Chapter 265: The Thunder Tribulation Arrives

Boom… rumble… After much buildup, the thunder clouds above seemed to have fully formed and began to unleash their power. Accompanied by a deafening roar, a lightning bolt the size of a wrist struck fiercely above the cave where Rod was located.

Boom… A dull sound came as the cave collapsed, revealing Rod with a terrified expression.

The thunder tribulation had indeed arrived. It seemed Xuan Yuan hadn’t fully merged yet, but the thunder clouds had already appeared—clearly, Xuan Yuan’s existence was no longer tolerated by the heavens and earth.

“Hurry up and resist the thunder clouds! I still need some time to complete the merger. Damn it! This damned thunder tribulation wants to stop my merger—help me hold it off!” Xuan Yuan’s urgent cries came as Rod was shocked.

Clearly, the rapid arrival of the thunder tribulation was beyond his expectations. He had thought it would take at least until he finished merging before it would appear. Now, it had started halfway through, clearly not giving him a chance to succeed.

Yet this also showed just how abnormal Xuan Yuan was. Normally, thunder clouds only appeared after a divine weapon was created, but Xuan Yuan didn’t even give him that chance. After thousands of years of development, it had clearly become an existence hated by the heavens.

“Don’t worry, leave this to me!” With a deep voice, Rod channeled all his combat energy to protect himself with the Dark Dragon. The thunder clouds rolled in the sky, fierce winds blew, leaves flew, sand and stones scattered, and darkness covered everything.

A massive destructive force covered an area several miles around, leaving Rod no chance to escape. But Rod didn’t intend to flee, as Xuan Yuan had said that as long as one hadn’t endured the thunder tribulation, it would follow them wherever they went. The power of the heavens was immeasurable—there was only one way to endure it: by fighting back.

Boom… Another earth-shattering sound, extremely piercing, its intensity almost forcing Rod to spit blood. He felt utterly overwhelmed, struggling even to breathe.

Was this the power of the heavens? Thinking of this, Rod frowned tightly. Compared to that previous God-Destroying Thunder Tribulation, this one seemed no less severe. Last time it had been an incomplete version, but this time it was a full-blown Heavenly Thunder Tribulation, even more powerful than before.

His combat energy surged wildly, and a second lightning bolt, glowing red, struck down fiercely in an instant!

“Break!” With no weapon in hand, Rod could only rely on himself to resist, concentrating all his combat energy in his fists. With a loud shout, he threw a fierce punch toward the lightning. If anyone had witnessed this, they would surely be astonished—facing down the thunderstorm with nothing but his own body? It seemed like something only a madman would do, an act of seeking death. Yet Rod cared not at all. Although the lightning before him was fierce, he could sense that its power wasn’t great—perhaps the thunderstorm had just begun. Its intensity was within his capacity to handle, similar to that of the previous God-Annihilating Thunderstorm. If he could withstand that back then, it was certainly no problem now. Boom… A thunderous sound, along with immense force, destroyed everything in its path. The ground turned blackened, and Rod stood bravely, staring at the swirling thunderclouds in the sky. A tingling sensation spread up his arm as electric energy surged wildly through his body, but it was quickly suppressed by his combat energy. It indeed helped. Realizing this, Rod was secretly pleased. Perhaps he could really make it through on his own this time. The lightning still couldn’t harm him, and the strange combat energy in his body quickly broke down the electric energy, even beginning to absorb it to replenish his lost energy. Everything seemed to be progressing favorably. “Good, hold on a little longer—just like this!” Sensing Rod’s current situation, Xuanyuan inside the Dark Dragon spoke excitedly. Boom… The third and fourth bolts of lightning struck simultaneously. Seemingly enraged by the destruction of the second bolt, these two bolts took on a deep red color, their power even greater than before. Once again, Rod chose to resist head-on. With two more explosive booms, as expected, the two bolts left Rod battered but failed to cause any real damage. The thunderstorm would bring a total of 81 bolts of lightning, each one more powerful than the last. Four had already passed, leaving 77 more—something not to be underestimated. With a serious expression, Rod stood bravely, gazing upward. The surroundings were completely blackened, filled with smoke, and violent winds howled, their sound resembling the screams of ghosts from the netherworld—utterly terrifying.

His own lightning was constantly dismissed by humans, and the thunderclouds in the sky grew even more frenzied, spinning faster. In the next moment, three bolts of lightning struck simultaneously. This time, the lightning carried a hint of purple in its red glow, each one as thick as an adult’s wrist, moving at incredible speed. All of them targeted Rod, seemingly recognizing that this human was their greatest obstacle. If Rod were eliminated, Xuan Yuan would have no chance of survival.

Boom… Boom… Boom… At that moment, Rod chose not to resist. He shielded Xuan Yuan tightly beneath him, using his body to block the three bolts of lightning.

The lightning spread throughout Rod’s body, and a burst of red light surged into the sky. Rod was completely enveloped in it, with electric energy coiling around him like dragons before finally sinking into his body, turning it into a battlefield.

Qi energy and electric energy engaged in a fierce struggle. Fortunately, after all these events, Rod’s meridians remained strong enough to withstand the intense energy without being torn apart. This time, a grim expression appeared on Rod’s face.

The electric energy was extremely fierce. Just as they managed to deal with it, another batch of lightning arrived—this time four bolts, tinged with purple.

The godly warriors in Dark Moon City noticed what was happening in the forest in the distance. Meilong, who was dozens of miles away, had already left with Rubio and gone to the edge of the Sun and Moon Lake to observe from afar.

All felt a sense of awe in their hearts. There was no intense struggle as expected, nor was there the catastrophic upheaval seen when others entered the Yin Huang realm. Each bolt of lightning seemed to strike that mysterious person before disappearing without a trace! What terrifying power was this? At that moment, everyone was deeply impressed.

Perhaps soon, the Source of Darkness would have another warrior at the Yin Huang realm. Meanwhile, most people began to wonder who that mysterious person who resisted the thunder calamity was. Yet, they had no clue. Only Meilong by the Sun and Moon Lake had a solemn expression, frowning deeply.

“Boss, Rod…?” Rubio asked anxiously beside him. He knew Rod had left in that direction. He also knew that this thunder calamity wasn’t brought about by Rod, but he was worried that Rod might get involved. After all, even advanced godly warriors couldn’t withstand such thunderstorms, not even just one!

“It should be fine. Don’t forget the last God-Annihilating Thunder Tribulation. This thunder tribulation wasn’t brought about by him, so there shouldn’t be any problems! He can definitely protect himself!” After some thought, Melon said firmly.
The thunder rumbled—four strikes followed by five, then six. After three consecutive waves of lightning, there was finally a brief lull, giving everyone a chance to catch their breath. Though far away, the oppressive force made it hard for everyone to breathe.
After the short pause, everyone couldn’t help but look around—was that strong man still alive? Twenty-two lightning strikes had passed, accounting for nearly a third of the total. The upcoming strikes would be purple in color—could he still withstand them? Why wasn’t he resisting? Had he become strong enough to not need to resist? Nor was he avoiding them—did he not need to? Watching the thunderclouds in the distance remain motionless and unclashing, all doubts resurfaced.
“Cough, cough, cough… Damn bastard!” Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Rod got up in a disheveled state and cursed.
Damn this unfair fate! It was playing tricks again. Normally, there was a gap between each lightning strike, but the last two waves came at the same time. After five strikes, there was no time to catch one’s breath before six more struck. Damn it! He had been hit hard due to his inattention—his body turned black, his hair stood on end, his clothes were torn, and his internal organs were severely shaken. If it weren’t for the Combat Qi Core absorbing energy frantically at the critical moment, he wouldn’t know what dangerous situation he would be in now.
Exhaling deeply, with all his energy depleted, Rod’s expression became grave. The thunderclouds in the sky kept spinning, seemingly preparing for another wave of lightning. He also began to regulate his breath. The upcoming strikes would be extremely difficult. The last six strikes had nearly overwhelmed him. It seemed he couldn’t fight them head-on anymore. But he hadn’t gained nothing either. At least he felt that under the continuous tempering of the lightning, his physical cells seemed to be constantly reorganizing. Perhaps after the thunder tribulation, his body would achieve unexpected improvements. Additionally, the Combat Qi Core was also involved, seemingly undergoing tempering by the lightning. If it wasn’t absorbing energy, was it trying to strengthen itself? Could the lightning help temper it as well?

With doubt in mind, Rod faced another wave of lightning. As expected, there were seven of them—seven pale purple bolts! The moment the lightning struck, Rod moved swiftly, dashed forward, and then delivered seven consecutive punches driven by inertia. In the blink of an eye, it was over. The roaring sound continued as the lightning was scattered, and the remaining energy enveloped Rod once again.

Heaven truly was shameless. Before Rod could catch his breath, another wave of lightning arrived—eight bolts, this time with a slightly darker color.

“Something’s wrong! This lightning…” Many onlookers couldn’t help but express their doubts as they watched the distant lightning.

Especially Melon, a warrior at the Yin Yellow realm, had the most right to speak. He had experienced thunder tribulations before, but not like this. There was always a gap between each wave of lightning; it wouldn’t come so continuously. Such continuous attacks effectively heightened the power of the thunder tribulation by an invisible margin. If he had faced such a tribulation before, he might have died long ago.

But why this time? Many other onlookers who had seen warriors confront thunder tribulations shared the same doubt.

The next moment, many people wore expressions of disbelief, attributing it all to the tribulation sufferer having angered heaven’s wrath. His unimaginable strength had surpassed even the bounds of heaven and earth, so heaven and earth had to destroy him. Only this could explain why the tribulation’s power had multiplied so drastically; otherwise, it would be impossible.