Darkness churned ominously across the heavens, a palpable force that felt heavy and suffocating. Above the central peak, a tumult of tribulation clouds gathered, twisting and writhing like a serpent coiling for a strike. This was no mere storm summoned by the hand of nature, but rather the cataclysmic judgment of the heavens themselves.
Beneath that churning celestial tempest stood Tang Yan, his eyes burning like obsidian coals resolute against the fierce judgment above. Beside him, his twin elder brother, Tang San, exuded a calm composure that belied the storm's ferocity—a figure destined for divine ascendance, yet steadfast in his willingness to share the weight of this cataclysm.
Before them lay the aftermath of a profound choice: the Infernal Vajra Behemoth and the Thunder Vein Spearthorn Drake had relinquished their dominion—not merely their grip, but everything they were. They shattered the chains of their limitations, their undeterred cultivation surging to break through the formidable threshold, unwittingly invoking the retribution of the cosmos.
And then, in a sacrificial act of immense reverence, they gave themselves up entirely.
At the zenith of their 100,000-year breakthroughs, the two majestic beasts poured forth their very essence—their soul rings, bones, and indomitable will—into Tang Yan and Tang San. In this most sacred rite known among spirit beasts, they gifted their lives to their chosen inheritors. By accepting their rings, the brothers embraced not only the power of the beasts but also the weighty tribulation meant to assail those who aspired to take their place.
The sky darkened even further, crackling with fury as it prepared to strike.
BOOM!
With the force of a meteor plummeting from the heavens, the first bolt of lightning descended—a jagged, purple-gold ribbon of energy that tore through the sky and slammed into the peak, exploding in a blinding flare of white brilliance.
Tang Yan staggered, his soul quaking beneath the raw force. Despite the infusion of spirit energy bolstering his being, his mortal form felt woefully inadequate against such ferocity. These were not the tribulations faced by human soul masters; this was an inexorable beastly calamity, a trial meant to dismantle any flawed evolution.
Beside him, Tang San grasped his arm tightly, pulling him upright. "Don't kneel," he urged, his voice steady despite the crimson trickle at his lip. "If we kneel here, we tarnish their sacrifice."
Tang Yan nodded, muscles coiling as he clenched his fists tightly. He straightened, determination igniting within him. "Then let's ensure their sacrifice is honored."
Above them, the clouds roared in fury, spurred into a tempest by their defiance.
From a distant slope, Gu Yuena watched in stony silence, her silver eyes keenly tracking the twins, her lips parted yet immobile.
"They won't survive the fifth bolt," Di Tian remarked coolly, arms crossed, his stance one of confident inevitability. "Humans lack the resilience to endure the tribulations meant for 100,000-year soul beasts. Even gods tread carefully."
"And yet they stand defiant," Gu Yuena murmured, an ember of intrigue flickering in her gaze.
Further down the slope, the injured Bi Ji fought to rise, her healing energy flickering like a candle in the wind. "They carry the last hopes, not just of the beasts," she whispered, "but perhaps our own as well."
The Three-Headed Mastiff lowered his massive head, ears twitching in uneasy reverence. "Foolish... or perhaps divine?"
BOOM!
As the fourth and fifth bolts converged in a ferocious display—a serpentine lash of elemental judgment—they struck not just flesh but tore at the very essence of their souls. Tang Yan coughed up blood, collapsing to one knee, his meridians screaming in agony from unseen fractures within.
His vision swam, memories flashing back to the day he first bonded with the mighty beasts. He remembered the drake, regal and haughty, its voice ringing with stern warnings against interfering in its path. And the behemoth, silent yet always a bastion of protection. Now both were absent, leaving only this tempest of wrath in their wake.
Tang San instinctively turned to shield his brother, unleashing a surge of his own soul force. His blue-gold aura flared outward, momentarily pushing back the divine assault—but those fleeting moments felt like a luxury they couldn't afford.
System Prompt:
"Emergency Threshold Reached.
Initiating Passive Soul Defense Protocol.
Host: Tang Yan
Progress to Tribulation Completion: 64%"
A faint golden circuit materialized around Tang Yan, visible only to him—a lattice of light like intricate gears turning against the tide of annihilation. Pain dulled, a flicker of stability emerging through the storm's chaos.
Tang Yan exhaled slowly, the sound ragged yet resolute. "You again…" he muttered hoarsely to the system, his chest heaving with exertion. "Hold me steady for a little longer."
There was no reply.
With galloping fury, the seventh and eighth bolts descended, striking with the force to rend the earth, creating craters of molten stone where they landed. Side by side, Tang Yan and Tang San stood firm, their faces etched in determination, immovable despite the onslaught of celestial fury.
The final will of the beasts lingered still in the air—ethereal threads of power weaving around the twins to fortify their resistance. But those threads were fraying rapidly.
In the distance, two more figures emerged—Tang Hao, the legendary Clear Sky Douluo, radiating unfathomable strength, and Ah Yin, a spirit reborn from the embrace of nature and memory, the mother of the twin boys now standing defiantly against the heavens.
Tang Hao clenched his jaw. "This is suicide. No one survives a beast's tribulation without becoming a beast themselves."
Ah Yin's eyes brimmed with tears. "They're not surviving it. They're transcending it."
The ninth bolt came. Larger than all before it. A dragon-shaped bolt, its eyes burning with judgment, descended with a roar.
The brothers didn't flinch.
The bolt hit like a divine hammer. Both boys were thrown back, smashed against stone and cracked earth. Their auras flickered. Their skin split. But they rose again, leaning on each other, spirit power barely stable.
Their voices rang out together:
"For the ones who gave all…!"
The final bolt was forming now. A silence fell. Even the world held its breath.
The tribulation coalesced into a pillar of celestial lightning—gold laced with purple and black. It hummed, as if contemplating whether the boys deserved its mercy… or its full wrath.
Tang Yan looked up and whispered, "If you must take something, take what's left after we protect them."
Beside him, Tang San smiled faintly. "Just like always, huh? You jump in first, and I clean up after."
Tang Yan laughed, even through blood.
The final bolt descended.
Time slowed.
System Alert:
"Tribulation Completion: 99%.
Brace for Impact."
Tang San raised his spiritual barrier, embedding his Clear Sky Hammer deep into the ground. Tang Yan extended both palms forward, soul power erupting from his core, directly into the path of judgment.
And then—
Impact.
Light swallowed everything. Sky, earth, sound—gone. Only the roar of Heaven remained.
When it cleared…
Two boys lay motionless. Their robes shredded. Bodies scorched. Soul cores cracked.
But breathing.
From the dust, Bi Ji rushed in, her healing halo blooming with verdant light. With trembling hands, she began to stabilize their hearts and seal their cracked meridians.
Gu Yuena finally stepped forward. "They passed," she whispered, awed. "They carried the weight of divine punishment… and lived."
Tang Hao stepped beside them, placing one large hand on each twin's shoulder. "You've both surpassed even me."
Ah Yin knelt beside her sons, tears falling freely. "Our foolish, brilliant children…"
Above them, the tribulation clouds dissipated.
And in the sky, the sun broke through once more.
System Notification:
"Tribulation Passed.
Soul Beast Rings Integrated.
Compatibility: 100%
Unique Evolution Path: Initiated."
Tang Yan stirred, barely conscious, as the world slowly returned to color. Around him, the beasts' voices echoed softly in his mind—grateful, proud.
They were gone, but not lost.
He looked to his brother, who was already looking back.
They didn't speak.
They didn't need to.
[End of Chapter 82]