For a brief moment, he wondered whether he had gone too far, but regret could no longer change anything. The tribulation had already begun, and retreat was impossible. At this point, the only choice left was to face it head-on and push forward with everything he had.

ROOOOOOAAARRRR!!! 

A thunderclap rolled through the sky like the roar of an ancient beast. From within the clouds, the beast, resembling both a mountain goat and an elk, surged forward on four massive legs. Its body was covered in black scales, and each heavy step sent ripples through the surrounding thunderclouds. Lightning crackled in its wake, and even the air seemed to warp under the weight of its approach.

Luo Chen's expression tightened. The pressure bearing down on him had grown too great for him to maintain his one-handed seal, so he temporarily halted the formation of his Nascent Soul and thrust both fully charged origin energy palms forward as he prepared to meet the beast head-on.

Just before they collided, his expression suddenly shifted.

Huummmm…

A small gray cauldron appeared and spun rapidly as it turned its mouth and charged toward the beast. With no time to change course, the beast plunged straight inside and vanished from sight. 

Luo Chen froze at the scene. For a moment, he could not process what had just happened. He had already steeled himself to gamble everything against the final blow of the tribulation. Yet at...