Chapter 499: Chapter 498: The Calamity of Exhausted Lifespan

Ao Chengcheng noticed that the Old Dragon King was not in a good state and wanted to stop her daughter from approaching.

Jiang Li gestured to Ao Chengcheng, signaling her not to rush.

Thinking of Li Er’s frequent praises of Jiang Li’s “better than an Earth Immortal” descriptions, Ao Chengcheng calmed down.

Even if something unexpected happened, Jiang Li would be able to intervene and stop it.

“Dragon Grandfather.” Li Nian’er politely sat next to the Old Dragon King, her manner reserved, showing no disgust for the Old Dragon King’s foul aura, not even wrinkling her brow.

Seeing that his father had lost interest in the gift-giving segment, the East Sea Dragon King started the next segment, a dancing performance.

The sea clans continued to eat, drink, and enjoy the dance.

“Can the Old Dragon King be saved?” Mo Ruoyu asked Jiang Li softly. This was a question that concerned everyone.

“It depends on his fate, it’s hard for outsiders to help in such a matter.” The Transcendence Tribulation Stage is a hurdle that anyone can’t help with. If Jiang Li had a way to help others reach the Transcendence Tribulation Stage directly, there would be more people at the Transcendence Tribulation Stage than there are statues of the Human Emperor.

…

“We didn’t get a chance to say this when we met earlier, but you’ve grown up so fast.”

“I heard you are a candidate for the Human Emperor? Well done, well done.” The Old Dragon King spread his mouth, issuing a silent laugh.

“Seeing you reminds me of Qing Luo back then. You two are so similar, having the same talent and similar characteristics. But, you’re definitely not as strong as Qing Luo.”

The Old Dragon King accepted his defeat to Qing Luo, which made him miss his chance to become the fifty-second Human Emperor.

He knew that Qing Luo was stronger than him and better suited to be the Human Emperor. Qing Luo’s excellence made the Old Dragon King jealous.

Originally, the Old Dragon King didn’t have such a personality. He was quite mischievous in his youth, being the liveliest among all the candidates for the Human Emperor, creating a stark contrast to the gentle and quiet Qing Luo.

However, as he had more interactions with Qing Luo, the Old Dragon King gradually became aware of his deficiencies and tried to get as close as possible to Qing Luo by imitating her.

Qing Luo’s death in battle left the Old Dragon King grief-stricken, further intensifying his desire to mimic her.

He hoped that by imitating Qing Luo, people would remember that there was once a female Human Emperor named Qing Luo.

Thus, he continued his imitation for more than two thousand years.

“Grandfather Dragon, how are you feeling?” This was a question Jiang Li had instructed her to ask.

“What do I feel?” The Old Dragon King muttered to himself. At this moment, he was not feeling much; even his consciousness was fading away.

“I’m jealous of you. Jealous of your youth, vitality, and your potential to become the Human Emperor.” Old Dragon King ran a hand over Li Nian’er’s head.

Being around the young, the Old Dragon King felt his time passing more slowly.

“Why are you so young, with a promising future ahead of you, while I am on the edge of death?”

“I’m scared of death, truly scared.”

“Sometimes I thought about doing bad things to extend my life, but I feared that if I died and went to the Underworld, I wouldn’t be able to face Qing Luo.”

At this point, the Old Dragon King’s jealousy started to fade, vanishing.

“Qing Luo often said that jealousy makes people ugly, especially me with a big dragon’s head. If I were envious of others, I would be the ugliest dragon under heaven.”

“I now understand, this world belongs to you, and I’m just an out-of-date old man.”

The Old Dragon King stood up, like a towering mountain range on the verge of collapse.

“I have lived for two thousand eight hundred years, what more could I yearn for, what more could dissatisfy me?”

“Qing Luo is in the underworld, all my old friends have passed onto the underworld. I’m just weaker than Qing Luo, but I’m stronger than the rest of the Human Emperor candidates. They weren’t afraid of death, so why should I be?”

The Old Dragon King’s breathings began to fade, but his eyes grew increasingly bright.

“Rather than waiting for death to arrive in a few hours, it’s better to go meet it now, saving the trouble.”

The Old Dragon King looked at the prospect of life and chose to face death.

The unification of the heart and the mind, the individual and the path, the body and form, these three unities makes the Body Integration Realm.

When a person at the Body Integration Realm gives up on life, their body starts to disintegrate, and their spiritual energy leaves the body, returning to the world.

The Old Dragon King was now in such a state.

As the Old Dragon King’s body started to disintegrate, his mind became clearer than ever. Cultivation Techniques he didn’t understand in the past now made sense, the principles he didn’t grasp were clear, and faces forgotten with age were all remembered again.

“Qing Luo, you look like this… this is the true essence of the Transcendence Tribulation Stage…”

At this moment, the Old Dragon King understands everything.

To achieve the Transcendence Tribulation Stage, one must pass through the death tribulation. The greatest death tribulation in this world is none other than the tribulation of exhaustion of lifespan!

This tribulation of lifespan exhaustion is a death tribulation everyone will face, yet it’s also a tribulation everyone will overlook.

The Old Dragon King raised his arms towards the sky. His scattered flesh, his lost spiritual energy… all returned to the Old Dragon King’s body.

“No wonder the Human Emperor said that facing death head-on is the only way to live. If I don’t dare to face death directly, it means I passively accept the tribulation of lifespan exhaustion, and I will never have the chance to reach the Transcendence Tribulation Stage.”

Although Jiang Li seemed to have just said a few indifferent words, they became the key to changing the Old Dragon King’s fate.

“… Tribute… Tribute!”

“Heavenly Tribulation, come!”

The Old Dragon King roared as if commanding the Heavenly Tribulation.

Boom—

The Heavenly Tribulation responded, arriving promptly.

A blue pillar of thunder struck from the sky into the sea, causing waves to surge on the surface of the East Sea and whirlpools formed at the bottom of the East Sea.

The Heavenly Tribulation, like a metal rod, disrupted the order of the East Sea.

The Old Dragon King basked under the Heavenly Tribulation, looking like he was enjoying himself, and even had the energy to protect Li Nian’er.

The Old Dragon King’s body was gradually perfecting, and his former weaknesses had become flawless.

The Old Dragon King broke through the death tribulation and officially entered the Transcendence Tribulation Stage.

“So that’s how it is, so that’s how it is, so that’s how it is!”

The Old Dragon King repeated himself three times, feeling enlightened.

This was Li Nian’er’s first time seeing someone progress from the Body Integration Realm to the Transcendence Tribulation Stage, and at such close proximity.

This was indeed her great fortune.

“Congratulations to Grandfather Dragon on becoming a Transcendence Tribulation Stage practitioner, with a lifespan extended to ten thousand years!”

“Congratulations to Grandfather Dragon on becoming a Transcendence Tribulation Stage practitioner, with a lifespan extended to ten thousand years!”

“Congratulations to Grandfather Dragon on becoming a Transcendence Tribulation Stage practitioner, with a lifespan extended to ten thousand years!”

The sea clans couldn’t believe the scene before them. They were originally intending to cheer up a funeral, wishing the Dragon Grandfather all the best. They certainly didn’t expect that the Old Dragon King would break through at the last moment.

They looked back at Jiang Li’s calm face, believing even more that the Human Emperor was indeed profound and unpredictable, everything was under his control.

“Thank you, Human Emperor, for your help. With my advance into the Transcendence Tribulation Stage, my power has surpassed Zhang Konghu. I’ve cultivated the ‘Jiang Li’s Human Emperor Vigor’ technique to mid-completion. Come, let’s have a go.”

The Old Dragon King initiated a wrist wrestling posture, celebrating his rebirth.

Jiang Li, who was enjoying the special fruits of the East Sea, stepped forward, and in an instant, upturned the Old Dragon King.

The Old Dragon King fell along with his chair.

“Hahaha, that was exhilarating!” The Old Dragon King didn’t feel disgraced to be defeated in front of all the sea clans.

“Here, this is my gift to you.” Jiang Li handed the Old Dragon King a book.

‘The Transcendence Tribulation Stage Cultivator’s Insights’

The Old Human Emperor flipped a few pages and saw that the ink was still fresh.

“When did the Human Emperor write this book?”

“While you were recalling Qing Luo with Li Nian’er.”

“…”