Just as he was about to pass out, Daoist Priest Horizon did all he could to straighten his back, and still forced himself to stand straight even with how seriously injured he was.

　　[Even if this old man is going to die, I will still face death proudly. As for the two cowardly men beside me, this old man is truly ashamed to be associated with them.] This was what Daoist Priest Horizon was thinking at this moment.

　　Before his death, the severely injured Daoist Priest Horizon glared towards the guided missiles of the heavenly tribulation in front of him, and roared, “Come, come and blow up this old man!”

　　If I scream in front of death today, I’m not a man! Let’s not even talk about Palace Master Seven Lives Talisman and Eternity, who displayed such cowardly postures.

　　Come, heavenly tribulation! This old man is not afraid of you!

　　As Daoist Priest Horizon was thinking this, his consciousness continued to fade.

　　Then, he found himself in an alarming situation––he found his knees slowly bending.

　　It felt as if there was an incredible force in this world pressing on his body and forcing him towards the ground.

　　Was his will too weak?

　　No!

　　It was likely the doing of the heavenly tribulation!

　　Not only does this modern heavenly tribulation want to destroy the physical body of a cultivator, but it even wants to wreck their will?

　　However, this old man won’t surrender this easily.

　　The will and heart of this old man have already been tempered, seeing past life and death. This old man isn’t even afraid of death, yet you want me to kneel? In your dreams! Daoist Priest Horizon thought, full of passion.

　　Even if he were to die, he’d not bow down.

　　Nevertheless… after a short while, his knees gradually gave in. Eventually, he too knelt down in the same posture as Palace Master Seven Lives Talisman and Eternity.

　　Daoist Priest Horizon felt incredibly humiliated.

　　In addition, after he was forced to kneel, his hands started shaking. Then, out of his control, his hands slowly rose, seemingly planning to complete that cowardly posture.

　　[No! Place them down! Bastard! Let me place my hands down! At least, let me die with dignity!] Daoist Priest Horizon roared in his mind.

　　However, the cruel reality was right in front of him. After a breath, his hands had finally ended up on the top of his head, in the classic ‘holding one’s head while squatting down’ posture. He was now in the same situation as Palace Master Seven Lives Talisman and Eternity, whom he despised just a while back.

　　Afterward, his body began to sway uncontrollably.

　　At this moment, Daoist Priest Horizon felt that his dignity had been completely trampled upon!

　　This was an utter humiliation.

　　At the same time, he finally realized something.

　　He was mistaken about Fellow Daoist Seven Lives Talisman and Fellow Daoist Eternity. They weren’t cowards, and they should’ve been like him—people with strong determination, but a weak body.

　　After all, Fellow Daoist Seven Lives Talisman and Fellow Daoist Eternity were both strong-willed men, nothing like that nameless old man.

　　In the end, Daoist Priest Horizon used his remaining strength to look towards Song Shuhang.

　　There, Song Shuhang was still bitterly struggling against the heavenly tribulation.

　　On his body, the previously scattered light of virtue was gradually recovered. As long as Song Shuhang wasn’t dead, his light of virtue wouldn’t disappear. Even if it was destroyed a thousand times, it would eventually recover.

　　At this moment, the bald Song Shuhang stood straight with bloodied clothes.

　　Daoist Priest Horizon felt a sense of relief, and eventually lost consciousness.

　　Just in this fashion, behind Song Shuhang, Palace Master Seven Lives Talisman, Eternity, and Horizon were all in the ‘holding one’s head while squatting down’ posture as they weirdly swayed under the assault of the explosions.

　　Every time the three of them swayed, the layer of light on their bodies would shine. Next, a type of energy that surpassed ‘true qi’ and ‘spiritual energy’ would be gathered from their bodies and transferred to Song Shuhang.

　　This energy would finally be transferred to the cowardly ‘high-quality puppet’ through Song Shuhang.

　　After completing this cycle, with the body of the ‘high-quality puppet’ being the final destination, the energy would then pass through Song Shuhang once again, and then return to Palace Master Seven Lives Talisman and the other two’s bodies.

　　Four people and one puppet maintained this mysterious connection while swaying under the violent assault of the guided missiles of the heavenly tribulation, not falling in spite of that.

　　❄️❄️❄️

　　Song Shuhang had no idea how many saber attacks he had already sent out, nor did he know how many times he had condensed the Saber Intent Armor.

　　In fact, he was already in a semi-unconscious state due to excessive blood loss and energy consumption. Other than that, he had nearly a hundred injuries on his body.

　　The current him was instinctively slashing with his saber, operating the ❮Inverted Scale Style❯ of the ❮Inverted Scale Saber Technique❯, and then switching back to the Saber Intent Armor formed from saber intent. While the Saber Intent Armor and ❮Inverted Scale Style❯ were intact, he would use a saber with his left hand, and use the ‘Flaming Saber Technique’.

　　But after such a long amount of time, why hadn’t he turned into ashes due to the explosions of the guided missiles and tank shells that filled the sky? This was a good question, but he no longer had the mental capacity to give it any thought.

　　In his size-reducing purse, Lady Onion was in a cruel cycle of being [shocked awake… then shocked unconscious… then getting shocked awake again… and then back to shocked unconscious…]. If the power of the explosions of the guided missiles hadn’t been weakened by Song Shuhang, that layer of light of the high-quality puppet had generated, and that size reducing purse crafted by a Ninth Stage Tribulation Transcender crafted, then Lady Onion would have long become a dead onion.

　　Song Shuhang remained in his state of muddle-headedness for several minutes.

　　Then, at some point, the virtuous golden light on Song Shuhang’s body grew bright once again, and the virtuous lamia reappeared.

　　After her return, Song Shuhang’s mind shook due to the strength she had brought him.

　　As soon as the virtuous lamia appeared, she wrapped around Song Shuhang and stretched out her hands to block the explosions from the guided missiles and the long-range attacks from the tanks.

　　Then, she tilted her head and looked at the guided missiles that were still exploding around her, at the high-quality puppet in front of her—which had assumed the ‘holding one’s head while squatting down’ posture—and also at Palace Master Seven Lives Talisman and the others in the rear, who had assumed the same posture as the puppet.

　　The virtuous lamia attempted to learn and copy their posture… Unfortunately, she had no legs, and could only coil her tail.

　　In the following moment, the virtuous lamia leaned back and raised her head. “Aaaah~”

　　After the pitiful scream, she tilted her head and ‘died’.

　　“…” Song Shuhang.

　　After hearing the scream of the virtuous lamia, his mind was able to recover a little since the former was temporarily blocking the heavenly tribulation for him.

　　“I’m still alive?” Song Shuhang was stunned, and couldn’t believe it.

　　Is it possible that my ‘life talisman’ activated already, making me resurrect here in the Heavenly Tribulation Realm since it’s a sealed place?

　　No, my magical treasures, the treasured saber Broken Tyrant, the size-reducing purse, and other stuff, are still with me. I haven’t been reborn through the ‘life talisman’, I’m still alive!

　　Song Shuhang hurriedly took out healing and true qi recovery pills from his ‘magical bracelet’, swallowing them down. He then took out some medicinal paste and applied it onto his wounds. He was currently badly injured, and his scalp went numb at the sight of his wounds.

　　Fortunately, most of these injuries could be healed through medicinal pills. Now, he had to recover some strength and heal up before the virtuous lamia collapsed.

　　Meanwhile, Song Shuhang looked behind him––he had been able to hold up, so the three seniors, who were stronger than him, should also be alive, right?

　　When Song Shuhang looked behind him, he saw nothing. The never-ending explosions blocked his view, and so he couldn’t see anything.

　　In addition, the aura of the heavenly tribulation had surrounded him, and he couldn’t sense the auras of the three seniors.

　　I wonder how the three seniors currently are doing…

　　However, it wasn’t time to think of such things. Although he didn’t know how he’d been able to hold up, now that he’d already held up until now, he couldn’t give up.

　　Furthermore, judging from the time… The guided missile of the heavenly tribulation should also be about to end.

　　Song Shuhang’s assumption was right.

　　The last wave of guided missiles exploded at full power. The heat from the explosion passed through the defense of the lamia and directly affected his body.

　　The sound of the thunderous explosion lasted for several dozen breaths before stopping.

　　After more than 20 seconds, the explosions finally subsided.

　　After that last wave of guided missiles, Song Shuhaang’s virtuous lamia had shrunk by a whole 90% and had been reduced to the size of an ordinary person, still protecting Song Shuhang in her embrace.

　　“Is it over?” Song Shuhang was delighted.

　　The flames and the light from the explosion dissipated.

　　Song Shuhang saw the high-quality puppet, which was still in that cowardly posture, and faintly sighed. Although the puppet was somewhat trash, it was undoubtedly a puppet of the Eight Stage, made from very good materials. It actually remained unscathed amidst the fearsome heavenly tribulation.

　　Then, Song Shuhang looked behind him.

　　After that… Song Shuhang’s chin dropped.

　　Who could tell him how this sight came to be?

　　The three seniors—Palace Master Seven Lives Talisman, Daoist Priest Horizon, and Eternity—were all in that cowardly posture, with them holding their heads and squatting down, and he could even see that their bodies were slightly shaking.

　　The three seniors looked badly injured, and seemed to be unconscious. Nevertheless, there was still a bit of life in them, and they were still alive.

　　It’s good as long as they’re still alive. Song Shuhang was relieved.

　　He turned back to look at the high-quality puppet, which was still in that cowardly posture in front of him.

　　“Thanks.” Song Shuhang sincerely thanked it.

　　This time, as long as one’s IQ wasn’t too low, they would be able to tell that the fact the three seniors were still alive was definitely because the cowardly high-quality puppet had helped them.

　　Song Shuhang being alive and kicking should also be due to that high-quality puppet.

　　The high-quality puppet didn’t reply to Song Shuhang. It only slightly moved from its position, with its back turned toward Song Shuhang, and then continuing to maintain the posture of holding its head while squatting down.

　　Was it angry?

　　Or perhaps… the next wave of the tribulation was coming?

　　Song Shuhang raised his head to look at the sea of heavenly tribulation.

　　Then, his expression froze.

　　The sea of heavenly tribulation, which had originally covered a vast area, was now shrinking and condensing together. With the vast sea of heavenly tribulation condensing, its essence would be brought out. As such, by how much was its power going to increase?

　　However, even more terrifying was the thing that the heavenly tribulation was condensing into…

　　Something similar to a ‘nuclear silo’ was rapidly taking shape.

　　This was probably the final wave of this heavenly tribulation, and as expected, the scary nuclear weapon-type heavenly tribulation had appeared.

　　Song Shuhang turned to look at that high-quality puppet—would it be able to block this wave?

　　The high-quality puppet raised its head to look at the nuclear silo, and then… suddenly flipped forward, switching from the squatting posture to a kneeling ‘orz’ posture.

　　Song Shuhang was disheartened.

　　Did this mean that there was no saving them?