NOVPUB
Chapter 126: The Heavenly Tribulation for the Divine Grade Artifact
BOOM!
The loud crash of thunder marked the beginning of the Heavenly Tribulation. A giant white lightning bolt struck with such immense power that it sent chills down the spines of any bystanders. Aldrian, too, was stunned—this strike could fatally wound even a low-level Emperor stage cultivator! He hadn’t expected it to be this powerful.
"It’s no wonder people fear the Heavenly Tribulation," Aldrian thought. "But to think that creating a Divine-grade artifact would require withstanding lightning as powerful as an Emperor stage cultivator’s strike... It seems the universe balances itself this way. The strength of the lightning is likely because the creator is at the King stage. The heavens take the creator’s cultivation into account and send a tribulation a few minor realms stronger than the creator."
Despite the terrifying power of the lightning and the oppressive aura of the tribulation, Aldrian felt a strange connection to it. He didn’t sense the danger others would feel. In fact, he could almost ’communicate’ with it. It was a strange feeling, like...
"It’s like I’m connected to something from my past," he mused, as the second strike came down, stronger than the first. This time, it was powerful enough to cripple a Low Emperor stage cultivator.
"Eternal Spirit will have to withstand seven strikes of the Heavenly Tribulation," Duke Valiard said, standing beside Aldrian. "Each strike will grow stronger than the last. If Eternal Spirit can survive this, it will truly become a divine grade sword and gain sentience."
"I just hope Eternal Spirit can pass this trial," Valiard added grimly. "If not, there will be nothing left of it."
To create a divine-grade artifact requires passing through many steps and phases. Even when a blacksmith completes their creation, it doesn’t guarantee success. Once the Heavenly Tribulation begins, there’s no turning back—either the artifact ascends to the divine grade, or it’s reduced to ashes.
This arduous process is fitting, given the power of a divine artifact, making the struggle worthwhile. It’s no wonder that the legacy artifacts of major families or sects are often divine grade, serving as symbols of fortune and prestige for their factions.
The sound of the third strike reverberated through the entire city, terrifying the inhabitants. By now, many had already fled to the outskirts. They didn’t know what kind of tribulation this was, nor did they care—the oppressive aura of the Heavenly Tribulation wasn’t something they could endure calmly.
"Is someone breaking through to the Emperor stage?"
"Damn it! Why wasn’t there any announcement?!"
"Fuck! That scared the shit out of me! Whoever triggered this tribulation is a real asshole for doing it inside the city."
The voices of those who had escaped echoed, their faces still filled with horror as they stared at the tribulation cloud. Heavenly Tribulations were rare occurrences, far too significant to go unnoticed. People usually knew when a tribulation was about to be triggered, unless the cultivator chose a secluded area far from any population. Even then, the signs of the tribulation would still draw attention.
The size of the tribulation varied, depending on how the Heavens judged the worth of the one taking it. The tribulation for Eternal Spirit was enormous, with dark clouds stretching across the entire city, covering an area of over 83,000 square kilometers, even extending beyond the city limits.
The fourth strike landed with a deafening crash, the sound of thunder rumbling in everyone’s ears. The lightning grew brighter with each strike, while the aura and pressure continued to intensify.
By this time, Eleine, Sylphia, and Baek Ji-Min had already stepped out of their rooms, gazing up at the sky. They struggled to withstand the overwhelming pressure of the tribulation, their hearts trembling with fear. Although they had each witnessed a Heavenly Tribulation at least once in their lives, its sheer power and terrifying aura were impossible to ignore.
"I’ve seen a Heavenly Tribulation when one of the Rivas family elders broke through to the Emperor stage, but this one is far greater in size," Eleine thought as she observed the clouds gathering for the fifth strike. She fought to maintain her stance, knowing that the duke’s mansion, being closest to the epicenter, bore the brunt of the pressure.
All cultivators below the Viscount stage inside the mansion had already passed out. Fortunately, there were no mortals without cultivation present, otherwise, they would have dead, unable to withstand the immense pressure of the tribulation.
Aldrian and Duke Valiard stood intently watching the sword as the fifth strike descended, creating a loud boom and cracking the floor beneath it. The sword still held strong, like a champion without any sign of damage. However, Duke Valiard remained tense, anxiously hoping for success. Aldrian, on the other hand, appeared calm, showing no sign of worry.
"This sword is forged from Divine Iron, the same material used to create God’s artifacts. A tribulation like this isn’t enough to destroy it," Aldrian thought. "It would need a much stronger Heavenly Tribulation, one capable of threatening cultivators above the Emperor stage, I suppose."
As for how strong exactly? He wasn’t sure. But his visions and experiences had given him glimpses of powers far beyond the Emperor stage—beings who could affect reality itself, even if they were just figments inside his mindscape.
In his mind, Aldrian already considered Eternal Spirit to be a Divine-grade artifact. However, something else occupied his thoughts. As the sixth strike prepared to unleash its power, he focused his senses on the sword. Since the Heavenly Tribulation was triggered within his domain, he could feel the heavenly lightning with greater clarity.
"I can’t shake this feeling," he thought. "Every time the lightning strikes, I sense a connection to my past, but it’s too vague. Could it be that I’ve faced many Heavenly Tribulations like this before, enough to form a kind of special karmic link with the heavens?"
The idea seemed absurd—having a special connection to the Heavens—but it lingered in his mind. He almost wanted to facepalm at the sheer confusion of it all. His past identities felt overwhelmingly complicated, as if he couldn’t fully comprehend who he was. His golden energy, his domain abilities, the Spirits—especially the king of the forest spirits, Dahan—the Heavenly Demon and his wife, and now the Heavenly Tribulation itself, all felt like parts of an interconnected web, tied directly to him. 𝚗𝚘v𝚙𝚞b.𝚌𝚘m
Aldrian touched his head with one hand, as if trying to recall something elusive, but it vanished in an instant. Refocusing on the Heavenly Tribulation, he saw the black clouds gathering for the final strike. He could sense its deadly power—strong enough to fatally wound a middle Emperor stage cultivator!
BOOM!
A blinding light accompanied the strike, hitting the sword with its full might. The ground trembled, and the deafening sound was like the end of the world, spreading terror throughout the entire city. Duke Valiard, shielding his eyes from the brilliant flash, lowered his hand to look at the sword—and what he saw brought tears to his eyes.
"We did it!" he exclaimed. The sword remained intact, and its aura had grown even stronger. The surrounding energy was being drawn into the sword, further enhancing its power. The black clouds above fell silent for a moment before slowly beginning to dissipate. Aldrian observed the changes in Eternal Spirit before turning his gaze to the sky, watching as the dark clouds dispersed.
The sunlight began piercing through the gaps left by the dissipating dark clouds, and the heavy aura and pressure of the Heavenly Tribulation started to fade. Everyone around finally let out a collective sigh of relief.
Aldrian, still watching the remnants of the tribulation vanish, felt a strange emptiness, as if something important had just slipped away. When the last of the dark clouds disappeared and the sky returned to its normal state, it was as if nothing had ever happened. Aldrian sighed, perplexed by this odd sense of loss, before turning his attention back to Eternal Spirit.
The sword continued absorbing the immense energy around it, creating a visible vortex in the air. Its aura kept growing stronger, and Aldrian could sense that it had successfully ascended to a Low Divine-grade sword. However, it didn’t stop there—the sword kept drawing in energy, like an insatiable abyss, its power intensifying with no signs of stopping.
Duke Valiard stood nearby, stunned by the unexpected development. He knew they had succeeded in creating a Divine-grade artifact, and that Eternal Spirit had reached Low Divine grade. But the fact that it continued to absorb energy, growing stronger with every passing moment? That was beyond anything he had anticipated.
"The level isn’t stopping... Could it actually reach Middle Divine-grade?" Duke Valiard thought in disbelief.
It was natural for him to be shocked. He had designed the sword’s blueprint based on his knowledge and experience, which was geared toward crafting a Low Divine-grade artifact. If Eternal Spirit could somehow ascend to Middle Divine-grade, the possibilities were beyond his comprehension.
Duke Valiard’s gaze shifted to Aldrian, who stood there, his expression calm and unchanged, as if this unexpected outcome was nothing out of the ordinary.
"What the hell did he do?" Duke Valiard thought.
