Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
A silver-haired figure stood tall at the peak of Wutu Divine Mountain. Thunderclouds roared above his head, and lightning bolts kept coming down at him, bombarding his body.
The scene, when viewed from the bottom of the mountain, was like someone braving the ordeals of the Heavenly Path.
That silver-haired man remained unflinching as he withstood one attack after another.
That was not all; no one at Wutu Divine Mountain moved at that moment. All who remained behind at the Divine Mountain took their corners and took the brunt of the lightning attacks in silence.
Divine lightning bolts rained down from above in the Divine Mountain.
That scene looked like a miracle from the heavens, stunning the hearts of those seeing it.
“How many strikes has it been now?” someone at the bottom asked.
“127,” someone answered. That person’s eyes remained locked onto where Ye Futian was. He had been struck by over 100 lightning bolts and remained unflinching throughout. In contrast, many in other corners of the mountain were no longer able to take the attacks and were thrown off of the mountain.
A vast, seemingly endless thunder net gradually appeared at the peak, with Ye Futian’s body at the very center as it continued to spread below. It was as if the net was about to envelop all of the Divine Mountain.
“From the looks of it, it seems like he is truly out to challenge the record,” someone said.
However, even the thought of taking on 900 strikes was terrifying enough to make everyone shudder.
From the looks of how things were at the peak of that Divine Mountain, it seemed as if just one lightning strike alone would strike fear into those witnessing it, let alone 900 strikes.
“Let’s just see how much of the seed of the Infernal Thunder of Wutu he was able to refine,” someone said at the side. The number of lightning strikes capable of being taken on had an extremely important role in working on the seed.
The opening of the Eight Divine Mountains itself was an act of the heavenly lightning planting seeds on those who would take it, with the process being seen similar to being blessed and reaching enlightenment.
To those training in the ways of lightning, that was an opportunity in itself, as one would earn the chance of having the Infernal Thunder of Wutu being forcefully planted inside them. This would enable them to work and develop the seed. Doing so would have enabled them to manipulate the Infernal Thunder of Wutu. The greater one’s comprehension was, the greater the resistance one would have developed when taking on the strikes.
If one were to simply take on 900 lightning strikes armed with fortitude gained from their own training, one would eventually end up dead without knowing how they died.
As time passed, fewer and fewer people remained at the Divine Mountain. It was apparent that they were not able to take on the heavenly lightning strikes that had grown increasingly strong.
After quite a while later, there were only three people left on the Wutu Divine Mountain.
Those three were Ye Futian, Lu Yu, and Zhu Qi.
However, at that moment, even Zhu Qi spat up blood. She looked up at the man above and felt rather impressed, then turned around and descended the mountain.
She never expected a cultivator that she never knew would have been the one to challenge the record of the Divine Mountain that day.
Lu Yu sighed. He had been there to challenge the record on that day, yet he was injured by Ye Futian and was no longer able to sustain being struck for much longer. He left the mountain in a dejected manner soon after Zhu Qi left.
He had been ahead of everyone and acted boisterously before. Everyone thought he would have been the one standing at the peak.
At that moment, however, it was evident that he was little more than an accessory.
It was as if his existence had been for showing how magnificent that silver-haired young man had been.
There was eventually only one person left in the tall, majestic Divine Mountain. He stood at the peak, enjoying himself being watched by the world and becoming that one absolute being.
“820 strikes now,” someone mumbled as their heart raced. The man at the peak was not far away from the set record.
That man above remained standing tall like an ancient god.
At that moment, Ye Futian was actually under tremendous pressure at the peak.
Every single lightning strike that landed on his body would leave a mark. At that moment, there were countless seeds of the mark. His World Tree Life Spirit had turned into a tree of lightning as well, shimmering with dazzling light.
What was even more terrifying was that all ways of lightning at the Divine Mountain resonated with the seeds. The Wutu Divine Mountain was like a mountain of lightning in itself. He stood at the top and basked in heavenly thunder. Whenever he was struck by a lightning bolt, the mark in his body would be triggered, resonating with the boundless lightning throughout the mountain. The devastating power within that instant was unbelievably terrifying. The strikes grew increasingly strong as they went on.
However, his Life Spirit was capable of consuming every single bit of might from the lightning strikes. As such, he was still able to remain standing, not budging in the slightest. But then again, the fact that he was under tremendous shock every time the lightning bolts struck remained.
Ye Futian felt the boundless lightning will coursing throughout his body. That was the Infernal Thunder of Wutu. There were also the Righteous Thunder of Yimu, the Solar Thunder of Binghuo, the Shade Thunder of Guishui, the Perilous Thunder of Gengjin, the Divine Thunder of Zhuxie, the Demonic Thunder of Lushen, and the Violet Thunder of Shengmie—all of which being part of the other seven True Lineages of the Way of Thunder. One would have wondered just how powerful the other seven were.
The Violet Heavenly Palace was a place that gathered all Eight True Lineages of The Way of Thunder. One could have imagined just how terrifying someone who had trained in all 72 layers of the way of thunder would be.
Boom. Yet another lightning bolt struck. At that moment, the entire Divine Mountain lit up brilliantly. It was as if the place had resonated and melded into a single being with him. Ye Futian’s body flashed with lightning as well, turning his body into one of lightning.
The lightning bolts continued to hit him, and everyone below the Divine Mountain counted in their minds.
“891 strikes.” Many shuddered as they stood below. The air was stifling.
“892.”
“893…”
When the 899th bolt struck, everyone seemed to have stopped breathing altogether due to extreme nervousness.
Boom!
A brilliant light flashed as a lightning bolt descended from above. The 900th bolt hit the Wutu Divine Mountain and onto the Ye Futian’s body.
900 strikes of the heavenly thunder. That was the set record from before.
The Divine Mountain lit up as the lightning bolts washed out throughout the entire Divine Mountain. The man who was standing at the peak remained standing firm. He remained unscathed after being struck 900 times.
That meant that he was still far from reaching his limit.
“The record was about to be broken,” many muttered to themselves. Yet another lightning bolt flashed before long, breaking the record set at the Wutu Divine Mountain.
A new record was set at the Wutu Divine Mountain, and everyone thought Ye Futian was about to be taken as a personal student by the Emperor of Purple Underground.
Everyone wondered if he would replace Zhang Changqing—the man who had set the previous record—and become the true successor of the Wutu lineage of the Violet Heavenly Palace.
Everyone thought that there might be an intense competition between him and Zhang Changqing in the future.
It was known to all that Zhang Changqing was the one lauded to be the successor of the Emperor of Purple Underground, after all, making him the successor of the Infernal Thunder of Wutu.
Many mighty ones remained outside the Divine Mountain. Their eyes were fixed on the Divine Mountain, and Zhang Changqing was standing with his hands behind his back.
“Changqing, someone broke your record,” an elder by his side said.
“Records are meant to be broken, after all.” Zhang Changqing’s voice sounded calm, and he was hardly fazed.
There was no record that would last forever.
The elder smiled and said, “Indeed, but now, you have earned yourself a competitor for the lineage of Wutu.”
Zhang Changqing looked on and said, “It would be great for the Wutu lineage to have yet another figure of this class. As for competition, I do hope that he possesses such talents.”
“You really are confident.” The elder smiled and did not say more. He knew how capable Zhang Changqing was. Zhang Changqing’s talents in the ways of lightning were superb and second to none. He was the number one candidate for Purple Underworld and the most valued successor to their lineage.
However, no one knew at that moment, just how capable the man who had broken the record was.
Zhang Changqing did not say anything else. He changed the subject and talked about something else instead. “More are here now. I don’t really get it. How has that one descendant of the Gu Clan caused so much commotion with the higher-ups? While it remains true that Gu Tianxing was someone who stood at the top all those years ago, it was just him alone. He was only one man among the Gu Clan. Despite being the successor of the Gu Clan, he is but a member of all out there. Why is he worth that much of a commotion, I wonder. It is said that even the ones from the Violet Heavenly Palace are here to take him away.”
“Everything happens for a reason. I’ve heard that the Gu Clan was prosperous under the leadership of Gu Tianxing all those years ago. But then again, the Gu Clan alone would have been able to represent the Celestial Gate of Vast Heaven, and Gu Tianxing had been able to master the mystical methods unique to the Gu Clan to the extreme, making it possible for him to break through the bonds of the Heavenly Path. The Gu Clan had also been able to produce 12 mystical ones out of one faction—a pinnacle of their achievements—after Gu Tianxing rose to fame and power, making them almost standing at the pinnacle of Heavenly Mandate Realm. I think there are reasons why those big shots valued him so much.”
Zhang Changqing nodded slightly and said nothing else.
Heavenly thunder continued to roll where the Divine Mountain was at that moment.
Countless below the mountain looked up, their eyes all locked on Ye Futian.
Ye Futian was still taking on the lightning bolts at the peak.
“The Eight Divine Mountains are opened and lightning rain from the heavens to bestow foundations of the great path. The number of lightning bolts is 999. Is he trying to challenge the limt?” someone asked, thinking such an endeavor to be insane.
That limit was what many called to be the Thousand Strikes of Heavenly Thunder.
All of the eight Divine Mountains had only seen three have such limits broken, where people took on 999 lightning strikes without falling, remaining standing until the lightning strikes disappeared.
At that moment, Ye Futian was at the Wutu Divine Mountain, and many were wondering if he was attempting one such endeavor.
Qi You looked up in the sky and felt somewhat speechless.
Not only was the man, whose talents were unparalleled throughout Crimson Dragon Realm, about to break the record of Wutu Divine Mountain at the moment, but he also seemed to be out to challenge the limit of the Divine Mountains.
“936.”
Countless people beneath counted in silence. Every single lightning strike seemed to be shocking their hearts.
Their fists remained clenched when the 990th lightning bolt flashed, looking on with intense anticipation.
It was no longer about breaking the record set on Wutu Divine Mountain; it was about breaking the limit.
If he were to succeed, he would make Wutu Divine Mountain be the fourth having such a limit broken.
Zhang Changqing, who was standing outside, no longer looked calm and unfazed like he was before. He looked rather moved at that moment.
It was no longer about breaking his record. That man at the peak was about to leave him in the dust and challenge the limit instead.
Prior to that, everyone would have still compared Ye Futian to him. At that moment, however, the newcomer had overtaken him by a large margin.
The elder by his side looked on with a peculiar look as well, feeling rather excited deep down.
They, too, wanted to see Wutu Divine Mountain’s limit be broken.
“996,” an elder mumbled to himself.
They were not the only ones; in the royal palace of the Emperor of Purple Underground, far away from the Divine Mountain, a group of people gazed from their platforms, their eyes looking far away.
Even the Emperor himself had been present and stood with his hands behind his back. His eyes gazed far away. Those eyes seemed to be able to pierce through the void as they looked at the Divine Mountain.
Boom! Yet another bolt of lightning flashed. The robe worn by the Emperor billowed. There were many top-notch figures around him, some even being Renhuangs. All of them were of other forces of the true lineages. They were all looking far away at that moment.
“That would be the last,” someone mumbled.
Another bolt of lightning descended as soon as the line was said. The Emperor flashed a plain smile on his face.
On the way, the Purple Underground—which represented the lineage of Wutu—saw the limit of their Divine Mountain broken.
“Congratulations, Your Majesty.” Many bowed slightly to the Emperor, congratulating him.
The Emperor of Purple Underground had just earned himself yet another superbly talented student.
