479: Tribulation lightning?

On this day, the sky was overcast with dark clouds, and the Red Rain surged into a Great River within the cloud layers, making the spiritual atmosphere increasingly eerie.

Countless Mortals on both banks of the Great River were displaced, and the rushing floods even eroded the Great Desert; it was truly an unprecedented catastrophe.

Meanwhile, a large number of Cultivators gathered outside the Empty Nether Grotto-Heaven, their eyes wide with excitement as they stared fixedly at the Formation.

"It's about to break! It's about to break!"

Someone shouted, and the atmosphere instantly became heated.

Some players couldn't help but excitedly perform hand seals, launching their strongest attacks and even summoning their Magic Treasures.

Crack, crack, crack!

Like glass shattering or space vibrating, anyone could clearly feel that the Grand Array was on the verge of breaking.

Consequently, the players grew even more excited, attacking feverishly and moving forward, actually beginning to compete for the position to be the first to step into the grotto-heaven.

Amidst this rowdy excitement, some rational Golden Core Players looked up, frowning at the phenomenon.

The rushing red river actually converged into a vortex, which then shot down a Water Spout, seemingly connecting heaven and earth in a manner that appeared extremely eerie and terrifying.

"It looks like Star Fiend is about to achieve a Breakthrough..."

"Someone asked Feng Chuan, who said that Star Fiend's Breakthrough might involve plotting against the grotto-heaven and told us not to open it... What do you all think?"

"Heh, I think they just can't make it here in time, so they're telling us to stop."

"What's there to fear? We'll grab the Treasures and run. Why should we be afraid of Star Fiend?"

Excitement and agitation were mixed with a bit of worry, but in the end, they were overwhelmed by the thrill.

Crack!

Finally, accompanied by a loud cracking sound.

The Grand Array exploded like circular glass, turning into countless points of light.

Then, the hidden Formation Flags were forcibly activated and flew out, instantly causing a scramble among the players.

Formation Platforms also lost their protection and were completely exposed to the players, who fought over them as well.

Even more players flew like mad toward the center of the grotto-heaven, desperate to find the Main Peak, ideally a place like the Scripture Pavilion.

Boom!

Suddenly, a rumbling sound came from the sky, like thunder falling.

Some players looked up in surprise and indeed saw flashes of lightning, but they vanished in an instant without actually striking down.

Continuous heavy rain and falling thunder were normally no big deal, but this time was different; the place where the lightning was brewing was actually inside the grotto-heaven.

Boom!

More thunder rumbled, and the flashes in the clouds became more apparent. The players were now certain that lightning was indeed brewing inside the grotto-heaven.

Ye Chun suddenly stopped and landed on a peak within the Empty Nether Grotto-Heaven. After sensing the surroundings, his expression changed drastically.

"The Spiritual Qi here is churning; that falling thunder just now didn't seem right!"

He wasn't the only one; other rational Golden Core Players also stopped, not daring to venture any deeper.

Because they all sensed that lightning was brewing and bolts were rolling inside the Empty Nether Grotto-Heaven, and the Spiritual Qi was roaring to a point where it was impossible to breathe.

If they went any deeper, they might encounter a terrible disaster and lose their lives for nothing.

"Look! Someone is coming!"

Someone suddenly cried out in alarm, looking up in horror.

The players looked over and saw ripples in the Great Void rising in the blood-red sky to the west of the Empty Nether Grotto-Heaven, which had been dyed by the Red Rain. One Cultivator after another leaped out from within.

Some wore white Daoist robes, some had swords at their waists, some sat in flying horse-drawn carriages, and some had bald heads that glowed... In a short time, over a hundred Cultivators had crossed from the Great Void and were now suspended outside the Empty Nether Grotto-Heaven.

All the players stopped.

Even the most reckless Mortal players stopped, fearing they might die and miss this thrilling scene.

"Over a hundred Fourth-Ranks?"

"Are you kidding me?"

"Where did they come from?"

"I know, the Eastern Region. It must be the Eastern Region..."

After the initial shock, everyone understood instantly.

These people were undoubtedly from the west of the Great Desert, which was the Eastern Region.

They were the organizers of the Ascension Assembly, the powerhouses belonging to various Sects.

Although players had previously guessed that the various Sects in the Eastern Region had Fourth-Rank Experts, seeing so many of them arrive in person still made everyone tremble.

If this force were to target them, how could the players possibly resist?

"What are they doing here?"

The Ascension Assembly hasn't ended yet. Why did they suddenly travel east?

"I know, it's Star Fiend. Star Fiend must have drawn them here!"

The players looked at each other.

Some players who were already plotting to reach the Nascent Soul stage wore bitter expressions, gazing uneasily at the hundred-plus experts in the sky.

If Star Fiend's Breakthrough could attract so many Nascent Soul experts, what if they were to achieve a Breakthrough as well?

Would they also be hunted down and exterminated?

Then... could they really still achieve a Breakthrough?

At this thought, everyone couldn't help but feel a sense of desolation.

But soon, someone noticed something was wrong.

"They haven't made a move. It seems they aren't here to capture Star Fiend?"

"Strange, it seems they aren't here to stop Star Fiend's Breakthrough?"

"They seem to be looking inside the Empty Nether Grotto-Heaven? Looking at the Thunderclouds that just rose up?"

"Eh? Why are their expressions so solemn?"

Native Cultivators who had reached the Fourth Rank had all weathered great storms and possessed excellent self-control; it was difficult for outsiders to discern their emotions from their expressions.

But now, many Cultivators had clear expressions on their faces—mostly shock, some joy, and others worry.

Various identical or conflicting emotions filled the air, leaving the players somewhat bewildered.

Boom!

The thunder grew louder, and the Thunderclouds became more distinct, actually surpassing the dark clouds created by the phenomenon. The glowing Thunderclouds gradually blotted out the sun.

At this time, players on the Burial Emperor Star learned of this and offered a guess.

"It seems Star Fiend has done something big!"

"Judging from the footage, this is very likely the legendary Lightning Tribulation!"

"Star Fiend has triggered a Lightning Tribulation. No wonder so many Fourth-Rank Experts have come to witness it!"

Lightning Tribulation!

This was a mysterious matter recorded in ancient texts, which most players didn't understand.

It was said that in the distant past, Cultivators would encounter a Lightning Tribulation when attempting a Breakthrough. If they could endure it, they would succeed; if they failed, their bodies would perish and their Dao would vanish.

But as time passed and the world changed, Lightning Tribulations ceased to exist.

Players from the Burial Emperor Star, especially those from the Baiji Pavilion, sorted through all relevant information in a short time and finally offered a hypothesis.

"Something must have been preserved in the Empty Nether Grotto-Heaven, surely an extraordinary Treasure, to be able to trigger a Lightning Tribulation in this era."

"Although the Kongming Dao Lineage is an ancient lineage, it's still too recent; there probably weren't any Lightning Tribulations back then either."

"But I suspect this isn't a Treasure preserved by the Kongming Dao Lineage itself, but rather something passed down from a much older era, and that's what Star Fiend intends to use."

"Although we don't know what it is, the importance of this Treasure definitely exceeds everyone's imagination..."