Chapter 2531: Undergoing Tribulation

Clouds began covering the previously clear sky, turning it dark. Lightning crackled amid the clouds. An inexplicable air of heaviness and solemnity lingered in the surroundings. Countless birds and ferocious beasts in the nearby mountain forests fled in a fluster. Before this, no one had known that there were so many living beings residing in the vicinity.

Even the Mermaid Queen felt difficulty breathing. Her face paled in shock. “What’s going on?”

Yumen Beiqing grimly replied, “He’s about to undergo a heavenly tribulation.”

“Heavenly tribulation?” The Mermaid Queen was taken aback.

“It is a trial mortals have to overcome to become immortals.” Yumen Beiqing looked at Zu An’s silhouette with a deep gaze.

“I heard that most people die amid their heavenly tribulation. Will big brother Zu be fine?” the Mermaid Queen asked.

She came from the Cultivation World of thousands of years ago, when its ki was much stronger. She had heard legends about heavenly tribulation.

“It will be dangerous, but you don’t have to worry about him. He should be able to deal with it. Let’s leave this place first, lest we be implicated by his tribulation lightning,” Yumen Beiqing said as she grabbed the Mermaid Queen’s arm and flew away.

“Are you sure he can deal with it?” The Mermaid Queen was so worried that she wanted to find assurance from Yumen Beiqing.

“Let’s watch and see.” As she watched Zu An’s silhouette, Yumen Beiqing’s face flickered under the flashes of lightning.

She didn’t tell the Mermaid Queen the truth. Most people lost their lives while undergoing the heavenly tribulation, and that was considering how most challengers would have prepared pills, artifacts, and even had elders or daoist companions protecting them nearby.

But Zu An had abruptly encountered heavenly tribulation without any preparations. That would spell certain doom for anyone else.

With Zu An’s strength and his array of formidable methods, there was a good chance he could have overcome the heavenly tribulation had he encountered it in the real world. However, in this Celestial World, tribulation lightning would be at least two to three times stronger.

By now, Zu An had also sensed the anomaly too. The ki in his body had built up to a breaking point, and it felt as if it would shatter the space around him at any moment. He looked up at the tribulation lightning. There was an inexplicable connection between it and his body, and he could sense that it would descend on him at any moment now.

“A tribulation, huh...” He had previously read something similar in novels. He had also previously witnessed Zhao Han facing a tribulation, so it wasn’t hard for him to figure out his current plight.

But why does my tribulation feel much more difficult than Zhao Han’s?

The sky was completely covered in dark clouds, making it impossible to see even the towering Kunlun Mountain anymore.

Is it because of my strength, or just that this world is too powerful?

Zu An had no time to ponder that question, as the first bolt of tribulation lightning fell just then. A white streak that was thicker than a tree trunk fell from the clouds and instantly struck toward his head.

Zu An was already prepared for it, however. He sent his fist forth to crush the tribulation lightning. He didn’t dare to use the Tai’e Sword because Mi Li was inside. Heavenly lightning was the nemesis of soul entities, so he was worried that it could hurt her.

As soon as the lightning dissipated, Zu An felt traces of incredibly pure ki flowing into his body. This was the energy that had been contained within the lightning bolt.

It made him realize that even though tribulations were dangerous, they were also a fortuitous encounter. His clash against the tribulation lightning was also a chance for him to steal the lightning’s energy to temper his body.

Before this, he had considered using a Faraday Cage to avoid the heavenly tribulation. That method could work, but it would cost him an invaluable fortuitous encounter.

While he was deep in thought, another round of tribulation lightning descended. This time, nine bolts of brilliant lightning struck him consecutively.

The Mermaid Queen was horrified. The lightning bolts were so bright that they instantaneously enveloped Zu An’s entire body.

In contrast, Yumen Beiqing was much calmer. She watched the spectacle from afar.

A massive crater appeared in the region. Nearby trees were blasted into bits. Under the immense heat sparked by the tribulation lightning, even rocks melted into lava.

Even so, an upright figure stood at the center of the crater.

Yumen Beiqing’s face reddened.

I have to admit that he has a good figure...

The nine consecutive lightning bolts had incinerated Zu An’s clothes into ashes, exposing his bare skin.

The Mermaid Queen also blushed furiously, but she was more concerned about another matter. “How many waves of tribulation lightning are there?” She had no idea why she was posing this question to the Fiend races’ Saintess, but somehow, she subconsciously thought that the latter would know these details.

“It’s hard to say. Some only undergo one wave, but some undergo nine waves or even more. Usually, the more waves of tribulation lightning one faces, the higher the limit is for their cultivation. Of course, more waves of tribulation lightning may fall on vile individuals who pique heaven’s scorn to decimate them too,” Yumen Beiqing answered smoothly, as if she already knew these things ahead of time.

The Mermaid Queen breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good to hear. Big brother Zu has been doing good his entire life. Surely the world will not seek to destroy him.”

However, looking at his tattered clothes, she couldn’t help but worry. “His clothes are already destroyed even though it’s only the second wave. Things don’t look good.”

She was strong enough to be considered an expert in the Cultivation World too. She understood that Zu An’s clothes had only been destroyed because he was unable to fully neutralize the lightning. That meant he was already struggling a little on the second wave.

Yumen Beiqing could tell as much too. She calmly said, “Don’t worry, he's still enduring the lightning with his body alone. He hasn’t used his weapon yet.”

The Mermaid Queen breathed a sigh of relief.

Just then, another wave of tribulation lightning manifested in the sky, forming crimson lightning spheres.

Yumen Beiqing frowned.

“What’s wrong?” the Mermaid Queen asked nervously.

“The Planetary Tribulation Lightning should be far stronger than the earlier Barrage Tribulation Lightning, but I have no idea why it’s crimson.” Yumen Beiqing was confused.

“Is red lightning the most dangerous one?” The Mermaid Queen was horrified.

Yumen Beiqing shook her head. “It’s the opposite. Of the seven rainbow colors, red lightning is the weakest of all. It is a fearsome force to ordinary cultivators, but it is too weak for a cultivator of his caliber.”

The Mermaid Queen breathed a sigh of relief. “Isn’t that good news? It means that the odds of big brother Zu An surviving the heavenly tribulation are much higher.”

“It’s not necessarily a good thing,” Yumen Beiqing coldly pointed out.