Chapter 581: Iris's Last Stand

"What the hell is going on?" Adam asked loudly, unsure of what was going on.

"I have no idea," Chase replied, equally confused. "Iris's tribulation appeared to be over, and now it's starting again? I have a bad feeling about this."

Both Adam and Chase could feel the might contained within the clouds, which was now far greater than before. They could also see the lightning eyes that had formed, although neither could stare directly at them, as the eyes were far too dreadful.

In the nearby lands, other youths had also noticed the increased commotion. The appearance of the Heavenly Eyes sparked a frenzy of discussion, as wave after wave of youths began to gather to discuss what they were seeing in the far distance. None of them had ever seen such a thing before, or even heard about such a thing.

At the same time, the might of the clouds made it so that none approached too closely, as they could tell that something catastrophic was about to happen.

...

Bang!

The lightning beam pierced from the clouds above, its might stronger than the final strike of the first tribulation wave. Iris's eyes narrowed as she watched the attack approach, while her sword gripped tightly in her blood-slicked hand.

Her astral eyes appeared behind her, as she utilized everything she had in her arsenal. The lightning beam's trajectory, power, and speed became beyond clear to her, giving her a slight sliver of hope.

"Tch, I will not go down willingly!" raged as her sword slashed out with her full power.

Bang!

The two attacks collided, while Iris's body instantly flashed to the side immediately after attacking. The lightning strike paused for the briefest moments as it fought against her attack, before it shattered it completely and pierced towards Iris once more.

Bang!

The lightning beam struck against the desert sand below, blasting the sand and earth in all directions for many miles. Molten sand flowed about in the crater, as the power and heat lightning beam had turned the ground molten. Hovering a short distance off the ground, Iris gazed at the destruction caused by the attack that she had just barely dodged. The carnage below her revealed the true might of the tribulation attacks.

Her eyes trembled slightly as she gazed at the destruction, as she could tell that attack would have half-killed her if it had landed.

Her eye talents had allowed her to dodge the attack, which was normally impossible during a tribulation. However, she had only just barely managed to do such a thing, and the attacks would only continue to get stronger and faster.

Bang!

After a brief pause, another tribulation lightning beam blasted out from the blackened clouds above, piercing directly towards Iris once more. Her sword slashed out twice in quick succession, sending two powerful sword images to meet the attack. At the same time, her body flashed to the side, as the tribulation lightning blasted through her attack and pierced towards her, once again narrowly missing her.

Standing a short distance away, John stared coldly at the events taking place before him, as he watched Iris narrowly avoid catastrophe over and over. He felt his blood begin to heat up, while his hatred and anger began to steadily climb.

'The fucking heavens. First they try to kill me, and now they're trying to kill Iris.'

John could understand why the heavens targeted him so fiercely, as he could tell that his body cultivation art was somehow taboo in the eyes of the heavens. Although he didn't understand the complete picture, he knew there was some sort of reasoning.

However, Iris had no such taboo cultivation technique, and yet the heavens were targeting her much the same. The lightning he experienced during his tribulation was pure destructive lightning, as if the heaven's wanted nothing more than to snuff out his existence. While the lightning Iris was facing against was not the same type of destructive lightning, and was more akin to normal tribulation lightning, its power was far beyond anything John had heard about a cultivator having to face off against.

'This tribulation is on the same level of power as Kirii's tribulation, and Kirii is a heavenly beast of the highest existence. I can understand such a tribulation for him, but why the hell are the heavens targeting Iris in the same fashion? This isn't a trial for her, this is an execution.'

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

The tribulation lightning continued to blast down on Iris with growing power, speed, and lethality, while Iris fought back with all her might. Her sword arts slashed out, not holding a scrap of power back, while her speed was pushed to the limits, narrowly dodging the lightning beams.

However, as the tribulation continued, the tribulation strikes became faster, making it harder and harder for her to dodge. At the same time, her Qi reserves were rapidly fading away, and were now almost empty.

The battle was becoming more and more hopeless, and Iris slowly began to realize that her fate had been sealed. She wasn't sure why, but she knew the heaven's had deemed her death to be necessary. She was at the end of her power, while the tribulation's might was still growing, revealing the futility of it all.

Bang!

Another beam pierced down towards her, its might great enough to claim her life if it landed.

Iris slashed out her sword once more, unleashing the last of her Qi reserves. While she had realized her fate had been sealed, she refused to die without fighting.

Boom!

The attacks collided, and the lightning beam instantly shattered it as it pierced towards Iris once more. Her body flashed to the side again, narrowly dodging the attack with the slimmest of margins. However, its might, even glancing, was enough to overwhelm her, as she found herself flung across the desert sand before eventually coming to a halt.

Blood soaked into the sand, dying it red as Iris's injured body laid there for a moment. The clouds above churned once again, preparing to unleash another attack on Iris.

"Pff" Iris coughed blood as she struggled to stand up once more. After an incredibly difficult struggle, she managed to climb to her feet. Her body swayed unsteadily as she gazed to the clouds above, her face turning calm as she watched the next lightning bolt be unleashed.

A sad smile appeared on her face as she shifted her gaze to the side, towards where John was standing. However, John was nowhere to be found, sending a wave of both disappointment and happiness through her. She had wanted to see John one last time, but was not disappointed that he had already left.

She knew he was incredibly powerful, but in the face of this tribulation, there was no hope. Even someone as strong as John would be wiped out without a trace, as interfering in tribulations was the ultimate taboo that would ignite the full wrath of the heavens. It would not only increase the power of the tribulation, but also result in the heavens cursing the one who had interfered. Those who interfered in tribulations were destined to die miserable deaths.

Iris figured John was no different, as she had never seen the true extent of his lightning resistance and body strength. In the face of such a tribulation, there was no hope for anyone. Only the old codgers of the cultivation world, the ones who stood at the peak of the world, would be able to help her without risk. However, doing so would draw the ire of the heavens, which every sane person avoided at all costs.

Based on what she knew of John, she fully expected him to try to interfere and help her, which was something she did not want as it would only result in his death.

"Good," Iris whispered softly, "at least he won't be caught up in this as well...Goodbye...John!"

Bang!

A deafening boom erupted as the tribulation lightning strike exploded on Iris's location, shattering the nearby land with its power. Iris felt herself be swallowed up by an incredible power as her vision was drowned in brightness.

After what seemed like an eternity, her eyes slowly opened, unsure of what was going on. Her gaze shifted upwards, spotting a familiar figure before her, while a lightning cage enveloped the two of them. A wave of emotions too powerful to process at the moment washed over her as she spotted John glance back at her over his shoulder.

"You really didn't think I would abandon you like that, did you?" John asked, his voice calm and gentle.

His familiar back, which she had seen countless times before, now appeared to be strong enough to shelter her from the heaven's itself, and Iris couldn't help but feel tears forming in the corner of her eyes.

"No," Iris replied softly, her tears starting to stream down her face. "You dummy, now we both die! You really are..."

"Don't worry about it," John replied as he smiled back at Iris, his gaze filled with unwavering self-confidence, "the heavens have tried to kill me before and failed, and today will be no different."