My Descendants Are My Power

Alexander fell silent for a long moment.

He knew better than anyone the hardships he and his father, Adam, had endured during their years at sea.

They hadn't tasted a decent meal, nor had they enjoyed a peaceful night's sleep.

It was seafood, day in and day out, and rainwater was their only source of drinking water.

Their clothes were practically disintegrating on their backs.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

And except for him, the ship was manned by a spectral crew.

His father found solace in those days, poring over old books by Martinez.

So, when they finally returned to land, it was no surprise that his father developed an aversion to hardship and a yearning for comfort.

That's how he ended up like this.

"Dad," Alexander began, his brow furrowed with worry, "what are our people doing now? When can we go back and help them seek vengeance?"

A deep-seated longing gnawed at him.

He yearned to be like his brother, Benjamin, able to connect with their people, to contribute to their cause.

Otherwise, he felt like a pale imitation of a true family member.

Every time he and his father entered the Forebearer's space, their kin seemed oblivious to their presence.

No matter what they accomplished in Panoram State, it paled in comparison to the trials their people faced.

Trials he could barely fathom.

"Our people?" Adam chuckled, his voice full of optimism.

"Son, you have to trust in our elders. You have to trust in the strength of our bloodline. We lost everything at sea, but that's life, isn't it? We face hardships, and when we overcome them, even greater challenges await. But you have to believe that hope lies beyond those challenges."

"We lost our fleet," he continued, his voice taking on a wistful tone, "but we gained the Ghost Ship. We lost our island, but we found a new land, a vast continent where we carved out our own domain."

"Our family is facing hardships now. We've lost many of our own. We've lost Azure Cloud, lost our standing. But I believe that our people will overcome the seemingly insurmountable obstacle that is the Heavenly Path. Our family will emerge stronger than ever!"

Alexander's brow furrowed again.

He didn't share his father's unwavering optimism.

All he knew was that his father clung to this belief, and that it had led them down a dangerous path.

This fleet of ships, their control over the southern seas, the crew his father had assembled... it was all part of a risky gamble.

His father had confided in him, sharing his plan to use their resources to conquer Panoram State, to seize its fortune.

That was the key, he claimed, to breaking through to the Developing Skill realm.

And once they ruled Panoram State, they would return to their family and offer their aid.

...

On Amber Hill, the thunder tribulation raged on.

The battle had been raging for half a day, the two Basic Mastery experts locked in a deadly duel high above the battlefield.

Bill Daoist, initially confident, now felt a growing sense of unease.

Facing Hudson was like facing Shane all over again.

The bastard even possessed a high-level mystical artifact that was slowly tipping the scales in his favor.

Outside Amber Hill, the initial clash of over three hundred psychics had been whittled down to less than a hundred, both sides suffering heavy losses.

The remaining cultivators from Azure Cloud had abandoned their initial assault and now huddled together behind a series of hastily erected formations, their last line of defense.

Inside the bombarded formations, the defenders were battered and exhausted.

Charlie Crackle, the Blackwood's guardian beast, had been reduced to a wisp of smoke, barely clinging to existence.

The Celestial Star Swordmaster was a ghastly sight, his body covered in wounds, his clothes shredded.

He no longer resembled the legendary Sword Saint.

In his hand, he clutched a simple broadsword.

His own mystical sword, a priceless artifact, had been destroyed in the fighting, and he had exhausted his supply of borrowed blades.

None of the Azure Cloud cultivators had a spare sword to lend.

Elder Martin was dead, slain by a Developing Skill expert who had recklessly triggered a breakthrough in the midst of battle.

He had died alongside his killer, both obliterated in a suicidal explosion of energy.

In this battle, such desperate acts were all too common.

Donna had lost an arm at the shoulder, and half her face had been blown away.

Flesh writhed at the stump of her arm, and gore bubbled on her mangled face.

Her initial rapid regeneration had slowed to a crawl.

She had pushed her body to its absolute limit, enduring 80% of the lightning tribulation's power!

For the first time in her life, Donna felt the icy breath of death on her neck.

On the other side of the battered formations, Brody, too, bore the marks of their fierce battle.

His silver armor, once pristine, was now dented and cracked. Your next chapter awaits on empire

His helmet was gone, revealing his wild, tangled hair.

His free hand, clasped behind his back, trembled slightly.

But despite his injuries, his aura was even more powerful than before.

His spear pulsed with menacing energy.

He stared at Donna, his expression grim, a flicker of fear lingering in his eyes.

He knew better than anyone how monstrous Donna had become.

The girl had tapped into some forbidden power, sacrificing her own life force to draw upon the might of the lightning tribulation, pushing her physical strength to unimaginable levels.

She had become a genuine threat, even to him, the third-ranked Pinnacle Apprentice!

At one point, she had almost overwhelmed him, forcing him to retreat to avoid a fatal blow.

That was the closest he had ever come to death.

"If she were at the peak of Competent Force..." Brody thought, his gaze cold as he surveyed the forty or so battered Azure Cloud cultivators.

"She wouldn't need that death-defying technique to fight me on equal footing. Where did she even learn that monstrous technique, the one that blends demonic and Buddhist powers? And these Azure Cloud cultivators..."

He drew a sharp breath, a shiver running down his spine despite the growing strength he felt from the deaths of his fellow projections.

They might have reveled in their newfound power, but all Brody felt was a chilling dread.

These cultivators were nothing short of insane.

Only lunatics would fight with such ferocity, pushing them to the brink of defeat.

"To think that a backwater like Azure Cloud could produce psychics like you," he said, his voice cold.

"I underestimated you. What a pity. You've chosen to defend a lost cause. You're all going to die here!"

He pointed towards Amber Hill, his words venomous, but his voice betrayed his fear.

He was terrified.

Terrified that Donna would choose to take him down with her.

His threats were hollow, a desperate attempt to scare them into fleeing.

He had to survive.

He had to become one with his main consciousness.

He couldn't die here, not at the hands of these ants!

But Donna wasn't listening.

She and the other Azure Cloud cultivators were staring past the enemy lines, their gazes fixed on the spectacle unfolding above Amber Hill.

The celestial lightning had coalesced into a colossal beast, a primordial elephant of pure energy, clashing against Chuck's own Competent Force.

But Chuck's energy was waning, flickering like a dying flame.

The Basic Mastery tribulation was not just a test of physical endurance.

It was a trial by fire for one's very essence, for their Competent Force.

The stronger the tribulation, the more powerful the breakthrough.

And the form the tribulation took reflected its intensity.

Some classified Basic Mastery tribulations into five levels, with the fifth being the most powerful.

And the primordial elephant Chuck faced... was a fourth-level tribulation!