"The Lightning Tribulation takes form, and the tribulation power becomes a spirit...!" Li Mu's expression changed again, and he said in a deep voice, "It seems the Heavenly Dao is getting serious now."
The moment the Lightning Giant stepped out of the palace gate, the entire lightning sea suddenly boiled. Nine Tribulation Lightning Dragons roared as they coiled around the Lightning Hammer. The world seemed to be left with only that massive weapon containing destructive power.
Qing Lin's Dragon Body vibrated, his thousand-zhang Dragon Body coiled upwards, and the ancient Dragon patterns on his azure scales lit up one by one, like a reflected galaxy, dazzling and brilliant.
"Roar—!"
The Lightning Giant raised the Lightning Hammer high, and twelve lightning rings rotated behind him. As each ring lit up, the Heavenly Might increased by a point. When the seventh lightning ring bloomed, the Void Realm was actually pressed into fine cracks. Qing Lin's Dragon Body suddenly sank, and dazzling sparks burst from between his Dragon scales.
"Come!" Qing Lin's Dragon eyes were like torches; he did not dodge or evade but charged directly towards the Lightning Hammer.
"Boom—!"
Lightning exploded, and the world lost its color. Qing Lin's massive Dragon tail was split, bloody and mangled, with his stark Dragon bones exposed. However, the Dragon blood flowing from the wound did not dissipate; instead, it condensed into blood-colored Dragon patterns in the lightning, intertwining with the Tribulation Lightning, emitting a metallic clang. A flash of azure light passed, and the Azure Dragon's massive Physical Body recovered at a visible speed.
The Lightning Giant seemed enraged, and the remaining five lightning rings lit up simultaneously. The Lightning Hammer transformed into a ten-thousand-zhang Lightning Pillar, smashing down with overwhelming force!
"Ang—!"
Qing Lin let out a long cry, and his entire body suddenly burst forth with ten thousand zhang of azure light. Countless emerald green vines grew out of the Void Realm, intertwining on the surface of his Dragon Body to form a vibrant Yi Wood armor. Each leaf on the vine armor shimmered with ancient Dao patterns, which was the Azure Dragon Clan's unique "Myriad Ancient Azure Firmament Armor."
"Sizzle—"
When the terrifying Tribulation Lightning struck, those seemingly delicate vines actually moved like living beings towards the lightning. Lightning jumped and flowed between the leaves, dispersing into thousands of tiny electric snakes. Qing Lin lightly waved his Dragon Claw, and countless towering ancient tree phantoms immediately rose from the mountain range below. They were not solid entities but pure manifestations of Wood Law, forming a vibrant "Myriad Woods Spirit Domain."
The Lightning Giant raised its Lightning Hammer, and a wave of Tribulation Lightning followed, transforming into a lightning storm and sea of fire that filled the sky. Qing Lin did not dodge or evade, but with a slight flick of his Dragon tail, he sent out three streaks of azure light. Wherever the light passed, countless jade-like spirit woods grew out of thin air in the Void Realm. Their branches and leaves spread out, layer by layer, dissolving the raging lightning fire.
"Myriad Woods Ever-Green!"
Qing Lin let out a long roar, and those spirit woods suddenly burst forth with dazzling azure light, transforming the incoming Tribulation Lightning power into pure Wood Spirit Qi.
"Roar—!"
The Lightning Giant roared to the sky, and the Lightning Hammer in its hand burst forth with dazzling lightning. Nine ferocious Lightning Dragons separated from the hammer body. Each Lightning Dragon contained a completely different Law of destruction: some were wrapped in sky-burning purple flames, some were accompanied by bone-eroding Yin Lei , and even more were completely black like ink, corroding even space into mottled holes wherever they passed.
Qing Lin pressed his Dragon Claw into the Void Realm, and the silent ancient tree phantoms in the Myriad Woods Spirit Domain suddenly trembled violently. Profound Dragon patterns appeared on the surface of the thick tree trunks, and gnarled branches intertwined, instantly forming a towering Azure Dragon Wood Array that reached the heavens and earth. The Azure Dragon Clan's unique "Yi Wood Dao Patterns" flowed incessantly within it.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Nine Lightning Dragons crashed into the Wood Array one after another, unleashing deafening roars. However, the branches and leaves scorched by the lightning fire not only did not wither but grew wildly under the stimulation of the Tribulation Lightning. Countless verdant vines, like living creatures, coiled upwards, tightly binding the Lightning Dragons. The most ferocious black Dragon among them had just torn through three vine ropes when new shoots immediately sprouted from the broken ends, and in a blink of an eye, ten times the amount of green vines grew to bind it.
"Break!"
Qing Lin suddenly let out a heaven-shaking Dragon roar, and his thousand-zhang Dragon Body charged against the sky. Dazzling azure light bloomed from the Dragon horns on his head, and the vine patterns on his body actually detached from his scales, condensing into a battle armor engraved with ancient totems in the Void Realm.
"Clang—!!!"
The Lightning Hammer, carrying a force of ten thousand jun, collided with Qing Lin, and the resulting shockwave dispersed all the clouds within a hundred-mile radius. Spiderweb-like cracks immediately covered the surface of the battle armor. Before the shattered armor pieces could fall, they transformed into countless shimmering azure spirit seeds in mid-air. As soon as these spirit seeds, containing the Azure Dragon's Origin, touched the lightning, they immediately grew into a vast, strange forest that covered the sky—thick tree trunks were covered with dense lightning patterns, and tiny electric sparks danced among the branches and leaves.
The Lightning Giant, caught off guard, sank deep into the Azure Wood Forest, its movements immediately sluggish as if trapped in a swamp.
Just then, a heaven-shaking thunderclap suddenly came from deep within the tribulation clouds. The Lightning Giant actually disintegrated in the Azure Wood Forest, turning into billions of tiny lightning threads that moved and gathered in the Void Realm like living creatures.
"Boom Kacha—!"
A colossal sound, as if the heavens and earth were being split open, came from the Nine Heavens. The billions of lightning threads actually re-condensed in an instant. From deep within the tribulation clouds, an ancient palace, constructed entirely of Purple Heaven Divine Lightning, emerged. Above the palace gate, the four archaic lightning characters "Nine Tribulation Lightning Palace" shone brightly.
"Nine Tribulation Lightning Palace!"
Seeing this, Li Mu's face grew even gloomier. This was a Heavenly Punishment anomaly said to appear only when ancient ancestral Dragons underwent Tribulation. The Nine Tribulation Lightning Palace would give birth to nine Lightning Generals, representing the ultimate destructive power of the Heavenly Dao.
The tribulation clouds churned, and the Lightning Palace boomed.
Nine streaks of lightning, each wrapped in a different color, burst forth from deep within the Purple Heaven Lightning Palace. Each streak of lightning contained the Law of destruction and Rebirth, twisting and condensing in the Void Realm, finally transforming into nine towering Lightning Generals of various forms, reaching the heavens and earth. Some held halberds, some wielded hammers, some drew bows, and lightning patterns flickered around their bodies, with a murderous aura sweeping across the eight directions.
Qing Lin's thousand-zhang Dragon Body suddenly tensed, and the ancient Dao patterns on his azure scales flickered wildly, responding to the pressure of the Heavenly Tribulation. His pair of verdant Dragon eyes glowed with surging azure light, his Dragon whiskers danced wildly, his Dragon Claws tightly gripped the Void Realm, and the Yi Wood essence Qi around his body surged like a tidal wave.
"Boom—!"
Deep within the tribulation clouds, the majestic Purple Lightning Palace roared open, and nine streaks of world-destroying lightning poured out. The wailing of thousands of Dragon souls suddenly echoed between heaven and earth, as if the heroic spirits of Dragon Clan members who had failed their Undergoing Tribulation in the past were lamenting in the Lightning Tribulation.
"Chilala—"
A Lightning General, clad in purple lightning battle armor, bore the brunt of the attack. He held a Fangtian Ji (a type of halberd) wrapped in Purple Heaven Lightning. Wherever the purple lightning at the tip of the halberd passed, it corroded bowl-sized black holes in space, devouring all life.
Qing Lin's Dragon Claw suddenly plunged into the Void Realm, and azure light burst from its tip. He actually pulled out a phantom of an ancient forest from nothingness. That forest was not an illusion but the Azure Dragon Clan's Azure Wood Dharma Form, "Forest of the Ancestral Dragon."
"Yi Wood transforms into Dragon, bind!"
Nine eerie wooden Dragons roared out from the forest, their Dragon Bodies gnarled like ancient thousand-year-old vines, instantly coiling around the Purple Heaven Lightning Halberd. The Lightning General was enraged, his arm muscles bulging, and the halberd blade swept across, causing the wooden Dragons to break inch by inch.
However, what gushed from the broken parts was not blood, but rich Origin Wood Spirit Qi, rapidly nourishing the broken bodies of the wooden Dragons, causing their severed limbs to regenerate and their Dragon Bodies to become even more solid. Lightning patterns even began to appear between their scales, as if they were devouring the power of the Lightning Tribulation!
The Lightning General roared, and the lightning on the halberd body surged, attempting to break free from the restraints.
Qing Lin's Dragon eyes turned cold, and his Dragon Claws suddenly closed. The nine wooden Dragons tightened their grip simultaneously, actually forcing cracks into the Lightning Halberd!
"Clang! Clang!"
Before Qing Lin could catch his breath, the second Lightning General had already stepped out with lightning. This General was like a Vajra, with bulging muscles in his arms, holding a pair of heaven-shaking Lightning Hammers. When the hammer faces struck each other, golden sound waves advanced in layers like a tide. Wherever they passed, space twisted and all things shattered.
Qing Lin's inverse scales suddenly stood on end, and three Dragon scales shimmering with Qingyu light detached and spun, transforming into three bronze chime bells in the air. Azure Dragon Dao patterns appeared on the surface of the bells, and as they vibrated with the sound waves, they actually transformed the destructive lightning sounds into clear, melodious Dragon roar Dao sounds.
"Dong—!"
The two sound waves collided, and the Void Realm exploded. The golden lightning sound was like a raging sea, while the Dragon roar Dao sound was like towering ancient trees, endlessly vibrant. At the point where the sound waves clashed, countless tiny cracks actually appeared, as if the Laws of heaven and earth were shaken at that moment.
The Lightning Sound General raged, raising both hammers high, drawing down a Nine Heavens lightning storm. Qing Lin flicked his Dragon tail, and the three bronze chime bells suddenly merged into one giant bell. The bell's mouth faced downwards, enveloping the Lightning Sound General within it.
"Suppress!"
Inside the bell, the Dragon roar echoed, and the Lightning Sound General was repelled by his own sound waves, his lightning body crumbling inch by inch!
"Swoosh—!"
The third Lightning General appeared, silently drawing a lightning bow. A grayish-white arrow arrived in an instant. This arrow contained the power of annihilation. Wherever the arrow's tip passed, life was extinguished, and even time was frozen by it.
Qing Lin was raising his head and spitting Dragon breath, caught off guard, and the arrow had already pierced through his Dragon neck!
"Roar—!"
No Dragon blood splattered; instead, the wound rapidly lignified, and gnarled annual ring patterns coiled around the arrow shaft like chains, forcefully jamming the erosion of the Annihilation Lightning power.
Qing Lin's massive Dragon Body twisted violently, his muscles rippling like mountain ranges, and his entire body glowed with azure light. The flesh and blood frozen by the Annihilation Lightning power actually revived like withered wood in spring, and tree-ring-like patterns rapidly appeared on its surface. Gnarled woody fibers, like living creatures, coiled around the arrow shaft, forcefully blocking the spread of the Annihilation Lightning power.
Above the clouds, the Lightning General continued to draw his bow, and in an instant, lightning arrows rained down.
"Swoosh swoosh swoosh—"
Qing Lin raised his head and let out a long cry, his entire body bursting with azure light. His Dragon Claws outlined profound trajectories in the Void Realm: "Myriad Ancient Ever-Green, rise!"
As the Dragon spell vibrated, countless azure light points suddenly appeared within a hundred-mile radius around Qing Lin. These light points rapidly grew and extended, transforming into thousands of emerald green vines, with liquid Yi Wood essence flowing inside, intertwining in the Void Realm to form a giant net that covered the sky.
The moment the Annihilation Lightning rain struck the vine net, the Annihilation Lightning patterns on the arrow bodies flickered violently. Those Annihilation Lightning arrows, capable of destroying all life, were dissolved layer by layer by the Dragon scale patterns on the surface of the emerald vines. Even more astonishingly, the vines became even more verdant and dripping after contacting the arrows, as if they were absorbing the power of annihilation and transforming it into their own nourishment.
"Azure Wood Transformation, turn!"
Qing Lin's Dragon tail suddenly whipped, and all the vines trembled simultaneously. The entangled arrows all changed direction, reflecting back with even more ferocious momentum.
An enraged roar came from the Lightning General in the clouds. Several arrows had already pierced through its silver armor, exploding into ice crystals on its lightning body. The third Lightning General's figure gradually dissipated.
"Roar!"
The fourth Lightning General's form solidified, holding a giant axe wrapped in a blood-colored lightning waterfall. Before the axe blade fell, the Void Realm had already cracked.
Qing Lin's Dragon tail suddenly exploded, and thousands of spirit seeds poured down like a torrential rain. These seeds were not ordinary things but "Yi Wood Spirit Seeds" formed from the sitting transformation of past powerful individuals of the Azure Wood Dragon Clan. They ignited upon contact with lightning, instantly transforming into three hundred sixty lightning-fire wooden stakes. Each stake was like a towering pillar, blocking the axe blade.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The axe blade struck down, and the wooden stakes shattered one after another. But with each shattered stake, Yi Wood essence Qi fed back to the Dragon Body. By the time the axe strike reached the two hundred eightieth stake, its force had weakened. The remaining seventy-two wooden stakes suddenly burst, spewing out sticky azure glue that adhered to the Lightning Axe.
Soon, the axe body was stained azure, and the Lightning General roared, but saw that the lightning patterns on the axe blade were actually corroded by the azure glue, gradually dimming!
The fifth Lightning General descended, riding a nine-headed Lightning Flood Dragon. This General held a dark blue long spear, its shaft refined from the Eye of the North Sea. Before the spear tip even arrived, the space around Qing Lin had already frozen into frost lightning crystal flowers.
Qing Lin opened his mouth and spat out his Natal Dragon Pearl. The phantom of the Azure Dragon Ancient Wood sealed within the pearl rooted itself in the Void Realm. The moment the spear tip pierced the tree trunk, time seemed to freeze—the ancient tree's annual rings rippled, each ring representing the Laws of heaven and earth from a different era.
As the spear force broke through the first layer of annual rings, the war drums of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties boomed; piercing into the second layer, the beacon fires of the Qin and Han Dynasties ignited; by the third inch, the phantom of a Tang Dynasty Sword Immortal flew out from within the annual rings, unleashing ten thousand swords simultaneously, forcefully shredding the spear light!
Qing Lin's Dragon Body was covered in blood, yet his Battle Intent soared to the heavens. The supreme secret techniques of the Azure Wood Dragon Clan were displayed to their fullest at this moment. Every streak of Tribulation Lightning was met head-on by him with Dragon Clan wisdom and the Laws of heaven and earth!
Soon, the sixth Lightning General, manifested by the sixth wave of Lightning Tribulation, appeared. 'It' held a lightning whip, its whip shadow like a Dragon, spanning the sky. Wherever it passed, space shattered inch by inch, and lightning transformed into billions of fine threads, coiling towards Qing Lin.
Azure light surged in Qing Lin's Dragon pupils, and his scales suddenly rolled back. Beneath his Dragon scales, an ancient wood-grain talisman Seal actually appeared. As the talisman Seal flickered, countless azure vines broke through the air, entangling and strangling the lightning whip. The lightning whip contained endless violent lightning power, constantly tearing apart the life-containing azure vines.
Seeing this, Qing Lin suddenly clenched his Dragon Claw and let out a low roar: "Myriad Woods transform into Dragon, endless life!"
In an instant, those azure vines torn by the lightning whip did not dissipate; instead, they grew wildly at the broken ends. The vines twisted and coiled like Dragons and snakes, transforming into thousands of wooden Dragons in a flash, roaring as they counterattacked the lightning whip. The Lightning Whip was enveloped layer by layer by the wooden Dragons, its lightning power constantly worn away by the Yi Wood essence Qi, eventually dimming and breaking inch by inch, scattering into a sky full of lightning dust.
The next moment, the seventh Lightning General arrived with lightning, holding two lightning maces. The mace bodies were wrapped in purple-black lightning evil Qi. With a single strike, the Void Realm collapsed, and all Laws were annihilated!
Qing Lin's Dragon tail suddenly flicked, and his Dragon Body abruptly shrunk, transforming into a human form. His azure robe fluttered, and his black hair danced wildly. He formed hand Seals, and behind him, a phantom of a towering Jianmu (a mythical tree) appeared, its canopy covering the sky and its roots penetrating the Nine Hells.
"Jianmu supports the heavens, impervious to all tribulations!"
The lightning maces slammed onto the Jianmu phantom. The tree body trembled, and branches and leaves rustled down, but the main trunk remained unmoving, instead absorbing all the lightning evil Qi. Dense lightning patterns appeared on the bark, as if it were refining the power of the Lightning Tribulation!
The seventh Lightning General roared, merging his two maces into one, and struck down again!
Qing Lin sneered, pointing a finger at his glabella. A drop of azure-gold Dragon blood flew out and merged into the Jianmu. In an instant, the Jianmu phantom solidified, and Dragon-scale-like patterns appeared on the tree trunk, directly clashing with the lightning axe!
"Boom—!"
The lightning maces shattered, and the Jianmu was also split open with a hideous crack. Qing Lin didn't care; he grabbed back, and the broken branch of the Jianmu actually transformed into an azure wood long spear. The spear tip was wrapped with wisps of lightning, which he threw out violently!
"Pfft!"
The long spear pierced through the chest of the seventh Lightning General. The Lightning General's figure paused, then exploded with a roar, transforming into a rain of lightning that scattered down.
With the annihilation of the seventh Lightning General, the Nine Tribulation Lightning Palace roared with thunder, and the Heavenly Dao was enraged, spewing out a large amount of lightning. (End of this chapter)
