Volume One: The Game of the Overlords Chapter 81: Crossing the Tribulation

The aroma of wine burst forth the moment the jug was opened, its heady fragrance overwhelming Qin Shuang, making him feel utterly captivated. Before long, he was completely intoxicated by the scent alone. It took him a considerable while to regain his wits, and when he glanced again at the wine jug, there was a new look in his eyes—this wine could affect the very soul, and even the soul of someone at the High Divine Realm.

"This is no ordinary wine!"

Qin Shuang was nearly certain that the wine within this jug surpassed any he had ever encountered. Moreover, it possessed an almost irresistible allure; he yearned to pour it into his mouth without delay.

The middle-aged man beside him was likewise entranced by the fragrance. He had not expected that this antique-looking jug, once opened, would contain genuine wine—and such extraordinary wine at that.

"This wine..."

Qin Shuang resisted the overwhelming temptation and looked at the middle-aged man. Though the gift had nominally been given to him, they were still in the man's residence. Despite the allure, he had no intention of seizing it by force.

"This belongs to you now, sir!"

The middle-aged man immediately understood Qin Shuang's meaning. The wine’s temptation was far less potent for him than for Qin Shuang; at the very least, he did not feel the same desperate urge to drink it.

"Very well, thank you!"

Qin Shuang did not stand on ceremony. He cradled the jug and teleported away, leaving the middle-aged man dazed and alone. The wine’s temptation grew ever stronger, but he was determined not to lose his composure before a mere mortal.

Transporting himself to a deserted primordial planet, Qin Shuang could no longer resist the wine’s lure and poured it directly into his mouth.

A warm sensation surged through his entire body. The nascent soul at his dantian turned bright red, even the golden core of his soul in his mind became scarlet and throbbed incessantly.

Boom!

A deafening roar from the sky startled Qin Shuang from his reverie. As he regained clarity, he saw that a dark red vortex had appeared overhead, with streaks of lightning flickering within it. The bolts of thunder and lightning issued forth from this vortex.

"A divine tribulation!" Qin Shuang was stunned. He realized instantly—this was his divine tribulation, yet he had not even sensed its approach beforehand, and now it was upon him.

Divine tribulations—whether for Immortal Emperors, Demon Emperors, or Beast Emperors—would always be sensed in advance upon reaching the ninth level. Qin Shuang’s father, Qin Yu, had likewise foreseen his heavenly tribulation. Never had anyone encountered their divine tribulation so suddenly as Qin Shuang had.

With his current strength, the tribulation posed no difficulty whatsoever. In fact, Qin Shuang was now even stronger than Qin Yu had been. Qin Yu had withstood fourfold divine tribulation alone back then; Qin Shuang facing it by himself was all the easier.

Yet this region of space was not so fortunate. The mortal realm’s fabric was fragile, and a divine tribulation such as his would almost surely obliterate this planet and the surrounding space. Qin Shuang felt a surge of relief that he had left Earth—otherwise, the arrival of the tribulation would have doomed billions of living beings because of him.

The divine tribulation had three stages. In the dark red vortex above, deep blue lightning slowly formed into an ancient array resembling a millstone. Nine streams of deep blue lightning coiled within the array, spiraling downward beneath the vortex.

The "millstone" moved slowly. Qin Shuang, familiar with this from his time in the Divine Realm, knew this was the first stage: a formation of nine heavenly thunders, immense in power—many Immortal Emperors could not survive even this.

The "millstone" descended, coming within a thousand meters of Qin Shuang. The deep blue lightning exuded a man-devouring pressure, affecting even Qin Shuang himself.

"It’s time!"

Recalling the methods described by ascendants in the Divine Realm to face the tribulation, Qin Shuang knew his moment had come.

Boom!

Before the "millstone" could fall, it was smashed into hundreds of fragments by a massive black staff. The nine bolts of deep blue lightning were scattered, tumbling down upon Qin Shuang. Sparks of lightning danced across his body before vanishing entirely.

"It’s just as they described!"

A slight smile graced Qin Shuang’s lips. The ancient formation was formidable, but much depended on the one undergoing tribulation. With his abilities, its threat was negligible—the wild arcs of lightning had felt little more than a tickle.

The dark red vortex churned wildly. Countless black clouds billowed forth. Suddenly, the vortex changed: the outer rim rotated as before, but the center now spun in the opposite direction.

Threads of black flame emerged at the juncture of the inner and outer vortex. The sky became studded with black flames, twinkling like distant stars. Hands clasped behind his back, Qin Shuang stood admiring this rare spectacle.

He was no stranger to black flames—they were the divine fire wielded by ordinary gods. If he were just an Immortal Emperor, he would fear this fire, but Qin Shuang knew his physical body was as resilient as a celestial artifact. The black divine fire was no real threat.

In the sky, strands of black flame gathered, forming a black dragon dozens of meters long. The dragon lifted its head and, with a howl, swooped down at Qin Shuang.

Whoosh!

The dragon passed through him, melting a pit several kilometers deep into the ground before dissipating. Qin Shuang, untouched, continued to stand there smiling, utterly unaffected.

"Tribulation like this is truly dull!"

Qin Shuang shook his head, though a trace of pride flickered in his heart. Divine tribulation, feared by others, was nothing but a game to him—a testament to the might he had achieved.

The dark red vortex spun with fury, as if incensed by Qin Shuang’s disdain, spewing ever more black mist.

"The third stage!"

Qin Shuang’s face was wreathed in smiles. Throughout the tribulation, illusions swirled around him, threatening to disturb his mind. Yet for one who had endured the phantasms of the Mountain and Sea Heavens, these visions were but trifles.

A mass of black mist, hundreds of meters across, slowly condensed. When formed, it began to descend, gray lightning flickering within.

This gray lightning belonged to the domain of the gods. Qin Shuang was well acquainted with it, for he had encountered it even in the Divine Realm. It was a force more potent than the black divine fire.

Yet it was still insufficient. Gray lightning remained within the realm of gods, and Qin Shuang’s body had surpassed what such forces could destroy. Only a sustained barrage of this lightning might harm him.

Boom!

Qin Shuang let the gray lightning strike him at will. As the sparks faded from his body, the third stage concluded.

The space around him had been utterly destroyed by the tribulation. Black, collapsing vortexes exerted tremendous suction, but the cracks in the mortal realm’s fabric no longer posed any threat to Qin Shuang. However, the shattered planet beneath his feet was drawn into the vortex, erased forever from existence in the mortal world.

Returning to Earth, Qin Shuang resumed his old abode. He sensed with perfect clarity that in three days, he would ascend.

As for the spatial vortex left behind by his tribulation, Qin Shuang paid it no mind. The mortal realm possessed its own source power, which would gradually mend the wound. The impact on the world would not be significant.

Ascension would not arrive as unexpectedly as his tribulation had, yet even so, his time was far shorter than others’. Where ordinary Immortal Emperors would spend a month after their tribulation before ascending, Qin Shuang would need only three days.

The thought of soon reuniting with his kin in the Divine Realm filled him with excitement. At last, through his own strength, he had transcended and would ascend.

He had nothing left to tie him to the lower worlds, save a lingering gratitude to the middle-aged man who had given him the jug of wine—without which, he could never have ascended so swiftly.

Three days were ample for Qin Shuang. In that time, he helped the man reconstruct his body and foundation, bequeathing him an excellent cultivation technique—including methods for advancement beyond the Immortal Emperor stage.

Though pressed for time, Qin Shuang left him all his origin stones, crafted spiritual and immortal artifacts to suit him, and forged a set of protective immortal armor. With this armor, the man could rest easy in the mortal realm; not even a twelve-tribulation super-beast could break its defenses.

Beyond that, Qin Shuang shared with him knowledge of the cultivation world, the realms of immortals, demons, and beasts, as well as the Divine Realm. He revealed his own true identity, urging the man to cultivate diligently—if he could one day transcend and ascend, Qin Shuang would welcome him to Mist City to continue his training.

The three days were like a dream for the middle-aged man, revealing a world he had never imagined. Yet reason told him it was all real.

Three days later, with only the middle-aged man to see him off, Qin Shuang faded from sight, ascending skyward. Only then did the man realize that, from beginning to end, it had always been Qin Shuang instructing him—yet he had never once called him Master.

(To be continued)