Li Shuang's expression shifted slightly.
Originally,
her goal was merely to draw in lightning to temper the Dark Abyss.
However,
under the influence of the breathing technique, some peculiar changes seemed to be occurring within the Dark Abyss.
It seemed!
Not only had it endured the lightning!
But it had also absorbed a portion of it!
Initially,
Li Shuang estimated that the Dark Abyss Sword's limit would probably be around four or five bolts of lightning; more than that, and there was a risk of the sword body cracking and the sword spirit perishing.
But now,
it seemed different!
Having absorbed some lightning, the nature of the Dark Abyss itself had changed, beginning to transform towards lightning.
In the Sword Dao space, Lihli sat poised, her spirit body faintly surrounded by lightning!
"Sister Li Shuang, more! Lihli wants more!" Lihli opened her eyes, her expression eager.
She involuntarily licked her lips.
She and the Dark Abyss were one; as the Dark Abyss was tempered, her spirit body was tempered along with it.
Flashes of lightning entered the Sword Dao space, devoured by her!
This sensation.
It was simply too delicious!
"Alright! Lihli, if you can't bear it, don't push yourself!" Li Shuang said, once again drawing down lightning.
The lightning from the Five-Colored Tribulation grew stronger with each successive strike.
By this time, its power was twice that of the first bolt.
Li Shuang estimated Lihli's limit, guided a portion of the lightning onto the Dark Abyss, and bore some herself.
Working in perfect sync, master and spirit, Li Shuang remained unscathed through the first few bolts of lightning.
However, she did not become complacent regarding the lightning tribulation.
The real challenge had yet to appear!
"Master." After absorbing several bolts of lightning, Lihli's voice trembled slightly: "I feel... I'm about to solidify."
Li Shuang's eyes instantly brightened!
Lihli!
Was she finally going to solidify!
Logically speaking,
Lihli's talent was superior to Long Yan's back then, and the resources she possessed now were far greater than before.
However,
no matter how hard she and Lihli tried, Lihli remained in spirit form, showing no signs of solidifying.
Li Shuang was not worried, however.
Lihli's situation was special; it was normal for her to find solidification more difficult than other sword spirits.
Perhaps both of them needed to wait for an opportunity.
But now,
the opportunity had arrived!
Lihli's condition for solidification was actually the lightning tribulation!
"Sister Li Shuang, I want to come out and endure the lightning tribulation with my spirit body!" Lihli's voice was serious.
Only then,
could she complete her final tempering and forge a solid sword spirit body!
Li Shuang's pupils suddenly constricted.
Lihli had previously absorbed lightning with the Dark Abyss sword body acting as a buffer.
Now, she wanted to confront the lightning directly?
"No, that's too dangerous!" Li Shuang said instinctively.
Lihli said earnestly, "But Sister Li Shuang, I also want to become stronger! I also want to have a real physical body!"
Li Shuang was silent for a moment.
Lihli had always been easygoing, rarely showing such determination.
"Sister Li Shuang!" Lihli looked at the lightning about to strike from the sky, a little anxious.
Li Shuang's fingertips gently caressed the Dark Abyss sword, and as the sword trembled, tiny currents enveloped her meridians, causing a faint tingling pain.
Li Shuang thought. Lihli must also be in immense pain when absorbing the lightning.
However,
Lihli, who was still just a child in her eyes, showed no fear this time.
Her eyes were filled with longing.
She... wanted to become stronger.
Li Shuang looked up at the sky; the thunderclouds had condensed to their extreme, with purple lightning snaking like dragons within the five-colored glow.
This bolt of lightning, its power would probably be equivalent to the combined power of all previous bolts!
"Okay." Li Shuang nodded, agreeing.
The next moment.
Lihli's figure appeared above the Dark Abyss, her translucent pupils seeming to dance with fire, but a nearly joyous arc played on her lips.
"Come on!"
A tender, clear voice pierced through the roar, and the seventh bolt of lightning suddenly struck! This lightning bolt was several times thicker than before, carrying the destructive might to tear through the heavens and earth, causing even the void to crack and blacken in its path.
Lihli did not dodge or evade, waiting right there!
Li Shuang's knuckles turned white, the blacksmith's hammer leaving deep marks in her palm. She fought down the urge to drag Lihli back into the sword, letting the lightning completely engulf the small figure.
"Zzzzt—"
The moment the current exploded, Lihli's whole body erupted in dazzling silver light. She was like a lit star, her spirit body trembling violently in the lightning, countless tiny specks of light peeling from her hair and clothes, only to be melted and reformed by a more intense electric glow in the next second.
When the lightning dissipated!
Lihli was surrounded by lightning, and she reached out to hold Li Shuang's hand.
Lihli's face broke into a brilliant smile: "Sister Li Shuang! Look, I can touch you!"
Lihli's hand felt warm to the touch.
Li Shuang's eyes, however, were a little red.
Currently, only a small part of Lihli had solidified; her body was still half-real, half-ethereal, unable to be touched.
"Lihli, that's enough for now. Once you adapt to this state, if there's an opportunity, I'll take you to find more lightning," Li Shuang said.
Lihli shook her head: "Sister Li Shuang, just one more bolt of lightning! Just one more, and I'll be able to solidify!"
She was trembling all over from the pain, yet her eyes were exceptionally resolute.
Sister Li Shuang was moving too fast, too far ahead.
As Li Shuang's sword spirit, she couldn't possibly drag her down.
If she couldn't even solidify, how could she accompany her all the way to the peak?
"I can do it." Lihli gritted her teeth.
Lightning still coursed through her body, and every corner of her spirit body twitched with pain.
But she was only one step away from success; how could she stop now!
Li Shuang's hand trembled slightly; she looked up at the sky.
The eighth tribulation lightning was already gathering!
Even if she were to face this tribulation lightning, she would probably be injured.
Lihli was still just a spirit body...
She was like a mother watching her child leave home, unable to rest her heart no matter what.
Lihli, however, flashed her a sweet smile: "Sister Li Shuang, trust me."
Li Shuang gave a bitter smile and nodded silently.
Under terrifying pressure, the eighth bolt of lightning struck. This time, the lightning was mixed with an eerie, dark blue, and wherever it passed, plants withered completely, and even rocks crumbled into dust.
The entire desolate hill was leveled into a flat plain.
Li Shuang had no mind to pay attention to these things; she stared intently at Lihli's situation.
Under the baptism of the lightning, Lihli's spirit body began to show spiderweb-like cracks, but she showed no sign of retreating, still bravely opening her arms.
Li Shuang clenched her fists, desperately wanting to forcibly stop the process.
However,
even though her fists were clenched so tight they hurt, Li Shuang forcibly restrained herself!
Amidst the flickering electricity.
Lihli's body was completely swallowed by the immense lightning, so much so that even Li Shuang couldn't see any trace of her!