In the depths of the lightning abyss, a corner of rock flickered and vanished!
Shi Hao’s heart pounded violently, his shock overwhelming. He stared intently, certain he hadn’t misseen it—a dull, ancient-looking stone, carrying an aura from ages past, neither too large nor too small, about ten feet long, soaring through the lightning.
“I saw it—it looked so real!” Sanzang muttered to himself, his gaze fixed deep into the electric glow.
As for Shen Ming, her small mouth formed an “O,” her crimson hair glowing, her wide eyes shimmering with astonishment as she stared into the abyss.
To witness such a thing—Shi Hao felt something was amiss. Just what kind of place was this?
“It’s gone. We need to observe more carefully,” Sanzang said.
Naturally, none of them acted recklessly. All three remained cautious, vigilant, knowing full well the dangers lurking here. They gazed into the lightning abyss from afar.
**BOOM!**
Billions of lightning bolts erupted outward, deafening and devastating, shaking the very heavens.
And then, they saw it again.
The gray stone, ancient in aura, yet radiating the most dazzling light—terrifying, tearing through the void in all directions, as if it could rend the cosmos apart.
**A Thunder Pool!**
No mistake this time—they saw it clearly. It was a Thunder Pool, the source of all those lightning bolts.
Shi Hao had seen one before, but never this large. Once, he had even captured one—an event so rare it stunned everyone in Imperial Pass.
Of course, that time, he had barely survived, grievously wounded in the process.
Now, here he was, encountering another Thunder Pool. What kind of place was this?
No one was even undergoing a tribulation, yet a Thunder Pool had emerged from the lightning abyss.
As for the two Golden Burial Guards, they were equally stunned. They could sense it clearly—this Thunder Pool was real, not an illusion.
Some who undergo tribulations might glimpse a pool amidst the lightning, but none could ever take it away.
In truth, the Thunder Pools seen in heavenly tribulations were generally believed to be mere projections, not physical entities.
In all these years, perhaps only Shi Hao, during his tribulation in Imperial Pass, had ever captured a real one.
“That’s…”
“There’s more!”
“Not just one!”
Their pupils contracted as they stared into the abyss.
Earlier, they had vaguely glimpsed one or two shadows. Now, it was confirmed—this place held more than one Thunder Pool.
A second Thunder Pool emerged—black in color, three feet square, smaller than the first but no less terrifying in its thunderous might.
**Unprecedented!**
Never had such a sight been recorded, at least not in their knowledge.
How could two Thunder Pools appear at once?
Searching through ancient texts, they found no mention of such a phenomenon.
Even those who had survived heavenly tribulations had never witnessed two real pools simultaneously. Usually, only one appeared—never coexisting.
If two were seen, one had to be an illusion.
And yet, here, their instincts told them—both were real.
“This is madness…” Shen Ming murmured, her usual charm replaced by icy seriousness. She could hardly believe it.
As Golden Burial Guards, they despised lightning but had studied it deeply. Yet today defied all logic.
“A third one!”
Another Thunder Pool surfaced—silver-white, radiant, its light piercing the void.
Six feet square, it exuded a dreadful aura, unleashing countless beams of light—each a deadly lightning bolt, carrying annihilation itself.
Shi Hao, Sanzang, and Shen Ming were dumbfounded. Three Thunder Pools? Was this some kind of myth?
Two had already been bizarre enough, but now, three?
The lightning abyss churned violently, the three pools occasionally submerged by the storm, flickering in and out of sight.
From afar, they resembled the dorsal fins of sharks, emerging ominously from a vast ocean.
The three exchanged glances. Just where had they come? Why were there three Thunder Pools here?
Could this be the source of all lightning?
If so… the implications were unimaginable. A place like this would terrify even immortals.
A land of divine punishment?
How had this sea of tribulation lightning formed?
If true, what did it signify? The dwelling of the heavens? Or something else entirely?
Their minds reeled, waves of shock crashing within them.
Shen Ming rubbed her temples, her scalp tingling. This place was too eerie—and far too dangerous.
“Should… we retreat?”
If they stayed, their hidden cultivation might be exposed, inviting a catastrophic tribulation.
“Don’t tell me… all the vanished heavenly tribulations since the Ancient Immortal Era have gathered here, hidden in this abyss,” Shi Hao muttered. It seemed all too plausible.
Otherwise, where had the tribulations of this era gone?
This place—a lightning abyss, with real Thunder Pools lurking within—spoke volumes.
“Where else can we go? There’s no path back, no teleportation array to return. We had no choice but to press forward and find this place,” Sanzang said.
Soon after, divine light surged within the abyss, and a fourth Thunder Pool emerged—blood-red, ten zhang long, its crimson radiance carrying a metallic scent.
“This Thunder Pool…”
It resembled a pool of blood, as if it had devoured the essence of countless lives.
Whether that was true or not remained unknown.
This fourth pool was massive, its aura overwhelming. If it exploded, it could reduce countless beings to ashes.
Even from a distance, its oppressive aura unsettled the soul.
So many Thunder Pools gathered together—this defied all reason, leaving them speechless.
This was a land of terror.
“Do you think… these pools contain rare Tribulation Lightning Elixir?” Shen Ming suddenly murmured.
If they did, it would be priceless beyond measure.
“They do,” Shi Hao affirmed. The small pool he once obtained had held such treasures—how much more these colossal ones?
“Likely. Just now, I thought I glimpsed something shimmering inside,” Sanzang agreed.
“What do we do? No path back, and the way forward is blocked. How do we return?” Shen Ming sighed.
“A dead end lies ahead, but perhaps within this abyss, there’s a way out,” Shi Hao said.
“Perhaps. Tribulation lightning brings destruction, but also vitality—like the Tribulation Lightning Elixir. This abyss may hold death, but also a path to life,” Shen Ming mused.
**BOOM!**
Multiple Thunder Pools surged upward simultaneously, erupting with light so intense it seemed to shatter the entire lightning sea.
“From destruction, new life is born,” Sanzang whispered, then sharply raised his head, staring into the abyss.
With their divine eyes, they peered deeper.
As the lightning subsided momentarily, they glimpsed something within—a cobblestone path, winding through the void, leading into the abyss’s depths.
“There really is a path!”
They were stunned.
What did this mean?
Did destruction truly conceal a sliver of life, leaving behind a trail?
Was this path left by ancients, or was it a natural formation?
Their minds raced with possibilities.
Yet, they also saw—beneath the Thunder Pools, beside that path—another colossal Thunder Pool.
A hundred zhang in diameter, it radiated immortal light amidst the thunder, its aura petrifying.
“A path lies ahead. No need to overthink—we must move forward,” Shen Ming declared, now resolute.
“We must see where it leads,” Sanzang agreed.
“Destruction hides life. A path exists—we have no choice but to take it,” Shi Hao murmured.
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