The mass of thunderclouds was dark as ink.
Their imposing might could be felt throughout the whole of the Beast Region, and even the entire Three Realms.
Ye Zichen stepped into the air. The godhead floating above him whimpered incessantly.
“Jeez, can’t you toughen up?”
He couldn’t help but roll his eyes at it. It was still freaking out even now.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The mass of clouds rumbled with lightning and booming thunderclaps.
It was obviously accumulating power for the last strike of Ye Zichen’s tribulation.
“An eighty-one bolt lightning tribulation, ‘Lightning consumes the heart.’ Could it be that this kid’s talent is comparable to Bi’an’s? But Bi’an is the son of the Dragon God,” Lady Providence thought to herself. “That said, considering how heaven-defying his good fortune is, I suppose his divine tribulation couldn’t possibly be easy.”
By her side, the Great Strength Bodhisattva had his eyes tightly shut and was muttering incantations.
But the sutras were so jerky and awkward, not even Lady Providence could tell what exactly he was muttering.
“Lady Nuwa, didn’t you say that there were only nine bolts of heavenly lightning?” asked Su Yan nervously. Ye Zichen’s bloodsoaked appearance worried her so much she’d broken out a cold sweat.
“Only truly ordinary divinities undergo a nine-bolt trial after Divine Bestowal. It seems that the Yellow Emperor’s godhead is absolutely extraordinary; he’s about to undergo the eighty-one bolt trial, ‘lightning consumes the heart.’ But you don’t need to worry. Since he was able to take eighty bolts of lightning, enduring the eighty-first will be absolutely no problem. If he can overcome the heavenly lightning, he’ll truly be like a carp leaping over the dragon’s gate.
Crack! Boom!
The dense clouds above were still condensing lightning energy. The various important figures from all over the Three Realms who’d rushed over after hearing the bell were stopped in their tracks by the mass of thunderclouds.
Or you could say that the Three-legged Divine Bluebird had stopped them. Either way, the immortals could only follow the North Pole Emperor’s lead and wait quietly for the tribulation to dissipate.
“Why hasn’t it fallen yet? The lightning is still accumulating power, is it trying to use this to last bolt to kill me?”
Ye Zichen couldn’t help but complain, but then……
Boom.
A ten-meter-thick lightning dragon came roaring down from the clouds.
That’s right.
A lightning dragon.
The last strike of heavenly lightning was no mere bolt; it had compressed itself into a roaring dragon of pure lightning, and was seemingly intent on swallowing him and his godhead whole.
“You really are trying to kill me.”
Seeing this, Ye Zichen swore despite himself, but he had no other choice. He could only forcefully endure the blow.
“Godhead, you have to hold on a little longer. Endure this last bolt, and we’ll be like a former peasant becoming a landlord.”
The golden sword floating above his head wobbled, almost seeming to nod, but then…
Boom.
The lightning dragon crashed into him.
Ye Zichen had been standing in the air, but the dragon smashed him into the ground. White-blue lightning crackled as it flooded outward, devastating the surrounding area.
“Zichen.”
“Don’t move.”
Lady Nuwa reached out to stop her, then tightly knit her brows as she used all of her power to block the incoming lightning.
Cough.
A hacked up a mouthful of fresh blood, then wiped the corners of her mouth.
“This is just a fraction of the eighty-first bolt’s full power, but it’s still so…,” she said, shaken. “The God Realm’s strongest lightning tribulation really lives up to its reputation.”
“How could it be so strong?” Lady Providence tightly knit her brow.
“Die, die, die…. You’ve got to die.” Meanwhile, Gu Li and the Zombie Progenitors were cursing Ye Zichen. If he didn’t die, then they definitely would.
The thunderclouds dissipated.
After the eighty-first bolt, the vortex of thunderclouds above the Nine-tailed fox clan completely vanished. Soon, pleasant sunshine shone down from above.
The final bolt of lightning left behind nothing but a deep, smoking crater. Before long, an hour had passed, but…
There was no movement whatsoever within the crater.
Remnants of electricity from the Lightning Tribulation continued wreaking devastation. No matter whether they were on-site or standing amongst the clouds, no one dared move rashly. Still, their eyes were all glued to the same location….
“Zichen.”
Su Yan’s face brimmed with anxiety. More than once she wanted to run to his side, but Nuwa stopped her each time.
An hour.
It had already been an hour.
“Hmph, he’s definitely dead. Divine Bestowal? Psh. Even if you really became a god, so what? In the end, you just got killed by your own tribulation.”
After an hour without any movement, Gu Li’s expression was no longer tense. To the contrary, he seemed somewhat self-satisfied.
Now all he had to do was wait for the lightning to dissipate, then he could take the Zombie Progenitors and leave. Of course, first he would kill Nuwa and the others as interest.
Soon another fifteen minutes had passed…..
“Haha, he’s totally dead.”
Gu Li laughed wantonly, and the Zombie Progenitors smiled alongside him.
In response to his gloating laughter, Su Yan exploded with rage. “You, shut up. Zichen couldn’t have died.”
“Tch, it’s been almost an hour. If he isn’t dead, what’s he doing?” Gu Li snorted contemptuously. “Little girl, don’t be sad. Wait just a little longer for the remaining lightning to dissipate, and I’ll let you two reunite in the afterlife.”
“Shut up shut up shut up.”
Her eyes reddened as she bellowed angrily, but Gu Li only smiled calmly…. There was no reason to argue, was there?
“Lady Benefactor, this…..”
The Great Strength Bodhisattva looked down from above and frowned. He’d never seen a lightning tribulation before and didn’t know what was going on. All he could do was ask Lady Providence for advice.
“Wait a little longer,” she frowned. In truth, she’d just searched for Ye Zichen’s aura, but hadn’t found a single trace of him.
But she couldn’t believe that Ye Zichen would just die during his tribulation. The situation was still uncertain, so, for now, she chose to simply wait and see.
“Cough……”
Suddenly, the sound of coughing broke the silence. Everyone watched as Ye Zichen climbed out from the smoking, black crater formed by the lightning dragon. His hair stood on end, and his entire body was burnt black.
The feathers on his wings were no longer pearly white, hm…. Now you could say they were a pale yellow.
“Wah, it really almost killed me…..”
Coal-black, Ye Zichen lay on the ground and took deep, ragged breaths. Before long, a golden sword also dug its way out of the crater. It shook repeatedly as if trying to shed the coal caked onto it.
“Bro, it seems we’ve gotten through our tribulation alive.”
The golden sword swayed as if nodding its head.
Upon seeing Ye Zichen, Su Yan smiled through her tears and Lady Nuwa and Lady Providence took deep breaths of relief.
“Buddha be praised,” exclaimed the Great Strength Bodhisattva.
They were all truly relieved. As for Gu Li and the others……
“How…. How is it possible?”
Gu Li’s face slackened as he fell to the ground with a thud. The lightning hadn’t killed Ye Zichen… He was doomed, everything was over.
The Zombie Progenitors were also overcome with despair. Ye Zichen hadn’t died, so their end was in sight.
“Ouch.”
Ye Zichen stretched lazily, then leaped up from the ground.
He smiled warmly at Su Yan, then his expression cooled as he walked towards Gu Li.
“Do you still remember what I said earlier? How about it? Will you commit suicide, or should I kill you myself?”
