C136 The Tribulation of the Thunder Dragon
A formidable suction emanated from within Qin Buyi, drawing in all the dissipating thunderous energy from the surroundings into his body.
Internally, Qin Buyi noted, "The ninth Tribulation Crossing."
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
"Boom!" "Boom!"...
The Tribulation Clouds churned tumultuously above, as five Thunder Dragons from the Middle Period of Tribulation Crossing emerged from their midst.
These five Thunder Dragons, upon their appearance, refrained from launching an immediate assault on Qin Buyi. Instead, led by the central Thunder Dragon, they merged into a colossal Thunder Dragon spanning ten thousand feet.
This gargantuan Thunder Dragon, amidst the crackling flashes of lightning, exuded a majestic presence, its aura now at the Late Period of Tribulation Crossing.
"Roar~!"
The Thunder Dragon issued a thunderous roar, seemingly incensed that Qin Buyi remained unscathed despite the onslaught of numerous Tribulation Crossings, his aura growing ever more potent.
"Roar!"
With its maw agape, the Thunder Dragon's mouth blazed with lightning. It unleashed a breath infused with electric fury, aimed directly at Qin Buyi.
Qin Buyi stood his ground, releasing his grip on the Killing Saber.
The Killing Saber hovered in the air beside him, as Qin Buyi's body tensed like a drawn bow, his right fist clenched tight.
"Ha!"
With a forceful cry, Qin Buyi unleashed a punch, channeling his full bodily strength into the heart of the lightning dragon breath.
"Bam!"
The lightning breath shattered on impact.
But the force of the punch did not wane, continuing its trajectory until it struck the Thunder Dragon's head.
"Bam!"
"Boom!"
The impact resonated, causing the ground to quiver.
"Crack!"
A fissure formed on the Thunder Dragon's brow.
"Crack!"
Following the initial fracture, more cracks swiftly spread—second, third...
In the span of a single breath, the Thunder Dragon fractured like a broken mirror, riddled with crevices.
"Bang!"
The Thunder Dragon's form burst apart, its potent thunderous essence diffusing into the air.
Qin Buyi's body generated a powerful suction, absorbing all the thunderous energy.
As his golden blood assimilated this energy, it visibly began producing new blood at an observable rate.
In under two breaths, Qin Buyi's body replenished its depleted blood supply completely.
With that, the final hint of frailty vanished from his body.
Feeling an overwhelming surge of power, Qin Buyi unleashed a mighty roar that echoed across the entire high-level mentor district.
Ying Qian, who had been observing Qin Buyi's ordeal, reflected on the Thunder Dragon and turned to Hee Yan with a question:
"Could the transformation of the Thunder Dragon signify the Eighteen Thunder Dragon Tribulations?"
Hee Yan gave a slight nod, his voice a mix of certainty and puzzlement:
"It's possible. The Thunder Dragon Tribulation is known as the easiest to overcome during the Mahayana Stage. For Qin Buyi, at the Tribulation Crossing Stage, to invoke it is no small feat."
"Still, something seems off to me, though I can't quite put my finger on it."
Beneath the brooding Tribulation Clouds, Qin Buyi tallied the strikes, "The fourteenth tribulation."
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
The clouds above crackled fiercely as bolts of lightning cast Qin Buyi's face in stark relief.
The fifteenth lightning tribulation materialized, once again in the form of a Thunder Dragon.
Yet this Thunder Dragon's size and power dwarfed those of the one formed from the previous five tribulations combined.
Spanning tens of thousands of feet with strength peaking in the late Tribulation Crossing period, it was on the cusp of reaching perfection.
"Boom!"
The sixteenth tribulation revealed itself as a Thunder Vermilion Bird.
Though slightly smaller, spanning only a few thousand feet, its power matched the Thunder Dragon's, nearly touching the pinnacle of Tribulation Crossing perfection.
"Boom!"
Next came the seventeenth tribulation, a Thunder White Tiger crackling with electricity.
"Boom!"
Not to be outdone, the eighteenth tribulation swiftly followed, manifesting as a Thunder Black Tortoise.
Hee Yan's eyes widened in sudden understanding as he exclaimed from below, "That's what was bothering me."
"Last time, five lightning tribulations struck simultaneously. If this truly is the Eighteen Thunder Dragon Tribulations, wouldn't the remaining ones be weaker than the last?"
"After all this time, I never imagined it would be the Four Divine Lightning Tribulation. Qin Buyi is really in for it now."
"The Four Divine Lightning Tribulation, like the Thunder Dragon Tribulation, consists of eighteen strikes, but the level of danger is significantly higher."
"For cultivators facing the Four Divine Lightning Tribulation, the chances of survival are less than 30%, whereas those facing the Thunder Dragon Tribulation have an 80% survival rate. That's the stark difference between the two."
Beneath the brooding tribulation clouds, Qin Buyi gazed at the Four Divines with a grave expression.
Each of the four Saints was just shy of reaching the pinnacle of Tribulation Crossing Perfection.
Yet, with the emergence of the Thunder Black Tortoise, the collective strength of the Saints surged, breaking past that threshold and achieving the full might of Tribulation Crossing Perfection.
"Roar!"
The Thunder Dragon lunged forward, unleashing a torrent of lightning breath at Qin Buyi.
Qin Buyi, taking no chances, positioned the Killing Saber before him and cried out, "Killing Saber: Slaughter!"
The rapidly vibrating Killing Saber cleaved through the lightning breath.
"Clang!"
The breath of lightning was bisected, its energies scattering into the cosmos.
Recoiling from the immense force transmitted through the Killing Saber, Qin Buyi staggered back several steps before regaining his footing.
"Chirp!"
The Thunder Vermilion Bird screeched piercingly, swooping in with its wings of lightning aimed at Qin Buyi.
"Ao!"
The Thunder White Tiger bared its fangs and, in a flash, lunged at Qin Buyi.
"Buzz!"
The Thunder Black Tortoise withdrew into its lightning shell, which hurtled toward Qin Buyi like a hill crashing down.
"Roar!"
Once more, the Thunder Dragon amassed a formidable lightning breath, this time unleashing a blast several times more potent than the last at Qin Buyi.
Qin Buyi, now teetering on the brink, faced off against four adversaries, all at the zenith of Tribulation Crossing Perfection.
With no room for error, Qin Buyi gripped the Killing Saber with full force.
"Killing Swordsmanship: Death Domain!"
The Umbral Realm swiftly enveloped the battlefield, with Qin Buyi at its epicenter.
"Killing Swordsmanship: Extermination!"
"Killing Swordsmanship: Extermination!"
"Killing Swordsmanship: Extermination!"
Three crimson moons ascended in the arena, each casting its shadow over the Thunder Dragon, Thunder White Tiger, and Thunder Black Tortoise.
Under the blood moons, innumerable Killing Sabers materialized, hurtling toward the Thunder Dragon, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise.
"Killing Swordsmanship: Obliteration, Immortal Slashing!"
"Clang!"
The resonant ring of the Killing Saber filled the air.
The blade, once gleaming with a frosty light, turned pitch-black in an instant.
Qin Buyi targeted the Thunder Vermilion Bird with two decisive slashes.
Two beams of light burst forth from the Killing Saber—one shrouded in darkness, the other half solid, half ethereal.
As they soared toward the Thunder Vermilion Bird, the two beams fused into one—a dark blade light with a streak of blood-red—striking the creature.
"Clang!"
The sound of metal on metal rang out as the blade light struck the Vermilion Bird.
"Chi!"
In less than a moment, the Thunder Vermilion Bird's defenses were shattered.
The dark blade light cleaved from the crown of the Vermilion Bird's head down to its abdomen, vanishing only after leaving a trail of destruction.
As the dark blade light faded, a blinding radiance burst from the Thunder Vermilion Bird's belly.
A light suffused with the essence of obliteration pierced through, leaving a gaping hole in the Thunder Vermilion Bird's midsection.
