Primordial Harem System
Chapter Summary
The members on the front lines—Grand Elder and Feng Lian—felt the pull of the Heavenly Dao intensify, pressing down on their meridians. Normally, a single cultivator's tribulation might form a modest cloud a few miles wide, like Ling Yue's—but here, they had over a hundred at once. In under a minute, the swirling blackness had merged into a thousand-mile-long tribulation cloud—a massive, looming dome of thunder that cast deep shadows over the mountain range.
At last, silence fell in the surroundings as all the members of the Solar Reaper Legion took their positions.
On the surrounding ridges, the formation rods glowed a soft blue, ready to hide the Legion and strengthen the space.
Shen Yuan, hovering several meters above them, exchanged a quick glance with Yuxin, who was floating some distance away.
He also backed away to avoid drawing the tribulation's attention.
A faint breeze swept across the plateau, stirring the dark robes of the legion.
Then, a rumble.
A low, vibrating thunder rippled through the cloudless sky, as though some distant behemoth had awakened.
The members on the front lines—Grand Elder and Feng Lian—felt the pull of the Heavenly Dao intensify, pressing down on their meridians.
One or two in the back row gulped audibly, but no one moved from their spot.
As if called by the very heavens, the sun hid behind an encroaching darkness on the horizon.
Gray wisps of cloud drifted in from every direction, drawn by the tribulation's might.
Within moments, the sky above the mountain swirled with a roiling vortex—lightning flickering ominously in its depths.
Shen Yuan narrowed his eyes.
"It's starting.
" He could sense the Qi saturating the atmosphere, thunder Qi filling the air.
Normally, a single cultivator's tribulation might form a modest cloud a few miles wide, like Ling Yue's—but here, they had over a hundred at once.
Each pulliing in heavenly might from all corners of the region.
A rumble of distant thunder sounded across the sky, and in the next heartbeat, a colossal wave of black-purple clouds swelled across the heavens.
It expanded across the sky swiftly, devouring the pale blue sky until an oppressive darkness hung over the entire peak—and more.
Wan Ling gasped softly from her place.
"That's… that's already bigger than I expected.
"Zhao Lian tightened her grip, her eyes flashing with worry.
"It's spreading beyond the boundary of the illusions…!
"Indeed, it soon became clear that the tribulation was reaching far beyond the expected radius.
The roiling cloud mass extended outward in a ring, spanning hundreds of miles in every direction—and it kept on growing.
Shen Yuan felt a hint of excitement and concern for the legion members.
Even Yuxin, with her formations ready, frowned slightly at the sheer scale.
In under a minute, the swirling blackness had merged into a thousand-mile-long tribulation cloud—a massive, looming dome of thunder that cast deep shadows over the mountain range.
So enormous was its influence that distant peaks beyond Shen Yuxin's formation found themselves under an ominous light.
Bing Rong exhaled and whispered softly, "This is unprecedented.
The entire horizon's dark… They really did unify the tribulation.
"Huo Rong, standing beside her, nodded.
"We'd better hope these formations hold up.
"Lightning spat across the churning clouds, arcs of violet and blue crisscrossing in chaotic patterns.
Typically, one cultivator's tribulation might start with a single bolt.
Here, each of the one hundred and two disciples tugged at the Heavenly Dao simultaneously, forging a chain reaction never seen before.
A ripple of nervousness spread among the legion as crackling thunder intensified.
Many members braced themselves, expecting that initial thunderbolt to strike any second.
Yet, for a brief, excruciating moment… nothing fell.
The furious light show in the clouds only grew more intense, swirling inward as though preparing something far beyond a simple volley of bolts.
Feng Lian, standing beside the Grand Elder, felt goosebumps.
"It's like the heavens are amassing everything for one giant onslaught," she murmured in awe.
The Grand Elder's knuckles whitened around the hilt of her dagger.
"Then we shall face it head-on.
"Finally, the swirling mass reached its peak, a singular point of radiant light at the cloud's center.
A hush fell.
It became so quiet that one might hear a stray pebble tumble on the plateau.
Every assassin sucked in a breath, Qi surging around them like flickering glows of dark purple or black illusions.
BOOOOM—Lightning tore down from the sky in a majestic cascade—a massive web of over a hundred bolts merging into a single epic column.
Crashing onto the plateau, it unleashed a blinding flash, forcing many disciples to shield their eyes.
Even Shen Yuan, floating above, felt the shockwave rattle his body.
Wave after wave of thunder followed, rolling outward in deafening bursts.
It was as if the entire Heavenly Dao had decided to unify all tribulations into an unstoppable judgment.
The ground trembled beneath them, cracks spiderwebbing across stone.
The newly placed formation rods lit up in brilliant arcs, dispersing some of the impact, but struggling to keep up with such volume.
Feng Lian gritted her teeth.
'Now or never.
' She roared to the legion, "Hold formation!
Defend yourselves—endure!
"All across the plateau, Qi began to rise sharply—half-formed demonic fox shadows, swirling embers of Qi, ethereal veils of shadow.
The assassins defended themselves against the relentless attack of the heavens, fortifying their defenses.
…High above, Yuxin soared along the perimeter of the formation, reinforcing spots where the tribulation's aftershock threatened to tear through.
Her brow was furrowed in deep concentration.
Bing Rong and Huo Rong, from their vantage, exchanged glances of astonishment.
Wan Ling clutched Han Qingyu's arm, eyes wide with worry, while Ling Mei, Chen Yue, and Zhao Lian stood at the side, looking at the tribulation cloud with awe.
Yet, no one dared intervene in the tribulation itself—that risked intensifying the Heavenly Dao's wrath.
Shen Yuan exhaled, controlling the swirl of Qi around him.
The scale was truly something to behold for the first level of Mortal Tribulation Realm.
One by one, the assassins faced their personal arcs of tribulation lightning.
The enormous storm continued to unify the strikes—each assassin receiving a slice of that colossal thunder's power.
Some disciples stumbled, their defenses faltering under the raw power of the tribulation.
Others stood straight, deflecting the lightning with their rising cultivation base.
Here and there, shrieks of pain echoed, or fierce shouts as they fought back with swirling shadow flames or illusions.
And after a while, the lightning slowed down as they successfully withstood the first strike.
The disciples hurriedly took out healing pills before gulping them down and looked around to see if anyone among them had died.
They exhaled a sigh of relief upon seeing that most of them were fine, and only a few suffered minor injuries.
"Is it over?
" One cultivator meekly asked, looking at the sky.
Feng Lian looked at the sky with a heavy gaze.
"Brace yourself for the second strike.
"The legion members took deep breaths before looking at the sky.
Above them, the roiling thousand-mile tribulation cloud continued to rumble ominously.
The sky crackled with increasing energy.
Almost at once, the disciples sensed the heavens brewing its second strike—this time far more chaotic than the last.
Just as the members steadied themselves, from the heavens came a colossal roar of thunder that rattled the bones and hearts alike of everyone on the scene.
Bolts of multiple elements descended through the black-violet cloud, each arc tinted by various Qi signatures.
Fire, water, earth, metal, and wood essence churned into a chaotic swirl.
From his vantage, Shen Yuan narrowed his eyes.
'So now begins the elemental trial.
'High in the sky, Shen Yuxin and her formation pressed to contain the tribulation's might from spilling beyond the mountain's perimeter, while Bing Rong and Huo Rong hovered near the edges, ready to fortify the plateau's formation if they cracked further.
Suddenly, with a crack like splitting mountains, the second strike plunged downward.
Instead of one massive column, it fractured into countless smaller bolts, each colored by a distinct elemental sheen.
Hissing flame arcs, spirals of watery lightning, shards of metallic Qi.
The entire legion braced themselves again—shields and illusions flickering to life.
Some assassins received blazing arcs that exploded on impact, sending waves of intense heat across the plateau.
Legion members with shadow techniques or water-based techniques scrambled to cool the scorching arcs.
Others faced crackling blue-white lightning charged with watery essence, drenching their illusions in a damp surge of Qi.
Qi barriers fizzled under the liquid invasion, forcing them to move with quick transitions to alternative defensive arts.
A handful encountered heavy, brownish lightning that struck like a falling boulder.
Each impact shook them to their core, and the ground cratered beneath their feet.
Gritting their teeth, they called on illusions of foxlike beasts to stave off the crushing force.
A few unlucky disciples took silver-hued lightning that pierced barriers with deathly precision.
Sparks tore through illusions, forcing disciples to parry with their weapons, which nearly cracked under its concentrated force.
And then there were greenish bolts swirling with life-essence.
These arcs latched onto illusions like fast-growing vines, tangling and draining Qi upon contact.
Disciples had to sever the creeping vines with refined Yin or flame-based attacks to break free.
At the front of the legion, the Grand Elder and Feng Lian found themselves singled out by a particularly menacing mix of tribulation.
A swirl of fire and metal Qi gathered above them, forming a mixed tribulation of red-silver lightning.