Chapter 340: What Happened Inside the Lightning Tribulation
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Translated by Frog in the Well
Read it only at Nineheavens.org
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The face of Cheong Eung, a Dao Sovereign of the Sacred Scale Alliance, froze rigidly.
If one fought while undergoing a Heavenly Tribulation, who would be at a disadvantage?
That was of course the party undergoing the Heavenly Tribulation. It was such an obvious fact that there was no need to even ask.
However… Jin So-myeong was unstoppable.
Penetrating in between the Dao Sovereigns while enveloped in the Lightning Tribulation, he even smiled playfully.
“Then, everyone hang in there. If you survive, let us have a fight then.”
Regarding that absurd situation.
The reactions of the Sacred Scale Alliance Dao Sovereigns were starkly divided.
“Cheeky bastard. I will kill you right now.”
From those who trusted their strong bodies and launched counterattacks while ignoring the Lightning Tribulation,
to those who tried to retreat somehow to secure a safe distance, and those who prepared for the Lightning Tribulation by pouring out various magic treasures.
Everyone moved according to their respective judgment, and Cheong Eung chose to retreat as much as possible.
A split second passed,
and hundreds of black lightning bolts plummeting from the sky reached the ground.
…………………!
Ah.
Was the Lightning Tribulation such a ferocious energy?
Heaven and earth. The entire world was filled with black flashes.
It felt as though everything visible in his sight was being dyed with death.
The moment the Lightning Tribulation arrived.
The Crocodile Flood Dragon Race Dao Sovereign who tried to stab Jin So-myeong burned pitch-black.
“Argh…”
Thanks to possessing a robust body, he did not die instantly, but it was of no great consequence.
Slash!
Because while he was unable to move due to resisting the Lightning Tribulation, his neck was sent flying by the sword swung by Jin So-myeong.
Seeing Jin So-myeong packing away the storage pouch in the midst of this, a cold shiver ran down his spine.
‘What on earth did he do to move perfectly fine inside the Lightning Tribulation?’
It was an impossible thing.
In the first place, it made no sense.
All the Lightning Tribulations falling from the sky were concentrating on Jin So-myeong.
Strictly speaking, it meant that the others were merely swept up in the aftermath.
The one hit by the aftermath vs. the one hit directly by the lightning bolt. Who would suffer more? It was obvious without even asking.
Yet the result was the exact opposite.
Jin So-myeong, who normally should not even have been able to twitch a single finger, was the freest here right now.
Even a True Spirit born inside a lightning bolt probably would not be like that…
Just as everyone was in dismay.
Byeok-eum Dao Sovereign, the only one among the group who cultivated a thunder Dao technique, stepped forward.
As he drew a Taiji with both hands, a wheel as large as a house appeared, rotating in the shape of a Buddhist swastika and sucking in the surrounding thunder Qi.
Rumble…!
The wheel, which grew in an instant, exceeded twenty zhang in diameter,
and flew toward Jin So-myeong while causing an earth-shattering roar.
It was an event that occurred in a split second, but Jin So-myeong’s reaction was absurdly simple.
Tap.
As he thrust his sword as if dotting the void, a snow-white paper bloomed from the tip of the sword.
The moment the wheel collided with the snow-white barrier thinner than paper.
Thud…!
A small noise resounded,
and the wheel that was flying with the momentum to tear apart was swallowed by the snow-white barrier.
Simultaneously with Byeok-eum Dao Sovereign’s face crumpling violently.
Jin So-myeong flicked his wrist to snap the sword tip, and the trajectory of the wheel trapped inside the barrier bent minutely.
Swervingly past his shoulder by a hair’s breadth, it collided with another Dao Sovereign who was launching a surprise attack from behind.
“Ugh.”
Seeing his comrade get hit by the wheel and retreat, he was dumbfounded.
To instantly seize another’s spell and bend its trajectory. It was a skill unbelievable even upon seeing.
Although it was an admirable scene, the Sacred Scale Alliance Dao Sovereigns did not just take it lying down.
Shaking off the Lightning Tribulation that had seeped into their minds and bodies, they began pouring out spells in earnest.
Hiss…!
The atmospheric temperature soared rapidly, and red-hot molten iron poured down like rain.
Drumbeats beating the divine soul, nets covering the sky, toxic mist melting the meridians, shadows turned into awls…
All kinds of spells fell upon Jin So-myeong.
It was working.
Joy rose on the faces of the Dao Sovereigns who were pouring out their offensive.
Although they had been flustered upon seeing him move freely inside the Lightning Tribulation, Jin So-myeong also had his limits.
Clang, clang!
Blood flowed from the mouth of Jin So-myeong, who was parrying each of the spells pouring down like torrential rain.
Because although he somehow managed to handle the strikes aiming for his vitals, he was completely exposed to attacks like poison or sound waves.
Thud!
A wind bomb flown just in time struck his chest, and Jin So-myeong staggered backward.
Although his heart was not pierced since he wore an absurdly tough magic robe, there was an impact.
‘Just a little more pressure…’
He could be killed.
Right now, Jin So-myeong was in the middle of undergoing the Heavenly Tribulation.
Strictly speaking, he could not yet be called an Unity stage Dao Sovereign.
It was fitting to say he was on the boundary existing between the two realms: above the Void Refinement stage but below the Unity stage.
Although he had definitely crossed the wall of the 6th rank, he did not possess the weight class of the Unity stage.
Both his magic power and Divine Sense would be lacking. If they pressured him from all directions at the same time like this, he would not be able to hold out for long.
Just as they were unilaterally attacking.
‘…He is smiling?’
Literally a situation where it would not be strange if he died right away, yet a faint smile formed at the corner of Jin So-myeong’s mouth.
Just how could he smile in that urgent situation?
Wooong!
As Jin So-myeong spread his palm, about ten dark red beads appeared.
It was a bizarre spell in which all of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements were felt.
Even before they could fully grasp what spell it was,
an anomaly occurred.
The Lightning Tribulation pouring from the sky was sucked into the dark red beads.
In that split second.
the beads shot out like bouncing projectiles flew toward the Dao Sovereigns,
and the Lightning Tribulation contained in the beads caused a grand explosion.
“Tsk.”
Although it was quite powerful, that was all. It was not to the extent of working on the Dao Sovereigns who were highly tense.
There was no one here who would let down their guard even after seeing a comrade die right next to them.
Just as the Dao Sovereigns, who easily blocked the Lightning Tribulation that exploded like a bomb, were pouring out their offensive again.
Rumble…!
The black lightning flickering in the dark clouds grew twice as dense.
“Everyone, be careful. It seems another wave will pour down.”
Simultaneously with someone’s warning.
Ka-boom!
The second shower of the Lightning Tribulation poured down from the sky.
Because it was an event that occurred in a situation where they could finish him off with just a little more pressure, everyone could not help but feel regret.
However, this Lightning Tribulation was slightly different.
“What…”
“No, wait…”
Groans mixed with pain and curses burst out from here and there.
And with good reason…
because the direction in which the Lightning Tribulation poured down was strange.
This Lightning Tribulation targeted everyone, not just Jin So-myeong.
Why?
Simultaneously with their doubt, they realized.
It was because of the dark red beads thrown by Jin So-myeong.
Because they had handled the Lightning Tribulation that exploded from the beads, they were judged to have intervened in the Lightning Tribulation, so they also became targets.
For such a dog-like event to occur…
It was simply absurd. To the point where he spat out vulgar curses for the first time in nearly several hundred years.
Boom!
Moreover, this Lightning Tribulation even had an extraordinary power.
As thick Lightning Tribulations poured down like rain, their breath was choked.
It was to the extent that even the spells traversing the void evaporated under the absurd heat.
Ka-ka-ka-boom!
The complexions of the Dao Sovereigns, who somehow endured at first, crumpled more and more.
Was something called a Lightning Tribulation this ferocious?
It did not end at all.
He had not known when watching Jin So-myeong undergo it, but experiencing it directly, he felt as though his soul was being torn to shreds.
Furthermore, perhaps because Unity stage cultivators became targets, the Lightning Tribulation grew exponentially stronger.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Enduring the Lightning Tribulation plummeting onto the crown of his head felt like dying.
“Grrrgh.”
Groans resounded here and there.
Just as everyone was struggling with all their might to endure the Lightning Tribulation.
Byeok-eum Dao Sovereign, gritting his teeth, threw an umbrella made of blue crystal into the sky.
“Now! I will block the Lightning Tribulation, so kill that fellow first!”
The umbrella floating in midair slowly rotated and absorbed the pouring Lightning Tribulation, giving the Dao Sovereigns a split second of leisure.
The golden opportunity.
Everyone’s eyes shone. Since the Lightning Tribulation would also stop if they only killed Jin So-myeong, there was no reason to hesitate.
Boom!
A volcano that appeared like an illusion erupted and spewed lava, and sand gathered like a vortex became a massive spear.
At the moment all kinds of malevolent killing moves aimed for his life.
Lightning flickered from deep within Jin So-myeong’s pupils, and all spells within his sight vanished as if washed away.
“What.”
To erase spells simply by looking.
In the face of the absurd situation, everyone was lost for words.
Of course, as it was an absurd divine ability, the price was painful.
Bloody tears poured from Jin So-myeong, who hurriedly closed his eyes, and his face was paler than a sheet of paper.
Although it was clearly revealed that it was an overexertion…
by that single miracle, the situation was completely reversed.
Crack… Boom!
Cracks spread across the umbrella that was blocking the Lightning Tribulation in the sky, and it shattered to pieces, becoming powder.
It was an event that occurred before they could even block it,
Ka-ka-ka-boom!
and the Lightning Tribulation poured down as if it had been waiting.
As if handing down a punishment, it struck down far more strongly than before.
“Ugh…”
Under the Lightning Tribulation pouring down like crazy, no one was able to move.
The moment everyone was enveloped in the thunderbolt.
Rumble!
Blood-colored wings spread from Jin So-myeong’s back, and his energy grew rapidly stronger.
He widened his eyes at the magic power that was continuously amplified.
Thud!
His chest burst and blood poured out, and the blood covering the skin of his entire body drew a bizarre pattern.
‘He gets even stronger from there?’
Seeing Jin So-myeong, who became a completely different being in an instant, he was simply dumbstruck.
Jin So-myeong, who amplified his magic power with a bizarre divine ability, began to walk with steady steps.
“…!”
Beheading those close to him one by one, it was nothing short of a nightmare.
He was filled with deep regret.
‘If I had known things would turn out like this, I would have targeted him right after he broke through the Lightning Tribulation instead…’
Cheong Eung, who was the furthest away among the group, gritted his teeth.
He could not die in vain like this.
At the risk of damaging his vital energy, he unleashed a secret technique.
Boom!
He amplified his magic power to shake off the Lightning Tribulation, and utilizing that brief gap, he opened his storage pouch.
The 7th-rank magic treasure, Cloud Dragon Mysterious Light Shield. Throwing the shield made of flood dragon scales, he blocked the Lightning Tribulation.
Clang!
Cracks spread across the shield struck directly by the lightning bolt.
‘It will block twice at most.’
Seeing it break so easily, he had a premonition.
That the Lightning Tribulation striking down now was somehow strange.
Whether it was because over ten Unity stage Dao Sovereigns intervened, or because Jin So-myeong was special, he did not know.
But it was clearly abnormal.
Rumble!
He looked back and forth between the black lightning flickering in the dark clouds and his comrades who were paralyzed by the Lightning Tribulation and unable to move.
Should he help them? Or should he flee even now?
Dignity as an Unity stage Dao Sovereign, the humiliation of fleeing twice from the same opponent, the disgrace he would suffer in the Sacred Scale Alliance if he returned alone.
All kinds of miscellaneous thoughts boiled up.
Just as he was hesitating between the instinct that he must survive at all costs and his reason.
Jin So-myeong, who was moving alone inside the Lightning Tribulation, paused.
He stared at the sky with a highly tense expression, which sent a shiver down his spine.
Because it was the first time his face had frozen since the battle started.
‘Could it be…’
Following Jin So-myeong, he looked up at the sky and saw a silver thread-like line flickering in the pitch-black dark clouds.
In a split second.
All reason fell silent.
A memory of a very long time ago, which he thought he had already forgotten, came to mind.
As if returning to the days when he was a common wild bird tens of thousands of years ago.
He simply followed instinct.
Throwing away all dignity, he fled with all his might.
To get even slightly further away from that extremely ominous thing.
…
Since when was it?
A bizarre silence flowed, and without realizing it, he looked back.
It was a judgment made as a frightened beast, not rational at all.
Ah.
And he saw.
A silver thread-like line descending from the sky.
Such a thread-like line, thinner than a spider’s web, making it impossible to even perceive with ordinary senses.
Moonlight reflected on window bars, or a flash of an instant.
A single paper-thin line connected heaven and earth.
Ah, ah.
Trembling or terror.
Toward that extremely hideous thing, Jin So-myeong swung his sword.
Just how could he do that?
In the midst of dumbfoundment, the silver thread-like line and the blade met.
Cheong Eung reflexively raised his magic power. Exhibiting the strongest concentration of his entire life, he deployed a defensive spell.
And in a split second, his consciousness was severed.
‘Ah.’
He could not move in the slightest.
Squeezing out his remaining strength to open his eyes, he could see that he was buried in a pile of dirt before he knew it.
What on earth had happened?
He forced his body up, which did not even feel pain.
Grasping his consciousness that was about to fade, he examined the surroundings, and his mind went blank for a moment.
There was nothing.
The black mist that had been spread across the entire city,
the absurdly solid buildings,
the comrades who were struggling to endure the Lightning Tribulation,
all of them had disappeared.
Only a massive crater of immeasurable depth was visible.
‘…’
It was an absurd power.
Was it possible to survive inside that?
Gritting his teeth, he endured the feeling as though his mind was growing distant.
Moving his melted Divine Sense, he opened his storage pouch, took out a flying carriage, and climbed onto it.
Wooong!
True to a magic treasure operating on immortal stones, he was able to activate it even though his entire body was a mess.
‘As far away as possible.’
Grasping the situation could be done later. He intended to go to a safe place first and nurse his injuries.
As he rode the flying carriage away from the crater, the suffocating pressure decreased slightly.
Just as he was finally relieved.
He felt a sting in his neck, and then heaven and earth turned upside down.
‘Uh?’
The world spun round and round.
In his increasingly darkening vision, several scenes flashed by.
His own body that had lost its head,
blood droplets scattering,
Jin So-myeong, who appeared out of nowhere to swing his sword, and the blade enveloped in silver lightning…
That was the last scenery Cheong Eung saw.
***
The deepest part of the Sacred Scale Alliance.
Twelve soul tablets stored in a classic pavilion shattered in succession.
“Oh…”
It was something that happened after the first soul tablet broke, even before a report could be submitted.
A man staring down at the fragmented shards muttered blankly.
“…Is this a dream?”
Surely it had to be. Otherwise, there was no way such a thing would happen.