110: Chapter 110 At the Top of Chaos Valley, the Tribulation of Lightning Descends

The outline of Chaos Valley gradually became clear in the morning light.

Lin Ye stood on the summit of Lingxiao Peak, the highest point of the Chaos Valley mountain range, at an altitude of 1,300 zhang.

The mountain was as steep as a sword, and the summit was a flat area of about thirty zhang in diameter.

In the center stood a naturally formed black boulder, its surface as smooth as a mirror, glowing with a faint metallic luster under the rising sun.

This boulder was named the heavenly manifestation stone and was one of the nodes where the Spiritual Qi of Chaos Valley converged.

When Zhao Wuji was choosing the location for the Undergoing Tribulation, he had suggested going to a ley line node in the Meteorite Plain, but Lin Ye ultimately chose this place.

There were three reasons: First, Lingxiao Peak was the core of Chaos Valley, and if the Undergoing Tribulation was successful here, it would greatly boost the morale of the Heavenly Court.

Second, the heavenly manifestation stone contained righteous energy, which had a certain restraining effect on the Lightning Tribulation.

Third, and most importantly, the mountaintop had an open view, cliffs on all four sides, and was easy to defend and difficult to attack, so the Protector team only needed to guard a few mountain paths.

At this moment, Lin Ye stood on the heavenly manifestation stone, looking down at Chaos Valley below.

The valley in the morning light was quiet and peaceful, with defensive fortifications winding along the mountain ridges, and the Formation runes carved on them flickering in the morning light.

Players from various halls had already taken their positions according to the scheduled plan: Shi Potian led three hundred elites of the Azure Dragon Hall to hold the three main mountain paths; Su Qingyue's Vermilion Bird Hall mage corps were distributed at six high points on the mountainside, forming a long-range firepower net; Chen Hao's mecha troops were on standby at the valley entrance; Zhao Wuji was stationed at the command post, monitoring the overall situation through the Water Mirror Technique; and Qin Ruoxue's Heavenly Secret Pavilion intelligence network was spread over a radius of a hundred miles.

Everything was ready.

Lin Ye withdrew his gaze and sat cross-legged in the center of the heavenly manifestation stone.

He first checked the equipment on his body.

The dark golden thunder gods protection set was worn neatly; the five pieces of equipment were seamless, and the natural grain of the lightning-struck wood on the surface of the equipment shimmered in the sunlight, with the inlaid star iron powder looking like twinkling stars.

His fingers lightly touched the breastplate, and the System information immediately appeared:

[thunder gods protection set (Epic · Five-piece set)]

[Currently worn: 5/5]

[Set Lightning Resistance: +60% (Base 50% + 10% bonus for three-piece set)]

[Set Durability: 100% / 100%]

[Set Special Effect: thunder gods protection (Not activated)]

This set of equipment would be the first line of defense against the Lightning Tribulation.

On his left side, the profound thunder heart-protecting shield was inserted diagonally into the ground.

This Epic shield, specially crafted to resist the Lightning Tribulation, had been fully upgraded—all fifteen ice soul crystals had been replaced with premium ice soul crystals (Rare) brought back by Su Qingyue from the Ice Secret Realm.

The purity of each crystal reached over ninety percent, increasing the reduction effect on thunder attribute damage from the original 2% per crystal to 3%, totaling 45%.

The lightning evasion array patterns on the surface of the shield had also been re-carved by Great Master Tie Xin himself, increasing guidance efficiency by 20%.

On his right side were ten Talisman pouches filled with Talismans.

Each Talisman pouch contained ten lightning evasion talisman (Fine), totaling one hundred.

These Talismans were gathered by Zhao Wuji within five days after spending over ninety thousand Spirit Stones and utilizing all the chamber of commerce's channels.

Although they were only of Fine quality, each one had been strictly screened, with the lowest thunder attribute damage reduction being 18% and the highest reaching 25%.

Hanging from his waist were five jade bottles: one bottle contained a heaven-returning divine pill (Epic)—this was his last-resort life-saving Medicinal Pill, which recovered 50% of Qi and blood and Divine Power within ten seconds; two bottles each contained ten high-grade qi and blood pill (Rare), each of which could restore 8000 points of Qi and blood; and two bottles each contained ten high-grade Divine Power pill (Rare), each of which could restore 6000 points of Divine Power.

Three feet above his head, the myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo floated quietly.

The surface of the small cauldron flowed with a mysterious yellow luster, and the cracks on the cauldron body left in the Ancient Desolate Forbidden Land had been repaired by Lin Ye using crushed peach pit powder mixed with mysterious yellow qi.

Although it had not been completely restored, the durability had returned to 85%, and the defensive and suppression effects were basically unaffected.

Finally, Lin Ye took out three temporary pieces of equipment from his Storage Pouch.

This was the lightning evasion set (temporary) rushed out by Zhao Wuji on the last day, consisting of three pieces of Fine quality accessories: lightning evasion necklace, lightning evasion ring, and lightning evasion earring.

All three pieces of equipment were mass-produced standard goods with very average attributes, but they all shared one common entry—Thunder attribute damage reduction +10%.

With the three items stacked, plus the set effect, it provided a total of 40% additional lightning resistance.

[lightning evasion set (temporary)]

[Wearing requirement: None]

[Set effect: Thunder attribute damage reduction +40% (lasts for 12 hours, equipment automatically destroyed after effect ends)]

[Production cost: about 30,000 Spirit Stones]

[Note: Disposable consumable, designed for short-term high-intensity thunder attribute environments.]

Lin Ye put on the necklace, slipped the ring onto his right index finger, and hung the earring on his left ear.

The three accessories were activated simultaneously, and a pale blue electric arc flowed across his body before disappearing.

With this, all preparations for resisting the tribulation were complete.

Lin Ye brought up his personal attribute panel and focused on checking the data related to lightning resistance:

[Current total thunder attribute damage reduction]

1. thunder gods protection set: +60%

2. lightning evasion set (temporary): +40%

3. profound thunder heart-protecting shield ice soul crystals: +45%

4. Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body Innate lightning resistance: +15% (Physique bonus)

5. heavenly manifestation stone environmental bonus: +10%

6. Ice Thunder Grand Array (Not activated): +10% (Effective after activation)

[Total: +180% (Note: There is a diminishing effect on damage reduction, the actual effect is about 87.5%)]

87.5% thunder attribute damage reduction!

This meant that a bolt of lightning that would normally cause 10,000 points of damage would only cause 1,250 points of damage when it hit Lin Ye.

If one also considered defense attributes, shield skills, and Medicinal Pill recovery... theoretically, he could even withstand the Seven-Layered Thunder Tribulation without dying.

Of course, this was just theory.

The true terror of the Heavenly Tribulation was never just the raw damage value.

Every bolt of lightning contained the will of the heavenly dao, and that sense of oppression that heaven and earth do not tolerate, that destructive will of defying heaven deserves to be executed, was the key to breaking the person undergoing the tribulation.

Lin Ye took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

He began to circulate the Chaos Scripture.

In the wheel sea secret realm, the wheel of life shone brightly, the bitter sea surged, the life spring gushed, and the divine bridge connected to the other shore.

In the Dao Palace Secret Realm, the five visceral divine treasures shook in unison; the heart divine treasure ignited red flames, the liver divine treasure grew green divine wood, the spleen divine treasure condensed earth-yellow mountains, the lung divine treasure flashed with white metal qi, and the kidney divine treasure surged with black water flow.

The Five Elements circulated, endless and ceaseless.

Chaos Divine Power flowed along the Meridians and finally gathered in the limbs.

Lin Ye could clearly feel that his arms and legs were undergoing a qualitative change.

His bones were tougher, his muscles were more solid, and faint Chaos patterns appeared on his skin, moving like living things, eventually forming a miniature Chaos vortex in the palms of his hands and the soles of his feet.

The Four Extremities Secret Realm, connecting to the four directions of heaven and earth.

The left arm corresponded to the Azure Dragon of the East, belonging to wood, dominating vitality.

At this moment, a green dragon shadow vaguely moved under the skin of Lin Ye's left arm, and every breath could draw the essence of the surrounding grass and trees.

The right arm corresponded to the White Tiger of the West, belonging to metal, dominating slaughter.

The muscles of his right arm bulged, and his joints creaked, as if containing the power to tear everything apart.

The left leg corresponded to the xuanwu - new life of the North, belonging to water, dominating defense.

His left leg was as steady as a mountain, and when his sole stepped on the ground, it vaguely resonated with the earth, as if it could draw the power of the earth's veins.

The right leg corresponded to the Vermilion Bird of the South, belonging to fire, dominating offense.

His right leg was as hot as fire, and the surrounding air was distorted by the high temperature.

Four limbs connected, Four Extremities initially formed.

Lin Ye opened his eyes, and Chaos Qi swirled in the depths of his pupils.

He looked up at the sky.

I don't know when, but the originally clear sky began to change.

Centered on Lingxiao Peak, clouds began to gather from all directions in the sky within a radius of ten miles.

Those were not ordinary white clouds or dark clouds, but a kind of strange purple-black cloud layer, in which silver-white electric snakes flashed from time to time, and those electric snakes made crackling sounds when they moved; even from a thousand zhang high, one could feel the aura of destruction within them.

Even more strangely, the gathering speed of the clouds was extremely fast.

In just three breaths, the entire sky above Lingxiao Peak was completely covered by thick thunder clouds, and the sky suddenly darkened, as if it had jumped from morning to dusk in an instant.

The thunder clouds hung low, almost pressing down on the peak.

In the clouds, there were more and more electric snakes, and the color gradually changed from a single silver-white to an intertwining of silver-white, golden-yellow, and crimson.

Three-colored lightning... At the foot of the mountain, Zhao Wuji in the command post saw this scene through the Water Mirror Technique, his face solemn, The Four Extremities Heavenly Tribulation for ordinary players, the first Lightning Tribulation is only silver-white single-colored lightning. The Valley Master's first layer is directly three-colored lightning, and its power is at least four times that of ordinary players!

Beside him, Qin Ruoxue quickly called up the information collected by the Heavenly Secret Pavilion: According to ancient records, the three-colored Lightning Tribulation usually appears at the sixth layer. Silver-white dominates destruction, golden-yellow dominates suppression, and crimson dominates scorching. The superposition of the three attributes not only causes extremely high damage but also adds a variety of negative states.

On the mountainside, Su Qingyue gripped the Frost Moon Staff in her hand.

The Vermilion Bird Hall mage corps behind her was already in position, and all one hundred ice thunder Formation Flags were inserted in the predetermined positions; as soon as she gave the order, the Ice Thunder Grand Array would be immediately activated.

But it was not the time yet.

Elder Su, should we activate the Formation? A deputy hall master asked in a low voice.

Wait a little longer. Su Qingyue shook her head, The Ice Thunder Grand Array only lasts for twelve hours and must be used at the most critical moment. The Valley Master's first Lightning Tribulation should not need the assistance of the Formation yet.

She looked at the proud figure on the mountaintop, her ice-blue eyes full of worry.

On the peak, Lin Ye slowly stood up.

He did not look at the strange phenomenon in the sky, but immersed all his spirit into his body, adjusting the rhythm of the Chaos Divine Power.

His left hand gripped the handle of the profound thunder heart-protecting shield, and his right hand pulled a lightning evasion talisman from the Talisman pouch and held it between his fingers.

The myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo rotated faster, and the mysterious yellow qi hanging down became more dense, forming a faint yellow halo around him.

[System prompt: The first Lightning Tribulation of the Four Extremities Heavenly Tribulation is about to descend, countdown: 10, 9, 8...]

The countdown sounded like a funeral bell in everyone's heart.

The moment the number returned to zero—

Boom—!!!

A three-colored lightning bolt with a diameter of more than five zhang tore through the clouds and struck Lin Ye head-on!

Silver-white, golden-yellow, and crimson, the three-colored electric light intertwined and wrapped around, forming a gorgeous and deadly beam of light.

Wherever the lightning passed, the air was ionized with a pungent smell of ozone, and the space even showed slight distortion; the dazzling lightning illuminated the entire Lingxiao Peak as if it were daylight, and even the Chaos Valley ten miles away could see it clearly!

It's coming!

The players watching at the foot of the mountain exclaimed.

Many people subconsciously closed their eyes—not out of fear, but because the light was too dazzling to look at directly.

But Lin Ye did not close his eyes.

His eyes stared fixedly at the lightning, the Chaos Qi in his pupils rotating crazily, capturing, analyzing, and calculating every detail of the lightning.

Landing point, speed, energy composition, attribute ratio...

Just before the lightning was about to hit him, Lin Ye moved.

Not dodging—under the lock of the Heavenly Tribulation, dodging was meaningless.

But defense!

His left hand held the profound thunder heart-protecting shield high, and the fifteen premium ice soul crystals on the surface of the shield burst into dazzling blue light at the same time!

An ice-blue shield five feet thick condensed in front of the shield, and complex ice thunder runes appeared on the shield, rotating crazily, trying to guide, disperse, and weaken the power of the lightning.

At the same time, the lightning evasion talisman crushed by his right hand turned into a pale golden light, forming a second layer of defense on his body.

The myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo above his head also moved.

The small cauldron spun and flew directly under the lightning, and the mouth of the cauldron spewed out a large amount of Chaos Qi, and those gray air currents intertwined into a large net, facing the lightning.

Three layers of defense were completed almost at the same time.

And at this moment, the three-colored lightning finally fell!

The first to collide was the Chaos net.

Zzzzz—!

A harsh current sound rang out.

Chaos Qi did have the characteristic of decomposing everything; as soon as the three-colored lightning touched it, the three-colored electric light began to be eroded, assimilated, and dissolved by the gray air currents.

But the energy of the lightning was too violent, and the Chaos net only persisted for one breath before a big hole was torn in it.

The power of the lightning that passed through the Chaos net was reduced by about 20%.

Then it hit the pale golden shield formed by the lightning evasion talisman.

The shield vibrated violently, and countless fine cracks appeared on the surface.

The pale golden light and the three-colored lightning light fought crazily, consuming each other.

The second layer of defense persisted for two breaths before finally shattering.

The power of the lightning was reduced by another 30%.

The remaining 50% of the lightning finally hit the ice-blue shield of the profound thunder heart-protecting shield.

This collision erupted with a deafening roar!

Rumble—!!!

The ice-blue shield clashed head-on with the three-colored lightning, the two energies biting, devouring, and annihilating each other crazily.

On the surface of the shield, the ice thunder runes flashed crazily, and the light of the fifteen premium ice soul crystals shone to the extreme, with even fine cracks appearing inside the crystals.

But the shield held up after all.

After three breaths, the power of the three-colored lightning was exhausted, and the ice-blue shield also shattered.

The light of the fifteen premium ice soul crystals dimmed at the same time, and the cracks on the surface of three of them expanded, but they had not completely shattered yet.

And Lin Ye himself—

He stood firmly in place, his feet sinking deep into the heavenly manifestation stone, up to his ankles.

His left hand holding the shield was slightly numb, the web between his thumb and index finger was split, and blood seeped out.

His Qi and blood dropped by 8%, and his Divine Power was consumed by 5%.

But that was all.

The first bolt of lightning, survived!

Moreover, Lin Ye felt that his body was undergoing some kind of wonderful change.

The faint lightning power that passed through the layers of defense and finally acted upon his body did not cause damage entirely. On the contrary, a portion was actively absorbed, devoured, and refined by his body.

[System Prompt: Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body absorbs 'Three-Colored Lightning' Origin energy, obtaining [Lightning Essence] × 1.]

[Lightning Essence: Special material/consumable. After use, it can permanently increase lightning attribute damage by +1% and lightning attribute resistance by +1%, or be used to refine lightning-type Magic Treasure and Cultivate lightning-type Cultivation Technique. Note: A maximum of nine can be absorbed per layer of Heavenly Tribulation. Collecting eighty-one from the Nine-Layered Thunder Tribulation allows for the synthesis of [Thunder Tribulation Origin].]

Just as expected! Lin Ye felt reassured. In his past life, he had heard that certain special Physiques could not only withstand Heavenly Tribulation head-on but also extract benefits from it. As the only Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body in eternity, it indeed possessed this ability.

And that was not all—

[System Prompt: Tempered by the first lightning strike, defense permanently +100, lightning attribute resistance permanently +1%.]

Double joy! Lin Ye felt the changes in his body. Although his Qi and Blood and Divine Power had been consumed somewhat, his Physical Body strength had indeed increased. On the surface of his skin, a faint silver lightning pattern had appeared within those Chaos lines; it flashed and vanished, yet it truly existed.

"The first lightning strike has a power approximately equal to the strength of a normal player's fourth layer of Heavenly Tribulation," Lin Ye estimated internally. "But my lightning resistance has reached 87.5%, so the actual damage taken is only 12.5%. Combined with the defense attribute reduction... this lightning strike does not pose much of a threat to me."

He looked up at the sky.

The clouds were churning, and the second three-colored lightning was condensing.

This time, the color of the lightning was deeper, and the proportions of the three colors had changed—the silver-white decreased, the golden-yellow proportion increased, and the crimson electric snakes were more violent.

The power had increased by at least 30%.

Lin Ye's gaze was calm.

He knew that the rule of the Heavenly Tribulation was nine strikes per layer, each stronger than the last. The first strike was often just an appetizer; the real test lay ahead.

"I cannot use three layers of defense for every strike," Lin Ye thought quickly. "There are only one hundred lightning evasion talismans, and the durability of the Ice Soul Crystals is limited. I must allocate them reasonably."

Seeing that the second lightning strike was about to fall, Lin Ye made adjustments.

He still held the shield in his left hand, but this time he did not use a lightning evasion talisman. Instead, with a thought, he activated the [Lightning Guidance] special effect of the thunder gods protection set bracers.

At the same time, the myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo above his head changed its strategy. No longer intercepting head-on with the Chaos net, it flew to the side, with the cauldron mouth aimed at the flank of the lightning. The emitted Chaos Qi formed an inclined force field, attempting to change the trajectory of the lightning's landing point.

The second three-colored lightning fell!

First, it was affected by the Chaos force field, causing its landing point to shift half a foot to the right—do not underestimate this half a foot; it meant the lightning could not strike the shield at the optimal angle, and the impact force would be dispersed.

Next, the special effect of the thunder gods protection set bracers activated. A fine electric net appeared on the surface of the bracers. The moment the lightning touched the shield, the electric net actively extended, wrapping around the lightning like tentacles and conducting a portion of its energy directly into the ground beneath his feet.

After two layers of weakening, the lightning finally struck the Xuanlei Heart-Protecting Shield.

This time, the shield did not even activate the Ice Blue Shield—Lin Ye wanted to test how much his Physical Body could withstand after being tempered by the first lightning strike.

Clang—!!!

The shield and lightning collided, emitting a muffled, thunderous sound.

Lin Ye's body trembled slightly, and his feet sank three inches into the heavenly manifestation stone. The wound on the web of his left hand split wider, and fresh blood flowed down the bracers.

But his Qi and Blood only dropped by 5%, and Divine Power consumption was 3%.

Moreover, the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body had once again absorbed a Lightning Essence!

[Obtained [Lightning Essence] × 1, defense permanently +50, lightning attribute resistance permanently +0.5%.]

"As expected, every Heavenly Tribulation strike I withstand grants Body Tempering and Essence," Lin Ye felt confident. "Furthermore, as long as I actively use my body to make contact with the lightning, the absorption efficiency will be higher."

The second lightning strike passed.

The third followed immediately.

This time, Lin Ye went a step further—he put away the Xuanlei Heart-Protecting Shield!

It was not arrogance, but a rational choice made after calculation.

The first two lightning strikes had allowed him to figure out the power limit of the first layer of the Heavenly Tribulation. With his current defense and lightning resistance, plus the absorption ability of the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body, he could fully withstand the third lightning strike with his Physical Body to maximize the tempering effect.

Of course, he was not without preparation.

The moment the lightning fell, Lin Ye activated three layers of protection simultaneously:

The first layer, the [Lightning Stagnation] special effect of the thunder gods protection set chest armor—30% chance to delay damage by 1 second, triggered successfully!

The second layer, the [Lightning Step] special effect of the thunder gods protection set leg armor—not used for movement, but to utilize the "immune to lightning attribute damage" state during the movement process to tank the most violent first half of the lightning's impact.

The third layer, the Chaos True Body (Proto-Form)—a faint gray film appeared on his body surface; although it was only a proto-form, its defensive power was comparable to fine-grade armor.

The three-colored lightning struck Lin Ye.

The Lightning Step effect made him immune to the damage of the first 0.3 seconds; Lightning Stagnation delayed the damage of the middle 0.5 seconds to take effect after one second; the Chaos True Body tanked the impact of the final 0.2 seconds.

One second later, the delayed damage arrived, but its power had significantly decayed.

Lin Ye groaned, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. His Qi and Blood dropped by 12%, more than the sum of the first two, but it was within a controllable range.

More importantly—

[Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body absorbs a large amount of lightning Origin, obtaining [Lightning Essence] × 1.]

[Tempered by the third lightning strike, defense permanently +80, lightning attribute resistance permanently +0.8%.]

[Chaos True Body proficiency increased, current mastery: 2%.]

The physical Body Tempering effect was far superior to blocking with a shield!

Lin Ye wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.

He had found the optimal path for the Heavenly Tribulation—safely pass the early stage using equipment and Talismans to figure out the patterns of the Heavenly Tribulation; start tanking with his Physical Body in the Middle Stage to maximize the tempering effect; and use trump cards in the Late Stage to deal with the strongest lightning strikes.

For the fourth lightning strike, Lin Ye continued to tank with his Physical Body, but this time added a lightning evasion talisman as insurance.

For the fifth, he only used the Lightning Guidance of the thunder gods protection set bracers and the Chaos True Body.

For the sixth, he even attempted to use only the Chaos True Body—as a result, his Qi and Blood plummeted by 25%, frightening him into quickly swallowing a high-grade qi and blood pill.

But the harvest was also huge.

After six lightning strikes, Lin Ye had already obtained six Lightning Essences, his defense permanently increased by 380 points, lightning attribute resistance permanently increased by 4.3%, and Chaos True Body proficiency reached 5%.

Moreover, he clearly felt that his limbs were undergoing a qualitative change.

The Azure Dragon phantom under the skin of his left arm became more solid, the White Tiger power in his right arm began to awaken, the range of his left leg's resonance with the earth expanded to three zhang, and the temperature of the Vermilion Bird fire on his right leg increased again.

The Four Extremities Secret Realm was truly opening.

When the seventh lightning strike fell, Lin Ye was no longer relying on external objects at all.

He stood in place, hands forming seals, with the Chaos True Body running at full power. The thickness of the gray film on his body surface doubled, and fine Chaos runes appeared on the surface. When the three-colored lightning struck the film, the film trembled violently but never broke. The power of the lightning was absorbed, converted, and refined by the film; 30% was devoured by the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body, and 70% was conducted into the heavenly manifestation stone beneath his feet, and then into the earth through the mountain.

For this lightning strike, his Qi and Blood only dropped by 8%, much better than the sixth.

For the eighth lightning strike, Lin Ye even started to attempt a counterattack.

The moment the lightning fell, he clenched his right fist, infused the newly awakened White Tiger power into his fist, and struck at the lightning!

The golden-white fist aura collided with the three-colored lightning, actually deflecting the lightning by three inches! Although his fist was torn and bloody and his bones had cracks, that feeling of "resisting Heavenly Might with human power" made Lin Ye's Dao Heart even firmer.

"So that's how it is... the Four Extremities Heavenly Tribulation is not just a test, but an Opportunity," Lin Ye realized with some understanding. "The Heavenly Dao uses lightning to temper my limbs, helping me truly open the Four Extremities Secret Realm. Every lightning strike is a tempering."

He looked up at the sky.

The last strike of the first layer of the Heavenly Tribulation, the ninth three-colored lightning, was condensing in the clouds.

This time, the color of the lightning underwent a qualitative change.

The three colors of silver-white, golden-yellow, and crimson completely fused, forming a chaotic purple. That purple was deep and majestic, as if containing the will of the heavenly dao's judgment. The lightning diameter expanded to ten zhang, and the electric snakes swimming within were no longer snake-shaped, but tiny Thunder Dragons!

The power was at least three times that of the eighth strike!

"The last one," Lin Ye took a deep breath.

He knew he could no longer hold back.

Flipping his right hand, three lightning evasion talismans appeared between his fingers simultaneously—crushed!

Three layers of pale golden shields overlapped, with a thickness reaching an astonishing seven feet. At the same time, the five pieces of the thunder gods protection set simultaneously lit up with dark golden light, and the set special effect [Thunder God's Protection] was ready.

The myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo flew above his head, mouth facing down, and the hanging mysterious yellow qi condensed into a thick beam of light.

Finally, Lin Ye pushed the Chaos True Body to the limit. The thickness of the gray film increased to three inches, and complete Chaos Scriptures appeared on the surface; those scriptures swam like tadpoles, emitting an ancient, vast aura.

The ninth purple lightning strike fell!

There was no sound.

Or rather, the sound had exceeded the range of human perception.

All observers only saw a purple beam of light descend from the clouds, striking the figure on the mountain top wrapped in various lights.

The three layers of lightning evasion talisman shields shattered instantly, not even lasting for half a breath.

The purple lightning continued downward, colliding with the beam of mysterious yellow qi.

The two beams of light collided, erupting with blinding light. The mysterious yellow qi was indeed worthy of being Innate Qi; it actually blocked the purple lightning! The two energies stalemated in the air for five breaths, and finally annihilated simultaneously.

But the power of the lightning was not yet exhausted.

The remaining purple lightning, with about 20% of its original power, finally landed on Lin Ye.

To be precise, it landed on the gray film on his body surface.

The Chaos True Body collided head-on with the purple lightning!

Lin Ye's body trembled violently, and blood seeped from his seven orifices simultaneously. On the surface of his skin, those Chaos lines flickered frantically, as if about to explode. His bones groaned under the unbearable weight, and muscle fibers snapped one by one.

The gray film constantly deformed and indented under the impact of the lightning, and countless cracks appeared on the surface, but it never completely shattered. The Chaos Scriptures on the film shone to the limit, each scripture spinning frantically, absorbing and converting the power of the lightning.

Ten breaths later, the power of the lightning was finally exhausted.

The gray film slowly dissipated, and Lin Ye stumbled, kneeling on one knee, panting heavily.

Qi and Blood: 41%.

Divine Power: 32%.

His whole body's muscles were spasming, his Meridians felt like they were about to explode with pain, and the bones of his hands and feet had tiny cracks.

But he had withstood it.

The first layer of the Heavenly Tribulation, nine lightning strikes, all passed!

[System Prompt: Successfully passed the first layer of the Four Extremities Heavenly Tribulation!]

[Obtained Rewards: Defense permanently +500, lightning attribute resistance permanently +8%, Lightning Essence × 9.]

[Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body absorbs a large amount of lightning Origin, Physique development increased to 3%.]

[Four Extremities Secret Realm initially opened: Limb connectivity reached 15%.]

The nine [Lightning Essences] automatically flew into the Storage Pouch. Lin Ye could clearly feel that his Physical Body strength had increased by at least 50% compared to before the Heavenly Tribulation, and his resistance to lightning had increased significantly. If he were to face the first lightning strike now, he might not even need the Chaos True Body; he could withstand it with his Physical Body alone.

More importantly, the Four Extremities Secret Realm had finally truly opened!

Although the connectivity was only 15%, that feeling of "limbs connecting to Heaven and Earth" was so clear. Lin Ye tried to lift his left arm; with a thought, the surrounding vegetation essence automatically gathered, forming a green ball of light in his palm; his right fist clenched, and a faint tiger roar sounded in the air; his left foot stomped, and the ground vibrated slightly; his right leg swept, bringing up a scorching airflow.

"This is the power of the Four Extremities..." A light of excitement flashed in Lin Ye's eyes.

He slowly stood up, took out two high-grade qi and blood pills and two high-grade Divine Power pills from the Storage Pouch, and swallowed them simultaneously. The pills dissolved, and his Qi and Blood and Divine Power began to recover rapidly.

He checked his equipment status again:

thunder gods protection set durability: 87% (slight wear);

Xuanlei Heart-Protecting Shield durability: 92% (three Ice Soul Crystals shattered, the remaining twelve had cracks);

Lightning evasion set (temporary) remaining time: 11 hours 22 minutes;

lightning evasion talisman remaining: 97 (three used).

The consumption was still within a controllable range.

Lin Ye looked up at the sky.

The clouds did not disperse but became even thicker. Three-colored lightning surged in the clouds, the colors deeper and more violent than before. Moreover, deep within the clouds, a fourth color faintly began to emerge—indigo.

The second layer of the Heavenly Tribulation, four-colored lightning!

"The first layer was so difficult, the second..." Lin Ye smiled bitterly, but there was no fear in his eyes, only a stronger fighting spirit.

He sat cross-legged and began to regulate his breathing and recover.

Just then, Shi Potian's urgent voice came through the team channel:

"Boss! Enemies discovered on the perimeter! Three kilometers away on the northern mountain path, a team of about fifty people is approaching rapidly, all levels are above 50, and the leader is... Blood Prince!"