The soul power that had just barely recovered inside his body was pitifully little. The moment the thunder entered his body, the tearing pain almost made Jiang Chen faint instantly.
Without the protection of his armor, the thunder, now several times more powerful, rampaged savagely through his body.
In less than a moment, the lightning had devastated his meridians like a storm through dry grass, and countless cracks exploded across his body. Blood sprayed violently from his already charred flesh.
His eyes bulged outward. If he weren't in his transformed state, his eyeballs would probably have rolled completely white by now.
His body was no longer upright; it was tightly arched. The large rock beneath him had already been completely dyed red.
At this moment, Jiang Chen couldn't even let out a scream; only hoarse, gurgling sounds came from his throat.
Only when the thunder inside his body began to weaken did the corpse pill act again, absorbing the remaining lightning.
After the lightning disappeared this time, it wasn't the tingling sensation anymore; the tearing pain remained intense. Not only were his clothes in tatters, but his entire body had become a mangled, indescribable ruin.
Jiang Chen couldn't even move a finger. He lay there, staring blankly at the tribulation clouds in the sky that still hadn't dispersed.
At this point, he had no choice left. He could only use the Blessing Potion from the system.
In an instant, a cool sensation spread throughout his whole body. Jiang Chen felt as though his entire being was being nourished by some miraculous energy.
The countless dense wounds on his body began healing at a speed visible to the naked eye. The damaged meridians inside him were repaired in the blink of an eye. That inhuman pain disappeared completely, and even his soul felt refreshed and comfortable.
It was as if Jiang Chen had been lifted straight from hell into heaven. Waves of pleasure surged through him, causing him to involuntarily let out strange sounds.
In just a few seconds, his body had already returned to its peak condition, aside from having almost no soul power left, everything else was the same as before.
While Jiang Chen was still intoxicated by that wonderful sensation, the rolling thunder from the sky jolted him awake once again. Thick bolts of lightning danced and coiled within the black clouds, and the pressure in the surrounding space grew heavier and heavier.
Jiang Chen's heart turned ice-cold. The eighth bolt had already instantly destroyed his body to such a miserable state. Just how terrifying would the ninth one be?
Right now, the only thing he could still use was that Soul Ring Upgrade Coupon. But he didn't have even a shred of soul power left in his body. What was the point of upgrading a soul ring?
Even if he were given a hundred-thousand-year soul ring right now, without soul power, he wouldn't be able to use any soul skills anyway.
He suddenly felt regret. He should have used the Soul Ring Upgrade Coupon from the very beginning. Perhaps if the skill power had increased, the rate at which his soul power was consumed would have been slower, and maybe he would still have some left now.
But there is no medicine for regret in this world.
He didn't know how many more bolts were left, but this ninth one might already be enough to send him to his death.
He suddenly sprang up and ran frantically toward the other side of the mountain peak. However, the tribulation cloud seemed to have a tracker on him; it followed his body and quickly moved along.
"Fuck!" Jiang Chen stopped running. Since he couldn't escape, why waste time?
He simply sat down. In these last brief moments, he recalled the memories of his two lifetimes.
Scenes flashed through his mind, finally freezing on the kindly, wrinkled face of Old Jack.
If he died here, probably no one would ever find out. Old Jack might just think he had gone missing.
Perhaps he would keep waiting at the village entrance for him to come home… waiting until the day he died…
The thunder rumbled loudly in the sky, not giving Jiang Chen much time for sorrow. The ninth bolt of tribulation lightning came crashing down.
A thigh-thick pillar of lightning engulfed Jiang Chen.
Lightning flashed. Shattered stones flew everywhere. One could only see a pile of wreckage lying amid the flying debris.
A few minutes later, the light of the thunder dispersed, and Jiang Chen's body was revealed.
He looked as if he had been run over by a large truck, utterly miserable. In some places, only thin strips of skin still connected the parts.
Jiang Chen's brain short-circuited for several minutes before he slowly regained consciousness from the overwhelming pain.
At this moment, the tribulation clouds in the sky had finally scattered.
He struggled to lift his head and looked at his broken body, feeling an indescribable bitterness.
He hadn't died… but what difference was there between this and death?
His legs were broken. His waist was broken. He couldn't even sit up now.
He gave a helpless, bitter smile. Heavenly tribulation truly was terrifying. He never imagined he would end up like this in the end.
Just as his will was sinking into despair, the system's loli voice rang out once again:
[Congratulations to the host for successfully passing the first Heavenly Tribulation. Reward: Heavenly Tribulation Grand Gift Package. Please check it.]
The deathly gray in Jiang Chen's eyes suddenly flared up again, like a drowning man grasping at the last straw.
This gift package might be the key to his recovery!
"Open it! Open it! Open it!" he roared in his heart.
Under his eager anticipation, the newly obtained Heavenly Tribulation Grand Gift Package was opened, revealing several items.
His excited gaze swept over them one by one.
[Thunder Tribulation Liquid ×1 — Can heal any injury.]
The moment he saw this, Jiang Chen trembled with excitement. The gift package really contained something that could restore him!
He couldn't be bothered to look at the rest and immediately chose to use the drop of Thunder Tribulation Liquid.
A single drop of five-colored radiant liquid appeared in the air around him, floating over his body.
The five-colored liquid looked extremely viscous, like jade syrup, and emitted an astonishing fragrance.
In an instant, hundreds of flowers bloomed across the mountaintop, and the vegetation grew wildly.
Jiang Chen took a deep breath, and the pain throughout his body vanished in that very moment.
The liquid slowly descended. Jiang Chen opened his mouth wide and received the five-colored Thunder Tribulation Liquid.
The moment the Thunder Tribulation Liquid entered his mouth, its fragrance was overwhelming. His body burst forth with dazzling light.
Shattered bones regrew, becoming even harder than before. Meridians were reconstructed, wider and stronger. Flesh and blood regenerated. Even his missing little brother reappeared, shining brilliantly.
Charred scalp and skin cracked open, revealing fresh new skin beneath, fair with a rosy tint, tender and delicate, yet possessing astonishing toughness.
Thick, jet-black hair grew out once again, spreading across the large rock beneath him like a carpet.
Just one drop of liquid had given Jiang Chen a complete rebirth.
When the treasure light faded, Jiang Chen stood up. A layer of ruined, dead skin had already sloughed off beneath his feet.
He was completely naked. When he stood, his astonishingly long hair still dragged along the ground.
Feeling the power of his body once more, Jiang Chen grinned widely, a brilliant smile spreading across his face.
The powerful strength had returned, and his body felt even stronger than before.
Soul power surged violently inside him, already surpassing what he had before the tribulation.
He glanced again at the system panel. His soul power had now reached level fourteen.
He pursed his lips. After narrowly escaping death and going through the heavenly tribulation, and with such a miraculous item as the Thunder Tribulation Liquid… it only increased his soul power by this much?
But he quickly let it go. Being able to keep his life was already more than enough.
Being alive was more important than anything.
Only now did he finally have the mood to continue looking at the other items in the Heavenly Tribulation Grand Gift Package.
[Fist Technique: Lightning Fist]
[Movement Technique: Three Thousand Thunder Illusions]
(Note: This Three Thousand Thunder Illusions is different from the one in other novels. The author plans to make some changes.)