Ascension of the immortal Asura

Hovering high in the sky several hundred miles away from the center of the tribulation, a lone hooded figure stared at the incredible battles that had unfolded. His gaze had remained calm as if everything that had happened had been to his expectations, and throughout the fight he couldn't help but nod in approval at Laia as well, while a look of reminiscence appeared in his eyes.

"She's just like her…and he's just like me…" the man said quietly to himself as he watched the lighting warrior be defeated thanks to the help of Laia. The man's gaze shifted to the clouds above as the red-light source appeared, and his eyes narrowed as if he couldn't believe what was going on.

"There's more?" the man muttered, not sure what was going on. Despite his vast experience and knowledge, he had never heard of any tribulation going past the Divine Tribulation Guardian, as it was the last gatekeeper of the most profound tribulations.

His narrowed eyes widened as the blood red lightning figure appeared, and the hooded man couldn't help but draw in a deep breath as the figure's features became apparent.

"It's him?" the man exclaimed, feeling true shock for the first time in a very long time. He recognized the face of the youth, and couldn't help but wonder what was going on. Thoughts swirled in his mind, and the man eventually came to a single conclusion.

"The Heaven's want this boy dead, without a singular doubt, as he's cultivated the ultimate taboo somehow. They've sent the most perfect form they could create, one that has now become a messenger of death for this boy…even for someone as heaven defying as him, I can't see him getting through this alive…"

The man fell silent as he stared at the blood red lightning avatar, his thoughts still swirling.

"I have plans for this boy…should I save him if need be?" the man muttered questioningly, but eventually decided against it. He didn't know what consequences interfering would bring, not to himself, but to John.

The man sighed deeply as his gaze shifted back to John.

"Let's hope he has more surprises, and that he is able to make it out of this tribulation alive."

…

The lightning figure, depicting the youthful appearance of his mysterious father continued to become more detailed, until it was a spitting image of him, only blood red and flickering with red lightning. A blood red sword appeared in the figures hands, one that appeared profound beyond comparison. Its aura was also at the Half-Step Heaven Tribulation Realm, exactly matching John's current cultivation level.

The avatar of his father stared down at John with an expression of indifference, as if it had decided that his fate was sealed, and that there was no question about it. John's narrowed eyes stared back at the avatar of his father as he felt a lethal danger from it. In fact, it was the most danger he had felt in his life, and he knew he would be walking on the edge of death in the battle to come.

On the ground below, Laia felt her heart chill as she stared at the blood red lightning figure above. Its aura was beyond terrifying, and she felt as if it could kill her with just a glance.

"You piece of shit…why are you here?" John called out.

Laia's eyes widened slightly as she heard John's crass question, but also felt confusion as John's question didn't seem to be directed at the figure in the sky above him. She didn't know who he was asking, and at the moment it seemed as though he had gone mad and become insane.

"Not going to answer me?" John said again as he received no reply from his father within his palace realm. "I can't say I'm surprised. You've been a useless sack of shit since the day I met you," John continued his angered tirade.

His cold yet angered gaze shifted back up to the lightning avatar of his father, while his guard was raised to his maximum.

"If I found out you had anything to do with the Heavens, or this avatar of you before me, I won't hesitate to stuff out your soul the first chance I get, regardless of our relationship," John raged. He felt a wave of betrayal at the moment, as his mysterious father had seemingly appeared to kill him for good. However, at the same time, he knew there was most likely more to the situation than was apparent, and his words were mostly ones of passion, and not his true feelings.

Laia's head tilted to the side as she heard his words, as she couldn't make sense of them. However, now was not the time for questions, and so she remained silent as the lightning avatar finished its formation.

"Whatever, I'll deal with this first, and then you have some explaining to do," John grumbled in displeasure. He no longer held back, as he knew the battle to come would be his toughest ever. His body Qi surged and rushed through his body, his transformation into something else commencing.

Two straight black horns pierced from out of his skull, pointing upwards and slightly forward, while blood red runes formed over his entire body. His muscles bulged with absolute power beneath his skin, enlarging his figure and making him look like he could shatter the world with a single punch. His teeth sharpened, becoming like fangs, and his eyes became blood red, almost the same shade as the lightning avatar above, but darker and more ominous.

An overwhelmingly sinister and malevolent aura, like that belonging to the most hellish creature imaginable, radiated off his body, the power of his aura alone requiring Kirii to protect Laia so she could focus on her task at hand.

John's power instantly skyrocketed to incredible heights, and Laia couldn't help but stare with both awe and slight trepidation at John. Although she had seen this transformation of his before, it was now much stronger, and also much more sinister feeling than before. While she knew he was not an enemy of hers, it was as if her instincts were telling her he was her most deadly enemy.

For the first time since the Talent Testing Steps, John had unleashed his most fearsome as well as most secretive form.

His Asura Transformation Art!