Old friend, surprise It's me again

The strength of Chen Yi’s two-star avatar was far beyond the norm!

While vastly exceeding the limits of the mortal realm, it had yet to condense an immortal body to evade heavenly tribulation—naturally drawing the attention of the Immortal Ascension Tribulation.

Boom!!!

A deep, rumbling thunder echoed from beyond the Western Sea Realm. At first, it sounded like distant drums, but upon closer listening, it struck like a heavy hammer against the soul, stirring uncontrollable panic.

Crack!

The heavens split open. The dark clouds formed by the Western Sea’s heavenly laws instantly scattered, revealing a swirling mass of tribulation clouds—home to purple lightning dragons.

A terrifying pressure descended, like the gaze of an unfathomably vast beast awakening to peer down upon all living beings within the Western Sea Realm.

"Old friend, what a surprise—it’s me again!"

Chen Yi greeted the familiar foe with enthusiasm before swiftly retreating, urging the chat system to open a portal.

The precious Immortal Dao Essence he had painstakingly obtained couldn’t be left behind for that damned tribulation to claim!

Meanwhile, the previously indifferent Immortal Ascension Tribulation froze for a moment, as if confirming something, then immediately surged into the Western Sea Realm!

But it was too late.

The portal had already opened!

"Hahaha, you lose again!"

Chen Yi laughed heartily before leaning back and vanishing without a trace.

BOOM!!!

Sensing Chen Yi’s presence slipping away once more, the tribulation grew frantic. It skipped the usual forty-nine strikes of Violet Heaven Divine Lightning and instead hurled a single bolt of Primordial Chaos Divine Lightning straight at the portal!

The half-closed portal swallowed most of the thunderous force, while the remaining energy exploded outward, annihilating half of the Western Sea Divine Domain in an instant.

But Chen Yi was gone—nowhere to be found by the furious tribulation.

BOOM!!!

Deafening thunder roared as the overwhelming pressure shook heaven and earth. The tribulation clouds churned violently, refusing to disperse.

The God of Light was utterly terrified, fearing the monstrous tribulation might turn its gaze upon him.

Legends spoke of ascension to the Supreme Divine Realm from the Western Sea Realm, but those were tales from a distant past.

After the previous Divine Domain Lord ascended, the current God of Light had chosen to remain and enjoy his reign rather than start anew in the Supreme Divine Realm.

Yet who could have imagined that damned Outer Realm Demon would summon a trial from the Supreme Divine Realm itself?!

Wuwuwu... That divine lightning was horrifying.

That damned Outer Realm Demon not only stole treasures but also wanted him dead...

You truly deserve death!!!

---

Meanwhile, inside the teleportation channel...

"The tribulation is still chasing me, dammit!"

Chen Yi’s two-star avatar dodged frantically as the heavily weakened Primordial Chaos Divine Lightning pursued him relentlessly.

He hadn’t expected the tribulation to abandon all rules, skipping straight to the fiftieth strike—Primordial Chaos Divine Lightning—with no regard for fairness!

His two-star avatar couldn’t withstand it. A direct hit would erase him instantly, and the hard-earned Immortal Dao Essence would be lost to the void.

Fortunately, his speed and years of experience evading the tribulation kept him ahead—for now.

But his energy was depleting fast. Unlike his true self, the avatar lacked an infinite energy reserve. It was only a matter of time before the lightning caught up.

The Primordial Chaos Lightning Dragon, infused with a wisp of the tribulation’s will, thrummed with excitement. It had never managed to kill a "Chen Yi" before, but today... this one wouldn’t escape!

Back in the Illusory Star Cave Heaven, Chen Yi’s true form pondered briefly before summoning twenty-seven one-star avatars. They charged into the portal, racing from the endpoint back toward the start.

Normally, the teleportation channel was short—barely two and a half seconds to traverse.

But the Primordial Chaos Lightning had forcibly stretched it beyond its limits, warping it into an endless path.

Unless the lightning was neutralized, the two-star avatar would never escape.

Soon, the twenty-seven one-star avatars arrived at the scene. Facing the raging lightning, they immediately began merging and evolving!

Fizz—!

Twenty-seven one-star avatars fused into nine two-star avatars, then into three three-star avatars, until finally—a four-star avatar emerged!

In an instant, overwhelming power erupted, shattering the teleportation channel and plunging everything into the space-time rift.

BOOM!!!

The lightning dragon, now a colossal beast, sensed the stronger presence and abandoned the two-star avatar, roaring as it lunged at the four-star version.

"Perfect timing!"

Chen Yi had been itching to test the lightning’s might.

Before, he’d avoided confrontation, unsure how many strikes the tribulation could unleash. But now? This was just a single stray bolt—no need to hold back!

Fist forward—

This strike would pierce the heavens!

Fizz—!!!

Within the space-time rift, the massive lightning dragon disintegrated into nothingness.

The four-star avatar, wielding 60% of the true self’s power, stood unharmed—only slightly drained, its form less solid than before.

"Tsk, that was no joke!"

Back in the Illusory Star Cave Heaven, Chen Yi inhaled sharply.

A single weakened Primordial Chaos strike had consumed 30% of the four-star avatar’s energy. Facing the full tribulation, it might withstand two and a half strikes at most.

Even with all his avatars combined, they couldn’t survive more than five. The rest would fall to his true self.

If the latest celestial divinations were correct—that eighty-one strikes marked the limit—then after forty-nine Violet Heaven strikes, would thirty-two Primordial Chaos strikes follow?

If so, Chen Yi was confident he could fight.

But was that truly the case?

Countless past cultivators had divined forty-nine Violet Heaven strikes as the limit.

Yet after eighty-one battles, Chen Yi had endured all forty-nine—only to face the even deadlier Primordial Chaos Lightning!

Had the Immortal Realm never imagined someone from the barren lower world could survive forty-nine Violet Heaven strikes?

Now they hastily "updated" the divination to eighty-one?

Did they think he’d believe that?

Just how many dirty tricks were they hiding up there?!

Chen Yi’s gaze darkened. After a long silence, he sighed softly.

"Fine. If you won’t welcome me, I won’t force it. The chat system can exchange Immortal Spirit Stones anyway..."

Just then, his disbanded avatars returned.

It was unavoidable. The Purple Star Continent’s laws were too incomplete to sustain two-star avatars, and the cave’s formations were already dedicated to supporting his true self.

Thus, whether four-star or two-star, all had dissolved back into their base forms—one-star avatars with peak combat power.

"Hmm. This pool of Immortal Liquid is roughly equivalent to 365 Immortal Spirit Stones—enough to refine three one-star avatars into immortal bodies. Not a bad haul."

Surveying the Immortal Dao Essence harvested from the Western Sea Realm, Chen Yi nodded in satisfaction.

With a swift wave of his hand, the three one-star clones instantly transformed into purple orbs and descended into it, beginning the process of refinement and nurturing.

The transformation from a mortal body to an immortal physique was an excruciatingly slow process, but this was merely the beginning—the subsequent nurturing and advanced cultivation would be the true challenge!

However, the lower realm was barren, and the essence of the immortal path was scarce. Opportunities like stumbling upon a pseudo-immortal realm didn’t come every day. He still needed to find more ways to expand his resources!

With this thought in mind, Chen Yi, his hands still burning with fervor, immediately opened the chat group panel once more.