The Divine Knight stood suspended in the air. Bolt after bolt of lightning, thick as mountain ridges, descended from the heavens, crashing down, followed by a vast, oceanic deluge falling from above — this was the world-shocking Great Sage Tribulation.

Everyone stood frozen in shock. Who was this? All eyes were fixed upon him. Many did not recognize him, having never seen his true form before.

“He’s actually this powerful — is he undergoing the legendary Great Sage Tribulation?!”

Everyone was utterly stunned. Just how powerful must one be to summon such a terrifying sea of lightning, as if the very heavens themselves were about to crash down.

In this single instant, the boundless sea of lightning, surging chaotic qi tearing apart heaven and earth, blazing light without bound or border, cascaded downward. This was an aura that chilled one to the bone — even from an immeasurable distance, one could sense that heavenly might!

Choosing this moment to undergo tribulation, descending tens of thousands of zhang of lightning before Mount Sumeru, everyone was shaken — this person could truly be called audacious beyond measure.

Most shocking of all was the sheer power of this heavenly tribulation — vast and boundless beyond imagining. What began as lightning bolts thick as mountain ridges had now grown to resemble heaven and earth overturning, the eternal cosmos itself crashing down.

This was a world of great heavenly thunder, thunder everywhere, heavenly punishment on all sides, forming mountains and seas, vast and unfathomable.

The Great Sage Tribulation was rare; few in the world had ever witnessed one. Those undergoing such tribulation would typically choose an uninhabited region, risking their very lives, fighting with everything they had, taking great care to guard against interference.

Such a vast heavenly tribulation, and yet the Divine Knight remained this composed — it was impossible not to provoke astonishment and discussion.

Only Ye Fan understood the Divine Knight’s extraordinary past — he had truly been suppressed far too severely. Had he cultivated anywhere other than Earth, his achievements would already have shocked the world long ago.

“If he can break through such a powerful tribulation, the world will gain another truly terrifying Great Sage.”

At this moment, the sages beyond the mortal realm all changed expression, and even the ancient myriad clans were struck with dread — the Divine Knight’s great tribulation was too extraordinary, even accompanied by the strange omen of nine suns crossing the sky together.

Finally, the tenth wheel of the great sun appeared, making his entire body dazzling, as if cast from gold, his golden hair dancing wildly, as if he were about to ascend to immortality.

He held his dragon spear, pointing obliquely toward the southern sky, resisting this great heavenly tribulation, facing heaven’s might with his own body, without a trace of fear.

“RUMBLE!”

As if heaven and earth were being carved anew, the sea of lightning rolled on, vast and boundless, chaotic qi surging violently. At its very center, the Divine Knight stood supreme and sacred, looking down upon heaven’s punishment, his eyes sharp and intimidating.

Ten wheels of heavenly suns hung side by side in the sky, so blinding that people could not open their eyes — this was a display of grand cosmic power. Whoever encountered such extraordinary phenomena while undergoing tribulation would surely become renowned throughout the ages, unmatched in strength.

“This person is too terrifying — he can actually suppress his own cultivation realm, choosing the time and place himself, controlling the rhythm of his own heavenly tribulation, only now releasing it.”

The boundless sea of lightning crashed down toward Mount Sumeru. Everyone understood clearly that the Divine Knight intended to use his heavenly tribulation to strike at the Buddhist faith. If this triggered that religion’s imperial artifacts to undergo tribulation together with him, it would be a catastrophic outcome.

Ye Fan, Ji Ziyue, Princess Shencan, the Undying Elder, and the others had already received a secret transmission from the Divine Knight beforehand, and all retreated with their imperial artifacts in hand, not daring to let even a trace of the tribulation touch them.

The boundless sea of lightning crashed down, shaking Mount Sumeru with thunderous roars, yet it remained standing firm, utterly unmoved. Everyone watching was left in shocked astonishment — though they had known the Buddhist pure land could not be breached, witnessing this kind of heavenly punishment firsthand still left them unsettled.

This was, after all, a Great Sage Tribulation, its bolts of lightning boundless and immeasurable, and yet it could not destroy so much as a single blade of grass on Mount Sumeru — truly astounding to behold.

Mount Sumeru possessed something akin to a heaven-deceiving formation pattern; otherwise it wouldn’t have remained unscathed like this.

“RUMBLE!”

At this moment, Mount Sumeru’s power of faith suddenly surged upward against all expectation, sweeping across the ten directions of the firmament, nearly burning away the entire sea of lightning in a single stroke.

Everyone was left dumbfounded, unable to believe what they were seeing — Mount Sumeru was too powerful. What manner of talismanic script had it unleashed, actually devouring a heavenly tribulation?

The oceanic power of faith swept across heaven’s punishment, surging upstream against it.

An even more terrifying tribulation descended, striking at the Divine Knight, crashing into Mount Sumeru, endless and without limit, like wave after wave of galaxies, growing ever more powerful.

This great tribulation lasted a full two hours. The Divine Knight successfully advanced, becoming a Great Sage, and immediately reached the second heavenly layer of the Great Sage realm, directly crossing over one entire tier.

Unfortunately, no matter how endless the heavenly tribulation, it could not harm Mount Sumeru in the slightest — the towering mountain stood as if nothing at all had happened.

Everyone let out a sigh. The Divine Knight was astonishing, but it was simply impossible to actually destroy Mount Sumeru through tribulation alone — even Ye Fan, relying on his own humanoid lightning imperial tribulation, likely couldn’t manage it either.

Mount Sumeru was an impenetrable fortress — for the moment, there was nothing to be done about it.

The Divine Knight repaired his injured body, replenished his divine energy, and finally his qi and blood surged to their peak, his aura reaching its own personal limit. Once all this was complete, he did not retreat — instead, he asked Ye Fan and the others to reinforce and protect him with their imperial artifacts, aiding him in his endeavor.

The Divine Knight sat in solemn, dignified meditation, suspended in the void, chanting incantations, facing Mount Sumeru.

“What is he trying to do — does he really intend to shake the Buddhist faith through his own strength alone?” Many were dismissive, for although the sages beyond the mortal realm all acknowledged his formidable strength, attempting to destroy Mount Sumeru would be no different from an ant trying to topple a great tree.

Yet something bewildering and unbelievable happened. Upon Mount Sumeru, strand after strand of Buddha-power transformed into rays of light rain, shooting out in all four directions.

At once, people present let out gasps of astonishment. As the light rain fell, it felt like a spring breeze, carrying with it a sense of harmony and peace.

“Reciprocation!”

Soon, everyone understood what the Divine Knight was doing — he was actually able to reverse the power of faith, breaking it down, transforming it into light rain scattering in all directions, blessing all living beings.

This was a reverse process — Mount Sumeru accumulated power of faith, while he was doing the exact opposite, dissolving it, spreading it across all ten directions.

“Boom!”

Within Mount Sumeru, the old monk Moke could no longer sit still, immediately unleashing a Great Sage’s fist strike at the Divine Knight, attempting to block this bizarre technique.

“Hiss!”

Ye Fan slashed out with his sword at once. Standing right beside him, guarding the Divine Knight, how could he possibly allow a Buddhist Great Sage to succeed? He split apart that massive fist of light.

“This is undermining Mount Sumeru’s very foundation, dissolving this place from its very roots!” Everyone perceived the profound implications of this, all utterly shocked — who was this person, and how did he possess such a method?

Many were astonished, feeling this was simply unbelievable — this was undoubtedly a forbidden method of the Buddhist faith, something outsiders should have had no way of knowing. This golden-haired man was truly extraordinary.

Ye Fan naturally understood the reason. Where did the Divine Knight come from? The Vatican — likewise a sacred land that gathered power of faith. Of course he wouldn’t be unfamiliar with such mysteries.

The Divine Knight’s own cultivation didn’t rely on power of faith, but having grown up in such an environment, how could he not understand these forbidden secrets? Naturally, he now possessed a “reverse method.”

Princess Shencan, the Undying Elder, Ji Ziyue, and the others all stood by his side, protecting him with dharma, reinforcing him with their imperial weapons, mysterious and powerful radiance flowing out, surrounding him.

Imperial artifacts could not only be used for attack — they could also channel gentle, nurturing power, and when used properly, could bless and benefit others as well.

When people spoke of the might of the ancient Great Emperors, they always thought of their world-shaking combat prowess — destroying galaxies, reopening the heavens, believing that the slightest movement from them would cause vast stretches of stars to fall from the sky.

Clearly, this was too extreme a way of looking at things. If that were truly the case, how could the ancient Great Emperors have ever lived with family and friends? Their power naturally also manifested in nurturing all things.

Some believed the ancient Great Emperors were too powerful to ever marry and have children — this too was clearly a one-sided way of looking at things.

They could bring withered trees back to life, make fallen flowers bloom again, restore the elderly and decrepit to youthful vigor — their power manifested not only in supreme hardness and slaughter, but also in nurturing things silently, gently and peacefully.

Princess Shencan and Ji Ziyue both reinforced him with their imperial artifacts, flowing hazy mist that reinforced the Divine Knight’s body, helping him channel his dharma power, dissolving Mount Sumeru’s mental force.

Ye Fan retreated. His Slaughter Sword was truly difficult to control — compared to other imperial weapons, it was far too unusual, its killing intent too heavy. One misstep, and instead of nurturing the Divine Knight, it might shatter him into dust.

“RUMBLE!”

With the aid of the imperial artifacts, the Divine Knight’s dharma power surged forward like a vast ocean, rushing quickly toward Mount Sumeru. The instant it made contact with the mental force, it erupted into boundless light rain, scattering in all four directions.

“What’s happening?”

On this very day, across the entire Western Desert, mortal men and women, young and old, were all struck with astonishment. The light rain touched their bodies, easing countless ailments, filling them with renewed vigor and spirit.

This was the mental force they had devoutly contributed through worship of the Buddha, now being “reciprocated” — naturally, they felt an entirely different sensation in this instant.

Before Mount Sumeru, countless cultivators were shocked as well. Many of them were also drenched by the light rain, feeling utterly refreshed and comfortable to the extreme. Mount Sumeru was now “giving,” reversing its past tendency of only “taking.”

Only by witnessing this firsthand could one understand just how terrifying this reversal truly was, what it truly meant. Everyone was left in awe of the Divine Knight’s methods — he had actually managed to shake Mount Sumeru’s mental force loose.

“Amitabha!” the old monk Moke chanted a Buddhist mantra. The Great Peacock Enlightened King’s expression, meanwhile, remained cold and indifferent, staring fixedly at this side of the battle.

The boundless light rain rose and fell throughout the entire Western Desert on this day. Countless mortals found their ailments cured, their bodies grown far stronger — a true act of blessing for all living beings.

Mount Sumeru’s halo of light dimmed by an entire layer, leaving the many golden-bodied arhats, bodhisattvas, and ancient buddhas all shocked, their expressions turning to worry.

Li Tian, Dongfang Ye, and the others were naturally overjoyed — this truly was a heaven-defying method; no one had expected the Divine Knight to be this remarkable, drawing everyone’s attention.

Yet unfortunately, after this state persisted for some time, the Divine Knight found himself unable to continue dissolving Mount Sumeru’s power — the mental force was too pure, having accumulated there, heavier even than the sun, moon, and stars combined.

“What’s wrong, can’t you keep going?” Ye Fan asked.

The Divine Knight sighed and said, “Amitabha is a truly great being of boundless compassion — this method is useless against him.”

Everyone was puzzled and asked him to explain in detail.

Mount Sumeru was vast, powerful throughout the ages, worshipped devoutly by mortals. Naturally, there were also those who believed in bodhisattvas and other ancient buddhas — some sages of the Buddhist faith only knew how to take, making it easy to dissolve that kind of mental force and reciprocate it back to living beings.

However, since ancient times, the dharma and mental force seed left behind by Amitabha had always operated on its own — giving as well as taking. Living beings worshipped him, offering up their mental force, and in turn he nurtured them as well — this was a balance.

And now, though the Divine Knight could break apart other people’s mental force, he found it nearly impossible to move even a fraction of the mental force gathered through devotion to Amitabha.

“This is the measure and magnanimity of a Great Emperor,” Ye Fan sighed. This was clearly beyond solution — there was giving as well as taking, and this kind of mental force had been acquired through entirely proper, righteous means. Even though the Divine Knight understood the mysteries of the power of faith, he could not shift even the slightest fraction of this great compassionate power.

“What do we do now?” At this point, everyone was at a loss — they could not break through, nor could they continue dissolving the power of faith. Mount Sumeru remained an impregnable fortress.

“It seems there’s only one option left,” Ye Fan said, his gaze resolute, gazing out across the entire Western Desert.