Chapter 989: The Great Dao Heavenly Tribulation

Inside the underground hall, as the Crab Taoist's figure vanished, the dazzling golden light that had filled the entire hall also disappeared without a trace.

Han Li felt the flow of immortal spiritual power in his dantian become sluggish again, but it did not completely solidify, because the previously omnipresent sense of oppression was gone.

After steadying himself, he located the Crab Taoist through divine sense, barely managed to activate his immortal spiritual power to perform a teleportation technique, and the next moment appeared on the ground, once again bathed in golden light, his immortal spiritual power restored to agility.

The Crab Taoist, meanwhile, stood with his hands hanging at his sides, looking up at the sky, his eyes revealing a hint of excitement and also a hint of anticipation.

Han Li found this strange and also looked toward the sky.

At that moment, the originally bright sky suddenly turned gloomy, and the dense yellow clouds visibly changed to a gray-black color, exuding an immensely heavy pressure.

This pressure was as high as the heavens, as heavy as the thick earth, vast and irresistible.

Han Li's body, suspended in midair, grew heavy, as if pressed down by a towering mountain peak, and with a thud, he fell directly from midair to the ground.

"This is the aura of a great heavenly tribulation!"

Han Li's heart stirred violently, and his expression changed.

The aura of this impending great tribulation was countless times more powerful than any lightning tribulation he had experienced before; even the faint signs that had just emerged were enough to make him utterly unable to withstand it.

Black One and Black Two, who had been standing on the ground all along, suffered much less impact than Han Li, but even so, their legs trembled incessantly and their faces turned pale.

"You two, stay far away. This is not something you can endure." The Crab Taoist's grand voice descended from midair.

Hearing this, Black One and Black Two did not dare to be negligent and hastily flew far away.

As for Han Li, without waiting for the Crab Taoist to speak, golden lightning flashed on his body surface, and he vanished, reappearing in midair hundreds of miles away, turning back to look in the direction of the Crab Taoist.

The golden light from the Crab Taoist could no longer reach him here, but after only a quick glance back, he turned without another word and continued to fly at full speed, covering another several hundred miles in an instant.

But even over a thousand miles away, the sky was still pitch black, rapidly expanding in all directions amid rolling wind and clouds; clearly, he had not yet escaped the range of the great tribulation.

The sky overhead looked even more gloomy, almost completely black, casting the ground below into darkness, silent and filled with a killing intent.

Terrified, Han Li hastened to increase his speed to flee the center.

But at that moment, a faint sizzling sound suddenly came from the sky. The dark clouds churned violently, spinning rapidly in a certain direction and converging toward the center, forming a massive vortex that covered an unknown expanse.

Black lightning bolts appeared throughout the vortex, darting and roaming like brilliant fireworks, illuminating the ground below.

Soon, a pitch-black hole appeared at the center of the vortex, emitting a deep light, as if connecting to some unknown place.

Rumble!

A terrifying pressure, countless times greater than before, emanated from the vortex, causing the nearby void to tremble violently and warp completely.

Han Li had no way to avoid it; the immense pressure bore down directly on him.

Buzz!

His mind spun dizzily. Even though he had already opened nearly nine hundred acupoints, he was still an ant before this colossal force. His vision went black, and he fell unconscious.

But before losing consciousness, from the corner of his eye, Han Li saw a patch of gray cloud fly out from the center of the massive vortex and descend toward the Crab Taoist.

The gray cloud seemed ordinary, yet it exuded a terrifying aura of annihilation. It was the rush of this destructive aura that caused him to fall into a coma.

...

In the Demon Domain, inside a pitch-black hall in Yeyang City.

The Demon Lord's body was enveloped in a soft silver light, forming a huge silver sphere that rotated slowly.

The surrounding void rippled visibly with the rotation of the sphere.

"Eh!"

He suddenly opened his eyes, and the silver light on his body vanished instantly as he gazed into the void outside.

"This comes from the Jilin Void Realm, could it be..." The Demon Lord's face showed a hint of coldness as he slowly stood up.

...

The Luoheng Duke's Mansion.

Third Prince Shi Pokong stood outside a hall, looking into the distant sky, his expression shifting between uncertainty.

...

In a certain dark void, a soft exclamation suddenly sounded. In the darkness, a black figure could be faintly seen.

"So it's been achieved so soon? This will be lively." The black figure chuckled softly, and with a flicker of his form, he vanished into thin air.

……

Han Li was trapped in a terrifying nightmare, his body as if submerged at the bottom of a ten-thousand-zhang cold pool, utterly unable to move. Threads of faint, icy power, like tiny fish, invaded every part of his body, darting about, causing him excruciating pain.

After an unknown length of time, the icy power gradually faded, and then a vast, warm current poured into his body, bringing immense comfort.

Han Li woke faintly, finding himself lying on his back on the ground.

The sky above his head had now turned purple, and the air carried a soft, warm breath.

He suddenly remembered something and looked toward the direction of the Thousand Mechanisms Hall.

There stood the Crab Immortal, still in midair, his entire body charred black, covered with huge scars, looking like a piece of broken wood that had been roasted by fire and struck by lightning.

But above him, at the center of the vortex, a cluster of purple auspicious clouds gradually emerged, slowly descending to envelop the Crab Immortal's body, rapidly seeping into it.

The Crab Immortal's tattered body absorbed the purple auspicious clouds, instantly recovering at a visible speed, and in the blink of an eye, it was completely healed.

All the purple light in the sky rapidly condensed into a single purple rainbow.

The Crab Immortal also suddenly surged with a thick crystalline light, merging with the purple rainbow.

With a rumble, the purple rainbow suddenly expanded several times, transforming into a purple swimming dragon that spiraled and danced around the Crab Immortal's body.

Within the purple auspicious light, countless crystalline threads could be faintly seen, too numerous to count, and as the light flickered, they emitted an immensely powerful law fluctuation.

Enveloped by this law fluctuation, Han Li's body uncontrollably began to move, as if he were a marionette.

The nearby void and ground similarly trembled on their own.

Fortunately, after the purple swimming dragon spiraled and danced for a moment, it soon vanished into his mind, and the immense law fluctuation disappeared without a trace.

The Crab Immortal's entire body was shrouded in purple auspicious light, his eyes tightly shut, as if sensing the changes within his body.

After a moment, a flash of light passed over him, and all the purple light vanished completely, revealing his figure.

Now the Crab Immortal wore a light purple robe and straw sandals, appearing unchanged, but with every move, a power that could shake the universe surrounded him.

Yet the next moment, with a slight twitch of his brow, the power around him immediately faded and disappeared.

With a flash, all the strange phenomena in the sky vanished completely, the nearby heavens returning to their previous state, and the terrifying pressure that had emanated from the sky also dissipated.

Han Li felt his body lighten and slowly stood up, though he still had a top-heavy sensation.

Black One and Black Two were lying on the ground over a hundred li away. The injuries they had sustained seemed far greater than Han Li's, and they were still unconscious. Fortunately, they had fled in time, so their lives were likely not in danger.

The Crab Immortal turned his head to look in Han Li's direction. With a single step, he vanished and reappeared beside Han Li.

"Fellow Daoist Crab, you..." Han Li looked at the Crab Immortal with astonishment.

"I did not anticipate that the Dao Heavenly Tribulation would cover such a vast area and arrive so quickly. Thus, I failed to have you leave earlier, causing you to be caught in the tribulation," said the Crab Immortal.

As he spoke, he raised his hand and waved it.

Han Li felt a warm current surge into his mind, instantly refreshing his spirit, and the top-heavy sensation disappeared at once.

In the distance, Black One and Black Two's bodies also stirred. Though still unconscious, their injuries were gradually healing.

"The Dao Heavenly Tribulation... Have you already attained the Dao Ancestor realm?" Han Li, ignoring his physical condition, stared wide-eyed at the Crab Immortal.

"After countless years of arduous cultivation, through many twists and turns, highs and lows, and the separation and reunion of body and mind, I have finally been fortunate enough to attain the Great Dao today," said the Crab Immortal with a smile.

"I see. Then I must truly congratulate you." Though Han Li had already guessed as much, he still took a light breath upon hearing these words and offered his congratulations.

"My achievements today are thanks to Fellow Daoist Han's help. I thank you here." The Crab Daoist made a slight bow.

"I dare not. Since you have attained the position of Dao Ancestor, I am unworthy of the title 'fellow daoist.' Please just call me Han Li." Han Li said hurriedly.

"Fellow Daoist Han, we have known each other for years, and I know you are a free-spirited person. Why cling to these formalities and titles? Just call me Fellow Daoist Crab—I still prefer that address." The Crab Daoist waved his hand.

"In that case, I will shamelessly call you fellow daoist. By the way, Fellow Daoist Crab, you just said your surname is Shi?" Han Li laughed and then asked.

"Indeed. My real name is Shi Kongjie. I didn't mean to hide it from you; I simply hadn't recalled it before. After entering the Jilin Void Realm, many things happened, so I didn't have a chance to tell you." The Crab Daoist nodded and said.

"Shi Kongjie... Could it be that Fellow Daoist Shi has some connection to the Yeyang Dynasty?" Han Li hesitated but still asked.

The Crab Daoist looked up at the sky and did not answer Han Li's question for a moment.

"If Fellow Daoist Crab has something difficult to say, just pretend I didn't ask." Han Li glanced at the Crab Daoist's expression and said.

Now that the Crab Daoist was at the level of a Dao Ancestor, Han Li could not help but feel a sense of awe and spoke with extreme caution.

"Fellow Daoist Han, you worry too much. There's nothing difficult to say. I'm just a bit emotional about returning to the Holy Domain. You have escorted me all the way here; by all rights, I should tell you these things. Moreover, I have a favor to ask of you, so you must know these matters." The Crab Daoist gave a faint smile and said meaningfully.

"A favor to ask of me? I wonder what it is. Please, speak freely." Han Li's heart tightened as he said this.