"How is he still standing? That strike should’ve reduced him to nothing. What kind of monster is he?"

  "He’s not like the rest of us. No… He is something else entirely."

  Waves of murmurs rushed through the sect as everyone witnessed the tribulation of a lifetime.

  Right then, just before the 47th hit strikes...

  The world around Tian twisted under the pressure of the tribulation. His Domain, once stable, began to morph into something far more chaotic. The ground beneath him rippled like molten lava, yet the air above turned freezing, creating a whirlwind of clashing elements. Hot and cold, fire and ice, light and shadow—all danced in a strange harmony, as if the very laws of nature had been overturned.

  In the eye of the storm, Tian stood, his figure barely visible through the raging energies. His chest still smoldered from the previous strike, but his spirit refused to yield. The Black Phoenix flame began to stir deep within his core, responding to the chaos.

  The flame, dark as midnight and hotter than the sun, flickered to life around him. It surged from his body, coiling and twisting like a living thing, wrapping around his limbs and encasing him in an ethereal armor of fire. But this flame was no ordinary heat. It was cold to the touch, burning with a paradoxical frost that devoured everything in its path.

  His Domain shifted again, this time growing darker, more primal. The ground cracked open, releasing plumes of black flame that danced in time with the lightning above. The oppressive cold mingled with the searing heat, creating an unnatural equilibrium. This was the Black Phoenix’s power—the power to destroy and to rebirth.

  Tian’s soul began to change, too. As he delved deeper into his power, the image of the Black Phoenix grew clearer in his mind. His soul, once a mere flicker of energy, now expanded, stretching its wings as it took the shape of the legendary bird. The Phoenix was both life and death, a creature born from the ashes of its own destruction. And now, it was him.

  With a roar, Tian unleashed the new-found might of the Black flame, his body engulfed in swirling black fire. His Domain responded, expanding outward, consuming everything in its path. The cold heat of the flame rippled across the fractured ground, reshaping the very fabric of the space around him.

  And then, the tribulation answered.

  Rumble!!!

  From the eye in the sky, a rumble echoed, louder than anything Tian had heard before. The clouds above churned violently, as if the heavens themselves were preparing their final judgment. The 48th and 49th strikes arrived together—One was pure white, a bolt of absolute Origin, the very beginning of existence itself. The other was a surge of Space, distorting dimensions in such a way that even the Elders could barely perceive reality correctly.

  Tian’s grip tightened. His body trembled from the sheer force of his power, but his will remained unbroken.

  The moment the eye blinked and the storm surged with renewed fury, lightning bolts—brilliant streaks of white and black—descended from the sky, slamming into Tian’s Domain with brutal force. But the Black Phoenix flame devoured them, absorbing the energy into its unnatural heat. Each strike was consumed, each flash of lightning adding to the fire’s strength.

  For a moment, it seemed as if Tian would succeed. His Domain had transformed into something far beyond its original state. His soul had begun its metamorphosis into the true Phoenix. Victory was within his grasp.

  But the heavens were not yet done.

  Rumble!!!

  From the heart of the storm, one, monstrous bolt of lightning tore free. It was unlike any before—A lightning bolt infused with all Seven Laws, thicker, brighter, a pure column of destructive energy that split the sky in two. It descended with terrifying speed, aimed directly at Tian, carrying with it the weight of the tribulation’s final judgment.

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  It did not descend like the others. It expanded, filling the sky with an unending, apocalyptic dome of seven-colored radiance, encompassing all of the Kidron Valley. For a brief moment, the mortal realm was connected to something beyond comprehension.

  For the first time in 100,000 years, the air was thick with something divine.

  Tian raised his hand, the Black Phoenix flame surging to meet the blow. But this time, it was different. The flame roared to life, wrapping around him like a cocoon, his body and soul merging with the Phoenix’s essence. For a split second, Tian became the bird of legend, his silhouette flickering between man and Phoenix.

  Bang!

  The lightning struck.

  The impact was deafening. A blinding flash of light consumed everything, and the ground trembled as the force of the strike tore through Tian’s Domain. His barrier of black flame shattered, the cold heat evaporating into the air as the lightning passed through him.

  Tian’s body crumbled under the weight of the attack. His skin burned, his bones cracked, and in the blink of an eye, he was reduced to nothing but ash.

  Silence fell.

  The storm above remained, the dark clouds growing intensely in the sky. The ground was now scorched and barren, littered with the remains of his failed defense. Only a pile of ash remained where Tian had stood, the last remnants of his form.

  "No… No! It’s impossible! He’s… gone. He failed."

  "How could someone with such power… How could he be reduced to nothing?"

  "I… I don’t understand. He was so close. How could this be the end?"

  From a distance, figures watched in disbelief. They had witnessed the tribulation from afar, sensing the immense power and the devastation that followed. But now, as the dust settled, there was no sign of Tian, no trace of the man who had fought so fiercely against the heavens.

  "So much for the mighty Young Master. This is what happens when you overreach. In the end, he was no different from the rest of us."

  "Perhaps… but something still feels off. This doesn’t seem like the end. Not for someone like him."

  The wind blew softly, scattering the ashes into the air. The world seemed to hold its breath, waiting for something, anything, to happen.

  But there was nothing.

  However, the sky was still dark, churning with thunder and streaked with crimson. Yet, Tian’s form was gone, reduced to ashes. The ground where he’d stood moments ago was scorched, marked only by shadows and the remnants of his Domain.

  A gathering of disciples and elders stared, their faces shifting from astonishment to an array of more concealed emotions—envy, bitterness, even quiet glee at the sight of his apparent failure.

  “So, this is the great ‘Reaper’s’ end?” Senior Disciple Liu murmured, a smirk playing on his lips. “For all his power, he crumbled like ash in the face of the heavens.”

  Another scoffed beside him. “He always thought he was above us… he carried himself as if he were invincible.”

  Elder Hua’s expression remained thoughtful as her gaze lingered on the sky. “Watch your words,” she said sternly. “He may be gone, but that was no ordinary power he wielded. Few would dare attempt what he has.”

  The disciples turned their gazes away from Elder Hua’s stern look, but their murmurs continued.

  “If you ask me, he deserved it,” a young girl whispered. “He was too arrogant… did he really think he was worthy of such a feat?”

  A low rumble of agreement spread among the disciples. Even some of the elders shifted uncomfortably, their loyalty thinning now that the Young Master was no longer there to inspire it.

  “Fools, the lot of you,” Elder Hua muttered, shaking her head. “Had the Young Master succeeded, he would have elevated this Sect beyond any of us. But ambition consumes even the brightest flames.”

  “Ambition? Or delusion?” Senior Disciple Liu sneered. “He was no different than the rest of us. He just had more power and flaunted it as if it meant anything.”

  A low, disdainful chuckle came from another elder disciple, one of the more ambitious disciples known for his jealousy toward Tian. “Power like his… it was wasted on someone so reckless. If I had his talent, I’d have taken my time and learned restraint.”

  Elder Hua frowned as she watched the sky. “Yet look around you, Fen Yan. Do you see the clouds dissipating? Do you feel the tribulation leaving? No… if anything, it grows fiercer.”

  The others glanced up, and a murmur of worry passed through them. The clouds had only thickened, darkening as bolts of red lightning slashed through the sky with a vengeance, casting eerie shadows on their faces.

  “But he’s… gone. Isn’t he?” the female disciple from earlier shivered, her voice uncertain. “I mean… we all saw what happened.”

  “Tribulation doesn’t linger after failure,” said Elder Hua with a smirk. “Why would the heavens hold their gaze if he’s already fallen?”

  The disciples fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts, and some looked warily at the darkening sky. But others wore twisted smirks, their loyalty vanishing with the strength they’d once respected.

  “Maybe it’s some kind of punishment from the heavens themselves,” Fen Yan muttered quietly, barely concealing his satisfaction. “Lingering to mark his arrogance for all to see. Even the mighty ‘Young Master’ couldn’t evade judgment.”

  “The Black Phoenix flame… an empty name now,” Senior Disciple Liu added with a sneer. “His legacy will be a story of failure, a warning to all who dare challenge the heavens alone.”

  Lei Jin, looked troubled as he scanned the faces of those around him. They were rooting for him not hours ago, he thought. Now, the same voices who praised Tian’s power sounded almost relieved that he had failed. But Jin couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss.