Chapter 565: Chapter 564: Consecutive Breakthroughs
"Damn heavens, can’t you be a little gentler with me?!" Ye Fan wanted to curse out loud. The pain was so intense that his face contorted as he awaited the second divine punishment.
Finally, the second thunderbolt split into numerous smaller bolts. As they descended, Ye Fan’s pain intensified, and he grimaced once again.
"Just one more! I’m well-prepared, so bring it on!" Ye Fan shouted defiantly.
At last, the third thunderbolt struck.
BOOM!
Ye Fan staggered and fell, his body nearly cracking apart. If not for the protection of his godhead, resisting the probing thunderbolt with his physical body alone would have been anything but easy.
He struggled to his feet and weathered the second minor Heavenly Tribulation. This was his second Nirvana, symbolizing his breakthrough into the second minor Nirvana realm—a truly joyous occasion. Even Ye Fan himself couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement. He felt his body brimming with infinite strength as his Divine Dragon Power fused with his Ancestor Realm Bloodline Power, producing the mighty Pure Yang Divine Gang.
At this moment, Ye Fan was fearless. If he were to face Duan Tianya again, he was confident he could not only fight him alone but defeat him. Of course, Ye Fan wasn’t blindly arrogant. He knew that if Duan Tianya joined forces with Ximen Hengcheng, he would be defeated without a doubt. Such was the gap in their power—an undeniable reality.
Having completed his breakthrough, Ye Fan was about to leave when he suddenly stopped. He looked up, shocked; the dark clouds had not dispersed. The sight of thunder and lightning still weaving through the sky was terrifying. My Heavenly Tribulation isn’t over? But it should be! I’ve already undergone the realm’s baptism, so what is this? Or... could someone else be breaking through nearby? That would be too much of a coincidence. Did they find some great opportunity too?
Suddenly, Ye Fan could no longer remain calm. The thunder and lightning in the sky were now converging, bearing down directly on him with immense pressure.
"Shit!" Ye Fan was utterly speechless. He had clearly passed his tribulation, yet here it came again, and this time, the lightning felt even stronger. Helpless, he could only prepare to resist with his bare hands.
Meanwhile, near Dragon Valley, Gui Hai Yidao and several prodigious disciples saw the distant thunder and lightning. "Someone is undergoing a Heavenly Tribulation!" he exclaimed.
"Let’s go check it out!"
The group immediately rushed toward the phenomenon with Gui Hai Yidao. They had to see who it was. If it turned out to be an enemy, this would be the perfect chance for revenge.
At that moment, Ye Fan was fighting with all his might. The first bolt of heavenly lightning descended. He had planned on simply enduring it, but when he saw the bucket-thick bolt split into three, his composure shattered.
BOOM!
As the tribulation lightning struck, Ye Fan finally understood the meaning of true cruelty. His entire body was left battered and in a sorry state. The second wave of lightning was even more terrifying. Though the individual bolts were small, they came down in a dense, innumerable swarm that could not be underestimated.
Ye Fan knew he had been played—tricked by the heavens themselves. If a person had tricked him, he could get even. But against the heavens, all he could do was stare in helpless dismay. When the second Heavenly Tribulation descended, Ye Fan learned what it meant to be overwhelmingly, brutally crushed.
He was still breathing but was incredibly weak, lying on the ground like a corpse. Another bolt of lightning struck, hitting the corpse—no, hitting Ye Fan. His body twitched slightly, as if in a gesture of respect.
Finally, the clouds parted, and the sun emerged.
Ye Fan was weak beyond measure. He had never imagined he would achieve two minor Nirvana breakthroughs in a row, meaning he had just endured two consecutive Heavenly Tribulations. He struggled to his feet. Although he had looked pathetic during the second breakthrough, there was nothing he could do about it. He could have endured a single round of heavenly lightning, but resisting a second round had pushed him to his absolute limit. His sorry state was, therefore, understandable.
Still, Ye Fan was thrilled. At the very least, he had successfully passed his tribulations and achieved back-to-back advancements. The only downside was that all the spiritual materials he had stashed away in the secret realm were now completely gone, used up for this breakthrough. He was truly left with nothing but his underpants.
Just as Ye Fan was about to leave, he sensed several auras rapidly approaching. One was both immensely powerful and unnervingly familiar. He stopped in his tracks.
The next moment, a group arrived. Gui Hai Yidao was in the lead, flanked by three other Martial Cultivators. They were clearly from his faction.
When Gui Hai Yidao saw that it was Ye Fan, his heart leaped with joy, as did his companions. They had been searching for Ye Fan for days and couldn’t believe they were the first to find him. This was fantastic news; killing Ye Fan meant they could claim the Divine Dragon Essence Blood.
Gui Hai Yidao, in particular, was practically salivating. He sneered at Ye Fan, "Kid, hand over the Divine Dragon Essence Blood!"
"The Divine Dragon Essence Blood is on me," Ye Fan said calmly. "But I’m afraid that even if I hand it over, you won’t spare me. You need to keep this whole affair a secret, after all."
"It’s good that you understand," Gui Hai Yidao said with a mocking grin.
He had no intention of sparing Ye Fan, or the three men with him for that matter. But this wasn’t the time to reveal such a grand ambition.
Ye Fan then said calmly, "I’m afraid that once I’m dead and you have the Divine Dragon Essence Blood, these three companions of yours won’t be allowed to live either, will they?"
Ye Fan’s words struck a nerve, and Gui Hai Yidao’s anger flared. His three companions glanced at him, not daring to speak.
Gui Hai Yidao quickly recovered and said, "Brothers, don’t listen to this brat’s nonsense. I’ve already said that half of the True Dragon Blood Essence is enough for me!
"The rest is for the three of you to split. He’s just trying to drive a wedge between us!"
The three men immediately came to their senses. In their minds, Gui Hai Yidao deserved half of the Divine Dragon Essence Blood; after all, he was much stronger than the three of them combined. They had no idea that he was already plotting their demise.
"Get him!" Gui Hai Yidao ordered. "We can divide the Dragon Blood after."
The three men instantly charged forward.
But just as they moved, Gui Hai Yidao struck faster. He unleashed a burst of ferocious power, his domineering punch severing his three companions in half at the waist! Writhing in agony on the ground, they couldn’t believe it. One moment, Gui Hai Yidao was calling them brothers; the next, he had struck a fatal blow.
One of the men managed to gasp out, "Why...?"
"The kid was right," Gui Hai Yidao said coolly. "There isn’t much Divine Dragon Essence Blood. With three of you here, how could I possibly divide it? I’m afraid I have to wrong you.
"Besides, with your strength, you never stood a chance of getting it anyway. So just forget about it."
The three men collapsed, dying in agony and disbelief.
Ye Fan, who had been watching coldly from the side, remarked, "Good. Very good. So two-faced. Truly insidious."
Gui Hai Yidao wasn’t angered by the comment. Instead, he chuckled coldly at Ye Fan. "You’ve got guts, kid, not even trying to run. Of course, even if you did, I’d catch you in an instant."
