Chapter 444: Chapter 440: The Might of Celestial Thunder and Celestial Fire
The capacity of his Power of Thunder and Lightning grew, which meant his Thunder became stronger. He could unleash one hundred and ten bolts of Thunder at once, or he could condense them all into a single, devastating strike.
Its power would be no less than that of the current Celestial Thunder.
He had succeeded in secretly Devouring the Celestial Thunder’s Energy, but what Tu Xiao’an truly coveted was the Celestial Might it contained.
The Celestial Might was boundless. Possessing its Celestial Power was akin to being robed in imperial yellow—a true mark of legitimacy.
Enveloped by the Thunder Sea, Tu Xiao’an grew ever more adept at Devouring the Celestial Thunder’s Energy, constantly expanding the reserves of Thunder within his body.
It increased from one hundred and ten bolts to one hundred and thirty—a complete qualitative leap.
The Ancient Ba Snake hadn’t deceived him on this point; the Celestial Thunder and Celestial Fire of the Celestial Tribulation were indeed his great opportunity.
This was an opportunity for him and him alone. It would be useless to anyone else.
Unless they could also become Thunderstruck, just like Tu Xiao’an.
The Demons on the distant mountain peak were stunned to discover that the vortex of the Thunder Sea, which had been raging across the sky, was quietly shrinking. It grew smaller and smaller, its energy being consumed at a rate visible to the naked eye.
「Ten minutes later.」
Tu Xiao’an’s slender figure once again stood suspended between heaven and earth. His eyes blazed, his body was wreathed in crackling electricity—he looked for all the world like a Thunder God.
"Give me five bolts this time."
He tilted his head back and pointed a fingertip toward the Tribulation Cloud Flower above, his sudden shout as powerful as a thunderclap. His proud, solitary figure resembled a Divine Spirit.
WHOOSH...
The shout echoed through the valley, and countless eyes on Monkey Mountain showed nothing but absolute shock. He was facing a guaranteed-death Celestial Tribulation, yet he showed no fear, even taunting it repeatedly.
"He’s insane, completely insane..."
Countless creatures gazed at that proud, solitary figure, their hearts a maelstrom of conflicting emotions.
’To be able to show off like that, who cares if he dies? What the fuck do you think this Celestial Tribulation is? A combo meal you can order from?’
"Did you see that? Isn’t my master a total badass?"
The Bull Demon King, on the other hand, looked smug, as if basking in reflected glory. ’So what if a Rank Three submitted to a Rank Two? Where else are you going to find a monster of a Rank Two like him?’
The Ape King and the Crimson Sun Giant Ape fell silent, at a loss for words.
"Hey, you two monkeys, I’m telling you, you’d better be a little more respectful to this old bull. Otherwise, once my master succeeds in his ascension, your Monkey Mountain is toast!" the Bull Demon King declared, full of bluster.
"Hmph... The guaranteed-death Celestial Tribulation hasn’t even really started yet. Succeed in his ascension? In his dreams."
’Did they think the words "guaranteed-death" were just a joke?’
BOOM... BOOM... BOOM...
As Tu Xiao’an’s boastful words faded.
The crimson sky transformed completely. Countless Thunder Shocks erupted from nowhere, flashing in every direction. A gale materialized out of thin air, whipping the giant trees of the surrounding forest into a frenzy. Leaves scattered as the sharp CRACK of massive branches snapping echoed continuously. The sky plunged into darkness, only to be lit up again in an instant. Heaven and earth themselves were in upheaval.
As every creature watched in terror, the heavens loomed and the earth trembled. With a sound like rolling thunder, all nine Tribulation Cloud Flowers bloomed at once. They opened in a spectacular, breathtaking wave.
Only then did the Demons who had lived for centuries realize that the Tribulation Cloud Flower was the most beautiful flower in existence—a flower found only in the heavens.
The "flower" was beautiful, but deadly.
From among their fibrous roots, nine Flood Dragons made of lightning roared to life, surging forth with what seemed like a boundless rage. ’How dare a mere reptile defy the might of the Celestial Tribulation!’
"Haha, bring it on!"
The nine Tribulation Cloud Flowers were in full bloom. Nine Flood Dragons of lightning descended with an aura of absolute annihilation. The sheer scale of the scene was beyond description.
But a flash of excitement appeared in Tu Xiao’an’s eyes. The Power of Thunder and Lightning within him surged, and his entire body erupted in layers of electric light. He began to glow, creating an unforgettable image.
ROAR...
The nine Flood Dragons of lightning, wielding Heaven Shocking Power, seemed to churn the very sun, moon, and stars. A series of violent explosions rocked the air, and in the next instant, Tu Xiao’an was once again engulfed.
All the creatures thought: ’Just how much lightning can this Snake Spirit take?!’
’Could he possibly survive this time, too?’
Nine bolts of purple lightning struck down at once, their might so overwhelming that even Rank Three Demon Spirits felt a pang of despair. They all knew that if they were in his place, death would be certain.
Normal tribulations, like the Four-Nine or the Six-Six Celestial Tribulation, send down one bolt of Celestial Thunder at a time. But his Celestial Tribulation unleashed nine at once. What did that even mean?
It was a guaranteed kill.
’Devour, devour, devour, devour!’
Engulfed by the Thunder Sea, Tu Xiao’an was in absolute ecstasy, continuously Devouring the Celestial Thunder’s Energy and fortifying his own body.
His capacity for the Power of Thunder and Lightning expanded to two hundred bolts—another qualitative leap.
He was now confident that he could strike down a Rank Three Demon Spirit with a single bolt of lightning.
The massive vortex of the Thunder Sea began shrinking again at a visible rate. The countless onlookers were growing numb to the shock. ’Is that damned Snake Spirit going to pop out and show off again?’
’Nine bolts of Celestial Thunder couldn’t kill him? Was he born just to tank lightning?’
’This is so freaking illogical! He’s Crossing the Tribulation like it’s a vacation. Son of a bitch!’
The creatures felt a complex mix of emotions. They didn’t want to see that Snake Spirit again, yet at the same time, they eagerly awaited the appearance of that proud, solitary figure.
For countless creatures, Crossing the Tribulation was an almost insurmountable hurdle. To witness the legendary guaranteed-death Celestial Tribulation firsthand was an incredibly precious experience.
Compared to this guaranteed-death Celestial Tribulation, something like a Four-Nine Celestial Tribulation was practically a light drizzle.
It’d be over in the blink of an eye.
"Look!"
The Thunder Sea in the sky was shrinking rapidly, but in the heavens above it, a new area began to tremble. A searing heat radiated like a rainbow. The Extraterrestrial Meteorites could no longer wait patiently. One of them, trailing roiling flames, smashed down violently toward the dissipating Thunder Sea.
The impact was like the collapse of the starry heavens, shaking the world in all directions and causing the very elements to shift.
"My god, the Celestial Fire is falling!"
"That Snake Spirit’s shameless defiance of the Celestial Might has made the Celestial Tribulation go off-script!"
As this Celestial Fire, which appeared as an Extraterrestrial Meteorite, descended, it incinerated everything in its path. In the blink of an eye, the very air evaporated. The mid-air temperature soared to hundreds of degrees. Any creature caught within its range would be instantly melted, erased from existence as if they had never been.
Tu Xiao’an was still busy Devouring the energy of the Celestial Thunder when he was struck by a sudden, searing heat—a heat so intense that even he could barely withstand it.
His expression changed dramatically. The horn of Doomsday Judgment seemed to sound in his ears. An instant later, a colossal force slammed into him, giving him no time to react.
As countless creatures watched, the proud, solitary figure plummeted from the sky, shot out of the dissipating Thunder Sea, and slammed into the valley floor with a deafening BOOM.
COUGH COUGH...
"What the fuck, why is the Celestial Fire here already?"
’There were still more than twenty-four Tribulation Cloud Flowers in the sky that hadn’t even bloomed yet!’
Although Tu Xiao’an had Devoured a great deal of the Celestial Thunder’s Energy, he had failed to touch the Celestial Power within it.
Without absorbing the Celestial Might, no matter how powerful his Thunder became, it was still merely mortal thunder.
’Can’t you guys just come at me one at a time?!’
Tu Xiao’an struggled to his feet, his brow furrowed in pain. A scorching sensation enveloped his body, and his human form was on the verge of disintegrating.
Hm?
His entire body was wreathed in a sinisterly beautiful, fiery aura. ’This is Celestial Fire.’
When struck by an Extraterrestrial Meteorite formed from Celestial Fire, the flame latches onto you like a Ghost. It will burn your body relentlessly until you are reduced to ash, with not even dust remaining.
Furthermore, the most terrifying aspect of Celestial Fire is that no water or liquid in the world can extinguish it. One can only rely on their own power to snuff it out.
This was a Flame imbued with Celestial Might, far beyond any mortal flame.
In Tu Xiao’an’s seventy-two-stage guaranteed-death Celestial Tribulation, not only was the quantity of Celestial Thunder and Celestial Fire greater, but their power was on a completely different level.
The Celestial Might was even more intense.
"Damn this fire, watch me Devour you!" Tu Xiao’an’s entire body was being ravaged by Celestial Fire, his human form hanging by a thread. He had no choice but to immediately activate his own Flame Power and secretly begin Devouring the energy of the Celestial Fire.
Once he absorbed the energy of the Celestial Fire, the flame itself would cease to exist.
To an outsider, Tu Xiao’an looked like a man engulfed in a Sea of Fire, his entire body ablaze. But astonishingly, even as the ferocious Celestial Fire raged, it couldn’t burn him to death.
’Haha... It seems my Flame Power is about to get a boost, too!’
Standing on the valley floor, Tu Xiao’an continuously absorbed the energy of the Celestial Fire, integrating it into his own Flame Power.
「Three minutes later.」 The enveloping Celestial Fire had vanished. Tu Xiao’an looked to the sky, his heart filled with soaring ambition. ’Celestial Thunder, Celestial Fire... it’s all just nourishment for me.’
’Just fuel to make me stronger.’
SWOOSH...
His figure shot into the air, determined to once again stand suspended between heaven and earth.
BOOM...
The second Extraterrestrial Meteorite erupted. This time, it didn’t just crudely smash downward. Instead, it cracked open like stone. A Fire Phoenix, wreathed in Blazing Fire, burst forth with elegant grace. It carried with it the Might of Heaven and Earth as it spiraled down toward Tu Xiao’an, its cry clear and melodious.
"Holy shit."
’This is more realistic than a damn 3D movie.’
A sharp light gleamed in Tu Xiao’an’s eyes. With strength enough to uproot mountains, he threw an incomparably ferocious punch at the swooping Fire Phoenix.
The Fire Phoenix disintegrated on impact as if it were made of paper, but Tu Xiao’an was once again shrouded in raging Celestial Fire. The searing heat was more terrifying than a volcanic eruption.
"Devour!"
SCREE...
The third Extraterrestrial Meteorite cracked open. Another Fire Phoenix leaped out, its emergence causing the air to crackle as it pounced on Tu Xiao’an.
"I’m still devouring!"
Fearless, Tu Xiao’an continued to expand the capacity of his Flame Power. He kept trying to absorb the Celestial Might from within the Celestial Fire, but again, he failed.
The energy of the Celestial Thunder and Celestial Fire could be stolen, but the Celestial Might was unfathomable—sacred and inviolable.
A Sea of Fire now flowed across the heavens. The Extraterrestrial Meteorites cracked one after another until nine had split open, just as the nine Tribulation Cloud Flowers had bloomed earlier. A frenzy of Fire Phoenixes emerged as if they were free for the taking, one after another. They filled the sky, baring fangs and claws as if trying to devour the heavens themselves.
Nine Fire Phoenixes simultaneously swooped down to devour the mid-air Tu Xiao’an. The sight was enough to make every creature’s jaw drop. Such a spectacle hadn’t been seen in a century. A single legendary Fire Phoenix was a rare sight, but now nine had manifested, all rushing toward that proud, solitary figure in a suicidal charge.
The cries of the phoenixes resounded through the world. The sky above was a sinister, fiery crimson, forming a true Sea of Fire. It was a spectacular and apocalyptic wave of destruction.
