52: Chapter 52, Forty-first Floor!

From the twenty-first to the thirty-ninth floor, Zhang Wen was like a bolt of purple lightning, charging recklessly through the Trial Tower.

The number of Phantoms constantly changed, and their cultivation levels soared from the Initial Stage of the Formation Realm all the way to the Forming Realm Peak. Some armed Phantoms even coordinated perfectly to set up Killing Formations. However, in front of Zhang Wen, all of this merely served as targets for him to practice his techniques.

When encountering a single powerful enemy, he would execute Tremor Step Treading Thunder Marks, his figure flickering amidst the Lightning Radiance, sometimes turning into afterimages to dodge attacks, and sometimes closing in on the opponent like a sudden clap of startling thunder. With thunder condensing at his fingertips, he would unleash Thunder Wrath: Instant Prison Kill—purple electricity like needles precisely piercing the Phantom's flaws, and the Tribulation Thunder detonating in an instant could grind it into powder from the inside.

If facing a group attack, Zhang Wen would spin and throw a punch. Startling Thunder Arises broke the formation as the thunderous glow on his fist exploded, forcing back nearby enemies; immediately after, Thunder Net Locking Truth followed, with countless thunder threads weaving into a net to trap all the Phantoms within; finally, he struck with Ten Thousand Thunders Return to the Void, where thousands of bolts of Lightning Radiance converged into a single point before suddenly erupting, instantly annihilating the Phantoms inside the net.

Occasionally, for those who escaped the net or stronger collective offensives, he would raise his palm to channel the world's Origin Qi. Once Myriad Thunders Heavenly Prison Lure was unleashed, the entire floor would darken, with only purple electricity dancing wildly like dragons and snakes, turning into a prison that locked all targets down. When the Lightning Radiance fell, even the air trembled, leaving not a single trace of life.

The divine resonance piercing thunder spear was unsheathed at times, its spear shadows interweaving with Lightning Radiance, and at other times put away, as he swept through everything with just his fists, feet, and movement techniques. The Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder within his body grew increasingly violent, yet it was always firmly under his control. Every strike carried a majestic heavenly might, as if a God of Thunder from the Nine Heavens had descended.

Along the way, Light Gates lit up and closed one after another, and reward light spots piled up like mountains, yet they couldn't even touch the corner of his clothes—the surrounding Tribulation Thunder automatically shook them away. All his focus was on the hearty battle and the ultimate utilization of his own power.

When the last Phantom of the thirty-ninth floor dissipated in the aftershocks of Ten Thousand Thunders Return to the Void, the Light Gate to the fortieth floor ahead had already swung open. No energy leaked from within the gate, yet it exuded a deep, unfathomable sense of pressure, as if a true primeval behemoth was hidden inside.

Zhang Wen stood before the gate, the Lightning Radiance around him gradually receding, yet his aura was several times stronger than when he arrived. He raised his hand to wipe away non-existent sweat from his brow, a smile on his face as he stepped into the fortieth floor with an easy stride.

Stepping into the fortieth floor, a dull beastly roar came from the shadows.

A Phantom of an Earth Black Tortoise covered in black shells crawled slowly. Its aura at the Forming Realm Peak was as heavy as a deep abyss, and the patterns on its shell flowed with a soil-yellow glow, actually showing a posture of invincible defense.

Zhang Wen's grip on the divine resonance piercing thunder spear tightened, but there was no solemnity in his eyes. Although the Earth Black Tortoise's defense was strong, even the hardest shell would crack before the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder.

The tortoise Phantom clearly didn't take this human seriously, only sluggishly raising its head as a soil-yellow beam of light shot toward Zhang Wen.

Zhang Wen tapped his toes to execute Tremor Step Treading Thunder Marks, his figure drawing afterimages in the Lightning Radiance as he easily dodged the light beam—that beam landed on a distant stone wall, actually smashing out a hole about a zhang deep.

"Good defense, and the attack is heavy enough." Zhang Wen circled to the side and rear of the tortoise, the thunderous glow at the spear tip flickering, "It's just too slow."

He spun and thrust his spear; the divine resonance piercing thunder spear was like a purple lightning mad dragon, stabbing hard into the joints of the tortoise's shell. With a crisp "clang," the shell only produced a slight ripple. Zhang Wen had long expected this, and with a flick of his wrist, the Lightning Radiance at the spear tip suddenly surged: "Rushing Thunder Delusion Breaking Fist: Startling Thunder Arises!"

The fist force, carrying thunderous energy, blasted in through the contact point between the spear tip and the shell. The tortoise Phantom shuddered violently, and the energy Meridians under its shell clearly became somewhat disordered.

Zhang Wen pressed his advantage, his figure moving around the tortoise like a ghost. Amidst the afterimages left by Tremor Step Treading Thunder Marks, spear shadows and fist shadows wove into a net.

"Second form, Thunder Net Locking Truth!"

Countless thunder threads suddenly emerged from all directions, tightly entangling the tortoise's limbs and the gaps in its shell.

The tortoise tried to retract into its shell for defense again, only to find that all its joints were locked by the thunder threads, making it unable to move.

"It's over." Zhang Wen stood atop the tortoise's head, his right fist slowly rising.

This time, he didn't use that move with massive spiritual energy consumption, Thunder Wrath: Instant Prison Kill. He simply condensed the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder in the center of his fist, "Third form, Ten Thousand Thunders Return to the Void!"

A seemingly plain punch landed, yet thousands of bolts of Lightning Radiance suddenly collapsed into a single point inside the tortoise's body before violently exploding.

The tortoise's shell shattered from the inside, and the heavy Phantom quickly dissolved in the Lightning Radiance, along with that abyss-like aura which vanished without a trace.

When Zhang Wen withdrew his fist, only faint thunder patterns remained on his palm—against such a target, there was no need to use Thunder Wrath: Instant Prison Kill at all.

He glanced at the Lightning Radiance flowing in his palm and turned toward the Light Gate of the forty-first floor, his pace still light, as if he had merely crushed a few ants.

Light spots merged into his body like stars, blending with the rewards accumulated previously. Zhang Wen could clearly feel the spiritual energy in his Meridians becoming increasingly thick. After a brief period of regulating his breathing, he stepped into the Light Gate of the forty-first floor.

As the light and shadows settled inside the gate, a Phantom already stood there holding a spear. Unlike the previous floors, this Phantom was clad in black heavy armor with fine patterns inscribed on the plates. The long spear in its hand glinted coldly, and the Early Stage of the Subtle Realm aura it exuded was several times more condensed than that of the Forming Realm Peak—clearly, this was a level where the difficulty spiked.

Zhang Wen narrowed his eyes as he sized up the opponent. Although he was still at the Forming Realm Peak, the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder burned fiercely within him, so he felt no fear.

He gripped the divine resonance piercing thunder spear, purple electricity leaping lightly on the shaft: "Subtle Realm, huh? Just in time to test how tough the threshold of this Realm is."

The Phantom struck first, its heavy armor clanging. The long spear thrust straight forward, the wind from the spear actually carrying a faint tearing sound. It had clearly reached the threshold of the Subtle Realm, allowing for more precise mobilization of power.

Zhang Wen executed Tremor Step Treading Thunder Marks, his figure swaying slightly in the Lightning Radiance, narrowly avoiding the spear tip, but he was grazed by the wind from the spear on his shoulder, causing a stinging pain.

"Speed and power haven't surged, but the landing point of this spear technique..." Zhang Wen's mind stirred as he spun and swung his spear to counterattack. The moment the two spears collided, he clearly felt the force transmitted from the opponent's spear shaft was controlled with ease, actually able to deflect force along his spear's momentum while also carrying a tricky spinning energy.

"Interesting." Zhang Wen was no longer in a hurry for a quick victory. The thunder spear traced layers of spear shadows as he tangled with the Phantom.

He deliberately slowed down the rhythm, using the exchanges to study the opponent's force-exertion techniques, occasionally executing Startling Thunder Arises to break a stalemate or using Thunder Net Locking Truth to limit the flexibility under the opponent's heavy armor.

The Phantom's spear technique was steady and ruthless, and the heavy armor maximized its defense. Zhang Wen's ordinary attacks landing on the armor could only spark scattered Lightning Radiance, making it difficult to cause heavy damage.

But he was not impatient. The Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder within him circulated slowly, analyzing the opponent's defensive weaknesses with every collision.

After more than a hundred moves, Zhang Wen seized the moment when the Phantom's old force was spent and new force had yet to be generated, suddenly changing his move.

The tip of the divine resonance piercing thunder spear dipped, avoiding the opponent's spear shaft and instead sweeping horizontally with the spear butt. The Phantom subconsciously raised its arm to block, revealing a fleeting gap at the elbow covered by the heavy armor—the weak point where the armor plates connected.

"Now!"

A sharp light burst from Zhang Wen's eyes, and Tremor Step Treading Thunder Marks suddenly erupted as his figure closed in like a ghost. His right fist condensed dense Lightning Radiance; it was no longer a probing attack, but Ten Thousand Thunders Return to the Void, which condensed the power of the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder.

Before the punch even arrived, the Lightning Radiance on the fist had already distorted the air.

This punch did not strike the Phantom's torso but landed precisely on that gap in the armor.

The destructive power of the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder surged in through the gap. The Phantom's arm holding the spear shook violently, and the spear almost flew out of its hand.

Take this opportunity，Zhang Wen flipped his wrist.，The Divine Thunder Spear Emerges Like a Serpent from its Cave，The tip of the spear grazed the neck of the afterimage.。

Although there was heavy armor protecting the neck, the purple electricity at the spear tip was enough to tear apart this Early Stage of the Subtle Realm energy body.

"Crack!"

The energy at the Phantom's neck suddenly dissipated, and its entire body froze like a puppet with its strings cut, then transformed into a sky full of light spots amidst the Lightning Radiance.

Zhang Wen stood with his spear retracted, panting slightly—this battle took longer than the previous floors, but the victory was still secure.

He raised his hand to absorb those light spots, feeling the growth of spiritual energy within him, a smile playing on his lips.

The Light Gate to the next floor had already lit up ahead. He stepped in, his pace still carrying a thunderous steadiness.

(Follow me so you don't get lost, lest 'one person be missing when dogwood is planted everywhere'—you are indispensable!)