Facing Heavenly Might Alone

Lu Chen's first Heavenly Punishment was a Lightning Lion formed from lightning.

It pounced from the sky, carrying astonishing tribulation lightning.

Boundless ferocity descended, causing the ground to sink by three meters.

His three clones simultaneously activated their Qi and Blood Domains, briefly delaying the opponent. Lu Chen then thrust a blade of light into its head.

However, he was also sent flying by a claw strike at the same time.

When he got up, the Lightning Lion had already dispersed. His three clones had smashed it to pieces with the Furnace.

The potent energy was shared, and Lu Chen recovered to his peak in just a few breaths.

Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat.

He discovered that his Heavenly Punishment tribulation clouds had suddenly become several times thicker, as if he were about to be crushed to death.

The same was true for Blood Owl, Xue Chou, and Ji Wujue.

The Heavenly Tribulations of the other cultivators who had been eliminated had not dissipated; they had been superimposed onto the four of them.

"This has gotten out of hand!" Lu Chen's expression grew increasingly solemn.

"Lu Chen, I'll f*ck your mother, ahhhhh..."

Ji Wujue howled, looking utterly deranged.

Blood Owl and Xue Chou continuously stuffed blood pills into their mouths, trying to recover their consumed energy as quickly as possible.

As the second bolt of lightning descended, all three of them turned pale with terror.

Ji Wujue's Bronze Chariot cracked inch by inch, and his protective spiritual light was torn apart like thin paper.

His eyes were bloodshot. He crushed the life-saving Blood Talisman bestowed by King Yanbei. A phantom King's Shadow rose from the ground but was instantly shattered under the trampling of the lightning beast.

"Lu Chen! Even as a ghost, I'll..." Before his curse was finished, the lightning swallowed his figure.

Blood Owl fared even worse. The Blood Devouring Banner was blasted into fragments. Before his innate Essence Blood could fully burn out, his body turned into charcoal and then exploded.

As for Xue Chou, he didn't even put up a decent resistance before being blasted into dust.

All three died under the second Heavenly Tribulation.

Meanwhile, Lu Chen was facing a hundred-zhang lightning beast.

It resembled a Kui Ox, with a single leg treading the air. Every roar shook the mountains and rivers apart. Lu Chen's power surged, and he ferociously met it with his right fist.

Boom!

The fist aura collided with the lightning beast, and the shockwave blew away ten miles of rock strata.

Lu Chen's arms were reduced to shredded flesh and exposed bone, but in an instant, the Blood Marrow he had placed in his mouth earlier nourished his Qi and Blood, replenishing the consumption.

His arms recovered completely within a few breaths.

However, everyone's Heavenly Tribulation had been superimposed onto his own.

The sky above was dark and oppressive, feeling as if it would shatter heaven and earth.

Lu Chen let out a long roar, the Furnace inverted, madly devouring the dispersed power of the lightning tribulation.

At this moment, he was the only one left in the world, facing the might of heaven alone.

Dozens of layers of tribulation clouds completely merged. Within the vortex of pitch-black clouds, like an abyss, lightning beasts manifested one after another—a Vermilion Bird spread its wings to burn the sky, an Azure Dragon swung its tail to shatter mountains, a Black Tortoise bore mountains to suppress the sea...

Ancient ferocious beasts descended with world-ending power.

The merged Heavenly Punishment unleashed all at once.

Lu Chen was covered in blood, and the Myriad Manifestations Furnace burned brighter and brighter. The furnace body showed the shadows of bronze pillars and the remnants of an Ancient Demon's body.

"Refine!" he roared, and the Myriad Manifestations Furnace completely refined the Ancient Demon's Essence Blood.

A primordial power awakened from the depths of his bloodline. Behind him, a Demon Emperor phantom let out a long roar. Although only one head was solidified, its oppressive aura shook the nine heavens.

Lu Chen swung his right fist again. The fist imprint, carrying boundless Qi and Blood Power, blew up the Vermilion Bird lightning beast in mid-air!

"Earth Shattering Collapse Fist, open for me!"

He charged into the lightning like a madman possessed.

The Azure Dragon lightning beast was entangled by the Furnace's chains at its seven-inch weak point, and the Black Tortoise was punched through.

With each lightning beast he defeated, the tribulation clouds dimmed by a fraction, while his fist intent became more refined.

Finally, he threw a punch towards the core of the vortex. Where his fist aura passed, space cracked like a mirror.

The tribulation clouds paused for a moment before exploding.

A thousand miles away, Han Qingxue's fingertips turned white from exertion.

She had witnessed Lu Chen's flesh and blood shatter and regenerate, and seen him tear open rift after rift in the sea of lightning.

When that figure punched through the tribulation clouds and crushed the last wisp of lightning in his palm, the frost in her eyes melted, and the corners of her lips unconsciously turned up.

"This scoundrel... he actually did it."

The tribulation clouds dispersed, and the sky broke open with dawn.

The Blood Fiend Battlefield was deathly silent.

Everyone was awestruck by the terrifying heavenly might, and the news of Lu Chen undergoing tribulation quickly spread from the Blood Fiend Battlefield.

Such a tribulation was unprecedented, and crucially, Lu Chen had survived.

Lu Chen looked up at the sky, his wounds healing at a visible rate.

The Sea of Qi Furnace had transformed into the True Martial Furnace. Within it, a small world had formed, and the white sphere at its center was becoming more condensed.

It emanated waves of protective aura.

Pure protective aura, an upgraded version of the Qi and Blood Protective Aura, the True Martial Aura.

It possessed greater resilience and power.

Once all the Qi and Blood Protective Aura within his body was converted into True Martial Aura, and the True Martial Armor was condensed, he could advance from the first to the second level of True Martial.

He suddenly turned his head, smiling slightly as he looked at a figure shooting towards him.

Han Qingxue!

Her face was still pale.

"Worrying about me so much?"

As he walked up, Lu Chen unceremoniously wrapped an arm around her waist.

Han Qingxue was furious and was about to struggle when her lips suddenly tasted sweetness, as Lu Chen poured a small bottle of mysterious liquid into her mouth.

"Consider it repayment for saving my life last time!" Lu Chen smiled faintly.

Han Qingxue's ear tips turned red. She snorted and tried to break free and leave, but suddenly let out a muffled groan and quickly sat down cross-legged.

It was a precious liquid to restore the soul.

During the recovery process, Lu Chen gave her another small bottle until she had completely recovered.

"Thank you!" Han Qingxue opened her eyes and said gratefully.

Lu Chen gave a wry smile, "You were trying to save me too, no need to be polite!"

As he spoke, he extended a hand.

Han Qingxue's face flushed red as she extended her own hand.

But Lu Chen patted it away, saying with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, "Your Ice Soul Sword!"

"Ah, ah?" Han Qingxue froze, her face instantly turning as red as an apple, wishing she could find a hole to crawl into.

She had thought Lu Chen was going to help her up.

"What... what do you want my sword for?" Han Qingxue endured her shyness and handed over the Ice Soul Sword.

"To keep as a souvenir, so you don't forget me!"

Han Qingxue: ...

But then her eyes widened, almost popping out of her head.

Lu Chen took out an unknown item and directly integrated it into her Ice Soul Sword, and then... it was upgraded.

The Ice Soul Sword became a Mid-grade Spirit Artifact.

But that wasn't all. He then took out a piece of Corpse Bone, infused it with a blob of Essence Blood, and as surging Qi and Blood energy poured in, it actually transformed into an exquisite, small black furnace.

He then integrated another mysterious fragment, erased his soul imprint, and handed it over.

Seeing his pained expression, Han Qingxue stammered:

"If... if you can't bear to part with it, then forget it, I won't force you!"

"I..." Lu Chen almost choked to death.

He did feel a pang of reluctance.

This was refined from the Corpse Bone of an Ancient Demon.

At its peak, it was definitely a terrifying existence surpassing Tier 4.

The furnace refined from it was a Top-grade Spirit Artifact.

It was more advanced than the other three external furnaces.

However, the Ancient Demon Corpse Bone and that bronze pillar had not been completely refined, and even the chains were still there.

The Myriad Manifestations Furnace had not yet been activated to the point of refining them.

"How about you pledge yourself to me?" Lu Chen teased.

"Dream on!" Han Qingxue snatched the furnace over.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'!"

"I want to marry a peerless hero, but you're not one, hmph hmph hmph!"

"Give it back!" Lu Chen glared.

"Can't you act like a man? Asking for something back after giving it away, no way!"

After saying that, she bit her finger and dripped blood to refine it.

As soon as she sensed its quality, Han Qingxue lost her composure.