I Pick Up Talents on the Interstellar Battlefield

Chapter 698 - 509: The Terrifying Lightning Tribulation and the “Manlocked” Man

"Boom——!"

The firmament shattered completely into ink, with the rolling thunderclouds churning out lightning as thick as blood, not the usual purple of a thunder tribulation, but a dark red so deep it borders on black, each arc of lightning resembling a blood stain tearing the sky.

The entire Ice Valley lay shrouded in an apocalypse-like shadow, with a terrifying pressure falling like a giant stone of ten thousand tons, squeezing the chest of Spiritualists below Tier Seven with an invisible hand, halting breaths and leaving faces as pale as paper.

"Qin Tian...!" Shengongsi Yuzuo fixed his gaze on Qin Tian, his pupils reflecting the myriad blood-red lightning, his expression wildly fluctuating between light and shadow—from initial sinister darkness, to shock, and then to an uncontrollable rage.

He finally realized that Qin Tian chose to confront the tribulation now not only as a gamble with his life, but also to leverage the power of the heavenly punishment, dragging them, this group, into the purgatory of the thunder penalty together.

Facing a blood thunder tribulation of such magnitude, even the top genius of the Holy Blood Clan might not survive despite full preparation, while Qin Tian faced it barehanded, certain to meet his doom.

Yet, if Qin Tian held the thought of mutual destruction, drawing the thunder tribulation over Ice Valley, he might survive, but those around him would surely face grim outcomes.

"Evacuate! Evacuate immediately!"

Shengongsi Yuzuo’s startled voice exploded in the mind of every companion.

Upon hearing the command, they bolted, with Shengongsi Xin Fu and six renowned geniuses frantically sprinting for the Ice Valley’s exit.

Just as they began to move, a barely noticeable spatial ripple flickered through the Ice Valley—at that very distraction, Qin Tian precisely teleported Zhuge Yu and the other three out of the tribulation’s range.

Then, Qin Tian raised his eyes to the fleeing enemies, a cold curve curling on his lips: "Did I say you could leave?"

He spread his arms, the surging thunder energy around him weaving with a hint of eerie darkness, transforming into invisible chains that adhered precisely to the people of Shengongsi.

This aura did not harm, yet like a lighthouse, it firmly marked their positions beneath the thunderclouds.

"Boom!"

The thunderclouds appeared provoked, issuing furious roars, thousands of bloody thunder pillars plunged like torrential rain, dense enough to cover the sky.

Over ninety percent of the pillars were precisely locked onto Qin Tian, yet nearly a hundred struck the marked people of Shengongsi.

The rumble of thunder pillars caused the Ice Valley to collapse, Qin Tian was entirely engulfed by boundless blood thunder, his silhouette vanished amidst the radiant surge.

But the calamity on Shengongsi’s side unfolded forthwith.

The hastily erected Spirit Shields of six renowned geniuses shattered like flimsy paper against the blood thunder, the pillars striking them, muscles carbonizing in an instant, bones sighing "crack-crack" as they fractured, screams stifled by lightning in their throats.

A Spirit Mage, physically frail, was simultaneously hit by three thunder pillars, turning directly into a heap of charred ash, drifting in the wind; the remaining five lay twitching on the ground, their Spiritual Energy weak as candle flames in the wind, completely losing the ability to move.

Shengongsi Yuzuo and Xin Fu relied on the formidable foundation of Tier Seven Holy Blood, their raised shields barely withstood the thunder strikes, yet were buffeted by surging Qi and Blood. Watching their subordinates, dead or injured, Shengongsi Yuzuo, enraged and fearful, knew this was only the first wave of the thunder tribulation, the subsequent ones would be even stronger.

He turned to Qin Tian, his pupils abruptly constricting,

only to find, submerged in lightning, Qin Tian, who ought to be scorched by the thunder, appearing unscathed, even letting out a comfortable low groan from the radiant surge.

As the blood thunder gradually eased, Qin Tian’s silhouette slowly resurfaced. The thunder arcs around him grew more intense, his skin glowing with a healthy purple-gold luster—the [Thunder Ancestor] talent operating at full capacity, every ounce of the tribulation’s power serving as nourishing fuel for body refinement.

Not only was he unhurt, his aura became even more formidable, he even displayed an expression of enjoyment.

This demeanor totally enraged the thunderclouds, the layers violently churning, a blood-red thunder dragon gradually emerged, its dragon scales cohered by lightning patterns, its dragon head overlooking Ice Valley, its scarlet dragon eyes locked onto Qin Tian, the atmosphere of destruction pressing down like a tsunami.

Qin Tian, however, didn’t gaze at the thunder dragon, his eyes precisely targeting Shengongsi Xin Fu who was attempting a stealthy escape, a sinister curve forming at his lips.

"No...!" Shengongsi Xin Fu’s body hair stood on end, a chill of death streaked from his soles to his crown, his face a mask of terror.

Don’t come near me!

In the next instant, Qin Tian’s silhouette vanished from his view, and immediately after, Shengongsi Xin Fu felt a weight on his back, two arms imbued with thunder energy encircled his waist from behind, completely restraining his body.

"Ready... for the baptism of thunder?"

A soft voice spoke by his ear, laced with a teasing inflection.

Shengongsi Xin Fu’s mind blanked instantly; before he could struggle, the thunder dragon emitted a thunderous roar, descending with an earth-shattering might, enveloping him and Qin Tian in a flash of blood-red lightning.

"Ah——!!"

Painful, heart-rending screams penetrated through the thick lightning, Shengongsi Xin Fu felt his entire skeleton crumble inch by inch under the dragon’s roar, even his soul seemed thrown into a searing furnace, sizzling with anguished moans under the scorching thunder energy.

Pain!

So painful!

At this moment, Qin Tian no longer exhibited his earlier composure, his brows slightly furrowed.

Despite the [Thunder Ancestor] talent rendering him immune to pure thunder damage, the thunder dragon was forged from the Law Tribulation of heaven and mortal, aside from its violent thunder power, it carried a force dedicated to annihilation.

This power ignored bodily defenses, like countless invisible blades rampaging through his insides, tearing muscle fibers, grinding bones to fine cracks, even his organs spasm with scorching pain.