Overdraw the future and become a peerless martial god

Chapter 118 Under the Tribulation Lightning

His right arm reached for the sky, his fighting spirit and conviction blazing like thunder, soaring straight up from the crown of his head to the heavens.

"boom--"

The Primordial Thunder Tribulation finally poured down from the clouds, with billions of bolts of lightning crashing down on his head like a river overflowing its banks.

The illusory figure of the Devouring Abyss let out a shrill scream, as if at that moment he realized he had lost his gamble.

"You will regret this!"

Chu Ning closed his eyes, stood facing the thunder, and spoke with a tone that seemed to emanate from a sea of ​​lightning, resounding like a vow:

"I have regretted many things."

"But I don't regret this one."

Outside, night had fallen, blood-red clouds covered the sky, and the stars seemed to have been swallowed up, as if the last ray of light in the world had been drawn away.

Xie Mingli stood atop the ruins, her eyes reflecting the raging sea of ​​clouds and storm in the sky. She gazed at the distant figure of a young man sitting cross-legged—Chu Ning.

He was like someone pulled back from the abyss, his body covered with unseen cracks, yet he still stood tall, his breath weak but steady.

“He…is back…” Xie Mingli felt a sudden surge of indescribable bittersweetness and relief.

Li Jing'an was standing behind Chu Ning, his hands resting on Chu Ning's head. Strands of pure Xuan energy flowed from his palms into Chu Ning's sea of ​​consciousness, stabilizing his soul.

“Brother Ning…” Xie Mingli slowly stepped forward, her eyes slightly red, her lips trembling, her voice low as a murmur.

She walked slowly, as if afraid of disturbing something, or perhaps afraid that she was just having a dream. Until she saw Chu Ning's eyelids tremble slightly, her eyelashes flutter.

He's waking up!

He really pulled through!
An emotion that had been suppressed for a long time exploded in her chest. All the pain and fear finally found an outlet at this moment, and tears finally welled up in her eyes.

But just then, a muffled clap of thunder suddenly rang out from the horizon.

"Click."

A crimson arc of electricity slashed down from the sky, like the awakening of a nightmare, engulfing the entire heavens.

The surrounding area was silent, the wind had stopped and the clouds were still, as if even the laws of heaven and earth had paused.

"This is..." Xie Mingli suddenly froze, her body stiffening instantly.

An indescribable pressure descended from the sky, enveloping her limbs and bones, as if an invisible giant hand was pressing down hard on her heart.

She looked up at the sky, where a crimson cloud of tribulation, rolling with thunder and fire, was constantly condensing and compressing, its terrifying aura making it seem as if the heavens and earth were about to burn.

"No..." Her throat tightened, and her face turned deathly pale in an instant. "This is... a fateful calamity?"

"He's going to... invite disaster?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave.

"No, no... Brother Ning, you can't do this..."

She retreated step by step, her chest heaving violently, her fingertips trembling.

She had just seen him regain his senses, and had just found a glimmer of hope in his despair.

Why...why did he choose this path again?
He wanted to use his own flesh and blood to fight against the Devouring Abyss.
That wasn't a tribulation of lightning, that was... a judgment of the soul.

That is the kind of world-destroying punishment that only comes to those who commit heinous acts.

Xie Mingli's eyes went unfocused for a moment, as if the world had collapsed in her eyes. She had never seen such a terrifying calamity before; it was a destructive force that could burn the heavens and destroy the earth, the legendary "thunderous soul-slaying" ninefold judgment.

She bit her lip, turned abruptly, and leaped towards the distant tower.

The white-clad figure streaked through the air, like a streak of light sweeping across the night sky.

Her clothes were already disheveled by the wind, and her tears had not yet dried when she stumbled and fell in front of a middle-aged man in a black robe.

"Li Jing'an!" she cried out almost at the top of her lungs, her knees buckling and she nearly knelt down.

That was Chu Ning's teacher, a master from the First-Class Pavilion, a powerhouse among ten thousand.

"Quickly stop the lightning tribulation, hurry!"

Li Jing'an suddenly opened his eyes, his expression changed slightly, and an unprecedented solemnity appeared on his aged face.

He slowly shook his head, his voice low and deep: "Do you know what you're saying?"

"That is... a calamity of divine punishment."

Xie Mingli raised her head, her eyes filled with tears, almost frantic: "I know, but I don't care. You are his teacher, you can't just watch him die."

“He has only just come back to his senses, and he did nothing wrong. It’s not fair to send him to his death now.”

She rushed forward, grabbed Li Jing'an's robe, and said in a hoarse voice:

"You accepted him as your disciple, which means he's exceptionally talented? Now that he's about to die right before your eyes, you're not even willing to lift a finger?"

Li Jing'an remained silent for a long time before finally speaking:
“You’re too young…you don’t understand. That wasn’t lightning; it was an extraordinary trial, the world’s judgment on him.”

"If he backs down now, he might still survive."

"But if he chooses to face the lightning... he is defying fate with his life."

Xie Mingli felt a tightness in her chest and murmured to herself, "Does defying the heavens... mean you deserve to die?"

She stared blankly at the sky.

Amidst the surging thunder, Chu Ning slowly stood at the intersection of heaven and earth.

He didn't look at her, yet it was as if he already knew she was looking at him, knew she was crying.

Xie Mingli gritted her teeth, staggered to her feet, and walked step by step towards the heavenly tribulation.

"Brother Ning..." she called softly.

But Chu Ning simply stood there, the lightning reflecting on his face, like a statue, motionless and silent.

At that moment, Xie Mingli suddenly understood.

This world is too cruel.

The laws of righteousness have their limits, power has its price, life is as worthless as grass, and so-called justice is nothing more than a sharp sword in the hands of the strong.

Love, however, was the only light she could never give up in her life.

She cried out to the sky:

"I don't care about the future you're talking about! I just want you to live, do you hear me?!"

"Don't go! Don't go and die!"

"If you die, what's the point of my life?"

Li Jing'an stood behind her, closed his eyes, and sighed softly: "Girl, you should understand that heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things as straw dogs. Since Chu Ning has chosen that path, there is no turning back."

"If he cannot overcome this tribulation, his soul and spirit will perish; if he overcomes it, he will break free from the cycle of reincarnation."

Xie Mingli turned around abruptly, staring intently at Li Jing'an:
"Then tell me, are humans just at the mercy of heaven and earth?"

"So you've raised your cultivation just so you can sit idly by when the heavenly tribulation descends?"

Li Jing'an's eyes were calm: "I cultivate martial arts both to save the world and to protect myself."

Xie Mingli murmured repeatedly, "Keep to yourself..."

She seemed to be laughing, yet she also seemed to be crying.

“Then what I, Xie Mingli, am guarding is Chu Ning.”

She turned and looked once more at the figure surrounded by lightning. Her tears had long since dried, but her eyes were exceptionally clear.

"Even if you stand at the peak of the tribulation, even if the whole world is against you, I will stand by your side."

"You can give up the future, immortality, and destiny."

"But I won't let you risk your life."

Xie Mingli stood there, stunned, her face still wet with tears, yet the lightning flashed into her pupils.

Above the sky, the blood cloud had gathered to its limit, and thunder roared like a raging tide. Every bolt of lightning contained the intent of destruction, as if the gods were roaring, wanting to completely wipe out those who defied fate.

Directly beneath the clouds of tribulation, the white-robed youth stood motionless, like a mountain, like a sword, like a heroic soul facing certain death.

Chu Ning!

His lowered eyelashes trembled slightly, his sea of ​​consciousness finally fully recovered, and a faint yet resolute smile appeared on his lips.

He knows what he's doing.

This was his last chance, and his only option.

If we cannot sever the root of the Devouring Abyss today, then tomorrow our own flesh and blood will be corpses, our fellow disciples will be buried in graves, there will be no peace in the world, and no way for living beings to return home.

“Brother Ning…” Xie Mingli murmured, her eyes blurred with tears.

She finally understood that he wasn't unaware of the terror of the tribulation lightning, nor did he want to die.

Rather, it was this world that forced him to die. In this world where martial arts reign supreme and the strong are judged by their very nature, no one cared whether he was exhausted, whether he had just returned from the Netherworld, whether his body was broken, or whether... he still had attachments.

As long as he stands in front of the Devouring Abyss, he is the only barrier.

Fate left him with only one option—to face the thunder.

Xie Mingli slowly knelt down, her fingers digging tightly into the soil.

"If... even you die, then what's the point of living in this world?"

“If God wants to kill you… then I will curse that God.”

She looked up at the sky, where the blood-red cloud was swirling in the center, and the first bolt of lightning that was about to take shape was the "Lightning of Breaking Consciousness".

That was the first strike aimed at the sea of ​​consciousness, destroying the foundation of the soul.

“Brother Ning, turn back... even just once, tell me you’re still here... even if you’re lying to me.”

Chu Ning finally opened his eyes and looked at her.

There was no reluctance or sadness in his eyes.

Only quiet and steadfast comfort.

"Mingli, I'm sorry."

"I can't turn back."

Thunderclouds roared, and the first bolt of tribulation lightning crashed down.

The earth trembled, all the trees fell silent, and dark clouds rolled in like a tsunami.

In that instant, Xie Mingli almost heard the sound of her own heart breaking.

She stumbled forward, but could only watch helplessly as lightning pierced through Chu Ning's crown.

The violent spiritual impact had already invaded Chu Ning's sea of ​​consciousness.

"what--"

Deep within his sea of ​​consciousness, Tun Yuan suddenly let out a roar of extreme pain.

His soul, formed from blood and spirit, was now as if scorched by raging fire. A lightning mark spread from his brow to his entire body. Wherever it passed, the blood patterns peeled off, the black flames extinguished, and the remnant soul trembled and scattered like fragments.

Even more terrifying, somewhere within the sea of ​​consciousness, images linked by soul chains suddenly collapsed. These were avatars left behind by the Devouring Abyss Will in other planes, each one exploding out of control due to the excruciating pain of its original body.

"Boom."

A Devouring Abyss incarnation that was sitting in the Abyss of Ten Thousand Ghosts exploded, and billions of ghosts wailed in a tide, causing the entire abyss to shake and collapse.

"Click——"

Another Abyss Shadow, which was controlling the war in the outer star field, was torn to pieces by the Breaking Lightning, its starships were interrupted, the void collapsed, and the soul light of the entire star map was extinguished.

Within his sea of ​​consciousness, Chu Ning felt the intense, maddening "severance" of connection. He could almost hear the roars and terror of countless souls in those distant worlds. All of this was because of the first bolt of lightning, which struck not only Chu Ning but also Tun Yuan.

"Damn Heavenly Dao, you don't even spare the shadows I once trod?" Tun Yuan roared, his tone devoid of its former arrogance, filled only with pain and rage.

He forcibly mobilized the remaining soul blood will, attempting to seal off his sea of ​​consciousness and protect the last connection between his soul and that of his other clones.

Chu Ning was shaken to his core, feeling as if some enormous thing was howling, destroying, and burning inside him.

"Swallowing the Abyss—"

"Damn it!" Tun Yuan roared. "If I'm going to die, it's not from this vile lightning. I don't believe this lightning that shatters consciousness can really sever the root of my will."

Lightning descended from the sky and pierced through Chu Ning's forehead.

The entire sea of ​​consciousness trembled violently at that moment, like a continent on the verge of collapse.

As the collapse occurred, Tun Yuan used half of his soul's afterimage to protect the core, throwing the sharpest part of the lightning energy at Chu Ning.

He looked up to the sky and let out a low roar, the sound waves like thunder and a cry.

At this moment, he was no longer the evil spirit who devoured countless souls without regret.

He was risking his life to protect his only hope of survival.

"Ahhhhh!!!"

Xie Mingli screamed outside, her voice tearing her throat, in unbearable pain.

The moment the lightning struck, the entire world paused.

Amidst the tremors of profound energy, Li Jing'an's expression changed drastically. He swept away the dust and smoke that stretched for miles with his sleeves, keeping Xie Mingli outside the lightning domain.

“He has chosen to defy fate and will not allow anyone else to interfere.”

"This calamity... can only be overcome by him alone."

Xie Mingli was slammed back to her original spot, kneeling on the ground, her fingertips trembling, the sound of thunder and Chu Ning's farewell echoing in her ears.

"Tell me, as long as the soul is not destroyed, there is still a glimmer of hope."

"But now, you know perfectly well that this calamity will surely lead to your death—"

"Then why did you..."

Her voice was almost hoarse, and her emotions exploded in her chest into a deafening wail.

"Why not escape!"

Xie Mingli slammed her knees to the ground, tears streaming down her face, choked with sobs and unable to speak.

Li Jing'an stood in the wind, gazing at her thin yet stubborn back, a rare hint of sorrow flashing in his eyes. He spoke slowly, his voice deep and resonant:

"Because he understood that if no one were to face the calamity head-on, one day this land would be reduced to ashes, and all life would be gone."

You think he's afraid of dying?

"wrong."

"He's just afraid you'll die."

"I'm afraid you'll die."

Those few words struck Xie Mingli like a hammer blow, causing her to shudder, her throat tighten, and she burst into tears.

……

High in the heavens, lightning danced wildly like dragons and snakes, illuminating the world.

Chu Ning stood atop the vast sky, the calamity clouds not dissipating but instead growing ever more dense and inky, pressing down on the mountains and rivers, causing them to tremble.

That was the second heavenly lightning bolt—a lightning bolt that would burn one's flesh and destroy one's very foundation.

A silver-purple lightning pillar, as thick as a mountain, descended from the heavens and struck Chu Ning with a deafening roar.

"boom--"

The moment the lightning struck, the world lost its color.

Chu Ning's figure swayed violently in the lightning, yet he never bent his knees even slightly. He was like a crumbling monument that could collapse at any moment, yet he stubbornly stood tall in the center of the storm.

He looked up at the sea of ​​thunder and murmured to himself.

The sound was soft, yet it pierced through the thunder, landing in every corner of the deathly silence of heaven and earth:
"If Heaven has a spirit..."

"Grant me a chance to live, so that I may protect her peace for the rest of her life."

At this critical moment, a sharp cry tore through the wind and thunder, coming from the ground:
"Quick! Take out the Thunder Tribulation Substitute Death Talisman!"

It was Old Li's voice.

Chu Ning was suddenly jolted, and a scene from the depths of his memory was instantly awakened.

That was after Wang Lin was sealed in Qingyang County. Li Jing'an, with a solemn expression, quietly handed him a piece of ink-colored talisman paper and said only one sentence:
"In critical moments, it can save lives."

He didn't understand then, but he does now.

"So... you had already foreseen this day."

Chu Ning's fingers trembled as he took out the long-dormant talisman from his pocket.

The talisman paper was as dark as if it had been splashed with scorched ink, except for a vermilion thunder pattern in the center that seemed to be alive, trembling faintly in the wind, like the last crack of life between heaven and earth.

"Die for me once?"

Chu Ning whispered, her voice devoid of sorrow, only filled with a sudden clarity.

At this moment, half of his body had been devoured by the power of the Devouring Abyss, blood patterns spread to the side of his neck, and his blood-red pupils gleamed with an abyss-like cold light.

The other half, however, was still the flesh and blood of that young hunter, covered in lightning patterns, yet still tightly gripping his obsession.

"Since my fate is not my own, I will lend you a thread..."

He bit his fingertip, letting a drop of blood blend into the talisman.

In an instant, the lightning patterns intensified, and the talisman paper, like a raging flame ignited in a blazing wind, violently swirled and suddenly plunged into Chu Ning's brow.

(End of this chapter)