NOVEL NEXT Chapter 149: The Tyranny of Heaven
Their lovemaking session was not limited to pleasure alone; their cultivation soared as they utilized the profound secrets of the Dragon Phoenix Union Art.
The results for Lilith were astonishing. She achieved a breakthrough of two stages in the Soul Transformation realm, a progression that would typically require two or three months of focused solitary cultivation.
Not only that, but the mysterious Divine Bonding System flooded her with a massive influx of True Essences, enabling her to progress by another two small stages, halting only when she reached Soul Transformation Stage 8.
Early at dawn, she woke and noticed the profound changes in her cultivation base. She was greatly shocked. Just like the last time, she had received immense benefits by dual cultivating with Vahn.
She was now certain that mere Dual Cultivation could not explain such rapid progress. There had to be something deeper involved—a hidden mechanism that gave them these immense, accelerated benefits. She also recalled Seraphina mentioning receiving similar benefits. And there was only one connection between them: they were intimately bonded with their husband, Vahn.
Buzz!
However, just then, she noticed a sudden, intense spiritual undulation emanating from Vahn, who was seated in a meditative position beside her until now. The shift was turbulent and unstable.
"Husband, what's wrong?" Lilith asked, her brows furrowed with worry, immediately forgetting her own gains.
Vahn's eyelids trembled before he snapped them open. The silver-black energy swirling within his pupils was volatile.
He gazed at Lilith's eyes, his expression solemn. "Lilith, my breakthrough to the Soul Transformation realm is very close. But I sense an oppressive, terrifying Heavenly Tribulation looming over me."
Lilith's brows tightened with worry. "Will you be fine? Can my Illusion Arts save you from this tribulation, perhaps by masking your presence?"
Vahn shook his head, his face resolute. "No, I don't think so. The last pocket realm couldn't save me from the breakthrough tribulation, much less your illusions. This is different; this tribulation feels targeted and malicious. I have no choice but to face it alone."
Lilith rose, pulling on a silk robe, her fear palpable. She knew Vahn's history; his breakthroughs were never simple. As the wielder of the Void Dragon Ultimate bloodline and the possessor of the Void Core, Heaven itself viewed him as an anomaly to be eliminated
"Vahn, the power you hold... Heaven's Dao will seek to crush it with unparalleled force," Lilith reasoned, walking to his side. "We must find a way to resolve it. Where will you face this? The Dynasty cannot survive the collateral damage of a Heaven-level trial."
Vahn placed both hands over hers shoulder, his eyes focused on the invisible celestial forces above the palace.
"I know. It will be a calamity. I need to leave the Our territory, and I need to do it quickly. I will use the Temporal Void Gate to travel to an isolated, barren place far from any civilization."
"But who will protect you when you are weakest?" Lilith insisted, her hand gripping his tightly. "You are still recovering from the confrontation with the White Lotus Elders', and your breakthrough will make you vulnerable."
Vahn looked at her, with a mix of affection and determination.
"You and Seraphina must remain here. This is not just a test of my power, but a test of the Necrotic Dynasty's stability. If I leave, and the Dynasty seems vulnerable, and other lurking enemies will attack us. So you two must hold the line in my absence, my Queens. I trust your strength and Seraphina's wisdom more than anything."
Lilith agreed without choice, her final, tearful farewell a promise to guard the Necrotic Dynasty with her life. Vahn, knowing he could not leave his people without a plan, had swiftly convened an emergency meeting with Lilith, Seraphina, and Ezekiel. He delegated temporary command to Lilith and Ezekiel, outlining protocols for maximum reinforced seclusion and defense against any possible attack.
He also promised his swift return to Eternal.
With the necessary groundwork laid, Vahn opened the Temporal Void Gate and stepped through.
He arrived at a random, barren, frozen island, far from the Southern Continent and the Necrotic Dynasty. All around him was a vast, frozen sea, and endless, biting snow.
Sitting there, Vahn began his breakthrough.
The energy Vahn released, for transforming his Nascent Soul to a higher form was so immense and anomalous that it bypassed the usual trials and summoned a direct heavenly response.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
The Nine Heavenly Tribulations quickly formed above him, swirling into a massive, world-crushing vortex of black clouds and blinding white energy. The sheer oppressive presence caused the entire isolated island to tremble violently, cracking the ancient ice sheet.
Then, from the absolute zenith of the heavens, a singular, colossal entity arrived. It was the Eye of Heavenly Dao—a swirling vortex of light and fury, vast enough to swallow the horizon. It turned dark and unforgiving after noticing Vahn's abnormal, corrupted presence—a creature of Void and Death that defied its natural laws of Light and Life.
Vahn took out his Nuclear Dragon Sword, the black blade humming with suppressed power, and leveled it at the cosmic Eye. He challenged it with a fearless smile.
"I am Vahn Necrotis," he declared, his voice ringing across the frozen waste. "I am a King, a Husband, a Father. I didn't wish to die today, and I certainly will not be erased by a cosmic bully."
The Heavenly Dao did not respond with simple lightning. It responded with Cosmic Law.
The massive Eye narrowed, and the first attack descended:
Calamity of Absolute Law
It was not pure energy, but a devastating wave of Spiritual Annihilation that targeted Vahn's soul directly, intending to dissolve his consciousness before his body could be destroyed. The accompanying physical attack was the Law of Extreme Gravity, instantly crushing the air around Vahn with the weight of a dying star.
Vahn's internal organs screamed under the sudden, impossible gravitational force, but his focus was on the Soul Attack. He knew a standard defense was useless.