139: Chapter 139 The Tribulation of the Forty-Nine Heavens

Zhao Feng woke up to the sound of thunder; a strange feeling in the darkness let him know that this celestial phenomenon was aimed at him.

Subconsciously, he checked the Infinite Cultivation System, and indeed, his Spiritual Power had reached the 499-point cap; going any higher would mean reaching the Golden Core Stage.

Zhao Feng had long since grasped the changes of the Golden Core Stage, so there was no issue with his Realm; he only needed to merge his Spiritual Power and Mental Energy together amidst the thunder.

With his extraordinary Physical Body and formidable Divine Power cultivation, such a Heavenly Tribulation was actually devoid of any threat.

As long as one's Physical Body could hold up during the Four-Nine Heavenly Tribulation and withstand the expansion at the moment Spiritual Power transformed from liquid to solid, one would certainly be able to pass it.

Zhao Feng went outside, looked at the thick clouds in the sky, vibrated his legs, and flew into the sky, heading straight into the thunderclouds.

"Look, look! Someone is Undergoing Tribulation!" The cultivators outside had long since noticed something amiss, but they hadn't expected the person Undergoing Tribulation to be so fierce, diving straight into the tribulation clouds.

"It's the Four-Nine Heavenly Tribulation; a Senior is advancing to the Golden Core Stage!" came voices full of envy.

Others sat cross-legged on the ground with serious expressions, "Let's observe and learn; it will give us experience for when we undergo our own Tribulation later."

Liu Xuan, however, had a slightly dimmed expression; she had been Cultivating so hard, yet she still couldn't keep up with her benefactor's pace, falling further and further behind instead!

Zhao Feng did not distract himself by observing the myriad states of life below; although he did not take the Four-Nine Heavenly Tribulation seriously, he still had to give it his all.

The thunderclouds swirled around him, with lightning generated from the nearby Spiritual Qi flickering within, containing infinite power of both destruction and vitality.

The air after a thunderstorm is so fresh because oxygen turns into ozone under the lightning; on Earth, which is purely devoid of supernatural power, this is a manifestation of the vitality of thunder.

But on Yaoling Planet, the vitality within this lightning was even more pronounced.

When the density and intensity of Spiritual Power within a cultivator reach their limit, the greater environment of heaven and earth senses this anomaly in Spiritual Power density, and thus a Heavenly Tribulation is formed.

If a cultivator wants to advance further, they must use the catalysis of the Heavenly Tribulation to cross into a higher Realm, in order to accommodate more Spiritual Power.

The progress of Spiritual Power is not just a simple accumulation of Spiritual Power; it also includes the strength of the body and the strength of the mind. Aside from the cultivator actively strengthening their body and mind, the vast majority of this strengthening is accomplished through the Heavenly Tribulation.

Currently, cultivators on Yaoling Planet rarely ponder why the Heavenly Tribulation occurs, mistakenly believing it to be a disaster sent by the heavens upon cultivators.

Therefore, cultivators on Yaoling Planet always try to avoid the Heavenly Tribulation, either using Formations or employing Magic Treasures to escape the destruction of the Heavenly Tribulation.

Yet they do not know that destruction is often accompanied by rebirth.

The lightning destroys unnecessary bodily Impurities, strengthens the muscles of the body, as well as the sub-spaces of the Meridians attached throughout the body; such benefits cannot be obtained even if one begs for them.

Of course, lightning has its benefits, but if your body strength is insufficient, your Mental Energy cultivation is lacking, and your Spiritual Power cultivation is inadequate—if these three have not reached their peak, you are very likely to fail in Undergoing Tribulation, making it even harder to enter the Golden Core Stage from then on.

As for Zhao Feng, his Steel Body granted him a super-strong Physical Body; such a physique would be more than enough even if he were to Cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage.

The Mountain God Talisman, the Nine Palaces Visualization Method, and the Namo Guanghua Bodhisattva Vow Sutra granted him powerful Mental Energy cultivation, while his status as a Spiritual Power creator provided him with Spiritual Power that grew every second; with these three things already achieved, Undergoing Tribulation was not a problem at all.

The thunder finally began.

The Four-Nine Heavenly Tribulation consisted of a total of thirty-six tribulation lightning bolts, each one stronger than the last.

In the center of the eye of the clouds formed by the thunder, a bolt of lightning as thick as a bucket roared over, and in the blink of an eye, it exploded onto Zhao Feng's body.

"Boom!" The violent impact resounded through the heavens and earth, and all the hair on Zhao Feng's body instantly turned into charred coal.

Fortunately, he had the Low Grade Spiritual Artifact, the Hundred-Change Robe, so he was spared the plight of running naked.

The tissues on the surface of his body were attacked in the first instant, and in the cells of the skin's surface, the mitochondria, which originally contained powerful solar energy, were also forcibly filled with the abundant lightning.

Some of the originally strong muscle tissues also trembled in the lightning, appearing as if they were on the verge of collapse.

"Boom!" Before Zhao Feng could react, the second tribulation lightning bolt arrived with a roar.

This time the lightning was even more powerful, but it also triggered Zhao Feng's protective Spiritual light.

Although the powerful Spiritual Power looked vulnerable under the lightning, it still managed to block it.

As the solar energy in his cells stirred, the damage to his body immediately recovered.

The Spiritual Power, refined by the lightning, seemed to have undergone some kind of change, and the gaps between the Spiritual Power became a bit tighter.

Zhao Feng quickly drove the Spiritual Power around his body to block one tribulation lightning bolt after another, and his Spiritual Power became purer and more tightly connected with each step.

Under the tempering of the tribulation lightning, his skin, bones, and muscles became increasingly perfect and formidable.

Repeatedly operating his Spiritual Power beyond his limits also made his Mental Energy and Spiritual Power connect more tightly and smoothly under the lightning.

The connection between his mind, Spiritual Power, and Physical Body became increasingly tight, which also signaled that he was about to form the Golden Core.

While Zhao Feng was fully focused on dealing with the tribulation lightning, a large bird suddenly flew in from the distance and landed on the top of a cliff not far away.

This large bird had a magnificent build and was about three meters tall.

Its long, powerful claws were golden-yellow, and when it clutched onto the rock, it was as if it were grabbing into tofu.

Its feathers were basically black all over, but there was a slight golden-yellow color at the tips of its wings.

Its golden-yellow pupils stared fixedly at Zhao Feng, who was Undergoing Tribulation in the distance, and its scimitar-like beak moved rapidly a few times, "The meat of this inferior monkey must be a bit chewy; it looks so delicious, so delicious, I can't wait anymore."

If it weren't for the fact that he was currently Undergoing Tribulation, this large bird would have already rushed over and eaten Zhao Feng.

In a more distant place, inside a deep, dark cave, a white-furred leopard lay on a couch; the vertical eye between its brows had just closed, and a trace of eerie light was retracted.

"Spotted Leopard, it seems another Genius has been born among these humans. This race is truly resilient. If it weren't for the Saints not allowing it, this race with such threatening potential should have been wiped out long ago. Go, strangle this Genius; it's fine to use them to temper our juniors, but human Geniuses are too much of a threat; we must absolutely not allow him to grow up."

"Yes, my King." A large spotted leopard propped itself up with its front paws, its body already standing up gracefully; it walked out of the cave with slow steps, looking quite nonchalant.

"Be careful of human experts," the white leopard warned.

"My King, you think too highly of these inferior apes; their spines have already been broken, they wouldn't dare make a move against me." The Spotted Leopard still didn't care much, but he had to obey the Leopard King's instructions, "However, I will definitely follow your instructions, my King, and act with caution."

"Go!"