One of the reasons Yang Hong rushed back from Guangyou Island was that he had acquired many cultivation techniques and spells.
Guangyou Island, as an island that had existed for tens of thousands of years in the Myriad Monster Archipelago, had been continuously sheltering human refugees from other islands for the past century.
This accumulation resulted in a vast number of cultivation techniques.
The total number of cultivation technique jade slips reached over 120,000, while the number of spell jade slips was much smaller, only over 2,000, due to repetition and simplification.
Although 90% of these cultivation techniques were of Yellow-grade, there were still 1,283 Black-grade techniques.
There were even two top-grade Earth-grade sword arts: the Great Evolution Sword Art and the Unity Sword Art.
These two sword arts were very interesting; they were mutually opposing, one countering the other, yet subtly assisting each other.
Within the jade slip inheritances of these two sword arts, it was noted that the opposing sword art was the mortal enemy of their own lineage's sword art, and cultivators of the opposing lineage were to be killed on sight.
However, the creators of these two lineages never imagined that Guangyou Island would collect both of them.
Furthermore, Yang Hong managed to successfully cultivate both.
Upon mastering these two sword arts, each granted Yang Hong 88 martial skill points, which was a very substantial gain.
Coupled with the martial skill points from other Black-grade cultivation techniques, Yang Hong managed to accumulate 300,000 martial skill points in just 695 days.
"Ding~ You have bestowed 1050 days of cultivation to a seventh-grade Ironbark Birch, gaining a 600x cultivation return, and acquiring 630,000 days of cultivation."
"Ding~ You have cultivated the Five Fires Heart Refining Art for 630,000 days. The Five Fires Heart Refining Art has advanced to level 99."
"Ding~ You have accumulated sufficient martial skills and met the evolution criteria for Advanced Body Tempering Art. Do you wish to evolve?"
"Yes!"
As the last martial skill was perfected, Yang Hong unhesitatingly chose to evolve the Advanced Body Tempering Art.
"Ding~ Initiating evolution of Advanced Body Tempering Art..."
"Holy crap! This hurts like hell! Ah..."
A bone-piercing pain, originating from the deepest marrow, caused Yang Hong to cry out.
Traces of black impurities were being expelled from his marrow, bones, internal organs, muscles, and his entire body from the inside out.
"What? I've already undergone marrow cleansing four times, and there are still so many impurities?"
Seeing the foul-smelling impurities, Yang Hong temporarily forgot his pain.
"Heh... Haha... Giggle... Woohoo..."
However, the pain soon turned into an itch.
It crept from the skin to the muscles, then into the internal organs and bones, and finally seeped into the marrow.
Yang Hong felt an unbearable itch, wanting to tear his skin off and scratch it.
Fortunately, he had experienced the bone-scraping pain of spatial passage, allowing him to grit his teeth and endure.
After the itching, red impurities were expelled.
Then came another wave of heart-wrenching pain, followed by itching,
This cycle repeated nine times, lasting for three hours.
It was fortunate that the pain and itching gradually lessened, allowing Yang Hong to withstand it.
"Hoo~ So comfortable! It feels like being reborn."
The plum blossom's fragrance comes from bitter cold.
After the ordeal, Yang Hong felt light as a feather, as if he could ascend to heaven on the wind and become an immortal.
With a series of cracking sounds from his joints, he grew a little taller, reaching 1.86 meters, and his physique became even more perfect.
He was confident that any young woman or married woman who saw his physique would gasp in amazement.
The most significant aspect was the substantial increase in his strength, jumping from the previous 9.99 million jin to 12 million jin, an increase of 2.01 million jin.
"My cultivation hasn't even increased yet, and my physical strength has risen so much?
Incredible."
As Yang Hong admired his sculpted physique, dark clouds began to gather in the sky, and a vast heavenly pressure descended.
"Huh? The heavenly tribulation is here already?
I haven't even actively tried to break through my cultivation.
Could it be because my Golden Core stage is a million-year Golden Core?"
Yang Hong was surprised by the sudden arrival of the heavenly tribulation, but he didn't linger in the City Lord's Mansion of the first city on Rendao Island.
First, he used Earth Evasion to reach the seaside, then three Water Evasions to reach a small island of only two square kilometers east of Rendao Island.
This island consisted only of reefs and corals, with no vegetation, making it suitable for undergoing tribulations.
As soon as Yang Hong sat down cross-legged, the tribulation clouds also followed.
"Damn heavenly tribulation, so fast?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Hong's expression changed.
The tribulation clouds, which had been only five li in radius and were stabilizing, suddenly expanded rapidly. In just ten breaths, they doubled in size.
"Holy cow, heavenly tribulation, I wasn't cursing you!
Oh~ I wasn't cursing you."
As he spoke, Yang Hong's face turned bitter again, and the range of the heavenly tribulation expanded even more rapidly.
"..."
This time, Yang Hong dared not complain further. He quietly waited for the tribulation lightning to descend, silently adjusting his state to ensure he wouldn't be struck to death.
The tribulation clouds continued to expand.
Yang Hong knew this was the punishment for his insolence.
This Taiyuan World truly had immortals, and every hundred years, a ninth-tier Mahayana cultivator would successfully ascend.
In such a world, the Heavenly Dao was extremely active. If you showed reverence, you would be blessed; if you disrespected or insulted the Heavenly Dao, punishment was inevitable.
Especially when cultivators were undergoing tribulations, the Heavenly Dao was most active.
Now, Yang Hong understood just how petty the Heavenly Dao could be.
The dark black tribulation clouds continued to expand until they reached a radius of ninety li before stopping. The tribulation lightning did not strike immediately but continued to gather spiritual energy from heaven and earth.
"A heavenly tribulation with a radius of ninety li?
This is the scope of an eighth-tier Tribulation Transcending stage cultivator facing the Mahayana heavenly tribulation. This time, I'm really in trouble."
Seeing the size of the tribulation clouds, Yang Hong was on the verge of tears, deeply worried if his preparations were sufficient.
During the half-hour of the tribulation clouds' expansion, Yang Hong had set up a fourth-grade formation with 876 formation bases around him, the Four Symbols Guardian Formation, using metal fourth-grade magical artifacts collected over the years.
"Still not enough, I need to set up a few more formations."
While waiting for the tribulation lightning to strike, Yang Hong set up a first-grade formation, the Lightning Attraction Formation, with only 8 formation bases, but it had been fused twice to reach 512 formation bases.
The original purpose of the Lightning Attraction Formation was to assist cultivators in casting lightning-elemental spells, but Yang Hong, in desperation, used it as a lightning rod.
"Rumble~"
The first bolt of heavenly lightning descended.
"Holy crap!"
Yang Hong couldn't help but curse again,
because this lightning bolt was a deep blue, as thick as a water bucket, and even more powerful than the final tribulation lightning that seventh-grade spiritual plants Yu Kewei and Hua Xinlei faced during their transformation tribulations.
"Five Thunders Body Refining Art, Top-tier Body Tempering Art!"
Seeing the tribulation lightning approach, Yang Hong dared not harbor any complacency and simultaneously activated both body-tempering cultivation techniques.
"Boom~ Woohoo~ Mmm!"
Yang Hong easily withstood the first bolt of tribulation lightning, but he was electrocuted to the point of involuntarily crying out.
Damn it.
"Rumble~ Rumble~"
Tribulation lightning continuously struck down, all of them being water-bucket-thick bolts of lightning.
They transitioned from deep blue to light purple, and then to purple.
By the 36th light purple tribulation lightning, all of Yang Hong's equipment had been shattered into pieces, and the Heavenly Dao's pressure had locked down all of his storage equipment.
He could only rely on his physical body and formations to resist!
By the 63rd purple tribulation lightning, the Lightning Attraction Formation had shattered, and all 512 third-grade magical artifacts used to form it had been annihilated.
From the 64th bolt of tribulation lightning onwards, Yang Hong's entire body hair was once again burnt off by the tribulation lightning.
"Boom!"
When the 81st bolt of tribulation lightning struck, the small island where Yang Hong was located had completely vanished.
Yang Hong was smashed into the ground, a hundred feet deep, his life or death unknown.