Chapter 18: The 700,000-Year Heavenly Tribulation, Devouring the Tribulation Lightning!
The sky of the Far North Land was now completely shrouded by endless, ink-black tribulation clouds.
The thick layers of clouds hung low, as if they were about to crush this vast ice field completely; within the clouds, countless silver snakes as thick as a child's arm darted frantically, letting out deafening roars.
Destructive pressure, like a physical tsunami, swept across every inch of the Far North Land. Countless Soul Beasts prostrated themselves on the ground under this brilliant heavenly might, trembling so much that even looking up became a luxury.
The high-level Soul Beasts that had gained intelligence all cast worried glances toward the core where the tribulation clouds converged. They knew that their king, the ruler of the Far North Land, the Xue Di, was facing a terrifying 700,000-year-level Heavenly Tribulation.
Their worry was laced with fear—fear that their king would perish under such heavenly might. If that happened, the landscape of the Far North Land would surely be turned upside down.
However, in the face of the Heavenly Tribulation, they could do nothing but silently pray to the unseen Ice God in their hearts, begging for a miracle to occur.
Amidst this oppressive atmosphere, a streak of emerald light tore through the wind and snow recklessly, rushing toward the gathering point of the tribulation clouds at an astonishing speed. It was the Ice Empress, one of the The Three Heavenly Kings of the Far North.
Her petite body trembled slightly from extreme anxiety, with only one thought in her mind: get to the Xue Di's side!
When the Ice Empress finally broke through the layers of wind and snow and her vision cleared, the sight that met her eyes caused her to freeze instantly, her pupils shrinking.
High in the sky, a dark purple bolt of Tribulation Lightning, as thick as a bucket and carrying an aura of annihilation, crashed down like a roaring thunder dragon. Its target was the familiar figure in white palace robes below—the Xue Di.
However, this Tribulation Lightning, which was enough to shatter the soul of any Great Beast, failed to strike the Xue Di directly. This was because, at some unknown moment, a strange figure had appeared between the lightning and the Xue Di.
That strange figure stood suspended in mid-air, his posture upright, with a faint seven-colored halo flowing around him. Facing the world-destroying Tribulation Lightning, he didn't dodge or avoid it at all; instead, he slightly raised his head.
In the next moment, a scene that the Ice Empress would never forget occurred.
The moment that fierce dark purple Tribulation Lightning touched the strange figure, it didn't explode with the expected terrifying power. Instead, like a stream flowing into the ocean, it was... devoured by that figure?!
Yes, devoured!
The energy of the Tribulation Lightning seemed to be drawn by some irresistible force, all of it sinking into the figure's body without even causing a single ripple.
The halo around the figure's body only seemed to brighten slightly, and the purple-gold lightning pattern on his forehead flashed with an imperceptible glow.
"This... what is going on?!"
The Ice Empress's mind went blank; this scene before her eyes, which defied all logic, was completely beyond her understanding.
A Heavenly Tribulation was a punishment bestowed by the laws of the universe upon Soul Beasts that went against the heavens. It could only be endured through sheer force; she had never heard of anyone being able to "eat" it so easily!
While she was dazed, a second, even thicker and deeper-colored bolt of Tribulation Lightning had already formed, tearing through the sky once more and crashing down in fury!
The result was the same.
The strange figure was like a bottomless pit, easily devouring this even more powerful bolt of Tribulation Lightning again.
The Ice Empress suddenly snapped back to her senses. Unable to restrain herself any longer, she flickered and appeared beside the Xue Di, her voice filled with uncertainty and shock: "Xue Di! This... what is happening? Who is that person? How could he..."
The Xue Di did not turn her head. Her ethereal gaze remained fixed on the figure in mid-air who was intercepting all the calamities for her. Her beautiful face held a complex expression—shock, gratitude, and a hint of relief.
She shook her head gently and parted her ruby lips: "Just watch."
Seeing that the Xue Di was unwilling to say more, the Ice Empress suppressed the overwhelming waves in her heart and also turned her gaze toward the sky. Only then did she have the chance to observe the figure closely.
From that figure, she felt a vast aura that was perfectly integrated with the entire world, as if he were the ruler of this world of ice and snow.
"Who... exactly is he?" The Ice Empress's heart was full of questions, but now was clearly not the time to ask.
At this moment, Lei Chen had no time to worry about the thoughts of the two Heavens of the Extreme North below. He was "tasting" the flavor of this 700,000-year Heavenly Tribulation with great interest.
Having devoured two consecutive bolts of Tribulation Lightning, the pure and violent lightning energy surged into his body and was quickly absorbed and refined by the Thunder God Origin at his forehead. The purple-gold Thunder Mark became increasingly clear and active, as if a sleeping thunder dragon were slowly awakening.
Lei Chen looked up at the lightning vortex spinning in the center of the tribulation clouds, which was brewing even more terrifying power, carefully sensing the energy levels contained within.
"Hmm... the energy condensation is extremely high, and it's full of destructiveness," Lei Chen assessed inwardly. "The total energy of this Heavenly Tribulation has reached the demigod level. No wonder the Xue Di wasn't confident in surviving it. With her cultivation nearing 700,000 years, facing a demigod-level Heavenly Punishment head-on is indeed a near-death experience."
After confirming this, Lei Chen didn't find it troublesome; instead, he became even happier.
"A single 700,000-year Heavenly Tribulation is equivalent to adding a demigod-level 'foreign asset' to the Douluo Plane," he calculated in his heart. "If it were an 800,000-year, 900,000-year, or even the final million-year Heavenly Tribulation, the total energy contained within would likely be comparable to a true god-level!"
"If I could have dozens more of these'supplements,' the scale of the Douluo Plane would surely expand rapidly!"
This wasn't a Heavenly Tribulation; it was clearly nourishment for the rapid growth of the Douluo Plane! And as the Plane Master, he was the best "harvester."
While feeling delighted, Lei Chen's actions of devouring the Tribulation Lightning didn't pause for a moment.
The third, the fourth, the fifth...
The tribulation clouds seemed to be completely enraged by Lei Chen's "provocative" behavior. The descending bolts of Tribulation Lightning grew thicker one by one, their color shifting from dark purple to deep black, and finally even taking on a hint of destructive dark red.
Every bolt of Tribulation Lightning was enough to easily severely injure or even kill a Limit Douluo, but before Lei Chen, they were all like fed nourishment, fully accepted by his Thunder God Origin.
The Thunder Mark on his forehead grew brighter and brighter, and the aura of judgment and destruction it emitted became increasingly dense. Lei Chen could feel that the process of reforging the Thunder God Seat was progressing at a visible rate.
Finally, when the ninth and last bolt—which condensed all the essence of this Heavenly Tribulation and resembled a blood-colored dragon—was completely absorbed into Lei Chen's body as he opened his arms in an embrace, the extremely oppressive tribulation clouds high in the sky seemed to lose all their power and began to slowly dissipate.
The terrifying pressure that had filled every corner of the Far North Land also receded like a tide.
Sunlight once again pierced through the thin layers of clouds, spilling onto the crystalline ice field, as if the world-ending scene from moments ago had been nothing but an illusion.
The Xue Di stared blankly at the clear sky after the tribulation clouds had vanished, feeling somewhat dazed for a moment.
The great life-and-death tribulation that had troubled her for tens of thousands of years... was just over like that?
She took a deep breath, suppressing her churning emotions, and with a movement, she transformed into a white light and flew to Lei Chen's side.
Looking at his still-calm face and sensing the aura on him that seemed to have deepened slightly, a hint of imperceptible concern flashed in the Xue Di's ice-blue eyes as she asked softly, "Are you... alright?"