"Pfft!" A sharp pain shot through his back, and Ling Feng felt his internal qi and blood surge. His throat felt sweet, and a large mouthful of blood spewed out, leaving him somewhat dispirited.
Ling Feng tried to stand, but the weakness in his arms caused him to collapse back onto the ground. His skin was now torn open by lightning strikes all over, and a large amount of blood flowed out as if it were free, completely dyeing his white robes red, turning them into a bloody garment.
However, the heavenly tribulation would not wait for Ling Feng. After unleashing one strike, the next was already charging up.
"Damn it, I underestimated the lightning tribulation, cough, cough, cough." Ling Feng lay on the ground, watching the heavenly tribulation charge, a klaxon blaring in his mind.
"This is only the fourth strike, do I have to use the Star-Patterned Armor already?"
Ling Feng felt a sense of reluctance. The Star-Patterned Armor was excellent, a divine artifact for him at his current stage. However, he didn't want to rely on it too much. The same applied to the Blade of the War God; he wouldn't use it unless absolutely necessary. Over-reliance on a piece of equipment could have a significant impact on his combat power if it were lost or damaged in the future.
Unless this weapon was not considered a trump card for him, he would use it frequently. For example, in the Golden Core stage, he could use the Star-Patterned Armor regularly, as it would no longer be a divine artifact but merely a high-grade preparation. kanδん
"Right, there's also the Vermilion Fruit. I didn't use it before because its power was too immense, and I couldn't withstand its energy before fully absorbing it. But now, with the lightning tribulation, it should help me absorb it."
"Then, if I can't endure it, it won't be too late to use the Star-Patterned Armor."
The lightning tribulation could descend at any moment. Ling Feng quickly retrieved a fruit the size of an apple, its colors vibrant, from his spatial storage and took a large bite. Although he couldn't get up, eating was not an issue.
After a few bites, Ling Feng finished the Vermilion Fruit. Simultaneously, he felt a surge of immense energy erupt within him, flooding his dantian and every limb and pore.
Within seconds, the true qi in Ling Feng's dantian was fully restored, his internal injuries healed by more than half, and his body was once again filled with strength.
However, nine-tenths of the Vermilion Fruit's surging energy remained. Ling Feng felt as if he had eaten his fill, yet he was being force-fed, stuffed to the brim. If this energy wasn't released promptly, he might explode.
Rumble!
The lightning tribulation did not keep him waiting. A lightning bolt tinged with blue descended from the sky. Seeing it, Ling Feng gritted his teeth and, without hesitation, unleashed all the true qi in his dantian, forming a semi-transparent true qi shield that enveloped him.
"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle..."
The lightning tribulation struck the true qi shield directly. The immense power of the lightning raged, eroding and devastating the surrounding terrain.
The true qi shield deployed by Ling Feng was battered by the lightning tribulation. In less than a second, cracks spread like a spiderweb. It was not immediately shattered because the vast amount of energy from within Ling Feng's body continuously injected into the shield, keeping it in a state of perpetual near-breakage, effectively enduring the strike.
It was also during this strike that seven to eight tenths of the Vermilion Fruit's energy within Ling Feng was consumed, leaving only one to two tenths, which posed little threat to him.
"Golden Gang Formation, activate!" This time, Ling Feng did not hesitate. He channeled his true qi into the formation's core, formed hand seals to activate it, and deployed the array he had set up. The fourth strike was already the limit he could withstand. To endure the fifth strike would be reckless, not brave, but suicidal.
Buzz!
As Ling Feng completed his hand seals, a hemispherical golden shield materialized. Energy inscriptions flowed across the shield. After deploying the formation, Ling Feng sat cross-legged, took the remaining Qi and Blood Pills, and began to recover from his injuries.
Rumble! The lightning tribulation struck on schedule. This strike contained more blue lightning than before, indicating a significant increase in its power.
The furious lightning bombarded the formation, causing it to tremble violently. However, unlike before, it didn't shatter within seconds. This time, the formation successfully blocked the entire fifth strike, with only a few additional cracks appearing.
"Fortunately, my master reminded me that this formation can buy me a lot of time to recover." Ling Feng focused on recovering while monitoring the external situation.
After the formation withstood the sixth strike, cracks covered the entire shield. However, this was expected. It was merely a hastily erected formation, and it was commendable that it could endure two such monstrous lightning strikes.
As the seventh strike loomed, Ling Feng frantically injected true qi into the formation. However, it couldn't hold for even a second before the seventh strike shattered it. Seeing the dire situation, Ling Feng quickly deployed a Tribulation Shield Talisman.
The Tribulation Shield Talisman lived up to its name, specifically designed to resist lightning tribulations. The seventh strike was completely blocked without any damage.
Next came the eighth strike. The color of this lightning had completely turned blue. The Tribulation Shield endured it at the cost of significant cracks.
It wasn't that the Tribulation Shield Talisman was weak, but the heavenly tribulation had become monstrous due to Ling Feng. This eighth strike was already comparable to an attack from the Core Formation stage.
And this was only the eighth strike, with the most powerful one remaining – the sum of all previous lightning strikes. Ling Feng estimated this final strike would not be weaker than a full-power attack from the mid-stage Core Formation realm.
This had already exceeded the Tribulation Shield Talisman's tolerance limit. The next strike would likely only last about a second.
Ling Feng was prepared to use the Star-Patterned Armor. Looking at the flickering blue lightning in the sky and the surging wind around him, Ling Feng's expression was grave.
In an instant, the sky raged as if in fury. Massive bolts of lightning crisscrossed the clouds, flashing everywhere, like a stampede of ten thousand horses. Everywhere the eye could see was lightning. Then, from the center of the tribulation clouds, a lightning bolt tinged with blue and purple descended.
As Ling Feng predicted, the Tribulation Shield didn't even last a second. Seeing this, Ling Feng immediately donned the Star-Patterned Armor. The silver armor instantly covered his entire body.
The lightning strike hit the armor like a mere speck in the vast ocean, causing no ripples and inflicting no damage. It was all absorbed and blocked by the armor. In just five seconds, the lightning's power was completely depleted.
After the ninth strike was endured, the tribulation officially ended. The sky-obscuring tribulation clouds began to dissipate, and sunlight once again bathed the land.
A ray of sunlight fell upon Ling Feng. The armor, illuminated by the light, revealed its clear, shimmering patterns, looking incredibly magnificent.
Ling Feng closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of the sun. At the same time, he felt as if the shackles within his body had been shattered. His entire body's blood boiled, and he felt as if he had undergone a sublimation. His aura climbed steadily, reaching a new level.
Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully enduring the tribulation. Current cultivation: Early Foundation Establishment stage.
Ding! Congratulations to the host for breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, greatly increasing your strength. Reward: Three-star Dharma artifact, Spirit-Infused Pot.
"Hoo, finally Foundation Establishment. The next goal is Core Formation, and then Golden Core!"
A sharp glint flashed in Ling Feng's eyes. As a Dharma cultivator, he had reached Foundation Establishment. As a Body cultivator, he had also perfected his body refinement, just one step away from transcending the mortal realm.