Chapter 126: Was Ye Tian Struck Dead by Lightning?
Looking up!
Above the ninefold clouds, terrifying serpents of lightning danced wildly. The sky darkened as dense thunderclouds gathered, like an invisible giant hand looming overhead.
In an instant, Ye Tian felt as if he was locked in the grasp of these thunderclouds. An uncontrollable wave of terror surged from deep within his heart!
He wanted to lift his legs and flee but found himself utterly unable to move.
A thunder tribulation!
It was truly a thunder tribulation!
At this moment, Ye Tian was absolutely certain that what was about to descend from the heavens was the legendary thunder tribulation!
Only cultivators on the verge of breaking through the Return Void Realm and stepping into the Dao-Convergence stage to become a Golden Core Immortal could encounter such a tribulation.
And the defining feature of the thunder tribulation was that it could neither be avoided nor deflected!
In his memories, the Recluse Baoshan had experienced the thunder tribulation twice—once at the Return Void Realm and once at the Dao-Convergence stage.
Even with Ye Changsheng’s extraordinary comprehension and talent that defied the heavens, those two tribulations nearly claimed his life, hanging by a thread.
The same thunder tribulation, if it struck Ye Tian, would surely not be any easier to survive.
“Heavens above, are you really joking with me?”
Watching the relentless thunderbolts crashing down, Ye Tian gave a bitter smile.
Who would have thought that after fusing with the inner core of that great flood dragon, his inner core cultivation would directly break through the barrier of the Return Void Realm, advancing straight toward Dao-Convergence!
It seemed this was fate’s design.
Today, he would either survive the thunder tribulation and forge himself into a Golden Core Immortal,
or be reduced to a handful of ashes scattered by the wind.
With a deep, ragged sigh, Ye Tian finally raised his voice:
“Lord Yang, you’d better keep your distance. Otherwise, when the thunder tribulation strikes, I’m afraid it will strike you as well.”
“W-what!”
“Thunder tribulation!”
At the sound of this terrifying name, Yang Yan’s head buzzed. Within a short time, his worldview collapsed repeatedly.
Who exactly was Mr. Ye? At such a young age, he effortlessly defeated a Peak Taishan Realm expert. His martial prowess was unfathomable, but now he could even summon a thunder tribulation? It was truly baffling!
As a cultivator himself, Yang Yan naturally understood that every cultivator who survived the thunder tribulation would be hailed as a Golden Core Immortal—
what was known as a demigod!
Heaven above, what kind of immortal figure had the Yang family encountered?
Though filled with awe, Yang Yan didn’t hesitate. As soon as Ye Tian finished speaking, he swiftly fled toward the mountain’s base.
It is said that the lower the terrain, the safer one is from lightning strikes.
He wasn’t foolish enough to head uphill.
---
“Brother Jiao, oh brother Jiao, you’ve really brought me a huge problem. If we can’t get past this trial today, your vengeance will remain unfulfilled,”
Ye Tian muttered bitterly and self-mockingly as he gazed at the flood dragon’s corpse halfway up the mountain.
Soon, the black clouds above gathered, forming a perfect dome overhead, casting the land beneath into even deeper gloom.
Boom!
The fierce lightning snakes struck without warning, roaring as they descended, striking Ye Tian’s head directly without hesitation.
“Ah!”
The intense electric current shattered his protective aura in an instant and struck his physical body directly.
Numbness and pain surged continuously, instantly scorching nearly seventy percent of Ye Tian’s flesh to charcoal. He collapsed to the ground, convulsing violently.
Damn, this is brutal...
This first heavenly thunder had already left him on the brink of death. What would the second strike do?
The thunderclouds above converged once more, beginning to gather energy again.
---
At the mountain’s foot,
Yang Yan watched the relentless pillars of lightning pouring down, his heart burning with anxiety and confusion.
“What should I do? I’ve never undergone a thunder tribulation before.”
“How can I possibly help Mr. Ye in his current state?”
After much thought, he decided to call home.
“Hello, Dad, are you coming back?”
On the other end of the line, Yang Xiaoyan’s excited voice rang out: “Grandpa has woken up, and he’s full of spirit! He even ate a big bowl of meat porridge!”
“Brother Ye Tian truly is a divine healer. Amazing!”
“Oh, that’s good,” Yang Yan replied distractedly, then solemnly recounted the situation to his daughter.
“Undergoing the thunder tribulation!”
As expected, Yang Xiaoyan was stunned.
Every cultivator had heard legends of the thunder tribulation but none had witnessed it firsthand.
The reason was simple: from ancient times to now, cultivators who reached the Dao-Convergence stage were exceedingly few, and those immortals were secretive and reclusive.
Hence, no one in the present age knew how to pass through the tribulation!
What shocked Yang Xiaoyan even more was that Ye Tian had already touched the threshold of the Dao-Convergence stage at such a young age!
Unlike martial artists, whose talent could lead to rapid progress and early attainment of Peak Taishan or even Beidou Realm,
cultivators pursued longevity and endurance, often only making significant breakthroughs after many years of cultivation.
---
Not to mention reaching Dao-Convergence by twenty.
Even someone who could refine essence into qi at twenty was considered a rare genius!
It was clear just how shocked Yang Xiaoyan was.
It was utterly astounding...
“Dad, I’m calling clan members right now. You wait at the outskirts and don’t get close! The thunder tribulation destroys everything. If we approach, it’s suicide.”
“I understand,” Yang Yan frowned.
He wasn’t a fool; of course he understood this.
“Anyway, we’ll be there soon!”
After saying this, she hung up and hurried back with a team to the back mountain.
A group stood at the foot of the mountain, watching from afar as the thunderstorm raged over Phoenix City’s back mountain for an entire hour.
The Yang family anxiously awaited the storm’s end.
When the black clouds dispersed, Yang Yan finally called out:
“Let’s go up and see.”
Crossing the forest flattened by the thunderstorm, they arrived at the spot where Ye Tian had been.
In the center of a scorched patch of earth lay the charred skeleton of a giant python, encircling the youth’s naked body.
Unlike the dragon bones, the young man’s body was pure white, showing no trace of lightning strikes.
“Thank goodness, Brother Ye Tian is alright!”
Yang Xiaoyan screamed joyfully and ran forward without hesitation, lifting Ye Tian, whose eyes remained tightly shut.
“Brother Ye Tian, don’t sleep anymore. Everyone can see your bare bottom!” she joked with a smile.
But the smile quickly faded.
Because not only she, but everyone present could feel it—Ye Tian, lying in her arms, was not even breathing!
A simple qi-sensing technique revealed that there was not a trace of his innate primordial yang energy within his body.
“Master Ye seems to have already...” a clansman began, then fell silent.
Once beaming with joy, Yang Xiaoyan now wept bitterly.
“Brother Ye Tian was struck dead by the thunder tribulation!”