Chapter 1040: The Great Heavenly Tribulation

Above Yujing City, dark clouds gathered, and the countless palaces built of glazed tile within the city dimmed significantly.

Many people poked their heads out, eager to discover who the protagonist of this Great Heavenly Tribulation was.

Before long, a tall, straight figure soared into the sky, drawing the attention of countless onlookers.

"It's a human. He looks quite young. Could he be a scion of one of the city's prominent families?"

"We'll know soon enough. He might even be a visiting human cultivator. Many outsiders have arrived in Yujing City recently due to the Xuantian Divine Palace appearing on the Azure Profound Continent."

At this moment, Li Qing had no heart to admire the bustling scenery of Yujing City. His entire focus was on his own Great Heavenly Tribulation.

This was the first Great Heavenly Tribulation of his life, and its intensity was far beyond anything the minor heavenly tribulations of the Divine Transformation Realm could compare to.

Once he passed this, he would become a Void Refinement Realm cultivator, finally able to enjoy true immortality and freedom, no longer plagued by the limitations of his lifespan.

Once I pass this ordeal, the future will truly be an open sea and endless sky.

Li Qing took a deep breath. He had used the Five-Element Jujubes to achieve the Five-Element Harmony, creating an exceptionally solid foundation.

Now, the Five-Element Spirit Roots within his body had formed a cycle. As long as his mana was not completely depleted, it would continuously regenerate on its own.

Rumble!

The thunderclouds grew even heavier. The faint rumbling caused the glazed tiles on some of the palaces within the city to tremble.

The vast heavenly might rolled in. It was hard to believe that this was merely the Great Heavenly Tribulation brought about by a breakthrough to the Void Refinement Realm.

Even with a foundation as deep as Li Qing's, he couldn't help but feel a surge of pressure. His expression became extremely serious.

Suddenly, a bolt of Five-Colored Heavenly Thunder flashed through the thunderclouds.

Five-Element Heavenly Thunder!

No one expected the first thunderbolt of this Great Heavenly Tribulation to be the Five-Element Heavenly Thunder!

"Could this young man have committed some heinous crime to attract the Five-Element Heavenly Thunder directly?"

"In some ways, this human's aptitude must be extraordinary. At least a natural Triple Spirit Root, or even a Quadruple Spirit Root."

"I agree. I wonder what method he used to achieve the Five-Element Harmony while advancing to the Void Refinement Realm."

Li Qing was completely unaware of the discussions. His expression was grave as he immediately activated his mana, forming a protective layer of spiritual power gauze around his body.

A flash of five-colored lightning struck, and the spiritual power gauze instantly shattered.

Fortunately, he had been wearing the Golden Thread Treasure Robe at all times, which prevented the Five-Element Heavenly Thunder from harming him.

Rumble!

The heavenly tribulation grew even more terrifying. Even the starry river in the night sky was uprooted, the starlight twisting into a vortex.

The tribulation cloud began to divide into nine layers of its own accord, forming a Nine-Colored Dao Platform. Various colored lightning crackled around its perimeter.

The Golden Firmament True Lightning and Violet Void Divine Lightning, both formidable heavenly thunders, now seemed like mere accompaniments to the platform.

In the next instant, a violent sea of lightning surged forth, threatening to annihilate everything in its path.

Li Qing took a deep breath. He could no longer hold back, or he might truly perish in this horrific great heavenly tribulation.

He unleashed the full power of the four heavenly spirit fires within him. The Great Sun Golden Flame transformed into a golden sun behind his head, while the Profound Yellow True Flame, Spirit Devouring Demon Flame, and Netherworld Cold Fire circled his body.

Not only that, but he also summoned all of his treasures.

The Annihilation Furnace, Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer, Immortal Slaughtering Sword, Immortal-Trapping Sword, and others all flew out, directly confronting the sea of lightning that was descending upon him.

The thunderbolts within the Great Heavenly Tribulation contained extremely complete Dao patterns. Undergoing this ordeal would allow these spirit treasures to gain significant benefits, thereby condensing even more complete Great Dao patterns.

The violent heavenly thunder within the sea of lightning struck down one after another. Even these spirit treasures of exceptional quality suffered considerable damage, yet they also acquired natural Dao marks, their power faintly increasing.

Finally, the sea of lightning descended upon Li Qing. The flames surrounding him dimmed sharply, dispersed by the heavenly thunder.

The thunderbolts struck, continuously exploding against his body and leaving him riddled with wounds.

Even the Golden Thread Treasure Robe, an earth-grade spirit treasure, failed to fully protect him. His body was scorched black by the heavenly thunder, suffering extremely severe injuries.

Li Qing remained completely unconcerned. He knew that his Great Heavenly Tribulation had only just begun.

Facing such terrifying heavenly thunder, he began to counter it with pure mana, which was now his greatest advantage.

Relying on the continuous circulation of his Five Elements Spirit Root, his mana flowed inexhaustibly from within his body, as if it would never run dry.

Li Qing actively engaged the heavenly tribulation, his movements sweeping and bold. He wielded the Five Elements Daoist Arts with effortless mastery, unleashing one stream of Five-Colored Divine Light after another.

These were the fruits of his years spent studying various Five Elements cultivation techniques and arcane codices. He wielded these Five-Element Divine Abilities with such proficiency, it was as if he had practiced them thousands of times.

He used the Five-Element Divine Abilities to contend with the Five-Element Heavenly Thunder, as if testing the results of his years of secluded cultivation.

Li Qing quickly adapted to the violent heavenly thunder. He opened his mouth and spewed out a beam of purple heavenly light.

This was the Violet Zenith Heavenly Light, and he could now fully unleash its power.

As the purple light swept forth, it shattered countless thunderbolts, even creating a brief vacuum in the dense ocean of thunder.

"As expected of one of the Supreme Heavenly Lights. Its power is indeed remarkable," Li Qing praised with great satisfaction.

Just now, at the very moment he completed his breakthrough attempt, the Violet Zenith Heavenly Light surged out on its own and merged into his dantian.

From that moment on, he gained absolute control over this incomparably noble Violet Zenith Heavenly Light, able to wield it freely as his own.

The Violet Zenith Heavenly Light not only provided him with an extremely powerful offensive technique but also significantly stabilized his realm's aura, even eliminating the need to spend much time consolidating his cultivation.

As a result, he had navigated this great heavenly tribulation with relative ease, unlike other Void Refinement cultivators who struggled in haste.

Though the heavenly thunder in the sky showed no signs of weakening, Li Qing had gradually adapted to the rhythm of this great heavenly tribulation.

At times, he would unleash a burst of purple Heavenly Light, directly shattering the thunderbolts. At other times, he would summon two killing swords, transforming into a Peerless Sword Immortal within the sea of lightning, his sword pointed at the heavens.

As time passed, the terrifying thunder tribulation finally began to wane.

By now, Li Qing's entire body was charred black, covered in wounds from the heavenly thunder's strikes.

He stood in the void, sword in one hand, while all his magic treasures and spirit fires swirled restlessly around him. After enduring such a vast great heavenly tribulation, all his treasures had also received considerable benefits.

Just as the thunderclouds began to gradually disperse and Li Qing was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a layer of mist suddenly descended, enveloping him.