That purple lightning bolt suddenly stopped less than three meters from Lin Che's head! That's right, just as all you readers imagined, a bolt of lightning descended from the sky, about to strike Lin Che, but at a distance of only three meters, it bizarrely halted mid-air.
As if grabbed by an invisible giant hand, it forcibly hung suspended in mid-air! Then slowly disappeared.
Yet the thunderclouds in the sky didn't disperse; instead, they grew even denser.
Zuo Lengchan was stunned for an instant, then his face turned ashen, "We're finished... it's Punishment Heavenly Tribulation..."
As his words fell, overwhelming lightning tribulations crashed down thunderously!
Countless thunderbolts struck precisely. The Xuanjian Sect people fled frantically. But no matter how hard they struggled, before a Heavenly Tribulation an entire major realm higher than themselves, everything seemed so pale and powerless.
Lin Che stood at the center of the thunderstorm, like a Thunder God descending to earth. Not only did he not avoid it, he actively absorbed the Heavenly Tribulation's power to temper his physical body. The thunder-pattern Nascent Soul within his dantian madly devoured the thunder.
"Awesome!" He howled toward the sky, "More!"
[System: Detecting host undergoing Heavenly Tribulation. Thunder-pattern Nascent Soul absorption efficiency +500%. Estimated Tribulation duration: 1 hour.]
"Ah!"
Miserable screams pierced the clouds. Everyone fled desperately. Some offered up their lifebound magic treasures, some crushed protective talismans. But no matter how they struggled, before a Heavenly Tribulation an entire major realm higher than themselves, everything seemed so pale and powerless.
Lin Che stood at the center of the arena, actively absorbing the Heavenly Tribulation's power while watching these Xuanjian Sect scumbags running around desperately. He thought inwardly, "When you slaughtered innocents in the past, did you ever think you'd have this day?"
Lin Che surveyed the entire arena, searching for people who could withstand the Punishment Heavenly Tribulation. If he found anyone who could resist, Lin Che would run next to them to undergo tribulation, then that person would be struck by seven or eight lightning tribulations simultaneously.
Seeing Lin Che at this moment, Zuo Lengchan cursed loudly, "Lin Che, act like a human. You're truly a dog."
While Lin Che was searching everywhere for lightning-resistant people, he suddenly heard Zuo Lengchan shouting curses at him. Lin Che thought, since you still have time to curse me at this moment, it means you're fine.
So a comical scene unfolded. Lin Che chased after Zuo Lengchan from behind, while Zuo Lengchan desperately ran ahead. Countless Punishment Tribulation lightning bolts struck Zuo Lengchan, but they seemed to have no effect. Lin Che pursued while enduring the Heavenly Tribulation's baptism.
The two people could be seen running along the outer perimeter of the arena, chasing, being struck by lightning. When passing by other people, they were occasionally affected... The scene was extremely chaotic.
[System: Detecting host undergoing Heavenly Tribulation. Thunder-pattern Nascent Soul absorption efficiency +500%. Estimated Tribulation duration: 1 hour.]
The lightning tribulation lasted an entire hour.
When the thunderclouds and lightning in the sky dispersed, Lin Che was exhausted from chasing, and Zuo Lengchen was also panting heavily from running. The two maintained a distance, both supporting themselves with hands on knees, bent over and gasping for breath.
Looking around the arena, the Xuanjian Sect elites lay scattered everywhere. The vast majority had already turned to charcoal, their Nascent Souls unable to escape.
The only person still alive was Zuo Lengchan.
His hair was disheveled, his clothes in tatters, his entire body covered in blood. But his eyes flickered with a crazed light, "Lin Che... good strategy! You actually used Heavenly Tribulation to kill most of my Xuanjian Sect's elites!"
"You're too kind." Lin Che stretched his body. Then he said, "I'm very curious, how did you withstand the Punishment Heavenly Tribulation?"
Zuo Lengchan sneered coldly and took out a dim talisman, "This old man has an ancient life-saving secret technique, the 'Death Substitution Talisman.' Otherwise, I would have truly fallen into your hands today, you yellow-mouthed brat!"
[System: Detecting enemy possesses Death Substitution Talisman. Recommend host use Bloodthirsty Berserk skill for quick victory.]
"If Heaven won't take you, I will!" Lin Che thought inwardly, "System, activate Bloodthirsty Berserk!"
Boom!
A berserk aura erupted from Lin Che's body. His speed and strength increased fivefold! Countless spells rained down on Zuo Lengchan like a storm.
Zuo Lengchan was already extremely weakened. In less than one breath of time, he was blasted to the ground, dead. Even his Nascent Soul was devoured by the thunder-pattern Nascent Soul.
[System: Congratulations to host for killing Void Refinement initial stage cultivator. Earned EXP +100,000. Obtained Death Substitution Talisman ×1.]
Lin Che exhaled a long breath. The side effects of Bloodthirsty Berserk made his face somewhat pale, but the excitement in his eyes was difficult to suppress.
"Next..." He surveyed the ground full of corpses and licked his lips, "It's time to harvest the loot."
[System: Detecting 68 high-combat cultivator corpses within the arena. Recommend host absorb immediately to obtain massive spiritual power and EXP.]
A hint of excitement flashed in Lin Che's eyes. He walked to a corpse of a Void Refinement mid-stage elder and pressed his palm against the corpse's dantian area, circulating the "Spirit Devouring Art".
Hum—
A pure spiritual power like floodwater surged into Lin Che's body. Although this Void Refinement elder was dead, the spiritual power condensed from a lifetime of cultivation had not completely dissipated, and now it was all absorbed by Lin Che.
[System: Absorbed Void Refinement mid-stage cultivator corpse ×1. Obtained spiritual power +50,000, EXP +50,000.]
Lin Che didn't stop. He walked to the second corpse, the third... Each corpse was quickly absorbed by him. As more and more corpses were absorbed, the spiritual power inside his body skyrocketed madly, and the thunder-pattern Nascent Soul also became increasingly solid. (After the Nascent Soul stage, even if cultivation increases, there will still be a Nascent Soul in the dantian, and as cultivation advances, the Nascent Soul's power will also grow stronger.)
An hour later, all 68 corpses had been completely absorbed.
[System: Congratulations to host for completing absorption! Total spiritual power obtained +2,800,000, EXP +2,800,000.]
[System: Detecting host's EXP is full, system is about to upgrade...]
[System upgrade successful! Current level: LV6!]
[System: Due to host absorbing large amounts of high-tier combat power spiritual power, host's cultivation has successfully advanced from initial Void Piercing to late Void Piercing! Hope host doesn't act recklessly, steady development is the true way to success!]
[System: Unlocking new Slaughter God character——Schemer·Jia Xu! Unlocking new skill——「Chaotic Martial Poison Domain」!]
[Chaotic Martial Poison Domain: Active domain technique. Can deploy invisible poison formation within designated range (radius three li), causing all enemies' attributes -30%, spiritual power operation to become sluggish. Lasts until battle ends. Cooldown: 24 hours. Note: This poison is formless and colorless, undetectable by those below Void Refinement stage.]
Lin Che was overjoyed in his heart. Jia Xu! That was the number one poisonous schemer of the Three Kingdoms, an ancestor of flawless scheming!
[System: Detecting host is having the thought "finally something useful", practicality +1.]
Killing enemies with Heavenly Tribulation plus unlocking the Schemer's inheritance, and advancing to Void Piercing stage, plus countless heavenly materials and earthly treasures—this wave, a massive profit!
After handling all the corpses, Lin Che stood up. A thought stirred in his mind.
"Xuesha, come pick me up."
A moment later, a heaven-shaking dragon roar came from the sky. A blood-colored dragon broke through the clouds—it was the mount Lin Che had subdued, Xuesha!
Lin Che leaped onto the dragon's head, "Return to Heavenly Wind Valley, time to reunite with Jiayin and the others."
Xuesha let out a low roar, its tail swinging as it transformed into a streak of blood-colored light and disappeared over the horizon.
[Chapter 40 Complete]