Ao Yuan's thought was simple: should he try to tank Zeus's lightning head-on?
He wasn't a reckless fool, but he possessed a talent for drawing lightning.
Since he could devour tribulation lightning, did that mean Zeus's thunderbolts would be nothing to him?
Of course, this was just a thought.
Ao Yuan wasn't confident he could absorb Zeus's lightning.
If things went wrong, his life would be forfeit.
But soon, Ao Yuan's eyes sharpened, and he gritted his teeth, "How will I know if I can't absorb it unless I try?"
"Besides, even without absorbing it, I'll inevitably lose if I continue fighting."
With that, Ao Yuan's hesitation vanished. He opened his mouth and roared.
Instantly, his colossal body plunged forward.
Rumble!
Upon contact, Ao Yuan's massive form was immediately engulfed by the terrifying lightning.
In the void, only the still-flashing lightning remained, Ao Yuan's colossal body nowhere to be seen.
"What's happening?"
"What is the Dragon God doing?"
"Why did he just charge in?"
The assembled warriors, after a moment of stunned silence, cried out in alarm.
They couldn't fathom Ao Yuan's actions no matter how much they pondered.
Had he given up struggling?
Impossible.
They knew Ao Yuan's character from their journey; he wasn't the type to give up.
Their expressions grew tense, and they watched intently,
afraid of any unforeseen accidents.
"Hmm?"
On the other side, Zeus's face flickered with a hint of surprise.
Then, he suddenly laughed, his eyes filled with mockery.
"Ao Yuan, if you wish to court death, do not blame me."
He murmured, opening his mouth and spitting out several more bolts of lightning.
Boom!
The lightning struck, splitting the void with a massive gash.
It then merged into the colossal lightning in the sky.
Rumble!
The lightning surged, swirling everywhere.
It was evident that the lightning was clashing with Ao Yuan.
Rumble!
The thunder intensified, the booming sound incessant.
"Ah... Roar!"
Accompanying the thunder were Ao Yuan's successive cries of agony.
Judging by the sounds, Ao Yuan's situation seemed grim.
And indeed, it was.
Within the lightning, Ao Yuan coiled his body as bolt after bolt of electricity rained down.
Before long, wounds appeared on Ao Yuan's body, scales peeling off one after another.
He was a perfect illustration of being torn to shreds.
"Roar!"
The intense pain coursing through his body forced Ao Yuan to cry out.
However, beneath the agony, Ao Yuan's healing talent and the power of myriad trees activated immediately, working to repair his damaged body.
Faint glows emanated from the ground, but perhaps because everyone's attention was fixed on Ao Yuan, few noticed or paid any heed to this phenomenon.
"Roar!"
Ao Yuan let out another roar, his eyes widening slightly.
He hadn't forgotten his mission. Enduring the pain, he began to activate his lightning-drawing talent.
Boom!
A bolt of lightning struck him.
Ao Yuan howled in pain, but he also made a startling discovery.
His lightning-drawing talent was indeed working.
Though the effect was minuscule, it was an effect nonetheless.
"It works!"
A flicker of excitement flashed across Ao Yuan's face, twisted slightly by pain.
From the current situation, it seemed he might actually be able to absorb Zeus's lightning.
And then...
How could Zeus possibly be his opponent!
With this thought, Ao Yuan endured the pain, allowing the lightning to ravage his body.
He used this opportunity to activate his lightning-drawing talent, absorbing it with extremely weak results.
Before long!
Under his non-resistance, but rather his guidance, Zeus's lightning coiled around Ao Yuan's body like enormous pythons.
If one were to look closely at this moment,
they would find that Ao Yuan was completely invisible within the lightning,
only seeing streaks of electrical light raging within!
Outside.
From a distance, observing the lightning in the sky,
the warriors' brows furrowed involuntarily.
After a long period of observation,
they noticed that the previously tumultuous lightning had become almost calm.
Under normal circumstances, this would indicate that Ao Yuan and the lightning had reached a conclusion.
However, without seeing Ao Yuan emerge, the warriors were reluctant to accept this conclusion.
After all, it would mean Ao Yuan had perished under the lightning.
"Hahahaha!"
Unlike the warriors' somber mood, Zeus burst into laughter, his grin stretching almost to the back of his head.
"Ao Yuan! Ao Yuan!"
"No matter how powerful you are, what does it matter!"
"My lightning is not something anyone can withstand!"
"Even other main gods would be severely injured if they tried to face my lightning head-on, let alone you!"
At this point, Zeus's face was filled with pride.
His lightning gave him the confidence to utter such words.
His lightning was so potent that even he, if not careful, could be injured by it.
"Hahaha!"
Zeus laughed again, then his gaze fell upon the warriors.
He naturally wouldn't let these people go.
However, he wouldn't act against them just yet.
Zeus had a brilliant idea.
He would first let them witness Ao Yuan's fate.
Then, at their moment of deepest despair, he would strike and annihilate these warriors.
Their reactions then would surely be amusing!
"Next, I will make you understand the consequences of opposing me."
Zeus turned back to the lightning in the sky and shouted, "Withdraw!"
Rumble!
As Zeus's words fell, the previously calm lightning began to churn.
Bolt after bolt of lightning moved rapidly, eventually being gathered by him.
Soon, his eyes narrowed.
Zeus noticed that after he had gathered most of the lightning, a portion of it did not dissipate.
It remained suspended in the air.
As if drawn by something.
"Strange, what is happening!" Zeus mused, bewildered.
He glared, wanting to increase his effort to gather all this lightning.
But no matter how he manipulated it, the residual lightning in the sky remained motionless.
This situation was peculiar, extremely peculiar.
It was so strange that Zeus had never encountered anything like it before.
"Hmm?"
Zeus frowned and roared again, "Withdraw!"
"Withdraw!"
As he repeatedly shouted, the lightning lingering in the sky finally began to move.
But the next second,
Zeus's heart jolted, and his pupils contracted.
As the lightning was drawn back, like shedding a cocoon, one by one,
at this moment,
the lightning suspended in the air had formed a shape.
This shape bore a striking resemblance to Ao Yuan's physique!
It was as if...
it had been Ao Yuan himself transformed!