"Alright." Di Tian's expression grew solemn. Since it concerned Gu Yue Na's safety, he dared not show the slightest carelessness.
Bi Ji, Zi Ji, and the others also grew tense. They had all suffered the pain of heavenly tribulations before and knew all too well their terror. The moment they saw a tribulation forming, they instinctively tensed up.
Outside the metal dam, the soul masters stationed there also noticed the storm clouds converging in the very center of the sky, along with flashes of thunder faintly visible inside.
"These storm clouds aren't natural. They're filled with immense thunder power," a titled Douluo commander said gravely.
Several other commanders beside him nodded; they too felt the terrifying lightning within the distant clouds.
"Could it be that a soul beast is crossing a heavenly tribulation? Is it a hundred-thousand-year tribulation, or…" A tall, burly man guessed.
At his words, the others immediately perked up, eyes glimmering with greed.
If it truly was a hundred-thousand-year heavenly tribulation, then a new hundred-thousand-year soul beast was about to be born. For them, that meant a chance at a hundred-thousand-year spirit soul and a hundred-thousand-year spirit bone.
Before such treasures, even though they were all nine-ringed titled Douluo, they couldn't help but feel tempted.
"Boss, should we just…" one man began. He didn't finish, but the murderous intent radiating from him revealed his meaning clearly.
The leader hesitated, tempted by the thought of killing the tribulation-crossing beast. But after a moment's deliberation, he forced himself to remain rational.
"Forget it. Hunting ten-thousand-year beasts is fine, but if we try to hunt a hundred-thousand-year beast, we'll definitely enrage that Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King. If he loses his temper, the consequences will be dire. We'd pay a huge price just to suppress him—it's not worth it."
At the mention of the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, fear flashed across the others' faces. That one was truly not to be trifled with.
The name alone was like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the flames of greed they had just felt.
"Open part of the energy barrier. Let the heavenly tribulation strike down inside. As for blocking tribulation lightning, we're not getting involved."
"At the same time, prepare for combat. Aim all the soul-guided cannons at the center. If that soul beast dares take advantage of the chaos to escape, blast it to pieces," the leader ordered.
"Yes, sir." Officers quickly carried out the order.
At the forest's center, the barrier opened a circular gap nearly a hundred meters across, enough to let the lightning fall unhindered.
Rows of soul-guided cannons swiveled into position, shells already loaded. If any soul beast tried to rush out, they would instantly be drowned in fire.
But to their surprise, not a single soul beast attempted to flee. Everything stayed oddly orderly.
"They're probably afraid of being struck by lightning themselves. They're already scrambling to get farther away—who would dare come closer?" a soul master guessed.
There were monitoring devices set up around the dam's inner edge, but their range was limited. They couldn't see deep into the forest's core.
So electronic eyes were deployed, flying toward the center to scout the situation.
"Hmph." Di Tian snorted coldly. His soul power spread outward, and in an instant, the skies above the forest were shrouded in dense black mist, completely blocking the view.
"Damn that black dragon!" The electronic eyes transmitted nothing but darkness, infuriating the stationed soul masters.
Inside the storm clouds, the lightning finally finished condensing. With a thunderous boom, a bolt as thick as a man's thigh crashed down, jagged and writhing like a monstrous serpent.
Di Tian soared into the sky, spreading a protective energy shield, and withstood the strike head-on. His body sank slightly under the impact.
"Comparable to a three-hundred-thousand-year soul beast's tribulation lightning," Di Tian quickly judged. He had experienced this level before—he knew it well.
Boom! Boom! This time, two bolts fell simultaneously, stronger than the last, as if venting its displeasure.
Helping someone resist a heavenly tribulation always drew fiercer lightning. Now the strikes had already risen to another tier.
Di Tian continued to take the hits head-on, refusing to let a single bolt slip past him toward Gu Yue Na.
Outside the dam, the soul masters trembled in horror. If this lightning struck them, they'd be obliterated instantly.
Bi Ji and Xiong Jun's expressions grew grave; they clenched their fists nervously. Di Tian had to endure.
Yun Ze, however, watched calmly, not particularly worried. This level of lightning couldn't kill Di Tian, though injuries were inevitable.
The thunder continued to roar around them, growing ever more ferocious. The bolts split the heavens, seemingly rending the world in two, terrifying in both sound and sight.
Soul beasts in the forest panicked, scattering in chaos, plunging the entire area into disorder.
Even the stationed soul masters felt fear clawing at their hearts. They prayed desperately for the storm to end soon, hoping it wouldn't spread to them.
Di Tian did not strike back. With his experience, he knew the more you resisted tribulation lightning, the fiercer it became.
The terrifying ordeal lasted over ten minutes before finally ending. Slowly, the storm clouds dispersed, though countless electric threads lingered in the air, sparking noisily as they collided.
The gap in the energy barrier sealed shut again. With the tribulation over, there was no need to keep it open.
"Cough, cough—" Di Tian clutched his chest, staggering, coughing violently. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
His face was pale, his aura unstable, his clothes torn in many places. The tribulation had injured him heavily.
Originally, the lightning had only been at the three-hundred-thousand-year level. But his interference had amplified it severalfold, reaching nearly the seven-hundred-thousand-year level.
There was no way he could withstand that easily. His blood and qi churned, his throat felt sweet with blood—it was bad.
Zi Ji supported him, while Bi Ji transformed into the Emerald Swan, pouring vast life energy into him to heal his injuries.
Meanwhile, Gu Yue Na's radiance faded. Slowly, she opened her eyes—one silver, one gold, both glowing brilliantly.
The glow quickly vanished, her eyes returning to their usual noble yet sinister violet.
"I'll remember this favor," Gu Yue Na said solemnly as she walked to Di Tian.
She was aware of everything that had happened. She knew Di Tian had shielded her from the fatal lightning.
Without him, she would have been struck to pieces.
"To shield you was my honor, my lady," Di Tian said, overwhelmed by the weight of her gratitude.
"Focus on recovering first," Gu Yue Na said softly, before turning to Yun Ze with a radiant smile. "I succeeded."
Yun Ze smiled faintly. "Why don't you share it yourself? I think they're all curious about your gains."
"Alright." Gu Yue Na nodded happily, a touch of pride in her voice. Her harvest this time truly was immense.
Although it had only been a portion of the Golden Dragon King's bloodline, it had transformed her own, granting her the traits of the Dragon God.
Now, her bloodline could no longer be called the Silver Dragon King's—it was a Quasi-Dragon God Bloodline.
"After the evolution, my body's strength has improved dramatically. The increase even surpasses what the pure Golden Dragon King bloodline alone would bring."
"In the future, physical strength will be one of my advantages. Combined with my powerful spiritual force, I don't think I'll have any real weaknesses anymore," she said with joy.
"And my elemental control… it's evolved too. Before, I had mastery over seven elements—earth, fire, wind, water, light, darkness, and space. Now, I command nine. The two new ones are Creation and Destruction."
As she spoke, she stretched out her palm. Light representing all nine elements gathered there, forming into a nine-colored lotus that slowly rotated.