Brilliant emerald light.

Yan Ling wanted to say something, she wanted to protest and push Liang Chen away from this tribulation. But she couldn't, not when she saw his blazing and determined eyes that shone like gray flames that pierced through the dark clouds. In the end, she could only swallow the pills that Liang Chen had stuffed into her mouth, a low voice sounding out.

"Be careful."

She wiped away some of the blood around her mouth, casting a steadfast gaze onto the plumes of azure fire that were gathering beneath the clouds. Liang Chen said to leave the lightning to him, so she focused all of her attention on the fire, the wind around her speeding up as a heavy pressure formed around her body.

Liang Chen glanced at Yan Ling out of the corner of his eye, but upon seeing that she kept her steadfast gaze, he turned his eyes back to the lightning, the fourth volley was on the way. A bolt of crimson lightning as thick as a full-grown man's thigh was heading directly for Liang Chen, while a somewhat smaller pillar of fire was heading for Yan Ling.

This tribulation was meant for Yan Ling, but Liang Chen had interfered, so the tribulation grew in strength, especially the parts that headed for him. Liang Chen clenched his fists, golden and azure lightning crackling around them. His poison wasn't well suited to dealing with elements like lightning, which could burn and purify the poison, so he had to rely on his law of time and his law of lightning.

The bolt of lightning quickly arrived in front of him, Liang Chen sending out a heavy punch. Arcs of golden and azure lightning coiled around his fist, just barely touching each other, looking as if they were trying to fuse. Liang Chen had come up with this idea when he first joined the Storm Wolf sect, fusing his golden and his azure lightning.

He had made a few attempts in his spare time, but he wasn't able to get the two types of lightning to properly fuse. They were similar, but they were still two different types of lightning, containing a different amount of energy and power. Normally, if they were to come into contact with each other, it should result in either the stronger energy swallowing the weaker or in a large explosion. It was a bit dangerous, but he was hoping to use the pressure of this tribulation to once again attempt the fusion.

When Liang Chen's two types of lightning collided with the thick crimson bolt, another thunderous explosion rang out, the air in front of Liang Chen growing so hot that his robe caught on fire. Several more of the scales on his arm cracked, blood leaking out from between the cracks as the sweet taste of blood welled up in his mouth.

The bolt of lightning exploded into pieces, several arcs sinking into Liang Chen's body and nourishing it a bit more. Liang Chen spat out a glob of blood, the next bolt of lightning already arriving in front of him. Since he had dared to defy them, the heavens would not allow him to get any rest or let him catch his breath.

He punched out once again, but he hadn't gotten the chance to gather up any energy, so his attack was quite a bit weaker than the previous one. His fist collided with the bolt of lightning, which was even stronger than the previous one. The bolt of lightning didn't immediately explode this time, piercing into his fist and forcing him to take several steps backward. As he moved backward, Liang Chen slowed down the speed of time in front of him, giving him more time to deal with future bolts of lightning.

After a short moment, Liang Chen managed to crush the lightning bolt, absorbing a few more small arcs. His right hand was now bloody, shattered scales running up his entire arm, his blood staining the earth around him. He glanced at his arm, but his expression didn't change, his gaze landing on the next bolt of lightning that was heading for him.

Golden and azure arcs of lightning once again started to dance around his arm, occasionally touching each other for a short moment before swiftly jumping away from each other again. He punched out with his bloody fist, speeding up its time and allowing it to reach an inhuman speed and power as it clashed with the bolt of lightning. His golden and azure lightning made contact again, sinking into each other under the coaxing from Liang Chen and the surrounding pressure.

But the two types of lightning weren't able to fuse, separating again after his fist made contact with the bolt of lightning. What followed was a few seconds of stalemate, before the bolt of lightning exploded into a bright light, the shockwave throwing Liang Chen back. He felt like a sledgehammer had smashed into his chest, his ribs shattering as blood poured out from his seven orifices. After stabilizing himself, standing on shaky feet, Liang Chen looked at his right arm, his brows furrowing as he spoke into empty air.

"Don't fuck with me, I said you are going to fuse, so you are going to fuse."

He felt like he had been very close just now, only a step away from fusing the two types of lightning. But at the final moment, they were still able to separate and drift apart, disobeying his orders to fuse.

The next bolt of lightning, this one as thick as two thighs, arrived in front of Liang Chen, the air around it burning from the sheer heat it released. Liang Chen didn't step back when faced with this bolt, both his fists punching out in quick succession, first his right and then his left.

His right fist was able to stop the bolt for a short second, the bones within his hand completely shattering as a result. After his right hand stopped the bolt of lightning, his left hand came to finish the job, golden and azure arcs of lightning still trying to fuse when he punched the bolt of lightning. His left fist struck the bolt of lightning, but was unable to cause it to explode, it could only hold it back for a bit longer.

Liang Chen's expression grew a bit ugly when he saw that he was unable to shatter this bolt of lightning, it had already become so strong that it could resist his two types of lightning. Liang Chen could still use the crimson type of lightning to defend, but doing so would only cause him to suffer even more injuries, as he wasn't really able to handle the strength it contained.

His two fists were only able to hold the lightning back for a few seconds before they were eventually pushed aside, allowing the lightning to strike his chest, shattering the rest of his ribs. But Liang Chen was after all quite attuned to the law of lightning, so after shattering his ribs, the remnant energy of the lightning wasn't able to harm him. It sank into his body and started to nourish it, slowly repairing the injuries it had caused.

Liang Chen spat out more blood, his right and left arms hanging at his side. He had used his Poison Soul technique to numb his sense of pain, but even that wasn't able to drown out the pain he was feeling. He raised his head, his gaze landing on the cloud above him.

The lightning below the cloud had mostly vanished, a single bolt remaining. But as he looked at it, the bolt of lightning started to slowly change, the color growing deeper and deeper. It slowly turned from deep crimson to a beautiful violet, the energy radiating from it reaching a terrifying level. Liang Chen's expression grew even more solemn as he looked at this bolt of lightning, the edges of his lips curling into a bloody smile that revealed his sharp canine teeth.

"You seem quite angry that I intervened. Come then, let me show you how I crush this final plan of yours."

Liang Chen knew that violet lightning was far stronger than the crimson lightning, but that did not mean that he would step back, not when he was faced with the heavens. Liang Chen took a deep breath, his chest aching terribly because of his shattered ribs. He raised his trembling left arm, forcing it to stop shaking.

Golden and azure arcs started to crackle around his arm again, constantly touching each other, slightly sinking into each other. The violet bolt of lightning wasn't the first to arrive, first came the horrid pressure that it unleashed, as if it was trying to force the whole world to kneel to it.

Liang Chen's feet sank into the ground, but he refused to kneel, he would never allow himself to kneel to the heavens. He could feel his bones creak under the pressure, but since Liang Chen had already started to strengthen his body quite a while ago, they didn't end up breaking under the force.

The golden and azure arcs around his left arm were starting to sink more and more into each other, Liang Chen taking advantage of the pressure to force them to become one. It felt like a long time passed, but the violet bolt of lightning arrived in front of Liang Chen only a split second after the pressure reached him.

Liang Chen's eyes were blazing as he looked at the bolt, his fist rumbling out. The time of the air in front of the violet bolt of lightning froze, creating several layers of frozen time to slow it down. But each layer of defense was swiftly broken through, shattering like fragile glass when faced with a falling mountain.

Liang Chen's left fist made contact with the bolt of lightning, the bones within his left hand shattering completely, just like the ones in his right hand. But even with his hand shattering, he grit his teeth and held back the bolt of lightning, a nearly fanatical light glimmering in his eyes as he looked at his own left hand, at the lightning that surrounded it.

Golden started to mix with azure, Liang Chen's fanatical orders borrowing the strength of the pressure to force the lightning to fall in line and listen to his orders. The different energy within the two types of lightning ran rampant, wanting to explode in a violent manner. But the heavy pressure exerted by the violet lightning prevented them from exploding, pushing them closer and closer together, trying to crush them.

After what felt like an endless moment, a gorgeous emerald light radiated from Liang Chen's right arm, arcs of emerald lightning dancing around his arm. Looking at the emerald lightning, Liang Chen knew that he had succeeded, throwing his head back and letting loose a burst of loud laughter.

"Hahaha! So you are useful for one thing at least, you shitty heavens! I guess I should thank you for this, but I really don't feel like it!"

Having managed to fuse his lightning once, he could save a bit of it inside his Dragon Lotus and use it to make future fusing much easier. This emerald lightning was a bit weaker than the crimson lightning, but it was stronger than his azure lightning. And it might even be able to grow indefinitely, growing stronger and stronger the more different types of lightning Liang Chen fused into it.

Liang Chen was still wounded and bloody, but he felt so good that he couldn't be bothered to pay any attention to it. His experiment with lightning fusion had succeeded, allowing him to grow a bit stronger. His bloody smile grew even wider as he drew out more and more energy from his body, tapping into every little reserve that he could.

The emerald lightning grew brighter and brighter, even starting to slowly grow more luminous than the violet bolt of lightning that was still trying to pierce Liang Chen's fist. The stalemate didn't continue for much longer, the energy within the violet bolt of lightning starting to drain faster and faster.

Liang Chen was also growing weaker at a rapid pace, but in the end, it was the bolt of lightning that proved to be less tenacious. It became unable to push forward and keep Liang Chen's lightning at bay, exploding with a thunderous sound after coming in contact with the emerald lightning.

Liang Chen was flung away, crashing through several trees thanks to the might of the explosion. The explosion flung him away, but he still laughed loudly. That was the last bolt of lightning, he had succeeded in holding back the tribulation. Dealing with just the flames was far easier for Yan Ling, they didn't present a lethal threat to her.

As Liang Chen was flung back, small arcs of violet lightning sank into his body. But as this lightning was about to sink into his flesh to nourish it, the Heaven Devouring Dragon blood within Liang Chen's body stirred. It quickly surged through his veins, snatching up the violet lightning and devouring it.

Liang Chen's brows furrowed when he saw this, as this violet lightning was rather useful to him, so he'd rather keep it for himself. But after the blood devoured the small arcs of lightning, Liang Chen was shocked to sense that it had grown a tiny bit stronger.

His thoughts started to quickly race when he saw this. He could use lightning to strengthen his bloodline? This hadn't happened with the crimson or azure lightning, so it was clear that not just any lightning would do, it had to be extremely powerful.

Liang Chen sat up, leaning against the tree that ended up stopping his flight. His bloody lips curled up a bit more, he had found another way he could grow stronger. He didn't know exactly what benefit strengthening his bloodline would give him, but for a bloodline like the Heaven Devouring Dragon bloodline, it was clear that the benefit wouldn't be shabby.

Liang Chen raised his head slightly, gazing at the clouds above the area. They were starting to disperse, so it was clear that this tribulation had ended, he and Yan Ling had managed to surpass it. But Liang Chen's smile sank a little after seeing this, his eyes turning towards the direction where Yan Ling should be.

He heard footsteps move through the forest, Yan Ling quickly reaching the place where he had landed. Looking at her, and seeing the bitter and downcast smile on her face, he knew that he had guessed correctly.

"I failed."

Her words were quick, and her voice quite low. As the clouds dispersed, Liang Chen hadn't been able to sense the strong bloodline pressure that Yan Ling had radiated as the tribulation started, so he guessed that something might have happened. And sadly, it seemed that he had been right, she had reached the early stage of the Heaven's Gate realm, but her bloodline failed to awaken, returning to a dormant state. It wasn't completely impossible to awaken it in the future, but after failing once, it would only become harder.

Liang Chen looked at Yan Ling, his lips slowly starting to curl up again, forming a teasing smile. Since she was feeling down, he was going to use his tried and true method to raise her spirits. Seeing Liang Chen look at her with such a teasing smile, his eyes roaming all over her body, Yan Ling felt that something wasn't quite right. She wanted to say something, but Liang Chen spoke up first.

"Quite a nice sight, much better than the Song sisters."

Yan Ling didn't immediately understand what Liang Chen meant, tilting her head in confusion. Yan Ling then followed his eyes, lowering her head and checking out her own body. And once she saw her own state, her face turned completely red, quickly crouching down to cover herself.

She had been too preoccupied with checking up on Liang Chen, so she had failed to check her own state before now. She had been giving it her all while she resisted the azure flames, but just like Liang Chen couldn't stop the lightning from hitting him, she couldn't stop the flames from hitting her. And because of that, her clothing had already turned to ash, leaving her completely nude. And she had run up to Liang Chen and checked up on him in this state. With her face dyed completely red from embarrassment, she fished out a robe from her interspatial ring, glaring at Liang Chen.

"Why didn't you look away?! Or warn me!?"

He had spent a good several seconds looking at her, not even bothering to give her a warning about how she looked. He even dared to tease her and say that it was a 'nice sight', how embarrassing was that to someone like Yan Ling? Facing her glare, which made it look like she was dying to take a bit out of him, Liang Chen simply let out a laughter.

"I thought you were offering, so it would be rude not to accept it."

Yan Ling had put on a new cyan robe, but she was still crouched down, glaring daggers at Liang Chen. Liang Chen chuckled for a bit more but eventually leaned his head against the tree behind him, his voice turning soft and soothing.

"It was just one failure. You can still try again in the future, so don't worry about it. Just tell me beforehand, and I'll come to help you, just like I did here."

Yan Ling's glare weakened slightly after hearing Liang Chen's words. She wasn't really angry at him, as she knew him well enough to know that he had only teased her because he wanted to cheer her up with a joke. She looked Liang Chen up and down, observing his bloodied and wounded, yet still smiling, state. What a joke she was.

Yan Ling put on a somewhat self-deprecating smile, heavily slapping her own cheeks. After slapping herself, her eyes regained their usual vigor and liveliness, growing determined. She stood up and puffed out her chest, speaking out in a bright voice

"Of course I can try again in the future! And just you watch, I never fail twice, it has been proven to be impossible!"

She raised her nose high, as if she was looking at everything with an arrogant gaze, perfectly complementing her words. Liang Chen let out a light chuckle, happy that she had returned to her normal state. Yan Ling walked over as Liang Chen chuckled, lending him her shoulder as she helped him up, whispering quietly.

"Liang Chen, thank you."

Her voice was so low that it was barely audible, brushing past Liang Chen's ears like a breeze. This was the first time she had ever called him by his name, rather than the nickname she had given him. But Liang Chen didn't react in the happy manner that she expected, he actually stuck out his tongue.

"Geh, don't call me that, having you call me that is too strange."

His words were mostly joking and jovial, but he actually meant what he said. Ever since they first met, she had been calling him Little Freak, so Liang Chen had already grown used to it. With Liang Chen reacting like that, Yan Ling puffed out her cheeks and let out a snort.

"Humph, fine, Little Freak it is! Just watch, I'll call you that for the rest of your life, see how you like that!"

Laing Chen simply responded with a laughter, leaning on Yan Ling's shoulder as the two returned to the clearing Yan Ling had created, preparing to return to the sect for real this time.