The vast sky had been clear and pristine, but in an instant, lightning blazed ten thousand zhang high, electric arcs surging like a sea, drowning the wilderness in a terrifying spectacle.

In that single moment, the heavens seemed to collapse, plunging into pitch darkness as electric serpents writhed chaotically, like countless flood dragons rearing and surging.

“BOOM!”

The sound was deafening. Had any ordinary mortal been present, their eardrums would have been shattered. The thunderous noise was like a qilin roaring, shaking the mountains and rivers, as if it meant to overturn the very earth itself.

Viewed from afar, the scene was oppressive and terrifying — a sheet of dark light pouring down like a torrential downpour, dense and relentless, thunderstorms erupting everywhere.

“Rumble, rumble, rumble…”

Among the lightning, there were streaks of blood-red electricity flowing like rivers of crimson emptying into the sea. The sight was horrifying. This once-peaceful wilderness had its tranquility shattered in an instant.

The entire area descended into chaos. Apart from the thunder capable of shattering a man’s eardrums, no other sound existed. The colossal bolts of lightning caused even distant mountains to crumble and collapse.

The electric arcs hadn’t even made direct contact, yet their mere shockwaves had obliterated countless stone cliffs, leaving nothing behind — scattered rocks piercing the clouds, electric arcs sweeping across the sky.

“The last time Yan Yunluan transcended his tribulation was when he entered the Extraordinary Talent Manor, and that was fewer than three months ago. He’s broken through again…”

Everyone was deeply shaken. What is true genius? Yan Yunluan had given the finest answer — possessing tremendous innate power and astonishing talent, the moment opportunity arose, he would break through.

“CRACK!”

Nine blood-red bolts of lightning, like nine vicious dragons, each as thick as a palace hall, twisted downward and pierced through the void, leaving scorched devastation in their wake.

Nine black voids suddenly appeared. Nine crimson pillars of lightning all struck toward Ye Fan — the heavenly tribulation had begun, engulfing him entirely from the start.

“This is being controlled by someone!”

Someone cried out in astonishment. Yan Yunluan was composed. Despite undergoing his tribulation, he showed not the slightest fear, guiding Heaven’s divine punishment with the intent to obliterate Ye Fan right here and now.

“Crack, crack…”

Next, eighty-one blood-red bolts of lightning burst forth, intertwining to form a cage of lightning that bore down with crushing force.

“Using one’s own will to control a portion of Heaven’s punishing power!”

The crowd cried out in amazement. Under ordinary circumstances, a person in such a situation would be fighting for their own survival, with little hope of preserving their life. How could anyone possibly take command of the lightning? Yet Yan Yunluan had channeled the heavenly tribulation, shaping it into a cage to serve his own purposes.

“BOOM!”

Eighty-one arcs of crimson lightning struck simultaneously, forming a cage that resembled a miniature palace — mysterious and profound, yet unstable, for this was, after all, a tribulation lightning — no one could truly master it.

Ye Fan moved like a flood dragon swimming through the sea of lightning. Those watching could not know how he felt inside, but seeing that he appeared untroubled, they surmised he could still hold on.

“Flash!”

The cage resembled a prison from the heavens, sealing off all four directions. At last, it had surrounded him completely, seeking to trap him within as endless electric arcs poured down, striking inward.

“Terrifying — this is truly Heaven’s punishment!”

Every single person felt a chill run through them, the hair on their bodies standing on end.

At this moment, nothing else seemed to exist. The earth cracked open in endless fissures, forming great canyons one after another. The sea of lightning expanded and surged downward in a scene of apocalyptic devastation.

Yan Yunluan stood tall with great pride, positioned at the heart of the sea of lightning. Though ten thousand zhang of lightning danced around him, he showed not the slightest trace of fear. He gazed down at Ye Fan with a slight cold indifference at the corner of his mouth, wielding the heavenly tribulation in an attempt to suppress him.

Everyone was horrified. Who would dare face such a thunderstorm so casually? And who could possibly survive it unharmed?

This was the privilege of the truly monstrous. Only they, when making a breakthrough, would draw Heaven’s punishment down upon themselves — proof from another angle of their extraordinary power and exceptional nature.

This world was, in its own way, fair. To endure Heaven’s trial, though it was a brush with death — liable at any moment to obliterate both body and soul — once a cultivator survived the tribulation, their strength would far surpass those at the same level.

This was precisely why such individuals were called monstrous prodigies. They had earned Heaven’s recognition and endured the tempering of Heaven and Earth’s will. They were extraordinary people indeed.

“BOOM!”

Suddenly, the cage woven from intertwined lightning let out a tremendous crack. Eighty-one blood-red bolts shattered, and Ye Fan broke free — his foundation unharmed.

“This small domain lord is truly remarkable. It’s not entirely because he relies on the Myriad Calamity Bow — his own body is also incredibly powerful.”

The crowd was surprised. To break free amid such heavenly thunder and lightning was itself an act of defying the natural order. Whether he could ultimately escape remained to be seen.

Ye Fan was calm. This sea of lightning posed no real threat to him — it paled in comparison to his own heavenly tribulation. His eyes gleamed with a sharp, clear light as a bold idea took shape in his mind.

Heaven’s punishment was fearsome, yet it was also an opportunity. He wanted to use his opponent’s tribulation lightning to draw his own Dragon Transformation heavenly tribulation, hoping to use this chance to break through and advance into an entirely new realm.

“Hmph!”

Yan Yunluan let out a cold snort. Seeing Ye Fan unharmed, he paced through the void, summoning ten thousand zhang of lightning as he advanced — intending to personally command the surging flashes of lightning across the sky and reduce his opponent to tribulation ash.

“Rumble, rumble, rumble!”

In that moment, the sun, moon, and stars ceased to exist. Heaven, earth, and all things vanished. There was only an endless expanse of lightning sea, surging like a true ocean, terrifying to the very soul.

“DONG!”

Like the divine drums of the Celestial Court thundering out, mountains and rivers trembled without exception. Distant mountain peaks collapsed under the shockwave, the earth splitting open, utterly destroyed beyond recognition.

This was the power of Heaven and Earth — merciless and terrifying, chilling the heart. An ordinary person would have been reduced to ash long ago, utterly incapable of enduring it.

In the distance, every person stood rigid with awe. Many were drenched in cold sweat, their garments soaked through. This power from above was something no mortal body could possibly oppose.

“Too terrifying. To venture deeper would surely mean being struck into charcoal. Even those at the Holy Son level would struggle to escape.”

A killing aura permeated the air. The chill in everyone’s hearts intensified sharply. If it were them facing this — how would they withstand it? Most would have no means to resist the might of Heaven’s punishment alone.

“BOOM!”

Yan Yunluan pressed forward, and indeed, carrying ten thousand zhang of lightning, he submerged Ye Fan completely. Those watching could not see what was happening within. Everyone believed he was in grave danger.

Within the sea of electricity, silver serpents danced wildly, dark light rippled, and crimson radiance erupted. Lightning of every color combined to form a world of divine punishment — destroying everything, breaking through all resistance.

Yan Yunluan smiled coldly. Using his powerful physique to resist the tribulation lightning, he fixed his gaze on the center of the thunder ahead, certain that Ye Fan could no longer hold on and was nearly reduced to ash.

But just then, his expression suddenly froze. Ye Fan walked out, step by step, ten thousand zhang of lightning raining down upon his body — yet he was completely fearless.

“Your heavenly tribulation is still a bit lacking. Let the thunderstorm grow more ferocious.” Ye Fan said serenely, as calm as one strolling through a courtyard garden.

Hearing these words, Yan Yunluan’s expression changed at once. Something felt wrong. His opponent was unharmed. Could it be that he too was a monstrous prodigy who had already survived a heavenly tribulation?

“Ahhh…”

He let out a great roar that pierced through the sea of lightning and shot straight into the sky. His black hair stood on end, swirling chaotically. In that moment, an even greater tribulation descended — five-colored lightning!

Ye Fan stood on the opposite side with a faint smile, allowing the tribulation to descend upon him, utterly fearless. He strode forward, ten thousand zhang of electric arcs unable to halt his steps.

“BOOM!”

Endless lightning, like a great river in full flood, like a star realm crashing down — vast and boundless — swallowed Ye Fan whole.

Even Yan Yunluan himself was struggling now. He stared across at his opponent, but after only a short time, Ye Fan once again stepped forward, not a single scorch mark on his body.

“Still not enough. The tribulation is too weak. Let the violent electricity come more ferociously,” Ye Fan said.

Hearing these words, Yan Yunluan nearly vomited blood. This was a heavenly tribulation — even those at the Holy Son level would perish within it if they lingered long enough.

Yet a small domain lord who supposedly relied entirely on an external weapon kept walking out of the sea of lightning like an unkillable cockroach, time and time again, rendering Heaven’s punishment ineffective.

Yan Yunluan grew furious. Holding nothing back, he released his full tribulation aura. Heaven’s punishment surged like the sea, raining down in its entirety. Quite a few Dao markings appeared, interweaving with the electric arcs.

Yet after six or seven massive waves of tribulation had fallen, Ye Fan emerged from the sea of electricity each time, walking forward step by step — calm and composed, never destroyed by it.

“Little swallow, are you even up to the task? Make it more ferocious!” Ye Fan taunted.

Yan Yunluan was truly enraged. What was a heavenly tribulation? It was the destruction of all things under Heaven and Earth. He had called upon lightning punishment to destroy his enemy, and yet he was being mocked like this. Being called “little swallow” made his fury blaze to the heavens.

“DANG!”

A bell toll rang out within the sea of lightning. A great bell formed from dark light took shape in the distance, hazy but present. The thunder it emitted was extraordinarily fearsome.

“What is that?”

“Yan Yunluan has used one of his divine thoughts to take command of the sea of lightning, controlling the electric arcs and forming a Tribulation Divine Bell!”

The crowd’s expressions changed without exception. The bell was blurry, but had taken on a certain scale, interlaced with ten thousand streaks of thunderstorm, trembling gently — capable of destroying all things.

“DANG…”

The great bell formed from dark light and electric arcs trembled lightly, and tens of thousands of electric arcs burst forth, all crashing downward, falling upon Ye Fan’s surroundings.

Then, layers upon layers of dark light, like waves of a surging tide, drowned him. Those outside could see nothing — only a sheet of blazing, brilliant lightning.

“To take command of the heavenly tribulation and make it serve oneself!”

The crowd was horrified. This technique had never been seen before. No one was left unmoved. To unleash such a trump card against an opponent mid-battle was nothing short of an absolute killing blow.

Even Ye Fan was momentarily astonished. So it was also possible to channel heavenly tribulation in this manner — truly extraordinary. He felt deeply moved and inspired.

The bell was indeed exceptional. With a single peal, Heaven and Earth shattered. Its form grew clearer and clearer. Ye Fan slapped his palm outward — “DANG” — and the bell waves raged outward violently.

In the distance, entire stretches of desolate mountains were like paper, unable to withstand it — they crumbled and collapsed, utterly destroyed, ceasing to exist.

“Lightning as the form, the laws of the Dao as the spirit — such a great bell can shatter all things,” many marveled.

“Hum!”

The great bell trembled and descended, covering Ye Fan and burying him beneath it, his figure nowhere to be seen.

“Yan Yunluan’s methods are heaven-defying. Summoning the Tribulation Divine Bell — he could practically sweep through the younger generation. Who could counter it? A pity that the heavenly tribulation cannot occur at will.”

“I’ve heard that the monstrous prodigy from the Eastern Desolation is also skilled at using heavenly tribulations to destroy enemies. I wonder how the two would compare?”

“That prodigy from the Eastern Desolation is just rumors — too far away to know anything about. Yan Yunluan is right here before our eyes, and he’s even manifested a Tribulation Divine Bell. It’s beyond imagination!”

“DANG…”

A bell toll rang out, reverberating across Heaven and Earth. Vast stretches of desolate mountains collapsed. Ye Fan walked out once more — he had shattered the Tribulation Divine Bell with his bare hands.

Yan Yunluan nearly vomited blood. This ultimate killing move — the heavenly tribulation — was unable to do anything to this small domain lord. He was nearly going mad.

“Hmm, Ye Zhetian still hasn’t died — he appeared again,” the crowd exclaimed in surprise.

“BOOM!”

Just then, Heaven and Earth went berserk. The Nine-Five Tribulation, the Five Elements Heavenly Tribulation, the Supreme Yin True Tribulation, the Water and Fire Great Tribulation… every form of divine punishment rained down in an overwhelming deluge.

An area spanning dozens of li was submerged. Nothing could be seen. The two silhouettes were vague and indistinct, barely visible, each enduring the tribulation within the lightning.

“Yan Yunluan is terrifyingly powerful — he’s drawn down such a massive heavenly tribulation! Even a half-step Great Ability cultivator who entered here would likely be unable to withstand it!”

“Worthy of being called a monstrous prodigy — to summon such fearsome divine punishment!”

The crowd cried out in alarm. Not a single person was unafraid. Such an opponent was too terrifying. If provoked, he would bring a heavenly tribulation upon you — truly impossible to resist.

“Damn it all… it wasn’t me who summoned this…” That was what Yan Yunluan most desperately wanted to shout at that moment.

“BANG!”

He was struck and sent flying several hundred zhang, his entire body scorched black, but in an instant, another wave of the Water and Fire Great Tribulation drowned him again.

The next moment, electric light surged all over his body. Enduring the searing pain, he rose from the void — only to be struck flying again immediately after.

“Wait, something is wrong. Yan Yunluan seems to have been blown away by his own tribulation lightning. Could it be that he’s trying to break through two realms at once, drawing down the most powerful divine punishment?”

People were startled to discover that Yan Yunluan was in a terrible state — sent flying repeatedly, struck again and again, suffering severe wounds.

“This person is far too reckless. The tribulation he’s summoned has most likely exceeded what he himself can endure. From the looks of it, he truly intends to advance two levels at once,” many speculated.

Within the sea of lightning, Yan Yunluan felt like weeping. What great tribulation had he summoned? It was that bastard on the other side who was the one undergoing the tribulation!

The only problem was that the center of the lightning sea was completely inundated, utterly obscured. Those outside could see nothing.