A Risky Move, The Lightning Tribulation Arrives

Seeing a bolt of lightning with terrifying momentum crashing down toward her, the Ice Empress could no longer afford to suppress her strength in the face of life and death, and she immediately channeled all her power to resist the tribulation.

Unexpectedly, the lightning dissipated before it even touched her. The Ice Empress, who had triggered the heavenly tribulation by unleashing her full power, stood frozen on the spot.

"Who is it! Who exactly is playing tricks on this Empress! I swear, if I survive this lightning tribulation, I will hunt you down to the ends of the earth!"

Watching the thunderclouds beginning to take shape, the Ice Empress was furious to the point of madness, screaming at the top of her lungs. Ever since experiencing the terror of the 300,000-year tribulation, she had been hiding in the core of the Far North, sleeping. Fearing that unleashing her power would invite another tribulation, she hadn't even dared to use her full strength when chasing the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, terrified of dying on the spot. Today, someone had actually taken advantage of her sleep to stage a fake tribulation, tricking her into unleashing her power and triggering the real one.

Who on earth had she offended?

However, the most important thing now was to steady her mind and survive the tribulation with all her might. Looking at the thunderclouds covering a radius of ten thousand miles and flashing with purple-black electricity, the Ice Empress felt a slight tremor of fear, but since escape was impossible, she had no choice but to face it head-on.

Meanwhile, Su Qing had also crept nearby. The martial soul granted to him by the Silver Dragon King's godhead could not contain the God of Destruction Power, so he had already switched to the Ring Jade. Conveniently, before drawing out the ownerless God of Destruction Power from the final few bolts of lightning, he could use it to conceal his aura and prevent himself from being caught in the crossfire.

"Rumble—"

The thunderclouds churned, frantically accumulating momentum, much like a constipated person building up the urge before heading to the restroom. This heavenly tribulation was naturally not one to act without a bang; before starting, it had to accumulate enough power to annihilate the creature undergoing the trial.

Soon, the first bolt of lightning fell. Its power was not strong, and its momentum was not as vast as the one Su Qing had just triggered. It was about three meters in diameter, and the Ice Empress blocked it by simply circulating her soul power.

But immediately after, the second bolt followed, its power doubling. It reached seven meters in diameter. The Ice Empress stared sternly at the incoming lightning, contemplating whether she could take this one head-on.

"Use the Ice Empress Pincer to block it."

Su Qing's voice cut through the thunder and reached her ears clearly. The Ice Empress shuddered; she hadn't even noticed anyone nearby. Moreover, the voice wasn't A-Tai's or Xiao Bai's, and it certainly couldn't be the Snow Empress! Who could it be? But she had no time for doubt. In any case, she knew she couldn't survive a 400,000-year tribulation on her own, so she might as well treat a dead horse as a living one and trust him once!

The Ice Empress's reasoning was simple: the fact that she couldn't perceive the other party meant his strength was far superior to her own. If he wanted her soul ring, he would have to ensure she survived the tribulation. If he wanted her territory, he could have just driven her away. Thus, it seemed he had no reason to harm her—at least, she couldn't think of any.

"Ice Empress Pincer!"

As the seven-meter-thick lightning was about to strike, she hurriedly unleashed the Ice Empress Pincer, holding it horizontally in front of her and channeling her soul power to block the heavenly thunder. This time, aside from her two large pincers feeling a bit drained, she didn't suffer any injuries.

However, she had no time to dwell on it, as the third bolt of lightning followed in quick succession. This one was thirteen meters thick, and its power had once again doubled.

"Use the Ice Emperor Bodyguard this time."

Su Qing's voice came again. His plan was to save soul power by taking the first three bolts head-on, then use offensive soul skills to neutralize the next three before they could touch her. By doing so, the final bolt of lightning would surely accumulate a massive amount of God of Destruction Power to deliver a thunderous, fatal blow to the Ice Empress. As long as he drew out and refined the God of Destruction Power within it, the final bolt would be rendered useless, and the Ice Empress would naturally pass safely.

As for whether she would follow him once the threat of death was gone? It was highly likely. On the Douluo Continent, no one could resist the temptation of becoming a god, especially soul beasts. And even if she didn't follow him, it didn't matter; without the threat of death, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm wouldn't be able to trick her away either.

While she pondered, the third bolt was also blocked by the Ice Empress. So far, only the hem of her clothes was slightly soiled, which made her breathe a sigh of relief. But the seventh bolt was the source of her dread. The mysterious power contained in the fifth bolt of her 300,000-year tribulation had nearly killed her; she didn't even dare to imagine what the seventh bolt of a 400,000-year tribulation would be like.

"Use the Ice Emperor Fury on the next one to neutralize it in mid-air."

The thunderclouds above grew increasingly dense, and Su Qing's calm voice drifted down.

"If you can really help me pass this tribulation, I will definitely repay you."

The Ice Empress looked around, seeing no one, and muttered to herself.

"Rest assured, you will survive. I guarantee it."

Though she didn't know where the other party's confidence came from, the Ice Empress had no choice but to believe him. After all, it was a death sentence to begin with. She still hadn't figured out who was behind the scenes, setting her up to undergo the tribulation early.

"Ice Emperor Fury!"

As the fourth bolt fell, a beam of emerald-green light, almost solidified into substance, erupted from the Ice Empress's chest, meeting the heavenly thunder head-on from below.

"Creak—crackle—"

The moment the lightning made contact with the beam containing the energy of Ultimate Ice, cracks appeared on the beam, and frost began to condense around the lightning. After a brief struggle, they shattered together amidst a deafening roar.

"Three more to go..."

"When the next bolt appears, unleash the Eternal Frozen Domain with all your might, then follow up with the Ice Emperor Fury. Don't let the heavenly thunder touch you."

Su Qing continued his guidance. The subsequent bolts contained varying amounts of God of Destruction Power, though not much. He didn't care for these scraps, so he didn't absorb them, but if they touched the Ice Empress, they would slowly erode her defenses, leaving her increasingly exposed to the tribulation until the final bolt, packed with massive amounts of God of Destruction Power, struck her core.

"Fine!"

Hearing this, the Ice Empress immediately began to act according to Su Qing's instructions. Although she was concerned about the rate of her soul power consumption, she understood that if she didn't use her soul skills at full strength, she would surely be severely injured, making it even harder to survive.

As the fifth bolt fell, the Ice Empress's Eternal Frozen Domain immediately slowed it down, allowing her to lock onto it precisely. Then, the Ice Emperor Fury was unleashed again. The situation mirrored the previous one, and she let out a sigh of relief. Only two more to go.

"For the next one, use sixty percent of your soul power to release the energy of Ultimate Ice with your Scorpion Tail Needle. Aim for the lightning, don't miss..."

"This Empress never misses!"

Su Qing's words made the Ice Empress's blood boil. She had wielded the Scorpion Tail Needle like an extension of her own arm for so many years, yet today she was being teased?

Before Su Qing could respond, the sixth bolt of lightning crashed down. The Ice Empress immediately used the Scorpion Tail Needle to release the energy of Ultimate Ice, clashing against it. Soon, the immense energy pierced through the lightning, splitting it in two and sending it crashing into a nearby mountain peak.

"Boom—"

The massive thunder shook the earth. Hearing the roar nearby, Su Qing turned his head and nearly had his soul scared out of his body; the mountain peak had been snapped off by the lightning and was sliding straight toward him.

"Ice Empress, you are quite the character!"