298: Chapter 296 Tribulation

A few strands of lightning escaped from its mouth, blue, slender, only about the thickness of an arm, zig-zagging as they struck towards Yun Ming.

The first bolt landed on his shoulder; the moon-shimmer patterns on the taixu moon-hiding robe flashed slightly, and the lightning transformed into countless tiny white arcs of electricity that danced across his skin before dissipating.

The second, the third... twenty-seven blue strands of stray lightning fell one after another. Yun Ming stood motionless, his robes fluttering violently, his body wrapped in fine electrical arcs, yet he did not even frown.

The initial phase of the Lightning Tribulation was far simpler than he had imagined; it was almost effortless.

But the second wave of the Lightning Tribulation followed immediately.

The Dragon of lightning suddenly opened its massive maw, and the purple light that had been gathering deep in its throat erupted.

A purple pillar of lightning, as thick as a water bucket, spewed from its mouth, crashing straight down towards the top of Yun Ming's head.

Yun Ming did not retreat; he crossed his arms to protect his head and took the blow head-on.

The purple lightning engulfed him completely. The moon-shimmer patterns on the taixu moon-hiding robe flashed frantically, and his Body Refining third-stage Physical Body trembled slightly under the scouring of the lightning.

One after another, thirty-six purple lightning pillars bombarded Yun Ming almost without pause. His robes were charred in several places, the web of his hand was split open, and blood flowed down his wrist.

Yet he did not use any Magic Treasure, enduring it relying solely on his Physical Body and robe.

He looked up at the sky; the thunderclouds had not dispersed, but had instead become even more intense.

The third wave of the Lightning Tribulation arrived.

The color of the clouds shifted from deep purple to a dark red, as if soaked in fresh blood.

Deep within the clouds, it was no longer just lightning flashing; the clouds were rolling in massive sheets. The Dragon of lightning from before had hidden itself in the thunderclouds, but the outlines of countless Dragons of lightning emerged.

Two, four, eight—dense and numerous.

Their forms were more solid than the previous one, their scales distinct, their eyes golden, all staring in unison at Yun Ming.

Then, they moved.

They all lunged to kill Yun Ming.

The clouds exploded.

Dozens of purple lightning Dragons swooped down from the clouds, swarming forward with gaping maws and baring sharp lightning fangs, lunging at Yun Ming with an earth-shattering Aura.

Yun Ming's expression darkened. His Law of Heaven and Earth form grew to its maximum height, and he met them head-on.

He simultaneously summoned all the Magic Treasures he could use.

The cauldron of all things mother qi flew out from the map of mountains and rivers, hovering above his head. The Golden Crow Flame at the mouth of the cauldron transformed into a golden fire dragon, roaring as it charged into the swarm of lightning Dragons.

The fire dragon was similar in size to the lightning Dragons, its entire body burning with fierce golden flames. It bit off the neck of one lightning Dragon, whipped another away with its tail, and rampaged through the swarm, forcibly tearing open a gap.

The cicada wing sword flew out silently from the side. Its blade was as thin as a cicada's wing and almost transparent. Wherever the sword light passed, the heads of the lightning Dragons slid off silently, and their bodies exploded, turning into arcs of electricity.

It wove through the swarm of lightning Dragons, reaping them one sword strike at a time without making a sound.

The black tortoise heaven-suppressing shield hovered in front of Yun Ming. The shield face was as pitch-black as ink, and the patterns of the black tortoise Divine Beast flickered in and out of view amidst the lightning.

Whenever a lightning Dragon lunged close, the shield would automatically move to meet it, blocking all the lightning Dragon's claws and fangs. The black tortoise patterns on the shield would flare up suddenly, knocking the lightning Dragon back.

Yun Ming formed hand seals with both hands, fully activating the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder Heaven-Controlling True Formula.

Golden lightning surged from his palms—not in individual pillars, but in sheets of lightning curtains, like a golden waterfall descending from the sky, enveloping over a dozen lightning Dragons simultaneously.

The lightning Dragons struggled and shrieked within the golden lightning curtain, their bodies torn apart by the golden lightning, turning into purple electrical arcs filling the sky.

At the same time, he activated the power of the map of mountains and rivers, the Law power of the world within the map bolstering his own body. His Spiritual Qi recovery speed skyrocketed, the circulation of his Five Elements Spiritual Qi became more harmonious, and his Spiritual Qi was nearly inexhaustible.

His Law of Heaven and Earth form became even more solid under the bolstering of the power from the map, each punch he threw carrying the weight of the world within the map.

Three lightning Dragons bypassed the fire dragon, dodged the cicada wing sword, broke through the lightning curtain, and lunged straight at Yun Ming's face.

Yun Ming did not retreat.

He held the shield in his left hand, taking the claws of the first lightning Dragon head-on, and the black tortoise heaven-suppressing shield knocked the lightning Dragon back; his right hand smashed the head of the second lightning Dragon with a punch; the third lightning Dragon seized the opportunity to bite his left shoulder. The moon-shimmer patterns on the taixu moon-hiding robe had already dimmed significantly, and its claws and lightning fangs sank directly into his flesh.

Severe pain surged. Yun Ming gave a muffled grunt, withdrew his right fist, and smashed his elbow into the lightning Dragon's head. The lightning Dragon's head exploded, and its body dissipated into electrical arcs.

The wound on his shoulder was bleeding profusely, and purple lightning danced within the wound, scorching his flesh.

He gritted his teeth as his Five Elements Spiritual Qi surged towards the wound, constantly repairing and regenerating it.

Five or six more lightning Dragons lunged forward.

Yun Ming no longer defended passively. He commanded the golden fire dragon of the cauldron of all things mother qi to charge in from the side; the fire dragon bit the neck of one lightning Dragon and dragged it away; the cicada wing sword drew an arc in the air, piercing through the heads of two lightning Dragons from behind; the black tortoise heaven-suppressing shield actively met them, knocking away the lightning Dragons lunging at Yun Ming's front one by one.

Seizing this momentary opening, Yun Ming once again activated the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder Heaven-Controlling True Formula, and the golden lightning curtain swept across, engulfing all the remaining lightning Dragons.

The lightning Dragons shrieked as they dissipated within the lightning curtain, golden electrical arcs intertwining with purple ones, illuminating the entire wasteland.

But there were too many lightning Dragons.

After killing one wave, another came. The golden fire dragon of the cauldron of all things mother qi was besieged by seven or eight lightning Dragons; the golden flames on its body had dimmed significantly, its dragon tail was bitten off, its dragon wings were torn, yet it continued to fight fiercely. The blade of the cicada wing sword had several small nicks, and the spiritual light on the sword had dimmed slightly. There were several deep claw marks on the face of the black tortoise heaven-suppressing shield. Yun Ming's own condition was worse; his robes had been shredded into rags, the moon-shimmer patterns on the taixu moon-hiding robe had almost completely extinguished, and there was not a single patch of intact skin on his entire body. The wound on his left arm was deep enough to see the bone, his right leg had been bitten, causing him to limp as he walked, and his back had been whipped by lightning Dragon tails many times, each wound burning with intense pain. Yet his five Golden Cores were still spinning, the Dao scripture was still repairing his body, the power of the map of mountains and rivers was continuously replenishing his Spiritual Qi, and his blood was still burning.

The battle lasted for nearly an hour.

The last lightning Dragon had its head crushed by the golden fire dragon of the cauldron of all things mother qi, and purple electrical arcs exploded, blooming like a giant lightning flower in the night sky, illuminating the entire wasteland. The fire dragon finally exhausted its power, turning into a wisp of golden smoke that dove back into the cauldron. The cicada wing sword hovered at Yun Ming's side, the spiritual light on the blade flickering unsteadily. The face of the black tortoise heaven-suppressing shield was covered in claw marks, yet it still stood steadily in front of him.

Yun Ming stood on the mountaintop, covered in blood, his robes tattered, panting heavily.

He raised his head and looked at the sky.

The thunderclouds were still there, but they were not as intense as before, and the color slowly faded from dark red back to deep purple.

Fifty-four lightning Dragons, every single one of them killed.

Just when he thought it was over.

Then he saw it.

In the part of the sky where there were no thunderclouds, a faint light was condensing.

It was not lightning, not electricity, but a pale, silvery-white light, like moonlight.

The light shone through from the clouds, becoming brighter and more concentrated, slowly condensing into the shape of a person.