Thousand-Mile Scatter, the famed artifact of Ninefold Palace, is almost useless compared to pseudo-Immortal artifacts, so the Ninefold Palace members usually pay it little mind.
But the reason it comes to mind now is because of its unique properties.
It can disperse a single force into countless smaller streams. If the Funnel just now was about gathering and amplifying power, this artifact is about scattering it.
The reason everyone thinks of it at this moment is precisely because of this effect.
The group plans to use the artifact to overwhelm the strong cultivator with sheer numbers, so the Ninefold Palace member takes control while the others prepare themselves.
Just as Evan Yang was undergoing his Eighth Tribulation, the sky suddenly filled with what looked like a rain of spiritual stars, all falling down from above.
The surrounding people were shocked and rushed forward to block the attacks, but there were simply too many. Even the powerful protector could only handle part of them, since they were fast and numerous.
Even with the protector shielding him, Evan Yang still got hit. When everyone saw something strike Evan Yang, they were alarmed, while those in the void were delighted—they finally found an opening. But their hopes were dashed: these scattered attacks were nothing to Evan Yang.
The Ninefold Palace and others thought Evan Yang, having reached the Eighth Tribulation, must be weak—just a little extra damage would surely make him fail the tribulation.
But Evan Yang was not weak at all; his body was still at the peak of the Seventh Tribulation, and he was actively absorbing the lightning of the Eighth.
Seeing that Evan Yang was unharmed, the Genius Pavilion members finally relaxed, while those in the sky were shocked—this was simply unbelievable.
At that moment, the old woman sent a message into the void: "If you keep interfering, I'll bury all of you."
It was the first time the old woman had spoken so directly to protect Evan Yang. No one dared make another move unless they wanted to die.
All they could do was look at each other and watch Evan Yang from afar under the void. Meanwhile, Evan Yang kept absorbing the lightning; the strikes had no effect on him at all.
"What do we do now?" The Ninefold Palace member frowned.
"We can only wait," sighed the Heaven-Mystic Palace member. The others could only sigh helplessly as well.
As Evan Yang finished the Eighth Tribulation, the Ninefold Palace and others could only admit defeat, while the Genius Pavilion members were overjoyed. Just then, the tribulation clouds didn't disperse—instead, another one formed.
"The Ninth Tribulation?" Everyone showed fear, the Genius Pavilion members' mouths hung open in disbelief, and even the old woman was a bit surprised, muttering, "This kid—just what is his background? Four tribulations in a row? Even the Immortal Realm hasn't seen that in ages."
Evan Yang, seeing the Ninth Tribulation arrive, wasn't worried at all. Instead, he smiled and said, "Good."
So everyone saw Evan Yang smiling as he faced the tribulation, seemingly ignoring how terrifying the Ninth Tribulation really was. Each lightning bolt was at least as thick as five or six people, and the later ones were even thicker—especially the last bolt of the classic 'ninety-nine, eighty-one tribulation.'
With a deafening boom, the nine clouds erupted, unleashing the final lightning bolt—thicker than a dozen people—which enveloped Evan Yang inside. The sight dazzled everyone; most couldn't bear to keep their eyes open.
As for Evan Yang, he was inside absorbing that last bolt of lightning—there wouldn't be another chance like this. After all, he'd survived all eighty-one bolts of the classic tribulation, reaching the Ninth Tribulation's ninth stage. Now, as long as he waited a hundred years, he'd automatically step into the Pseudo-Immortal Stage, though some would advance even sooner.
At this moment, the Genius Pavilion erupted in joy—it was finally their time to shine. Evan Yang, who had only joined the Pavilion recently, had chained several tribulations and reached the final realm of Nine Tribulations. It was beyond their wildest dreams.
Seeing the expressions on the Genius Pavilion members' faces, Evan Yang felt a surge of happiness and gratitude. After all, they had allowed him into the Pavilion's mysterious place.
In that place, Evan Yang mastered the Wordless Heavenly Tome. With a single thought, he could scan through the text, though he couldn't write or speak it. Still, its effects were obvious—it boosted his cultivation. Over twenty thousand years, while training, Evan Yang had always used this method.
"Hoo." Evan Yang withdrew his aura, looked at the dispersing black clouds, and smiled up at those in the void: "You wanted to attack me? Well, now it's my turn!"
Evan Yang's words clearly frightened them. They all knew he was a Violet Seventh-Tier genius; in a one-on-one fight, none could match him now at Nine Tribulations. But they considered teaming up, so the old guy from Ninefold Palace laughed, "Kid, besides hiding behind others, what else can you do?"
Everyone understood what he meant—he was referring to the mysterious senior who protected Evan Yang, and how Evan Yang stayed on Genius Star, not daring to leave.
Evan Yang laughed, "I'll come out right now."
"Grand Pavilion Lord, don't!" The Pavilion Master and others worried that Evan Yang had just finished his tribulation and might be weakened, and even the old woman didn’t support him going out right now.
So someone said to Evan Yang, "Don't try to show off."
"Senior, don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Evan Yang replied with a smile. As soon as he finished, he flashed upward from below and arrived in the void.
Up in the void, Evan Yang looked at the four people—he knew all of them. Three were from the Three Palaces, and one was the Yellow Immortal Gate Sect Master.
"Hand it over? If you hadn't suppressed me back then, I never would've found it." Evan Yang laughed.
"Damn it, you're dead today." The Yellow Immortal Gate Sect Master knew Evan Yang had entered the Nine Tribulations, but he himself had been in the Pseudo-Immortal Stage for years. With the Three Palaces experts on his side, taking down Evan Yang shouldn't be that hard.
"Ready?" Evan Yang smiled, seeing they hadn't made a move yet.
Four Pseudo-Immortal Stage experts attacked Evan Yang at once. The people below were shocked and terrified, but their strength wasn't enough—they could only look to the old woman.
"No need, this is something he must experience." Seeing Evan Yang's aura hadn't weakened, the old woman had already decided to let Evan Yang face it alone.
The Genius Pavilion members didn't know what the senior meant—were they just going to watch a genius fall like this? After all, Evan Yang had just finished his tribulation and might be weakened.
The battle had already begun in the void. Evan Yang moved among the four, completely at ease—not at all like someone besieged. Instead, it was as if Evan Yang was toying with them.
After all, the Ninth Tribulation's ninth stage isn't far from the Pseudo-Immortal Stage—the main difference is the hundred-year gap and the accumulation of power after years in the Pseudo-Immortal Stage.
Of the four, only the Yellow Immortal Gate Sect Master had years in the Pseudo-Immortal Stage—the other three had only entered recently. They couldn't keep up with Evan Yang's speed and were repeatedly thrown aside, their faces turning ashen. Even the Yellow Immortal Gate Sect Master, though stronger, was no match for Evan Yang.
The three were easily injured by Evan Yang, while the Yellow Immortal Gate Sect Master shouted in shock, "Take this!"
He summoned a mountain above Evan Yang's head, but Evan Yang sneered, "Still using this? That's old news!"
Evan Yang shattered the mountain with a single punch. Now, his strength was sixteen thousand times that of an ordinary Pseudo-Immortal Stage expert—this mountain was nothing to him.
"Four tribulations in a row—my strength really is different now," Evan Yang thought to himself. The Yellow Immortal Gate Sect Master stared at Evan Yang in disbelief, "You..."
"Now it's my turn!" Evan Yang said, waving his hand. An even larger mountain appeared above the Sect Master's head. The Sect Master was shocked, "You learned it?"
"You guessed right—down you go!" Evan Yang snorted. The mountain dropped onto the Sect Master, its sparks scorching the concrete as it fell.
With a crash, a new mountain appeared in a remote spot on Genius Star, pinning the Sect Master underneath.
Evan Yang knew he hadn't killed him—earth cultivators are hard to kill as long as there's earth around. Evan Yang waved his hand and the mountain vanished. Sure enough, the Sect Master emerged, covered in blood but alive, wrapped in stone armor.
"Stop hiding in there. If your shell breaks next time, that's the end for you," Evan Yang said coldly.
The Sect Master withdrew his stone armor, staring at Evan Yang in terror. "I—I was wrong, please let me go."
"Let you go? That would be too easy. What if you come back to trouble the Genius Pavilion again?" Evan Yang snorted.
Evan Yang ignored him, sealing his cultivation. He dragged over the three injured Palace experts as well. The four lay there, staring at Evan Yang in terror.
Everyone on Genius Star was stunned, including the old woman. It was hard to imagine how terrifying Evan Yang had become after enduring the tribulation.
"Now that I've defeated all four of you, I can let you go—but you must drop your prejudice against the Genius Pavilion. Otherwise, I'll destroy your sects," Evan Yang said.
"Just saying it isn't enough. I'll record your promises," Evan Yang laughed. He recorded their embarrassing statements onto a wooden block and handed it to the Pavilion Master. "If they ever try anything again, just release this."
"You all heard it—now you know what to do. If you don't behave, you'll see what this block can do," Evan Yang said.
After Evan Yang unsealed them, the four dragged their injured bodies away.
Cheers erupted. Evan Yang's victory meant the Genius Pavilion could finally stand on its own, no longer needing to bow to the Three Palaces.
Seeing everyone's expressions, Evan Yang finally felt he'd repaid the Genius Pavilion for everything.
"Kid, come with me," the old woman suddenly sent a message to Evan Yang. He had planned to chat with the Pavilion Master and others, but now he had to find an excuse to leave.
Evan Yang followed the old woman out. The Genius Pavilion members watched them leave, wondering what the powerful senior wanted from Evan Yang.