does that mean we are free to carry on? Nothing's holding us back now, then!

Wang Sheng trembled slightly. He poured more enchanted power outward, and the tribulation clouds above his head swelled at a speed visible to the naked eye.