The power of thunder and lightning surged uncontrollably, forging a colossal pillar of thunder that bridged heaven and earth. Ethan's advantage, painstakingly built, vanished in a blink. The golden steam forming his protective barrier recoiled violently as the onslaught struck.

"Is this… the Nirvana Tribulation?" Ethan's voice held a mixture of awe and gravity.

"It's truly formidable!" he sighed, recognizing the price of his path.

This was just the opening tribulation.

The Nirvana Tribulation was segmented into three devastating waves: phy​sical tribulation, soul tribulation, and spiritual tribulation.

Thunder and lightning assaulted the body.

Heavenly fire scorched the spirit.

Dark winds ravaged the soul.

One must withstand all three to fully challenge and survive the Nirvana Tribulation.

Beyond sheer destruction, the tribulation carried the Breath of the Great Dao within its ferocity.

No matter how grievously the body was battered during these trials, so long as a single breath remained, the Healing Breath of the Dao would resurrect and strengthen it.

The core of the Nirvana Tribulation was resilience—the ability to rise after destruction.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The storm-blackened sky was a tempest of roaring thunder and furious lightning, the thunder pillar's might relentless.

For more than a quarter-hour, Ethan endured.

The golden defensive field woven from the Nirvana Pills power neared collapse beneath the thunder's assault.

"Why has my first stage Nirvana Tribulation dragged on so long?" Ethan panted, confusion marking his face.

By logic, fueled with his strength and highest-grade Nirvana Pills, this phase should have been surmounted with ease.

He swallowed the lingering questing thoughts and popped energy restoration pills between his lips.

Fighting the Nirvana Tribulation was far harder than facing an eighth-turn Mahayana Realm opponent.

"Damn! The Heavenly Fire Tribulation hasn't even begun yet—why is my thunder tribulation so twisted?" he murmured, tinged with frustration.

Suddenly, a sharp crack echoed in his ears.

The golden shield protecting him began to fracture with ominous crisps.

"Sht, the Abyssal Sixteen Arts!" Ethan declared.

Rejecting defense, he leapt upward, energy bursting forth.

Billows of golden steam coalesced, forming a protective ring around him.

He launched a rapid westward barrage upon the thunder pillar.

Each powerful punch gouged a massive crater in the thunderous pillar.

Yet, the pillar healed its wounds with uncanny speed, closing each gap in an instant.

The searing impact made Ethan's arm numb and heavy—a toll exacted by the tribulation.

In response, he summoned the Azure Flame and Profound Purifying Flame, melding them into a blue-fire fist.

His punches became imbued with spiritual flame, multiplying his destructive force.

The fist intent turned to an world instantly, surging skyward.

Ethan's power stacked relentlessly, each blow driving deeper into the thunder pillar.

Abyssal Sixteen Arts—from the third, fourth, fifth… all the way to the fifteenth art, flowed through him!

Like a ferocious beast unleashed, Ethan burst beyond the shelter of his Nirvana Pill barrier. He punched fiercely into the storming heavens.

The momentum was so overwhelming it forced the thunder's wrath backward, pushing it to retreat into the churning clouds.

Had any bystander witnessed this display, their jaws would drop in disbelief.

Most relied on the Nirvana Pill's protective barrier and the energy of heaven and earth to resist their tribulation.

Few could take the offensive.

Even if someone possessed such immense strength, no one dared directly wrestle the Nirvana Tribulation physically.

Especially the thunder tribulation, which targeted the body with ruthless precision.

"The Abyssal Sixteen Arts—the sixteenth art!" Ethan's roar echoed.

Golden steam on his skin twisted into a dragon's shadow.

He punched with shocking force against the thunder pillar.

Brilliant golden light erupted, and the strike seemed capable of sundering the world itself.

To everyone's surprise, the crashing thunderstorm shattered, dissipated by Ethan's relentless assault.

The mighty thunder pillar between heaven and earth abruptly retreated, melting away into the dark storm clouds.

"At last…" Ethan exhaled as he floated amid the storm-blown night.

The wind howled fiercely.

Rain cascaded like a furious waterfall.

The world stretched infinite and vast.

Ethan remained calm, resolutely gazing skyward.

His thoughts fixated on the three phases of the Nirvana Tribulation.

The first, thunder tribulation, had fallen.

Next awaited the heavenly fire—but curiously, it nowhere appeared.

Instead, the thunderstorm intensified dramatically.

"Why? Why does the thunder and lightning grow stronger instead of fading?" Ethan's brow knit in confusion.

Suddenly, Alicia's voice whispered in his mind.

[Warning: The Nirvana Tribulation has begun stacking, with its power doubling. Proceed with caution, Sir.]

"What? Twice the power?" Ethan muttered incredulously.

[In rare cases, breakthrough cultivators trigger Nirvana Tribulation superposition.]

[This occurs only among cultivators of exceptional talent, understanding, and solid realm foundations.]

[Though the combined Nirvana Tribulation's power surges exponentially, surviving it propels the cultivator directly to the next realm level.]

[Currently, your Nirvana Tribulation stacks five times. After surviving, you will jump to fifth-turn Nirvana.]

"Fifth turn Nirvana?" Ethan's heart raced—not with fear, but excitement.

Great risk, immense reward.

Five levels of Nirvana thunder tribulation, stacked atop each other, meant devastation multiplied dozens of times over.

Rumble!

The storm clouds above roiled fiercely.

Five terrifying thunder dragons manifested in the sky, roaring toward Ethan.

With crashing force, they struck earthward.

The destructive energy could sunder the world itself.

Yet curiously, it left the forests and creatures below untouched.

The wind and rain remained undisturbed.

"So powerful," Ethan's voice was solemn.

The five thunder dragon's aura made his scalp tingle.

With resolve, he opened all jade bottles and swallowed the remaining nine Nirvana Pills.

A shining mantle of milky white light encased him—a Nirvana armor forged from the pills power.

Energy from heaven and earth poured in from every direction, strengthening the shining shield around him.

"Onyx Orchid!" Ethan called within.

Onyx opened his eyes at once.

When he saw five thunder dragons circling the night sky, his face paled.

"Holy heaven… five thunder dragons—Nirvana Tribulation superimposed five layers?"

"You kid… you are terrifying!"

"Silence and assist me!" Ethan ordered sharply.

Dark veins appeared crisscrossing Ethan's skin.

A/N:

Extra chapters

100 power stones - 1 Extra chapters

200 power stones - 2 Extra chapters

Capsule - 1 Extra chapters

Massage Chair - 3 Extra chapters

Luxury Car - 5 Extra Chapters

Magic Castle - 15 Extra Chapters

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