Divine Emperor of Death

Davis watched the dark crimson clouds churn, turning more purplish-black by the second.

'Wait… the heavens are not going to unleash apocalyptic flames, are they…?'

Davis was confused.

The skies indeed looked like they had the color of apocalyptic flames, but the aura certainly didn't feel like that. Instead, it had a different feel to it, as though it was ethereal, like a cosmic dance of energy, playing to heaven's rumbling cacophony.

Nonetheless, Davis couldn't understand why this was happening.

Usually, when a unique tribulation was present in a particular stage of the Immortal Realm, the number of heavenly lightning strikes would be lowered, accurately to three strikes if he remembered correctly, but since the lightning strikes went past three in the Apocalyptic Flame Essence's tribulation, he didn't think there would be a unique tribulation, making him wonder if spirits crossing to Empyrean Stage does not have their race's unique tribulation.

Or was it because it was the Empyrean Stage Tribulation that no breaks or leeway were given, the heavens pouring out with all the strikes they could in order to make sure a being didn't enter the Empyrean Stage?

Davis didn't understand but watched the cloud brew more purplish-black clouds amidst the apocalyptic crimson skies. They gathered in the center, brewing with an invisible energy that he couldn't see but sense.

Three seconds passed, and the heavens thundered heavily, and with each second, the world released a rumbling roar that made him feel like there was the air was quaking.

'This is…!'

Davis suddenly had a bad premonition.

He recognized this phenomenon. It wasn't the same, but it was quite similar, causing his heart to shudder.

'No… it should be fine. The Apocalyptic Flame Essence is more than strong enough to face its heavenly tribulation even if the pressure is frightening…'

The ninth second was nigh upon the Apocalyptic Flame Essence, causing Davis to hold his breath. Lea was also watching with a heavy breath while even Eldia watched the Apocalyptic Flame Essence endure this pressure with a bit of admiration.

She was fairly emboldened by being able to devour heavenly lightning without needing Davis's refinement. However, she was still afraid of heaven's tyrannical might when it thundered in anger, but this Apocalyptic Flame Essence seemed to be capable of withstanding such pressure alone without much help.

At the ninth second, the rumbling in the air suddenly stopped, becoming utterly silent.

Following this change, it was as though the entire world had gone silent, as though time stopped in place.

But the next second, a tumultuous energy surged out from the purplish-black clouds with a venerable presence, even inscrutable, began to coalesce. This energy directly appeared around the Apocalyptic Flame Essence, slowly beginning to manifest and reveal itself.

They appeared purplish-black but were not flames. Instead, they appeared like tendrils. They shimmered in the ethereal gloom of the cosmos, weaving intricate patterns as they appeared to construct space itself. They fully encased the Apocalyptic Flame Essence in a purplish-black sphere. Its surface flowed like water, but it suddenly could be seen burning from within.

"She's retaliating…!"

Eldia shot out from Davis's soul sea and yelled out.

Indeed, the purplish-black heavenly sphere was illuminated by the apocalyptic flames of the Apocalyptic Flame Essence from within. This strange heavenly sphere shuddered in rage as though it had a Will of its own, but it didn't resemble anything in Davis's memory.

It was merely a sphere, causing him not to know what was happening.

"Is that… a spacequake…?"

Davis's gaze shook.

If that were the case, were the heavens trying to crush it physically with Space Laws, but then does that make this heavenly spatial energy!?

"Don't give up!"

Lea yelled out with a worried expression on her face.

By this time, she had bonded with the Apocalyptic Flame Essence as it listened to her like a pet, and she had already lost her pet Burning Phoenix back then, not wanting to face the same feeling again. She could see its flames swirling within the purplish-black heavenly sphere in chaotic defiance.

One moment, the flames disappeared, and the other, it tried to overwhelm and break through the purplish-black heavenly sphere, leaving her feeling anxious as she didn't know if the Apocalyptic Flame Essence could survive this unknown tribulation.

It seemed like it was being overwhelmed, but she couldn't say for sure as they couldn't see what was happening within this strange purplish-black sphere, not having any way of sensing.

They could only watch and perhaps scream at the Apocalyptic Flame Essence, not be scared or give up because a prayer towards the heavens sure won't help.

Davis and the others watched this state go on.

The annihilative thunderous clouds rumbled as they sent their tyrannical aura reverberating throughout heaven and earth. It was as though it was announcing that it had everything in its grasp, and no lifeform would dare to go against it, leaving Davis gritting his teeth.

A minute passed already, but the Apocalyptic Flame Essence was still trapped inside, making him wonder what exactly this tribulation was for it to go exactly this long!

=========

"Shaa!!!"

Purplish-black apocalyptic flames surged crazily from the Apocalyptic Flame Essence's spherical body. It seemed to be withstanding crushing spatial attacks that snuffed out its purplish-black apocalyptic flames in huge chunks. Although it understood that its apocalyptic flames were stronger, the spatial energy it was being attacked with was too huge, as though hundreds of cultivators at the same cultivation stage with no additional prowess were launching overbearing attacks at it.

It had no choice but to defend, but each attack removed a large chunk of its purplish-black flames, forcing it to keep using its energy in exorbitant amounts.

However, instead of a small enclosed space, it seemed to be in a vast dark space.

In this vast space, a purplish-black serpentine behemoth of shimmering scales and tyrannical eyes suddenly appeared as though it broke through space, its body wreathing with spatial fires as though it was wielding the very essence of destruction in its body.

*Aooo!~*

The dragon's roar absolutely caused the Apocalyptic Flame Essence to tremble in fear. It almost turned to escape in this sealed and dark space, but when it turned, it saw a huge creature of heavenly grace standing with fur as white as starlight and hooves fleeting with the essence of spatial fabric. Its purplish-black body quelled the raging heavenly energy around it, seemingly having great control over the space.

Somehow, as a lifeform that came from the heavens, it could intrinsically understand that it was facing a dragon and kirin.

However, that didn't end as it saw a bird with a resplendent purplish-black plumage that ignited the dark world like a burning nebula. Its beauty was transcendental, its purplish-black flames soaring inside the vast space as it covered the entirety of its wingspan that could have very well been over a hundred kilometers long.

That's how big these creatures were, the phoenix, the dragon, and the kirin, all of them more than easily ten thousand times its size, while they released a ridiculously strong oppressive aura that made it want to run away from the depth of its soul, causing it to shudder violently.