The universe is vast and boundless.
Not to mention ordinary cultivators, even an Ancient Monarch, a cosmic overlord standing at the peak of the pyramid, could not set foot in every corner of the universe in their entire lifetime—not even one or two-tenths of it.
The universe is too vast, always concealing far too many unknown regions, and also harboring cosmic mysteries that are difficult for the world to comprehend.
Deep within the cosmic starry sky, there exists an extremely mysterious ancient domain. From antiquity to the present, the outside world has found it difficult to set foot in this ancient domain.
Only at the correct location, at the correct time, and with the correct person, does one have the qualification to step into this ancient and mysterious domain that is indescribable.
Those people must, once every ten thousand years, traverse the numerous perils of the path known as the most difficult ancient road, undergo the strongest trials left by many Supreme Ones, before they can truly descend upon this mysterious ancient domain to engage in the strongest contention since ancient times, competing for the heaven-defying immortal fate jointly left by many supreme existences.
It can be foreseen that the existence of these people, competing and shining against each other, will bloom with the most brilliant radiance.
The ancient domain is vast and boundless, unimaginably large, even more magnificent and immeasurable than a series of star domains combined.
The ancient domain is permeated with an eternal, undying aura of vicissitudes. It has existed for who knows how many tens of thousands of years, so ancient it is difficult to trace. It has boundless oceans, towering mountains and great peaks that stand above star domains. From the primordial times to the present, too many legends have existed on this land.
Roar—
On the great earth, a mountain range suddenly rose up, shaking the surrounding area for thousands of li.
Visible to the naked eye, countless rocks tumbled down from the mountain range. That was no mountain range at all, but a flying dragon! It had a body as thick as a mountain range, covered in grayish-white scales, and behind it spread a pair of wings that blotted out the sky and sun, casting a vast shadow on the earth as it soared into the sky.
Without a doubt, this was a terrifying flying dragon, its body flowing with dense dragon bloodline, belonging to a sub-dragon, far beyond what a mere demonic flood dragon could compare to. It vanished into the clouds above, swiftly flying towards the distance.
A giant elephant comparable to a mountain range drank water from a lake. It bore dragon scales—it was the legendary primordial exotic beast, the Dragon Elephant. From a young age, it possessed the power to split mountains; when fully grown, it could easily shatter stars. It was a legendary ancient beast.
Just as it was drinking, a massive shadow suddenly appeared within the lake. Before the Dragon Elephant could react, a huge head shot out like lightning, swallowing the Dragon Elephant by the lakeside in one gulp.
This head had horns—it was a dragon head, with dragon whiskers fluttering. As the lake churned violently, a tortoise shell, far larger than a mountain range and covered in ferocious barbs, appeared. It was actually a terrifying Dragon Turtle, even more fearsome than the Dragon Elephant.
And all of this was merely the tip of the iceberg of the mysterious ancient domain. This place was like the legendary cosmic primordial land, with all sorts of ancient beasts and exotic beasts emerging endlessly, all rare breeds in the world with extraordinarily powerful bloodlines.
Although these exotic beasts and ancient beasts were powerful, they had corresponding territorial limits. Generally, they only lived within the primordial lands. Deeper within the ancient domain, there was a land where myriad races stood in rivalry, extraordinarily prosperous and powerful.
The myriad races had built a massive, imposing pass, spanning who knows how many tens of thousands of li, extending boundlessly. The pass was so high it was almost insurmountable, nearly reaching the heavens, separating the prosperous inner regions from the primordial lands.
That was a joint effort by the ancient supreme powerhouses of various races to prevent the terrifying fierce beasts and exotic beasts outside the pass from entering and devouring the myriad races as blood food.
Because in the more distant ancient past, before this pass stood, these ancient beasts and exotic beasts from the primordial lands would constantly enter the deeper regions, continuously hunting the myriad races' living beings as blood food, once turning it into a hunting ground for primordial fierce beasts and the like.
It wasn't until later, when the various races rose and supreme powerhouses emerged one after another, uniting to build this continuous, undying pass, that this ongoing occurrence was stopped, allowing the myriad races to continuously grow stronger to this day.
Outside the pass, there was a vast, boundless ocean spanning between the pass and the primordial lands, known as the Primordial Divine Sea.
It was rumored to be a divine sea left behind by a supreme emperor of antiquity. It was perpetually filled with raging waves and towering billows, with boundless storms sweeping across, extremely terrifying and astonishing.
Moreover, the depths of the Primordial Divine Sea also hid many dangerous places, and fearsome sea beasts roamed there.
Even the fierce beasts and exotic beasts from the primordial lands would not lightly set foot in this Primordial Divine Sea.
Therefore, the Primordial Divine Sea was also one of the important defensive lines intercepting the ancient beasts and fierce beasts of the primordial lands from entering the pass.
However, while the Primordial Divine Sea was perilous, it also contained countless treasures. Precious divine materials for artifact forging, mineral deposits, heaven and earth exotic treasures, rare and exotic beasts, and so on—each possessed unparalleled, immense value. Some among them were even enough to stir the hearts of supreme existences like Ancient Monarchs.
Precisely because of this, although the Primordial Divine Sea was quite dangerous, many cultivators from inside the pass still chose to venture outside the pass, setting foot into the Primordial Divine Sea to collect those precious exotic treasures, hoping to sell them for an astronomical price inside the pass.
Naturally, this also gave rise to pirates, specializing in murder and plunder, waylaying and killing those treasure collectors for the treasures they had gathered.
Although these pirates were often detested and loathed, many who could become pirates possessed considerable cultivation strength. Because of this, they inspired fear and dread.
Within the Primordial Divine Sea, vast and boundless, due to the existence of countless rare treasures and the emergence of primordial pirates, incidents of people being waylaid and robbed occurred almost every day, truly innumerable.
Just like on this day, a ship only about ten zhang long, its hull ancient but inscribed with many Dao patterns, sped swiftly across the Primordial Divine Sea, where terrifying waves rose from time to time, rapidly heading towards the direction of the pass.
On the small ship, there were several dozen figures, without exception, all true human cultivators.
The human race, no matter where they were, always displayed remarkable prowess. Even in this vast ancient domain, they still had their place.
Among these humans, there were men and women, old and young, about thirty people in total. However, each wore a grave expression. Several of the younger men and women, their faces still bearing traces of childishness, even had unconcealable panic faintly visible.
Because, several hundred li behind their ship, there was a ship about a hundred zhang long, pitch-black all over, appearing quite sturdy, even extending several black, ominous Divine Energy Cannons, fully armed.
On the tall flagpole, a skull-and-crossbones flag was hoisted. What else could it be if not the notorious primordial pirates?
Clearly, these humans were being pursued by primordial pirates. Once caught up with, nine times out of ten, they would be killed and robbed.
That consequence was obviously not what they wanted to see.
And it was also evident that the primordial pirates were far more powerful than the humans. The pirate ship was faster, closing in on the human ship at an astonishing speed, riding the wind and waves.
Everyone on the ship wore panicked expressions. Once caught up, probably everyone on the entire ship would be killed by those primordial pirates.
"What do we do? We're about to be caught up by those primordial pirates."
"We only went to the Zhanglan Sea to collect some Heavenly Flame Bright Pearls. That sea area has never been known to have pirates appearing. Who would have thought they'd show up this time and even target us? We're really unlucky."
"Look at that pirate ship, it bears the seven swords emblem. It's very likely the people of the Yellow Sea Seven Demons Pirates!"
Many were flustered and panicked, especially when mentioning the Yellow Sea Seven Demons. That was a pirate organization quite famous even within the Primordial Divine Sea, quite powerful.
Moreover, over the years, countless cultivators from various races had died at the hands of the Yellow Sea Seven Demons Pirates. Therefore, those who went out to sea to collect treasures would turn pale with fear upon encountering them.
It's just that these human cultivators never expected that on this trip to the Zhanglan Sea, an area where pirates rarely appeared, they would actually run into the fearsome pirate organization, the Yellow Sea Seven Demons Pirates. Moreover, they had been pursued for thousands of li and were still being relentlessly chased.
If not for the Primordial Divine Sea always having raging waves and constant storms, and some sea areas harboring terrifying sea beasts that made these primordial pirates quite wary, and if they hadn't dared to charge straight through, they would have been caught long ago.
"Grandfather!"
On the ship, there was a young girl, seemingly only sixteen years of age, quite youthful and beautiful. She wore simple clothes, yet her figure was graceful, her face lovely—a beautiful young girl, appearing pure and simple. At this moment, she looked towards the white-haired elder steering the ship, her beautiful little face showing a trace of worry.
She had grown up by her grandfather's side since childhood. Although she had experienced many dangers, encountering a peril like this where the entire ship could be wiped out at any moment was a first.
Moreover, she had also heard that these primordial pirates not only robbed and killed but also had a fondness for women. If captured, she would likely suffer humiliation—an unthinkable prospect.
Being young, facing such a crisis inevitably brought panic and anxiety.
Not just the young girl, but the other youths of similar age who had come along were the same.
Although being selected to board the ship and venture out to sea meant they were considered outstanding among the younger generation of their tribe, with cultivation far from ordinary, their tribe was ultimately just a small tribe. In a vast place like the Primordial Divine Sea, they could only be considered average.
And after all, they were young, with little experience. How could they compare to those old monsters who had lived for thousands or even tens of thousands of years, with their deep cunning? At this moment, being able to not cry or tremble in fear was already quite good.
The elder steering the ship was the person with the highest cultivation on board, also a elder from the small tribe called Xia Sang where all the human cultivators on the ship came from. Although he also knew it was the Yellow Sea Seven Demons Pirates organization and felt some panic in his heart, he understood that now was not the time for panic. At the very least, he had to maintain calm on the surface, acting as a stabilizing force for these people. Otherwise, everyone would surely become even more flustered, making things more troublesome.
The elder looked at the young girl and smiled gently, "Muer, don't worry. Mere pirates can't threaten us. As long as we return under the city pass, even the most powerful Chaos Sea Five Kings of the Primordial Divine Sea wouldn't dare chase us up there."
Upon hearing this, the slightly uneasy heart of the girl, Muer, settled down. In her mind, the grandfather who had watched over her since childhood was the strongest person. Even if the sky fell, her grandfather could hold it up for her.
However, the Yellow Sea Seven Demons pirate ship behind them was getting closer and closer, rapidly approaching. The distance between them was now less than three hundred li.
Moreover, everyone on the ship clearly saw that on that massive pirate ship, several pitch-black objects had appeared—Divine Energy Cannons. And the Divine Energy Cannons here were far beyond comparable to those from the outside world, their power absurdly great.
Seeing this, everyone on the ship felt their hearts sink, even the tribal elder steering the ship. Once hit by those Divine Energy Cannons, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Boom—
Suddenly, far ahead in the distance, terrifying fluctuations exploded.
Both the fleeing human ship and the pursuing Yellow Sea Seven Demons pirate ship behind were stunned. Because visible to the naked eye, on the sea area less than a thousand li ahead, the sky, already overcast with dark clouds, suddenly split open. Extremely brilliant light shone forth.
However, that light was countless heavenly thunderbolts! Streak after streak, like giant dragons, innumerable, endless, overwhelming the sky and earth as they poured down, directly overwhelming that vast sea area spanning thousands of li in radius, causing terrifying, towering waves to explode upwards.
Boundless, towering waves continuously rose, vast and mighty, easily shaking to heights of thousands of zhang, as if they could soar straight up ninety thousand li—truly terrifying.
"Such terrifying heavenly thunder! Is someone undergoing a tribulation?"
"Tribulation? Being able to undergo such a terrifying heavenly tribulation is rare throughout ancient and modern times. Could it be one of those unparalleled Heaven's Prides from the outside world, or a supreme prodigy from the myriad races?"
"Even if it's those people undergoing tribulation, to draw down such a terrifying heavenly tribulation, they must be a Heaven's Pride among Heaven's Prides, a monster among monsters!"
"Perhaps it's one of the supreme powerhouses among the myriad races undergoing tribulation, creating such a terrifying tribulation spectacle!"
The people on the human ship were all exclaiming in amazement, faces filled with disbelief and shock.
Here was different from the outside world. Those who could undergo tribulation were all truly outstanding individuals; ordinary Heaven's Prides and prodigies didn't even have the qualification to undergo tribulation.
Naturally, the numerous primordial pirates on the pursuing Yellow Sea Seven Demons pirate ship were also shocked and awed. They immediately stopped the pirate ship, not daring to advance an inch.
Boom—
Endless heavenly thunder poured down like a waterfall, overwhelming all directions.
Any single streak of heavenly thunder appeared as thick as a mountain range, containing ultimate terrifying power, capable of killing anyone on the human ancient ship or the pirate ship behind.
Now, thousands upon thousands, even more, poured down together. The terrifying destructive divine might could be called world-shattering without exaggeration.
In this world, how many people could withstand it?
Amidst it all, whether the people on the human ship or those on the Yellow Sea Seven Demons pirate ship behind, vaguely saw several human figures within the vast heavenly thunder, soaring into the sky, contending against the boundless heavenly thunder, exploding with vast destructive light.
One among them was especially peerlessly domineering. Vaguely, one could see black hair like a waterfall, a divine bearing that overshadowed the world. He actually used a pair of fists to contend against the boundless heavenly thunder, tearing through the void, shattering the firmament—extremely terrifying.
Too powerful! It was just like the legendary deities, fearless against the destructive, vast heavenly tribulation bombardment, even charging forward courageously, leaving everyone who saw it feeling shocked to the core.
After a long while, a mighty, long roar emanated from within the heavenly thunder.
As if in a trance, they saw primal chaos ancient qi explode, overwhelming the nine heavens and ten earths. That majestic, towering figure of a peerless personage had an ancient, simple great cauldron surge up from above his head. Primal chaos ancient qi coiled around it, and the manifestation of all the heavens' stars also appeared, circling it as if containing an ancient great world. It spanned the long sky, intercepting the boundless heavenly thunder.
Then, under the utterly horrified gazes of everyone, it devoured all the remaining heavenly thunder in one go.
In an instant, the sea area that had been like a waterfall of heavenly thunder returned to its original appearance. Although still with raging waves, it seemed much calmer.
Only after a full half-day had passed did the thirty-some people on the human ship and the hundreds of primordial pirates on the Yellow Sea Seven Demons pirate ship behind slowly snap out of it.
At this moment, those peerless powerhouses who had been struggling through the crossing of the great tribulation had long since vanished. Yet that scene remained deeply imprinted in everyone's minds, difficult to shake off and forget.
What level of terrifying cultivation must those peerless powerhouses have possessed to accomplish that? That level of cultivation was surely enough to dominate the Primordial Divine Sea.
Probably only those reclusive seniors who cultivated in seclusion for tens of thousands of years at a time could achieve that, comparable even to the Chaos Sea Five Kings deep within the Primordial Divine Sea!
Only at this moment did the many human cultivators on the human ship remember. They hurriedly sped forward, swift as the wind, towards the area ahead where the tribulation crossing had taken place.
Although they didn't know if that senior had already left, or perhaps might even continue undergoing tribulation—after all, some reclusive powerhouses secluded themselves for tens of thousands of years at a time, like "a day in the cave, a thousand years in the world," where ten thousand years of vicissitudes were nothing strange.
And once these old seniors emerged from bitter cultivation, they might undergo tribulation several times in succession, breaking through many cultivation levels at once.
And that kind of tribulation crossing would certainly be very dangerous, like before, easily capable of scorching the heavens and boiling the seas, effortlessly annihilating people like them.
However, crisis represented opportunity within danger. The humans were currently in a dangerous situation, being pursued by the Yellow Sea Seven Demons Pirates. Perhaps by heading to the tribulation crossing site of that old senior, they could also take the opportunity to intimidate those pirates, making them dare not pursue further.
Sure enough, seeing them continue towards the tribulation crossing site, the Yellow Sea Seven Demons Pirates less than three hundred li behind stopped. Clearly wary, they gazed deeply from afar, neither advancing nor retreating.
Obviously, they also hoped these people would know the difficulty and retreat, waiting like a fool for a hare to bump into a tree stump.
Seeing this, the many human cultivators on the human ship wore ugly expressions. They could only brace themselves and sail deeper in. Otherwise, turning back would surely mean death at the hands of those primordial pirates.
Entering, perhaps there was still a sliver of hope—the hope that those old seniors would be magnanimous and not blame them.