Tribulation Transcendence

Streams of purple-gold energy flowed rapidly through the meridians of his body, slowly widening the narrow channels into broad, expansive paths.

In the end, the golden energy converged into a vast sea—a purple-gold ocean, brilliant with gold and mysterious with purple. Deep within that sea, a magnificent high platform faintly emerged, rising abruptly from the depths.

Just as Bai Yixin was nearing the end of this profound transformation, Stone Village was far from peaceful.

"Grandpa Chief, has Brother Little White not returned yet?" Little One, who had returned from training in the Great Wilderness, asked. He was drenched, covered in bruises and wounds, and after consuming medicinal herbs to rest, he still hadn't seen Bai Yixin.

The old chief, Shi Yunfeng, shook his head, his tone laced with worry. "I don't know how that child is doing. He has been missing for a month now. I only hope he hasn't met with any misfortune."

"He won't," Little One said, though he sounded uncertain. "Brother Little White was already able to lift a hundred-thousand-jin boulder with one arm a month ago. He's so strong, how could anything happen to him? He must have just been delayed by something, right?"

In the Vast Mountain Range, the one thing there was no shortage of was ferocious Primordial Remnants. If Bai Yixin had truly encountered one of those peerless beasts, his safety was far from guaranteed.

"Little White is very clever; he will be safe and sound... May the Willow Deity bless him and grant his safe return." Shi Yunfeng prayed toward the willow tree.

The rain began to fall; at first, the light dimmed, and a fine drizzle descended.

Soon after, dark clouds surged from the distance, a massive, oppressive black mass. The rain grew heavier, gathering into small streams on the ground.

The sky darkened abruptly, as if plunging into night in an instant. One could not even see their own fingers, though in reality, it should have still been daytime.

The world was pitch black, shrouded in heavy rain. Several massive clouds collided, instantly erupting with thunder. Lightning danced like golden snakes, connecting the heavens to the earth.

"Boom!"

The sky trembled as golden snakes streaked across the void, illuminating the pitch-black firmament and casting down a brilliant glow. The rain poured down in torrents, leaving the world a vast expanse of water.

The thunderstorm had appeared with startling suddenness, accompanied by terrifying bolts of lightning. All the fierce birds and beasts in the Great Wilderness went into hiding, fearing the calamity.

This was because if a spiritual entity was too defiant of the natural order, it might trigger lightning to destroy it—such as Lightning Struck Wood or ancient demons; such examples were not rare.

And this thunderstorm, which did not look natural at all, perhaps signaled the appearance of some heaven-defying object.

The lightning flashed so fiercely that it was impossible to keep one's eyes open; it made one's scalp tingle and the hair on one's body stand on end.

With a loud "Boom," a bolt of lightning suddenly descended, thick and immense, striking toward a small hill.

That hill was precisely where the cave Bai Yixin had chosen for his secluded transformation was located.

The thunderous strike shattered the small hill instantly, reducing it to ash. The power of heaven and earth was truly terrifying!

The first bolt of thunder had been blocked by the hill, but it was not over yet. A second bolt followed immediately, striking the same spot.

Yet, this time, it still did not touch a single hair on Bai Yixin.

There was no other reason than an invisible protective barrier that firmly shielded Bai Yixin's location.

It was a grand formation Bai Yixin had specifically purchased to prevent other creatures from disturbing his transformation, possessing strong protective and concealment properties.

But clearly, it could not shield him from the heavens.

It seemed that Bai Yixin was too heaven-defying, drawing down a lightning tribulation to test whether he should exist in this world.

"This tribulation can be avoided, but there is no need!"

Sitting cross-legged in a long-dried cauldron, Bai Yixin opened his eyes, divine light erupting from them.

"The way of heaven is heartless, yet the Great Dao is impartial. This is both a disaster and a blessing!"

Bai Yixin stood up abruptly and let out a long roar toward the sky. His hair stood on end as he exhaled a breath of essence. Spiritual light danced around him like divine butterflies; at this moment, his spirit and energy pierced the firmament.

"Come and fight!"

Without waiting for the barrier to be shattered by the thunder, Bai Yixin deactivated the defensive formation himself and soared into the sky.

"Use thunder to shatter thunder!"

Bai Yixin channeled the Suanni Precious Technique, commanding the golden lightning. A Suanni manifested and charged upward, looking like a god of thunder.

"Boom!"

The thunder was deafening. The third bolt crashed down, the electric light weaving together like a falling waterfall.

With a loud crash, the Suanni split apart and exploded. Golden electric arcs danced, leveling the surrounding forest until nothing remained.

A figure stood up amidst the ruins, appearing not to have suffered any critical injuries.

Bai Yixin did not activate his Bone Text for protection, yet his flesh possessed a crystalline luster, radiating a hazy glow. He had taken the remaining lightning head-on, and he had succeeded!

His body shook violently, and the hazy treasure light faded. Although he was in immense pain, his bones and tendons remained intact. To have withstood it was truly astonishing!

This was the result of months of hard work—daily bitter cultivation and tempering his flesh. Furthermore, with this transformation, he didn't need to circulate Bone Text or spiritual power to protect himself; his skin automatically glowed with a treasure light. This was the power of pure blood energy, protecting him of its own accord.

"Haha, come again!"

Golden lightning wrapped around him once more. He chose no other means; Bai Yixin wanted to use thunder to fight thunder, to use his flesh to withstand the lightning tribulation!

This was an excellent trial, a perfect opportunity for a breakthrough in his lightning arts! He would use the lightning to baptize his flesh and temper his bones!

The mountain peak was leveled by the shockwaves of the lightning. Above, electric arcs wove together, thunder flashing continuously, bolt after bolt, dancing wildly like a vast ocean.

Even as Bai Yixin breathed, he exhaled lightning. He bathed in the thunder, howling as he was electrocuted, his voice growing louder and louder, yet his aura became increasingly vigorous, as if filled with boundless vitality.

"Ahhh!!"

The final ninth bolt of lightning descended without mercy. Bai Yixin was sent flying, his body smoking from the strike, his hair standing on end, and the faint scent of cooked meat drifting from him.

The ground beneath him was shattered, and boulders weighing tens of thousands of jin were reduced to powder.

An ordinary person would have been pierced through and completely shattered by the lightning long ago; even he felt excruciating pain, the scent of charred flesh rising from his body as if he were being cooked alive.

Enduring a lightning tribulation inevitably meant suffering injuries, but Bai Yixin had been too arrogant this time and was severely wounded. Terrifying gashes appeared one after another, finally splitting open his crystalline flesh. If even a physique as strong as his suffered like this, one could imagine just how horrific the lightning was!

"Hahahaha, so what if it is a lightning tribulation? I shall bathe in the thunder and forge my Undefeated Divine Body!"

Bai Yixin looked miserable, his entire body charred black and his hair standing on end. Only his large eyes remained bright; the rest of him looked like a lump of coal. If he were to return to Stone Village now, even Little One might barely recognize him.

Once the nine bolts of lightning finished striking, the dark clouds immediately dispersed. Warm sunlight poured down, hanging a beautiful Bifrost across the horizon.