Attaining 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 began his own seclusion. During this time, he wanted to carefully consider whether he should still choose to sever his corpse despite knowing there were flaws in the method. If he did not sever his corpse, Yuanshi's attitude was already clear. Although Laozi had 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 chaotic qi is the true supreme tonic for me! It just takes a rather long time to refine—an entire ten thousand years."

Lu Chen sat in the pit, hugging the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase as he gazed at the spiritual liquid that had risen to its mouth, quietly sighing to himself.

Then, cradling the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase, he began gulping it down mouthful after mouthful.

This spiritual liquid had been formed from pure spiritual qi. To him, it was mana; it was cultivation.

A vast amount of spiritual liquid transformed into spiritual qi in Lu Chen's mouth and flowed toward his dantian as the Nine-Turn Origin Art began circulating wildly once more.

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

With the unceasing influx of spiritual liquid, Lu Chen's mana steadily increased.

The torrent of mana, deep as an abyss and vast as a sea, continuously expanded in scope.

When the torrent of mana expanded to its absolute limit—

Buzzz!

An even deeper and more powerful aura erupted from Lu Chen's body. Its overwhelming 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 sensed the pressure and abruptly opened their eyes, their gazes carrying a hint of surprise.

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

Dense black clouds rolled across the sky, radiating an immense pressure. This pressure was countless times stronger than the Three-Nine Heavenly Tribulation Duobao had faced back then.

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

Lu Chen opened his mouth wide. A terrifying suction force formed within it, and he actually...

Directly inhaled the thunder tribulation clouds from the sky!

The tribulation clouds vanished, and the skies above Kunlun Mountain returned to their clear, boundless state.

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

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

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

The thunder tribulation entered Lu Chen's body and was instantly submerged by the torrent of mana.

Burp~

Lu Chen spat out a puff of black smoke.

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

When the radiance faded, a handsome young man stood where Lu Chen had been. He wore a black robe embroidered with flowing gold, his bearing elegant and striking. There was a trace of steadiness between his brows, along with a sharp edge that could not be ignored.

His eyes were black as ink, deep and mysterious.

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

"Lu Chen reached Great Luo less than ten thousand years after entering the peak Taiyi Realm. I doubt it will be long before he catches up to you, his master."

Yuanshi shot Tongtian a glance and mocked him.

Tongtian scratched his head, a few traces of embarrassment appearing on his face.

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

He wondered whether they had already severed their second corpses.

What surprised Lu Chen most was his teacher, Tongtian. He was actually still at the peak Great Luo realm.

Lu Chen had no time to dwell on his surprise. He sat cross-legged in the air, Dao rhythms flowing around him like a river of stars cascading down.

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

Once the lotus dais appeared, Yuanshi stopped mocking Tongtian. His gaze landed on it, anticipation gleaming in his eyes.

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

Tongtian spoke up. "I think..."

"Shut up. A Great Luo is not worthy of speaking."

Tongtian: "..."

"At least nine grades."

Without even thinking, Laozi spoke.

"I think so too."

"I..."

"Shut up!"

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

Duobao looked at Lu Chen, who sat cross-legged in the air, a trace of envy and determination in his eyes.

As they spoke, movement came from the lotus dais above Lu Chen's head.

Petal after petal of flowing gold blossomed. Divine light burst forth, erupting into extraordinary phenomena.

The originally clear, boundless sky suddenly displayed the sight of a river of stars descending. The star river poured down and entered the lotus dais above Lu Chen's head.

Immediately afterward, a phantom of a God or Devil emerged behind Lu Chen.

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

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

The lightning within the dark clouds was likewise unlike ordinary lightning. It was not a dazzling violet, but black as ink, radiating dense destruction qi.

It seemed as though it had been born solely to destroy all things.

"Heaven-Sundering Divine Thunder!"

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

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

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

"So long as Lu Chen can withstand it, he may well have a chance to attain the Dao even without Primordial Chaos Purple Qi."

"Eldest Brother, are you talking about proving the Dao through strength!"

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, revealing Lu Chen's muscular upper body. Scorch marks appeared across his skin.

The very first bolt of thunder tribulation had already wounded Lu Chen.

The second bolt of thunder tribulation followed closely behind, striking Lu Chen's body.

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

The third bolt came, and a faint trace of blood appeared at the corner of Lu Chen's lips.

The fourth bolt made him cough up blood.

The fifth bolt cracked his body open, and his face became pale as paper. Blood dripped down from his body.

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

While breaking through to Great Luo, he had also used the immense amount of spiritual liquid to temper his physical body to the Great Luo realm before emerging from seclusion.

In other words, even a Great Luo could only withstand the first five bolts of thunder tribulation.

At that moment, Lu Chen used his mana, and the wounds across his body swiftly healed without leaving a trace.

The eighth bolt of thunder tribulation descended, and Lu Chen once more used mana to repair his body.

The tenth bolt of thunder tribulation descended, and he repaired his body again.

This had become a drawn-out battle of attrition.

Bolt after bolt of Heaven-Sundering Divine Thunder struck Lu Chen's body, while Lu Chen repaired his body time and again with mana.

Repairing his body required an enormous amount of mana. Only Lu Chen possessed such a foundation.

Only then did he dare to play such a game.

"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 Lu Chen summon Heaven-Sundering Divine Thunder had actually stirred a trace of jealousy within him.

Back then, he had not summoned even the slightest trace of thunder 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 Quasi-Saint, you will naturally be able to save him."

"I... will sever it!"

Tongtian gritted his teeth. Just as he prepared to sever his corpse, Lu Chen's inner voice rang out in his heart...