Thunderclaps fell one after another. As the nine-times-nine, eighty-one bolts of lightning drew closer to their end, the spectating cultivators grew increasingly restless.
The further the tribulation progressed, the more terrifying it became. By the eightieth bolt, the lightning had turned into a streak of purple laced with silver. It crashed down from the heavens with a deafening roar, striking Sun-Blocking Cliff directly. The world-shaking boom echoed for hundreds of miles.
Then, a profound silence fell. The surrounding land was reduced to charred earth; not a single sound remained.
The lightning tribulation was not yet over, but the world had returned to stillness. This signified a failure to transcend the tribulation.
Upon realizing this, almost everyone transformed into streaks of light, like falling stars, rushing straight toward the edge of Sun-Blocking Cliff.
Several top-tier masters reached the summit first. They surveyed the peak, which had been blasted into a wasteland of scorched earth, and discovered the demon cultivator in the center of a massive crater.
It was a colossal white snake. Having been struck by eighty bolts of lightning, its body was covered in charred scales, mangled and dripping with blood. Its golden reptilian eyes had grown dim, clouded by the gray haze of death.
The lingering power of the lightning and the oppressive aura of the demon had not yet fully dissipated. For a moment, no one dared to step forward.
Master Guining arrived at Sun-Blocking Cliff almost instantly. He looked down at the white snake demon, which had been dead for some time, a flicker of pity appearing in his eyes.
While others were forced back by the overwhelming resentment and demonic energy, Guining alone walked forward with unhurried grace.
Everyone watched him like hawks, fearing he would seize the demon’s most precious treasures—its eyes and its core. However, in the next moment, Guining treated those coveted items as if they were worthless dross. Instead, he turned and walked to the very edge of Sun-Blocking Cliff, gazing down into the bottomless abyss.
"Falling leaves return to dust; the galaxy replaces the sun."
He spoke only those two lines, and the roar from beneath the abyss rose again, just as it had twenty years ago.
"No return, no replacement!"
"No forgiveness!"
Master Guining said softly, "Na Lian, why bother?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt he was being hypocritical. If his entire clan had been slaughtered and he had been trapped in a corner for centuries without freedom, he too would likely be consumed by hatred, wishing to drag everyone down to hell with him.
Zhou Mingzhong appeared beside Guining at some unknown point, drifting down like a leaf. "Cast the array," he said.
Guining gave a soft "Mhm." He slowly released a stream of spiritual energy that intertwined with Zhou Mingzhong’s. Moments later, a massive formation took shape in the air above the cliff, emitting a faint white glow.
Once the formation was complete, Zhou Mingzhong let out a cold snort. With a sharp wave of his hand, a gust of wind carrying a chilling killing intent swept toward the masters who were attempting to touch the demon’s corpse.
The group of masters narrowly avoided the strike. Horrified, they retreated several steps, looking at the two men with wary eyes.
Zhou Mingzhong had shed his usual lethargic demeanor. His eyes were sharp as he swept a cold gaze over the crowd. "Take one step forward, and I will slay you where you stand."
Those present were all people of status and power. Naturally, they recognized Zhou Mingzhong and knew they were no match for this man whose depths seemed unfathomable. Though indignant, they were forced to suppress their greed and retreated several paces.
Ye Weiyang approached from a distance, his expression complex as he looked at the charred demon corpse. He walked to the edge of the cliff and added his own spiritual power to the formation, lowering the massive array slightly into the abyss to prevent anyone from being accidentally caught in it.
"With this blood sacrifice, we only need to cast the demon’s body into the formation to ensure the seal remains stable for another fifty years," Ye Weiyang murmured softly. "The Five Continents will have another fifty years of peace."
Guining and Zhou Mingzhong remained silent.
Not far away, a sudden scream pierced the air. Ming Zhao descended from the sky, clutching Ming Zhu, and landed steadily beside the stone monument of Sun-Blocking Cliff.
Ming Zhu’s face was deathly pale from fright. He could only steady his trembling body by gripping Ming Zhao’s arm. He gasped for breath, wheezing, "You... you, you, you..."
He was on the verge of tears.
Ming Zhao smiled and patted his son’s pale cheek, looking like a complete scoundrel. "Son, wasn't that fun? I’m telling you, if we do this a couple more times, you definitely won't be afraid of heights anymore."
Ming Zhu’s legs were so weak he began to slide downward. He finally managed to catch his breath and turned his head, only to come face-to-face with the white snake, whose eyes were still open in death.
Ming Zhu: "..."
Without a word, Ming Zhu fainted on the spot.
Ming Zhao propped him up against the massive stone monument. He patted Ming Zhu’s face a few times, but seeing no reaction, he simply left him there. He cast a protective ward around the boy and went forward to find Guining.
Guining had already prepared the array. All that remained was to cast the demon’s corpse into it.
Ming Zhao strolled over. Seeing that things were coming to a close, he stretched and said, "Is it finally over? I’ve been on edge for years."
Guining nodded. "Yes."
As he spoke, he walked to the demon’s side and wrapped its body in spiritual energy. He dragged the corpse toward the edge of the cliff without effort, the blood leaving a long, dark trail on the ground.
At that moment, a thunderous roar suddenly erupted from the heavens. The lightning clouds, which had not yet fully dispersed, coalesced again in an instant. The demon corpse in Guining’s grasp seemed to twitch, and those dim, golden eyes suddenly regained a sharp, lethal light.
Zhou Mingzhong’s pupils shrank. "Guining! Drop it! He’s still alive—the final bolt hasn't fallen yet!"
The words sent a shockwave through the crowd.
Master Guining dropped the demon corpse and flew backward the instant Zhou Mingzhong called his name. Ming Zhao, as if realizing something, lunged forward in a desperate attempt to rescue Ming Zhu from the stone monument.
It all happened in a heartbeat. The moment the snake’s pupils constricted, the final bolt of lightning—carrying traces of blood-red light—crashed down upon Sun-Blocking Cliff with earth-shattering force.
*BOOM—*
Ming Zhu felt a deafening roar explode in his ears. Then, a flash of kaleidoscopic light blinded him as a terrifying force poured down from above, overwhelming him like a collapsing mountain.
Ming Zhu was far too close to the demon. Under the tribulation clouds, the lightning strikes were utterly indiscriminate.
Before the lightning even reached him, the protective ward Ming Zhao had placed was shattered and vanished instantly.
Ming Zhu stared in horror at the descending bolt, his pupils shrinking. This was his first time being so close to death, and the first time he felt a fear so profound his entire body shook uncontrollably.
His glass-like eyes reflected the pillar of lightning as it surged toward him. His ears rang with a high-pitched drone, and then his body was suddenly tackled and held in a death grip by someone who had lunged onto him.
Rocks flew everywhere; black ash filled the air.
It felt as though a quarter-hour had passed, or an hour, or a day, or perhaps a year.
When Ming Zhu woke again, his entire body was in agony. His back was pressed against the stone monument of Sun-Blocking Cliff. He felt as if electricity had surged through his entire being, leaving him numb yet wracked with bone-deep pain.
This was the first time since obtaining the Red Lotus Sword that he had felt such excruciating pain.
Ming Zhu dazed for a long time before realizing someone was lying on top of him. He struggled to reach out, pushing the person slightly aside to reveal a handsome face.
Ming Zhu froze. Blood was streaming steadily from the corners of the man's eyes and both his ears. Even with his vision blurred, there was no way he could mistake Shen Hongchuan.
Earlier, Ming Zhu had lost his temper and told Shen Hongchuan not to go near Zhou Mingzhong. Thus, when Zhou Mingzhong was on the Flying Kite, Shen Hongchuan had obediently disembarked and watched the events at Sun-Blocking Cliff alone.
No one expected him to suddenly charge into the center of the lightning strike to shield Ming Zhu, using his own body to take the fatal blow.
Ming Zhu’s entire body began to shake. He held Shen Hongchuan with trembling hands, murmuring, "Hongchuan... Hongchuan!"
Shen Hongchuan’s dantian was a bloody mess; his Nascent Soul had been completely shattered by the lightning strike. His breathing was faint, but he seemed to regain a sliver of consciousness at Ming Zhu’s loud cries.
Leaning in Ming Zhu’s arms, Shen Hongchuan’s eyes were half-lidded as he looked at Ming Zhu’s face, which was covered in blood and tears. For some reason, he let out a soft, gentle laugh.
Ming Zhu looked at him with a gaze full of bewilderment and despair.
Shen Hongchuan likely knew his end was near. He reached out and gripped Ming Zhu’s hand tightly, whispering, "Senior Brother... two years ago, I said... I had something to tell you when we met again."
Ming Zhu continued to call his name in a small voice, "Hongchuan, Hongchuan..."
Looking at that exquisite face, now filled with despair and grief because of him, Shen Hongchuan felt a strange sense of accomplishment. He had actually managed to move such a person, to make him feel joy, anger, and sorrow for his sake.
His lips trembled, his voice soft and tender, as if it would vanish into the wind at any moment.
"What I wanted to say was..."
"Hongchuan... toward Senior Brother..."
Shen Hongchuan’s eyes crinkled into a smile as tears fell from the corners of his eyes.
"Hong... Hongchuan..."
Ming Zhu’s tears fell incessantly as he sobbed, "Hongchuan, you’re..."
"What are you saying?"
Ming Zhu shook with sobs. "I can't hear you... Hongchuan, I can't hear anything..."
"What are you saying? Please... I can't hear you..."
Shen Hongchuan seemed to daze for a moment. His gaze lingered briefly on Ming Zhu’s bleeding ears, and after a long while, his smile grew even more tender.
"Senior Brother can't hear..."
Shen Hongchuan extended a blood-stained finger and tapped lightly on Ming Zhu’s cold palm.
*I...*
With just that one tap, the strength left his hand. It curled submissively within Ming Zhu’s palm, never to move again.
Ming Zhu’s face was drenched in tears. He stared blankly at Shen Hongchuan’s partially closed eyes, feeling the fingers in his palm lose their warmth inch by inch. After a long silence, he seemed to snap awake. He gripped Shen Hongchuan’s hand tightly and pressed it against his own cheek.
"Hongchuan... Hongchuan!"
"Help... help me... Master, Weiyang..."
"Father..."
Ming Zhu held Shen Hongchuan’s cold body tightly, crying until he seemed to lose his mind, incoherently calling out the names of everyone he knew. Blood dripped from his lips, but he no longer had the strength to care.
Ming Zhao rushed to his side, looking disheveled and battered. Seeing that Ming Zhu was still alive, he let out a heavy sigh of relief, his hands hidden in his sleeves trembling slightly.
"Zhu'er..."
Through his blurred vision, Ming Zhu saw him. He reached out toward Ming Zhao and said blankly, "Father, save Hongchuan... I... I can't save him..."
"He isn't moving... Father, please, save him..."
***
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