"What?" Ryan Ling was stunned. Paula Bloom suddenly grabbed him so hard that he sucked in a cold breath. Normally, he’d definitely push back—but right now, he knew she was absolutely right to do it.
Kissing and embracing had already started blending their Mother of Lightning auras, but that fusion was still too weak. If they actually did full yin-yang union, the effect would be maxed out—because all along, the thunder giants hadn’t targeted Paula at all. Clearly, they were scared of the Mother of Lightning. If Ryan really joined with Paula, maybe he could survive this tribulation and truly master the Thunder Calamity!
Without a second of hesitation, Ryan kissed Paula hard!
"Hell yeah, just go for it—full yin-yang union with Paula! Use her Mother of Lightning aura to block those Thunder Giants, that’s the only way to win!" The Ghost Elder was cheering and clapping from the sidelines. Clearly, nobody had ever tried to break through a Thunder Tribulation like this before!
Paula was just as fired up. She actually took the lead and pinned Ryan beneath her, pressing her huge chest right over his mouth.
"Damn, you’re wild!" Ryan teased, grabbing Paula’s butt.
"You don’t like it?" Paula smirked, suddenly tightening her grip.
Ryan couldn’t help but yell, blurting out, "I like it, I like it!"
In a flash, the two of them were in motion.
Ryan knew exactly why Paula insisted on being on top: she was shielding him from the thunder. The five Thunder Giants wanted to strike Ryan, but now Paula was protecting him completely—giving him a solid wall of defense.
Ryan didn’t hesitate for a second—this was the chance of a lifetime, and he had to grab it!
He shouted at the top of his lungs as the exploding thunder inside him hit its absolute peak.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
His body started bursting apart, and all that explosive energy flooded straight into Paula’s body. In an instant, she let out a gut-wrenching scream—her most sensitive spot felt like it was about to explode.
"Paula, can you hold on?" Ryan asked, worried and reluctant.
"Go harder, I can take it!" Paula gritted her teeth, tears of pain streaming down her face.
Ryan didn’t hesitate—he had to go all out to break through the exploding-thunder barrier.
Charge, charge, charge!
Ryan’s movements got even wilder, and Paula’s cries grew louder!
And right then—maybe Paula’s screaming was just too much, or maybe the five Thunder Giants in the sky just couldn’t stand it anymore—they suddenly attacked again. But this time, they didn’t go for Ryan. They went straight for Paula.
Thunder God and Mother of Lightning—they’re supposed to be a pair!
But Paula was straight-up hooking up with Ryan in front of everyone—totally poking the thunder’s reverse scale. All the thunder hammers slammed straight at her!
"Aaaah!" Paula let out the most agonizing scream ever, her whole body shaking violently. She was at her absolute limit, but even so, she clung to Ryan and kept protecting him.
"Paula!" Ryan was totally stunned.
It was the first time he’d ever been shielded by a woman.
A rush of mixed emotions flooded him. He had just one thought: break through, fast—he couldn’t afford to waste a single second.
"Break, break, break!" Ryan roared, and finally, the last barrier of exploding thunder was about to shatter.
On the sidelines, the Ghost Elder let out the loudest cheer ever—totally fired up for Ryan’s Thunder Tribulation breakthrough.
Then, with a world-shaking boom, Ryan finally broke through exploding thunder. Not just that—billions of bolts inside him instantly became his own power.
There was still one last phase—thunder transformation—but right now, Ryan couldn’t wait. Exploding thunder was enough to hit half-step Thunder Tribulation.
Ryan flipped over and pulled Paula beneath him, trying to comfort her. Blood was streaming from her mouth—she was barely hanging on.
Gritting his teeth, Ryan braced himself and took the full force of the five Thunder Tribulation Giants’ hammer strikes.
"You five still think you’re hot shit?" Ryan snarled, his eyes crackling with electricity. He was only at half-step Thunder Tribulation, but his power had skyrocketed—at least a billion times stronger than his peak Nascent Soul self. His whole vibe was totally transformed.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The five thunder hammers swung again, smashing wildly at Ryan!
The Thunder Giants were still dead set on wiping Ryan out.
But Ryan was a whole new beast now. He raised his thunder-forged fists and punched out—a blow so insanely strong it could rival a third-layer tribulation. With a deafening crash, the five Thunder Giants were blasted backward, and even the tribulation clouds overhead got punched open.
"Holy crap! Half-step Thunder Tribulation and he’s already this strong? That’s nuts!" The Ghost Elder was floored. Ryan had crossed the line between life and death and come out a total monster—a superpower in both worlds. No one, no force, could afford to underestimate him now.
Then came a wild scene—the five Thunder Giants turned pale. They stopped attacking and started backing away, and the thunderclouds over Thunder Isle began to thin out. Clearly, they were about to bail.
"Ryan, don’t let those five Thunder Giants get away! They’re the purest Thunder Essence in the clouds—devouring them will massively boost your Thunder Tribulation breakthrough!" The Ghost Elder shouted urgently.
Ryan knew exactly how valuable those five Thunder Giants were!
No way was he letting them escape. He used to be scared of them, but now? Not at all. He lunged, grabbed at the sky, and ripped down a chunk of tribulation cloud—then stuffed it straight into his mouth and swallowed it.
(This chapter isn’t over yet~.~ Click next page to keep reading!)
"Damn, this guy’s insane!" The Ghost Elder shook his head. Nobody had ever devoured tribulation clouds like this—Ryan was the first, hands down.
But Ryan wasn’t done. He spun around and glared at the five Thunder Giants—his power locked them in place, and they struggled desperately.
"Trying to run? Not a chance! None of you are getting away!" Ryan yelled, grabbing all five and shoving them into his mouth one by one.
In the blink of an eye, he swallowed all five Thunder Giants whole!
Thunder exploded inside Ryan, and his belly swelled up huge!
But this time, Ryan didn’t feel any pain—just pure exhilaration. With a flex of will, he refined all the Thunder Giants into precious Thunder Essence, which flooded his dantian. This stash would be key for his future Thunder Tribulation breakthrough!
"Ryan, for now just stick at half-step Thunder Tribulation—save Paula first!" The Ghost Elder rushed over.
"Alright, back to the Crystal Palace!" Ryan didn’t hesitate—he’d swallowed the five Thunder Giants, so he could push through the tribulation anytime. Saving Paula came first.
Without a second thought, he scooped Paula into his arms and flew straight to the Crystal Palace!
Moments later, they arrived. But even with the Divine Dragon’s power, Paula’s injuries didn’t improve—in fact, they got worse.
"Her meridians are way too damaged—she might not make it through the night," the Divine Dragon sighed. With a normal human body, taking a hit from five Thunder Giants was impossible. Surviving this long was already a miracle!
"No way—I have to save her!" Ryan said fiercely. All his new power was thanks to Paula; there was no way he’d abandon her.
"Right now, the only way I see is a Primeval Heavenwood fruit. You’ve reached half-step Thunder Tribulation, so you should be able to force Heavenwood to bear fruit—do it fast!" the Ghost Elder urged.
"Ugh!" Just as the Ghost Elder finished, Paula suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood—her injuries were getting worse by the second…