The valley was silent except for the hiss of molten rock cooling into black stone. The once-roaring flames of the guardian had been swallowed by Feng Xieyun's lotus fire, leaving only ash and scorched earth.
But above… the heavens stirred.
Thunder cracked, deep and resonant, rolling like the heartbeat of a god. Clouds churned black and crimson, each flash of lightning etching jagged scars across the sky. The oppressive weight of tribulation pressed down, thick enough to suffocate breath itself.
Xieyun stood at the valley's heart, his robes half-burned away, flesh blistered and torn. The Crimson Dragon's Heart pulsed faintly within his chest, its fire stitching him together even as it tore him apart.
His vision blurred. Blood dripped from his lips. Yet his eyes, those crimson embers, did not waver.
> So this is the price of stealing fire from the dead.
The System's voice rang cold, uncaring.
> [Warning: Heavenly Interference confirmed.]
[Tribulation Type: Blood-Devouring Lightning.]
[Survival Probability: 6%.]
A faint laugh escaped him, ragged but defiant. "Six percent is more than enough."
---
The first bolt struck.
It tore the sky open, a spear of crimson lightning plunging down with the wrath of heaven itself.
The world went white.
Pain seared through his veins as if his very blood had been set aflame. His body convulsed, skin splitting, bones cracking under the divine weight. For a heartbeat, he thought his soul itself had been ripped apart.
But amid the agony, his mind burned brighter.
He remembered Lian Zhi's scream as she was dragged into the rift.
He remembered his father's stern gaze, his mother's dying whisper.
He remembered betrayal on Earth, when the people he loved tore him apart for power.
Each memory was a scar. Each scar, a flame.
And the flames refused to die.
He staggered to his knees, black lotus fire erupting from his back like wings, lashing upward to meet the storm.
The next bolt came.
---
He caught it.
His hands, split and bleeding, seized the lightning as though it were a living serpent. The power burned through him, blistering skin and charring flesh. His scream echoed across the valley, torn from throat and soul alike.
The lightning fought to consume him. His lotus flame fought back, petal after petal shattering in the clash.
And then—something else stirred.
A whisper.
Not the System's mechanical tone, not the sneer of the heavens.
A voice soft as silk, trembling with sorrow.
> "Yu… my Yu… even shattered, you still defy them."
His breath caught. For an instant, the pain faded beneath a deeper ache.
He knew that voice. He had never heard it before in this life, yet it was carved into the marrow of his being.
A woman's voice. Ancient, eternal.
The Goddess of Chaos.
But before he could speak, before he could grasp it, the System shrieked over her words.
> [Warning: Host neural link destabilizing.]
[Interference detected: Unknown Source. Terminating foreign resonance.]
The voice vanished, torn away like a dream at dawn.
Xieyun roared in fury, forcing the lightning into his chest. His heart seized, then thundered anew—stronger, heavier, beating in time with the dragon's pulse.
The storm recoiled.
---
When the lightning faded, he still stood. Barely. His body was a ruin of burned flesh and open wounds, yet his eyes burned hotter than ever.
The System chimed, its tone colder than usual.
> [Third Bloom of the Lotus Flame Awakened.]
[Warning: Anomaly detected in Host's resonance. Source: Unidentified.]
Xieyun raised his head to the storm, blood trickling down his chin. His voice was hoarse, yet resolute.
"You can strike me again. You can send a thousand storms. But I will climb until even the heavens are forced to kneel."
Above, the clouds shivered. For the first time, the storm hesitated. Then, with a final growl of thunder, it dissipated, leaving the night sky clear and sharp.
The valley lay in ruin, but at its center, a lone figure stood—burned, bleeding, broken, yet unyielding.
And somewhere beyond sight, in realms untouched by mortals, a woman cloaked in chaos wept, whispering his name.
---
✨ End of Chapter Thirty ✨
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