Chapter 446

The first clone indeed appeared!

Xiaoye and Hu Yulin immediately prepared for battle, everyone kept their eyes on the clone, as previously agreed: Liu Junyan would charge inward, others would guard the perimeter, and any clone that ran out would be cut down directly.

Before the perimeter guards could act, a fierce sword qi burst out of the water, directly slicing that clone in half.

The clone wasn't fully solid to begin with; in an instant it turned to ash and vanished between heaven and earth.

I heard the sound of everyone around sucking in cold air.

Hu Yulin unfolded his fan, flicked it twice quickly, and laughed, "Seventh Lord is about to unleash a great slaughter!"

As he spoke, two more clones burst out of the water.

According to past experience, a heavenly thunder striking the pagoda formation produces only one clone.

So far, four heavenly thunders have struck down.

The first was blocked by Liu Mu and Zhong Susu.

The following three struck into the water; logically there should be only three clones.

But Liu Junyan is more daring; he drew the third heavenly thunder into the pagoda formation, aiming to unleash the tribulation's power to the fullest.

He wants to release all the clones the formation can produce, then wipe them out in one sweep!

No matter how this Millennium Great Tribulation ends, his goal remains clear—he wants to eradicate the huge hidden danger lurking deep in the Linghai Forbidden Ground once and for all.

The third heavenly thunder rattled inside the pagoda formation like firecrackers for a long time, and we still don't know how many clones it will spew out.

But it's obvious that, under Liu Junyan's chaotic stirring, these clones are of distinctly low quality.

Sword qi swept across again, and the two newly appeared clones vanished at once.

In the night, the seawater looked deep; lightning flashed and thunder roared, sword qi red and white—we could only see the sea churning, unable to see what lay beneath.

But everyone understood that down below a brutal slaughter was surely underway.

When the fifth heavenly thunder struck, a sheet of bloodwater rolled up in the waves.

My anxiety peaked; could it be that we really can only sit here and wait?

The Linghai Forbidden Ground isn't a place anyone can just enter; especially before such a major event, the Linghai Dragon King surely had already made deployments.

Everyone present is a core member of the Linghai Dragon Clan; on our side there's only me and Hu Yulin.

Including Hu Yulin, although everyone was worried, no one acted impulsively.

They seem to be waiting for something?

After the fifth heavenly thunder exploded, sword qi repeatedly burst through the water surface, one white flash after another, each flash behind which a clone turned to ash and vanished.

Although it looks like Liu Junyan is slaughtering all around, I still have a strong feeling that something's off—this situation doesn't make sense.

I have gone into the abyss and been sucked into the pagoda formation.

Inside the pagoda formation there are not only piles of white bones, iron chains entwined, there is a White Dragon, and also the White Dragon's Eighth Soul that almost succeeded in being seized by the Jiǒuè.

Through the Eighth Soul, at least the Jiǒuè can stir up some movement.

But he never showed up.

Why?

Is it because of our previous battle with Feng Xianqiu, leaving him unable to attend to this now?

Surely not?

Compared to Feng Xianqiu, isn't the pagoda formation more important?

Or perhaps… he too is waiting?

He would rather sacrifice these low‑quality clones, restrain himself, and wait for that moment—so that moment must be crucial.

It could even reach the level of a desperate counter‑turn, reversing the tide.

So at this critical moment… I unconsciously reached toward my own lower abdomen.

Feng Xianqiu's words kept looping in my mind like a demonic obstacle.

Ascend the Dragon Gate, offer incense with a nod.

Li Qingying's fate long ago made me realize that the Linghai Dragon Clan's Dragon Gate is a trap!

At least half of those white bones in the abyss were sacrificial offerings sent down via the Dragon Gate.

And now, everyone is waiting for the Dragon Gate to open… crackle!

When the sixth heavenly thunder struck, I staggered along with it.

Hu Yulin reached out to steady me: "Xiao Jiu, if you feel unwell, go rest in the carriage; don't tough it out."

I instinctively asked: "Big Brother Hu, when you endured the Millennium Great Tribulation, how many heavenly thunders did you withstand?"

"Seven." Hu Yulin said, "Nine is the heavenly number; ordinary people's tribulations rarely reach nine heavenly thunders, except for those utterly wicked or who ascend to the heavenly court.

Whether utterly wicked or ascending to the heavenly court, both are extremes, and nine to twelve heavenly thunders are possible."

Hu Yulin, having endured seven heavenly thunders, cultivated an eighth tail.

The fox clan's highest rank is nine tails; thus, he would only have eight heavenly thunders when breaking through the nine‑tail barrier.

Therefore Liu Junyan's tribulation should at most be eight heavenly thunders, possibly even fewer.

So far we've had six.

My heart leapt to my throat; the sword qi kept hacking wildly, yet below there seemed to be no sense of urgency in awaiting the final heavenly thunder.

No matter how fierce the heavenly thunder comes, Liu Junyan pays no heed; he seems to be racing against time.

He wants to annihilate everything before the Dragon Gate appears!

Yes, exactly that!

"We have to help him!" I looked at Hu Yulin and declared firmly, "Big Brother Hu, one must not ascend the Dragon Gate—it's a trap!"

Hu Yulin shook his head: "Xiao Jiu, Seventh Lord gave this order; we must follow his arrangement."

I shook my head straight: "No, it's too late; the situation is wrong."

I lifted my foot to jump into the sea, but Hu Yulin grabbed me back: "Xiao Jiu, you're crazy! Don't act rashly!"

"I said, the situation is wrong!" I shouted at Hu Yulin, "Six heavenly thunderbolts have already struck; Liu Junyan's estimate for his tribulation should have been only seven to eight heavenly thunderbolts, right?"

Hu Yulin nodded: "Yes, he predicted that the Dragon Gate would appear when the seventh heavenly thunderbolt struck down."

"Where is the Dragon Gate?" I pointed at the Sea Surface and questioned, "The six heavenly thunderbolts have passed, but the sword qi remains; he is still fighting, which means that within the Pagoda Formation, fēnshēn are still bubbling out, those fēnshēn are so weak—aren't they afraid?"

Hu Yulin froze for a moment.

The two strongest forces within the Pagoda Formation—the White Dragon and the White Dragon's Dībā pò corrupted by Dilian—had not appeared.

They could have stayed hidden, but at this point Liu Junyan should have gone in for the kill.

At the very least, he shouldn't still be sparring with those low-quality little fēnshēn.

Where exactly is the problem?

As we spoke, the sword qi that had been wildly darting across the Sea Surface suddenly vanished completely.

For a moment, the wind ceased and the waves grew calm.

Everyone's gaze once again converged and locked.

This eerie calm before the storm was extremely terrifying.

Hu Yulin looked up at the sky, then at the Sea Surface, and murmured, "Perhaps… it's coming?"

But the next moment, Liu Junyan's silhouette appeared on the Sea Surface.

He stood there alone, his clothes torn and soaked in blood.

The Ancient Bronze Sword he gripped tightly was coiled with a trickle of black qi.

My mind was in utter chaos; I couldn't even recall what outfit he had worn when he left.

He was also looking at the sky.

He seemed to have some things he couldn't figure out.

Yet he failed to notice a shadow rising continuously from the Underwater beneath his feet, gradually revealing its outline—turns out it was the massive head of that White Dragon!