Chapter 353: Killing the Immortals with Tribulatory Lightning

Above the sandstorm, dark, roiling clouds gathered. The entire desert was covered in them.

Beyond the desert, Xiang Shaoyin's eyes widened. "Retreat!"

The Xiang Immortals followed Xiang Shaoyin's lead and retreated time and again. They glanced at the dark clouds in the sky with shock.

"Is this a tribulation? Why is it so large? It's ten times the size that mine was—no, it's growing even larger! Is it because the tribulation sensed those cultivators around Xiao Nanfeng?" one cultivator cried out.

"No, it can't be! The first strike of tribulatory lightning hasn't yet landed. The tribulation hasn't accounted for others around him yet. Right now, that tribulation's still designed for Xiao Nanfeng and Xiao Nanfeng alone. Just what technique is he cultivating? Or could he have committed such heinous crimes that even the heavens want to take him down? How could this be?" Xiang Shaoyin exclaimed.

"This tribulation belongs to Xiao Nanfeng alone? He's not even an Immortal yet! I'm an Immortal, and it frightens me..."

"No wonder Xiao Nanfeng's willing to use himself as bait. Anyone would die under such circumstances—and this is even before the heavens expand the scope of the tribulation to account for how many people there are! Even I wouldn't be able to survive it." Xiang Shaoyin's eyes twitched.

"In other words, are Cui Haitang and the others done for?"

"If Cui Haitang and the others escape immediately, they'll be fine, but they're trapped by the formation!" Xiang Shaoyin narrowed his eyes.

Blue Lantern, manipulating the formation from the periphery, looked up at the dark, roiling clouds in the air. He too was shocked.

"The strength of a heavenly tribulation depends on a cultivator's potential and karma. How could Xiao Nanfeng's tribulation be so intense? This is the most extreme version of the tribulation possible! Is his potential that immense?" Blue Lantern wondered.

Suddenly, the dark clouds gained a blood-red tinge. A bolt of blood lightning descended from the air.

"Blood lightning? No, the tribulation didn't arise because of Xiao Nanfeng's potential, but because of his karma! His truesoul is marked with sin. The heavens themselves are against someone who has committed such great evil..." Blue Lantern exclaimed.

In the heart of the sandstorm, Cui Haitang and the others blanched. They were paralyzed by fear. By then, Xiao Nanfeng had stopped running away. Instead, he headed toward an Immortal that had been chasing after him.

"Stay away!" the Immortal cried out.

A bolt of blood lightning descended like a waterfall, enveloping the two cultivators. A shriek rang out as a huge pit formed in the desert.

Xiao Nanfeng and the Immortal had fallen to the ground, both heavily injured. They spat out mouthfuls of fresh blood, their clothes tattered and worn. Blood streaked their bodies; they were a sorry sight to behold.

"What sort of tribulation is this? Even the first blow can wound an Immortal to this extent?!" the cultivators cried out.

Within the pit, Xiao Nanfeng shook his head in surprise. "Wasn't the first bolt of lightning not supposed to take others into account? How could it have been so strong? There are forty-nine strikes of tribulatory lightning in all. How am I supposed to survive.?!"

The dark clouds roiled again. The tribulation, as if discovering that Xiao Nanfeng had helpers around, grew larger and stronger.

"No, no!"

The Immortal that had been heavily injured by the bolt of lightning looked up at the sky in terror. He felt as though the tribulation had locked in on him, that a far stronger bolt was right about to descend. He arduously got to his feet and tried to run.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"Where are you going? Aren't you going to catch me? Come, we can suffer through this tribulation together." Xiao Nanfeng rushed toward him.

"Xiao Nanfeng, are you crazy? You're going to kill us both!" the Immortal screamed.

Even so, Xiao Nanfeng continued to give chase. He consumed a blood peach whole, causing a peach-shaped haze of light to form around him and heal his injuries.

The next bolt of blood lightning was twice the size of the first. It struck the two cultivators and formed another huge pit in the desert.

The Immortal screamed as he was smashed into the pit once more. His qi barrier shattered instantly, and the blood lightning broke one of his arms. He fell in a pool of blood.

The other Immortals around were so scared that they began to shake. None of them dared to approach Xiao Nanfeng, because that would only intensify the tribulation.

Xiao Nanfeng was likewise left bloody by the second bolt of blood lightning. However, the blood peach healed him rapidly.

"This won't be enough. I'll need another one!" Xiao Nanfeng decided.

He retrieved another blood peach and ate it whole, murmuring thanks to the peach branch that had managed to transform the giant whale's carcass into twelve whole blood peaches.

The third bolt of blood lightning descended, striking Xiao Nanfeng and the Immortal. The Immortal screamed, his body blown to pieces as he died on the spot.

Xiao Nanfeng's body was ravaged yet again. Without any hesitation, as he consumed the blood peaches, he shot toward Cui Haitang.

"There's no way out. We've returned where we were! We can't even go up..."

"This damned formation! He wants to kill us all with him!"

"Your Majesty, Xiao Nanfeng has returned!" the cultivators cried out.

They knew that, if they left Xiao Nanfeng unchecked, they would perish to the tribulation like the Immortal from before.

"We have to strike simultaneously and kill Xiao Nanfeng. Once he dies, the tribulation will dissipate," Cui Haitang said. Then, she looked toward Tang. "Retreat with my father. Don't let him approach Xiao Nanfeng. Make sure he stays as far away as possible."

"Understood!" everyone replied.

The cultivators all shot forward, brandishing their weapons at Xiao Nanfeng.

The tribulatory clouds shook, as though sensing that external forces were attempting to interfere with the fairness of the trial. The clouds grew larger in size once again.

Xiao Nanfeng stepped back, dodging the Immortals' attack. The fourth bolt of blood lightning descended, ten times the size of the previous one. It looked as though a blood-colored lake had upended itself in mid-air.

"No!" the cultivators cried out.

They were instantly swallowed up by the blood lightning, which produced blazing flames and a windstorm as it landed. A huge pit formed in the desert, sending the Immortals flying. They were injured all over, and many had broken limbs. Even Cui Haitang was in poor shape.

Xiao Nanfeng wasn't much better, either. He slumped over as he spat out a mouthful of blood. "I seem to have bitten off more than I can chew..."

Because he was continuing to consume more blood peaches, his injuries were healing at a rapid rate. When he reached his ninth peach, his eyes widened. "I can't increase the regeneration from these peaches any further? Have I consumed too many peaches for them to be useful anymore?"

Even so, he hurriedly swallowed the final three peaches as well.

Then, he rushed toward one of the heavily wounded Immortals.

"Don't come over! Stay back!" the Immortal cried out.

Another bolt of blood lightning swamped the two cultivators. The heavily wounded Immortal perished instantly.

This time, the lightning had grown slightly weaker, and Xiao Nanfeng was barely able to withstand it.

He leapt toward another Immortal.

None other dared to attack him at this point. They were fleeing toward the outer edges of the formation. Unfortunately for them, the sandstorm was still going. No matter where the Immortals ran, they would loop back around and be caught by Xiao Nanfeng, who would trigger a bolt of blood lightning and kill them.

One Immortal died after the other.

Cui Haitang's eyes widened. She wanted to avenge her sons, but that didn't mean she wanted to die. The blood lightning was far too potent for even her to withstand.

"Pestilence Sage, unbind my father. Free him now!" Cui Haitang cried out.

"Understood!" Tang immediately deactivated the left division leader's token.

The black-robed skeleton was released from its constraints in a burst of black smoke.

"Kill, kill, kill!" the black skeleton roared.

"Don't head over there, Father! Father, wake up. We have to flee!" Cui Haitang urged.

However, the black skeleton ignored Cui Haitang. It rushed toward the largest source of vitality in the region: Xiao Nanfeng.

"Die!" The black skeleton clawed at Xiao Nanfeng.

It moved so rapidly that Xiao Nanfeng was unable to dodge. He had no choice but to hastily strike back.

"Hegemon's Fist!" Xiao Nanfeng roared.

The skeleton's claws batted him to the ground with such force that he sprayed out a mouthful of blood.

Without any hesitation, the black skeleton launched itself at him again. Another bolt of blood lightning struck, enveloping the two cultivators. This time, it was no weaker than when ten Immortals had attacked Xiao Nanfeng simultaneously.

Flames and wind filled the desert once again.

As the lightning dissipated, Xiao Nanfeng spat out another mouthful of blood, badly injured. The black skeleton's robes exploded, and cracks formed on its skull. It had clearly suffered a significant injury as well, but the wounds had sobered it up to some extent.

"Father, we have to leave! Don't attack him any longer. We need to escape from the formation!" Cui Haitang exclaimed.

In the air, dark clouds roiled. Another bolt of lightning seemed poised to strike.

The black skeleton, sensing grave danger, rushed toward Cui Haitang and took her hand.

"Father, are you awake? Quick, we have to leave. We're in a Disorienting Sandstorm Formation!" Cui Haitang urged.

"Bring me, too!" Tang cried out, flying toward them.

The black skeleton clawed at the void, forming a vacuum-filled portal from which the land outside the desert could be seen.

The black skeleton rushed out of the formation with the two cultivators in tow. The next moment, the sandstorm filled the hole where the portal had been.

Blue Lantern blanched. "The black skeleton escaped! Has it reached the Earth Immortal realm?"