68: From Chapter 68 onwards, please call me Ding Xin, the "Xin" in "Xinxin Xiangrong" (meaning flourishing).

"Big Brother, what on earth did you feed me?"

Zhao Mo was slow to realize, only now reacting to the fact that the Medicinal Pill Ding Xin had fed him earlier was problematic.

"I am currently at the fourth level of the Golden Core stage, and the Lightning Tribulation automatically strengthens along with the cultivator's power."

"Isn't this just suicide?"

Zhao Mo was going crazy. If you want to commit suicide, fine, but why drag me into it?

No, that's not right. If he hadn't dragged him along, both of them might have been fine.

Rumble~

The thunder in the sky grew louder.

The dark, oppressive clouds seemed to be pressing down right onto Zhao Mo's head.

"Boom."

A streak of purple lightning descended from the sky.

The lightning rod Zhao Mo had erected—it was useful, yet also useless.

It was useful because it really did attract the lightning; it was useless because it shattered the moment it touched the Lightning Tribulation.

"Damn it, it was too thin."

Zhao Mo hurriedly used his Qi to protect himself, watching helplessly as the Lightning Tribulation struck.

After a wave of soreness, Zhao Mo turned to look at Ding Xin.

"Very well, not a single hair harmed."

"Damn it, did you feed me a Substitute Pill earlier?"

"Why is this Lightning Tribulation only striking me and not you?"

Zhao Mo didn't notice that the color of this Lightning Tribulation was completely different from when he had undergone his own Undergoing Tribulation; the very first strike had already broken his protective Spell.

Boom, boom, boom...

Then came eight consecutive bolts of lightning, giving Zhao Mo absolutely no chance to react.

"Hoo~"

The breath Zhao Mo exhaled turned into smoke; his hair stood on end, and his clothes had been reduced to tattered rags by the powerful electric current.

Even some of his exposed skin had turned charred black.

"This Lightning Tribulation plays dirty, coming in succession like this."

"But so what? Didn't I still endure it?"

Zhao Mo lay on the ground, completely unconcerned with his image, staring fixedly at the tribulation clouds in the sky.

"Strange, there were clearly nine bolts of lightning—I counted them—so why haven't these tribulation clouds dispersed?"

"Of course they won't disperse; this is just the beginning."

"Thank you for helping me block the first wave of the Lightning Tribulation."

"Do you still have strength?"

"I think that needle thing of yours is quite useful, it's just that you didn't bury enough of them earlier."

For some reason, Ding Xin's tone was very gentle now, and just a few words seemed to give Zhao Mo a shot of adrenaline.

"Yes, yes, yes."

Zhao Mo scrambled up, took out the Iron Shovel, and started burying those long iron rods.

The tribulation clouds in mid-air were still churning, clearly brewing the second wave of the Lightning Tribulation.

"God damn it, who exactly are you?"

"Does this thieving Heaven really want to strike you dead?"

"When I was Undergoing Tribulation, it was one bolt at a time. Yours coming in waves is too terrifying."

Zhao Mo didn't stop moving.

In a short time, forty iron rods had been erected.

It wasn't that he didn't want to erect more, but this hilltop only had so much space.

Boom.

"I... your mother..."

Zhao Mo's curse was drowned out by the thunder.

He just wanted to ask, why?

It was fine if it only struck him earlier, but why did it have to strike him along with Ding Xin this time?

Furthermore, the power of this Lightning Tribulation was clearly greater than the first wave; Zhao Mo felt like he was about to be electrocuted to a crisp.

Nine consecutive bolts of Lightning Tribulation.

Ding Xin's hair wasn't even disheveled, whereas Zhao Mo was down to his last breath.

"Do you still have strength? Can you still erect that needle thing?"

"I can."

Zhao Mo forced himself to say, for a man never says he can't.

The clanging sounds resumed.

Zhao Mo endured the pain and continued burying the lightning rods.

"The previous Lightning Tribulation was likely weakened by one layer; this needle thing of yours is too thin."

"Damn it, how was I supposed to know your Lightning Tribulation would be so powerful?" Zhao Mo said indignantly.

"After the tribulation is over, if you don't give me an explanation, our brotherhood is over. You pitfall!"

Ding Xin didn't reply because the third wave of the Lightning Tribulation had arrived.

Zhao Mo gathered all the Qi in his Dantian directly above him, curling his entire body into a ball, striving to minimize the damage from the Lightning Tribulation.

Dazzling lightning struck again.

Crackling currents of electricity struck down along the lightning rods, turning the entire hilltop into a sea of thunder.

And Zhao Mo was just a small insect in the sea of thunder, being repeatedly battered.

"Are you okay?"

Only silence answered Ding Xin.

Turning his head, he saw Zhao Mo lying in a stone pit, his entire body as black as charcoal, emitting smoke, life or death unknown.

"Zhao Mo, are you okay?"

Ding Xin stumbled over and hugged Zhao Mo.

At this moment, Ding Xin had a tall, slender figure, snow-white skin, and long, jet-black hair that fluttered in the wind.

It was a pity Zhao Mo was unconscious; otherwise, he would have definitely shouted, "Beauty!"

Ding Xin looked at the tribulation clouds, then looked down at Zhao Mo.

Although a decision had long been made in his heart, there was still a trace of hesitation at the last moment.

"Forget it, forget it, it's your lucky day."

The thunder in mid-air continued.

Ding Xin sighed and leaned down over Zhao Mo.

Immersed in darkness, Zhao Mo felt as if he had welcomed a beam of light. As the light grew brighter and closer, he realized it was actually a Golden Core covered in mysterious cloud patterns.

"Strange, why would there be two Golden Cores inside my body?"

Before his brain could provide an answer, the two Golden Cores slammed into each other, emitting a brilliant radiance.

And Zhao Mo lost consciousness completely.

"The Heavenly Dao is ruthless; I wish to trade my life for your safety. Worldly affairs are unpredictable; I wish to accompany you by your side with my heart."

"Celestial Clan eternal heart knot, Ding Xin, Zhao Mo, bond!"

As Ding Xin's words fell—ah no, she should be called Ding Xin now—a pink, heart-shaped barrier appeared out of thin air, enveloping the two of them.

Following that, no matter how the lightning flashed and thunder roared outside, the barrier remained unmoved.

Wave after wave, after seven full waves, the entire mountain peak finally returned to calm.

"Holy crap, I actually didn't die~"

Zhao Mo only felt an unusual heaviness on his body.

His nose felt a bit itchy.

After opening his eyes, he simply couldn't believe his own eyes.

"Holy shit, a beauty."

The second reaction,

"It's over."

The third reaction,

"Damn, what happened between me and this beauty? Was it me... or her..."

The fourth reaction,

"Should I run away?"

The fifth reaction,

"This scent is so fragrant, it's about the same as the scent on Ding Xin."

The final reaction,

"Wasn't Ding Xin undergoing the Lightning Tribulation? Did he pass it?"

"Something's wrong."

When he saw the woman's face, Zhao Mo sensed the problem; she looked too much like Ding Xin.

Recalling the bits and pieces of the past, Zhao Mo finally realized.

"Fine, I treated you like a brother, yet you harbored ulterior motives?"

"No, I can't be at a disadvantage."

Holding the mindset that only an idiot wouldn't take advantage of a freebie, Zhao Mo leaned over.

The wonder of it could only be understood, not described, and was not to be spoken of to outsiders.

"Bad guy~"

Waking up, Ding Xin kicked Zhao Mo away.

"Hiss~"

"Easy there."

"Didn't you not resist just now?"

"Just because I didn't resist, you can just do whatever you want?"

In the blink of an eye, Ding Xin's clothes were already on.

Zhao Mo had a glint in his eyes.

"So, this is your true appearance?"

"My heart hurts so much; I was actually deceived by you for so many years."

An eye-roll from Ding Xin was his answer.

"Hurry up and put on your clothes; someone is coming."

"By the way, call me Ding Xin from now on, the "Xin" as in "prosperous and flourishing"~"

Zhao Mo...