Infiltrating the righteous path? Just another place to be a sycophant.

Lu An hesitated to make a move, and he had to be on high alert to protect himself. It was really frustrating!

"Then why haven't you made a move yet?"

Lu An simply replied with that sentence, and Liu Zhengxuan was immediately speechless.

Indeed, he didn't make a move, but that was because he was observing Lu An's actions.

Because his intuition told him that Lu An was dangerous, extremely dangerous!

If he makes the first move, he will likely be subdued in one strike.

Lu An, however, tried his best to appear profound and unfathomable, while praying that the guy wouldn't make a move.

We absolutely have to intimidate him! We absolutely must!

Li Yun closed his eyes. He felt the bottleneck of the Nascent Soul stage in his body loosening, so he wanted to wholeheartedly comprehend everything.

Only by becoming stronger can you master power!

Calmly comprehend the power of heavenly thunder; only in this way can one gain something. This is the opportunity that Senior Brother Lu has given him!

The thunder in the sky rolled, flickered, went out, and then flickered again in the clouds, emitting a rumbling thunder.

At this moment, Liu Zhengxuan noticed that, for some reason, the heavenly thunder seemed to be getting stronger.

Meanwhile, Li Yun's internal bottleneck was also gradually loosening.

Looking at the lightning, Liu Zhengxuan felt a sense of fear.

Lu An, are you about to make your move?

"Damn it, forget about it, strike first!"

The annihilation spirit fire on his body condensed in front of him and attached to the longsword. The next moment, the longsword, which was attached to the annihilation spirit fire, suddenly shot towards Lu An.

"It's over, I'm doomed!"

Lu An closed his eyes, thinking that this round was really over, and he had accidentally pushed this guy to the limit.

Zhang Zhiruo watched this scene nervously.

The crowd watching from the mirror on the judges' panel of the Heavenly Demon Sect were also watching this scene with tension.

Now, Lu An has to make a move, right?

In an instant, a blood-red figure flashed in front of Lu An, followed by countless flashes of blood-red lightning, and a long sword forcefully intercepted the flying sword.

"Li Yun!?"

Liu Zhengxuan was shocked to see Li Yun blocking Lu An's way.

This kid actually blocked my full-force attack? He's only at the ninth level of the Nascent Soul stage!

"Wait, are you... about to break through?"

Liu Zhengxuan sheathed his sword and immediately realized something was wrong.

The aura emanating from this guy... is he about to break through?

Good heavens, this kid Li Yun is actually going to undergo his tribulation right in front of him!?

If one is to undergo tribulation, then wouldn't the heavenly lightning...?

Liu Zhengxuan looked up and saw that thunderclouds with an astonishing aura were gathering above his head; these were thunderclouds belonging to the Nascent Soul to Spirit Division stage.

According to the rules of tribulation, no one with a higher cultivation level than the person undergoing tribulation should be present during the tribulation. Otherwise, the power of the lightning tribulation will be increased, and it will add karmic consequences to that person's next tribulation.

The powerful tribulation lightning would be amplified because of his presence at the Nascent Soul stage. If that were the case, Liu Zhengxuan would need to leave immediately!

Otherwise, it will result in mutual destruction!

When Zhang Zhiruo saw the tribulation clouds gradually gathering in the sky, her expression turned terrified.

The tribulation clouds and lightning from the Nascent Soul to the Divine Transformation stage—just the aura alone was enough to make her legs go weak.

Even though he had just broken through to the Nascent Soul stage, his aura clearly indicated that the lightning tribulation was beginning to intensify.

The tribulation lightning, having recognized him as a Nascent Soul stage expert, began to amplify its power even further.

Leave! We have to leave right now!

Both of them thought the same thing, but Zhang Zhiruo still used the Demon Heaven Blade to bind Liu Zhengxuan's body, making him unable to move.

Senior Brother Lu is still here, and Li Yun is here too; I can't desert my post now.

Although Zhang Zhiruo was petite and had a delicate appearance, she still possessed a certain tenacity and fearlessness, otherwise she wouldn't have become one of the top inner disciples of the Heavenly Demon Sect.

She participated in the Heavenly Demon Sect's grand competition this time hoping to showcase herself and have other masters, or even her original master, accept her as a true disciple.

However, being able to defeat a Nascent Soul stage cultivator alongside my two senior brothers would certainly be a good topic of conversation.

"Liu Zhengxuan, who said only you could achieve the Divine Realm Distraction?!"

In a moment of sudden enlightenment, in the blink of an eye, although he had not yet experienced the tribulation of lightning, Li Yun already possessed the power of a divided spirit, and the power he had condensed also showed the potential of a divided spirit.

The tribulation lightning is merely a means of eliminating impurities from the body, and also a way to gain the approval of the Heavenly Dao.

In reality, many people already possess the power of a divided spirit before they even reach the stage of transcending the tribulation and becoming a divided spirit, and are just waiting for the tribulation lightning to prove their path.

Li Yun rushed forward instantly, and Liu Zhengxuan's clone immediately stepped forward to block the main body.

"Li Yun, I won't stop you from undergoing your tribulation, but stay away from me. The tribulation lightning will become stronger because I'm here!"

"What is there to fear from tribulation lightning?!"

"Are you crazy?! That tribulation lightning will turn into a tribulation lightning of the Nascent Soul stage, and it will kill us all instantly!"

"so what!?"

"You're insane! We're all from the same sect, why are you doing this?!"

"Didn't you just yell that you were going to kill us too?!"

Liu Zhengxuan knew that Li Yun was beyond saving, so he disregarded everything and began to release the Annihilation Spirit Fire on his body.

Meanwhile, the Demonic Blade released by Zhang Zhiruo ignited a raging fire of annihilation, turning into a black liquid that dripped onto the ground.

Meanwhile, the spiritual power controlling the Demon Heaven Blade to bind Liu Zhengxuan also increased wildly, with its consumption skyrocketing.

"I can't take it anymore, I can't hold on any longer!"

Zhang Zhiruo fell directly to the ground, and the Demon Heaven Blade that bound Liu Zhengxuan instantly turned into a pile of loose sand, scattered on the ground.

The best support player of the game has finally run out of mana.

The other stood there, bewildered.

Lu An looked at Li Yun, who was brandishing a long sword and fighting Liu Zhengxuan fiercely in the sky, and didn't know what to do.

Well, at least someone can fight this guy now. I don't know why, but he suddenly broke through to the Nascent Soul stage.

To be honest, the tribulation lightning that's gradually gathering in the sky is probably going to strike this area.

He didn't know what this tribulation lightning was, but it was definitely not something a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator like him could withstand.

Also, why hasn't this barrier broken yet? No, we've attacked like this, why hasn't the barrier disappeared?

Oh no, I'm doomed, this is really going to be sent away!

The next moment, countless bolts of lightning struck down from the sky, engulfing the entire mountain in a lightning tribulation. Thunderous roars, like the collapse of a mountain and the cracking of the earth, rose and fell, as if to shatter the heavens and the earth.

Under the influence of the lightning tribulation, the mirror used by the Heavenly Demon Sect to observe the battle was also occupied by countless dazzling lightning bolts, making it impossible to see anything.

Everyone was stunned. In a sect competition, two people broke through to the Nascent Soul stage, and one of them even broke through during a tribulation. Now, their fates were truly uncertain.

The remaining disciples are all elite members of the Heavenly Demon Sect. If they fail to survive this tribulation, how much will the Heavenly Demon Sect lose?!

"Send them out quickly! Hurry!"

"No, it's the power of lightning tribulation! The Heavenly Dao has blocked our teleportation talismans!"

"what to do!?"

"There's no other way but to wait for the tribulation to end!"

Not only the masters of these individuals, but also everyone else in the Heavenly Demon Sect held their breath.

This terrifying power of heavenly tribulation is something even a Void Refinement stage cultivator wouldn't dare to recklessly withstand.

Interfering in someone else's tribulation karma will cause a major problem for one's own future cultivation.

Nobody wants to be struck by lightning a dozen or more times during their tribulation!

After an unknown amount of time, the tribulation finally ended, and the thunderclouds finally dispersed.

The mountain peaks were left with only scorched earth, rocks shattered by lightning, and countless birds and beasts had fled the place, leaving only silence.

Chapter Twenty-Two: An Unexpected Turn of Events

The pile of rubble was moving faintly. With a whoosh, a figure rose from the rubble. It was Liu Zhengxuan, who was covered in wounds.

Wow! Wow!

Several figures also got up from the pile of rubble; they were Li Yun and Zhang Zhiruo.

Their bodies were covered in wounds from the tribulation lightning.

Covered in blood and charred skin, with their clothes burned and tattered, and their depleted spiritual energy, the two were no longer able to fight.

This terrifying tribulation of lightning felt like being trapped in a terrifying pool of thunder. Zhang Zhiruo felt helpless in this tribulation, like a pitiful little cat.

How exactly did she survive this tribulation? Zhang Zhiruo didn't know; she only knew that she had ultimately survived.

If one survives, there will be future fortunes!

She looked at Li Yun and saw that half of his body was charred black and his face was no longer the same. At this moment, he looked like a demon that had crawled out of hell.

Zhiruo felt like vomiting, but when she touched her face, she found it was also a mass of flesh and blood, and even felt a stinging pain.

I doubt I looked very good either. Under this tribulation of lightning, it's already a stroke of luck that I survived.

A surge of vitality suddenly erupted from Li Yun's body, followed by a golden light that transformed into a pillar of light that shot into the sky.

"Distraction stage..."

Zhang Zhiruo looked at Li Yun, who was bathed in golden light, her eyes filled with shock.

Is this a breakthrough?

The golden light repaired Li Yun's inhuman appearance, a kind of rebirth through physical tempering.

Each time a person breaks through a major realm, their body is repaired by the power of the Heavenly Dao, which can be considered a form of compensation for those who successfully transcend tribulations.

The tribulation is fair to everyone, regardless of whether they are on the righteous path or the demonic path. Those who successfully overcome the tribulation will receive divine favor.

For some reason, she also felt her skin was itchy. When she looked down, she found that her charred, blood-covered skin was gradually recovering.

For some reason, the Heavenly Dao power that repaired Li Yun's body was also repairing her body.

The reason is unclear, but it's good that her body is recovering.

Lu An climbed up from the pile of rubble and quickly took out a small mirror from his pocket to examine his handsome face.

Thankfully, everything is alright...

He touched his body and found that he was not missing any arms or legs. Although his clothes were torn in some places, it was not a big deal.

This is incredible luck! To emerge unscathed from such terrifying tribulation lightning, could he truly be the chosen one?

No, if he were truly the chosen one, would he be in such a miserable state? He's struggling to even break through to the Golden Core stage, and he's practicing such a useless cultivation method?

Anyway, it's good that everyone's alright. Let's see what happens to the others.

Lu An looked up and saw Li Yun bathed in golden light.

It's exactly the same as the golden pillar of light that guided the tribulation back then.

Not only that, but Zhang Zhiruo was also there.

Good heavens, you guys are all still alive? And you've even broken through to a higher level?

As Lu An approached, he discovered that Zhang Zhiruo's body was also surrounded by a layer of golden light. Some parts of her body were still bloody and mangled, but under the golden light, they quickly recovered.

Zhang Zhiruo felt her body becoming incredibly full of power, and an extreme sense of comfort began to gradually stimulate her nerves.

She knew what this feeling was like—the feeling of an impending breakthrough—but this sense of comfort was something she was experiencing for the first time.