The luminous white sap of the Evil-Warding Divine Bamboo was absorbed by the shattered bone fragments, merging with the golden marrow, releasing an astonishing surge of life energy!
Vitality brewed, grew, and then strengthened—this was an incredible metamorphosis.
Meanwhile, the lightning in the sky was bizarre, resembling geomagnetic auroras, dazzling in color and twisted in form, cascading and erupting in a breathtaking display!
It, too, had grown stronger—a terrifying sign of danger!
It was horrifying, its power overwhelming. Every strike that landed on Shi Hao’s body left gaping, bloodied holes, splattering crimson in its wake.
Without a doubt, Shi Hao faced a dire crisis. His bones cracked incessantly, shattered by the relentless onslaught.
Were it not for the bamboo sap replenishing and repairing his flesh, he would have long been reduced to a broken, unrecognizable mess.
The powerful lightning, the savage thunder—each strike was blinding, like multicolored suns exploding, surpassing anything before, unimaginable in its intensity!
This divine retribution offered no hope, seeking only annihilation. It was no mere Heavenly God who could withstand it, for it manifested as a terrifying celestial phenomenon, as if the heavens themselves raged, tearing all creation asunder.
Shi Hao had long since awakened from his meditative state, enduring excruciating pain. Every inch of his skin split open, drenched in blood, with gaping wounds that nearly tore him apart.
The agony was unbearable. Even with nerves of steel, his vision darkened, nearly plunging him into unconsciousness.
“Zzt!”
Another bolt of lightning struck, piercing his body. No defense could hold it back—not even his most potent treasure techniques or fiercest resistance. It sought only his death.
The heavens were merciless. Now, it was as if the world itself had abandoned him, intent on erasing his existence with unprecedented thunderbolts.
Was it because of his enlightenment, his attempt to forge a path unlike any other?
According to ancient bone scriptures, whether in the past or future, any variable that threatened the balance of the world would inevitably face divine retribution, struck down by lightning.
Even the most exceptional cultivators, when breaking through, would face thunderous interference—proof that the heavens feared them, punishing them for their defiance.
And now, Shi Hao had uncovered another path of cultivation—one far more severe!
“Crack!”
Shi Hao let out a muffled groan as a crimson bolt shattered his shoulder, splitting his scapula and tearing it loose, exposing the golden marrow beneath.
This was no ordinary pain. It was as if the footsteps of death drew nearer with each strike. If this continued, Shi Hao would surely perish!
A rustling sound arose as the snow-white Evil-Warding Divine Bamboo swayed, its pristine leaves glowing, their friction producing a crisp, melodious sound like a babbling brook.
Amidst the chaos and auspicious radiance, it resisted the lightning, for the heavenly tribulation rained down upon it as well.
However, this ancient bamboo, as thick as a water vat, had clearly endured countless lightning strikes before, granting it innate resistance. Shi Hao had witnessed this when he first arrived.
Now, its resistance proved invaluable, shielding Shi Hao from certain destruction.
The thunder raged, bolts striking endlessly, erupting in a kaleidoscope of colors like geomagnetic auroras—beautiful yet deadly.
“Thud!”
Shi Hao’s chest was split open, ribs snapping one after another, a gruesome sight. He faced the most brutal trial of his life, teetering on the edge of annihilation.
Later, even the snow-white bamboo could no longer shield him, for the heavens showed no mercy. The lightning shifted its trajectory, attacking from all sides rather than descending from above.
Blinding light and crimson blood bloomed together. Shi Hao’s flesh charred and withered, his bones shattered, his golden marrow nearly dried up.
The divine bamboo sap in the pool was struck repeatedly by lightning, splashing unexpectedly—yet it did not evaporate entirely, a testament to its potent divinity.
It was this luminous sap that kept Shi Hao alive, enveloping him in dense life energy, allowing him to endure.
“I must change. I cannot die!” Though nearly reduced to a husk, Shi Hao’s will remained unyielding, his mind clear.
He wielded the Thunder Emperor’s treasure technique to guide the lightning, the Kun Peng’s method to weaken it, and the Reincarnation divine ability to manipulate time, dissolving the terrifying arcs—every means at his disposal.
Yet, it was not enough. He remained on the brink of death!
Lightning struck his bones, piercing his flesh.
The sizzling of electric currents echoed incessantly within him, a ghastly sound as his flesh and bones charred.
Death energy surged, life energy waned. The ordeal was unimaginable—he could perish at any moment.
Shi Hao turned his gaze inward, compressing his sole heavenly passage into a singularity before unleashing it, balancing death and life energy, the interplay of yin and yang.
A profound realization struck him. He attempted to draw the life essence from the bamboo sap into his body while allowing the lightning to strike him, generating death energy—all of which he absorbed into his abdomen.
This was a gamble. One misstep, and his body would explode!
This was heavenly retribution, unfathomable in its might. To actively guide and harness it to strike his own body was tantamount to suicide.
“Boom!”
The opposition of life and death, the flow of yin and yang—within his abdomen, a wheel formed, eventually manifesting as a Taiji diagram, the embodiment of the Dao.
The lightning never ceased. Shi Hao convulsed, his bones shattered, as the electric currents were channeled into his body, converging within the Taiji diagram.
Shi Hao sought to defy the heavens, dissolving the thunderbolts, converting death into life—reversing the cycle!
Blinding light erupted, earth-shaking roars unending, as the lightning bolts converged toward Shi Hao’s abdomen. The final arcs became the dividing line between life and death.
The lightning formed an elegant arc, demarcating yin and yang.
Here, the two could reverse—death and life coexisted, transforming into one another.
He began devouring the lightning, converting it, his body serving as a conduit, channeling the electricity inward, where a miraculous transformation occurred.
A wheel of life and death illuminated his abdomen, radiant and resplendent!
“Did I… succeed?” Shi Hao’s eyes flickered with realization.
Yet, danger remained. This was but a preliminary step, far from escaping death’s shadow. In fact, the situation grew direr—one misstep, and his body would explode!
“Bang!”
Sure enough, the balance of yin and yang faltered. This was the might of the heavens, merciless in its execution, impossible for mortals to control. The lightning’s dividing line shattered.
In an instant, Shi Hao’s abdomen split apart, the Taiji diagram nearly obliterated!
This was catastrophic. If it exploded, Shi Hao’s sole heavenly passage might be destroyed, crippling him permanently.
He swiftly suppressed and dissolved the imbalance, enduring the lightning with his flesh once more, suffering under the heavenly tribulation anew.
He had no choice but to endure!
Now, Shi Hao had exhausted all options. His earlier boldness—exploiting the heavenly tribulation, manipulating divine retribution for his own gain—had been reckless, as if provoking the heavens to erase him entirely.
Shi Hao fought with everything he had, his body riddled with wounds, bones shattered and scattered into the pool. Yet, he persisted.
He refused to yield. As long as breath remained in him, as long as he lived, he would endure to the end.
The earlier balance of yin and yang was no longer viable. Now, resisting and enduring would not last—he was doomed to perish.
Expanding his sole heavenly passage to shield himself, it soon collapsed under the lightning’s assault, proving futile once more!
He thought of the Willow God, once wrapped in heavenly lightning, charred to a stump. In that moment, he unleashed the Willow God’s technique to its limits.
“Will I end up like the Willow God, half my body destroyed?” Shi Hao grimaced. But unlike the Willow God, he had no roots—he would simply die.
“No! How do I escape this tribulation?” Shi Hao despaired, truly out of ideas.
His vitality waned, his will wavered. He felt powerless against the heavens.
“I will overcome this!” At last, his eyes blazed with divine light. With a roar that drowned out the thunder, he threw caution to the wind.
He realized he had been passive, believing this lightning insurmountable, always seeking to evade or dissolve it—thus losing his edge.
“No lightning is invincible. It, too, can be defeated!”
He howled, steeling his resolve.
Then, he went mad. His weakened aura surged violently, as if returning to his peak, his spirit resonating at its strongest.
Shi Hao held but one thought: to conquer the heavenly retribution, not merely endure it. He refused to accept this tribulation as unbeatable.
Just as when he refined immortal energy, facing heavenly tribulation with unwavering confidence, he had prevailed.
Now, he did the same. Against this unfathomable, terrifying tribulation, he stood firm. If this was meant for mortals, then he would triumph.
Though his body was ruined, his will was indomitable. The blood in his withered frame boiled.
Faintly, radiant runes shimmered within his charred flesh and bones, intertwining to amplify his vitality. A certain bloodline grew dazzling—his innate third supreme rune manifesting.
It surged his life force, enhancing his power explosively. This blood carried a mysterious energy, as if capable of rebirth.
Though its effects were fleeting, it was undeniably heaven-defying.
Thus, his resurgence was not merely willpower—his broken body now exhibited tangible strength, surpassing reason.
His spirit, his essence—all surpassed their usual limits!
Shi Hao withstood the lightning, guiding it through his ruined body. He employed the Bone-Forging Method, tempering his skeleton, refining his flesh.
The shattered bone fragments that had been blasted away now returned, resonating with him, emitting an eerie, crystalline sound.
By the end, his broken bones reassembled, lightning enveloping his body in harmonious vibration.
The Bone-Forging Method!
A truly brutal ordeal—bones shattered, then nourished by the Evil-Warding Divine Bamboo’s sap, repaired anew.
It was a torturous process, like breathing in hellfire.
His bones shattered, then reformed. Golden marrow writhed, reforging divine bones, radiating golden light, sacred and sublime.
Though the scene was terrifying—lightning strikes, blood splattering, flesh tearing—there was also dense life energy, mending his wounds.
“Lightning, you are but ordinary fire tempering my body!” Shi Hao roared, resisting fiercely.
In the end, his ruined body repaired itself faster than the lightning could destroy it. He tempered himself with thunder.
Encircled by lightning, Shi Hao opened his mouth and swallowed a dense cluster of bolts, channeling them into his bones, forging them with the Bone-Forging Method.
He endured. He saw the dawn.
Finally, his marrow shifted from gold to crimson, brimming with vitality, while his bones gradually turned jade-white!
Through countless temperings, all fractures sealed, his bones renewed, shedding impurities expelled from his body.
Eventually, the bamboo sap could no longer sustain him. He drew the Great Luo Immortal Sword, carving a new hole in the thickest bamboo segment.
The sap flowed, merging with his flesh, refining his body.
Shi Hao’s physique grew stronger, his bones far sturdier than before!
At last, the lightning waned, the tribulation passing. He opened his mouth, devouring the remaining bolts greedily.
For he had discovered that the destructive lightning carried traces of astonishing, heaven-defying life energy. Combined with the bamboo sap, the effect was miraculous.
Time became irrelevant. The lightning vanished, leaving only silence.
Not only had Shi Hao survived—he had undergone a brutal tempering, a harrowing metamorphosis!
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