"Am I really going to die here this time? That's already the fourth bolt—who knows how many more are coming. If I have to pay this kind of price just to get a lightning martial technique, it's way too much." Evan Chu dragged himself up from the ground and muttered.
Checking his internal condition, Evan found that at the spot of his dantian, four different colored lightning sparks were flickering. They were faint, but he could see them clearly.
He didn’t have the mind to worry about this phenomenon, because at that moment the red lightning in the sky was changing again—any second now, the fifth bolt could strike. But the wood element in his body couldn’t keep up with the destruction, leaving Evan feeling helpless.
Just then, a gold lightning bolt as thick as a water barrel crashed down, filling the sky with blinding golden light. When it struck Evan, he was instantly knocked out, his body covered in countless wounds so deep that bone showed through.
The power of the lightning kept crackling across his body, making a constant snapping noise. This bolt was the same size as the ones the Galeclaw Eagle spat, but its attack power was worlds apart—at least ten times stronger than the Eagle’s lightning.
Maybe it was like the red lightning in the sky had its own awareness, because now it was gradually weakening. The sixth bolt took forever to descend, and Evan was completely oblivious to it all.
No idea how much time passed before Evan came to, his whole body wracked with pain so bad he could barely get up. "Damn Nine-Heaven Divine Thunder, if you hit me again, I’ll really leave my life here for good."
But when he looked up at the red lightning overhead, he realized it had changed color—it was now black lightning. The surrounding storm clouds were slowly fading too, meaning this should be the last bolt. If he could survive this, he’d actually keep his little life.
Just as he was celebrating that there was only one bolt left, he suddenly remembered something—a top powerhouse had once used black lightning against him. Luna, the Sword Spirit, told him that was soul thunder, a kind of lightning that could do serious damage to the soul.
Evan could heal any physical injury with his wood element, no matter how bad it got, but wounds to the soul were a whole different story—those were much harder to recover from. One wrong move and this strike could turn him into a complete idiot.
Right now, Evan was truly desperate. But there was no way to dodge this final bolt. Just as he was struggling, Luna the Sword Spirit spoke up: "Evan, let’s face this last soul thunder together. If you try to take it alone, I’m afraid you’ll be blasted to pieces. With the two of us, we should barely be able to withstand it."
"Big Sister Luna, is this soul thunder really that terrifying? If we join forces, will you get hurt?" Evan asked worriedly. If even Luna wasn’t confident, it showed how dangerous this was.
"I’m not sure either. Maybe I’ll have to sleep for a long time, maybe this will be our last conversation. But if I don’t help you, it really could be the last time—Nine-Heaven Divine Thunder’s soul thunder attack is lethal, and with your current soul strength, you can’t resist it at all," Luna replied.
Evan’s face turned dark—this kind of attack made him feel hopeless. He glanced at the Timewheel Bracelet on his wrist and said, "I could use the Timewheel Bracelet, right? Wouldn’t that let me dodge this disaster?"
"You’re thinking too simply. The Timewheel Bracelet is already a heaven-defying artifact, but against Nine-Heaven Divine Thunder, it’s completely useless. You think dodging this tribulation is that easy? Don’t worry, I’m confident we’ll get through this," Luna said.
Evan felt his last hope shatter, heart sinking in frustration. He really didn’t want Luna to risk herself for him—he owed her too much already.
"Big brother, I can help you take some of the soul thunder’s impact too. That way, you’ll be safe. My soul power is really strong, you know!" Suddenly, the Wind-Binding Pearl’s artifact spirit spoke up.
Evan was shocked—not because she could help, but because she actually knew about his conversation with Luna. She was still inside the storage ring, and he’d been talking to Luna using divine sense. If she could overhear them, that was just too unbelievable.
"How do you know what’s happening to me right now? Can you actually hear our conversation?" Evan asked.
"Of course! My divine sense is super strong. You’ve got three soul-type beings on you—I know all about it. This soul thunder is scary, but if the three of us join forces, we can definitely get through it," said the artifact spirit.
"Thank you, little sister! Big brother will definitely repay you in the future!" Evan didn’t even know what else to say at this moment.
Just then, the black lightning in the sky struck straight toward Evan’s head. At that exact moment, a small white sword appeared at his brow and the Wind-Binding Pearl flew out from his storage ring, both hovering above him.
The little white sword radiated a beam of white light, while the Wind-Binding Pearl glowed cyan. In a blink, the black lightning crashed down, and both beams of light rose to meet it.
Together, they canceled out most of the black lightning—only a small part landed on Evan. But now, the little white sword and the Wind-Binding Pearl both fell to the ground, motionless.
The remnant black lightning struck Evan, sending a soul-rending pain through his core. He’d felt this agony before, back when he split his soul—but this time, it was even worse, like his whole spirit was being torn apart.
Just then, his Nascent Soul in his sea of consciousness flared with golden light, instantly dissolving the black lightning that had entered his body. But the Nascent Soul’s mouth leaked faint golden blood, and it closed its eyes, falling silent.
Evan stood frozen, unable to move. He felt like he might faint but couldn’t; he wanted to open his eyes and check on Luna and the Wind-Binding Pearl’s spirit, but he was powerless, left only with anxious frustration.
At that moment, all the lightning in the sky vanished, and the surrounding thunder faded too. The entire Thunder Pool was left covered in pits and craters, rubble scattered everywhere. Occasionally, a gust of wind would blow through, filling the air with dust and smoke.
The four great mountains around the Thunder Pool were now exposed, and at that moment, a black shadow was less than a li away from Evan. If Evan could see this strange sight, he’d be shocked—but all he could sense was the wind whistling past his ears.
The black shadow spotted Evan. "He’s actually not dead? How—how is that possible!" Shocked, he stumbled a few steps backward, unable to believe it.
The black shadow stared at Evan in amazement, noticing that he wasn’t moving at all. "Could he be seriously injured? If he can’t move, this might be my best chance!" With that, he walked straight toward Evan...