Chapter 800 - Heavenly Tribulation
Kacha!
A golden snake rose its head, swimming several hundred li through the air and illuminating the dark sky. It was exceptionally brilliant.
A great rain was about to descend. Dark clouds gathered, thick and heavy, covering the great earth like an enormous black pot. From time to time, lightning appeared in the clouds.
Aside from the sound of thunder, the mountains were extremely calm. The flying birds and walking beasts all went into hiding, sensing the sinister aura building up here. They were all hoping to avoid a calamity.
On a mountain peak, Shi Hao stood there, facing the heavens alone. He was adjusting himself, harmonizing his body’s three energies so he could be at his peak.
He already prepared to face the sky at his most powerful state, using lightning to refine himself, absorbing this life and death tribulation ordinary people would not even think about.
Hu!
Great winds stirred about. Wuwu sounds whistled through the mountains. Many large heaven reaching trees swayed about, expanses of grass, vines, and leaves dancing about like ocean spray, rising and falling.
This was especially true for the mountain region. Pine trees rustled, sounding like the roaring of a great sea, carrying with it a boundless energy.
The skies were changing. Electrical radiance became dense, black clouds gathering. They were moving faster, many of them about to collide.
Shi Hao’s battle clothes fluttered about in the great wind. He faced the crazy gale, standing here like a divine bamboo, face towards the heavens. His eyes became more and more brilliant.
“It’s coming!”
Above the clouds, electrical arcs appeared. They extended in all directions, as if the black ink dyed skies were finally going to be torn apart. Streak after streak of light suddenly appeared.
Shi Hao took action, flying high into the sky.
When he was eight or nine years old, he had previously obtained a drop of lightning tribulation liquid from Heaven Mending Pavilion, which had allowed him to undergo a transformation. If he could subdue an entire pool, then that would be unimaginable.
Compared to his former self, his cultivation was just too much greater. He was now already much stronger. The lightning he could gather correspondingly increased by who knew how many times!
In addition, back then, even though he entered the clouds together with lightning ancestor Mu Yan, that was after the thunderstorm had passed and the lightning was all about to wither away. Meanwhile, this time, he was going to face it at its peak.
It was because this time, not only did he have to obtain the lightning tribulation liquid, he also needed to use the mysterious lightning arcs to refine himself, carrying out a deep cleansing.
Of course, this was just what was recorded on bone books. Could he truly use it to refine himself? A single mistake would lead to eternal damnation.
Ka!
An electrical arc descended, striking down on Shi Hao’s body. He was currently rushing towards the heaven, and as a result, his body trembled, blood immediately appearing from his flesh, splashing high into the air.
This was not the magical technique of a cultivator, but rather true heavenly might.
Chi!
A large expanse of silver light wrapped around him. This was leftover electricity that spread over his body, releasing chi chi sounds. It made all of the hair on his body stand on end and his skin produce a layer of goosebumps.
Shi Hao trembled. He felt an immeasurable danger. If he continued upwards, he might be blasted to ashes.
“The predecessors’ speculations were true, the Immortal Ancient was buried. There is no lightning tribulation in this era, no heavenly punishment. Meanwhile, if one takes the initiative to provoke them, it would be even greater, drowning them under its might.”
He said softly with a low voice. It was going to be extremely dangerous from here on out.
A long, long time had passed since lightning tribulation appeared. The world was peaceful, but this was just a calmness of the surface. Once one broke this peace, it would be even more terrifying than the era of heavenly punishment.
Just now, he already experienced it. He didn’t approach the clouds, yet he was blasted by an arc of electricity until his body bled. If he truly entered, what would it be like then?
“I might experience this cultivation realm’s most powerful lightning tribulation.” Shi Hao said to himself.
This was not presumptuous speculation, because it had already been silent for so many years. Once this heavenly punishment was stirred up, it would flood out like a broken dam. Certain natural laws would erupt.
Shi Hao took a deep breath, adapting to the electricity at this altitude. Even though streaks of thunder descended from time to time, they were roughly at the same power as the streak just now, so he could still endure it.
“Rise!”
He took a deep breath, and then he continued to fly up. He looked at the oppressive dark clouds, already sensing the heavenly might stored within. It was like a vast body of water, one that could pour down at any moment.
A streak of red light flashed past. A rather sinister looking streak of electricity descended, landing on Shi Hao’s body, once again lacerating his flesh and drawing a blossom of blood.
“Something isn’t right. That streak was much powerful than the others.” Shi Hao was shocked. The power of this lightning was increasing too quickly! The blood colored electricity’s power was tremendous.
He seemed to have realized something. He suddenly raised his head, and then he was immediately shocked.
“What is that?”
He became stupefied. He actually saw a living creature. It disappeared with a flash, looking like a blood colored pony, but also like a puppy. He couldn’t see it clearly, as it disappeared too quickly.
It was as if he saw a ghost. How could there be living creatures in the clouds? There was no way a group of creatures lived in that lightning, right?
He had never heard about or seen such a thing before. What was going on?
Shi Hao continued to fly upwards, the pressure he felt becoming greater and greater. The dark clouds above him were thick and heavy, as if millions of great mountains were crushing down, making it hard for one to even breathe.
This was a pressure on the mind.
Shi Hao was cautious. He couldn’t do things like how it was recorded in the bone books already, after all, this era was completely different, lacking lightning tribulation. Meanwhile, he was about to take forceful action, so no one knew what was going to happen.
With a xiu sound, a streak of blue light flew over like an arrow. It was several li in length, descending from the clouds and hacking down on his body.
Pu
Shi Hao coughed out a mouthful of blood, enduring another attack.
“Not purposely resisting it, but rather using the flesh to passively receive it, it truly is difficult to bear…” He said softly, wiping blood from the corner of his lips.
If others heard him say this, they would definitely curse outwards. This was a freak! He actually decided not to actively defend against it, allowing his flesh to accept this shock, yet he really stuck it through!
Shi Hao indeed didn’t attach much importance to the streaks of lightning from before, not resisting it, because if he couldn’t even endure them, how was he going to enter the clouds?
That was the most dangerous place!
For the sake of safety, for the sake of safety, he was testing things out. If he was heavily injured already now, then he would immediately turn around. There was no need to go and experience the tribulation then.
From this, one could see that Shi Hao’s flesh truly was strong, reaching an unimaginable degree in the Supreme Expert Realm, standing at the peak.
Shi Hao raised his head, discovering that the blue streak of lightning just now was quite strange. Within the clouds…. Was another living creature. It disappeared with a sou sound.
What exactly was going on? Were these streaks of electricity released by this creature? This left him with a rather strange feeling. This was the second creature he saw.
“Alright, it’s time to enter!”
Shi Hao set his resolution. Regardless of what there was inside, he still had to give it a go. There was no way out now. If he wanted to become stronger, he had to take a risk.
It was because recently, he truly felt a great pressure, making even him, who had always been confident, feel a bit shaken up. Those ancient freaks were appearing one after another, all of them extremely heaven defying.
Those individuals were able to stand at the very top of an era, previously overlooking the three thousand provinces, unmatched within their world, free to establish their own principles!
Any one of these would be stunning figures in this world. Their natural talent and fighting prowess were impossible to estimate, all long become leading figures of a period of time.
That type of glory was destined to continue.
“This world cannot remain calm any longer.”
Shi Hao knew that soon after, all would clash, creating the most brilliant sparks of this era, one that would be forever recorded in history.
How could he not be feeling pressure? There were more than a single opponent, and any one of them was enough to give him a headache. There was Six Crown King, matchless sword, incomparable flesh, magical force dominating past and present… each more extraordinary than the last. It really was terrifying!
In reality, Shi Hao still had no way of knowing just how powerful those individuals were. Immortal Palace inheritor’s true body, the ancient inheritance’s hidden geniuses, and outstanding talents of Emperor Clans in the present world had yet to show themselves.
Only afterwards came the unmatched heroes frozen since the ancient times.
That was why he had to become powerful, or else he was going to be in great danger.
Shi Hao rushed into the heavens, entering the clouds.
In that instant, thunder radiance appeared in hundreds to over a thousand streaks, not hacking over, but smashing downwards. It was too ferocious, appearing in large batches, directly submerging this place.
Shi Hao now began to defend himself, no longer unbridledly letting the electrical arcs enter his body. He used bone texts to defend himself, and he also guided their power to sharpen himself.
This was a life and death test. If it was any normal person, they would have long been blasted to ashes. Any streak of lightning would have hacked a supreme expert to death. This was a heavenly punishment that hadn’t appeared for so many eras since the ancient times.
Shi Hao faced these attacks, using the Lightning Emperor’s precious technique, diverting the electrical radiance for his own use and gathering lightning might. At first, things were going extremely smoothly, his skin sparkling and spiritual essence abundant, clearly able to sense himself becoming strong.
However, soon after, he couldn’t remain calm any longer. He stored too much lightning within him, to the extent where he couldn’t hold on any more. If he continued like this, he was going to explode.
Kacha!
Shi Hao refined the electrical arcs, turning it into the most fundamental and pure divine might to cleanse his flesh. After it had all amassed, he even produced an ancient cauldron to refine himself.
This cauldron had three feet and two ears. It was incomparably simple and unadorned.
Fortunately, there was no one else here, or else they would definitely be stupefied. This was just too strange, forming a cauldron in the lightning and sealing oneself within to refine the body, outrageous!
Shi Hao grimaced in pain. Soon after, he had a taste of suffering, this taste was just too hard to bear. He was immersed in lightning, and not even the Lightning Emperor’s precious technique could neutralize it.
Pu!
He was blasted until blood sprayed out from his mouth, his flesh splitting apart. His entire body was scorched black. The lightning was chaotic, as if replying to his previous carefreeness to teach him a lesson.
Glaring lightning entered the cauldron, blasting it until it released dang dang sounds. His body was covered in blood, his mouth releasing muffled groans. It was extremely miserable.
When the thousand streaks of lightning radiance gradually disappeared, Shi Hao released a blast of lightning just by opening his mouth, every inch of his flesh curling with electricity, filled with electrical energy.
Even though he was injured, there was a new wave of power as well that nursed his injured body. The Lightning Emperor’s precious technique operated, using the lightning to refine his body, strengthening the self.
“Hurts so much…”
All of his pores were shining, flickering with electricity. This was a type of damage, but also a type of self-sharpening. Around his body, a lightning cauldron condensed, refining his flesh and spirit.
Hu...
Finally, he released a breath of air. The several thousand streaks of electricity passed. He made it through, passing the tribulation.
“Fortunately, even though it was powerful, it wasn’t to the extent of making me lose my life.” He was happy at the result.
Of course, he knew that the tribulation corresponded to one’s cultivation realm, not equivalent in power to the ‘thunder moving nine heavens’ he used against the true deities that day.
However, as soon as Shi Hao raised his head, the smile on his face froze, his expression going rigid.
He released a strange cry. His entire body shone, frantically operating bone texts to resist the great tribulation in the sky!
He thought that it had passed, about to end, but who would have expected that there was more in the sky, and even more powerful now. The lightning radiance flourished even more brilliantly than before, even more powerful.
This all… had only begun!
What was this? Shi Hao didn’t understand. This time, the lightning radiance was like a blade, as bright as snow. It continuously hacked down, flickering with radiance. Vicious energy overflowed into the heavens.
“Blades to the body, lightning radiance to cleanse.”
Shi Hao took all of this head on. In addition, the space between his brows shone, primordial spirit emerging. It guided the thunder energy into his skull to carry out a refinement.
This was the great yang thunder radiance, extremely beneficial to the primordial spirit. It could allow him to become even more quick-witted, strengthening his divine senses. This was, on the premise that he could stick it through and not die.
Since the ancient times, many people wished to sharpen their primordial spirit, but how many of them dared to do something like this? Even if it were deities, they would at most use the lightning from precious techniques to refine their own primordial spirit.
It was because the heavenly tribulation of this world was uncontrollable, not descending any longer. If one insisted on incurring lightning down on themselves, there was a ninety-nine percent chance of eternal damnation.
Shi Hao dared to do this was completely because he was like a newborn calf that wasn’t scared of a tiger. If Qi Daolin knew about this, he would definitely stop Shi Hao. The present world’s heavenly tribulation definitely couldn’t be touched.
Soon after, Shi Hao had a taste of the consequences. When resisting this blade energy-like lightning radiance, a large head appeared, opening its mouth to bite down on him.
This made all of his fine hairs stand up straight. It was too strange and abrupt! In the clouds, within the lightning, there were actually creatures. It opened its bloody mouth to devour him.
“Did you send yourself over to be roasted because you knew I was hungry?” When he got over his initial fear, his eyes quickly opened. Then, he took the initiative to slaughter outwards.
This creature was extremely strange, like a lion, but also like a tiger. It had a pair of ox horns, and there was a pair of lightning wings on its back. It was incomparably vicious.
Kuang dang!
The lightning produced cauldron that already had its lid closed unexpectedly released a metallic sound, sealing him and this beast within to carry out a battle.
“En?” He discovered with shock that during this battle, this monster became small, and the lightning wings on its back became dim. Meanwhile, Shi Hao felt as if he himself was becoming stronger, his flesh full of vitality, nurtured by a wave of special lightning energy.
“Refining the body like this, the wondrous uses are endless!” He felt that even his primordial spirit was now more powerful, turning into a small figure that absorbed lightning radiance there, gradually strengthening.