Archean Eon Art

Translator: CKtalon

On Thousand Mountain Star, the visiting Eminences left one after another. Only Fiend Eye remained.

Meng Chuan and Fiend Eye sat opposite each other.

Chi!

Fiend Eye closed his eyes as wisps of blood-colored fog flew out from his massive head. He couldn’t help but tremble slightly.

“There are indeed endless possibilities outside the universe, but it’s not suitable for Seventh Tribulation Eminences to venture out,” said Meng Chuan as he healed Fiend Eye. “The exception is when you can follow an Eighth Tribulation Eminence at all times and have the protection of an Eighth Tribulation Eminence.”

“It’s already very rare for an Eighth Tribulation Eminence to bring me out of the universe. To bring me along and protect me all the way?” Fiend Eye made a self-deprecating comment. “I’m just an ordinary Seventh Tribulation Eminence. Eighth Tribulation Eminences don’t think much of me.”

Meng Chuan nodded.

It took a lot of effort to bring him alongside them for prolonged periods. Unless one thought highly of him or had a strong karmic connection with him… few Eighth Tribulation Eminences were willing to do so.

“Back when I was exploring what lay beyond the universe, I encountered many dangers. In the end, I was stained by this terrifying power. My outer realm true body quickly died, and my homeworld’s true body was corrupted,” said Fiend Eye. “I cultivated in my homeworld for tens of thousands of years before suppressing my injuries.”

Meng Chuan removed the evil forces bit by bit.

The blood-colored fog wasn’t as brilliant as an Essence Soul Eighth Tribulation Eminence’s Power of Essence Soul. However, Meng Chuan wasn’t familiar with it. Thus, he was even more careful when expelling it.

It took him ten minutes to treat Fiend Eye’s outer realm true body and homeworld true body.

“This blood fog corrupts living beings and transforms them into a blood fog.” Meng Chuan extended his hand, and the blood fog condensed into a blob that flowed in his palm. “The moment of your death is when you transform into a blood fog. It’s indeed very difficult for Seventh Tribulation Eminences to resist it.”

Fiend Eye felt relaxed and excited.

“If you are interested in what lays beyond the universe,” said Meng Chuan, “I can send you to an alternate universe if I transcend the tribulation successfully.”

“Of course, I’m interested.” Fiend Eye nodded immediately.

Of course, he was interested. He had comprehended everything he could comprehend in his home universe.

An alternate universe? It had completely different laws of operation. A completely different world environment might allow him to break through in cultivation. Just seeing something different filled him with anticipation.

“Compared to the Chaos and danger that lurks beyond the universe, the universe’s interior is much more stable,” said Meng Chuan. “It’s more suitable for you to adventure in it.”

“I heard that distances between universes are great.” Fiend Eye smiled honestly. “I don’t want to trouble you, Meng Chuan.”

He naturally wanted to go to an alternate universe, but back when he met an Eighth Tribulation Eminence, the other party had thrown him out of the universe. This was considered a severance of karma.

To specially send him to another universe? The journey was very troublesome.

Would the other universe resist outsiders? This was also very troublesome.

“If I transcend the tribulation successfully, it will be a trivial matter,” said Meng Chuan. He had many Essence Soul avatars, so he would definitely explore more than one universe.

Just the universe that he had agreed on with Perfected Lord Crimson Peace wouldn’t resist outsiders.

If Meng Chuan transcended the tribulation successfully, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to find similar universes. When exploring, he could bring one of Fiend Eye’s outer realm true bodies over.

It could be said as fulfilling the destiny between them.

After the treatment, Fiend Eye quickly bade farewell and left.

…

On Thousand Mountain Star, Meng Chuan sat in his cave abode and pondered. The eighth Essence Soul Tribulation only gives me 100 years to prepare. I can’t do much with just 100 years.

Only after cultivating for more than 33,000 years did he have such accomplishments. How much could he improve in a hundred years?

In the next 100 years, I’ll consolidate the insights I’ve gained over the years and perfect the ultimate techniques I’ve comprehended. I can also try killing Chaos overlords with my opportunities on Dry Origin Mountain. Every Chaos overlord is an Eighth Tribulation Eminence. Their talent is extremely terrifying. As long as I kill one and devour their talent… it will be of great help.

On Dry Origin Mountain, there were only 31 Chaos overlords imprisoned. These Chaos overlords had their individual backgrounds and were skilled in their own ways.

Can I, a newly-advanced Essence Soul Eighth Tribulation Eminence, kill a Chaos overlord? Meng Chuan wasn’t confident. I can fight every Chaos overlord first before deciding on a target.

He had stayed on Dry Origin Mountain for more than 26,000 years, and he had only killed five Seventh Tribulation Chaos creatures. The sixth one he planned on killing would be a Chaos overlord.

Suddenly—

Meng Chuan sensed something and looked up.

In the cave abode’s garden, a black-robed, dragon-headed elder appeared. He was admiring the flowers.

Dragon Ancestor! The moment Meng Chuan saw the other party, he sensed his aura.

It was a vast aura that could match his entire home universe. This aura far exceeded that of Fiend Mountain’s owner—whom Meng Chuan had met before. Dragon Ancestor’s body was comparable to his home universe. Just the thought of it shocked Meng Chuan.

Only with such strength could he create universes and remain unharmed.

Whoosh.

Meng Chuan took a step and arrived in the garden. He immediately bowed and said, “Greetings, Dragon Ancestor.”

Dragon Ancestor looked at Meng Chuan. His eyes were calm as he smiled. “Meng Chuan, do you know how many Eighth Tribulation Eminences are paying attention to you?”

Meng Chuan raised his eyebrows. Paying attention to me?

“Especially the five top Eighth Tribulation Eminences. They can sense that one of your Essence Soul avatars is in a land belonging to an Eternal,” said Dragon Ancestor with a smile. “They are naturally very concerned about you.”

“Some have good intentions, and there are ones with evil intentions. I’ve already given strict orders to forbid them from disturbing you.” Dragon Ancestor looked at Meng Chuan. “Just now, I stopped Black Fiend.”

Meng Chuan immediately said, “Thank you, Dragon Ancestor.”

Black Fiend Progenitor probably came with ill intentions.

“It’s imperative you transcend the tribulation. If you fail to transcend the tribulation, everything will be for naught,” said Dragon Ancestor. “If you succeed in transcending the tribulation and become an Essence Soul Eighth Tribulation Eminence, becoming an Eternal disciple will be of extraordinary significance to our home universe. I might even need your help in the future.”

Dragon Ancestor knew very well.

Eternal existences were the most dazzling existences in the endless spacetime and countless universes. Eternal disciples were relatively united, and it was very difficult to join an Eternal faction.

Meng Chuan was naturally one of them by taking an Eternal as a master.

An Essence Soul Eighth Tribulation Eminence had relatively strong social connections. After all, they had many Essence Soul avatars. They could have their Essence Soul avatars descend afar with a single thought and handle many matters.

If Meng Chuan cultivated for a long time and his strength improved, his future influence would probably exceed Dragon Ancestor’s.

“Yes, the most pressing thing for me now is to transcend the tribulation,” said Meng Chuan. “I once asked Daolord Evodia. Back then, he told me not to gather intelligence. It wouldn’t help if I learned about it in advance; instead, it would mess up my mental state. I’m somewhat puzzled. Why is it harmful and useless to know about it in advance? Shouldn’t I still be facing the tribulation the same way?”

“It’s indeed not suitable for you to know before you cultivate to the Eighth Tribulation realm,” said Dragon Ancestor with a nod. “However, you are already an Eighth Tribulation Eminence. There are only 100 years left before you transcend the tribulation. You can know.”

Meng Chuan’s eyes lit up.

“The Physical Body Tribulation is completely different from the Essence Soul Tribulation. The further one goes, the greater the difference,” said Dragon Ancestor. “My Nine Trials Pagoda is also set up for Physical Body Tribulation Eminences, so it won’t be of much help to you for your transcendence of the eighth Essence Soul Tribulation.”

“What’s the eighth Essence Soul Tribulation?” asked Meng Chuan.

“The eighth Essence Soul Tribulation can be said to be the mental tribulation. Different Essence Soul Eighth Tribulation Eminences encounter different situations.” Dragon Ancestor pondered for a moment and continued, “I can only be certain of one thing… The eighth Essence Soul Tribulation is a test you have never experienced. It has nothing to do with any cultivation system you have learned.”

“It has nothing to do with any of the cultivation systems I’ve studied?” Meng Chuan was astonished.

“The ten Origins laws you have grasped—the temporal law, the spatial law, and others—even the many ultimate techniques you have comprehended, and the ultimate techniques passed down by Eternals. As long as you grasp them, they will definitely be avoided in the eighth Essence Soul Tribulation,” said Dragon Ancestor. “It’s a mental tribulation that targets your weakness.”

Meng Chuan fell into deep thought. Everything I have cultivated and accumulated is useless?

“Let me give you an example,” said Dragon Ancestor. “Peacock told me that when she transcended the eighth Essence Soul Tribulation, she had a wisp of her consciousness descend into a mortal world, and she became an ordinary mortal girl in her teens. That mortal world didn’t have any cultivation system, and mortals lived to a hundred years of age at most. Many died in their fifties or sixties, and they couldn’t cultivate. As a commoner girl, she had to become the highest authority in that mortal world. Only then could her consciousness tear open the world and return to her true body to transcend the tribulation.

“A commoner girl without any backing or cultivation system,” said Dragon Ancestor. “With the strength of a mortal, she had to become the ruler of a mortal world. Even Peacock only managed to stand at the mortal world’s peak in her eighties and successfully transcend that tribulation when she was all grizzled.”

Meng Chuan was alarmed when he heard that.

So you are a special lifeform? Then, I’ll let you become a mortal and experience the strength of species!

You are good at cultivation? The mental tribulation doesn’t test cultivation at all.

A commoner girl becoming the highest authority in the mortal world?

“Your body, Essence Soul, and cultivation system can’t help you,” said Dragon Ancestor. “All that can help you is your intelligence.”

“Use your intelligence to transcend the eighth Heavenly Tribulation,” said Dragon Ancestor. “This is the Essence Soul Eighth Tribulation. You weren’t informed in advance because we were afraid that it would mess up your mental state and make you strive to build up your intelligence. It would only delay your cultivation. Now that you have become an Eighth Tribulation lifeform… you can think about it carefully,” said Dragon Ancestor.

Meng Chuan nodded.

There were three thresholds for reaching the Essence Soul Eighth Tribulation realm. The first one was to grasp the laws of spacetime.

Secondly, one had to have a strong will.

Third, it was to transcend the tribulation.

None of them were easy!

What will my eighth Heavenly Tribulation be? Meng Chuan’s heart stirred.