Quest Maker: 380

Title: Tribulation Galore (2)

""I refuse!""

Their voice casts a deafening silence beyond the curtains of tribulation as various deities take stock of the two rebels. Instead of simple anger clouding their minds, many reveal fond memories.

Admittedly, some gods are born in their positions.

Meaning: There some gods are products of two other gods. Such entities born in the divine realm truly do not understand the struggles of mortals. In general definition, these are the gods that can be known to have goals beyond a mortal's understanding.

But most of the gods collected here rose from mortal struggles.

And that is why the sight of other proud warriors only makes them sigh. They don't hate Ja Sun or Xunji. But their actions have placed them in opposing views to their own. That, in itself, is the only reason they need to engage in conflict and make sure the duo does not survive.

The Supreme Goddess of Life and Creation quietly looks at the two and sighs.

"Very Well."

Her voice is soft. It gives others the impression that her throat is laced with honey and other essential nectar but as the voice travels through the curtains of tribulation, the voice morphs.

The gentle and kind tone drops away. Sanded off by the tribulation.

Only a loud, thunderous blast of sound remains that is accompanied by innumerable motes of golden-green light spiraling out of the dark abyss in the sky that lights up the dark region like a starry night. While the prostrating men and women all let out a collective breath of relief as the pressure is relieved from them, Ja Sun and Xunji narrow their eyes.

The pressure on them has intensified.

A pair of blood-red wings tear out from the small of his back while Ja Sun's third eye glimmers.

'Let's learn... whatever they throw at us.'

Chances are that his [Eye of Causality] will not be able to comprehend most of the attacks.

Experienced Gods should have a greater understanding of their laws unlike Ja Sun who is still a Quasi-Grandmaster in most of the laws.

'This is... the Law of Life.'

Ja Sun and Qian Xunji find themselves get surrounded by the first tribulation in the form of the gentle glow of the gold-green orbs of light. They can feel vitality held in each of these orbs. A wave of vitality so strong that it can easily heal all mortal injuries including the regrowth of limbs and organs.

And that's what most of these orbs of light do.

A small portion of these orbs descend into the sea and heal the various organisms affected by the arrival of the tribulation.

'Healing others?' Qian Xunji glimpses in surprise, 'No ordinary God can coax the heaven to use tribulation as an act of healing. So, this is the authority of a Supreme God of the realm.'

This act of kindness does not make Ja Sun and Xunji feel any better.

This is still a tribulation.

A tribulation whose nature still eludes the two of them.

The orbs of light continue to fly around like little children chasing each other.

They would collide and then jump off of each other acting like similarly charged magnets. The two defaulters of Heaven observed everything quietly, trying to make heads or tails of this act.

*Crackle*

A dark-purple arc of electricity suddenly jolts out from contact with two orbs of light.

*Whoosh*

*Swish*

That's all the hint Ja Sun and Xunji needed to attack but the moment the spears of blood and arrows of purplish goo pierces the orbs of light, they, too, are stained gold-green before losing their forms and corroding to similar orbs of gold-green light.

Xunji and Sun realize the tribulation's essence somehow. It's as if heaven itself would not attack them without letting them know what shall be the cause of their demise.

"Corroding Life," Xunji scowls.

"And Life's Circle of Death," Ja Sun grins.

Top Ten Tribulation: Life's Corrosive Circle of Death!

*Crackle*

The charge of death continues to build from the collision of the orbs of light. Every kind of attack, be it mental, elemental, or physical from the duo's side would turn into orbs of gold-green light that would be used against them!

'Although I cannot understand how the law of life is imitating positive and negative charges to produce lightning infused with the law of death... or for that matter, how it even consumes and corrode the attacks to empower itself, the basic setup is extremely simple and clear,' Ja Sun dodges the odd orbs of gold-green lest they try and corrode him.

'The orbs themselves are not something we can handle. They have corrosive properties in a manner of speaking. But from the looks of it, the death lightning will continue to generate until we both are cornered with no way out. So the only option in this tribulation is to remain passive and endure because we cannot handle the expression of comprehension of a Supreme Grandmaster in the Law of Life,' Xunji dodges the orbs of light while constantly using drops of blood to further test their nature, something Ja Sun continued to observe with his [Eye of Causality].

This tribulation has left them passive but it does not faze their intent one bit.

A long-drawn battle is usually a way to break the opponent mentally first.

It is to sap the opponent's willpower which will make them sloppy and lead them to their deaths.

But such methods wouldn't easily affect Ja Sun or Xunji, causing both of them to look at each other and convey their thoughts.

'Either this tribulation will pick its pace with the generation of death lightning,' Xunji narrows his eyes.

'Or we're in for the long haul. Days will feel short and months should be our lenient expectations,' Ja Sun grins behind his cover of sleek external skin bone.

*Zap*

*Crackle*

The arcs of dark-purple lightning grow in intensity and frequency but soon, what has the two running around is the swiftly pacing orbs of life!

They easily bloat the sky with their numbers and move as fast as a rank 99 Titled Douluo proficient in speed which means that others can only see long trails of light bouncing off each other that generates booming lightning around which two individuals maneuver.

Ja Sun is already using his ability to teleport here and there but even he cannot leave the locked space around him and Xunji.

Meanwhile, Xunji's godly physique is well met for the task of dodging these orbs of light as he has already stopped trying to understand these orbs of light. It would waste his efforts in futile.

While observers, civilians at least, are enamored by the sight of trails of light creating a beautiful scenery amidst the dark whirlpool of energy covering the sky so thickly that even rays of sunlight cannot pierce through, they soon find themselves losing interest.

It's been days.

Even the arcs of zapping lightning, while alarming at first, now is a passing attraction as everyone lives their days in their usual routine.

---

"Just what is going on? How... can they survive for so long?" Di Tian has a terrible expression.

Because like many other observant parties... he knows he would have died three days into this tribulation.

"The Lightning of Death cuts off space itself and distorts its surroundings. For Ja Sun to still persist through this means that his spatial ingenuity is close to a Grandmaster. It is closing in as we speak," The Lady of the Lake voices out, "Meanwhile the Corroding Orbs of Life act as a mental deterrent. They are keeping mental pressure on the duo's sources of energy. Essentially, they are trapped in a world where the chances of survival are 0.1%— Heaven's act of 'fairness' if you will."

'A Grandmaster...' Di Tian works his jaws. He himself is a Grandmaster in the Law of Darkness. He is well aware of how much of an improvement such comprehension presents to the user.

---

"Does he think his life is a joke!" Bing Bing scowls and looks at the 'sky' that reveals everything going on around Ja Sun.

He did so to let others keep a tab on him since he won't be home anytime soon.

Like Bing Bing, many others could 'feel' how terrible this arena of death is despite its scenic and elegant mannerisms.

"So... if he dies... I die. Great." Lan Ruo comments dryly.

"What did you say?" Zi Ji snarls, "Show some worry!"

"I have only known him for a few days but believe me, I AM worried," Lan Ruo replies with a calm expression. What else can she even do? "After all, my survival is linked to his... and I hope he reaches a new height."

"You slut!" Ja Yin scoffs.

"Most beasts usually are."— Came the infuriatingly reasonable and calm reply.

"They sure are getting rowdy," Erlong scoffs at them from a distance and continues to hug a worried Yuehua. Xie Xan, Oscar, and others are no better. They have many reasons to worry including their pregnant wives but they all are well aware that their highest chance of survival is with Ja Sun.

"Looks like he won't make it in time..." Ah Yin's eyebrows sink sadly as she touches her pregnant stomach. Bibi sits beside Ah Yin but has no words to comfort the woman aside from holding her hands.

"Hmm... at least, I can name our child as I see fit with him not being here," the blue-haired wife tries to find a positive outlook but that fails to cheer her up in any manner.

They could feel it without Ja Sun conveying things with words— He is going to be busy for a while if he wants to subjugate the island based on his desires.

"Close your eyes and focus," Bi Ji speaks soothingly. A part of her is focusing on the tribulation to learn something from it but a large part of her mind is focused on the girl sitting cross-legged in front of her, thankfully, with her panties on.

Xiao Wu crunches her brows and meditates. She's already absorbed a treasured immortal herb for herself from Ah Yin and is making constant breakthroughs at a reasonable pace but her control would visibly fluctuate.

More than Ja Sun... it's his residents that feel worried about the situation!

'Master... will survive,' Violet throws herself to an even more intense training against Snow Empress, 'So, all I have to do is not let my anxiousness get the better of me!'

---

*Crackle*

Ja Sun chuckles loudly. The more pressure he feels, the louder his giggles grow as he snaps out of existence and appears elsewhere.

Not his intended location, mind you!

The lightning of death is distorting the space continuously and he appears right in front of Xunji who pauses for a moment before attacking with extreme prejudice!

Just because they are stuck in the same dilemma does not mean they won't try to get rid of each other!

'That's what I'm talking about!'

Seven of Ja Sun's cruel purple-red eyes widen in excitement as he blinks across the bullets of blood before creating a portal around the said bullets— A tactic Ja Sun used in his earlier battle with Xunji.

*Hmph*

Xunji's eyes glow blood red and all the drops of blood tear into the existence of the portal itself this time with raging immortal qi as thousands of gold-green orbs leave a trail of light and rain down on the two with hundreds of arcs of dark-purple lightning zapping through them and appearing next to the duo.

""Die!""

Their eyes glint as a dome of blood suddenly covers Xunji and explodes.

Unlike the orbs of light, lightning is not corrosive so it can be dealt with attacks if one can block the lightning's ability to distort space not to mention a touch with anything that would turn the said thing and the lightning into nothingness— destroyed from existence itself!

Ja Sun himself discharges energy with his most go-to technique— Gentle Tactics.

A massive shock throttle away the splash of blood alongside his fists suddenly molding into the shape of his gauntlets— Nine Absolutes: Burst!

As the massive distortion of air deters the attack from all around him, only the orbs of light persist as they even absorb external momentum and convert them into more life orbs!

Ja Sun vanishes in an instant while Xunji scoffs and creates thousands of bloody structures to pave a path for himself. After all, without his domain in this world, he cannot control space as he did before. At most, his speed is merely divine.

'But...'

Xunji and Ja Sun's gaze twinkle with unsaid excitement.

Both, the god and the godly sense something.

'There is an improvement!'

'I'm learning more and more about space!'

The lightning's ability to distort space is a minor trait unlike its ability to destroy anything it touches except the orbs of life.

Hence, Ja Sun can actually understand that application of space and...

IMPROVE!

A blood-red haze begins to grow around Xunji as life and death, creation and destruction, give a new meaning to his understanding of corrosion and poison-related to his blood.

For a brief moment, an odd dark-purple lightning flickers a shade of red before breaking into energy and destroying itself.

Meanwhile, space around Ja Sun vibrates. He feels like he is stranded in something... loose.

The once tightly woven fabric of space that he always needed to part gently to teleport around in now feels looser. Like they have parted wider than before.

It is no longer tightly knit... to him.

'And that is why it continues to fuck around with my end positions,' Ja Sun heaves excitedly, 'I choose a tiny spot in the gaps of these threads but the lightning would widen it and thus throw off the entire gap that I create!'

He is getting closer.

He can feel it at the back of his head. He just needs one last push. One last snap.

It's almost there...

Enlightenment... is almost here.

Ja Sun watches Xunji for a moment but unlike the callous god, he never did stop with slight improvements. He has always been extreme, that's why he worked so well with his trait.

And if he steps back now...

He would fail himself.

So, training his eyes, Ja Sun waits. In a fraction of a second, his mind emboldens and stretches as hundreds of bolts of lightning distort and widen the threads of space.

It is a mess. The usual strategy of a wide area of effect attack would work but...

No.

Ja Sun's own body releases and melts into these distortions in the next fraction of a second. His mind thinks of hundreds of possibilities.

The purple external bone is already turning dry and cracking as the bolts of lightning are merely less than a millimeter away.

Death has never felt this close... not since Ah Yin touched his heart.

*Blink*

His body disappears and so do the arcs of lightning as they suddenly weave into the threads of space around Xunji.

'What?'

The god and other divine beings are alarmed by the revelation as Ja Sun reappears while 'riding' a bolt of lightning.

To be precise, he is stepping on the distorted space itself.

"Well, don't look so surprised now," Ja Sun looks into the abyss, his seventh eye glimmers, "You call me the Beast Sage and I hate letting my opponents down."

*Boom*

Xunji sacrifices a pair of his wings and half his body before appearing elsewhere as his body regenerates in a blink of an eye.

Ja Sun just broke the status quo.

After 19 days... there is a change finally.

And he intends to make the best use of it!

***

Alternate Title: Supreme Authority of Life; Life's Corrosive Circle of Death!; A Tribulation of Attrition; Worried Tenants; Improve!; Go Beyond, Plus Ja Sun!; The Beast Sage's Expectations!