Gazing at the rapidly shrinking hole above, now reduced to about an acre in size, and the black-and-white thunderball within it, as large as a house, Han Li’s pupils contracted slightly.
He knew this was the final moment—whether he could truly emerge unscathed from the True Thunder Tribulation depended entirely on whether he could withstand this last thunderball.
Taking a deep breath, Han Li suddenly spat out three globules of vital essence blood. With a swift hand seal, he pointed toward the sky.
Instantly, the essence blood transformed into dozens of crimson runes, shooting upward and vanishing into the various Extreme Mountains.
The three Extreme Mountains in the air spun rapidly, converging toward the center and merging into a single colossal tricolored peak with a deafening roar. Its size shrank by more than tenfold, now standing only a few dozen zhang tall, while an overwhelming aura radiated outward.
Though this fusion of three mountains bore some resemblance to the ultimate form of the Five Extreme Mountains, the two were fundamentally different.
The Five Extreme Mountains involved the true fusion and refinement of five peaks, allowing seamless combination or separation at will, with power far surpassing the forced fusion of these three mountains, which required a secret technique.
This three-mountain fusion not only demanded Han Li’s vital essence blood to activate but also lasted for an extremely brief period, capable of withstanding only a single strike.
It was a makeshift method Han Li had devised specifically for this breakthrough attempt.
As soon as the three mountains merged, the black-and-white thunderball in the sky plummeted with a thunderous crack, homing in precisely on Han Li’s location.
Unlike previous lightning attacks, this thunderball contained traces of the laws of heaven and earth, locking onto Han Li’s Nascent Soul. Unless forcibly resisted or neutralized, it would pursue him relentlessly, even across thousands of miles.
Most terrifying of all was the sheer destructive power within the thunderball.
An ordinary Body Integration cultivator wouldn’t dare take this strike head-on—even a glancing blow would likely reduce them to ashes.
Han Li wasted no time. With a decisive incantation, his Golden Saint Body let out a long roar, its six arms thrusting upward simultaneously.
*Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Six golden orbs shot into the sky, merging into a massive golden vortex spanning several acres. Countless runes swirled within it, and an overwhelming force erupted outward.
The black-and-white thunderball was immediately sucked into the vortex’s center.
A chorus of Buddhist chants echoed from the golden vortex as golden light and lightning clashed violently.
*Boom!*
The vortex trembled, its base shattering into fragments as the thunderball burst forth, its black-and-white lightning still dazzlingly intact.
Han Li’s expression darkened. Without hesitation, the green sword lotus above him let out a sharp cry and vanished into thin air.
The next moment, the lotus reappeared beneath the thunderball, spinning gently and unleashing thousands of green sword beams that slashed relentlessly at the thunderball.
For a brief moment, the thunderball was engulfed in a storm of sword energy, its descent halted.
Encouraged, Han Li poured even more of his spiritual power into the lotus, intensifying the barrage of sword beams.
Yet, with a muffled explosion, the thunderball’s black-and-white lightning expanded violently, repelling all the sword energy.
The thunderball descended once more.
Han Li’s expression turned grave. With a cold snort, he pointed at the lotus, which swelled in size, its sword beams growing thicker.
But the thunderball plunged straight into the lotus.
Deafening thunderclaps erupted within the lotus as it spun furiously, its petals contracting inward as if to crush the thunderball.
Suddenly, the lotus emitted a piercing shriek, its petals bulging grotesquely before expanding rapidly.
Before Han Li could react, an earth-shaking explosion tore through the air.
The green sword lotus shattered into seventy-two wailing flying swords, their light dimmed as they scattered in all directions.
Han Li, spiritually linked to the swords, paled and spat out several mouthfuls of blood, his aura weakening. He quickly waved his sleeve, recalling the swords into his body.
With the thunderball descending once more, the fused Extreme Mountain rotated on its own, releasing countless runes.
A crystalline glow enveloped the mountain, rendering it nearly transparent before it collided head-on with the thunderball.
*Boom!*
The thunderball struck the mountain’s peak, unleashing a storm of black-and-white lightning that battered it relentlessly.
Han Li, below, channeled his remaining spiritual power frantically, reinforcing the mountain’s defenses.
For a time, the thunderball and the mountain trembled in midair, their clash sending shockwaves rippling through the heavens.
But as time passed, the thunderball gradually diminished under the mountain’s assault, while Han Li’s spiritual power drained at an alarming rate.
Had he not possessed spiritual power several times greater than an ordinary Body Integration cultivator, he would have been exhausted long ago.
Even so, his expression darkened—he realized that if this continued, he would run out of spiritual power before the thunderball was fully neutralized.
Yet Han Li was no ordinary cultivator. Having prepared extensively for this tribulation, he swiftly devised a risky countermeasure.
Gritting his teeth, he abruptly withdrew his spiritual power from the mountain. With a flick of his sleeve, he hurled a black ring into the air, which expanded to a zhang in size with an eerie wail.
Then, with a roar, he rolled on the ground, transforming into a golden-furred giant ape. His body swelled rapidly as golden light blazed around him.
The Golden Saint Body, standing upright moments ago, dissolved into golden motes that shot into the ape’s body.
The ape’s massive hand swept over its head, and a golden Nascent Soul emerged from its crown.
The Nascent Soul summoned several spectral figures from the ape’s body—dragons, phoenixes, and other divine beasts—before absorbing them and returning to the ape.
The ape let out a deafening roar, pounding its chest as violet-gold light erupted from its body. Purple-gold scales covered its form, and a single azure horn sprouted from its forehead.
Even more astonishingly, two additional golden heads and four scaled arms materialized on its shoulders and sides—though one head and two arms remained faint, not fully solidified.
Han Li had unleashed his ultimate technique—the Nirvana Saint Body.
Though still in the second Nirvana stage, his transformation showed significant progress. If he could solidify the third head and arms, he would advance to the third Nirvana stage.
Meanwhile, without Han Li’s spiritual power, the fused Extreme Mountain could no longer withstand the thunderball’s assault. With a mournful hum, it dispersed into three glowing masses.
The thunderball, now much smaller, plummeted toward the unremarkable black ring below.
The ring shattered instantly under the lightning, but a buzzing swarm of golden insects emerged—fist-sized Gold Devouring Beetles, led by a dozen larger candidate kings.
Strangely, both the swarm and the kings seemed sluggish, hovering motionlessly in the air as if awaiting commands.
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