[Beep~ Failed to connect to 'Senior White'. The 'Senior White' you wanted to contact is not on your friend list. Please add them as a friend before trying to contact them again.]

"..." Song Shuhang. 

Song Shuhang instructed his two Lustrous Golden Cores, "Next time, notify me before you contact others. Don't just directly contact them without my permission!"

This somewhat felt like 'voice dialing'. Without you knowing, you might have already started calling someone.

With № Hamster having already been involved in this heavenly tribulation, he really didn't want to involve Senior White as well.

Hmm... Wait.

Senior White might be an exception.

Although he had just become an Eighth Stage Profound Sage, Song Shuhang always had a strange impression that... maybe Senior White could even handle the Ninth Stage heavenly tribulation single-handedly.

"Anyway, don't contact others anymore." Song Shuhang instructed his small golden cores again.

There were some things that you had to try to have under control. If they were completely out of control and would only lead to huge troubles, it might be better to just abandon them.

By Song Shuhang's side, the demonic hamster suddenly screamed, "Not good, ah~"

At this time, just like Song Shuhang and Little Yinzhu, it was also in the right fist of the [All-Destroying Giant], and it was protected by it. However, the fur on its body was suddenly set on fire.

However, the heavenly tribulation clearly had not touched its body, and it was even protected by the All-Destroying Giant.

"What's the matter?" Song Shuhang hurriedly covered № Hamster with the Almighty Merchant's sheet once again.

But this time, the aura-concealing effect of the sheet proved ineffective.

The flame on the demonic hamster continued burning. Its beautiful fur was charred, and the flame went even further, beginning to burn its flesh and blood.

№ Hamster smiled bitterly, and said, "It's the burning function of the Cleansing Fire Pillar."

It was talking about the pillar of Heavenly Punishment that had descended to target it specifically. As long as it was in the range of this Cleansing Fire Pillar, it would be in a burning state even without the heavenly tribulation descending on its body.

If it were a Ninth Stage evil demon, it might barely be able to resist it.

However, it was just a cute little Fourth Stage evil demon... It would be burned into ashes in a few minutes at most.

"I'm really going to die this time," the demonic hamster said weakly. "№ Tyrannical Song, do you have any other resurrection items?"

Song Shuhang smiled bitterly and shook his head.

The demonic hamster trembled in pain and gritted its teeth. "№ Tyrannical Song, if you manage to survive this Ninth Stage heavenly tribulation, tell my master that I never regretted anything in my entire life... Everything is the world's and your fault."

Song Shuhang said, "Yes, it's all my fault."

His figure inflated slightly as he entered the smoky state.

Then, he stretched out his hand, and laid it on the demonic hamster.

The flame burning on the demonic hamster burned Song Shuhang's palm—Song Shuhang's smoky mode was an extremely weakened version, and it was only immune to ordinary physical attacks. It wasn't immune to this kind of fire damage.

"Secret appraisal technique." Song Shuhang urged the appraisal technique.

He needed all the information about the Cleansing Fire Pillar's ​​'burning function' that he could get. If he could find a way to deal with the Cleansing Fire Pillar, that would be great.

In his smoky state, a lot of his 'blood' spewed out.

At the same time, the result of the appraisal appeared in his mind.

[Thousand Days Tribulation—Pillar of Heavenly Punishment, 'Cleansing Fire Pillar'. This pillar possesses an incineration domain that deals burning damage. It deals bonus damage to creatures of the Netherworld. Within the domain, the flame cannot be extinguished, and any wounds caused by the flame cannot be healed. After leaving the domain, the tribulation fire effect will cease, and the wounds can be healed with a water healing technique.]

If they wanted to extinguish the tribulation fire, then they needed to leave the incineration domain.

However, the half of the 'Heavenly Tribulation Realm' where Song Shuhang was was completely covered by the Cleansing Fire Pillar's incineration domain. There was nowhere to hide from it.

Is there a way to completely isolate the 'incineration domain'? Song Shuhang thought to himself.

Even a copy of the Almighty Merchant's sheet with the defense of the All-Destroying Giant is unable to isolate the incineration domain. What should I do?

Song Shuhang did his best to further urge the 'secret appraisal technique'. But this time, it couldn't provide him with any more information.

"Fairy Waiting for a Promise, can you protect № Hamster? Forget it, I asked a stupid question." Song Shuhang shook his head.

Light of virtue also had a strong restraint effect on evil demons of the Netherworld.

If Fairy ＠#%× protected the demonic hamster, it would only cause it to die faster.

The virtuous lamia stepped aside to guard Li Yinzhu.

She distanced herself from № Hamster in order to avoid affecting it.

№ Hamster gritted its teeth as it suffered from the tribulation fire.

"Tell my master that I won't be able to accomplish his plan," said № Hamster. Its whole body was swallowed by flames, looking like the legendary demonic beast 'flaming rat'.

But suddenly, Song Shuhang noticed a small spot on the back of № Hamster... At this spot, the tribulation fire was clearly weaker as compared to other spots.

That spot was where he had touched the demonic hamster while performing his 'secret appraisal technique' just now.

Could it be that...

Song Shuhang entered his smoky mode again, and his colorful waist flashed.

Then he gritted his teeth, and held the demonic hamster with both hands.

His hands turned into a cloud of smoke, isolating and protecting the demonic hamster's body.

The tribulation fire burned his smoky body, sending him waves of pain.

However... this small bit of pain made Song Shuhang frown slightly at best.

"If there are any ashes of me left behind, please bring them to my master." The demonic hamster closed its eyes—it felt that the pain on its body was gradually disappearing.

This likely meant that it could no longer even feel 'pain', so it was already a goner.

Song Shuhang smiled, and said, "Mm-hm, if there are any ashes, that is. Hahaha."

The demonic hamster heard Song Shuhang's laughter, and it burst into a fit once more. "You can actually still laugh at a time like this? Previously, I felt that you became more understanding after you got into your uncle state, but it looks like I was mistaken."

Song Shuhang laughed happily, and said, "There isn't anything that can be done about that; after all, what has changed is only my appearance. My mental age has not changed at all." 

...Just as he imagined, his smoky state could completely block the damage of the 'incineration domain'.

As expected of the 'pseudo-eternity mode'. Even if it was an extremely weakened version, the word 'eternity' really carried a lot with it.

Then, Song Shuhang stretched out his hand, held the demonic hamster, and stuffed it into his stomach.

№ Hamster nervously exclaimed, "Wait, what are you doing?!"

Song Shuhang stopped.

"Squeezing you into my stomach makes me feel like I'm pregnant. Sigh, I've become really sensitive to the word 'pregnant' recently."

After saying that, he held the demonic hamster up high... Then, he swallowed it whole in one go.

"!!!" № Hamster. 

F*ck, № Tyrannical Song, what are you doing?

Song Shuhang softly said, "It's rather surprising. Does Fairy @#%× get this feeling when swallowing Senior Scarlet Heaven Sword? It's pretty addictive."

However, the virtuous lamia blinked when she heard these words, then folded her arms in front of her big chest, and shook her head vigorously.

Swallowing swords was a talent show.

Swallowing hamsters raw was not!

How could these two things even be compared?

We're not the same~ Not the same~ Not the same~

❄️❄️❄️

Song Shuhang maintained his smoky state.

Facing this Thousand Days Tribulation, he could only deal with the problems as they came. That was the best he could do.

Unfortunately, he didn't know how far he'd be able to go like this.

Song Shuhang murmured, "I have to persevere for as long as I can... Senior White, please bless me."

Not far away, the virtuous lamia asked, "Can your smoky mode last for 1,000 days?"

Song Shuhang smiled bitterly and shook his head.

The smoky mode consumed a lot of spiritual energy and a lot of physical energy.

Not to mention 1,000 days, even if he were to take medicinal pills nonstop and utilize the rich spiritual energy around him, he wouldn't be able to maintain his smoky mode for more than 10 days.

While protected by Song Shuhang's smoke body, the demonic hamster activated the water healing technique imbued into its ring, which allowed it to slowly recover.

"If you can't hold on, just let me out," № Hamster suddenly said—to protect it, Song Shuhang had gone so far as to take this step. It was almost moved to tears.

Song Shuhang quickly replied, "Don't worry. If I can't hold on anymore, I will definitely take you out immediately. Otherwise, if you were to stay in my stomach, I'd probably experience indigestion."

"..." № Hamster. 

The 'tears' that had appeared in its eyes just moments ago instantly evaporated.

I've decided... When I die in your stomach, I'll make sure to have you suffer. Not only will you have indigestion, but you'll experience gastrointestinal perforation as well! the demonic hamster swore to itself.

❄️❄️❄️

Time passed little by little.

Finally, the first day of the Thousand Days Tribulation concluded.

This was the most 'a day that feels like a year' that Song Shuhang had experienced in his entire life. Every minute and every second felt as if it were as long as a century.

Perhaps because '№ Hamster' was isolated, the power of the heavenly tribulation in the air had not soared further.

Song Shuhang and the All-Destroying Giant had gradually become accustomed to the rhythm of the heavenly tribulation.

Sage Monarch Melon Eater next door felt even more comfortable.

It had the 'Virtuous Network' above its head and the 'Virtuous Starry Sea' arranged by the virtuous lamia before leaving below its body. With these, it was able to feel very relaxed.

❄️❄️❄️

After getting used to the rhythm of the 'Thousand Days Tribulation', the next day was relatively easier to bear.

This period was actually the easiest part to get through. The spiritual energy, mental energy, and physical energy of the cultivation were all still abundant, and the strength of the heavenly tribulation was not that high.

The problem was that the 'Thousand Days Tribulation' was simply too long. One could easily persist for the first few days, but after 100 days had passed, as the cultivator's energy decreased and the physical exhaustion accumulated, along with the increase in the strength of the heavenly tribulation… every day would start to feel like hell.

The second day of the Thousand Days Tribulation.

Song Shuhang suddenly experienced a stroke of enlightenment—he discovered what was lacking in his first small golden core's Golden Core Composition, 'The Forever Impregnable Holy City'.

The clue was located in the hidden version called [After the collapse of the Holy City… The All-Destroying Giant].

It was the right eye of the giant!

The giant's left eye was red as fire.

However, its right eye was empty.

The finishing touch was here!