Chapter 83: Purpose

Smoke and dust billowed to the heavens. The deafening booms were so fierce they made the earth tremble without pause.

In the vast Desolate Realm, it had been countless years since more than fifty Tribulation Crossing cultivators struck at the same time.

Even longer since one had seen the sight of an entire alliance mobilizing—one sect, three empires, and five great clans all throwing in everything they had.

The Grand Dao Sect alone had brought in nineteen Tribulation Crossing cultivators, along with six Scatter Gods, and countless Unity Dao and Void Refining experts.

Every Grand Dao Sect powerhouse was armed to the teeth.

Scatter Gods were those who had failed their tribulations—not yet fallen, but with their paths severed.

Their strength was terrifying, but that power came at a cost—burning away their remaining lifespan to unleash their final might.

In other words, Scatter Gods were the last hidden card a sect could use.

And now... they’d all come out.

All the formations erupted at once.

The Grand Dao Sect threw out every top-tier treasure they had—even the Dao Bell, an innate spiritual treasure.

Each time the Dao Bell rang, the earth beneath it turned to dust.

Even the void itself shuddered.

But the enemy’s formations were simply too powerful. These weren’t simple traps—they’d been researched and arranged by a team of top experts over days. Layer upon layer, intricately interlocked—they couldn’t be broken in a short time.

“Kill him—now!”

A Tribulation expert from the Yin-Yang Law Sect bellowed.

No one had expected the Grand Dao Sect would go this far for a single disciple.

If they let the Grand Dao Sect keep this up, no formation would hold out for long.

All the Tribulation Crossing cultivators unleashed their full power.

The ancient lotus shattered.

Lu Ye’s body cracked open like porcelain.

A phantom of a Black Tortoise appeared above his head.

Still defending!

“Why the hell does he have so many defensive techniques?” one of the Tribulation experts snapped, completely [N O V E L I G H T] fed up. “Does it ever end?!”

Blood poured from Lu Ye’s seven orifices.

He shut his eyes, sensing the flow of energy between heaven and earth.

The Black Tortoise hovered above him, shielding him from all harm.

A breeze stirred across the battlefield.

It was cool—eerily so. Like the breath of the Great Dao brushing past his face.

A single thread of pattern emerged amidst the raging chaotic energy. Then, more and more began to spread.

These patterns ignored the destructive forces around them entirely. In the blink of an eye, they coalesced into an incredibly profound formation in the void.

Bai Qiulan had been attacking the enemy formation alongside the Grand Dao Sect, but when she saw those Dao patterns unfurling in the sky—her expression changed drastically.

“No! Get back! Now!”

She screamed in alarm.

“What?!”

The Grand Dao Sect’s cultivators didn’t understand.

“I said move! Retreat immediately—especially the Tribulation cultivators! Get out of there!”

The wind suddenly surged.

A formless force between heaven and earth was drawn down by the formation—descending from the sky.

That thread of energy was faint. So faint, it seemed it would scatter with the next breeze.

If someone tried to strike with it, it probably wouldn’t even knock out a strand of hair.

Huh?

Many sensed that tiny, vague wisp of energy.

But no one knew what it was.

Lu Ye had poured such a tremendous effort into forming all those seals—only to bring out this?

One of the Tribulation cultivators waved his hand dismissively.

Whatever it was, just disperse it first!

But the moment his energy touched that faint thread—

In an instant, boundless tribulation force ignited, like hot oil set aflame—everything caught fire!

“It’s heavenly tribulation energy!”

A Tribulation cultivator let out a sudden, horrified cry.

BOOM!

The once-gentle breeze turned violent—howling, surging, tearing through the sky like a mad storm.

Just moments ago, the sky had been clear. Now, in a split second, the heavens had been overturned.

A dense mass of black clouds rolled across the sky, blotting out every trace of sunlight.

Black clouds pressed down on the mountains.

Furious winds tore trees from their roots.

Tribulation energy spread like wildfire through the ranks of the Tribulation Crossing cultivators—utterly unstoppable.

The experts of the Grand Dao Sect and the Supreme Sword Sect, at that moment, looked as if they’d seen a ghost. They retreated in a frenzy, their faces contorted by sheer terror.

Who was the lunatic?

Who the hell triggered a tribulation now?!

So many Tribulation Crossing cultivators in one place—trying to overcome the tribulation here was like a dung beetle diving into a latrine—asking for shit!

The Grand Dao Sect and Supreme Sword Sect ran faster than fleeing bandits.

Because they weren’t trapped inside the formation.

The world was vast—they could run wherever they wanted.

But the Tribulation Crossing cultivators encircling Lu Ye were screwed.

Where the hell was this tribulation energy coming from?!

Then they realized.

Every single Tribulation Crossing expert’s killing gaze locked on Lu Ye.

Soaked in blood, Lu Ye grinned at them.

The moment he saw all those Tribulation Crossing cultivators surrounding him, he’d already thought of a countermeasure. Sometimes killing someone didn’t mean you had to be stronger—you just had to use the right conditions.

And right now?

Things were about to get lively.

“Quick! Break the formation! Let me out!”

A Tribulation cultivator who hadn’t yet been tainted by tribulation energy turned pale, desperately trying to flee.

But the formation was still active.

If Lu Ye couldn’t leave it, did they really think they could get out that easily?

“Break it! Break the damn formation now!”

“Shit, who the hell set this thing up? Open it already!”

“We’re screwed. I’ve been locked onto by the heavenly tribulation too.”

“It’s over! With this many Tribulation Crossing cultivators undergoing tribulation together—how strong will the heavenly lightning be? We’re all going to die!”

Lu Xuntian from Heaven’s Pavilion had never attacked Lu Ye. He’d just been curious about the man.

And now...

He wasn’t even at the Tribulation stage yet—only peak Unity Dao.

But to his horror, he had been locked onto too!

The tribulation aura was too dense.

It had targeted everyone. Regardless of whether they were Tribulation Crossing or not. Including Lu Ye himself.

And Lu Ye...

Lu Ye was delighted.

Let the tribulation begin.

Let’s all go through it together.

Forty or fifty Tribulation Crossing cultivators entering tribulation at the same time—what kind of spectacle would that be?!

Lu Ye looked up toward the heavens.

The tribulation clouds were so thick they completely blotted out the light.

The world was plunged into darkness.

BOOM!

A bolt of thunder ripped through the clouds like a divine blade.

All the Tribulation cultivators stared up in despair at the silver-white lightning dancing across the tribulation clouds.

Silver-white...

Normally, heavenly tribulation bolts were only plain white.

But silver-white?

That meant the power level had jumped by at least a whole tier.

The Grand Dao Sect’s experts fled wildly, especially those at the Tribulation level—some ran a thousand miles in a single breath, and still, goosebumps covered their bodies from head to toe.

They were shaken—truly shaken.

What the hell had just happened?

Liu Changfeng turned to Bai Qiulan. She had been the first to shout for retreat. She had to know.

Bai Qiulan calmed herself slightly.

“The technique Lu Ye used is called the Heaven-Earth One Tribulation Technique. It’s an extremely powerful method. Right now, his strength isn’t enough to use it for direct killing. But he doesn’t need to. With so many Tribulation Crossing cultivators present, all he has to do is stir up a single strand of tribulation intent... and it’ll trigger the tribulation aura in all of them.”

“And once that happens—the heavenly tribulation will lock onto them.”

Liu Changfeng sucked in a sharp breath.

Lu Ye. Lu Ye!

This bastard’s moves were insane!

He dragged forty or fifty Tribulation cultivators into a heavenly tribulation—all in one go?! Ruthless didn’t even begin to cover it!

“But doesn’t that mean he’s inside the tribulation too? He’ll be struck by it as well!”

Bai Qiulan closed her eyes.

“Killing them isn’t even his main goal.”

“What he truly wants... is this descending tribulation itself.”