Chapter 76: The Power of the Thunder Tribulation

The Master of Qingyang furrowed his brows and murmured, "Impossible..."

"What is impossible?" Dongfang Hao spoke from behind.

The Master of Qingyang did not answer, continuing to mutter, "Even breaking through to the Imperial Realm should not attract a heavenly tribulation. Unless… it is above the Imperial Realm?"

He shook his head almost immediately. "Absolutely impossible. Perhaps it’s someone with extraordinary talent and a unique constitution breaking through..."

Considering this possibility, he felt it might be more realistic.

"Brother Qingyang, are you saying someone is undergoing a tribulation?" Dongfang Han was astonished by Qingyang's words.

Qingyang nodded slowly. "If my guess is correct, the person facing the tribulation has some exceptional attributes..."

"To think that within the borders of Zhao, such a gifted individual could emerge... I wonder which faction nurtured them..."

At Qingyang's words, the group fell silent, contemplating in secret.

A hint of disdain flashed through Dongfang Hao’s eyes, convinced there was no one among the younger generation worth his attention.

Dongfang Yu's gaze flickered, his thoughts unclear.

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At this moment, Lin Cheng was the most bewildered of all; as soon as he stepped out of his room, the sky darkened.

Lightning crackled, thunder roared, making the very buildings tremble.

Rubbing his chin, Lin Cheng stared up at the sky full of doubts.

It didn’t look like rain was coming!

Such was his carefree nature; as the instigator, he had no idea what was about to unfold.

The thunder grew ever fiercer, the entire sky above Chang’an was shrouded in rolling clouds, plunging the city into darkness.

Lin Cheng’s eyes twitched, unease filling his heart. Suddenly, he sensed that this anomaly in the heavens might be related to his breakthrough.

But he had no idea what a thunder tribulation was, so panic gripped him.

Run?

Realizing he might have caused trouble, Lin Cheng was about to make a quick escape.

Crack! Crack!!

A deafening storm of thunder exploded in the sky.

Two bolts of lightning streaked downward at blinding speed.

Everyone’s gaze followed the direction of the lightning.

Lin Cheng’s eyes widened as the two serpentine bolts grew larger, cursing under his breath.

Boom! Boom!

The lightning struck him directly, obliterating the entire tavern along with him.

---

Those caught in the collateral damage crawled away, bloodied and battered, casting terrified glances back.

In a distant tall building, Lin Hu and his companion met up with Han Meng and others in the city.

Gathered with Niu Shisan’s group, their curiosity was impossible to suppress.

They peered out the window, watching as the lightning obliterated the tavern, startling them completely.

Lin Fatty swallowed nervously. "Whose poor kid got struck by lightning…"

Niu Shisan nodded in agreement. "So unlucky, someone was really struck!"

Pang Bo said, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle..."

...

As their voices rose in gleeful misfortune, Liu Feng shook his head, his face full of uncertain astonishment.

Noticing Liu Feng’s expression, Han Meng asked, "Brother Feng, do you know something?"

Everyone turned to him.

Liu Feng pondered for a moment, hesitating. "I think this might be a heavenly tribulation..."

Heavenly tribulation?

They echoed in confusion and shock.

Liu Feng continued, "I only heard my master mention it once—whenever a peerless figure breaks through, they are likely to attract divine punishment..."

"But Master said no one in Zhao has ever summoned a heavenly tribulation... Unless a hidden expert is breaking through here..." Liu Feng thought, growing more incredulous.

"Do you think they’ll come? If only Master were here..." Han Meng said.

A peerless breakthrough?

Niu Shisan and the others secretly scoffed.

---

Meanwhile, Lin Cheng had no idea his friends nearby were gleefully celebrating his misfortune.

He was now in tatters, his skin torn, the trembling sensation of lightning slowly fading.

Watching his body rapidly heal, the tingling brought a strange thrill.

Before he could react, another bolt of lightning struck, then another, and another…

This made his scalp prickle and he jumped to his feet.

Boom! Boom! Boom!!!

Several bolts hammered him straight into the ground.

He crawled out trembling.

Now, Lin Cheng's hair was wild and filthy, many strands standing up, his face smeared like charcoal, his blue robe unrecognizable, hanging in shreds.

He cursed the heavens for targeting him!

---

Receiving only more thunder in reply, Lin Cheng immediately bolted.

Behind him, hundreds of bolts crackled with annihilating energy, chasing after him...

A streak of light flashed across the distance as Lin Cheng rode his sword toward the mountain ranges outside the city.

Yet the thunder tribulation locked onto him relentlessly, lightning raining down, destroying houses and shattering mountains in its wake.

Thankfully, he escaped Chang’an in time, or the whole city would likely have been destroyed by his hand.

The onlookers stood rooted, hearts shaken.

In the Taibai Pavilion, the old manager watched the tribulation clouds follow Lin Cheng away and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Deep in the royal palace, an elder withdrew his gaze and closed his eyes again.

Some in the city, eager for excitement, hurried after him, wanting to see what would happen.

At the Huangpu residence, Huangpu Zun looked to Master Shen Shang. "Brother Shen Shang, should we go take a look?"

True Yang Daoist sneered, "If you want to die, by all means, go after him..."

Huangpu Zun frowned, displeased. "What do you mean by that?"

Shen Shang shook his head, smoothing things over. "That person is still undergoing the tribulation. Anyone nearby may become a target of the thunder, even forced to face it themselves..."

"Judging by the power of his tribulation, his cultivation realm isn’t high—otherwise, Chang’an would have been reduced to ash."

"So, you mean he’s just a talented young cultivator?"

"Then we..."

Shen Shang knew exactly what True Yang meant.

After a moment’s hesitation, he said, "He doesn’t belong to our sect, so he mustn’t fall into the hands of the other two. We should recruit him first; if that fails..."

A cold light flashed in Shen Shang’s eyes.

True Yang understood immediately. "I’ll follow from afar and wait until his tribulation ends..."

Shen Shang nodded. "Be careful in all things."

After True Yang left, Shen Shang turned, "Please don’t take offense, Brother Huangpu. My junior is deeply saddened by Kong’s matter..."

"As for this tribulation—if I may be frank, please don’t mind. This person is beyond the reach of the Huangpu family..."

"Even if the Ziyang Sect weren’t here today, the other two sects would be more than the Huangpu family could withstand..."

Though Huangpu Zun was displeased, he had to admit their family was far from matching the three sects.

"Brother Shen Shang, you misunderstand. I hold no designs on that person, only curiosity—I will not interfere in the struggle between your sects..." Huangpu Zun said.

Shen Shang nodded slowly.

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