Chapter Forty-One: The Sea of a Thousand Tribulations

When Qin Shuang faced the Sea of Thousand Tribulations, Qin Si was much the same, except that in the final trial of the Mountain of Ten Thousand Lords, overwhelmed by guilt for his younger brother and distrust toward his family, he stood motionless, letting his opponent inflict wounds that could not heal in mere days.

Those with unknown destinies indeed have many variables. Seven such individuals, including Qin Shuang, were recognized by spirit beasts and brought to Shanhaitian. Two followed Qin Si from Earth to the Infinite Continent, one was native to the Infinite Continent, and the remaining three came from other realms.

Of the twelve, nine passed the Mountain of Ten Thousand Lords' test. Aside from the Earth cultivator who surrendered at the start, the remaining six with unknown destinies all succeeded.

In terms of cultivation, Qin Si and Qin Shuang were undeniably the strongest, but in terms of age, the brothers were the youngest. Even the two Earth cultivators at the Void Phase had lived for centuries and handled the trials with ease. The labyrinths and formidable foes were their true challenges.

The game devised by the three rulers was, in part, to observe how these individuals with unknown destinies would fare. Not even Qin Yu and his companions anticipated so many unknowns would participate in this event.

Of the twelve, three failed, nine passed the Mountain of Ten Thousand Lords, all advanced in cultivation. Aside from Qin Si's injuries, the others had at least reached the Celestial Immortal stage, becoming vastly more powerful.

This was only the beginning. The pills rewarded by the Mountain of Ten Thousand Lords were not simple; with diligent cultivation, all could certainly become gods in the future. The pill strengthened and protected the soul.

Each advanced greatly and eagerly anticipated the next trials of Shanhaitian, yet none knew that the Sea of Thousand Tribulations was another ordeal they must face alone.

The Sea of Thousand Tribulations consisted of three calamities, but none of the nine who passed dared underestimate it, Qin Si included.

The Mountain of Ten Thousand Lords had revealed the power of Shanhaitian. Qin Si knew well that such illusions surpassed the capabilities of divine kings, and with so many unknown factors, even his usually carefree demeanor became cautious at the edge of the Sea of Thousand Tribulations.

Calamity—often terrifying, unforgettable, such as heavenly tribulations, or great disasters—Qin Si believed the Sea of Thousand Tribulations would not be easier than the Mountain of Ten Thousand Lords.

The Sea truly was an ocean, but its waters were blood red; the surface was calm, disturbed only by occasional waves. Qin Si, Qin Shuang, and the other nine stood before their own Sea of Thousand Tribulations, choosing, in tacit agreement, to observe first—none rushed in rashly.

The first to enter was Qin Shuang.

His state was the best among the nine. His soul had already reached the peak of Ninth-grade Immortal Emperor; after consuming the pill, his soul immediately crystallized into a Soul Golden Core. Unlike the others, whose cultivation was too low to ascend directly to godhood, even with the pill, without further refinement.

The sea surface offered none of the expected hardships; Qin Shuang flew forward, the Sea of Thousand Tribulations restricted divine sense, so he relied only on his eyes.

His flight stirred the sea breeze, gently salty, pleasantly brushing his face. Occasionally, large fish leaped from the water. Without the monument’s prior warning, Qin Shuang would never have believed this was a place of calamity.

Disaster always arises from calm. Qin Shuang felt this deeply; as soon as he flew out of sight of the shore, a gale swept in.

This wind was unlike any ordinary sea breeze. At its strongest, it seemed to tear the very fabric of space. Its force rivaled the fierce winds of the God Realm. Qin Shuang’s soul had just formed the Soul Golden Core, but his power had not yet reached divine status. Though his body surpassed the finest divine artifacts, he dared not underestimate the wind, certain it could shatter even his artifact-strength physique.

Immortal armor could not withstand the wind’s fury. Even a top-grade immortal armor was shredded in less than fifteen minutes, though Qin Shuang had avoided the worst gusts.

The sea now seethed; the wind whipped the water thousands of meters high, mixing spray with howling gusts. Even ordinary seawater struck with power rivaling an Immortal Emperor’s attack. The great waves could be dodged, but the countless droplets left nowhere to hide. Blood on Qin Shuang’s lips came from these relentless blows.

He narrowly avoided the largest surge but was caught by a subsequent gust, which, though weaker, still swept him high into the air, shredding another top-grade immortal armor.

“Thank goodness!”

Armor torn is better than flesh torn. He exhaled, donned another armor, and watched intently with ears and eyes for the next assault.

He had forged these immortal armors during idle times in the God Realm, using simple materials from the Purple Profound Palace, which never lacked such resources. Now he was grateful he’d made several; otherwise, he would have relied solely on his body against winds fiercer than those of the God Realm.

The gale continued. Qin Shuang felt his mouth dry, his head dizzy—signs of excessive blood loss. The wind was so fierce he had no time to tend his wounds.

"No, I can't keep dodging like this!" he fretted, finally regretting his stubbornness. Had he brought a few divine artifacts from the Purple Profound Palace, he’d not suffer so in the wind. His only artifact was bought for a powerful staff technique in Mist City, made from divine stone. If he hadn’t purchased it himself, he wouldn’t have brought it down to this world.

Yet this artifact was purely offensive, offering no defense. Alone amid the desolate Sea of Thousand Tribulations, Qin Shuang could only rely on his own skill to evade the raging winds.

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Shortly after Qin Shuang entered the Sea of Thousand Tribulations, Qin Si followed, far more cautious. He flew slowly, observing the sea and sky, inching forward.

When the shore faded from sight, he hesitated, but pressed on, carefully marking his direction. Without divine sense and lacking orientation, one might as well court death.

Suddenly, dark clouds filled the sky above him. Unlike Qin Shuang, here there was only cloud, no wind.

“Not good!”

With the clouds’ appearance, Qin Si sensed something amiss and hastened back toward where he’d come, but no matter how quickly he flew, the clouds expanded faster. Soon, all was black; even the sea turned dark.

He flew for fifteen minutes, never glimpsing land. By his earlier pace, he should have reached the shore. Either he’d lost his way, or he’d fallen into a massive formation.

The clouds pressed lower, within them wild, terrifying sparks of lightning. These were far more potent than divine tribulation lightning. Qin Si brushed one; though his body was tough, he felt numb. The pain of passing through these sparks was beyond imagining.

The clouds continued to descend, his feet nearly touching the sea. Watching the blue flashes above, Qin Si gritted his teeth and dove into the water.

He had considered the water route, but only as a last resort. The Sea of Thousand Tribulations had three calamities; this was the first. He wasn’t foolish enough to believe the danger lay only in the sky, not the water. In the sky, he could react; in the sea, without divine sense, he truly was vulnerable.

The cold water tingled faintly. Cursing, Qin Si sped through the depths, heedless of direction.

A sudden jolt stopped him; intense numbness surged through his body, the sea crackling with energy. Lightning now appeared in the water, as in the clouds above.

“Damn it!”

He cursed loudly—lightning in the water was far stronger than in the clouds. Electricity conducts in water, and a thick bolt had just struck him, causing a massive shock.

Unable to endure the water, Qin Si surfaced.

Now, the clouds pressed to the very surface. As he emerged, his body was again numb; countless tiny sparks, as if finding an outlet, rushed wildly into him.

“Let me out! I swear I’ll thrash those in Thunder Punishment City!” he raged, venting all his fury on Thunder Punishment City, though the lightning had no relation to them—blaming them only because they governed the power of thunder and lightning.

“Enough!”

He gritted his teeth, summoned the Fire Source Spirit Pearl overhead, shielded his body with a top-tier Hongmeng treasure, and sped through the clouds. In his wake, a long, dazzling blue line traced through the darkness, crackling like firecrackers, brilliant against the gloom.