Soul Land V: Rebirth of Tang San

The sky was gloomy, devoid of sunlight, yet no dark clouds appeared. However, the horrifying oppressive force caused the Emperors in the air to descend gradually, sinking lower and lower until their altitude was beneath the height of the Blue Gold Palace before the pressure eased somewhat.

"It's really time for tribulation, but why is the pressure so immense?" The Tianyang Spirit King's face revealed astonishment. They had all undergone tribulations before and naturally understood the nature of the Emperor Tribulation.

Normally, the Emperor Tribulation consists of two stages. The first stage is called the Ascension Trial, wherein a formidable entity transitions from the realm-breaking Great Demon King or Great Spirit King state to the Emperor Level and faces the trial of the planar consciousness.

Back then, the Dragon Clan Great Elder failed to pass the Ascension Trial, being forcibly suppressed. Although he didn't die, he was severely injured. Typically, if one fails the Ascension Trial, death is almost inevitable.

At present, the oppressive sky seemed to be continuously collapsing downward, as if enveloping everything. Even the Emperors felt an inward suffocation, their divine consciousness unsettled, their hearts filled with a sense of foreboding.

These were beings who had already transcended the Ascension Trial—fully established Emperors. By logic, the Ascension Trial shouldn't impact them at this point. Yet now, the trial hadn't even arrived properly, and its sheer pressure had already reached such terrifying levels. How could they not be secretly alarmed?

The Tower of Life appeared completely unaffected, its seven-colored halo softly radiating outward as usual, and the Blue Gold Palace emanated its subtle blue-golden glow, unchanged from the norm.

"Buzz—" Suddenly, an unexpected, unprovoked hum resounded.

The sudden hum instantly sent tremors through the entire Ancestral Court. In fact, it spread far beyond—the Emperors perceived the hum through their divine consciousness extending out across Demon Monster Land. Every place their consciousness reached was reverberating under the hum's influence. It was as though the entire continent was quaking.

They felt anger, but it wasn't their own. The fury seemed to originate from the heavens—a wrath belonging to the planar consciousness itself. Accompanied by the hum was a direct onslaught toward the Blue Gold Palace Life Tower. The seven-colored halo, which had been persistently absorbing elemental forces, suddenly collapsed for a moment before reforming again.

All the Emperors' expressions changed drastically. What kind of Ascension Trial was this? How could such horrors emerge?

In usual circumstances, the Ascension Trial entails ascending toward the heavens. The planar consciousness would exert immense pressure downward, and the Tribulation Crosser would ascend step by step under the pressure, aiming for a height typically around three thousand meters. Once the pressure barrier was breached, the crossing would be deemed successful, followed by confronting the second stage of the Emperor Tribulation.

The process of the Ascension Trial must remain uninterrupted. If disturbed, catastrophic failure is likely. This phase also usually lasts quite long. Throughout the trial, the body of the Tribulation Crosser undergoes transformative refinement from the planar pressure, gradually attaining the Emperor Level.

But now, neither Tang San nor Pretty Girl had even begun the Ascension stage, yet the oppressive force from the sky was already this overwhelming. How could they possibly ascend?

In the sky, the planar consciousness seemed to manifest as an invisible beast poised to devour the Tower of Life. The horrifying pressure caused every building in the Ancestral Court to quiver faintly.

"Emperor Council, unite to protect the Ancestral Court," the Great Demon Emperor Heavenly Fox said somberly.

The next moment, every Emperor unleashed their aura in unison. The great array protecting the Ancestral Court surged to life, forming faint radiance starting from the Holy Mountains surrounding the court and encompassing the entire area. The planar pressure ceased to affect the interior of the Ancestral Court, sparing the weaker inhabitants from irreparable harm this immense oppression could inflict upon them.

At that moment, a beam of white light shone brightly from the top of the thirteenth floor of the Tower of Life. Subsequently, the swirling seven-colored light surrounding the tower rapidly converged and ascended skyward, transforming into a staircase extending straight upward.

Yet when the staircase reached just one hundred meters high, the oppressive force in the sky abruptly intensified further, warping the staircase into a distorted illusion before it crumbled into dust-like particles.

The eyes of all Emperors remained fixated on the Tower of Life, undistracted—they knew these were the signs that the Ascension was about to begin.

Silver light flickered, and two figures silently appeared above the Tower of Life's summit. A dense halo of seven-colored brilliance enveloped them, obscuring their appearances to the extent that only vague outlines of their forms were visible.

"Brother White Tiger, what's that seven-colored radiance? It doesn't seem like the bloodlines of Jin Miaolin and Little Beauty at all. What rules are they attempting to manipulate? Do you know?" The Undying Great Demon Emperor asked White Tiger Great Demon King beside him as he watched attentively.

White Tiger Great Demon King shook his head and replied, "Jin Miaolin's abilities are always unpredictable. Who knows what kind of trouble this kid has stirred up. Triggering planar waves of this magnitude, the rules they're meddling with must be unprecedented."

The Undying Great Demon Emperor said gravely, "If necessary, we can pave their way."

The Ascension Trial allows for a shortcut: The emperors can pave the way for the Tribulation Crosser. Those already at the Emperor Level can shield the Crosser and make their ascension smoother. However, this shortcut has both advantages and disadvantages. The benefit is a higher likelihood of success, while the drawback is diminished pressure during the second stage of the Emperor Tribulation, resulting in decreased refinement. Even if ascension succeeds, the Emperor's strength remains relatively weaker.

Years ago, the Crystal Phoenix Great Demon Emperor almost failed their trial, barely succeeding thanks to the guidance and paving by the Crystal Great Demon Emperor and the Undying Great Demon Emperor. But the pressure they dealt with then pales in comparison to the overwhelming force present now. Back then, the Emperors even stood at the top of the Ascension Trial, awaiting the Crosser.

Yet the terrifying planar oppression descending now deterred even the strongest emperors like Tianyang and Undying from venturing beyond a thousand meters, lest the tribulation be redirected onto them.

At this moment, Tang San's voice rang out across the Ancestral Court.

"Honored Emperors, today, I ascend to the Emperor Level alongside Pretty Girl. Together, we will take this path of ascension. I kindly ask all of you to refrain from interfering. Let us rely on our own efforts to step into the Emperor Realm. Today, we shall ascend together."

"What?" The Undying Great Demon Emperor exclaimed in shock. "They're ascending together?"

In that instant, every Emperor froze in absolute astonishment. At this time, the tribulation pressure in the sky was already immensely overwhelming. For a single person to ascend was an extraordinary challenge, but two people ascending simultaneously meant the tribulation's force would escalate exponentially. Never in the history of the Ancestral Court had such a simultaneous ascension ever been recorded.

"This kid is insane!" The Tianyang Spirit King muttered in disbelief.

But at that moment, the two figures above the Tower of Life took their first step forward.

"Boom!" The sky trembled violently. The seven-colored staircase instantly shattered in front of them, disintegrating completely. At that moment, the entire sky appeared twisted, the immense pressure causing the Ancestral Court—despite the protection of the Emperors—to shudder uncontrollably.

Indeed, Tang San and Pretty Girl were ascending together. The pair's simultaneous step marked the official beginning. The overwhelming force crashed against them, washing over every part of their beings. The suffocating pressure was so immense that Pretty Girl felt as though they were defying the entire world.

Tang San held her left hand firmly, turning to give her a faint smile. At that moment, he reverted entirely to his true self—Tang San's appearance no longer carried any trace of the Blue Gold Tree Clan. The Blue Gold Transformation had already been devoured by the Chaos Blue Silver Emperor, making it impossible for him to take on the Blue Gold Tree Clan's form again.