Chapter 105 - Facing the Lightning Tribulation of Immortal Ascension (2/2)
At last, the first streak of Lightning Tribulation struck directly at Lonemoon. The array formation around him were all shattered, and the surrounding ground sank by a few feet. The suppression aura of heaven and earth started spreading outwards. If it were not for the Protective Mountain Array, the palace would have been burned to ashes.
“Wow.” Shen Ying looked up at the sky. This lightning was completely different from the ones she had seen before. “Is the lightning tribulation of the Immortal Ascension so powerful?”
“Yes, Master.” Yi Qing explained in a sombre tone, “The lightning that descended from the Immortal Ascension is the Violet Nightfall Heavenly Lightning. It is the most powerful lightning tribulation in the world. It can directly create immortal bones. This is only the first strike — the Mental Demon Tribulation — the others that follow will be far worse.”
“Oh…” Shen Ying nodded and looked carefully at the Father Niu. He had closed his eyes and seemed to be caught up with his mental demons. In less than five minutes he opened his eyes again. Obviously he had overcome his mental demons.
The next Lightning Tribulation struck. True enough, this one struck with double the force of the previous one, setting Lonemoon’s dharmic clothes on fire and splitting his skin apart. However, his body emitted a special kind of Spirit Qi that slowly started mending his torn body.
Then came the third strike, the fourth…
Unlike the first strike, this time the lightning struck down one after another without a break. It was as if it wanted to split Lonemoon’s body apart to reorganize it. Each strike was more devastating than the last.
“How long will it take?” asked Shen Ying, munching on her melon seeds.
“This is the Nine Nine Lightning Tribulation, forming a total of eighty-two bolts of divine lightning.
There are more than half to go?”
“Doesn’t nine nine makes eighty-one?” Shen Ying was confused, why was it eighty-two?
“This… I’m not sure,” replied Yi Qing, looking perplexed. “Although it is called the Nine Nine Lightning Tribulation, according to the traveling immortals who have undergone the tribulation, there are indeed eighty-two strikes. And the last one is the key to the test. Many traveling immortals failed at this last strike.”
“Oh…” said Shen Ying frowning. Leaving her thoughts aside, she grabbed another bunch of melon seeds as another bolt of lightning struck and continued munching.
In less than an hour, Lonemoon had withstood eighty bolts of lightning tribulation. His entire body was so battered that he was almost unrecognizable as a human being. Although the immortal Qi that followed each strike would mend his body, the rate of healing could not keep up with the frequency of the strikes; he was totally covered in blood.
There were two more. Lonemoon tried desperately to stay conscious as he was struck by the next bolt of lightning. Then, all of a sudden, the Lightning Tribulation ceased and clouds began to swirl. A purplish black lightning flashed through the clouds. Finally, there was a loud boom and an earth-shattering bolt struck down from the sky.
His senses jolted, Lonemoon was mentally focused. In an instant, he released his entire store of Immortal Qi that he had secretly converged within his body. Under the stimulation of this Immortal Qi, his damaged body was quickly restored and his immortal bones were formed. He was ready to face the last bolt of Lightning Tribulation.
Boom! His body, regenerated with the newly created immortal bones, withstood the last bolt. He had succeeded!
Lonemoon was overjoyed. His entire body slackened, and he toppled forwards. Although he did not have a shred of energy left, he felt like a whole new person, as if he had just been reborn. The Spirit Qi which had seemed dense previously, now curiously felt pitifully thin to him. Even Yi Qing’s cultivation, which he had highly regarded, now seemed weak to him.
Except for Shen Ying… She was still the same old chicken-like cheat.
The thunder clouds dispersed. While restoring his body, Lonemoon prepared himself to receive the Heavenly Beam from the sky.
Suddenly, a loud boom came from the sky and an even more terrifying bolt of lightning descended, heading straight for Lonemoon, who had no more power of resistance left.
“The eighty-third strike!” Everybody was shocked, how could this be! They had all seen the thunder clouds dispersing.
Lonemoon’s Immortal Qi had dissipated. There was no way he would be able to withstand another strike of the divine lightning.
That bolt of lightning was about to strike at Lonemoon’s body.
Releasing the melon seeds from her hand, Shen Ying was at the scene in an instant. She reached out her hand and at the last moment and caught hold of the streak of purplish black lightning’s tail as if it were a rope, stopping it within a foot from Lonemoon’s head.
Lonemoon was overwhelmed with shock. He had never expected there would an eighty-third bolt of divine lightning. “Shen… Ying?!” What the hell was going on?
Shen Ying did not reply him but her expression hardened and she frowned deeply. Tugging forcefully at the bolt of lightning, she commanded, “Come down!”
Suddenly, a black figure plummeted from the sky and crashed to the ground, his lower torso entirely embedded within the earth.
Shen Ying raised her leg and stamped hard till his whole body was buried in the ground. Enunciating each word, she asked, “Tell me. Those two extra bolts, were they from you?”
The crowd: “…”