51: Chapter 51 Climbing the Tower!

Stepping into the second floor, two phantom figures emerged in response. Zhang Wen swept his gaze over them and knew they were only at the Early Stage of the Budding Realm. A faint smile curled his lips—this kind of trash wasn't even enough for him to warm up.

Just as the phantoms pounced close, Zhang Wen had already clenched his fist. Before the opponents could deliver their Moves, fine purple lightning patterns rose on the surface of his fist, carrying a majestic heavenly might amidst the crackling sounds.

With just one punch, the Lightning Radiance exploded. The two phantoms were struck as if by heavenly thunder, instantly collapsing into points of light.

The light gate to the third floor immediately lit up. Over the next few floors, although the number of phantoms doubled, their cultivation remained at the Early Stage of the Budding Realm.

Zhang Wen didn't even bother to mobilize his full strength. Each time, he only needed his fist to sweep past, and the residual power of the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder was enough to tear all the phantoms apart. His movements were so fast they were almost nothing but afterimages.

Until the fifth floor, the number returned to two, but their aura was clearly much thicker. "Early Bloom Mid-stage, is it?" A wisp of Tribulation Thunder condensed at Zhang Wen's fingertips, the purple electricity swimming in his palm like a living thing. "Just right, I'll let you taste the power of the Tribulation Thunder."

Before his voice finished fading, he had already closed in. Facing the pincer attack of the two phantoms, Zhang Wen neither dodged nor avoided, throwing out both fists simultaneously. In an instant, the purple lightning danced wildly like a Dragon, not only easily breaking through the phantoms' offensive but also grinding their bodies into powder.

The power of the Tribulation Thunder swept out, causing even the space to ripple slightly.

Reward light points continuously merged into his body, but Zhang Wen didn't care at all. All his mind was focused on the increasingly active Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder within him.

This trial was less a challenge and more an excellent opportunity for him to familiarize himself with this power.

Destroying everything in his path, wherever the purple lightning passed, the phantoms were vulnerable regardless of their number or how their cultivation increased.

When the light gate of the twentieth floor lit up before his eyes, the Lightning Radiance on Zhang Wen's fist had condensed into substance, as if he were holding a small thunderstorm, just waiting for the next wave of challengers to come so he could tear them completely apart.

Behind the light gate of the twentieth floor, the expected phantoms did not appear. In their place was a Vicious Beast emitting the aura of the Budding Peak, its fangs exposed and its body surrounded by a fierce, malevolent Qi.

"So it's a Vicious Beast." A flash of realization crossed Zhang Wen's eyes. "It seems the final gate of each stage is the true test."

It was common knowledge that the combat power of a Vicious Beast far exceeded that of a Cultivator of the same rank. But at this moment, in Zhang Wen's eyes, this Vicious Beast was merely a target for him to hone his Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder.

"A pity. Even at the Budding Peak, you're not enough to look at before me." He slammed his foot onto the ground, and the Tribulation Thunder within his body roared awake.

Purple electricity surged through his Meridians to his right arm. His entire arm was shrouded in a layer of violent Lightning Radiance, and within the crackling lightning arcs was hidden a power sufficient to tear heaven and earth asunder.

"Rushing Thunder Delusion Breaking Fist, First Form—" He sank into a horse stance and slowly tightened his right fist. The Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder within him suddenly boiled, and purple-gold Lightning Radiance surged through his Meridians to the tip of his fist. A scorched scent immediately filled the air, and even the light was distorted by the electricity. "Startling Thunder Arises!"

Before his shout ended, his fist had already blasted out like a cannonball. It wasn't a straight-line thrust, but followed a tricky angle unique to lightning, grazing past the edge of the Vicious Beast's swinging claws.

The Tribulation Thunder condensed on his fist erupted completely at this moment. It was no longer the fine electric sparks from before, but had transformed into a purple-gold lightning pillar as thick as an arm, with crackling lightning snakes crazily gnawing at the surrounding air.

The Vicious Beast's pupils shrank suddenly. It could feel the destructive power contained within that lightning pillar, but it was too late to pull back.

The lightning pillar hit it squarely in the chest. Its skin, as hard as fine iron, instantly blackened and exploded. The sound of bones shattering mixed with the roar of Lightning Radiance echoed throughout the entire space.

Even more terrifying, the power of the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder invaded its body through the wound, shredding its Meridians and Demon Core like a maggot in the bone. Without even being able to let out a full scream, its massive body disintegrated inch by inch in the Lightning Radiance, finally leaving behind only a wisp of blue smoke.

The residual power of the punch had not yet dissipated, and the purple-gold lightning pillar crashed into the distant stone wall, exploding into a sky full of electric rain.

Zhang Wen slowly withdrew his fist. Looking at the lingering lightning patterns on his fist, a cold, sharp arc curled his lips—this Budding Peak Vicious Beast didn't even have the qualification to make him use thirty percent of the Tribulation Thunder's power.

The scattered light points were several times denser than on the previous floors. Zhang Wen raised his hand with a wave, and those rewards were all drawn into his body like guided stars.

And his gaze had already turned toward the light gate further above.

The light patterns of the twenty-first floor faded, leaving only a single phantom standing quietly. Unlike the previous floors, this phantom held a Black Iron Heavy Sword in its hand. Its aura at the Initial Stage of the Formation Realm was as solid as a rock, and the sword blade glinted with a cold, hard luster under the Shimmer. Its mere stance exuded the sharpness of a battle-hardened veteran—it was definitely not an easy opponent.

A flash of surprise crossed Zhang Wen's eyes, which then transformed into intense Battle Intent. He made a grasping motion with his right hand, and the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder converged at his call. The divine resonance piercing thunder spear hummed as it appeared in his palm, purple electricity wandering along the shaft as it faced the phantom's heavy sword from a distance.

"Holding a sword alone? This is more to my taste than a group fight." Zhang Wen gave his wrist a light shake, and the thunder spear traced a half-arc, the Lightning Radiance at the tip suddenly blazing. "Let me see if your sword Move is worthy of receiving a strike from my spear!"

Before his voice fell, the phantom had already moved. The heavy sword swept across, trailing afterimages, its sword wind as fierce as a raging tide hitting the shore, actually pressing the surrounding air into stagnation.

Zhang Wen tapped his toes on the ground, his body rising like a startling thunderclap. The thunder spear flicked upward, and the purple-gold lightning glow at the tip collided violently with the cold black iron light of the heavy sword—

"Clang!"

Amidst the deafening clash of metal, the Tribulation Thunder exploded along the spear shaft. Amidst the wild dance of purple electricity, the phantom was actually shaken back half a step. Zhang Wen, however, used the momentum to spin, the spear shaft rotating rapidly in his palm as the next Move was already prepared.

The moment the phantom was shaken back, Zhang Wen followed it like a shadow. The divine resonance piercing thunder spear transformed into a purple-gold stream of light in his hand, the spear tip carrying the majestic heavenly might of the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder, giving it no chance to breathe at all.

In its haste, the phantom blocked horizontally with its sword, only to hear a sharp "crack"—spiderweb cracks were actually shaken into the Black Iron Heavy Sword by the thunder spear. Before it could change its Move, Zhang Wen's wrist flipped abruptly, and the spear tip, like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, accurately struck the phantom's chest.

"Puff!"

The Tribulation Thunder erupted instantly, purple electricity surging into the phantom's body like a tide. That aura of the Initial Stage of the Formation Realm couldn't even manage to struggle before it disintegrated inch by inch in the lightning. From the start of the exchange to the end, it took only three breaths of time.

Zhang Wen shook off the residual electricity from the spear tip, looked at the approaching light points, and absorbed them with a casual wave.

He looked down at the increasingly active lightning patterns on the divine resonance piercing thunder spear and lightly stroked the shaft with his fingertips: "It seems my touch hasn't grown rusty. Rather, this Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder is becoming more and more natural to use."

Before his voice finished, the light gate for the next floor had already lit up ahead, with even stronger energy fluctuations faintly coming from within. Zhang Wen shouldered the thunder spear and stepped forward, purple electricity jumping around him, his very footsteps carrying the steadiness of a thunderbolt hitting the ground.

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