Chapter 517 Annihilation Tribulation!

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Bai Zihan stood before him, gaze calm yet piercing.

For a moment, he said nothing.

Chong Sheng clenched his jaw slightly but said nothing either.

Then Bai Zihan finally spoke.

"Tell me," he said casually, as if asking about something trivial, "how much do you know about Heavenly Tribulation?"

Chong Sheng blinked.

That… was not what he expected.

Of all the things Bai Zihan could ask-

This?

His brows furrowed slightly, but after a brief pause, he answered.

"As far as I know, anyone who tries to break through to the Immortal Realm has to face it."

He shifted slightly, wincing from the pain.

"A test from Heaven. If you pass, you ascend."

"If you fail…"

He let out a faint breath.

"You die!"

His eyes flickered faintly.

"That's all there is to it."

He told the most common knowledge there was.

There were a few things that someone at the level of a Supreme Immortal would know, but he didn't think they needed to be mentioned.

Silence followed.

Bai Zihan watched him for a moment.

Expression unreadable.

Then he asked again.

"What about the Western Region of the continent? Do you know the powerhouse of Western Region?"

Chong Sheng froze for a split second.

A flicker of confusion passed through his eyes.

"Western Region?"

He frowned.

Now that made even less sense.

(Why was he asking this?)

Chong Sheng slowly looked up at Bai Zihan.

Suspicion rising.

He knew about it, but why would Bai Zihan be asking something like this to him?

His current identity was nothing more than a former servant of the Quan Clan.

Now a powerful demonic cultivator-that's all anyone should know.

Why would Bai Zihan ask such a question?

"Young Master Bai, why are you asking this to someone like me?"

Chong Sheng asked.

Then Bai Zihan smiled faintly.

A calm, almost amused smile.

"Don't pretend."

His voice was light.

But it carried weight.

"Chong Sheng…"

A brief pause.

Then-

"Or should I call you-"

His eyes met Chong Sheng's directly.

"Demonic Emperor… or say, former Demonic Emperor?"

Silence!

For a single heartbeat-

The world seemed to stop.

Chong Sheng's pupils shrank violently.

His mind went blank.

Then it hit him.

A realization so sudden, so overwhelming-

It shook him to his core.

His breathing stopped.

His entire body went stiff.

"You…!"

His voice trembled from pure shock.

"How do you know?!"

The words burst out of him.

Disbelief flooded his face.

That identity-

That secret-

It was something no one should know.

Chong Sheng stared at him.

As if seeing him for the first time.

Fear.

Suspicion.

And something deeper- Something far more dangerous-

Began to rise within his eyes.

(How did Bai Zihan know?)

More importantly, when did he get found out, and how?

He should be the only one who knew.

Even if it was someone close to him, either in his previous life or this one, it

should have been impossible for anyone to find out.

Bai Zihan looked absolutely confident, and there was no way he would

randomly say something like this.

Bai Zihan looked at him without the slightest ripple in his expression.

As if Chong Sheng's shock-

His disbelief-

His fear-

Were all meaningless.

"I don't need to tell you that."

His voice was flat.

The faint killing intent that had been suppressed earlier surfaced again.

"You're in no position to question me."

His gaze sharpened slightly.

"I ask."

"You answer."

A brief pause.

Then his voice dropped just a fraction.

"And don't test my patience."

The air grew heavier.

Even in his injured state-

Even after enduring the Heavenly Tribulation-

The pressure Bai Zihan exuded made Chong Sheng's heart tighten.

"I just went through something annoying."

Bai Zihan continued, his tone still even, but with a faint edge beneath it.

"So I'm not in a very good mood."

His eyes locked onto Chong Sheng's.

"So if you try to play dumb again…"

A slight pause.

"I don't know what I'll do to you."

There was no need to raise his voice.

No need to threaten further.

The meaning was already clear.

Chong Sheng swallowed.

His throat felt dry.

"Fine!"

His voice was quieter now.

He understood now.

Bai Zihan already knew too much.

Pretending further was meaningless.

But he wondered how he was found out and was this the reason why Bai Zihan

was hell bent on chasing after him?

It wouldn't have made sense otherwise.

Chong Sheng lowered his gaze slightly, as if organizing his thoughts.

Then he spoke again.

"This time… I'll answer properly."

A brief pause.

Then-

"What most people know about Heavenly Tribulation…"

He said slowly,

"Is just the surface."

His eyes darkened slightly.

"But in truth, it's not just a test. It can be execution or many other things."

Bai Zihan's gaze remained steady.

Chong Sheng continued.

"Many initially consider it a test, but the more talented a person is, the stronger

the Heavenly Tribulation."

"If it were truly a test, it should be the same for everyone, shouldn't it?"

"But it is not. Moreover, sometimes even genuis like me don't face stronger tribulations despite our ability. Many believe it's random."

His voice grew heavier.

"Others think it depends on how much respect one shows to Heaven. Perhaps

doing good things."

"But that isn't necessarily true either. Otherwise, demonic cultivators would be executed every time!"

Bai Zihan's eyes narrowed slightly.

"That's why no matter how strong one is, no one dares to offend Heaven for

the fear of its retribution."

"Especially Heavenly vows are always kept, otherwise they would face terrible conseuences from heaven."

Chong Sheng glanced slightly at Bai Zihan while saying that.

(Still… this monster survived against Heaven.)

He thought.

"Perhaps it all comes down to whether someone has done something that

directly defies Heaven's will."

Silence! The words lingered in the air.

Bai Zihan said nothing. But his eyes grew colder.

Chong Sheng continued, more cautiously now.

"There are also different types of tribulations." "Normal ascension tribulation…"

"Heavenly Punishment…"

"And…"

His gaze flickered faintly.

"Annihilation Tribulation."

"The last one is meant to kill. No chance of survival."

A pause.

Then he looked directly at Bai Zihan. "What you just faced… was very close to that."