The death of Gol D. Turner made all those yet to make their breakthroughs a lot more cautious. Well, almost everyone.
One week later, seemingly without warning, the clouds of Ace's personal dimension converged once again, only this time, whether it was Turner's or Kannal's, the power of their tribulations couldn't compare. It genuinely felt like Heaven wanted the person breaking through dead, no matter the cost.
The person breaking through was Killian. As he looked up at the tribulation forming above his head, it was as though he had forgotten what had happened to Turner the week before; the unphased expression on his face genuinely made it seem like he hadn't put the tribulation in his eyes in any way shape or form.
Giving a reassuring nod to his wife, Killian proceeded to tear a hole in the void so he could face the tribulation in chaotic space to save Ace's dimension from the inevitable devastation it would face.
Realising who it was who was facing the tribulation this time, it went without saying that Ace left seclusion to watch – Killian was his sworn brother, after all. Still, instead of the concern he felt when Kannal and even Turner underwent theirs, Ace was oddly at ease as he watched Killian – despite the fact that his was so much stronger than theirs.
That had nothing to do with the level of care he felt for Killian and everything to do with the amount of trust he had in him. Aside from Amira and Aiden, Killian was the person Ace trusted most, having spent the longest time with him. The moment he saw the composed and confident expression on Killian's face, he knew that Killian would be just fine.
Although the first strike of the Tribulation Killian faced wasn't quite at the level of a Chief Sovereign, it was a clear level above what an Intermediate Sovereign should be capable of. That's right, the first level of Killian's tribulation surpassed the last level of Kannal's, and yet Killian cut the descending, multi-coloured bolt of lightning in two before seemingly bathing in its remnant power.
The moment they saw that, whether it was Ace or the other Overgods, they realised that Killian had actually developed an ingenious body tempering method that utilised the Laws of Lightning, Fire, and Destruction. The effects of which were so incredible that the power of Killian's body was increasing at an overtly noticeable pace.
Then the second strike landed, and Killian not only once again used its power to continue tempering his body, he was actually able to comprehend yet another Concept from it.
When the third strike descended, Killian didn't even bother to defend against it, seemingly unwilling to waste any of the energy inside; in fact, he even went so far as to take off like a bullet into the epicentre of the cloud bathing in its power.
The power in the middle of the cloud was far superior to what Killian would've had to face had he let it finish and descend on him, to the point where Ace and the others powerful enough to see what was happening could see Killian's body tearing apart more and more by the second. Still, none of them felt the need to help him.
Not only was his expression as indifferent as ever, but they could see that as fast as his body was breaking down, it was actually healing just as fast, and more importantly, it was actually growing in power.
By the end, the power of Killian's body had grown to the point where the tribulation was unable to do any harm to him.
What made Ace laugh, though, was the almost disappointed expression on Killian's face as the tribulation disappeared. Still, that disappointment was replaced by excitement and a hint of shock as the natural laws descended, enveloping Killian's body, signifying the bestowal of Heaven's Blessing.
As they watched, everyone couldn't help but feel curious as they wondered if Killian would receive the same blessing as Kannal or if it would be something completely unique to him, but that curiosity quickly disappeared, only to be replaced by a deep sense of shock as they watched a giant phantom of Killian's face appear in the void to his rear.
Everyone knew that a phantom manifesting in such a manner was the symbol of a Divine Ability, but as talented and powerful as he was, it was common knowledge that as far as bloodlines went, Killian was just an ordinary human and, by extension, shouldn't have a Divine Ability. That could only mean one thing – Heaven had actually blessed him with his own unique bloodline. And by the power it radiated, it was one that was no weaker than any other Apex Bloodline.
As the natural laws dissipated, Killian opened his eyes to the almost tangible curiosity of his friends and family. Understanding what they wanted to know, Killian casually explained that his Divine Ability was one that multiplied the power of his already incredibly powerful body 20 times over.
It had to be understood that as a three-way soul-mutate, even before breaking through, Killian had accumulated 15 units of Willpower, and now, upon breaking through to the Lesser Sovereign Realm, his Willpower jumped directly to 45 – that was five more than an ordinary Intermediate Sovereign.
As for his Sovereign Divine Power, it was 100 times that of other Lesser Sovereigns, allowing him to match up to the Sovereign Power of Chief Sovereigns.
As a human, his only weakness should've been his body, but now that weak point had actually become the thing he was most proud of. After the tempering of the Tribulation, his Lesser Sovereign body had reached the level of a human Intermediate Sovereign, but now, when using his Divine Ability, it saw a 20x increase in power, bringing it to the level of a Chief Sovereign Apex Divine Beast.
From that, everyone understood that the blessing one would receive was directly related to the power of the tribulation one overcame.
After that, everyone went back to their respective training. Especially those who were nearing a breakthrough – they decided to hold off on their breakthroughs. This time, though, it wasn't out of fear of death but because they wanted to try and temper their foundations and excavate as much of their hidden potential as physically possible.
Unfortunately, as much as they wanted a blessing as overpowered as Killian's, most knew that it was simply impossible.
One by one, many started pushing for their breakthroughs. Although there were still a few deaths, whether it was those in Linley's or Ace's groups, not a single one of them failed.
Whether it was their inner resolve or their talent, they proved why theirs was considered the strongest generation.
One by one, each of them received their own Heavenly Blessing, each one varying in effect from the purification of their bloodlines to an increase in potential. As a result, the Yulan Plane's position as invincible was officially solidified.
As long as Overgods weren't allowed to compete, even without the support of Ace, even if the Yulan Plane was to take on the entire universe, no one would even think to bet against them.
Still, as happy as he was for his friends and family, Ace's main focus was still on his own training. He was confident in his potential and ability, but he was far from arrogant.
Time continuously flew by, and in the 10,000 years between Ace's fight with Phueus and his upcoming battle with the Overgods of Earth and Lightning, the Yulan Plane wasn't the only one going through changes.
Every few thousand years, a new True Yang Overgod Spark would be born, which, in turn, would bring a new change to the power dynamic of the universe, a fact that was especially true when the experts of the Yulan Plane began to venture out of their home to explore the rest of the universe.
The formerly domineering and arrogant Sovereigns began to learn the importance of humility after several had unwittingly picked fights with several adventuring naturally-born Sovereigns, causing them to subsequently forfeit their lives.
Still, eventually, the date of Ace's battle against the two Overgods approached, and only on the day of, did Ace make an appearance. When he did, Ace was pleased to see the addition of so many new Sovereigns. Many from his own bloodline, but several from other factions and clans of his Yulan Plane. Each of whom was excited to personally get the chance to watch the Legend that was Gol D. Ace in action.
Last time, although they got to witness it via Bluefire's impartation, the only ones who got to witness it first-hand were Ace's closest friends and family, but this time, all those who had reached the level of a Sovereign were being allowed to witness.
The other difference Ace noted was that, as opposed to last time, when everyone was a little hesitant and concerned about whether Ace would be strong enough to emerge victorious, this time, there was no concern; everyone was completely confident.
It wasn't just them either; it could be said that virtually every being in the universe was confident that Ace would come out victorious!
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