The Hundredth Heavenly Lightning Bolt
Fang Chi gripped Hai Tingzhou's hand tightly, Jimo Qing held onto Jimo Xuan's shoulder.
Lan Fusheng and the others huddled together, with Dong Fuzhu burying her head in her friend's arms, unable to bear watching any longer.
They all watched as Sang Ying survived the first ninety-nine bolts of heavenly lightning, believing that as long as she survived the last one, everything would be fine.
But now, looking at the swirling clouds overhead and listening to the terrifying, earth-shattering roar of the thunder, everyone fell silent.
On the ruins, those once invincible powerful figures had all fallen to the ground, but one figure was still struggling desperately.
She seemed to be struggling to get up from the ground so she could face the final bolt of lightning again.
But that slender and tiny body could only spit out a mouthful of blood mixed with bits of flesh and entrails, and then silently lay prostrate on the ground.
"Sang Ying, get up!" Fang Chi finally couldn't hold back any longer and shouted loudly at the person in the distance.
Her action seemed to wake everyone else from their slumber, and soon the Ji Mo brothers also shouted loudly, "Little sister, get up! It's the last bolt of heavenly lightning, you can get through it!"
"Senior sister, get up quickly! We still need to go back to the sect together for a victory celebration banquet!"
"Fellow Daoist Sang Ying, hold on! This is the final tribulation lightning strike! Hold on!"
"Sang Ying!"
Sang Ying's head was a little dizzy. At this moment, she seemed to no longer feel pain or fatigue, nor could she feel her limbs.
She shook her head, trying to get up from the ground, but her numb limbs wouldn't obey her commands, leaving her powerless.
How could this happen?
Sang Ying tried to move her limbs, wanting to heed the advice of her friends and fellow disciples to withstand the final bolt of heavenly lightning. But she soon realized with despair that she seemed truly unable to move.
"Sang Ying, take out the Dragon Abyss Sword! The Dragon Abyss Sword is a divine weapon; it can help you block this attack!" Gu Shu's almost roaring voice came from the jade pendant. If you listened carefully, you might even hear a trace of despair in it.
Sang Ying's ears were filled with a buzzing sound, and only occasionally could she hear a few words from Gu Shu.
She moved her fingers; they were the only thing she could move now. With her last bit of consciousness, Sang Ying finally found the jade pendant on her chest, and then, with her last ounce of strength, she tore it off and threw it out of the lightning tribulation's range!
Having been left far behind, Gu Shu could only utter a shocked and sorrowful "Sang Ying".
From that point on, she had absolutely no strength left.
The deep purple lightning, as bright as the Heavenly River, arrived as expected, its blinding light causing onlookers to avert their eyes. A deafening roar followed, and silence descended; no sound other than thunder could be heard.
"This little brat is ruthless and decisive." The white-haired old man's previous Limitless Sect expression disappeared. He looked down at the ruins of the Wuji Sect, which were completely enveloped in lightning, and his face was unusually serious.
The old man carrying the sword remained silent, but he knew that with such heavenly lightning, probably no one could escape it.
Oh, no, some people can still escape. For cultivators like Sect Master Wu who were involved, the final tribulation lightning was just a formality. Therefore, the only one to bear this heavenly lightning is Sang Ying, and Sang Ying will also be the only one to die in this tribulation lightning.
The old man carrying the sword closed his eyes for a long time before slowly speaking, "If those Supreme Elders of the Wuji Sect appear, let's lend a hand to those cultivators from the Immortal Spirit Realm Limitless Sect."
These people, who can become partners with that female cultivator named Sang Ying below, must not be bad people, right?
Even if the old man with the sword hadn't said it, the white-haired old man would have done it anyway. He had just finished reading the messages his disciples had sent him since he went into seclusion and knew what had happened in the past few days.
In his view, since the cultivators from their Black Tortoise Realm had been saved, they should naturally protect them.
Outside the ruins, Fang Chi was completely weak and powerless. She was no longer the girl who would bleed and sweat but not shed tears. The moment the lightning struck, she collapsed into Hai Tingzhou's arms, her vision instantly blurred by tears.
Fang Chi never imagined that her friend would disappear from her life so decisively, nor did she ever imagine that her friendship with Sang Ying would only last for a short period of more than ten years.
If she had known this day would come, she would never have sent Ten Thousand Daos Born's disciples to the Black Tortoise Realm for rescue.
"These people should have died in the beast tide together. Why did you risk your life to save them? Why did you risk your life to save these beasts?" Fang Chi had already broken down.
They were surrounded by many cultivators from the Black Tortoise Realm, including not only disciples of the Limitless Sect, but also those from Sword Frost Cliff and other sects.
But at this moment, they didn't dare to retort, because they knew better than anyone that the disaster in the Black Tortoise Realm was indeed resolved thanks to Sang Ying and the cultivators of the Immortal Spirit Realm.
The Limitless Sect disciples lowered their heads, not daring to look at the expressions of the others.
Perhaps, this time they really were wrong?
In the silence, only the sound of weeping was clearly audible.
The atmosphere became heavy, and everyone tacitly accepted Sang Ying's fate. After all, the heavenly lightning was too terrifying, far beyond what a Golden Core cultivator could withstand.
Suddenly, in the midst of an unspeakable silence, someone burst out in surprise. "Look!"
Everyone quickly looked up and saw a golden light suddenly shoot out from amidst the lightning.
The golden light, of unknown origin, carried an inexplicable aura of peace, calming the restless hearts of the crowd.
Although the golden light was not as turbulent as the lightning, it was exceptionally sharp, directly slicing through the deep purple lightning and creating a space for itself.
"What is that? Is there someone in there?" Another voice rang out, and only then did everyone follow the direction of his finger, finding a slender figure amidst the thunder and golden light.
"That's... Sang Ying?" Si Jing narrowed his eyes, recognizing the figure with some difficulty.
Following him, Fang Chi and the others also recognized the person. The disciples of Ten Thousand Daos Born, whose eyes were still red, immediately regained their spirits. Jimo Qing even pushed his younger brother aside and moved as close as possible to the range of the lightning tribulation, wanting to see the figure more clearly.
Her robes were charred black, her hair reached her waist, and she always seemed to have a long sword in her hand.
That figure enveloped in golden light—who else could it be but Sang Ying?!
"She's alive! She's up! She pulled through!" Someone shouted excitedly, instantly igniting the spirits of those around them.
At that moment, not only Ten Thousand Daos Born's disciples, but even the cultivators of the Black Tortoise Realm couldn't help but cheer along.
The golden light grew brighter and brighter, enveloping Sang Ying as she rose upwards. At this moment, she seemed like a fish swimming in this sea of thunder, freely roaming amidst the heavenly lightning under the protection of the golden light.
"That thing... is it Merit?" The white-haired old man asked, his mouth agape in surprise.
He had never seen such magnificent golden light of Merit before!