With his arms folded, Caine looked up, unmoving, as from the countless eyes within the distant void, pillars of lightning as thick as mountains began their descent.
They tore through the air with vicious momentum, their heat supercharging the air and destabilising the natural flow of atmospheric qi.
The first slammed down with the force of a god's hammer delivering divine judgment.
BOOOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!
The earth quaked violently, splitting apart as waves of molten magma surged into the air, akin to deep ocean tsunamis.
Caine coughed up a mouthful of blood, his body sinking into the scorching rivers of liquid fire.
Had it not been for his mysterious affinity, this strike alone would have ended him.
Caine's affinity, Totality, was exceedingly rare, an ability beyond the comprehension of most cultivators. Its nature was exactly as its name suggested—everything, everywhere, all at once.
Unlike the Chaos Affinity, which was an amalgamation of all things, Totality stood above as a supreme force.
It granted control over every element and aspect, encompassing all affinities in their entirety. At its core, Totality could be defined by one word: Control.
And because it stood at the Immeasurable Grade, just like the rest of Caine's talents, it granted him unparalleled immunity to all other affinities. This was why the rivers of magma that surrounded him caused no harm—he was immune to its essence.
But even this mighty affinity seemed to falter before the overwhelming power of the lightning pillars.
As the second pillar descended, its chaotic arcs of energy flooded Caine's body, tearing through his internal structure, seeking to annihilate him from within.
ZIM!
Despite the onslaught, Caine remained indifferent.
A third pillar fell.
BOOOOM!
Just before it struck, Caine soared out of the magma, his expression serene. His glowing bones radiated power as they absorbed the lightning pillar entirely.
The mighty energy was subdued and shattered by his bones, which then passed it to his flesh for assimilation.
It was the perfect cycle Caine had envisioned.
His bones would subdue and shatter all things, while his flesh would devour and assimilate them. A balance of Totality and Orderly Chaos.
WHOOOSH!
Veins bulged across Caine's body as his blood qi surged, breaking past a hidden threshold and growing even stronger.
He looked to the skies, spreading his arms wide. Though absorbing the lightning had bolstered his strength, it had also worsened his injuries. Yet, Caine ignored the pain entirely.
BOOOOOOOM! BOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!
Pillar after pillar rained down from the void, driving Caine deeper into the molten sea that had replaced the earth.
Each strike pushed him closer to death, but each time, his bones and flesh refined the energy, feeding his growth.
The eyes in the void above seemed to grow angrier with every passing second. The once-white lightning pillars turned crimson, then golden, then obsidian, and finally became multicolored blasts of incomprehensible power.
By now, everything within the sealed dome had been reduced to magma, its heat so intense that the surrounding qi had vaporized into a dense mist.
A thousand and eighty pillars had fallen, each more potent than the last. And yet, though Caine's body was battered and his wounds severe, he still lived.
The countless eyes in the void trembled, their rage palpable. Slowly, they began to merge into a single entity. From this union, a small eye of golden mist appeared.
The golden mist-eye began to multiply, then fuse, repeating the process over and over.
Each cycle increased its intensity, a terrifying display of power.
Had Caine understood the true nature of World Will Eyes and tribulations, he would have fled immediately.
Tribulations were often misunderstood as punishments from the world, but they were, in truth, tests. A tribulation evaluated the worthiness of a person's actions, their talents, and their defiance of natural law. The more their existence broke the world's rules, the harsher the test.
Caine's actions—his talents, his heretical creations—had pushed the boundaries far beyond what the world could tolerate.
But why was this tribulation so severe? Surely it wasn't just for his bones, flesh, and affinity? Or was there something more?
The answer lay in the World Will Eyes.
These eyes, the physical manifestation of a world's consciousness, were divided into grades.
The colorless eyes Caine first encountered were the most common, appearing in ordinary tribulations.
The gray eyes represented the next level, reserved for talents like Caine whose very existence demanded a test.
Above these were levels so unfathomable that no one had ever survived to recount them.
The power of such tribulations was unimaginable.
And Caine had unknowingly ascended to one of these higher levels.
RUMBLE!
After dozens of fusion cycles, the countless eyes became one.
This final eye was made of a color that defied mortal comprehension, its depth infinite and unknowable. Surrounding it were clouds of pure white qi, crackling with blue lightning.
The eye trembled, and shockingly, it parted in two, acting as a gateway.
WHOOOOOOSH!
The mere opening of the gate sent devastating waves of chaotic wind cascading across the land. The molten sea below cooled instantly, solidifying into an endless expanse of blackened stone.
A storm of chaotic qi erupted, swirling violently as an entity emerged from the gate.
The being's body was composed entirely of pure white qi. Its long, majestic hair burned like golden flames, while its armor, made of chaotic qi tendrils, radiated an aura of unmatched power.
From its back spread a pair of massive, feathered gray wings, the only part of it resembling flesh.
Though it had no discernible facial features, its gaze seemed to pierce through the layers of hardened magma, locking onto Caine.
BOOOOOM!
The magma bed exploded, forming a massive crater. At its center, a battered and bloodied Caine sat atop a jagged rock, staring up at the celestial figure.
Though his body was weak, his spirit remained unbroken.
He smirked, his voice a faint whisper as he stared at the divine being.
"Just what have I gotten myself into…"