114: Chapter 114 Ninefold Chaos Tribulation, The Eye of Heaven

The lingering power of the eighth layer, the Seven-Colored Myriad Laws Tribulation, slowly receded like a tide, leaving behind the charred smell of scorched lightning in the air and the cold, unique sense of void left after space had been torn apart.

Lin Ye stood in the center of the ruins of the heavenly manifestation stone. Beneath his feet lay black rock covered in spiderweb-like cracks; the natural spirit-gathering patterns on the rock's surface had long since been blurred by the bombardment of the eight consecutive thunder tribulations, losing their ability to gather Spiritual Qi. He hunched over slightly, his left arm hanging limply by his side—the arm bone had been eroded by darkness during the sixth layer's curse thunder tribulation, and although he had barely managed to curb the spread of the curse with the powder of a flat peach pit, the shattering of the bone and necrosis of the muscle were irreversible injuries; his right leg was bent at an unnatural angle, the armor on his lower leg completely shattered, revealing the charred and withered muscle beneath, with every slight movement bringing needle-like, excruciating pain.

The thunder gods protection set on his body—that epic-grade set forged jointly by the three Artifact Refining Grandmasters, Iron Heart, Old Huo, and Madam Han, which had cost nearly half of the Heavenly Court Chamber of Commerce's liquid capital and used Shi Potian's family heirloom lightning-struck wood as the primary material—had now completely lost its luster.

The crack in the center of the breastplate, pierced through by golden lightning, had now expanded to cover the entire chest and abdomen area. Through the crack, one could clearly see the equally damaged inner armor beneath, as well as the crisscrossing wounds underneath the inner armor. The left side of the helmet was completely deformed, smashed inward after being grazed by the aftermath of the seventh layer's Chaos Thunder Tribulation, the edge of the helmet even embedding itself into the flesh of his temple, with blood flowing down his cheek, pooling and dripping at his chin. The surfaces of the bracers and leg armor were covered in scorch marks, corrosion pits, and crack patterns, with armor plates in some places having fallen off, revealing the gruesome flesh beneath.

Set Durability: 11%.

This number flickered with a harsh red light on the attribute panel, like the final heartbeat waveform on a dying patient's monitor. Although the five-piece set effect [Thunder Gods Protection] still existed—a life-saving divine skill that sacrificed the full durability of one piece of equipment in exchange for avoiding death once—Lin Ye knew that this effect would likely not be used.

Because the ninth thunder tribulation was different from any of the previous layers.

It was not a simple energy bombardment, not a complex evolution of the Dao, and not a bizarre Heart Demon illusion.

It was... the eye of the heavenly dao.

Lin Ye slowly raised his head and looked at the sky.

After the eighth thunder tribulation ended, the thick thunder clouds that had covered a radius of ten miles and hung so low they seemed about to press onto the ground did not dissipate as was normal. Instead, they began to contract, condense, and collapse inward in a way that violated the laws of physics.

The thunder clouds, which had spanned a thousand zhang, collapsed to a size of one hundred zhang within a mere three breaths.

The color of the clouds also gradually unified from the previous seven-colored brilliance and chaotic flow, transforming into a "Chaos Prime Color" that could not be accurately described in words, as if it contained all colors and yet contained no color at all. It was a color that transcended the limits of human visual perception; Lin Ye could only barely describe it as "grayish, yet flowing with infinite mysteries."

The collapse continued.

One hundred zhang, fifty zhang, thirty zhang, ten zhang...

When the thunder clouds finally collapsed to a size of only three zhang, it was no longer a "cloud."

It was an... eye.

A colossal vertical pupil formed entirely of Chaos Qi.

The pupil was a perfect oval, about three zhang long and one zhang wide. The pupil itself was a black so deep it was extreme, like two miniature black holes capable of swallowing all light, all energy, and even all probing Divine Sense. The whites of the eyes consisted of endlessly flowing Chaos Qi; those currents rotated slowly like liquid, and within them, scenes of stars being born and annihilated, and Universes being created and returning to nothingness, were faintly visible, as if this eye contained an entire chaotic world.

[eye of the heavenly dao (Phantom)]

Without a System prompt, this name appeared directly in the depths of Lin Ye's consciousness, carrying an unquestionable majesty that transcended all things.

The eye "opened."

It was not an opening in the physical sense, but a "manifestation" of existence. The moment Lin Ye's gaze met that eye, he felt his entire being—from his Physical Body to his Soul, from reality to consciousness—completely "seen through."

It was not a malicious peeping, nor was it a benevolent concern, but an absolutely neutral "observation," like a creator examining their own creation, devoid of any emotion.

The secrets of the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body, the memories of a Rebirth, his cultivation in the wheel sea, Dao Palace, and Four Extremities, the shattering of the myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo, and even the obsessions and fears deep in his heart that he himself might not even be aware of... everything, absolutely everything, had nowhere to hide under the gaze of this eye.

Lin Ye's heart tightened abruptly.

It was not fear, but an instinctive trembling—just like an ant facing the firmament, a drop of water facing the ocean, a Mortal facing a god.

But he did not look away.

Although his body was trembling, although his Soul was screaming, although a voice deep within his heart was crazily screaming "kneel," "submit," and "accept your fate," he still stared fixedly at that eye, Chaos Qi swirling crazily in the depths of his pupils, faintly resonating with the Chaos Qi flowing within the eye of the heavenly dao.

"Finally... it's here."

Lin Ye's voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible, every word sounding as if it were being squeezed out of his ruptured lungs.

He knew that this was the true final test.

The previous eight layers of thunder tribulation, no matter how dangerous or bizarre, were only tests on the "energy level." And the ninth layer, the eye of the heavenly dao, tested "existence itself"—whether your Dao is recognized by the world, whether your will is worthy of the power you possess, and whether your destiny... allows you to continue forward.

Pass, and the sea and sky will open up, the bearing of a Great Emperor beginning to emerge.

Fail, and your body dies and Dao dissipates, everything vanishing into smoke.

There was no third path.

The chaotic eye in the sky quietly "watched" Lin Ye, and in the depths of its pupil, a point of grayish light began to condense.

That was not lightning, at least not lightning in the conventional sense.

It was a power that was more primal, more ancient, and more... originating from the same source as Lin Ye.

Chaos Power.

The ninth thunder tribulation was not the World-Extinguishing Purple Lightning, not the Seven-Colored Myriad Laws, not a Heart Demon illusion, but—Chaos Divine Thunder!

Using Chaos Power to test the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body!

"Heh..." Lin Ye suddenly laughed, his smile bitter yet tinged with a trace of relief. "It really is... fair."

Using the power he was most familiar with and relied upon most to test him.

It was like using his own sharpest sword to behead himself.

In the sky, that point of grayish light had condensed to the size of a fist. It hovered in the center of the pupil, rotating slowly; with every rotation, it absorbed the surrounding Chaos Qi to grow a fraction larger. Ten breaths later, it had expanded to the size of a washbasin, and its interior was no longer purely gray, but began to differentiate into more subtle layers—the clear rose, the turbid sank, Yin and Yang were first divided, and the Five Elements began to appear.

That was a Chaos Divine Thunder in the midst of "opening the heavens and splitting the earth"!

Lin Ye could clearly perceive that what was contained within that lightning was exactly the supreme Concept described in the "Chaos Scripture": "Chaos transforms into life, the One gives birth to the Two, the Two give birth to the Three, and the Three give birth to all things." If he could fully absorb and understand this lightning, his comprehension of the Chaos Dao would be elevated to a whole new Realm, and the development of the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body would also skyrocket.

But the prerequisite was... that he could "stomach" it.

With his current state—3% Blood Qi, 0.1% Divine Power, all Meridians severed, bones shattered, internal organs damaged, Origin exhausted, and his Soul damaged due to the shattering of the myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo—let alone absorbing this Chaos Divine Thunder, even being grazed by it might directly result in the destruction of both his body and Soul.

"Must... find a way..."

Lin Ye's brain began to operate at an unprecedented speed.

Resist head-on? Impossible.

Dodge? Locked by the Heavenly Dao, there was nowhere to hide.

Block with equipment? The thunder gods protection set only had 11% durability left; it probably wouldn't even withstand the first wave of impact.

Counteract with skills? The Chaos True Body mastery was at 22%; theoretically, he could try, but the consumption was huge, and with his current bit of Divine Power, he might not even last three seconds.

Then... only one path remained.

"Assimilation."

A flash of determination crossed Lin Ye's eyes.

Since this lightning was formed by Chaos Power, and his Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body was also a chaotic Physique, theoretically, the two shared the same source. It was like the blending of water with water, the convergence of light with light.

What he had to do was not resist, not defend, but... accept.

Introduce this Chaos Divine Thunder into his body and use his own chaotic Physique to contain it, refine it, and absorb it.

Of course, the risk was immense.

It was like a water vat that was already full and covered in cracks, suddenly having a bucket of boiling water poured into it. The vat might shatter directly, and the boiling water might evaporate all the original water.

But Lin Ye had no choice.

He took a deep breath—even though this action pulled at least five severe wounds on his chest and abdomen, causing him so much pain that his vision went black—and then, he made a move that left all the spectators at the foot of the mountain dumbfounded.

He opened his arms.

Not a defensive posture, not a combat posture, but... an embracing posture.

Facing the eye of the heavenly dao in the sky, facing the Chaos Divine Thunder that was taking shape, he opened up all his defenses, stopped the operation of his Chaos True Body, and even actively dispersed the remaining Chaos Divine Power from his Meridians, forming a weak layer of fluctuations on the surface of his body that was synchronized with the Chaos Divine Thunder.

He was inviting it.

Inviting that destructive lightning to enter his body.

"Boss is crazy?!" At the foot of the mountain, Shi Potian saw this scene through the water mirror technique, his eyes almost popping out. "He wants to eat the ninth thunder tribulation head-on?!"

Su Qingyue gripped the Cold Moon Staff in her hand, her ice-blue nails digging deep into her palms, blood flowing down the staff, but she was completely unaware of it. In those eyes that were always cold and calm, there was now a surging, stormy worry, but even more so, there was a kind of... understanding.

"He is gambling." She said softly, her voice barely audible. "Gambling that his Physique can withstand the power of the same source."

"But his state..." Zhao Wuji's face was pale, the command board in his hand already deformed from his grip.

"That is why it is a gamble." Su Qingyue closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling slightly. "If he wins the bet, he will ascend to the heavens in one step. If he loses..."

She did not say the rest, but everyone understood.

If he loses the bet, it is total destruction.

On the mountaintop, the eye of the heavenly dao seemed to have developed some "interest" in Lin Ye's actions.

That huge vertical pupil turned slightly—not a physical turn, but a "focusing" on the level of existence. In the center of the pupil, the Chaos Divine Thunder, which had expanded to the size of a millstone and within which the clear and turbid were distinct, Yin and Yang flowed, and the Five Elements began to emerge, finally... moved.

It did not strike down, it did not bombard.

It... flowed.

Like a gray waterfall, it slowly poured down from the pupil, "flowing" toward Lin Ye.

The speed was not fast; it could even be said to be very slow, slow enough for Lin Ye to clearly see every subtle change within the thunder: the clear Qi rising to form the prototype of the sky, the turbid Qi sinking to condense into the shadow of the earth, the Yin and Yang energies intertwining and evolving the alternation of day and night, the power of the Five Elements circulating and giving birth to the life and death of all things...

This was a "living" lightning.

A lightning containing the supreme principles of opening the heavens, splitting the earth, and creating all things.

Lin Ye held his breath—even though he barely needed to breathe at this moment.

The moment the "front end" of the Chaos Divine Thunder touched the surface of his body—

The world went still.

It was not the stillness of time, but the stillness of perception.

All of Lin Ye's senses—vision, hearing, smell, touch, and even the perception of his Divine Sense—were stripped away in that instant. He felt himself falling into an absolute, boundless void where even the Concept of "darkness" did not exist.

Then, the void began to "fill."

Not filling from the outside, but from within.

That Chaos Divine Thunder did not destroy his body, did not impact his Meridians, did not scorch his flesh and blood.

Instead, it directly... merged into his very "existence."

Like a drop of ink falling into clear water, it naturally diffused, blended, and became indistinguishable.

Lin Ye could feel the remaining Chaos Divine Power within him begin to "cheer" crazily, like a wanderer who had been away from home for many years seeing his mother, like a parched riverbed welcoming spring rain. They actively greeted the incoming Chaos Divine Thunder, merging, converging, and strengthening with it.

And the Chaos Divine Thunder also displayed a "gentleness" that was completely different from all previous lightning. It had no violent desire for destruction, no will to annihilate, only a pure "merging" that felt like returning to the source.

In the wheel sea secret realm, the wheel of life, which had been dimmed to the extreme due to burning his life's Origin, began to regain its luster under the nourishment of the Chaos Divine Thunder. The cracks slowly healed, the radiance gradually recovered, and it was even more solid and brilliant than before.

In the Dao Palace Secret Realm, the five internal organ divine treasures were like the earth after a long drought receiving sweet rain; the heart fire burned brighter, the liver wood grew more lush, the spleen earth became thicker, the lung metal became sharper, and the kidney water became deeper. The speed of the Five Elements circulation increased by at least three times, and each cycle could generate more Chaos Divine Power.

In the Four Extremities Secret Realm, the reach of his four limbs began to improve at a speed visible to the naked eye—47%... 48%... 49%... 50%! The moment it broke through 50%, Lin Ye clearly felt that his four limbs had truly established a "connection" with the four directions of heaven and earth. His left arm drew upon the wood energy of the eastern Azure Dragon, his right arm drew upon the metal energy of the western White Tiger, his left leg drew upon the water energy of the northern Xuanwu, and his right leg drew upon the fire energy of the southern Vermilion Bird. Every movement was accompanied by the power of the four directions.

And the most fundamental change occurred in the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body.

[Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body development: 6.1%... 6.5%... 7.2%... 8.9%... 10.3%...]

The development degree soared at an unprecedented speed!

The moment it broke through 10%, Lin Ye felt some kind of shackle deep within his body break.

It was not a shackle of his Realm, but... a shackle of his Physique.

A brand new power awakened from the deepest part of his Bloodline.

[Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body awakens new trait: Chaos Resonance]

[Effect: Can resonate deeply with all Chaos attribute powers, absorption efficiency increased by 300%, conversion efficiency increased by 200%. Passively increases Chaos-type skill effects by 50%.]

[Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body awakens new trait: Chaos Body (Elementary)]

[Effect: Physical Body gradually transforms into a Chaos Body, current transformation degree 1%. After transformation, the Physical Body can partially immunize against physical attacks and energy attacks, and possesses extremely strong self-repair capabilities.]

Two brand new traits!

[part:gemini-3.0-flash]

Especially the Chaos Body; although it was only at the Elementary level with a conversion rate of just 1%, the fundamental enhancement to his Physical Body was incomparable to any attribute values. Lin Ye could feel that his previously severe injuries, which were almost impossible to repair—shattered bones, severed Meridians, and damaged internal organs—were now self-repairing at a slow but steady pace under the nourishment of the Chaos Divine Lightning.

His blood and qi began to rise: 3%... 5%... 8%... 12%...

His Divine Power began to recover: 0.1%... 0.5%... 1.2%... 3%...

Although the speed wasn't fast, at the very least, he was no longer on the brink of death.

However, the trial of the eye of the heavenly dao was clearly not over yet.

As Lin Ye was immersed in the joy of his Physique Breakthrough, an abnormal light suddenly flashed deep within the pupil of the Eye of Chaos in the sky.

It wasn't the light of Chaos Divine Lightning, but a colder, more mechanical, more... inhuman light.

Simultaneously, deep within Lin Ye's consciousness, intermittent System prompts rang out, sounding like a bad signal:

[Bzz... Detecting... abnormal energy... resonance...]

[eye of the heavenly dao... phantom... stability... decreasing...]

[System... underlying protocol... conflict...]

[Attempting... recalibration... bzz...]

Lin Ye was startled.

A System prompt?

No, this wasn't a normal System prompt!

Normal System prompts were clear, stable, and filled with a mechanical electronic voice. This one was intermittent, mixed with static, and even used terms like 'underlying protocol conflict' that he had never heard before!

Even more bizarrely, as these abnormal prompts appeared, the Eye of Chaos in the sky also began to change.

The massive vertical pupil, which originally flowed with Chaos Qi and contained the ultimate truths of the creation of heaven and earth, now began to show layers of fine, circuit-board-like patterns on its surface. Those patterns flickered with a cold blue light, completely out of place with the hazy gray of the Chaos Qi, filled with the feeling of a technological creation.

Deep within the pupil, the scenes that originally depicted the birth and death of the Universe were now distorted and deformed, turning into strings of rapidly scrolling... code that Lin Ye completely couldn't understand?

Binary code composed of 0s and 1s, mixed with some hexadecimal symbols and strange characters he had never seen before that looked like alien script, were frantically refreshing within the pupil.

[Warning: Unknown data stream intrusion detected in the eye of the heavenly dao phantom...]

[Bzz... System defense protocol... activated...]

[Attempting to clear... failed... data stream priority... higher than System...]

[Activating... emergency plan... sending alert to main brain 'Heavenly Dao'... bzz... signal... shielded...]

More abnormal prompts rang out in his consciousness.

Lin Ye's pupils constricted sharply.

main brain 'Heavenly Dao'?

System defense protocol?

Data stream intrusion?

The combination of these terms pointed toward a conjecture that made his skin crawl—

The truth behind the game "covering the heavens era," this super holographic virtual world allegedly constructed by the mysterious light-brain "Heavenly Dao," was likely far more complex than he had imagined!

And this "eye of the heavenly dao" before him was likely not just the manifestation of the Heavenly Tribulation, but also... a projection of the game System's own will!

That was why System abnormalities were occurring, why data stream conflicts were appearing, and why the "main brain Heavenly Dao" was mentioned!

Just as a storm of shock surged in Lin Ye's heart, the mutation within the Eye of Chaos reached its peak.

Those cold circuit-board patterns and scrolling code began to clash violently with the Chaos Qi. The two sides eroded and repelled each other, throwing the entire eye into a state of total Chaos.

Finally—

*Crack.*

A slight sound, like glass shattering, rang out deep within everyone's Soul.

The Eye of Chaos split open.

It wasn't a physical split, but a split at the level of 'existence'.

The massive vertical pupil split into two halves down the middle. One half continued to maintain the flow of Chaos Qi, depicting the birth and death of the Universe; the other half was completely occupied by cold blue light and scrolling code, emitting an inhuman, mechanical, cold aura like that of a supercomputer.

Two completely different 'wills' were in fierce confrontation within the same eye.

Then, they made the same decision—

To point their spearheads at Lin Ye.

The Chaos half continued to pour down mild, nourishing Chaos Divine Lightning.

The mechanical half, however, erupted with a cold blue beam of light composed entirely of data streams!

Within that blue beam, Lin Ye could see countless rapidly flashing images: the game's login interface, the character creation process, dungeon clearance records, equipment attribute data, and even... some System backend logs that he had never seen but felt were extremely important?

[Error: Player 'Lin Ye' data abnormal... Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body... unique throughout the ages... permissions exceed presets...]

[Warning: Player 'Lin Ye' memory data... contains unauthorized access records... suspected... Reborn...]

[Emergency: Detected player 'Lin Ye' signed a Heavenly Dao Contract with NPC 'Three-Headed Demon Flood Dragon'... contract content... involves game core rule modification...]

[Highest Alert: Player 'Lin Ye' has contacted 'Ruthless Great Emperor Legacy Line'... this Legacy involves 'World Truth'... insufficient permissions... unable to read...]

One light screen after another flashed within the blue beam, each one making Lin Ye's heart leap in fear.

The game System... was reading his data?

No, it wasn't just reading; it was also analyzing, judging, and... assessing his threat level!

And the result of the assessment was clearly—

[Comprehensive Determination: Player 'Lin Ye' poses a 'Very High' threat to the 'Heavenly Dao' System stability.]

[According to Underlying Protocol Article 7, Clause 3: Toward abnormal existences threatening System stability, maximum authority may be used for 'formatting' treatment.]

[Requesting 'formatting' permissions... bzz... request denied... 'Heavenly Dao' main brain not responding...]

[Activating... backup plan...]

The intensity of the blue beam suddenly surged!

It was no longer reading data, but... attacking!

That attack wasn't an impact of energy or physical destruction, but something more bizarre and harder to defend against—

It began to 'delete' Lin Ye's existence.

Not deleting the game character, but deleting all records, all traces, and all... proof of existence of the 'player' Lin Ye from the 'data level' within the game!

Lin Ye could clearly feel his attribute panel beginning to blur, the icons in his skill bar dimming one by one, the equipment names in his inventory becoming hard to recognize, and even the name 'Lin Ye' beginning to waver and fade in his consciousness!

This was a threat more terrifying than death.

Death was merely the end of a game character, but this 'deletion' was to completely wipe him from this game world and from the 'Heavenly Dao' System's database!

At that point, not only would his game character vanish, but all his experiences, all his memories, and all the connections he had built with NPCs and other players would come to naught. It would be as if he had never existed in this world.

"Don't even think about it—!!!"

Lin Ye let out the most heart-wrenching roar of his life.

He no longer passively endured but took the initiative to counterattack!

The Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body operated at full power, and the development that had just broken through 10% erupted with staggering strength. The Chaos Resonance trait activated, creating a deep resonance with the other half of the eye that was still pouring down Chaos Divine Lightning, frantically absorbing the Chaos Power within it.

At the same time, he injected all of this Chaos Power into his own 'existence'.

You want to delete me?

Then I will use Chaos Power to brand my 'existence' even deeper, branding it into the Origin of this world!

What is Chaos?

Chaos is the beginning of all things, the source of everything, the boundary between 'existence' and 'nothingness'.

You want to delete me from the data level?

Then I will use Chaos Power to elevate my data to the level of the 'World Origin'!

Let's see if your 'System' deletion authority is higher, or if the brand of the 'World Origin' is deeper!

This was a silent but extremely perilous confrontation.

The blue beam washed over him frantically, trying to wipe away all traces of Lin Ye.

The Chaos Power surged wildly, branding Lin Ye's existence deep into the World Origin.

Both sides were at a stalemate.

In the process, Lin Ye's body was also undergoing astonishing changes.

The nourishment from the Chaos Divine Lightning, combined with the confrontation against the System data stream, caused his Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body development to continue soaring—12%... 15%... 18%... 20%!

The moment it broke through 20%—

[Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body Awakened Ultimate Trait (Current Stage): Chaos Indestructibility]

[Effect: Your existence has been preliminarily branded onto the World Origin. When encountering erasure at the 'existence level', there is a very low probability of triggering the 'Indestructible' effect, preserving your most core mark of existence. This effect can only be triggered once per calendar month.]

[Chaos Body conversion rate: 1%... 2%... 3%... 5%!]

Chaos Indestructibility!

Although it was only the Elementary stage, although the trigger probability was extremely low, and although it could only be used once a month, it meant that from this moment on, Lin Ye truly possessed the capital to confront the most terrifying threat of 'existence erasure'!

And the Chaos Body conversion rate reaching 5% brought even more direct changes.

The wounds on his body began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye. Shattered bones automatically set themselves, severed Meridians reconnected, and damaged internal organs slowly repaired. Charred skin fell away, revealing new skin underneath that shimmered with a faint Chaos luster.

His blood and qi rose back to 35%, and his Divine Power recovered to 18%.

Though still heavily injured, at least... he had survived.

The confrontation in the sky also reached a conclusion.

The two halves of the Eye of Chaos had now completely gone their separate ways.

The Chaos half, after pouring out the last of the Chaos Divine Lightning, slowly closed and then dissipated into the air as if it had never existed.

The mechanical half, with its cold blue light and scrolling code, flickered violently several times the moment Lin Ye's 'Chaos Indestructibility' trait awakened, as if suffering some kind of backlash, and then...

*Pop.*

Like a lightbulb bursting, it completely extinguished.

The blue data stream dissipated, the circuit-board patterns faded, and that bizarre, semi-mechanical eye also turned into specks of blue light and vanished.

The sky returned to clarity.

The ninth layer of the Lightning Tribulation was over.

In a way that no one could have predicted.

Lin Ye stood in place, feeling the surging Chaos Power within him, experiencing the brand-new sensations brought by the Chaos Body, and sensing the 'Chaos Indestructibility' trait left deep in his Soul—a mark of existence as stable as a pillar holding back the sea.

He had passed.

The Nine-Layered Thunder Tribulation was completely overcome.

The Four Extremities Secret Realm was truly opened.

And just when he thought everything was finally over—

[Bzz... System Prompt (Abnormal Version): Detected player 'Lin Ye' successfully passed the 'Beyond-Specification Nine-Layered Chaos Tribulation'.]

[Due to triggering a 'System Underlying Protocol Conflict' during the tribulation process and successfully resisting the 'Data Formatting' attack, your existence permission has been elevated to 'Abnormal Grade'.]

[You have obtained a Special Status: 'Gaze of the Heavenly Dao (Abnormal)'—Under this status, some of your actions may attract extra System attention, and you will also obtain certain hidden permissions.]

[You have obtained an Unknown Reward: Due to the reward data package being interfered with by an 'unknown power' during transmission, the content cannot be parsed. Please wait for System repair before claiming.]

[Warning: Your tribulation process has been recorded and marked as 'Top Secret'. Please do not reveal the details of your tribulation to any NPC or player, otherwise, it may trigger System security protocols.]

[Bzz... connection unstable... disconnecting...]

A series of chaotic and contradictory prompts flashed in his consciousness and then stopped abruptly.

Like a disconnected network, he could no longer receive any signals.

Lin Ye stood in place and was silent for a long time.

The sky was clear and cloudless for thousands of miles, as if that world-destroying Lightning Tribulation just now had been nothing but an illusion.

But he knew it wasn't.

Those shattered heavenly manifestation stones, those scattered cauldron embryo fragments, and the lingering smell of burning and spatial rifts in the air all silently told the story of what had just happened.

More importantly, the changes within him were so real.

The Four Extremities were connected, the Chaos Body was formed, and the Indestructible Brand was set...

Along with that 'Gaze of the Heavenly Dao (Abnormal)' status and the unknown reward that couldn't be parsed due to unknown interference.

Everything pointed toward a single fact:

The game "covering the heavens era" was far more than just a game.

And his tribulation this time seemed to have inadvertently touched upon the deepest secret of this game, a secret that even the 'System' itself could not fully control.

Lin Ye slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.

This breath was mixed with a bit of gray Chaos Qi, which was the residual power of the Chaos Divine Lightning that had not yet been fully refined.

He looked down toward Chaos Valley at the foot of the mountain.

The battle seemed to have ended. Shi Potian was leading the brothers of Azure Dragon Hall in cleaning up the battlefield, and Su Qingyue was standing in the center of the Ice Thunder Grand Array, looking up at the mountaintop. Although she was far away, Lin Ye could feel the worry in her gaze.

Zhao Wuji, Qin Ruoxue, Chen Hao... everyone was there.

They were still alive.

Chaos Valley was still there.

And he had also successfully broken through.

That was enough.

As for the secrets of the game, the System abnormalities, and the gaze of the Heavenly Dao...

He would explore them slowly in the future.

Lin Ye started walking down the mountain.

His first step was a bit stumbling, but the second step was much steadier, and by the third step, he had already regained his usual composure.

Even though his injuries hadn't fully recovered, even though his condition was still poor, and even though there were still countless mysteries and challenges ahead.

But he knew that from this moment on, everything was different.

The Four Extremities were complete, and Chaos had begun to manifest.

In this covering the heavens era, on this path of Solely Deciding the Ages, he had only just begun.

And a broader world was waiting ahead.