Chapter 197 - 196: I’m Sorry, I Should Have Come Sooner

The fiftieth bolt of tribulation lightning showed no signs of stopping. ’Could this Heavenly Tribulation actually be a full eighty-one bolts?’

The thought brought a collective sigh of relief from the crowd.

’Thank goodness. Only thirty-one more to go. It’ll be over soon. She just has to hold on a little longer.’

However, Chu Liangyu’s condition was far from as optimistic as they imagined. At this point, she was essentially paralyzed; only her eyes could still move.

Fortunately, the trident was connected to her Divine Soul. With a single thought, it would instantly appear to help her block the tribulation lightning.

Moreover, the trident possessed its own Artifact Spirit. Even if her consciousness were to fade, the trident could still protect her at the critical moment.

Chu Liangyu also had a rough idea of how many bolts were coming. But in her current state, another strike would leave nothing of her but a pile of ash.

After enduring five more bolts of tribulation lightning in quick succession, Chu Liangyu’s consciousness began to fade. Before she lost control completely, she quickly communicated with the trident’s Artifact Spirit.

In an instant, the trident shot to her side like an arrow loosed from a bow. A faint blue light rippled out like waves on the surface of water, forming a protective shield that enveloped Chu Liangyu completely.

This bought Chu Liangyu a brief moment of respite.

Her body instinctively began to frantically circulate energy to repair her internal injuries. A moment later, a flicker of clarity returned to Chu Liangyu’s hazy consciousness.

However, the time the trident could buy her was limited.

All Chu Liangyu could do was use this brief window to repair her body as quickly as possible and prepare for the coming tribulation lightning...

At this thought, the ashen despair in Chu Liangyu’s eyes faded slightly, replaced by a glint of defiance.

’Almost there. Almost there. That was the seventieth bolt.’

’Soon, soon I’ll be able to...’

Suddenly, a sound like a shattering mirror rang out, and in that same instant, Chu Liangyu’s Divine Soul was rocked by a violent tremor!

Involuntarily, Chu Liangyu’s pupils constricted.

The pain from her damaged Divine Soul made her realize the truth: the trident couldn’t hold on any longer. After blocking one final bolt of tribulation lightning for her with all its might, it had been utterly destroyed!

Chu Liangyu’s breath hitched. The pain in her Divine Soul, compounded by the devastating loss of the trident, caused her consciousness to drift uncontrollably.

It was a strange sensation, as if she were simultaneously sober and drunk.

It felt a little like her soul was trying to float out of her body against her will, leaving Chu Liangyu deeply unsettled.

’That was the eightieth bolt. If I can just get through this final one, I’ll succeed!’

Chu Liangyu silently recited her mental method to calm herself.

But the next bolt of tribulation lightning was inexplicably delayed.

The oppressive might grew even stronger. Many people collapsed to their knees, their legs turning to jelly in terror, unable to stand.

After another long, silent wait, a thunderclap finally boomed, seeming to shake the very heavens and earth.

The tribulation lightning descended with world-destroying force, mercilessly smashing down upon the blackened figure on the ground.

Chu Liangyu’s pupils dilated. Faced with a tribulation bolt of such power, a sliver of fear finally bloomed in her heart.

She closed her eyes. Chu Liangyu knew that she would almost certainly be unable to withstand this final bolt.

Her heart seethed with unwillingness, but this was the reality of her situation.

SCREEE—

A clear Phoenix Cry rang out. In the next instant, the crowd watched as the figure of a five-colored Phoenix charged fearlessly toward the tribulation lightning in midair!

At the same time, the Phoenix burst into raging flames. For a moment, the dim sky was illuminated as if by a magnificent sunset.

It was Feng Qiwu, shockingly using the Fire Spirit born from his recent advancement—and every last bit of his own power—to intercept the tribulation lightning!

Before the tribulation lightning could strike Chu Liangyu, it was intercepted head-on by Feng Qiwu!

This single bolt held half the power of all the previous ones combined. With Feng Qiwu’s strength, how could he possibly withstand it?

Sure enough, in the next moment, Feng Qiwu was slammed viciously into the ground by the tribulation lightning. His beast form vanished in an instant, and he barely managed to hold on to his human shape.

Shock filled Chu Liangyu’s eyes. She stared at Feng Qiwu, who lay not far from her, and opened her mouth, wanting to ask why he had blocked the tribulation lightning for her.

But after a long moment, she found she couldn’t make a single sound.

Just the day before her Thunder Tribulation, Chu Liangyu had berated him, telling him he hadn’t sacrificed as much as Chi Yizhong.

Yet, after only one night, on the day of her tribulation, Feng Qiwu had unhesitatingly put his life on the line just so she could live.

After taking that bolt, Feng Qiwu’s body was also scorched black; he should have been completely immobile.

And yet, he began to drag himself, inch by inch, toward Chu Liangyu. When he saw Liangyu’s battered, barely human form, his eyes filled with heartache.

"I’m sorry, Female Master. I should have come to help you sooner."

Feng Qiwu, who always spoke with such pride, now sounded like a scolded child, his voice filled with guilt.

But his condition was no better than hers. Just from speaking that one sentence, blood began to gush from his mouth.

Chu Liangyu’s eyes reddened. ’You can’t withstand these bolts,’ she wanted to say. ’You’ll die. There was no need for you to come over.’

But she couldn’t speak, and could only watch helplessly as Feng Qiwu’s life force gradually faded.

A strange sadness washed over Chu Liangyu, but this was no time for grief.

That last bolt should have been the eighty-first. And yet, the thunderclouds overhead showed no signs of dispersing.

Faintly, Chu Liangyu could still hear the distant rumble of thunder.

’It seems... the Heavenly Tribulation isn’t over yet!’

Chu Liangyu’s heart sank to rock bottom. She had assumed that the nine-by-nine count—eighty-one—was the highest number of tribulations, but that was clearly not the case.

Chu Liangyu had no idea how many more were to come, and neither did the watching crowd.

The only certainty was that the power of the coming bolts would only be greater than those that had come before.

That much was evident from the amount of time it was taking for the tribulation energy to gather.

"What do we do? The Chief... she’s not going to make it..."

Flower Branch’s voice was thick with tears, filled with the anguish of watching the deity in her heart about to perish.

Her words cast an even heavier pall over the crowd. No one responded.

"Feng Qiwu got things started, but the coming tribulation lightning is too powerful for one person to handle. Who is willing to go with me?"

Cang Yu’s expression was complex, his gaze sweeping over the others with an inscrutable look.

Just moments before, a few of them had been arguing about the order in which they should go to block the lightning, based on their strength. Before they could reach a conclusion, Feng Qiwu had charged out when none of them were paying attention.

"I’ll go with you!"

"I’ll go with you!"

The moment Cang Yu finished speaking, the remaining few answered in unison.

Among them, naturally, was Chi Yizhong.

Cang Yu glanced at him. "You’re blind. If you went up there, we’d have to guide you. It’s too much trouble. Just stay here."

The truth was, Chi Yizhong had already been crippled for Chu Liangyu’s sake.

Even if they were jealous of Chu Liangyu’s favoritism, they weren’t so heartless as to send him to his death blocking a bolt of tribulation lightning.