The cobblestone path led into the depths of the unknown.
It was a paradoxical sight—a chasm of thunder and lightning, crackling with violent, destructive energy, yet the path itself seemed serene, as if untouched by the chaos.
“Are we really going in?” They hesitated as they approached the Thunder Abyss, knowing full well the dangers that lay ahead.
A single misstep could trigger a heavenly tribulation, and no amount of concealing their cultivation would save them.
In truth, they had a premonition—once they stepped inside, they would likely face their tribulations immediately. This was destined to be a perilous and arduous journey.
Yet, in the end, they pressed forward.
But the moment they entered the abyss, waves of lightning surged like a tempestuous sea.
Then, without warning, a creature burst from the electric waves—a massive black fish, over a dozen zhang long, its maw gaping with razor-sharp teeth gleaming like swords.
*Snap!*
Netherworld barely dodged as the jaws snapped shut, the sound sending shivers down their spines.
“It’s formed from lightning, not a true flesh-and-blood creature!” Sanzang judged accurately.
Yet the fish was unnervingly lifelike, its ferocity and intelligence almost tangible.
“This place is no ordinary abyss. Has the lightning developed sentience?” Shi Hao’s expression darkened.
Fortunately, the fish dissipated upon plunging back into the electric waves, dissolving into sparks.
The cobblestone path had long vanished beneath the storm of thunder. Above them, thunder pools flickered in and out of existence, forcing the trio to tread with extreme caution.
But the journey was agonizing. The lightning, once like rain, now fell like blades, capable of killing in an instant.
Even for them, it was brutal.
Blood seeped from their wounds as they endured passively, unwilling to unleash their full power for fear of summoning their most devastating tribulations.
“Hey, the beauty’s exposed!” Shi Hao called from behind.
A bolt had torn through Netherworld’s dress, revealing her snow-white back, smooth as jade.
“Shut up and lead the way!” she snapped, flicking his forehead with a slender finger, her delicate face flushed with irritation—though not truly angry.
Shi Hao and Sanzang pressed forward, navigating by memory toward the cobblestone path.
The sea of thunder roared, waves towering like mountains.
*Boom!*
A colossal surge knocked them off their feet, sending them tumbling through the electric tide.
To an outsider, it might have looked like an ocean storm—but this was pure lightning, waves of destruction.
Their armor was shredded, flesh scorched black.
Shi Hao gritted his teeth. “If this keeps up, I might as well advance while enduring my tribulation!”
“This still isn’t as bad as our own tribulations. Hold on,” Sanzang urged.
Then, a black thunder pool emerged—three chi wide, exuding a terrifying aura. A single strand of its dark light exploded the void near Netherworld, nearly dragging her in.
She stumbled, her face paling.
More pools appeared—a gray one, a full zhang in diameter, hovering dangerously close.
They froze, sensing something ominous. Were these pools sentient?
“Mm… smells good.”
Shi Hao inhaled deeply, entranced by the fragrant liquid within the nearest pool—*tribulation essence*, a rare treasure.
For a wild moment, he considered diving in, bathing in it to forge an indestructible body.
But common sense prevailed. Disturbing these pools would be suicide.
Then, behind them, a ten-zhang-wide blood pool manifested, reeking of iron and death.
A vision of carnage flashed—mountains of corpses, rivers of blood, the end of all things.
They shuddered.
If this pool erupted, even a Supreme Being would be obliterated.
The oppressive silence—despite the roaring thunder—weighed on their minds.
But miraculously, the blood pool receded without unleashing its fury.
The black and gray pools vanished soon after.
Netherworld exhaled, drenched in cold sweat.
*Boom!*
Another wave crashed over them, shredding their clothes once more.
“Hey, lady, you’re bare-assed now,” Shi Hao quipped, catching a glimpse of pale curves before scrambling up.
His crude humor was a desperate attempt to lighten the tension.
“Drop dead!”
Netherworld punched him square in the forehead, sending him flying before summoning a new crimson dress.
“Waste of effort. Everything’s just gonna get blown off again,” Shi Hao muttered as they pressed on.
Sure enough, within a few hundred zhang, the lightning intensified, charring them black.
Clothes were the least of their worries now.
“Damn, this hurts!” Shi Hao groaned. Though still in the Severing Realm—a step below the two Golden Burial Kings—he endured the same punishment.
Sanzang grunted, his body trembling under the onslaught.
At this point, passive resistance was no longer viable. They would die if they didn’t fight back.
“Fine. If I’m gonna face my tribulation anyway, might as well do it here!” Shi Hao declared.
*Crack!*
A silver arc of lightning struck them, sending them sprawling, coughing blood.
The entire abyss trembled.
In that moment, the storm briefly cleared, revealing the cobblestone path below.
“Now! Go!”
They dashed downward, landing on the floating stones.
Hundreds of smooth cobbles formed a path through the void, surrounded by crackling energy.
*Thud!*
Shi Hao landed on one and sprinted forward.
Sanzang and Netherworld followed, just as a hundred-zhang-wide thunder pool pulsed ominously nearby.
“Blood… bones!”
Ahead lay a charred corpse, half-skeletal, its blood still fresh on the stones.
How long had it been here? Why hadn’t the lightning erased it?
“A supreme expert. Even they couldn’t survive,” Sanzang murmured.
*Boom!*
Behind them, the storm surged anew, a tidal wave of destruction chasing them down the path.
“Run!”
The lightning, momentarily dispersed, now crashed down in full force.
They raced along the cobblestones, deeper into the abyss.
“Are we… at the end?” Netherworld gasped, now fully exposed, her figure alluring even in the chaos—but Shi Hao had no mind for jokes now.
A mountain loomed ahead, inscribed with two words: *Thunder Mountain*.
Behind them, the storm raged, closing in.
They sprinted toward it, only to be met with a barrage of lightning that left them bloodied.
“Go around!”
Then—
“Wait… is that… *Willow God*?!” Shi Hao shouted.
On the other side of the mountain stood a golden ancient tree, its roots buried deep at Thunder Mountain’s base, its branches like chains of divine order.
Shi Hao’s heart pounded.
He knew that aura.
It was *Willow God*.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage