Chapter 822: Dao Fruit Condensation, Heavenly Phenomenon

But Lin Xuan merely raised his hand and waved it; the Lun Hui Dharma Form emerged, and the Gate of Heavenly Dao opened. A vast, righteous energy surged into the sky, clashing head-on with the thunder. With a loud boom, the thunder was shattered by the righteous energy, transforming into countless sparks of electricity that dissipated.

"The first strike, nothing more than this." Lin Xuan's lips curled upward.

Immediately following, the second and third thunderbolts descended in succession. Each one was stronger and more violent than the last. Lin Xuan responded with composure, unleashing the Six Paths of Lun Hui in turns to neutralize the thunderbolts one by one.

By the ninth thunderbolt, the power had reached its peak. This thunderbolt was no longer a simple physical attack, but contained the will of the Heavenly Dao, intending to grind away Lin Xuan's soul and erase the traces of his existence.

"You wish to erase Us?" Lin Xuan sneered. "Then let us see whether your Heavenly Dao will is stronger, or Our Law of Lun Hui!"

He formed seals with both hands, and the Lun Hui Dao Fruit flew out from his sea of consciousness, hovering above his head. The Dao Fruit emitted a brilliant divine light, enveloping Lin Xuan's entire body. When the ninth thunderbolt crashed down, the Dao Fruit suddenly began to rotate, with the Six Paths of Lun Hui swirling madly within it.

The thunder struck the Dao Fruit, but instead of shattering it, it was absorbed inside. The Dao Fruit was like a bottomless pit, swallowing every bit of the thunder's power. Not only that, it also began to draw energy in reverse from the tribulation clouds, using the power of the clouds to temper itself.

This scene made everyone present widen their eyes. Crossing a tribulation is inherently a process of resisting the Heavenly Dao; a moment of carelessness leads to death and the dissipation of one's Dao. Yet, His Majesty was actually able to seize the initiative while crossing the tribulation, absorbing the power of the tribulation clouds to improve himself. How could one be so daring?

But the facts were right before their eyes. The tribulation clouds were constantly shrinking, while the aura on Lin Xuan's body was steadily climbing. When the last trace of the tribulation clouds was absorbed by the Dao Fruit, the entire sky became clear once again.

Lin Xuan slowly opened his eyes. At this moment, he had completely stepped into the Emperor Venerable Realm. That aura was as profound as the universe and as vast as a sea of stars, making everyone present unable to resist the urge to kneel and bow.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty, for attaining the Dao of the Emperor Venerable!"

The nine Empresses offered their congratulations in unison, their voices filled with excitement and pride. Taixuan and the others also bowed one after another, their eyes full of awe. They knew that from this day on, the Lun Hui Empire truly possessed the capital to stand on equal footing with the Divine Court.

Lin Xuan looked around at the crowd, a smile appearing on his lips: "There is no need for such formalities, everyone. My breakthrough could not have happened without your protection." He paused, "Next, I will go into seclusion to consolidate my realm. During this time, I leave the empire's affairs to you."

"Rest assured, Your Majesty!" Sima Xue promised, "We will certainly not fail your trust."

Lin Xuan nodded and was about to return to Lingxiao Hall when his heart suddenly stirred. He looked up into the depths of the Void, his brows slightly furrowed. Just now, during his breakthrough, he had vaguely sensed a strange fluctuation. The fluctuation came from an extremely distant place, as if some ancient existence were calling out.

"The precursor to the Great Calamity..." Lin Xuan muttered to himself, "It has arrived faster than expected."

On the seventh day after breaking through to the Emperor Venerable Realm, the Lun Hui Star Domain welcomed a rare period of peace. Lin Xuan was consolidating his realm inside Lingxiao Hall, while the nine Empresses and the three of Taixuan were busy handling the empire's affairs. The newly affiliated forces were gradually integrating into the Lun Hui Empire's system, and everything was moving in a positive direction.

However, this peace was broken that evening.

The sky suddenly darkened—not the natural darkening of sunset, but a heart-palpitating darkness. Immediately after, a crack appeared in the Void. This crack started from a single point and spread rapidly, spanning the entire Lun Hui Star Domain in the blink of an eye.

From the depths of the crack came waves of ancient and eerie whispers. These whispers were not in any known language, yet they could act directly upon a cultivator's soul, making one feel fear involuntarily.

"What is happening?" Sima Xue was the first to notice the anomaly and immediately flew out of Lingxiao Hall. When she saw the crack in the sky, her face instantly turned pale. "This is... a Void Crack?"

The other Empresses and the three of Taixuan also rushed over. They gazed at the crack, a strong sense of unease rising in their hearts. A Void Crack is a passage connecting different planes and different spaces-times. Under normal circumstances, such a crack only appears when a plane collapses. Now that it had suddenly appeared in the Lun Hui Star Domain, something major must be happening.

Just then, Lin Xuan's figure appeared before them. He looked up at the crack, a hint of gravity flashing in his eyes: "The precursor to the Great Calamity has finally arrived."

"Your Majesty, this..." Murong Xue wanted to ask, but was stopped by Lin Xuan raising his hand.

"Everyone, step back," Lin Xuan said in a deep voice, "Something is about to come out of the crack."

No sooner had he spoken than a hand suddenly reached out from the depths of the crack. It was a hand formed entirely of darkness, a hundred zhang long, with five fingers as thick as mountain peaks. Wherever the palm passed, space shattered inch by inch, and the power of the Laws became chaotic.

Following this, a massive figure crawled out from the crack. It was a giant standing a thousand zhang tall, pitch-black all over, with strange purple flames burning in its eyes. Countless chains were wrapped around its body, each chain engraved with ancient Runes, emitting the power of a Seal.

"Finally... out..." the giant emitted a low voice that shook the entire star domain. "Sealed for a million years, now that the Great Calamity is approaching and the Seal has loosened, this seat is finally able to see the light of day again!"

He looked around, his gaze landing on Lin Xuan, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "Oh? There is actually an Emperor Venerable Realm expert in this star domain? Interesting. It seems the Heavens and Myriad Worlds of this generation are much livelier than in my era."

Lin Xuan's brows were tightly furrowed. The aura on this giant was extremely ancient; it was definitely not a creature of this era. Moreover, although he was bound by chains, his aura was still terrifyingly powerful, not in the slightest bit weaker than the Divine Ancestor Cang Qiong.

"Who are you?" Lin Xuan asked coldly, "Why have you appeared in My territory?"

"Your territory?" The giant laughed, "Junior, in the era when this seat was active, the Heavens and Myriad Worlds didn't even know what they looked like. You say this is your territory? Ridiculous!"

He reached out and grabbed, and terrifying dark power surged from his palm, transforming into a giant hand that blotted out the sky, slapping down toward Lingxiao Hall. If this palm strike were to land, the entire Lingxiao Hall would be reduced to powder.

"You seek death!" Cold light flashed in Lin Xuan's eyes, and the Lun Hui Dharma Form instantly emerged. The six Gates of Lun Hui opened simultaneously, and the Gate of Hell released boundless karmic fire, rushing straight toward the giant palm.

Boom!

The karmic fire and the dark power collided, erupting with an earth-shattering roar. The energy shockwaves spread out, tearing countless fissures into the surrounding space. Fortunately, Lin Xuan had been prepared; the Lun Hui Array opened automatically, intercepting all the shockwaves so that they did not affect the Lingxiao Hall below.

The giant withdrew his hand, a hint of approval appearing in his eyes: "Not bad. To be able to take a strike from this seat, it seems you, an Emperor Venerable, have some strength after all." He paused, "However, if this is all you are capable of, you won't be able to stop this seat."