I Am Overlord c1-962
Page 164
The horned lightning snake did not wait and directly shot into the sky. He released a boundless demonic aura and started his attempt to break through into the Demon King realm. Instantly, dark clouds gathered, darkening the sky as lightning bolts began to dance.
Rumble! Rumble!
The sudden change gave the Dong Clan people, who had just experienced a large battle, a fright, and numerous Emperors rushed over to the training field in an instant.
"Everyone, please don't do anything. This is a demonic brother of mine. He is borrowing your place to attempt a breakthrough," Xiang Shaoyun quickly explained loudly.
Chapter 385: I Will Face the Tribulation With You
The people from the Dong Clan stayed their hands when they heard Xiang Shaoyun's words. Dong Qinggu and Dong Zhongyuan stood together, staring at the horned lightning snake in the sky with astonishment.
"What snake is this? It looks so weird, almost like it has undergone a mutation," Dong Qinggu muttered in confusion.
"There are a lot of mutations among demonic beasts, and this demonic snake seems to have evolved to have an affinity with lightning. Just look at the type of tribulation it's facing," said Dong Zhongyuan. "That Xiang Shaoyun already has a Demon Emperor as his mount, yet he still has a demonic snake as well? Is he from the Myriad Beast Sect?"
"The tier-6 Myriad Beast Sect?" Dong Qinggu gasped, intense fear in his eyes.
The Myriad Beast Sect was an ancient tier-6 organization, and if it wasn't for their low number of Sovereigns, they would have become a tier-7 organization long ago. An organization of this level was an existence that the Dong Clan could only look up at.
The horned lightning snake had created quite a scene, instantly attracting three silver lightning bolts. The sight of the unique lightning bolts greatly shocked the Dong Clan people. Regular breakthroughs into the Demon King realm would only attract regular natural lightning bolts, but this snake had actually attracted mutated lightning bolts. Just this alone was proof of how powerful of a bloodline the snake had.
Xiang Shaoyun had all his attention on the horned lightning snake. He could see that the snake was completely fine after taking on the lightning bombardment and that Money's demonic core was still well protected.
Money had been living in the silver lightning core, soaking in silver lightning energy all this time. Just these lightning bolts won't be able to do much to him, Xiang Shaoyun muttered inwardly. His lightning bone started shining, absorbing the dispersed silver lightning energy in the air.
Xiang Shaoyun had assumed that it would be fine for him to absorb the lightning energy in the air, but surprisingly, during the next round of lightning bolt bombardment, one of the bolts split from the others and shot at him.
"Holy shit, you are going to strike me just for this?" Xiang Shaoyun cried out before quickly activating his Six Goldplate Manual, pushing his defense to the peak to face the lightning bolt.
Bang!
The silver lightning struck his barrier, and the destructive impact shattered it, causing him to stagger backward. At this moment, the purple dragon charged out of his lightning bone and directly swallowed the silver lightning bolt. It flooded his body with lightning energy.
Rumble! Rumble!
Silver lightning bolts continued raining down like a thunderstorm, causing the people from the Dong Clan to shiver in fear. Only those at the King Realm and above dared to stay and watch. Initially, they were only watching the horned lightning snake undergo its tribulation, but they soon noticed Xiang Shaoyun. They saw that Xiang Shaoyun had actually charged to the middle of the training field and was facing the tribulation together with the horned lightning snake.
"Money, I will face the tribulation with you," said Xiang Shaoyun. He could sense that he was now one of the lightning tribulation's targets. If that was the case, he might as well jump right in the middle of everything and face the tribulation as well.
He mustered all the energy he had in his second star, creating a thick barrier around himself, and he formed a pair of fists which he sent blasting toward the falling lightning bolts.
Rumble! Rumble!
The silver lightning bolts continued striking the human and snake mercilessly. The Dong Clan was overwhelmed with shock, all of them crying out in alarm.
"Is he a human or a demon? He's actually facing the tribulation with the snake?"
"He is a human. Don't you see him defending with a barrier? What a freak."
"Those are mutated lightning bolts, a few times more powerful than regular lightning bolts! Not even late-stage Kings would easily dare to take on one. He is only a third-stage King, yet he is already doing something like this? What a freak!"
"He is probably a young master from some super clan. Only someone like that can display such terrifying strength."
"But can he survive this tribulation? He better not die here."
...
Dong Zhuoyue and Dong Ziwan had also appeared beside Dong Qinggu and Dong Zhongyuan, watching everything that was unfolding clearly. Dong Zhuoyue immediately spoke in excitement, "Little Wan, I think you made the right call in rejecting the marriage proposal with the Illusionary Palm Society. Your father is very satisfied with this son-in-law you have found."
In the beginning, he only saw Xiang Shaoyun as a rich young master, but he now found that he couldn't have been more wrong. He was now certain that Xiang Shaoyun was definitely a core member of some super organization. After all, the talent he was displaying was one no regular young man would have.
Dong Ziwan had not expected her father to say such things. Her face turned red as she said, "W-we're only friends!"
Dong Zhuoyue was about to reply when Dong Qinggu interjected, "Little Wan, since he is willing to risk himself to help our clan, it is obvious he thinks very highly of you. A young hero like this is very rare even in large organizations. If you fail to grab on to him, it will be very hard for you to find someone similar in the future."
Dong Zhongyuan also chimed in, "That's right. Little Wan, a missed opportunity will be very hard to regain. Be very careful and treasure what you have."
Dong Ziwan sank into thought before saying, "I-I'll try."
In truth, she did have Xiang Shaoyun in her heart. With her elders being so supportive, there was no point for her to hesitate.
"Haha, good. I believe in you!" Dong Zhuoyue smiled in a gratified manner. If their clan could form a relationship with a stronger organization, it would only benefit them.
Time passed, and suddenly, everyone's face sank. They found that during the final moments of the tribulation, Xiang Shaoyun had been struck by nine silver lightning bolts at the same time. The defense around him had completely crumbled apart, and he seemed to have been badly hit.
Eventually, the dust settled. Xiang Shaoyun could be seen lying flat in a deep crater, a burnt smell coming from his body. Everyone was stunned. They were wondering if the lightning had struck him to death.
"Xiang Shaoyun!" Dong Ziwan cried out in alarm. Without any hesitation, she rushed forward. However, Dong Qinggu stopped her before she could go far.
"Calm down. He's still alive," said Dong Qinggu.
Right this moment, a badly damaged purple dragon rose from Xiang Shaoyun's body, spiraling above him as it tried to reform itself. Xiang Shaoyun could also sense the bad shape he was in. Even so, he still maintained a clear mind. With his inner gaze, he studied his lightning bone and found that an astonishing change had occurred.
"T-this...what in the world is this?" He was completely dumbstruck.
Chapter 386: Silver Lightning Liquid
Nine drops of silver liquid were currently hovering around the lightning bone. Each drop was the size of a finger. They were glossy and lustrous, each of them surging with vitality. Xiang Shaoyun could see that they were no regular drops of liquid, and he grew excited. "Are these drops of lightning liquid I’m seeing here? Or silver lightning liquid to be precise, an even higher existence than the regular lightning liquid?"
Most people only knew that the power of lightning represented destruction, but as with anything in existence, when something reached the extremes in one specific direction, it would start moving in the opposite direction. When lightning power reached a certain degree of prowess, the extremely rare lightning liquid would start appearing, bringing with it vitality instead of destruction.
Lightning liquid was so rare that out of millions of lightning bolts, perhaps only one or two bolts would contain lightning liquid. Xiang Shaoyun did not understand how these silver lightning liquids had appeared within him, but he was sure they had not come from the silver lightning bolts. Otherwise, they wouldn't have lingered right outside his lightning bone.
After refining the first drop of lightning liquid, a massive force of vitality coursed through his body and healed his injuries. Soon, the numbing pain vanished. His messy and damaged meridians had also been repaired, and his condition was recovering at a rapid speed.
Meanwhile, the horned lightning snake was also undergoing a transformation. The scales on his body started dropping off, and a new layer was forming around him. He grew in length, his body became more slender, and his single horn started looking more terrifying.
His long serpentine tongue was stuck out of his mouth. It danced about in the air, electrical currents crackling around it. He had now reached a level he could directly spit silver lightning energy out of his mouth. His body had also become sturdier, and his strength as a whole had reached a brand new level.
He had not just undergone a regular tribulation. Instead, he had advanced three stages in a row, repeating Xiang Shaoyun's previous feat of becoming a third-stage King soon after breakthrough. That was why he had attracted so many bolts of lightning during the tribulation.
With the end of the tribulation, the field sank into silence. Money studied his surroundings for a bit before he directly streaked into Xiang Shaoyun's body and vanished. He could not directly enter Xiang Shaoyun's astral cosmos sea and was forced to embed himself into Xiang Shaoyun's arm, creating a lifelike snake tattoo using the Camouflage Invisibility ability.
Most of the Dong Clan people could not even see how he had vanished. Only a few Emperors were able to see the snake disappear after it reached Xiang Shaoyun. Most of them were focused on Xiang Shaoyun, praying that nothing bad had happened to him. Otherwise, they would lose the great helper they had just gotten.
Fortunately, a thick vitality started surging from Xiang Shaoyun's body, so thick even the Dong Clan Emperors could sense it. Soon, they found that his aura was recovering at a rapid speed, and his strength was also soaring.
"What a powerful vitality. Is this some wondrous ancient self-healing technique?" Dong Qinggu muttered in shock.
Generally speaking, ancient self-healing techniques were extremely rare and would only exist among ancient super organizations. It was understandable why he was so shocked when he reached that conclusion.
"This kid has an extremely terrifying background. Make sure our clan takes good care of him," said Dong Zhongyuan to Dong Qinggu through voice transmission.
Dong Qinggu nodded in agreement. After about an hour, Xiang Shaoyun was completely healed. He opened his eyes, sat up, and started studying his own body. He found that he was in a great condition, both externally and internally.
Just a single drop of silver lightning liquid is already enough to fully heal me. This is amazing, Xiang Shaoyun thought in excitement.
On the surface of his lightning bone were eight more drops of lightning liquid. Each of them was equivalent to one additional life. Just one drop of them could be sold for an astonishing price. Without any hesitation, he stowed all eight drops into his astral cosmos sea. He was also storing them in jade bottles, not taking any risk that they would waste away.
When he was done, he finally stood up. His clothes had been reduced to strips, and he looked incredibly sorry. Nevertheless, he was in high spirits. Through the tribulation, his lightning bone had absorbed a massive quantity of silver lightning energy. His first star was once again filled to the brim with energy, and his strength had also soared as a result.
Additionally, after using the Six Goldplate Manual to defend himself against the tribulation, his control and grasp over it had improved considerably. He was now able to barely form the second level of the Iron Wall stage, signifying that he was near full mastery of the technique's first stage. With his current defensive strength, he could protect himself from even high-tier king weapons.
At this time, Dong Ziwan walked over and asked anxiously, "Xiang Shaoyun, are you fine?"
Xiang Shaoyun flashed her a wide smile and patted the dead skin off his body. He said, "I have an undying body. How can I die so easily?"
"What a narcissist!" Dong Ziwan was relieved to see that Xiang Shaoyun was fine.
Dong Zhongyuan, Dong Zhuoyue, and Dong Qinggu walked over as well.
"Young friend, you gave us quite a surprise there. Compared to you, the children of our clan are really too weak," praised Dong Qinggu with a flattering tone.
Xiang Shaoyun replied, "You are too polite, senior. But I am really sorry for disturbing your peace and causing so much damage to your place. I will definitely compensate you for the damages done."
"What are you talking about, young friend? I won't have any of that! You have just rescued our entire clan. This little damage is nothing. We won't accept any compensation. We should be the ones giving you compensation for helping us," said Dong Qinggu. He then said to Dong Ziwan, "Little Wan, you should stay by Shaoyun's side and host him on our behalf. When we are done with the clan affairs, we will return to show him our thanks."
"That's right, Little Wan. Shaoyun is an honored guest. You must treat him well," said Dong Zhongyuan.
They were only trying to create opportunities for Dong Ziwan to capture Xiang Shaoyun's heart.
"Yes, I know," Dong Ziwan agreed bashfully. The people from the Dong Clan then left,, leaving behind Dong Ziwan and Xiang Shaoyun.
"Let's go. We need to get you changed," said Dong Ziwan when she looked at the rags on Xiang Shaoyun.
Xiang Shaoyun covered his chest and cried out in alarm, "What? Y-you...changing me?"
Chapter 387: I Don't Want to Leave You
Dong Ziwan burst out in laughter, but she was also somewhat infuriated by his response. She said, "What is this? You think I'm going to molest you or something? I'm only going to lead the way!"
When she smiled, she was like an incredibly beautiful, alluring, blooming flower. Even Xiang Shaoyun blanked out upon seeing her smiling face. Dong Ziwan was not as stunning as Ye Chaomu, but she wasn't too far off. Like a blooming orchid, she was capable of slowly intoxicating someone with her beauty.
"What are you looking at, idiot?" Dong Ziwan rebuked when she saw Xiang Shaoyun staring at her unblinkingly.
Xiang Shaoyun recovered and rubbed his nose before replying, "I thought you were going to take advantage of me when you offered to go change me. I will have you know that this young master is still a virgin."
"Shameless! Come if you want. I don't care!" Dong Ziwan said furiously before turning and walking away with a red face.
Xiang Shaoyun smiled and followed behind her. He was merely teasing her, as he was in a good mood after obtaining the silver lightning liquid. But from how she was behaving, it was becoming clear that she seemed to have developed feelings for him.
The hardest debt to repay is the debt of love, Xiang Shaoyun lamented inwardly.
...
Tai City, Five Denseforest Cities. The defeated Emperors were currently gathered here.
"I thought you said there wouldn't be any reinforcements for the Dong Clan? Who
are the two people who had suddenly helped them, then?" roared the ninth-stage Dragon Ascension Realm expert from the Illusionary Palm Society.
His name was Xu Duo, a previous generation elder of the Illusionary Palm Society, a person with a high status. The Tai and Xing Clans had colluded with the Illusionary Palm Society to take down the Dong Clan. They were planning to redistribute the resource allocations of the Five Denseforest Cities, their main target being the teleportation formation currently held in the Dong Clan's hands.
A teleportation formation could only be erected through the joint effort of many Emperors utilizing a large number of spatial crystals. Anyone wanting to use the teleportation formation would have to pay a large number of spirit crystals, and this had always been Dong Clan's major source of income.
The two clans had longed to get a share of the profits, and they had ultimately decided to work with the Illusionary Palm Society to achieve their goal. The Illusionary Palm Society originally wanted no part in it, but after the Dong Clan rejected the marriage proposal with them, they had decided to work with the two clans to go against the Dong Clan. Unfortunately for them, Xiang Shaoyun had arrived and ruined their plan.
Tai Dou, an eighth-stage Emperor from the Tai Clan, said apologetically, "We really have no idea who they are. Perhaps they are the friends of the dead old man Dong."
Xing Yihui from the Xing Clan said, "I think so too. The Dong Clan would be a tier-5 organization for nothing if they didn't have a trump card or two."
"I'm not here to listen to your bullshit. We of the Illusionary Palm Society lost two Dragon Ascension Realm experts during the battle. You will have to take responsibility," demanded Xu Duo resentfully.
Tai Dou promised, "We will definitely compensate the Illusionary Palm Society for your losses. But we hope you can invite more experts from your society to help us take the Dong Clan down. We are willing to share half the Dong Clan's wealth with your society once the war is over. I also heard that your young master has taken a liking to a girl from the Dong Clan? We will present that girl to the young master as well."