Chapter 162 - 161: Risking Its Life to Eat

"Jiaojiao!"

The sheer power of the Thunder was far beyond what Xiong Jiaojiao could withstand. To be honest, Chu Liangyu had little confidence that the Thunder Spirit could block it.

"I’m fine!"

Amid the deafening thunder, Xiong Jiaojiao’s voice was nearly inaudible, yet Chu Liangyu managed to make out her reply.

At this, Chu Liangyu calmed down. As she watched the Thunder relentlessly strike Xiong Jiaojiao, a question formed in her mind.

’Why... when it’s Xiong Jiaojiao’s turn, is the power of the Thunder so immense?’

With this question in mind, Chu Liangyu turned her full attention to Xiong Jiaojiao. She was so focused that she no longer even felt the pain in her own body.

After watching for a while, Chu Liangyu figured out the reason.

Her first instinct was that the problem lay with Xiong Jiaojiao, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, the problem was the Thunder Spirit.

The Thunder Spirit was indeed unafraid of Thunder, but it also acted like a conductor. When the Thunder couldn’t harm it, the spirit would instinctively try to devour it.

And when the Thunder of the Heavenly Dao was treated with such contempt, it inevitably provoked its wrath. Naturally, the subsequent bolts of Thunder only grew more powerful.

Having spent some time with it, Chu Liangyu knew the Thunder Spirit hadn’t been born long ago. It could handle a short infusion of powerful energy, but if this went on for too long, it would probably...

And by the looks of it, the Thunder wasn’t going to end anytime soon.

If Chu Liangyu didn’t want the Thunder Spirit to be harmed, recalling it was the only correct choice.

The problem was, Cheng Miao’s Heavenly Tribulation was also underway. If she wanted to go to them, she would have to take Cheng Miao with her.

There was no time to hesitate. With that, Chu Liangyu decided to act, but first she warned Cheng Miao, "Brace yourself. I’m taking you with me to help Jiaojiao."

Cheng Miao didn’t speak, but Chu Liangyu noticed his eyes move slightly and knew he had heard her.

But to get him there without being struck by lightning, Chu Liangyu would have to carry him as she flew. That was why she had given him the warning.

However, Cheng Miao clearly hadn’t expected this. His composure wavered for an instant, but thankfully, Chu Liangyu’s warning had done its job. He quickly steadied himself again.

By now, the Thunder Spirit was at the end of its rope. Chu Liangyu summoned her trident, enveloping the spirit within its protection just as it was about to fall apart. But the trident took a heavy blow in the process.

Chu Liangyu was mentally linked to the weapon and felt its momentary shudder. It was a testament to how tyrannical the Heavenly Dao’s Thunder truly was.

After all, back in the Thundercloud Area, the Thunder had rained down like a waterfall, yet the trident had never trembled like this.

Fortunately, only that one bolt of Thunder had been so powerful. Once she recalled the Thunder Spirit—the conductor—the Thunder’s power returned to normal, though it was still nothing to be sneezed at.

Thinking back on everything that had just happened, Chu Liangyu couldn’t help but feel a little ashamed.

She had subconsciously assumed that since the Thunder Spirit was born from Thunder, letting it out to face the strikes would be foolproof.

But she had completely overlooked another point: the Thunder Spirit’s instinct to devour.

With her physical strength, withstanding this Heavenly Tribulation should have been no problem at all. She had even planned on not using her weapon, intending to use the Thunder for Body Refining.

She just hadn’t expected Xiong Jiaojiao’s and Cheng Miao’s tribulations to occur so close together. But thankfully, no one was injured.

After an unknown amount of time, the two people she was protecting finally showed signs of finishing their advancement.

A second pair of wings was rapidly sprouting from their backs. This new pair was clearly double the size of the first and far more dazzling.

The Thunder above had struck countless times. Just as the two were about to finish, the clouds began to disperse, showing signs of ending.

Watching this, Chu Liangyu finally breathed a sigh of relief and, raising her hand, recalled her trident.

But in the very instant she recalled it, a bolt of Thunder struck down fiercely!

Chu Liangyu was still frozen in the same position. The unexpected strike blasted her until she was charred black and smoking.

’Do you really have to hold such a grudge?’

’I only absorbed a little of its Thunder, what’s the big deal? Did it really have to zap me like that right at the very end?!’

Fortunately, she hadn’t retracted her wings, so the two were still tightly protected. Otherwise, all those previous strikes they endured would have been for nothing.

The dark clouds in the sky cleared completely, and sunlight once again shone down on them. Seeing this, Chu Liangyu finally retracted her wings, the tension she had been suppressing instantly melting away.

Their faces filled with joy, the two who had successfully advanced stood up at the same time and thanked Chu Liangyu. "Thank you, Leader!"

"Thank you, Sister Liangyu!"

"It’s nothing. All that matters is that you advanced safely."

The Power of Faith flowed from both Cheng Miao and Xiong Jiaojiao, converging into her body and soothing much of the pain from her own Body Refining in the Thunder.

However, while things were over on their end, Feng Qingqing’s ordeal was clearly just beginning.

"Ah! Why does it hurt so much!"

A scream mixed with pained complaints traveled from afar, reaching the ears of Chu Liangyu’s group.

"I’ll go check on her."

As soon as she finished speaking, Chu Liangyu flew toward the mountain peak where Feng Qingqing was.

"I’m going too!"

Their second pair of wings wasn’t just twice as large; they could now be used for flight. They couldn’t fly very high or fast, but it was still much quicker than walking.

Xiong Jiaojiao flapped her gossamer wings and gave chase, while Cheng Miao followed silently behind her.

When Chu Liangyu reached Feng Qingqing’s mountain peak, she saw flames erupting from the girl’s body. Starting from her feet, her flesh was slowly melting into the fire.

No blood flowed, but the sight alone was horrifyingly tragic. It was no wonder Feng Qingqing had been screaming like that.

Sighing, Chu Liangyu consoled her, "This is a necessary step for your Beastification. You must endure it."

The Phoenix bloodline is several times stronger than that of an ordinary Beastman. As long as she could endure, Feng Qingqing’s Beastification would be a success.

This had always been her goal. Aside from telling her to endure, there was nothing Chu Liangyu could do to help, even if she wanted to.

After all, this was different from an ordinary Beastification, and Chu Liangyu had to do everything she could to ensure Feng Qingqing’s survival.

The process of her body melting into flames was slow, which meant Feng Qingqing’s torment would be prolonged. But perhaps she grew numb to the pain, as she gradually stopped screaming.

Chu Liangyu sat down across from her, quietly observing her condition while she began to process the residual Thunder left in her own body from the tribulation’s baptism.

Once she had mostly cleared the residual energy, Chu Liangyu took out the Thunder Spirit again. The moment she saw the little creature’s bulging, round belly, she completely lost her composure.

"You’d really risk your life just to stuff your face!"