Proving the Great Luo, Heaven-Sundering Divine Thunder

"Lu Chen has gone into seclusion..."

Tongtian sensed the commotion outside the palace and let out a long sigh.

He then entered seclusion as well. During this time, he wanted to carefully consider whether he should still choose to sever his corpse despite knowing there were flaws in doing so. Since he had not severed his corpse, Yuanshi's attitude had become quite obvious. Although Laozi said nothing on the surface, Tongtian could still sense a trace of distance from him. Their relationship was no longer as close as before.

"This Chaos Qi is the true supreme tonic for me! It just takes a little too long to refine—an entire ten thousand years."

Lu Chen sat in the pit, hugging the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase and looking at the Spirit Liquid that had risen to its mouth, inwardly marveling.

Then, still clutching the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase, he began gulping it down.

This Spirit Liquid was formed from pure spiritual qi. To him, it was mana. It was cultivation.

Massive quantities of Spirit Liquid transformed into spiritual qi in Lu Chen's mouth and flowed toward his dantian as the Nine-Turn Origin Art began circulating madly once more.

The Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase contained its own space, and the Spirit Liquid within was as vast as an ocean.

With the endless influx of Spirit Liquid, Lu Chen's mana steadily rose.

The flood of mana, deep and vast as an abyssal sea, continuously expanded.

When that torrent of mana reached a limit beyond which it could no longer expand—

Buzz!

An even deeper and more powerful aura emanated from Lu Chen's body. Its immense pressure directly shattered the formation Lu Chen had previously set up.

"Great Luo aura!"

"Lu Chen has advanced to Great Luo!!"

The Three Pure Ones felt the pressure and abruptly opened their eyes, their gazes filled with surprise.

Immortal figures flickered, and the Three Pure Ones moved from their palaces to the side of Lu Chen's cave.

Dense dark clouds swept across the sky, radiating an immense pressure. This pressure was countless times stronger than the Three-Nine Heavenly Tribulation Duobao had endured.

And yet, faced with such a heavenly tribulation...

Lu Chen opened his mouth wide, generating a terrifying suction force within it, and actually...

Swallowed the thunderclouds of the tribulation directly into his mouth!

The tribulation clouds vanished, and the skies above Kunlun Mountain once again returned to a clear expanse stretching for thousands of miles.

Seeing Lu Chen resolve the lightning tribulation in such a crude manner, the Three Pure Ones raised their brows slightly.

This lightning tribulation was not a punitive tribulation, but Lu Chen's Transformation Tribulation. No matter what method he used, as long as he passed it, it would end.

Of course, if he failed to pass it... then his body and Dao would naturally perish.

The lightning tribulation entered Lu Chen's body and was instantly swallowed by the flood of mana.

Burp~

Lu Chen expelled a puff of black smoke from his mouth.

The next second, a gentle radiance spread from Lu Chen's body.

As the glow faded, a handsome young man in a black robe embroidered with flowing gold stood where Lu Chen had been. There was a steady composure between his brows, along with a sharpness that could not be ignored.

His eyes were as dark as ink, deep and mysterious.

This was Lu Chen's appearance after taking human form.

"Lu Chen broke through to Great Luo only ten thousand years after reaching the peak of the Taiyi Realm. I suppose it will not be long before he catches up to you, his master."

Yuanshi glanced at Tongtian and mocked him.

Tongtian scratched his head, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Lu Chen looked toward the Three Pure Ones. Yuanshi and Laozi's auras were unfathomable.

He wondered whether they had already severed two corpses.

What surprised Lu Chen most was that his teacher, Tongtian, was still at the Peak Great Luo realm.

Lu Chen had no time to dwell on his surprise. He sat cross-legged in the void as Dao rhythm flowed around him like a descending galaxy.

Golden light suddenly flashed above his crown, and an unopened lotus platform floated over Lu Chen's head.

As soon as the lotus platform appeared, Yuanshi stopped mocking Tongtian. His gaze settled upon it, anticipation gleaming in his eyes.

"Eldest Brother, how many grades do you think Lu Chen's lotus will bloom into?"

Tongtian said, "I think..."

"Shut up. Great Luo are not qualified to speak."

Tongtian: "..."

"At least nine grades."

Laozi answered without hesitation.

"I think so too."

"I..."

"Shut up!"

"Eldest Brother has already reached Great Luo. I need to work even harder."

Duobao looked at Lu Chen, seated in the void, with envy and determination in his eyes.

As they spoke, the lotus platform above Lu Chen's head began to change.

Petal after petal of gilded gold bloomed. Divine light burst forth, creating a celestial phenomenon.

The clear sky that had stretched for thousands of miles suddenly displayed the sight of a galaxy descending. The galaxy poured down into the lotus platform above Lu Chen's head.

Immediately afterward, a phantom of a godfiend emerged behind Lu Chen.

As the phantom appeared, the sky shook again, and dark clouds once more blanketed all of Kunlun Mountain.

This lightning tribulation was even more terrifying than the last. Even Laozi and Yuanshi felt their hearts tremble at the aura it emitted.

The lightning within the clouds was also unlike anything usual. It was not dazzling purple, but pitch-black like ink, radiating a dense aura of destruction.

It seemed to have been born solely to destroy everything.

"Heaven-Sundering Divine Thunder!"

The Three Pure Ones stared at the divine thunder in the sky and were instantly shocked.

"This... just how monstrous must his talent be, to actually draw forth Heaven-Sundering Divine Thunder!?"

"Lu Chen's talent surpasses our expectations. Heaven-Sundering Divine Thunder may seem formidable, but Lu Chen, who has cultivated the Nine-Turn Origin Art, is likewise far beyond ordinary people.

"As long as Lu Chen can withstand it, from this point onward, even without Primordial Chaos Purple Qi, he may still have hope of proving the Dao."

"Eldest Brother means Force-Proving Dao!"

Rumble!

A bolt of Heaven-Sundering Divine Thunder descended and struck Lu Chen's body.

His black-and-gold robe instantly shattered beneath the divine thunder, exposing his sturdy upper body. Scorch marks appeared across his skin.

The very first bolt of lightning had already injured Lu Chen.

The second bolt followed close behind and struck Lu Chen.

Lu Chen was engulfed by lightning. More scorch marks appeared across his body, and his face turned pale.

The third bolt left a faint trace of blood at the corner of Lu Chen's mouth.

The fourth made him spit blood.

The fifth split his body with cracks, turning his face as pale as paper. Blood dripped down from his body.

Lu Chen had endured all five lightning tribulations entirely with his physical body.

While breaking through to Great Luo, he had also used the vast amount of Spirit Liquid to temper his body to the Great Luo realm before leaving seclusion.

In other words, even a Great Luo body could only withstand the first five lightning tribulations.

At this moment, Lu Chen used his mana, and the wounds on his body healed completely.

At the eighth lightning tribulation, Lu Chen used his mana to restore his body again.

At the tenth lightning tribulation, he restored his body once more.

This had turned into a battle of attrition.

Bolts of Heaven-Sundering Divine Thunder struck Lu Chen one after another, while Lu Chen repeatedly used his mana to repair his body.

Restoring his body consumed an enormous amount of mana. Only Lu Chen possessed such a foundation.

Only he dared to fight like this.

"This... Eldest Brother, Second Brother, go help Lu Chen."

Tongtian could not bear to see Lu Chen in such a miserable state.

"This is his own choice."

Yuanshi said nothing, but his attitude was obvious: he would not help.

Seeing that Lu Chen could draw forth Heaven-Sundering Divine Thunder, he actually felt a trace of jealousy.

Back then, he had not drawn even the slightest bit of lightning tribulation.

If Lu Chen had been his disciple, he might have felt better. But Lu Chen was Tongtian's disciple, not his!

"As long as you sever your corpse and break through to the Quasi-Saint realm, you will naturally be able to save him."

"I... sever it!"

Tongtian gritted his teeth. Just as he was about to sever his corpse, Lu Chen's voice echoed within his heart...