Inside a secret chamber.
Gu Tiangang sat cross-legged on the ground, his internal energy surging like a mighty river. Intense blood energy emanated from him, transforming into a powerful aura.
After a long while.
Gu Tiangang opened his eyes, swallowed a pill, and his spiritual power suddenly increased. His perception of the forces of heaven and earth became even clearer.
"The shackles of immortality are about to dissipate. This is my crucial moment to step into the saintly realm!"
Gu Tiangang's eyes were resolute. In the past, when using his spiritual senses to comprehend the forces of heaven and earth, there was always a layer of fog obstructing him, preventing him from truly mastering the ability to manipulate those forces.
Now.
That fog was gradually dissipating, and the forces of heaven and earth became increasingly clear. With the enhancement of his spiritual power, Gu Tiangang could vaguely feel the arrival of these forces.
This was a sign of the impending disappearance of the immortality shackles.
Breaking through to the saint realm!
The key was to imprint the sigils of heaven and earth onto one's body and bones using the forces of heaven and earth, allowing the body to withstand their baptism, thereby attaining a divine nature and gradually transcending the mortal world to enter a higher realm.
This realm is also known as achieving sainthood in the flesh.
Under a saint, all are mere dust.
The reason is that saints possess a divine nature, truly transcending the mortal flesh. However, true monarchs, despite their strength, still belong to the mortal world.
While it seems like there's only a one-tier difference between true monarchs and saints, the disparity is immense.
Logically, with Gu Tiangang's foundation, once the immortality shackles disappeared, breaking through to the saint realm should pose no difficulty.
Unfortunately, a battle years ago left him severely injured. Even though the resources of the holy land later nourished him, he barely recovered to his peak state, still needing the aid of elixirs to break through to the saint realm.
His spiritual senses touched.
Vast forces of heaven and earth descended.
Simultaneously, the entire secret realm of the Ancient Wasteland was enveloped by a terrifying pressure, making everyone instinctively feel an inexplicable fear and unease.
Many were baffled, not knowing what was happening, but only some old masters vaguely guessed the situation.
"It seems the lord is attempting to break through to the saint realm!"
"Ancient Wasteland Heaven has been dormant for years, and it will finally shine again in this era."
"The immortality shackles are about to lift. Our lord of Ancient Wasteland Heaven is bound to become the first saint of the Golden Era..."
Some old masters were thrilled, even shedding tears of joy, as if they had already witnessed the revival of Ancient Wasteland Heaven.
A saintly powerhouse!
No matter the time or place, they are always formidable, capable of establishing a heaven of their own and leaving a legacy for millennia.
As the first saint since the start of the Golden Era, Ancient Wasteland Heaven was destined to regain its former glory.
In the past, the vast land of the Ancient Wasteland was dominated by Ancient Wasteland Heaven, with no other force able to rival it.
Only later did Ancient Wasteland Heaven decline, giving other heavens and sects the opportunity to rise.
Now Gu Tiangang was attempting to break through to the saint realm. With his qualifications, success was certain. The Ancient Wasteland Sacred Body was always qualified to prove the Dao and become an emperor.
In ancient times, there were instances of the Ancient Wasteland Sacred Body proving the Dao and becoming emperors.
These old masters harbored grand ambitions in their hearts, looking forward to witnessing the birth of an emperor and seeing Ancient Wasteland Heaven ascend to an imperial-level force, akin to the Hongwu Dynasty of Xianhuang.
...
A few days later.
The sky trembled.
A mighty heavenly tribulation suddenly gathered, and the vast Ancient Wasteland Heaven seemed to be shrouded by it. All disciples felt an innate fear, fearing the heavenly tribulation would descend and destroy everything.
At this moment, the door of the secret chamber shattered, and a towering figure broke through the air, heading straight for the barren mountains outside.
An elder recognized that this person was none other than Gu Tiangang, who had been in seclusion for a long time.
"The lord is starting his tribulation!"
"The saintly heavenly tribulation has arrived. Our Ancient Wasteland Heaven is finally going to have a saintly powerhouse!"
All the elders followed closely behind Gu Tiangang, eager to witness his tribulation and attainment of sainthood firsthand.
In the barren mountains.
The heavenly tribulation condensed.
Gu Tiangang looked up at the sky, his eyes blazing, his long hair flowing in the wind, and his rugged face full of fighting spirit.
He had taken the final step, but without the tempering of the heavenly tribulation, he wouldn't truly be considered a saint, only a half-step saint.
Only by successfully enduring the tribulation would he truly achieve sainthood.
"Come on!"
"Let me, Gu Tiangang, experience the power of the saintly heavenly tribulation!"
As soon as Gu Tiangang finished speaking, the heavenly tribulation seemed provoked. Terrifying lightning roared like a fierce beast, sweeping downwards.
Gu Tiangang's body and blood energy erupted, and with one punch, he shattered the space, directly meeting the heavenly tribulation.
"Boom—"
The two forces collided, and the heavenly tribulation instantly shattered.
The remaining lightning energy poured into Gu Tiangang's body, quietly transforming his physique and making his blood energy even hotter.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
Dense heavenly tribulations followed one after another, attempting to completely annihilate the life below trying to prove the Dao and become a saint. Gu Tiangang showed no fear, unleashing the full power of the Ancient Wasteland Sacred Body.
The grand commotion seemed to fill the entire tribulation. The power of the lightning tribulation spread for miles, making it difficult for others to approach.
Every cultivator who witnessed such a heavenly tribulation was stunned.
"So this is a saintly heavenly tribulation?"
Even a single strike from the tribulation was beyond what a true monarch could withstand. Even from miles away, one could feel its overwhelming strength.
As the tribulation intensified, Gu Tiangang's momentum soared to the sky. He roared at the heavens, "No one can stop my path to proving the Dao today!"
His voice echoed.
Blood energy surged.
An ancient and powerful figure emerged from the blood energy. Gu Tiangang sent forth his strongest punch towards the sky, and that towering figure followed suit.
The combined force of the two punches pierced through miles of space, shattering the newly descended heavenly tribulation instantly. The residual force continued, tearing through the center of the tribulation clouds, ripping them apart.
The tribulation clouds collapsed.
Almost simultaneously, a terrifying aura erupted from Gu Tiangang, swiftly sweeping in all directions. Then, a vast purple aura spread for miles, as if celebrating the birth of a saint.
At the moment Gu Tiangang proved the Dao and became a saint, the other forces in the two heavens and the Ancient Wasteland felt it. They sensed the oppressive might and the vast purple aura, though many were uncertain about what had occurred.
Only those with deep foundations understood what had happened.
"Someone has proven the Dao and become a saint!"
In Taixu Heaven, Ye Taixian looked at the miles of purple aura and felt the overwhelming pressure that made his blood and spiritual senses tremble. His face turned extremely grim.
The immortality shackles had just been lifted, and someone had already proven the Dao and become a saint. This showed the profound foundation of the other party.
Looking across the entire Ancient Wasteland, at this moment, only one person had the qualifications to prove the Dao and become a saint.
"Gu Tiangang...".
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