Chapter 173 - The Progenitor Thunder Root

The relentless blue pillars of thunder ceased, but the silence that followed scared him shitless.

’Oi oi oi... what is this now...?’

High above, the sprawling, dark vortex of clouds churned with renewed ferocity, its center tearing wider.

From the deepest depths of the maelstrom, the storm’s core ignited into a brilliant yellow and orange.

"It’s... strength has... increased!"

A heavy, suffocating aura descended upon the mountain peak as arcs of golden lightning began to violently crackle and weave through the blackened clouds.

"Yep... I’m dying today, heh..."

The heavens were not finished.

Refusing to wait for the heavens to deliver judgment, Cale gritted his teeth and violently kicked off the ground, launching himself directly into the turbulent sky.

Rocketing high above the misty mountain ridges, he swiftly drew a barrier talisman.

As streaks of yellow lightning tore through the stormy expanse around his ascending figure, the talisman flared. Shielded by the shimmering barrier, his rapidly mending body braced for impact as he threw himself headlong into the very heart of the roaring maelstrom.

"Ah! This guy has gone mad! A madman!" Sesrir sighed from his distant position, watching in disbelief.

As Cale threw himself into the storm, the heavens unleashed their full fury upon the realm below.

Bolts of blinding golden lightning tore through the darkened, ominous sky, crashing down.

The branching strikes ruthlessly bombarded the rugged, green mountain peaks, illuminating the entire landscape in a terrifying, ethereal yellow glow that turned night into a facsimile of day.

Seizing the final, most devastating bolt of golden lightning from the sky, Cale channeled every last ounce of his fading chaos to ruthlessly slam the energy into the half-formed skeleton.

The recoil of the heavenly thunder finally broke him.

He crashed heavily onto the earth, his body reduced to a ruined, unrecognizable husk.

Half of his body was horrifically charred, his flesh burned away to reveal shattered bone beneath. One of his arms had been completely obliterated.

His hair was entirely incinerated, and his face was burned a horrific, blackened hue. One eye was completely missing, seared away by the extreme heavenly burns, leaving only a hollow socket weeping blood.

Yet, despite the agonizing, unimaginable pain, Cale forced his single remaining eye to focus on the center of the blast.

The skeleton had not shattered.

Instead, it had successfully absorbed the storm, miraculously forming a flawless, true divine lightning body.

The newly forged entity now sat perfectly cross-legged in a shallow, grassy crater, completely engulfed in a majestic, roaring aura of vibrant orange flames and crackling golden electricity.

A final, brilliant bolt of yellow lightning descended directly into the crown of its head, completing the physical refinement as Sesrir stepped forward to silently witness the incredible rebirth.

Seeing the pristine, glowing figure fully stabilized within the inferno, Cale’s charred lips curled into a faint, bloody smile.

"H... ehehe... I did it... I fucking... did it..."

His insane gamble had succeeded.

Having defied the heavens and won, his exhausted consciousness finally gave way, and he closed his remaining eye, drifting into a deep, death-like sleep.

As the maelstrom finally dissipated, the churning heavens surrendered, yielding once more to a serene and tranquil expanse.

The suffocating weight vanished from the ruined mountain peak, leaving behind only the smoking, glassed earth and the faint crackle of residual energy dissipating into the atmosphere.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Sesrir rushed to the horrifically charred husk of his young companion.

"This damned kid, I knew it. That amount of spiritual stones was not nearly enough for this kind of trip!" he muttered.

Settling upon the blackened soil beside the unconscious boy, the man extended his hands, hovering his palms just over Cale’s mangled, stubbornly beating chest.

A profound river of restorative qi surged from Sesrir’s palm, enveloping Cale’s ruined vessel in a warm, luminescent magenta glow.

This overwhelming influx of external life force seamlessly intertwined with the chaos and frost already fighting to preserve Cale’s core, drastically accelerating the regeneration of his incinerated flesh and shattered bones as he drifted in what seemed like a death-like slumber.

Though Cale wasn’t exactly unconscious, he still kept hearing the system messages filtering through his fractured consciousness.

[Congratulations Host! Host Has Successfully Refined The Eternal Tribulation-Eating Tyrant Body!]

[Due To The New Body, Another Spiritual Root Has Been Added: Primordial Tribulation Thunder Root]

’Oh? Is that... so...’ he sighed while being healed, his mind was already floating in that strange space between sleep and awareness.

’What’s the description on this one?’

[Description:

The Primordial Tribulation Thunder Root is an incomparably rare spiritual root that originated from the body of one of the Four Progenitor Races — ancient beings whose existence predates the current cultivation order.

It is not an ordinary Thunder Spiritual Root. It carries the primordial essence of tribulation thunder, making it fundamentally superior to normal and even supreme tier lightning-based spiritual roots.

Host is currently the only known existence to possess this spiritual root.]

He raised a non-existent eyebrow at this revelation.

’To think I’m the only one with this... is it that rare to form this body?’

[Effects:

Absolute Thunder Affinity: Possesses unparalleled affinity toward all forms of lightning and thunder. No known thunder-based energy can naturally reject host.

Primordial Thunder Refinement: Lightning entering host’s body can be refined into its essence, greatly increasing the quality and destructive power of his spiritual energy.

Tribulation Assimilation: Heavenly Tribulation Lightning can be absorbed and converted into cultivation energy rather than merely endured.

Thunder Infusion: Every movement naturally carries traces of thunder. Even ordinary punches, palms, steps, and weapon strikes possess thunderous force.

Thunder Law Comprehension: Host’s comprehension of Thunder Laws is vastly accelerated, allowing him to understand profound thunder principles far beyond ordinary cultivators.

Lightning Immunity: Ordinary lightning and thunder-based attacks cannot easily harm host. Stronger forms of thunder are progressively converted into nourishment for his foundation.

Primordial Thunder Body Integration: When combined with the Eternal Tribulation-Eating Tyrant Body, the spiritual root no longer functions as an isolated cultivation talent. It becomes completely integrated into host’s flesh, blood, meridians, and spiritual foundation.

Thunderous Spiritual Energy: Host’s spiritual energy naturally carries the properties of primordial thunder, granting his techniques greater speed, penetration, destructive power, and suppression.

Tribulation Resonance: As host’s cultivation grows, the tribulations he faces naturally become increasingly compatible with his foundation, allowing him to extract greater benefits from surviving them.

Thunder Evolution: The root can evolve by absorbing increasingly powerful forms of lightning, potentially allowing host’s thunder to transcend ordinary Heavenly Tribulation Lightning.

[Unique Effect: Progenitor Origin]

Because the root originated from a Progenitor Race, its potential cannot be accurately measured by conventional spiritual-root classifications.]

’I’m going to need a lot of rest after this.’