Chapter 209 : A Trial of Lightning and Resolve

Emerging from the Spirit Pool Cave Abode, the two discovered the Firmament above was rent by lightning and thunder, a vast expanse of Tribulation Clouds [ominous clouds that gather during a cultivator's heavenly trial] blotting out the sky for hundreds of Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters].

Eldrin Chen felt a surge of worry. He couldn't help but grasp her hand, his expression grave as he spoke.

"The more formidable a cultivator's foundation, the more powerful the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [the trial of heavenly lightning faced when advancing to the Golden Core realm] becomes. You must be cautious."

"Do not worry."

Lyra Jiang nodded calmly, her demeanor radiating absolute confidence.

The Heavenly Thunder Tribulation is the greatest trial for a Golden Core Cultivator. Countless cultivators, having toiled to condense their Golden Core [the solidified core of spiritual energy formed in the dantian], ultimately meet their end beneath the fury of the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation.

At its core, this fate stems from one's divine abilities proving insufficient against the heavenly wrath, or one's magical treasure [an enchanted artifact used by cultivators] and immortal swords lacking the necessary power.

Even a Third Rank High Grade Magical Treasure can easily shatter within the tempest of the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation. Many cultivators exhaust their entire fortunes to acquire Defensive Magical Treasure for the trial, and those lacking sufficient Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation] will borrow high-grade treasures from allies.

Yet, even with multiple treasures in hand, most will be reduced to ruin by the heavenly lightning's onslaught. Countless cultivators of modest means, their preparations and protective artifacts inadequate, are ultimately struck down by the celestial bolts.

Generally speaking, possessing a single Fourth Rank Magical Treasure significantly increases one's chances of surviving the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation. Official source: audio . novel . com. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

Although Lyra Jiang possessed exceptional talent and the power of her Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [the trial of heavenly lightning a cultivator must endure to advance to the Golden Core Realm] far surpassed the ordinary, she possessed four Fourth Rank Lifebound Magical Treasure [a cultivator's personally bound enchanted artifact of the fourth rank]. Furthermore, after slaying the Celestial Python Demon King, she had acquired both the Primordial Unity Five Mist Veil [a legendary defensive treasure that conjures five layers of protective mist] and the Dragon Transformation Blade [a powerful blade imbued with draconic essence]. Thus, she indeed had ample confidence to successfully endure the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation.

"Now, watch me transcend this tribulation."

With those words, Lyra Jiang stepped forth, soaring a thousand Zhang-length [one Zhang-length equals three point three three meters] into the Firmament [the vault of heaven, the sky]. She stood poised amidst the celestial expanse, ready to face the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation.

At this moment, countless cultivators within Celestial Ruins Mountain were stirred. A host of Foundation Establishment Cultivator [cultivators who have solidified their spiritual foundation] flew out in delight, positioning themselves dozens of Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] away to observe Lyra Jiang's tribulation.

Even Chen Thalion, Percival Pan, Xavier Xu, and other Purple Mansion Cultivator [cultivators who have opened their third spiritual sea, the Purple Mansion] had been waiting for this moment for a long time. After all, witnessing a Golden Core Cultivator Undergoing Tribulation was a rare and precious opportunity for enlightenment.

The Heavenly Thunder Tribulation gathered and churned within the Firmament for half a Shichen-time [one Shichen-time equals two hours], finally reaching its peak. With a deafening roar that shook the heavens, a bolt of Violet Thunderbolt [a tribulation lightning of profound and destructive power] erupted from the Nine Heavens Above [the highest celestial realms] and crashed down.

Eldrin Chen's pupils contracted slightly. This was merely the first bolt of lightning, yet its power was already comparable to a full-force strike from a Purple Palace, Late Stage [a cultivator in the advanced phase of the Purple Mansion Realm]. Its radiant glare illuminated the heavens and earth for hundreds of Li-length.

Even he would likely need to exert his full strength and focus entirely to withstand such a blow.

Yet, Lyra Jiang's expression remained serene. With a slight gesture of her finger, the Heaven's Ruin Immortal-Slaying Sword erupted with a sword aura spanning hundreds of Zhang-length. It shot upwards with peerless sharpness to meet the descending bolt.

The sword's radiance illuminated the mountains and rivers for a hundred Li-length, instantly grinding the power of the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation into nothingness. And this was only the beginning.

After several breaths, the second peal of thunder erupted once more. The might of this strike had increased by half yet again, reaching a level comparable to the full-force blow of a Purple Mansion Ninth Layer cultivator.

Such power would likely require even a newly-ascended Golden Core cultivator to respond with a measure of seriousness. Yet, Lyra Jiang remained utterly unperturbed. Her Heaven's Ruin Immortal-Slaying Sword cleaved through all, extinguishing the strike into nothingness in a single, decisive blow.

The third Heavenly Thunder Tribulation that followed possessed a potency that actually reached the False Core Realm, its force approaching sixty to seventy percent of a Golden Core First Layer cultivator's full-strength attack. Nevertheless, it too was instantly annihilated into oblivion by Lyra Jiang's Heaven's Ruin Immortal-Slaying Sword.

However, Eldrin Chen did not show any sign of relief. On the contrary, his expression grew increasingly grave.

The Heaven and Earth Thunder Tribulation consists of nine strikes in total, with each successive blow being more powerful than the last.

Typically, a Golden Core Heavenly Tribulation only reaches a force comparable to a False Core cultivator's full power by the sixth strike. The final three are the ones that truly match the might of a genuine Golden Core.

Yet here, Lyra Jiang's tribulation had already delivered a blow rivaling a False Core's full strength by the third strike. Would the remaining six Heavenly Thunder Tribulation strikes not possess power at least on par with that of a Golden Core cultivator?

After a moment of gathering fury, the fourth Heavenly Thunder Tribulation indeed descended.

As Eldrin Chen had surmised, the power of this fourth strike truly matched the full-force attack of a Golden Core First Layer cultivator.

For a cultivator who had just broken through to Golden Core, facing such a formidable Heavenly Thunder Tribulation strike would require them to exert their utmost effort, unleashing their most treasured and potent divine abilities just to survive.

However, after forging the Innate Pure Yin Great Luo Golden Core [a supreme-grade Golden Core foundation of unparalleled purity and power], the purity and profundity of Lyra Jiang's mana had already reached a truly astonishing level, surpassing even that of a Golden Core, Mid Stage [a cultivator at the middle stage of the Golden Core Realm] cultivator by a fair margin.

With a thought, she urged the Heaven's Ruin Immortal-Slaying Sword [her lifebound immortal sword] to slash forth once more, obliterating this Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [a bolt of heavenly retribution lightning] strike into nothingness with a single blow.

The power of the fifth Heavenly Thunder Tribulation strike increased by another twenty percent, its force now equivalent to the full-power assault of a Golden Core Second Layer [a cultivator at the second layer of the Golden Core Realm] expert.

For an ordinary, freshly-advanced Golden Core Cultivator [a cultivator who has just reached the Golden Core Realm] to reach this point, without extraordinary means, they would likely need to sacrifice several Third Rank Magical Treasure [powerful enchanted artifacts of the third rank] to have any hope of withstanding such an onslaught.

Yet, Lyra Jiang, wielding her single Heaven's Ruin Immortal-Slaying Sword, remained undaunted, grinding its terrifying power into oblivion with practiced ease.

The sixth Heavenly Thunder Tribulation strike possessed power comparable to that of a Golden Core, 3rd Tier [a cultivator at the third layer of the Golden Core Realm] expert. For a common cultivator to block this, even with every trick and Magical Treasure Talisman [a talisman that unleashes the power of a magical treasure] at their disposal unleashed, successfully weathering the storm was far from guaranteed. Published by site: audio-novel.com. All rights reserved.

After all, a cultivator who has just broken through to Golden Core [the Golden Core Realm] still requires vast amounts of Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] to elevate their Life-Bound Magical Treasure [a magical treasure bound to one's life force and soul] and divine abilities to the fourth rank. Without a Fourth Rank Magical Treasure [a powerful enchanted artifact of the fourth rank] or a divine ability of that caliber in hand, the difficulty of directly withstanding three full-power strikes from a Golden Core expert was truly no small matter.

It was said that in his time, Xu the Ancient Ancestor, in order to survive the final Heavenly Thunder Tribulation strike, had even seen one of his Fourth Rank Low Grade [a low-grade artifact of the fourth rank] protective magical treasures grievously wounded, requiring several decades of careful nurturing to restore its full power.

As the first six Heavenly Thunder Tribulation strikes were weathered, Eldrin Chen's expression grew increasingly grave.

If the sixth strike already possessed power on par with a Golden Core, 3rd Tier expert, then the final three Heavenly Thunder Tribulation strikes would likely be equivalent to the full-force assaults of a Golden Core, Mid Stage master.

This level of destructive power was utterly terrifying; it was likely that even a cultivator at the Golden Core, Early Stage might not survive it.

After a moment of gathering, a thunderous roar finally erupted. The might of the seventh Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [a devastating trial of heavenly lightning faced during major breakthroughs] indeed proved to be comparable to a single strike from a Golden Core, 4th Tier cultivator.

Lyra Jiang watched the colossal bolt of lightning descend, a trace of solemn focus appearing on her face.

She did not summon the Heaven's Ruin Immortal-Slaying Sword again. Although this sword possessed immense power, it was, after all, merely a Fourth Rank Low Grade Immortal Sword. She had already expended a significant portion of its spiritual essence by fully channeling it to withstand three consecutive strikes from the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation during the Golden Core stage.

If she continued to rely on it, it might withstand one more blow, but the Heaven's Ruin Immortal-Slaying Sword would inevitably suffer severe damage.

She was not lacking in high-grade treasures, so there was no need to push it to that point.

This was where the advantage of Multiple Spiritual Roots [a cultivator's innate spiritual affinity, with multiple elements] became apparent. A cultivator with Multiple Spiritual Roots could possess several Life-Bound Magical Treasure [a magical artifact forged with a cultivator's essence, growing in power with them]. Relying on the existence of multiple Life-Bound Magical Treasure, one's chances of surviving the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation would be significantly higher.

After all, a Life-Bound Magical Treasure was thirty percent more powerful than a standard magical treasure of the same rank, while consuming only thirty percent of the spiritual energy.

This point was especially crucial for high-level cultivators. While high-rank magical treasures could aid in overcoming tribulations, their energy consumption was immense. They were most cost-effective when reserved for the final one or two strikes of the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation. This novel is serialized on audio-novel .c om. Visit for updates.