Chapter 179: The Lightning Tribulation Descends
The Nascent Soul returned to Franklin's body, and the phantom dissolved back into his shadow. After gradually familiarizing himself with the existence of his Nascent Soul, Franklin regained his normal bodily sight.
Sitting cross-legged, he contemplated quietly.
The Nascent Soul was a vessel for the soul; the body was also a vessel for the soul.
What, then, was the difference between the two?
And what was the soul, truly?
He viewed his inner world, switching perspectives repeatedly—body to Nascent Soul, Nascent Soul to body—yet he still could not sense the soul itself.
Helpless, he calmed his thoughts and let his consciousness drift into his sea of awareness, seeking the sword spirit You Wange, who resided inside the Guardian Sword.
"Sister Wange, you're back. Why won't you say anything?"
The Guardian Sword was eerily silent, showing no trace of having a spirit inside. Franklin grew puzzled and tapped lightly on the sword's blade.
"Sister Wange, you're here, right? Why aren't you talking? Is it because I'm about to face the tribulation, and speaking might affect me somehow?"
The blade trembled softly, and two words echoed in Franklin's mind:
"Tribulation…!"
Hearing this, Franklin didn't hesitate. His consciousness withdrew instantly from the sea of awareness, and he summoned Yang Thunder. He checked its attributes again.
[Yang Thunder] (Growable)
Grade: Blue · Law (Heaven-and-Earth Creation Artifact)
Growth: 13% (Can slowly grow by absorbing lightning tribulation power)
Usage Rule: Activated by spiritual energy; can unleash destructive yang lightning attacks at will
Description: Physical manifestation of destructive, yang-attribute thunderforce
Franklin let out a slow breath.
The description was simple—it can grow by absorbing tribulation lightning.
Could he just hold it above his head and let it take the strikes?
He rubbed his chin.
It wasn't impossible…
It was the same attribute as tribulation lightning—surely it wouldn't be blasted apart, right?
Besides, it didn't seem to be a solid object anyway. Even if it got struck, it might be fine.
And if it really couldn't endure, he could just store it away at the last moment.
Having decided, Franklin immediately left the dimensional space.
The instant he appeared outside, a thunderous boom erupted out of nowhere. A tear opened silently across the heavens.
The crack slowly expanded, and from within the endless darkness shone a faint light. Overall, it resembled a massive black eye, its pupil formed entirely from lightning.
While Franklin was still thinking—
An overwhelming pressure crashed down. A suffocating sense of being watched seized him. In an instant, sweat drenched his back.
Though he did not know what a soul looked like, he could now clearly sense that his soul existed—
It trembled uncontrollably, as if another moment under that gaze would cause it to dissolve entirely.
Just as Franklin's own body started shaking, the sense of being watched vanished—
As if it had never existed.
Before he could exhale, clouds surged across the sky.
One hundred miles.
One thousand miles.
Ten thousand miles.
In the span of five minutes, storm clouds spanning over a hundred thousand miles had formed.
Franklin stared in shock. These clouds completely ignored gravity, forming a perfectly flat, black ceiling over the world with him at its center.
"So this is the lightning tribulation Master mentioned?! Master's done for! What are we going to do? He seemed like a nice guy too—dying now is such a waste…"
Astraea hadn't even finished when Ikaros' glowing red pupils locked onto her.
"Master will not die. Master will definitely be safe."
Terrified, Astraea immediately hid behind Nymph, looking utterly wronged.
"I'm just telling the truth… Even if this were ordinary lightning, the power would be immeasurable—and now it's—"
Before she could continue, Nymph pinched her cheeks shut.
"Based on my scans, Master really is facing a nine-deaths-and-one-life chance. Surviving may not even be one in ten thousand.
You weren't wrong—just annoying.
So shut up and watch quietly.
If you say something unlucky again, I'll help Ikaros discipline you."
Astraea instantly straightened up. "Master, you can do it!"
Nymph turned her gaze to Franklin, frowning tightly.
The clouds contained a strange, unidentifiable power.
If such lightning struck the planet directly, even the world might not withstand it.
Where was Master's confidence coming from?
Why did he believe he could survive this?
Meanwhile, in an unknown location—
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki and Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, who had been monitoring the Divine Tree, rose into the sky. They stared toward the colossal storm outside the planet's atmosphere, spanning tens of thousands of kilometers.
They sensed the horrifying power within.
One shivered unconsciously.
The other broke into a cold sweat.
"How could such a low-level planet produce such terrifying power? Stay here and watch the Divine Tree. It's almost ripe.
The vessel for the Kāma is nearly ready as well. I'll be back soon. I'll bring your vessel too—then just focus on feeding the Divine Tree."
Facing Isshiki's command, Kaguya could only nod.
"Do not think of anything unnecessary. As a member of the Ōtsutsuki clan, this is the resolve you must have. Everything is for restoring the glory of our ancestors."
With that, Isshiki flew toward the tribulation clouds, leaving Kaguya floating silently behind.
"Resolve…?"
Back where Franklin sat, he had already raised Yang Thunder over his head. During the brief pause before the tribulation struck, he made use of every second.
"Sage Art: Wood Release — Deep Forest Emergence!"
With absolute control over spiritual energy, Franklin directed an endless sea of trees upward, pushing Yang Thunder skyward in the form of a colossal Christmas tree.
He sat cross-legged at the base, waiting for the lightning to fall.
His spiritual sense extended outward, monitoring Yang Thunder carefully. Franklin steadied his breath, bracing for the tribulation.
The moment he finished preparations—
The cloud mass pressed downward.
Franklin—directly under the center of the pressure—went pale.
With this level of force, the tribulation lightning would be immeasurable.
His Deep Forest Emergence, which consumed a third of his spiritual energy, might not withstand even three strikes.
He immediately swallowed two senzu beans, restoring his energy completely. His spiritual energy surged back into the towering tree.
Today, he would rely on senzu beans—
And endless spiritual energy—
To endure the tribulation without injury.