#295 - The Tenth Thunder Tribulation! (4000 words, two in one)
Above the firmament, thunderous tribulations rolled.
Streaks of lightning incessantly flashed within the clouds.
Gazing at the impending yet undescended thunder tribulation, Xu Ming furrowed his brows, sensing that this tribulation of his would likely be no simple matter.
Of course, Xu Ming had long been mentally prepared.
Thunder tribulations corresponded to a person's talent.
Leaving aside everything else, Xu Ming felt that his talent was quite strong, especially with the system's blessing. The Heavenly Dao didn't know he possessed a system, so in the Heavenly Dao's eyes, he was a rare, unparalleled genius, which meant it would definitely whip him fiercely.
Outside the plain, Old Huang, who was protecting Xu Ming, munched on roast duck and remarked, "This kid's thunder tribulation looks like it's going to be tough."
"Rumble!"
With a deafening roar from the sky, the Heavenly Dao wasted no time with formalities.
The first thunder tribulation directly struck down upon Xu Ming.
Facing the first thunder tribulation, Xu Ming didn't use any magical treasures.
In Xu Ming's view, he should be able to withstand this first thunder tribulation head-on.
"Thud!"
The thunder tribulation crashed onto Xu Ming's body, and Xu Ming's entire being was enveloped in lightning.
A sensation of numbness, tingling, and pain filled Xu Ming's entire body, making him feel like he wasn't himself anymore.
It was as if the spiritual energy and blood throughout his body had suddenly stagnated.
Fortunately, Xu Ming still felt that he could withstand it.
Xu Ming felt that this level of intensity was similar to the electric shock therapy used to treat internet addiction at the Internet Addiction Treatment Center.
"Sizzle."
The first thunder tribulation completely dissipated, leaving behind residual blue electricity on Xu Ming's body.
Xu Ming took a deep breath, and even the air he exhaled carried traces of blue lightning.
Xu Ming clenched his fist and then slowly released it, feeling quite alright.
But immediately afterward, the second thunder tribulation arrived.
Compared to the first thunder tribulation, the second thunder tribulation surpassed it by more than twofold in terms of sheer force.
"Boom!"
The place where Xu Ming stood was directly blasted into a huge pit by the thunder tribulation.
Even some of Xu Ming's hair was singed.
But fortunately, it was still within Xu Ming's tolerance range.
However, by the time the third thunder tribulation arrived, Xu Ming knew that the thunder tribulation he was undergoing wouldn't be so simple.
"Boom!"
The third thunder tribulation wasn't just simple lightning.
The lightning transformed into a materialized Azure Bird, which retracted its wings and swooped down from above.
Xu Ming frowned, held an ordinary longsword, recited the Sword Incantation, and slashed at the Azure Bird with a single strike.
The Azure Bird formed from lightning was cleaved in two by Xu Ming.
However, the Azure Bird formed from lightning didn't dissipate. Instead, it transformed from one into two, charging towards Xu Ming from the left and right.
The moment the Azure Birds made contact with Xu Ming, they detonated.
A hemispherical surge of lightning enveloped Xu Ming.
Wu Yanh Han and Shen Sheng Sheng, who were watching everything from the mountain peak, both stood up, watching Xu Ming with concern.
The lightning dissipated.
Xu Ming, holding the longsword, knelt on one knee. His skin had already been charred black by the lightning. Centered on Xu Ming, within a hundred-meter radius, not a single blade of grass grew.
Under normal circumstances, three thunderbolts were the limit for most Sea Gazing Realm disciples. The thunder tribulations experienced by the vast majority of Sea Gazing Realm disciples generally didn't exceed three.
According to common sense, after passing through three thunderbolts, one could leap through the dragon gate and enter the Dragon Gate Realm.
But clearly, the Great Dao didn't want to let Xu Ming off so easily.
"Sister Yanhan, why does Brother Xu keep getting struck by lightning?" Shen Sheng Sheng tugged at Wu Yanhan's sleeve.
"Because your Brother Xu is undergoing a tribulation. Only by undergoing a tribulation can he enter a higher realm." Wu Yanhan stared intently at the small plain, her eyes filled with concern. "This is something that every cultivator must experience."
"Then how many times will Brother Xu have to be struck by lightning?" Shen Sheng Sheng's eyes flickered, covered with a layer of hazy mist, as if she was about to cry.
Wu Yanhan clenched her fists tightly, her voice trembling slightly, "I... I don't know..."
"Cough cough cough..."
Xu Ming coughed a few times, black smoke rising from his mouth.
Xu Ming stood up, the fourth thunder tribulation already poised to strike.
"Roar!"
The fourth heavenly tribulation was a thunder dragon.
Xu Ming wasn't unfamiliar with thunder dragons.
Back in the Baiwa Secret Realm, when Xu Ming first experienced a thunder tribulation, it was a thunder dragon.
However, compared to the thunder dragon in the Baiwa Secret Realm, this thunder dragon was white.
"White Emperor Tribulation?"
Wu Yanhan looked at the white dragon in surprise.
Although Wu Yanhan wasn't a cultivator, as the eldest princess of one of the Human Race's Ten Great Dynasties, she was naturally knowledgeable and even knew many forbidden rumors of the Immortal Cultivation World.
When this white dragon with distinctive features appeared, Wu Yanhan knew what tribulation Xu Ming was undergoing.
"What is the White Emperor Tribulation?" Hearing Sister Yanhan's tone, Shen Sheng Sheng became even more worried.
"The White Emperor Tribulation is a type of thunder tribulation. Ten thousand years ago, there was a White Emperor who triggered nine thunder tribulations when he entered the Dragon Gate Realm from the Sea Gazing Realm. The thunder dragon was white, which was the first time it had appeared in the world, hence the name White Emperor Tribulation." Wu Yanhan took a deep breath, the air filled with the paralysis of thunder.
"Then can Brother Xu get through it?" Shen Sheng Sheng asked.
At this moment, the little girl wished she could take Brother Xu's place in undergoing the tribulation.
"He has to get through it, even if he can't!"
Wu Yanhan sighed softly.
Otherwise, he would perish and vanish from existence, and he wouldn't even have a chance for reincarnation.
"Roar!"
With a dragon's roar.
Streaks of thunderbolts struck towards Xu Ming.
Thunder tribulations couldn't be avoided. It would follow you until you faced it!
So Xu Ming didn't intend to waste his energy trying to evade it.
Streaks of thunderbolts pierced into Xu Ming's body. Xu Ming was like a target hit by bullets, his body riddled with blood holes. Not only Xu Ming's body but even the ground was riddled with small holes by these thunderbolts.
After the fourth thunder tribulation, Xu Ming's entire body was already a bloody mess, and the Azure Cloud Robe on Xu Ming's body was tattered and torn.
The fifth thunder tribulation arrived.
The white dragon above the firmament roared, and streaks of continuous lightning struck down upon Xu Ming.
It was at this time that the formation set up by the imperial palace guardian was activated.
The power of the falling lightning was continuously reduced.
These lightning strikes on Xu Ming's body were like being gently tapped compared to the previous few.
It was even a little comfortable.
But this formation had a limited durability.
Each time this formation endured a thunder tribulation, its effectiveness decreased by one point.
"Thud!"
The array chess pieces placed around the perimeter could no longer withstand the thunder tribulation and directly shattered.
Ripples of spiritual energy spread through the mountains, felling tree after tree.
Fortunately, this formation had withstood a thunder tribulation for Xu Ming, which was already more than enough.
The sixth thunder tribulation was when the white thunder dragon raised its tail and violently whipped it towards Xu Ming's body. Xu Ming withstood it head-on, but a large piece of the magical robe on his body shattered, completely losing its effect.
The seventh thunder tribulation was when the thunder dragon shuttling through the clouds spat out a breath of dragon breath towards Xu Ming.
Xu Ming didn't try to withstand it head-on anymore.
Xu Ming wasn't a fool.
Xu Ming didn't know how many thunder tribulations were still to come.
Moreover, Xu Ming needed to catch his breath and recover his strength. Otherwise, with such continuous encounters with thunder tribulations, he definitely wouldn't be able to hold on.
Xu Ming took out the pill that Wu Yanhan had given him, swallowed it directly, and then took out the Thunder Light Mirror that Wu Yanhan had given him.
The white thunder dragon breath was spat onto the Thunder Light Mirror.
The Thunder Light Mirror reflected the dragon breath, and the two streams of dragon breath collided.
"Roar!"
This white dragon seemed to be completely enraged, increasing its power towards Xu Ming!
Xu Ming, operating the Thunder Light Mirror, broke out in a cold sweat. Xu Ming clearly felt that the mirror surface of the Thunder Light Mirror was continuously cracking.
"Hold on a little longer!" Xu Ming said in his heart.
If this Thunder Light Mirror could hold on a little longer, the pill he had just swallowed could take effect.
"Ping!"
Unfortunately, Xu Ming didn't get his wish. The Thunder Light Mirror still didn't hold on until the pill had fully taken effect. The Thunder Light Mirror completely shattered under the dragon breath.
The dragon breath sprayed onto Xu Ming's body.
The heat of the flames and the bone-piercing cold of the thunder intertwined.
Xu Ming felt like every bone in his body was being roasted on a fire rack, and then electrocuted at the same time.
When the dragon breath dissipated, Xu Ming's entire body was already charred black, and even the blood flowing out carried thunder.
The eighth thunder tribulation arrived.
The white thunder dragon personally pounced towards Xu Ming.
"Huff."
Xu Ming took a deep breath.
Although the pill hadn't restored Xu Ming to his most perfect state, Xu Ming had at least caught his breath.
Xu Ming held the longsword and charged up to meet the thunder dragon.
Xu Ming leaped onto the back of the thunder dragon, stabbing the sword into its back, fighting it like it was a normal, living dragon, sword energy churning within the giant dragon's body.
The white thunder dragon twisted and turned incessantly, crashing into mountain after mountain, slamming back and forth on the ground, trying to kill Xu Ming.
But Xu Ming clung tightly to the thunder dragon's body, stabbing again and again!
When the longsword in Xu Ming's hand broke, he used his fists!
Xu Ming had already activated Blood Qi Berserk, the blood qi surrounding his body continuously amplifying Xu Ming's fists, which descended like a torrential rain!
"Boom!"
Xu Ming clenched his fists into hammers, heavily smashing down on the head of the white lightning dragon.
The red martial artist's true qi and the white lightning of the dragon intertwined.
The red blood qi erupted from Xu Ming's hammer, penetrating the lightning dragon's head.
The lightning dragon instantly exploded and dissipated.
Xu Ming fell to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"There won't be more, right?"
Xu Ming raised his head.
As a result, the dark clouds in the sky had not yet dispersed, there really was more!
"Fuck!"
Xu Ming cursed aloud.
Xu Ming knew that his tribulation this time was destined not to be too simple.
But Xu Ming also didn't expect that it would be so difficult.
A small Dragon Gate realm lightning tribulation, was it really necessary?
The clouds parted.
A lightning elephant, a lightning lion, a lightning tiger, and a lightning snake flew down.
This was the ninth lightning tribulation, and in theory, after this lightning tribulation ended, it should really be over. According to currently known records, no one's Dragon Gate realm lightning tribulation has ever exceeded nine.
The last lightning tribulation!
Xu Ming stood up again.
Although Xu Ming was now mentally and physically exhausted, it wasn't impossible to use the last bit of strength to kill these guys.
Xu Ming held his long sword and fought with these four lightning beasts.
It was only because Xu Ming's martial artist realm was not low, and he had been constantly adding points over the years, that his physical fitness far exceeded ordinary people.
Otherwise, Xu Ming would already be dead beyond dead.
"Boom!"
After a series of battles.
Xu Ming punched the lightning elephant, scattering it.
Then, with a sword of the Grass Character Sword Manual, he killed the lightning tiger.
Finally, Xu Ming activated the Dao Pattern Eye.
After Xu Ming's Dao Pattern Eye had evolved twice, it could not only see through illusions, but also release black flames.
The system said that this flame was called "Chaos Flame", which was a flame born at the beginning of chaos, when heaven and earth separated.
Xu Ming could designate something, and once the Chaos Flame touched it, it would continue to burn until the target was reduced to ashes!
However, Xu Ming had done experiments before. After using it once, his eyes were so tired that he could only release it twice at most.
After two times, the Dao Pattern Eye would be overwhelmed and unable to be used. Xu Ming even mistakenly thought he was blind that day, and it took three or four days before he regained his vision.
So Xu Ming really didn't want to use this move.
But now, it was already the last moment, and he had already reached the end of his rope, with no choice.
The dao patterns in Xu Ming's pupils kept spinning, condensing, and forming new patterns.
The next moment, the lightning snake in Xu Ming's vision was covered in black flames. The lightning lion pounced on Xu Ming, Xu Ming flipped over, dodging the attack, and also used the Chaos Flame on the lightning lion.
"Roar!"
The roars of the lightning beasts spread throughout the plain, and the sound collided with the surrounding mountains, forming echoes.
The two lightning beasts kept rolling on the ground, but they just couldn't extinguish the fire.
And this black flame only burned them themselves. For other things, the black flame on these two lightning beasts was like a phantom.
Similarly, Xu Ming's eyes were overwhelmed and already tightly closed, and two lines of bloody tears flowed from the corners of his eyes.
Wu Yanhuan, who was standing on the top of the mountain, didn't know what kind of technique Xu Ming used, despite this,
But the price of this technique was extremely high, and Xu Ming's condition looked very bad.
Fortunately, the remaining two lightning beasts struggled for a while before burning out and dissipating into spiritual power.
Wu Yanhuan breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
Although it was very thrilling, fortunately Xu Ming survived.
Xu Ming, who was standing on the grass, also took a deep breath. Although Xu Ming couldn't see, he knew it was over when he heard the roar disappear.
"Let's go, let's go see your Xu—"
But just as Wu Yanhuan was halfway through her words.
Suddenly, above the sky, thunder roared again!
This is…
The tenth lightning tribulation!
