Xu Qianyu was flying along in an unhurried manner with four other members of the Xu Family when a streak of piercing light suddenly appeared in the distance before vanishing in a flash.
Immediately thereafter, another burst of loud rumbling rang out from the same direction.
Xu Qianyu couldn't help but cast her gaze toward that direction with a peculiar look in her eyes, but she didn't dare to look for too long and immediately urged the other cultivators to continue onward.
......
Meanwhile, the massive hole in the air above the basin had already swelled to hundreds of acres in size, and rumbling thunderclaps rang out as bolts of lightning that were as thick as water tanks came crashing down from above alongside pavilion-sized balls of lightning.
Lightning wreaked havoc over the entire sky, and even a Grand Ascension Stage being would be greatly alarmed by such an intimidating scene.
However, despite the fearsome barrage of lightning crashing down from above, there were three mountains arranged in a triangular formation above the basin, keeping most of the lightning at bay.
The three mountains were each over 10,000 feet in size, and one of them was releasing a series of grey halos that nullified all lightning upon contact.
Meanwhile, another mountain was releasing countless streaks of invisible sword Qi that eradicated one ball of lightning after another, while the final mountain was radiating dazzling five-colored light that caused all of the lightning to explode upon contact.
Beneath the three extreme mountains stood the gargantuan Provenance Golden Body, which was unleashing a torrential barrage of balls of golden light to destroy some of the lightning that managed to make its way past the trio of mountains.
Even further down below was a massive azure sword lotus that was around an acre in size, and all of the lightning that were able to bypass all of the previous lines of defense were instantly destroyed by the sword Qi within the lotus flower.
With all of these defensive measures that Han Li had meticulously set up, he had managed to remain unscathed thus far even in the face of the true lightning tribulation that had taken the lives of countless tribulation transcending cultivators in the past.
However, Han Li was well aware that the three extreme mountains were the primary reason for this.
Even though he hadn't completed all five of the Integrated Five Extreme Mountains yet, the three extreme mountains were still extremely effective in resisting tribulation lightning.
With these three mountains alone, Han Li was able to easily nullify most of the lightning tribulation, and the remaining tribulation lightning was being kept at bay by the Provenance Golden Body and azure sword lotus.
Even so, this was still proving to be quite a struggle for Han Li. Not only had his face turned very pale, there was a frail look on his face that suggested that he had already exhausted most of his magic power.
At this point, Han Li finally understood why Grand Ascension Stage beings were so rare in the Spirit Realm.
His magic power and physical body were far more powerful than that of the average late-Body Integration Stage being, and he had made such extensive preparations, yet even he was struggling to transcend this true lightning tribulation; what chance would other Body Integration Stage beings stand?
Just as Han Li was considering this notion, the true lightning tribulation reached its final moments. The edge of the massive hole flashed violently before suddenly beginning to shrink, while the sea of lightning within it was rapidly compressing into a ball.
After no more than 15 minutes had passed, a doomsday-like aura of destruction surged through the air, and a black and white ball of lightning took shape in the sky.
Chapter 2185: Black and White Lightning Ball
Han Li looked up at the house-sized ball of black and white lightning up above, and his pupils immediately contracted slightly.
He knew that this was the final moment of the true lightning tribulation, and his ability to successfully transcend it would depend on whether he would be able to withstand this final ball of lightning.
Thus, he immediately took a deep breath, then opened his mouth to expel three mouthfuls of blood essence before making a hand seal.
The blood essence instantly transformed into dozens of crimson runes, which surged up into the air before vanishing into the three extreme mountains in a flash.
The three mountains then began to converge toward the center before combining as one to form a massive three-colored mountain, and it shrank down to only several hundred feet tall while an enormous aura began to emanate from it.
This technique of combining the three mountains as one appeared to be rather similar to the final form of the Integrated Five Extremes Mountain, but the two were actually completely different.
The Integrated Five Extremes Mountain was created by truly fusing all five mountains as one through refinement, and it could be easily integrated or separated at will. As such, its powers far exceeded that of this forced amalgamation of the three extreme mountains.
Not only was expenditure of blood essence required to combine the three extreme mountains, they would only be able to maintain this form for a very short time and withstand only a single attack.
This was a technique that Han Li had devised specifically to help himself withstand the Grand Ascension Stage tribulation, and after the three mountains combined as one, the black and white ball of lightning came crashing down from above, hurtling directly toward where Han Li was situated.
This black and white ball of lightning was far different from the previous lightning attacks as it was imbued with the power of laws of heaven and earth. It had already locked onto Han Li's Nascent Soul, and it would follow him to all corners of the realm unless it were to be nullified.
Of course, what was most fearsome about this ball of lightning was the power that it contained.
If a normal Body Integration Stage being were to even be glanced by this ball of lightning, they would immediately be reduced to ashes.
Han Li immediately began to chant something upon seeing this, and the Provenance Golden Body thrust its six palms up into the air in unison.
Six balls of golden light erupted forth, then fused as one in front of the combined extreme mountains to form a massive golden vortex.
The vortex was several acres in size with countless runes surging out of it alongside a burst of enormous power that struck one with a sense of asphyxiation.
The black and white ball of lightning was immediately drawn to the center of the vortex by the suction force, upon which golden light and black and white lightning intertwined in a fierce clash.
The golden vortex shuddered amid a resounding boom, then immediately shattered into specks of golden light, following which the ball of lightning re-emerged and appeared to be completely unscathed.
Han Li's expression changed slightly upon seeing this, and the azure sword lotus revolving above his head suddenly vanished.
In the next instant, spatial fluctuations erupted beneath the ball of lightning, and the azure lotus reappeared before transforming into countless streaks of azure sword Qi that struck the ball of lightning in a continuous barrage.
Even the fearsome ball of lightning was forced to falter slightly in the face of the relentless stream of sword Qi, and it was temporarily forced to a halt.
Han Li was ecstatic to see this, and he immediately injected his magic power into the azure lotus flower with all his might.
The number of streaks of sword Qi flying out of the azure lotus flower instantly doubled, and azure light covered virtually every single inch of the ball of lightning, threatening to tear it apart at any moment.
All of a sudden, a dull thump rang out, and the arcs of lightning revolving around the ball of lightning thickened significantly, repelling all of the oncoming streaks of sword Qi.
At the same time, the ball of lightning itself began to descend once again.
A solemn look appeared on Han Li's face as he har
rumphed coldly while pointing a finger up at the azure lotus flower, and the flower instantly swelled drastically in size, while the sword Qi it released also became noticeably thicker.
However, the massive ball of lightning still vanished into the azure lotus flower in a flash, and the lotus flower began to revolve in a frenzy, unleashing a relentless stream of sword Qi in an attempt to tear the ball of lightning into shreds.
However, in the next instant, a piercing screech suddenly rang out within the azure lotus flower, and its petals began to bulge and warp while rapidly expanding.
Han Li was quite alarmed to see this, yet before he had a chance to do anything, an earth-shattering boom suddenly rang out from above.
The azure sword lotus instantly exploded amid countless arcs of black and white lightning, reverting back into 72 flying swords that had dimmed significantly and scattered in all directions.
Due to Han Li's spiritual connection with the swords, his face paled slightly as he threw up several mouthfuls of blood, and his aura was also somewhat debilitated, but he had no time to pay any heed to this as he hurriedly swept a sleeve upward.
The 72 flying swords immediately flew back into his sleeve, while the black and white ball of lightning began to descend once again.
The combined extreme mountains began to slowly rotate on the spot on its own while releasing countless runes of different colors.
At the same time, a layer of translucent light flashed over the surface of the mountain, and it took on a near-transparent quality as it rose up to meet the descending ball of lightning.
A dull thump rang out as the ball of lightning struck the peak of the mountain, and countless arcs of black and white lightning sprang forth to bombard the mountain with devastating force.
The combined extreme mountains tremored violently as it resisted the black and white lightning with all its might, and Han Li was also injecting what remained of his magic power into the mountain without any reservation, causing it to glow as bright as an incandescent sun.
The ball of lightning and combined extreme mountains both began to tremor incessantly as shockwaves erupted in all directions amid deafening explosions.
The two of them appeared to be evenly-matched, and as time passed, the ball of lighting became smaller and smaller, but Han Li's magic power was also rapidly being expended.
If it weren't for the fact that Han Li's magic power was far more abundant than that of the average Body Integration Stage being, it would've most likely already been completely exhausted.
Even so, Han Li's expression had become extremely grim as he discovered that his magic power would run out before the combined extreme mountains could completely nullify the ball of lightning.
However, Han Li had made extensive preparations for this breakthrough, so he had prepared some rather risky countermeasures for situations of this nature.
Thus, he immediately gritted his teeth as he abruptly withdrew his magic power from the combined extreme mountains, then swept a sleeve through the air to release an inky-black bracelet, which instantly swelled to around 10 feet in size.
Immediately thereafter, a burst of bright golden light radiated through the air as he transformed into a giant golden ape.
The Provenance Golden Body situated above him then disintegrated into specks of golden light before vanishing into the giant ape's body in a flash, while Han Li quickly laid a hand onto his own head to release a golden Nascent Soul.
The Nascent Soul waved a hand through the air, and several true spirit projections flew out of the giant ape's body.
These projections immediately plunged into the body of the Nascent Soul, following which the Nascent Soul flew into the massive ape's body as a streak of golden light.
In the next instant, the giant ape let loose a thunderous roar as it thumped its own chest violently. At the same time, a series of purplish-golden scales appeared all over its body, while an azure horn emerged on its head.
What was even more astonishing was that the giant ape had grown two extra golden heads on its shoulders and four additional scaled arms out of its ribs.
However, only two of the heads and two pairs of arms were substantial in appearance, while the other head and pair of arms resembled blurry projections.
Han Li had unleashed his Holy Nirvana Physique, and even though this was still only the Second Nirvana Transformation, it was clearly significantly improved from before.
If Han Li could manifest all three heads and three pairs of arms into a substantial form, then he would've mastered the Third Nirvana Transformation.
At this point, the combined extreme mountains was no longer able to resist the ball of lightning without the support of Han Li's magic power, and it split up into three balls of spiritual light that scattered in different directions.
Meanwhile, the black and white ball of lightning began to descend rapidly once again, crashing into the massive black bracelet in the blink of an eye.
Black light flashed beneath the lightning, and the bracelet instantly exploded, releasing countless giant golden beetles into the air.
These were none other than Han Li's Gold Devouring Beetles and beetle monarch candidates.
However, all of the beetles were currently rather sluggish and disoriented, doing nothing more than hovering in the mid-air while flapping their wings in a wooden manner.
Chapter 2186: Beetle Revolt
However, the lightning ball naturally wasn't going to stop for anyone, and it continued to descend into the swarm of beetles.
Black and white lightning flashed violently, and many of the Gold Devouring Beetles were charred black before falling like rain out of the sky.
Even though Gold Devouring Beetles possessed virtually indestructible bodies, some of the weaker ones had still been dealt a heavy blow by the fearsome tribulation lightning, and even though they didn't perish, they were knocked unconscious as a result.
As for the remaining Gold Devouring Beetles and beetle monarch candidates, they immediately awakened from their disoriented state after the bombardment of lightning.
The beetle monarch candidates let loose sharp cries, and all of the Gold Devouring Beetles instantly surged toward the ball of lightning, forming a shimmering golden ball around it before devouring the lightning with all their might.
In retaliation, even more arcs of lightning appeared on the surface of the ball of lightning before lashing out at the swarm of beetles.
Thus, the ball of lightning began to rapidly shrink from being devoured, but more and more Gold Devouring Beetles were being knocked unconscious before falling out of the sky.
After the span of just a few breaths, all of the normal mature Gold Devouring Beetles had fallen unconscious, with only the dozen or so Purple-striped Gold Devouring Beetles still clinging on doggedly while continuing to devour lightning with all their might.
However, the ball of lightning paid no heed to the Purple-striped Gold Devouring Beetles and continued to crash down toward Han Li.
At this point, the ball of lightning had already been reduced to only around a quarter of its initial size, but even so, it was still several tens of feet in diameter and imbued with astonishing power.
Having been bought some time by the Gold Devouring Beetles, Han Li had managed to complete his Second Nirvana Transformation.
In the face of the descending ball of lightning, Han Li let loose an earth-shattering roar, and his body expanded drastically to several thousand feet in size as he reached up with all four of his substantial hands in unison.
Layers of silver spirit patterns immediately surfaced all over his body, then converged toward his four arms, forming a series of silver formations of different sizes.
All of a sudden, the silver light on Han Li's six arms faded, and a set of shimmering silver armor appeared, covering all of his arms from shoulder to fingertips.
Upon closer inspection, one would discover that the armor was constructed from countless extremely beautiful scales, upon each of
which was engraved a miniature formation that was giving off a mysterious aura.
Han Li had unleashed his Hundred Meridian Refinement Mantra alongside his Holy Nirvana Physique and 12 Awakening Transformations, and this was the first time that he had ever done this.
Upon sensing the terrifying power that had gathered within his own body, Han Li was instilled with a great deal of confidence.
He drew back his four silver-armored hands, then slowly thrust them through the air, sending a sharp shriek erupting throughout the surrounding area.
His four hands then blurred as four massive silver hand projections appeared out of thin air before striking the descending ball of lightning in unison.
Another earth-shattering boom ran out, and the giant hand projections clawed their fingers into the ball of lightning like silver hooks, while enormous power poured out of their palms to compress the ball of lightning from all sides.
The ball of lightning shrank rapidly in the face of the tremendous compression force, but it was also lashing out against the four giant hand projections with bolts of black and white lightning.
With every lightning strike that the massive silver hands projections endured, the light in the eyes of the giant ape down below would dim slightly, and its aura would also wane by a fraction.
In the blink of an eye, the four giant hand projections were struck by hundreds of bolts of lightning, and Han Li's aura had been whittled down by almost half.
However, right at this moment, Han Li let loose a thunderous roar, and the huge silver palm projections swelled to around twice their original size.
The four hands then spread their fingers before exerting a death grip around the entire ball of lightning, releasing a burst of piercing silver light while completely disregarding the retaliating bolts of lightning.
Countless five-colored runes surged out of the silver light, and the compression force exerted upon the ball of lightning abruptly increased by severalfold, causing it to explode.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 1254