A few minutes later.
The lightning trembled even more intensely.
As if enraged by its inability to subdue the two elders for so long, it had completely lost its temper!
This was truly uncanny!
An unconscious bolt of lightning could evoke the emotion of rage…
The electric light grew even more dazzling.
The crackling sounds in the air became denser.
The two elders, who had been circling, seemed to have grown bored and finally stopped.
Their figures then flickered.
In the next moment, all the lightning on their bodies dispersed.
Only the spot they clutched tightly in their hands remained.
"Second Elder, how about we play a game?"
"What game?"
"Let's play jump rope."
"Alright!"
…
After a brief exchange, they looked down at the lightning in their hands.
Two people were competing, but there was only one rope…
This was a problem.
It had to be solved!
They exchanged a look.
One grabbed an end of the lightning, and the other pulled in the opposite direction.
"Heeeee—!"
"Hoooo—!"
The lightning in their hands trembled violently, as if struggling.
But it seemed to be of no use.
Finally…
A few seconds later, the lightning was directly ripped apart by the two elders!
The electric light dispersed and vanished without a trace.
The two elders looked at their empty hands in confusion, seemingly unable to understand how the rope had suddenly disappeared.
"Ye Fan."
"Where did that rope go?"
Ye Fan, who was sitting on a small stool nearby, had just finished the last bite of watermelon.
"I don't know either," Ye Fan replied casually, picking up a slice of pre-cut watermelon from the table.
Don't ask him why he was so calm.
It was simply because he was used to it.
…
"Rumble—!"
The thunder overhead roared even louder!
"Crack!"
"Crack!"
Two thick bolts of lightning fiercely struck down!
The simultaneous descent of two bolts of lightning indicated that Heaven's Will was utterly enraged!
A glint of excitement flashed in the eyes of the two elders once more!
Before the two bolts of lightning even reached them, they flew up to meet them!
Both reached out simultaneously and grabbed the tribulation lightning in mid-air!
Then, one for each, they began to play with delight.
They first played jump rope in mid-air. When they got bored, they began to dance gracefully…
Imagine the scene.
Two elders with contorted expressions, imitating young girls dancing with ribbons…
Ye Fan, for one, couldn't bear to watch.
He lowered his head and continued to eat his watermelon in silence.
…
As the two elders toyed with the lightning, it also underwent some changes.
From violent struggles at first, to weak resistance, and finally to resigned limpness.
Even the light emanating from the lightning weakened to the point of being almost undetectable…
It looked completely and utterly played out…
Allowing the two elders to twist them into an 'S' one moment and a 'B' the next…
…
A few more minutes later.
Unable to bear the humiliation any longer, the two bolts of lightning finally dissipated completely.
"Rumble—!"
A final muffled thunderclap echoed from the clouds, like a final, impotent roar.
Heaven's Will: Damn it, I'm not playing anymore!
Then the dark clouds dispersed, and the sun reappeared.
Everything around was no different from before the thunderclouds appeared, as if none of it had happened.
Ye Fan tidied up his things and sighed in realization.
You might not believe me if I told you.
I practically went through a tribulation for nothing…
…
The two elders slowly landed.
"Ye Fan, thank you." The Second Elder said happily, "I had a lot of fun today!"
"If there's anything this fun next time, be sure to call me!" Master Xie Yan extended his hand and patted Ye Fan's shoulder.
Ye Fan glanced at them.
The two elders were not only uninjured, but they hadn't even broken a single piece of skin…
They were truly monsters…
Suddenly!
Master Xie Yan's expression changed.
"Master, what's wrong?" The Second Elder quickly asked.
"I feel the call again!" Master Xie Yan said with a solemn expression. "Ye Fan, we must be going now!"
Ye Fan quickly made a gesture of invitation.
Returning to the flying boat, the two elders left with Da Fei.
Standing on the deck, Ye Fan looked at his hands.
His aura had now reached the first level of the Golden Core stage, and his body felt even more powerful than before!
Ye Fan threw a punch into the air.
The whistling wind sounded incredibly imposing!
And after his fist reached its apex, a sonic boom immediately erupted around him!
The range of the explosion had expanded from the previous one zhang to ten zhang!
Ye Fan clicked his tongue.
It seemed he had indeed succeeded in his tribulation.
The so-called tribulation was essentially the process of tempering the body with tribulation lightning, allowing oneself to withstand greater power.
But the problem was, the three bolts of tribulation lightning just now were played away by those two elders?
He had tempered for nothing?
Unfortunately, there was probably no one who could give him that answer.
Carrying these doubts, the flying boat sailed back towards Qingxin Sect.
A few days later.
Upon returning to Qingxin Sect, Ye Fan once again immersed himself in cultivation.
Ye Fan's cultivation grew stronger day by day.
He also absorbed more talismans from the stone world.
One noon.
After emerging from the stone world, Ye Fan prepared to enjoy a pleasant lunch.
Before he could, a slight commotion erupted outside.
Curious, Ye Fan walked out of his residence.
There were clearly more people than usual coming and going in Qingxin Sect, their faces filled with panic.
One might think an invasion had occurred.
"Young lady," Ye Fan called out to a passing female disciple. "What's happening?"
"Young master," the female disciple, too preoccupied to admire Ye Fan's looks, said anxiously, "the beast tide has erupted again. The elders are telling everyone to hurry and take shelter within the inner sect's grand formation."
With that, the female disciple ran off without stopping.
Ye Fan was stunned.
Liang Rujing had told him that the interval between beast tide outbreaks in the Alde Empire was about a thousand years.
He had indeed encountered a beast tide when he first came here.
And that beast tide had occurred only a few hundred years after the previous one.
This time, it hadn't even been two or three months since the last one…
Something unusual is bound to be brewing!
Ye Fan's intuition told him that there was something hidden behind this!
Ye Fan immediately headed towards Liang Rujing's residence.
He met Liang Rujing halfway there.
"I was just looking for you," Liang Rujing said. "Something has happened, the beast tide is out of control. Master wants me to take you to hide first."
"I already know," Ye Fan replied. "Let's talk as we walk."
The two walked towards the grand hall where Mu Yuqing was located.
Upon arrival, they found many people already gathered inside.
Besides Mu Yuqing, the lowest ranked individuals were all elders.
"You're here," Mu Yuqing greeted them. "This happened so suddenly. We can only ask for your understanding, young master, for having to take shelter temporarily."
"Sect Master Mu," Ye Fan cupped his fists. "I heard from Rujing before that you always participate in resisting the beast tide?"
"That's right," Mu Yuqing nodded. "Under a collapsed nest, no egg remains intact."
Although these sects in the Alde Empire had their own minor conflicts, in the face of life and death, such disputes naturally took a backseat.
Perhaps their strength was insufficient to deal with the truly terrifying great demons, but they could still handle those of a lower tier or two.
While this matter was somewhat dangerous, it wasn't without its benefits.
For example, the materials from the demon beasts constituted a considerable fortune.
And since they didn't have to deal with overly powerful demon beasts, the safety factor was actually quite high.
To put it bluntly.
This was essentially a large-scale training exercise plus a group raid.
The truly dangerous part fell upon the royal family and the top-ranked major powers.
After all, they had to venture deep into the demon beast forest.
The dangers they faced were far beyond what Mu Yuqing and the others, who dealt with the periphery, could compare to!
"I have a request," Ye Fan said. "Can I go along with you?"