Chapter One Hundred and Three: The Ancient Thunder Tribulation

"Boom!"

Luo Hao’s chest split open, and boundless chaotic celestial light, like the primal essence of the world, gushed forth from the rift. Within this radiance, the phantoms of countless terrifying creatures flickered.

The Yinglong, Dafeng, Jiuying, Xiangliu, and Merfolk—along with many other nameless apparitions—appeared as massive as stars, crowding the entire firmament.

Tens of thousands of meters away, Dian Qingtang of the Earth Demon Hall and the mysterious figure from the Ziwei Pavilion were struck with such horror that they could not utter a single word. Every phantom shimmering within that celestial light had left behind a legendary reputation throughout the ages.

Within a radius of several hundred zhang around Luo Hao, the chaotic celestial light surged violently, as if to overturn the heavens and earth. It radiated a vast, primeval, and irresistible power, before which even the world itself seemed insignificant.

"Is this... creation?"

The mysterious figure in black trembled as he spoke. Inwardly, he cursed himself; had he known Luo Hao possessed such a profound secret, he would have seized him long ago.

Now, with Dian Qingtang aware of the situation, any chance of that was gone. Moreover, even powerful beings like them could not breach the area; it seemed that any attempt to force their way in would result in immediate annihilation.

*Swish, swish, swish...*

Several sounds of wind being torn echoed above the mountain range, and a few figures appeared, hovering in the void. An silver-haired old man, Elder Qingyang, and the Black Flood Dragon King arrived together, but upon seeing the surging chaotic celestial light, they were all rendered speechless.

"These are the ancient beast kings that perished in the tides of time!" The sight of those star-sized phantoms struck deep into the hearts of the two men and the beast. The silver-haired old man’s gaze grew solemn and moved.

"Qingyang!"

The mysterious black-clad figure from the Ziwei Pavilion caught a glimpse of him and instantly vanished into the void, appearing deeply wary of Elder Qingyang. Elder Qingyang was in charge of the Heavenly Punishment Hall of the Tianhai Sect; if he were to discover that someone within the sect was hunting Luo Hao, not only would he be exposed, but the secrets behind his actions would also be revealed.

"What is this? Why does it make my heart race with such dread?" The Black Flood Dragon King’s massive, hideous eyes stared at the surging celestial light, his expression filled with intense apprehension.

"Ahhh..."

Suddenly, roars emanated from within the chaotic light, causing the souls of everyone in the void to quiver. Elder Qingyang’s face grew grave as never before. He turned to Dian Qingtang and asked, "Brother, who is emitting those sounds from within the chaotic light?"

"Luo Hao," Dian Qingtang replied coldly, unwilling to say more. Hearing this, the Black Flood Dragon King looked confused, while the silver-haired old man’s expression turned heavy. He whispered, "Infinite Maha, eternal celestial light! Impossible... how could such a person truly exist? Immortals and demons are incompatible. It is impossible... there must be a mistake, there must be..."

The silver-haired old man seemed possessed, muttering to himself. Simultaneously, an unspeakable, terrifying aura erupted from his body like a volcanic eruption.

In that moment, the silver-haired old man’s stature grew imposing, like a peerless divine blade unsheathed, its edge unmatched. His three thousand silver hairs danced wildly, standing on end. Dian Qingtang, the Black Flood Dragon King, and the others were horrified to see that each strand of his hair was piercing the void like a sharp blade.

A single strand of hair could pierce the void!

Terrifying!

Such a sight was unheard of and unseen. The old man now commanded an awe-inspiring presence that left them shaken to their cores.

"He has been concealing his cultivation!"

As the invisible, terrifying pressure spilled outward, Dian Qingtang, the Black Flood Dragon King, Elder Qingyang, and the hidden mysterious figure were all forced back thousands of zhang, their expressions deepening with gravity.

His aura was like an ocean—fathomless!

The silver-haired old man’s aura rose like a dragon ascending to the sky, seemingly without limit. The void began to collapse, revealing countless fractures and fissures. Ignoring the changes around him, the old man raised his right arm. Endless divine light erupted, and a brilliant silver radiance shot into the sky like a silver dragon.

Thousands of zhang away, Dian Qingtang and the others were shaken, their hearts unable to find peace. The brilliant silver light posed a lethal threat to them.

*Thud.*

The sky-filling silver light transformed into a celestial river, pouring down from the vast firmament like a falling galaxy.

With eyes blazing in fury, the silver-haired old man’s three thousand strands of white hair stood upright. A silver light flashed beneath his feet, and a brilliant Dao pattern spread out from under him. He then surged toward the chaotic celestial light like a sharp blade.

"A Dao pattern!"

Dian Qingtang, the Black Flood Dragon King, and the mysterious figure gasped again. The markings spreading from beneath the old man’s feet were undeniably a Dao pattern.

For them, condensing a Dao pattern was a lifelong, unattainable dream. At this moment, they finally realized the vast gap between them and the old man. Dian Qingtang, in particular, grew tense, remembering that he had previously threatened the man.

*Boom!*

The silver waterfall, bright as a celestial river, crashed into the chaotic celestial light as the old man’s arm descended. Despite its intensity, the chaotic light could not withstand the force of the silver torrent.

*Puff!*

The phantoms of the ancient beast kings were submerged by the silver waterfall, and the old man pushed straight through along the path of light.

"He actually broke through!"

A rift was torn into the vast chaotic celestial light. Dian Qingtang and the others were deeply shaken; a martial artist capable of condensing a Dao pattern was truly unfathomable!

Through the rift, they could see the blurred scene within the light.

"This..."

Their pupils contracted. Inside, a blurred purple figure stood with hands behind his back, a Myriad Demon Bell hovering above his head, appearing stunningly ethereal.

Opposite him, a pair of dark eyes stared calmly at the purple figure. From the split chest of the owner of those dark eyes, infinite chaotic celestial light continued to pulse.

Within the light, the silver-haired old man’s eyes glowed with intense brilliance, as if trying to see through Luo Hao’s chest. But as he channeled more power into his gaze, sweat began to pour down his face, and the veins on his forehead bulged like writhing dragons.

"This is... Pfft!"

Suddenly, the silver-haired old man’s eyes widened, his entire body trembling. Then, under the horrified gaze of the onlookers, he was blasted backward like a kite with a broken string, leaving a trail of blood and mist in the void.

"This... no way! Even a martial artist who has condensed a Dao pattern couldn't completely shatter the chaotic celestial light!" The lingering blood mist deeply shocked the nerves of Dian Qingtang and the others. The old man’s strike had been so fierce that any one of them would have surely perished!

"It's here!"

With a whisper, Elder Qingyang glanced significantly at the silver-haired old man, who wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes now filled with apprehension as he looked back at the chaotic light.

The old man’s gaze swept over Elder Qingyang and then toward the sky, his snowy brows furrowing deep.

*Crackle!*

Suddenly, the world seemed to darken, and the sky appeared to press lower. The oppressive, suffocating atmosphere in the air caused Dian Qingtang and the others to instinctively look upward.

"This... this is... a lightning tribulation!"

Dian Qingtang and the others turned pale. The silver moon vanished, lightning flickered across the ten-thousand-mile sky, and thunder dragons hid within the clouds, their rumbling shaking the earth.

*Boom!*

The sky shook violently. Under the trembling gaze of the Tiangang-realm warriors, countless bolts of lightning, thick as barrels, descended from the black clouds like a cataclysmic disaster.

"How is this possible? Why would a lightning tribulation appear?"

Everyone panicked. The lightning tribulation was the natural enemy of all living beings; it represented the wrath of the heavens. Since the beginning of the post-ancient era, no such tribulation had appeared on the Tiangu Continent for hundreds of thousands of years. To all human martial artists, it was a myth of the past.

"It's him!"

Suddenly, Dian Qingtang and the others realized that while the tribulation was terrifying, its target was not them, but the silver-haired old man who had been blasted out of the chaotic light.

"No, the will of Tiangu!"

The sky-filling thunder transformed into a sea of lightning, pressing down. The extreme danger forced the silver-haired old man to realize something.

"Go!"

He took one last reluctant look at the chaotic celestial light, slashed the void in front of him, and dove into the rift.

*Boom!*

The terrifying sea of thunder did not dissipate with the old man’s departure. Instead, it shattered the void and surged into the rift after him, as if it possessed a consciousness of its own, hell-bent on hunting him down.