Unexpectedly, the lightning that struck felt no different from real lightning—perhaps even more terrifying. The Green Emperor was instantly stunned, with black smoke puffing from his mouth and nose. His entire body trembled violently, as if he were shivering with a high fever. His green fur stood on end within the thunderous storm, each hair resembling a green needle, making him look even more like a piece of moldy dog meat.
The Green Emperor couldn't believe it. In the past, no matter what calamity he faced, it always felt rather comfortable. It had never been anything like this.
"Green Emperor, your tail is growing fur!" Yi Tianxing's eyes flashed sharply as he quickly shouted.
Looking over, one could see that after being struck by lightning, the Green Emperor's previously bald tail was now sprouting green fur at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"It really is growing fur! But… why does it feel so different from before? I don't want to get struck by lightning again!" The Green Emperor, though thrilled at the sight, also shivered with fear.Getting struck once was already too much—he had no intention of experiencing it a second time.
"One must suffer hardships to become the emperor of dogs." Yi Tianxing laughed.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
It seemed like the Green Emperor had an extraordinary attraction to lightning. The surrounding thunderbolts overwhelmingly focused on him, striking relentlessly. His miserable howls echoed continuously as he twitched violently on the back of the Golden Roc, flailing as if performing a chaotic dance. The more he trembled, the faster the fur grew on his tail—an almost comical sight.
However, the lightning didn't strike only the Green Emperor.Plenty of it still rained down on Yi Tianxing himself.
Mystic Armor Life Aperture!
Once again, black armor enveloped his body, forming a black robe that shrouded him completely. Compared to before, the armor was now even more refined, its emitted light deeper and more intense. When a bolt of lightning landed on him, most of its force was blocked outside by the armor. Electric arcs slithered wildly around him, a terrifying sight. Still, a portion of the lightning's force managed to seep into his body.
It surged into his flesh.
The destructive power contained within the lightning ran rampant in his muscles and bones, trying to annihilate his life force, shatter his skeleton, and tear apart his meridians. The instant it invaded, it felt as if all the pores in his body had been forcefully pried open, his qi and blood scattered.
"Such brutal lightning!"
Yi Tianxing spat out a puff of black smoke. Even his hair stood on end. His eyes shone with a sharp glint, a trace of astonishment flickering through them.
This lightning was incredibly tyrannical. Yet because it was partially blocked, the amount that actually entered his body wasn't enough to completely destroy it. As a body cultivator, Yi Tianxing's physique was immensely resilient—not something easily broken. Even more intriguingly, the Black Cauldron within his body released a powerful devouring force, forcibly swallowing the destructive lightning and drawing it into itself.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The lightning clashed violently within the Black Cauldron, constantly ramming against its inner walls. Crisp sounds of impact rang out, each clang accompanied by bursts of deep black light that spread like soundwaves through his flesh and bones. Wherever they passed, tiny impurities were shattered, and his flesh grew tougher, his bones denser and harder.
His body cried out for more, greedily absorbing not just the ambient spiritual energy but even siphoning true qi from his Divine Sea. Under the vibrations of the cauldron's hums, these energies swiftly fused into his blood and flesh, making every inch of him glow faintly.
"Lightning refining the treasure cauldron, the cauldron tempering the flesh. It's said that lightning can temper the body—if you can endure the lightning strikes, your body can undergo transformation, becoming stronger than ever. Destruction and rebirth, breaking before rebuilding. It's an extremely brutal method of body refinement, but incredibly effective. Only... the consumption is too terrifying."
These thoughts raced through Yi Tianxing's mind.
He hadn't anticipated that the Black Cauldron would absorb lightning like this, using the chaotic force to shake and refine his entire body—each cycle of destruction and reconstruction making him stronger.
His strength exploded upwards from 60,000 jin. Each clang of the Black Cauldron brought hundreds more jin to his raw physical might.
Meanwhile, his internal true qi was rapidly depleted. Without hesitation, he retrieved a Heavenly Gang Pill, swallowing it. The medicinal power flooded his body, supplementing the energy required for the strengthening process.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Above his head, thunderbolts continued to rain down. Each time lightning entered his body, it was absorbed into the Black Cauldron, fueling an unending cycle of tempering.
Swish!
The Golden Roc soared forward at high speed, weaving through the thunderous sea.
Suddenly, a tremendous sense of danger erupted from nowhere.
Without warning, within the sea of lightning, a sword light—utterly indistinguishable from a lightning bolt—flashed toward Yi Tianxing's throat like a silver streak.
The sword contained a terrifying thunderous sword intent.It was unimaginably fast, leaving no time to dodge. In the blink of an eye, its tip reached his throat, the sharpness already pricking at his skin.
Ding!
The sword stabbed straight into his throat. Thunderlight crackled fiercely along the blade, its edge impossibly sharp—but striking Yi Tianxing's skin was like stabbing into a vast sea, most of the force was cleverly deflected. His skin's toughness neutralized much of the sword's impact, leaving only a faint sword mark.
But that was all—it failed to penetrate deeper.Instead, a mighty rebound force shattered the sword attack.
Yi Tianxing's reaction was lightning fast.
Even as his body was attacked, without a second thought, he reversed his grip and thrust a spear toward a nearby position.
Pfft!
Blood splattered.
His spear pierced the chest of a middle-aged man with ash-brown hair. Although the man narrowly avoided a fatal hit by shifting in the final instant, Yi Tianxing's speed was just as overwhelming—his spear still punched clean through.
"Western cultivators, you are truly persistent. Even here, you still seek to ambush me. Fine, as my opponent, you will die!"
Yi Tianxing's gaze turned cold. His qi and blood surged, and he poured immense force into his spear. Instantly, the western cultivator's body exploded, disintegrating into a mist of blood.
Pfft!
Yet even as that happened, searing pain erupted from his back.
A figure clad in black night-gear had somehow sneaked behind him, stabbing a dagger through his armor and into his flesh. Blood splashed.
The assassin's silent approach within the chaotic thunderstorm was genuinely terrifying.
Bang!
But Yi Tianxing gave him no chance to celebrate.With a powerful reverse sweep of his spear, he smashed the assassin's head open like a watermelon, splattering blood and gore.
"Magical Rope!!"
A flash of black light—the magic rope—snaked toward Yi Tianxing, trying to bind him completely. The rope was strange; the more strength he used against it, the more it flexed, as if it were made of rubber.
Snap!
In the next instant, a pair of Yin-Yang Shears appeared beside him, snipping through the rope effortlessly.Even the enchanted rope couldn't withstand a cut from the Yin-Yang Shears.
"Die!!"
Black and white lights flashed from Yi Tianxing's eyes. A black beam shot out, striking a distant mage dead on the spot. He disintegrated under the lightning, vanishing as a streak of white light.
"Western savages—eat my hammer!!"Li Yuanba roared, swinging his massive hammer.With a single blow, he shattered a shield warrior's shield—and his entire body into bloody paste.
"Sleep Spell!!" A western mage chanted while waving his staff at Zhu Yuanzhang.
Zhu Yuanzhang was unable to dodge and instantly fell into a deep slumber, immediately engulfed and obliterated by the lightning strikes.
The scene in the thunder sea was pure chaos.The East and West clashed madly.
No one wanted the other side to reach the finish line.
This was a life-and-death contest.Deep down, everyone wanted to seize victory—to claim the treasure. Even if they couldn't get it themselves, they would ensure the enemy couldn't either.
Driven by this resolve, the two forces fought with total ferocity.
"They're trying to hold us down so their champions can seize the treasure. Good plan. That Arthur—he didn't die! He's even been chosen as their champion to cross the finish line!"
Yi Tianxing swiftly slaughtered several Western cultivators around him, scanning the lightning sea.
Sure enough, amid the chaotic battle, he spotted a unicorn dashing madly ahead with Arthur riding atop it.Arthur had survived!
"What?! That damn golden-haired guy is still alive?!" The Green Emperor, still twitching from lightning strikes, suddenly froze when he heard the name.
His eyes lit up instantly. His trembling ceased.
Staring ahead at Arthur racing across the thunder sea, he bared his teeth in a wicked grin.
"Golden Fur! Where do you think you're running?!"
With a furious roar, the Green Emperor surged forward.Under his paws, four tufts of green clouds condensed, lifting him into the air as he charged ahead at full speed.