"Step aside!"
The simple words carried a force that sent everyone flying back.
Lightning crackled, dazzling and piercing. Purple thunder rolled through the sea of clouds, tearing the black snow into dust. Wave after wave of strikes landed on Gu Junshi.
She stood proudly in her black robes. Compared to the earth, she was tiny; compared to the heavens, her radiance was insignificant.
Yet, the seemingly world-destroying lightning never made her bend her back or break her neck.
Electricity coursed through her body. Her charred, cracked, and bloody skin resembled the ground lava flowed over during a volcanic eruption, leaving no part untouched. White bones showed through, with torn flesh and sinew. But in the next instant, the damaged skin and flesh rapidly regenerated, visible to the naked eye.
"Gu Junshi—"
The Human Emperor tried to approach, but a pillar of purple lightning flashed past him, narrowly missing. As an inherently evil entity, he was blocked by the vast, righteous energy of the heavenly lightning, his body jolting and flung back as if scalded.
The others dared not even get close. They all believed that someone like Gu Junshi, who defied heavenly principles, was destined for divine retribution and would surely not survive this lightning tribulation.
Secretly pleased, some shielded their eyes and peered, "Let's see how she dies under this lightning tribulation!"
"Her cultivation is not simple. This lightning tribulation is so fierce, unprecedented." Someone exclaimed in shock.
Another mused, "Can anyone present see through her cultivation?"
"I cannot."
"Nor I."
"This old Daoist cannot."
"..."
These men, who now denied it, had no room for pride. Although they were all renowned figures among the twenty-eight immortal cultivation sects, none of them could truly fathom Gu Junshi's strength.
She was at least far superior to everyone present, though the exact extent of that superiority remained unknown.
A considerable amount of time had passed. Gu Junshi's flesh and skin had been so battered that they could no longer discern her original form, leaving only a dark mass floating in mid-air. The heavenly lightning, however, showed no sign of abating its imposing momentum.
"Um, count this for me, how many purple bolts have there been?!"
Someone's disbelief was palpable. The endless stream of lightning striking Gu Junshi surpassed their comprehension.
"Around thirty-odd."
Someone swallowed nervously in fright.
Earlier, out of curiosity, he had counted, wondering how many bolts he could withstand if he faced such a tribulation.
"Impossible, how could there be so many bolts... Wait! Legend has it... only the lightning tribulation for ascension would..."
They exchanged fearful glances with those around them, as if seeking confirmation.
"Forty-nine bolts," a cultivator in the Soul Transformation stage stated with wide, unblinking eyes and a dry throat, "This is the first time in a thousand years anyone has endured the lightning tribulation of ascension."
"What nonsense are you spouting? Are you saying she... she is undergoing the tribulation of ascension?!"
The crowd erupted in astonished exclamations.
At this moment, another voice said blankly, "...It's already surpassed forty bolts, forty-one..."
The sound seemed to instantly fall silent.
They even stopped breathing.
"She... is she really going to endure all forty-nine heavenly bolts?! No, she hasn't even unleashed any formations or used any spiritual treasures or immortal artifacts, she's just enduring it head-on..."
It's over, it's over, it's over... these words repeated endlessly in their minds.
This woman was not human at all. What was her flesh, blood, bones, and sinew forged from, to withstand the tribulation clouds so perfectly!
No, more astonishing than that was the fact that this Gu woman was at the late stage of tribulation, a truly terrifying and unheard-of matter!
Could it be that she wasn't a mortal village woman at all, but an old monster possessing a body... but that didn't make sense either. From the time this Gu woman appeared until now, for those who knew the inside story, it had been at most a few decades. Even if she relied on absorbing celestial essence and dew to increase her cultivation, such an irrational event should not have occurred.
Looking again, it seemed the heavenly lightning was also making a desperate final push. Dozens of purple bolts converged into one massive stream, its sheer power utterly terrifying. This strike alone would not only destroy Fengdu City but likely the entire day.
However, heavenly lightning always targeted only those undergoing the tribulation, not harming the innocent, unless someone deliberately stepped forward to bear the lightning.
"Just watching this makes me feel like my soul is about to scatter. If I were within it, she definitely couldn't withstand this strike!"
Someone stammered, swallowing hard.
"Yes, after enduring so many tribulation bolts, she doesn't look as radiant as before. Her injuries are healing more and more slowly; she must be at her limit."
They all cried out in their hearts—she absolutely wouldn't make it! Heavenly lightning, you must show some spirit, put in more effort and strike her dead, strike her dead...
But at this moment, from the east, a graceful figure as refined as spring jade flew over, and from the west, a figure as pure as the clear sun. Following them was a figure cloaked in fiery red, and directly below, another figure in bright red wedding attire.
Almost simultaneously, they rushed towards Gu Junshi without regard for their own safety.
However, Gu Junshi, who had been battered and bruised by the purple lightning, weakly extended an arm and flicked it outwards. A long silken ribbon flew out, blocking all of them.
The red ribbon acted as a wall, a screen, faintly revealing her ethereal and solitary form in black robes, her pure bones like frost.
She tilted her head back, facing head-on this unprecedented lightning strike, which seemed intent on annihilating her. The thick beam of light illuminated the night as if it were day, causing a dizzying sensation that almost blinded everyone.
"Sister, you can push away those rotten peaches, but you can't push me away!"
At this moment, a beam of light shot out from Gu Junshi's sea of consciousness, transforming into human form. He was tall and robust, wearing a black cloak. His features were largely obscured by the wide, deep hood, but Gu Junshi recognized him instantly.
"Gu Er, you've come at the perfect time to show up."
"Better late than never."
He reached out and embraced her. This newly cultivated body was even taller than her previous one, making Gu Junshi appear slender under his arm.
"Foolish."
There was no time to push him away now. Even if she did, he would be caught in the blast; why waste the effort?
However...
As the beam of lightning, like a writhing dragon, descended, it was laced with endless killing intent, clearly intending to annihilate her completely, leaving no trace.
Gu Junshi shook her robes. Her entire body was now charred black like charcoal. With this movement, her entire form scattered like a withered butterfly shedding its leaves, revealing the slender, white, and resilient bones beneath. These bones began to grow infinitely, and in an instant, a giant figure of black bone towered over them.
Gu Er, like a heart, was taken into the position of her chest cavity, bracing himself for the impact.
Gu Er struggled, unable to break free: "Sister—"
"Since I am your sister, it is naturally my place to protect you."
BOOM!
As the lightning strike, so bright it hurt to look, descended, the world seemed to enter a vacuum. All sound and sight vanished, as if all existence had disappeared in that single instant.
Within the purple light, everything seemed to be annihilated. The vision of everyone was almost lost; the heavens and earth were bathed in pure brilliance.