Chapter 39: Eighty-One Strikes of Heavenly Tribulation

“Young man, the very first thunder tribulation of the Heavenly Foundation is the most brutal, carrying destructive power. You must be extremely careful, or you’ll be reduced to dust in an instant.”

Suddenly, the voice of Candy drifted into Qin Lang’s ears.

“What?”

Hearing this, Qin Lang immediately tensed, his gaze fixed on the sky above, swallowing hard.

If the first thunder tribulation was the strongest, did that mean he might be obliterated in a heartbeat?

“Candy, damn you! Why didn’t you warn me earlier?”

“I forgot, didn’t I?”

“But don’t worry. Although the first thunder tribulation of the Heavenly Foundation is fierce, the following eighty will gradually weaken.”

“Eighty-one thunder tribulations?”

Qin Lang was stunned, frozen in place.

Just one thunder tribulation was enough to kill him, and now there were eighty-one in a row? Was this not simply a death sentence?

He had thought there would be just nine, but to his surprise, it was nine times nine, eighty-one in total. Wasn’t this just sending him to his grave?

Before he could react, Candy’s voice sounded in his ear once more.

“Young man, the thunder tribulation has fully gathered. Ready yourself for the first strike.”

“Ah!”

Shocked awake by Candy’s words, Qin Lang snapped out of his daze, looked up at the sky, and saw a thunderbolt of unimaginable ferocity crashing down from above.

Rumble!

“Damn!”

Seeing the thunderbolt descending, Qin Lang quickly gathered his strength, forming a golden shield around himself to resist the lightning from the heavens.

Bang!

Crack!

With a violent crash, the shield forged by Qin Lang’s power shattered instantly, the force of the heavenly thunder blasting him through the air, blood spurting from his mouth.

Spurt!

The giant rock he had stood upon was reduced to fragments in an instant, turned to dust by the lightning.

After tumbling five or six times, he finally came to a halt on the ground, his face ashen, his eyes wide with shock as he stared at the tribulation in the sky. This thing truly wanted his life.

The first thunder strike he endured had nearly burst his meridians, and he could barely breathe. If it hadn’t been for the ‘Qilin Silkworm Armor’ he wore, he would have been finished right then and there.

‘Qilin Silkworm Armor’ had absorbed more than half the force of the thunder tribulation, sparing him from instant death. Otherwise, even if he wasn’t reduced to ash on the spot, he would be as good as dead.

Yet even with only a third of the thunder’s might, it had nearly ended him.

“Young man, stop complaining and hurry up! Gather your strength and prepare for the second thunder tribulation!”

Candy’s voice sounded again.

Hearing this, Qin Lang shuddered, immediately taking healing pills from his spatial ring and swallowing them before bracing himself for the next strike.

…

Whoosh—

Swords flashed in a dazzling flurry. In the blink of an eye, all the demon clansmen fighting against Rainflower Pavilion were slain, not one surviving!

Liu Man, who was locked in combat with four demons, saw Hua Manlou swiftly dispatch his opponents and, seeing him about to come over to help, quickly called out, “Don’t come over! We can handle these demons. Go help Momo apprehend Liu Qingyao!”

“Understood!” Hua Manlou didn’t waste words, nodding and turning to leave.

Given the strength of Liu Man and Wang Zimo, dealing with the demons before them was only a matter of time.

Once Hua Manlou left, Liu Man and the others stopped holding back, unleashing their full power to finish off their opponents.

While the demons were still in human form, they were easier to handle. If they transformed into their true forms, things would become much trickier…

As Hua Manlou arrived, he saw Su Momo locked in a fierce struggle, desperately trying to prevent Liu Qingyao and Yang Mei from escaping, but Qin Lang was nowhere to be seen, which puzzled him.

He didn’t have time to dwell on it, joining the battle without hesitation.

When Liu Qingyao and Yang Mei saw Hua Manlou charging at them, their faces darkened, their brows tightly knit.

His arrival meant the demon clansmen meant to delay him had already been slain by his swift sword.

Hua Manlou struck with blinding speed, his sword light dazzling as he launched a flurry of attacks at Yang Mei. She could only barely defend against the relentless assault, and in just a few breaths, her body was covered in wounds.

Though none of the injuries were fatal, if she didn’t tend to them, her life would be in danger. But how could Hua Manlou give her the chance? His quick sword struck again.

With the old woman no longer a barrier, Su Momo found it much easier to deal with Liu Qingyao. Even if she couldn’t defeat her, she could at least prevent her escape.

Blocked at every turn, unable to break through, Liu Qingyao was seething with frustration, gripping her sword tightly as she defended herself.

…

Boom!

Spurt—

Another thunder tribulation struck. Qin Lang was sent rolling away, crashing hard into a giant tree, blood streaming from his mouth, his face deathly pale.

Looking up at the sky, where the next thunderbolt was gathering, he couldn’t help but curse, “Candy, damn you! You wretched trickster! I should never have trusted you!”

Though the thunder tribulations were indeed getting weaker, his body simply couldn’t withstand the relentless barrage.

He was starting to suspect Candy was trying to kill him.

But he had no evidence.

“Screw you!”

Candy’s indifferent voice replied, “You idiot, I told you to train your body, but you insisted on raising your cultivation instead. Aren’t you just asking for death?”

Qin Lang: “…”

That was true enough.

Candy had warned him before not to focus solely on cultivation, but to strengthen his body as well.

But he hadn’t listened, intent only on advancing his realm and making a name for himself one day.

Now, looking back, he felt a faint tinge of regret.

“Enough pointless thoughts. Another thunderbolt is on the way. Hurry up and get ready.”

Candy played with its little ball, speaking nonchalantly.

Qin Lang glanced up at the sky, nerves taut as he summoned his vital energy to brace for the next strike.

He had already endured sixty-four tribulations; seventeen remained.

Though each one was clearly weaker, he was still on edge, fearing the thunder might suddenly grow fierce.

“Damn it, next time I must train my body, or I’ll be struck dead for sure.”

Muttering to himself, Qin Lang glared at the sky, roaring inwardly, “Come on, you bastard! Let me see what you’ve got!”

Suddenly.

As if provoked, the thunderclouds gathered force, and a fierce golden lightning bolt crashed down, striking directly at the struggling Qin Lang.

Seeing this, Qin Lang’s heart almost leaped out of his chest. He cursed the ancestors of the Heavenly Foundation tribulation eighteen generations over.

This damned thing truly played dirty.