Chapter 0327 – Blue Thunder City’s Shadow
It was not that the things that he was using were of inferior quality, nor the fact that he had not prepared enough; it’s just that the resources needed for his advancement were abnormally huge. It also made it clear that if he wanted to advance to the Soul Sculpting Realm next time, then he simply can’t rely on just a pill.
However, Ning Cheng had already hardened his heart to advance to the Soul Essence Realm, even if he did not have enough resources currently, he did not want to give up. So he went ahead and directly took out the broken crystal stone given to him by that old fogey.
Just as he brought out the crystal stone, he did not need to even stimulate it to start absorbing, before a pure and extremely rich aura directly poured into his meridians from it. Breaking past all obstacles in the way, this aura struck the Soul Essence Realm’s cultivation barrier.
Only this time, a crack finally appeared on this cultivation barrier because of the explosion.
What a powerful crystal stone, Ning Cheng thought as he felt secretly amazed, but at the same time he desperately continued to absorb the crystal stone’s aura, while he continued to use it to strike this cultivation barrier.
“Kaka....” A larger crack appeared before it quickly expanded; allowing Ning Cheng to realize that he finally was able to break open the Soul Essence Realm’s cultivation barrier.
“Boom boom boom.....” Towering roars suddenly exploded out above his head, then without any prior warnings, nine thick flashes of lightning descended simultaneously, each flash of lightning was no thinner than a baby’s arm.
Ning Cheng had never seen or even experienced a thunder tribulation before, so he had no idea about how powerful would the thunder tribulation be when one advanced from the Profound Core Realm to the Soul Essence Realm. However, he had read many jade strips before and had also heard many different experiences. From all those he knew that to advance from the Profound Core Realm to the Soul Essence Realm, one was required to pass through four sets of nine thunder tribulations. This would also the first time for a cultivator to experience a thunder tribulation.
Four sets of nine thunder tribulations meant that 36 tribulation thunder arcs would descend. As long as he was able to defend against the 36 descending tribulations thunder arcs, he would have a higher chance to advance to the Soul Essence Realm. However, these thunder tribulations arcs had not yet descended upon him, yet he was still able to feel the astonishing destructive power contained in them.
What Ning Cheng had not expected was that just the first wave of the tribulation thunder arcs would be terrifying to such an extent, especially since just the first wave of nine tribulation thunder arcs descending possessed the thickness of a baby’s arm.
This kind of destructive aura was almost enough to suffocate Ning Cheng. At this moment, where would Ning Cheng find the time to hesitate for even half a moment? He immediately put away the broken crystal stone into his ring, before he simultaneously brought out the Cosmic True Devil Axe, the Profound Break Spear and even stimulated every scrap of true essence in his body to create a true essence shield around him.
“Boom ka, boom ka......”
As the thunder and lightning bombed onto Ning Cheng’s Profound Break Spear, the Profound Break Spear in Ning Cheng’s hand almost in an instant turned into a tofu like residue, before being completely torn to pieces. The Cosmic True Devil Axe was able to block two of the tribulation thunder arcs, before it was also directly blown hundreds of meters away.
Not good. Ning Cheng’s heart turned even more anxious as he raised his hands and immediately sent out a few punches. The extremely formidable Axe Intent gushed out accompanying his fists, causing an Axe Line formed from fist shadows to appear before him.
“Bang bang” The Axe Line formed from fist shadows exploded out at the descending tribulation thunder arcs, allowing three of the descending tribulation arcs to dissipate a bit. However, his fists were like fragile and dry wood in front of their power, causing them to instantly shatter upon contact.
The rest of the thunder and lightning arcs, almost at the same time, not only tore through Ning Cheng’s true essence shield, but even shot through the armour that Ning Cheng wore, as if all of it was just a sheet of paper in general.
“Kaka....” The sounds of bones being shattered erupted along with sprays of blood, while the residual power in the tribulation thunder arcs pushed Ning Cheng deeper into the ground causing a huge crater to form around him with him in the centre.
Ning Cheng’s heart completely sank at this moment, as the threat of death finally started to sink into his heart. He finally realized that he had truly underestimated the Thunder Tribulation; moreover, this underestimation was not just an underestimation of one or two levels.
The images of him turning into flying ash under the tribulation once again appeared in his consciousness. Unexpectedly, it looks like what he had seen at that time was truly going to become a reality. This was just the first wave of tribulation thunder arcs, yet he was already not able to endure it. As such, it was needless to say about the later waves.
These kind of horrifying tribulation thunder arcs, even if he was fully prepared, he felt that he would not be able to pull through. The tribulation thunder arcs were quickly tearing apart Ning Cheng’s body, and in just a short time reached an inch inside of his bones, at this point he basically had already lost all the ability to resist. However, at this moment Ning Cheng calmed down, since he was already riding the tiger, it was futile to think of anything else.
After calming down, Ning Cheng then thought of the Embracing Yang God Tactic, which was actually a Body Forging Cultivation Method. At this point, he was already seriously injured, to the point that he can’t possibly be any more seriously injured. Would it be possible for him to use the Embracing Yang God Tactic to absorb lightning arcs to forge his body?
To Ning Cheng’s complete surprise, the Embracing Yang God Tactic was really useful. The lightning arcs rampaging through his body, tearing apart not only his corporeal body but also his bones, the Embracing Yang God Tactic actually condensed all this damage and destruction and fused it into what was left of his corporeal body. As long as he was still able to operate the Embracing Yang God Tactic, he was able to use the power of these tribulation thunders to start quenching his corporeal body. Not only that, he could even feel his cultivation actually thriving under this kind of thunder source.
If one had the chance to live, then no one would be willing to die, it was the same for Ning Cheng. At this moment, he was crazily operating the Embracing Yang God Tactic, causing the lightning arcs that were tearing apart Ning Cheng’s body to instantly turn into nourishing thunder sources before being rapidly absorbed.
Ning Cheng struggled to take out several healing pills and swallowed them down, then took out the Essence Birthing Bamboo Pith before pouring a mouthful of it into his mouth. As long as there was even the slightest of a chance, he did not want to give up.
As his body rapidly recovered, he could also feel his cultivation deepening scrape by scrape, while his corporeal body was also being rapidly reconstructed. Even though Ning Cheng was operating the Embracing Yang God Tactic, under the influence of the Mysterious Yellow Formless, it was also upgraded and changed, allowing him to absorb the thunder source at a much faster pace, causing his cultivation to progress even faster.
However, even if that was the case, it was still too slow.
Thunder resounded in the air, but at the same time, a number of blue green coloured lightning arcs descended, causing Ning Cheng’s heart to sink to the bottom.
He was just like a person who found a sluice on a lake being overfilled with water, and began using it to drain the water, but unfortunately his speed was simply too slow, and the inflow of water would soon cause the lake to burst apart and overflow. Currently he was in a similar situation as he faced the thunder tribulation, he did have a method to turn it completely into a thunder source and absorb it. Compared to the terrifying thunder tribulation descending on him, his efforts were simply a drop of water in a bucket.
Not to mention about being able to withstand the next wave of tribulation thunder arcs, his body was still seriously injured, and had only recovered by less than half.
“Boom boom boom......” Another wave of nine lightning arcs descended, as Ning Cheng was almost on the verge of descending into despair, he suddenly felt his Zifu shaking.
It was the Everlasting Blue Thunder City.
Ning Cheng immediately thought of the Everlasting Blue Thunder City, without any time to think of anything else, he immediately exerted everything he had to stimulate and bring out the Everlasting Blue Thunder City to withstand the descending lightning arcs.
At this moment, Ning Cheng was equivalent to a cultivator half a step into the Soul Essence Realm, he also had an extremely powerful spiritual consciousness, plus he had even been continuously refining the Everlasting Blue Thunder City. As such under such crazy stimulations, it unexpectedly exploded out with a blue green thunder city shadow.
He did not really bring out the Blue Thunder City, rather just managed to bring out a shadow of the Everlasting Blue Thunder City. This shadow of the Everlasting Blue Thunder City, which he had just brought out, was several times clearer than the previous instances, to the point that one could even see the outline of the Thunder City.
“Ka ka ka......” The nine lightning arcs, at this moment, completely descended on the blue green thunder city’s shadow.
A huge explosion sounded out, as the five lighting arcs in the front were directly absorbed by the blue green thunder city’s shadow. They were just like mud falling into the sea, disappearing without even a trace.
When the sixth and seventh arcs struck the blue green thunder city’s shadow, Ning Cheng immediately felt a sharp pain in his Sea of Consciousness, followed by the thunder city’s shadow being reduced to slag under the strike of the blue green lightning arcs, allowing the eighth and ninth blue green lightning arcs a clear path to Ning Cheng’s body.
After the baptism from the first wave of tribulations thunders, Ning Cheng did not panic as he did initially, rather he stimulated his true essence and immediately sent out axe fists towards the two descending lightning arcs. Although it was not enough to completely dispel the lightning arcs; but he was able to reduce the power behind it to the extent that he could utilize the Embracing Yang God Tactic to absorb the remnant lightning arcs.
Although wounds stacked upon each other, but at least Ning Cheng did not feel that initial despair that he felt after the first wave of thunder tribulation, at least he now had a way to cross the tribulation.
The next moment, Ning Cheng immediately recalled the Cosmic True Devil Axe.
His corporeal body under the influence of the Embracing Yang God Tactic, was constantly quenched, Ning Cheng could also consciously feel that his corporeal body was constantly strengthening, allowing his resistance towards the tribulation thunder to constantly rise.
Previously, he had thought that the biggest harvest that he obtained after entering the Forsaken Land was the rod made of unknown materials. But only now did Ning Cheng realize that the biggest harvest that he obtained in the Forsaken Land was unexpectedly the Embracing Yang God Tactic. The Embracing Yang God Tactic was simply of no use to him in the Forsaken Land, but rather it came to his use during the time he was trying to cross the tribulation. Not only was it useful, but it also became his life saving trump-card.
“Boom boom boom.” Exploding sounds erupted once again, allowing Ning Cheng to realize that it signified the descent of the third wave of lightning arcs, but at this time, he did not have the previous nervousness and worry.
With the help of pills and Essence Birthing Bamboo Pith, Ning Cheng was able to restore most of his spiritual consciousness and true essence, allowing him to once again bring out the Everlasting Blue Thunder City’s shadow.
Once again, nine successive lightning arcs descended, however Ning Cheng was prepared for it this time. Of the nine lightning arcs, the Everlasting Blue Thunder City was able to extinguish seven of them. Then using his Cosmic True Devil Axe, he was able to take care of another of those lightning arcs, letting the one remaining to strike his body, allowing him to continue quenching is corporeal body, while strengthening his cultivation.
Ning Cheng himself could feel that as his corporeal body continued with the quenching process, it ended up breaking past some of the body forging barriers inside him, allowing his body to reach an even higher level. Unfortunately, he did not know up to what extent his body’s strength had advanced currently. It was because he simply did not know anything about Body Forging Cultivation Methods.
In any case, it seems that he only has to face one more wave of thunder tribulations, and as long as he was able to survive past this last wave of tribulation thunders, he would then become a true Soul Essence Cultivator.
Ning Cheng had just thought this, when cracking sounds erupted over his head, signifying the descent of another wave of those blue green lightning arcs
But Ning Cheng soon found himself speechless, although he was seeing the descent of thunder tribulation, but it was not just nine tribulation thunder arcs descending this time, rather he saw eighteen tribulation thunder arcs descending on him.
As the tribulation thunder arcs rapidly descended, if made Ning Cheng feel that he would truly not be able to continue. Ning Cheng crazily stimulated the Everlasting Blue Thunder City’s shadow, however even he knew that even if worked in an even crazier manner, he would not be able to extinguish these 18 lightning arcs at the same time, causing his heart to once more go cold.
It looks like this Thunder Tribulation has already set its heart on killing him. Before he went ahead to finally advance to the Soul Essence Realm, he had done a lot of preparation, had even discretely asked many cultivators in the Soul Essence Realm. So he knew that advancing to the Soul Essence Realm from the Profound Core Realm, one would have to first go through four sets of nine thunder tribulations, but this thunder tribulation had already reached the five sets of nine level, what exactly did this mean?
If it was only a person who lied to him it would have still been acceptable, but Ning Cheng did not believe that every single Soul Essence Cultivator would lie to him.
“Ka ka” With every strike of the blue green tribulation lightning being absorbed by the thunder city, it only served to increase the burden on him. When two more tribulation thunder arcs descended on the blue thunder city’s shadow, Ning Cheng knew that he could not go on like this, he had to think of another way.
If each of these lightning arcs were a front ranking expert, then he was only equivalent to a third rate low hand. If only these lightning arcs could be lowered down to the level third rate low hands, then he would not be afraid of them much.
As these thoughts flashed past Ning Cheng’s mind, he immediately controlled the Everlasting Blue Thunder City’s shadow to start ascending.
Under Ning Cheng’s control, the shadow of the Everlasting Blue Thunder City had just touched a descending tribulation thunder arc, when it was immediately shifted by Ning Cheng. Most of the thunder source of this tribulation thunder arc was absorbed by the Everlasting Blue Thunder City, while the remaining smashed downwards towards him. But compared to the original power, the power contained within was simply several degrees lower.