Chapter 128: The Reason to Strike

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As the saying goes, women do not love good men.

Even in novels, characters who are cold and imposing, or carefree and uninhibited, are far more popular than those who are gentle and refined.

At that moment, Xiao Jihan possessed a hint of arrogance, a hint of severity, and a hint of wild abandon. Combined with that face of his, he struck straight at Yan Shu’s tender heart.

She only regretted that she had no image-recording stone. Otherwise, she could have recorded this scene.

Yet this was no time to admire beauty. The thunderclouds above Xiao Jihan were gathering thicker and denser by the moment, and purple lightning could already be seen churning within them.

Boom!

A heavenly thunderbolt as thick as a bowl descended straight from above Xiao Jihan’s head.

The lightning illuminated the sky, making his handsome face appear deathly pale.

Xiao Jihan neither dodged nor evaded it, using his body to withstand the first heavenly thunderbolt head-on.

Then came the second, the third, and the fourth.

Each bolt was thicker than the last, and each carried greater power.

By the fifth heavenly thunderbolt, the column of lightning was already thicker than a man’s waist.

When the sixth heavenly thunderbolt arrived, Xiao Jihan had reached the limit of what his flesh could endure. He summoned the high-grade flying sword that Yan Shu had once given him.

The flying sword expanded in midair until it was roughly ten feet wide, then barred itself directly above his head.

Boom!

The sixth heavenly thunderbolt descended as expected.

The ten-foot-wide flying sword was like a barrier, stubbornly blocking the heavenly thunder outside.

Lightning scattered in every direction, so dazzling that it was nearly impossible to keep one’s eyes open.

But the sword could not hold out for long. After only a few breaths, it suddenly rang with a clear sword cry. Under the baptism of the lightning, cracks gradually appeared across its blade, and bolts of thunder pierced through those cracks toward Xiao Jihan.

Bang!

The high-grade flying sword finally failed to withstand the heavenly thunder, which was as thick as a man’s arm. It shattered into fragments in midair, and the overwhelming force of the lightning obliterated even the remains.

Fortunately, with the destruction of the flying sword, the sixth heavenly thunderbolt finally came to an end.

The thunderclouds churned, thunder rumbled, and it was obvious that they were gathering strength.

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Yan Shu lowered her head and glanced at the Nine-Section Thunder Whip in her hand.

Above high-grade artifacts were spirit treasures. Spirit treasures were further divided into innate spirit treasures and acquired spirit treasures. Innate spirit treasures were nurtured into being by the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth, whereas acquired spirit treasures were forged by cultivators of the lower realm.

With heavenly thunder, every bolt was stronger than the one before.

A high-grade artifact had only barely managed to withstand the sixth heavenly thunderbolt. As for the acquired spirit treasure in her hand, the Nine-Section Thunder Whip, no one could predict what would happen if it took the seventh bolt.

Watching Xiao Jihan bathed in the lightning spilling from the thunderclouds, Yan Shu furrowed her brows.

This was only the sixth heavenly thunderbolt.

When Xiao Jihan had advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, the final bolt had already been as thick as an outstretched arm. Now that he was advancing to the Divine Transformation stage, its power could only be greater than before.

Originally, Xiao Jihan should not have had to endure such outrageous heavenly thunder. Ultimately, it was because the plot had changed, causing the Heavenly Dao to vent its fury upon Xiao Jihan, who was responsible for maintaining the operation of the world.

No—perhaps that fury was still directed at her, a person who should already have been dead.

The Heavenly Dao would not allow her to leave him, especially while he was undergoing his tribulation. It had forced her to remain within three hundred feet of him.

Yan Shu had a premonition that if Xiao Jihan truly failed to endure the tribulation and she did not intervene, the heavenly thunder would turn and strike her instead.

To put it plainly, the Heavenly Dao did not really want to kill Xiao Jihan. It only wanted to kill her.

The entire Xuantian Sect was watching the movement atop Wushang Peak. Even Qiu Shuran, who had been punished with confinement and ordered to reflect upon his actions, had come into the courtyard and was staring toward Wushang Peak.

In his eyes, those bolts of heavenly thunder were less like tribulation lightning and more like divine retribution.

Qiu Shuran raised a cruel smile. Whether this was a tribulation or divine punishment, this was only the sixth bolt. Of the remaining three, even Yan Shu would be unable to withstand them.

It was a pity that he could not witness the deaths of that pair of adulterous lovers with his own eyes. He had to leave the Xuantian Sect while he had the chance.

Qiu Shuran made his decision at once. He slipped quietly out of the courtyard, reached the edge of the cliff, summoned his flying sword, and sped down the mountain.

At that moment, Wen Youhe, Bing Shien, Liu Zhiqing, and Shi Wanqing were communicating through a Profound Spirit Mirror.

All four wore grave expressions. Shi Wanqing frowned and said, “That heavenly thunder is already comparable to the lightning faced by those in the Tribulation Transcendence stage. What is going on with Xiao Jihan?”

Liu Zhiqing sighed. “The greater a person’s opportunities and fortune, the more powerful the heavenly thunder they face during their tribulation. Xiao Jihan’s spiritual roots are strange, seemingly beyond the understanding of the lower realm. On top of that, he became an eighth-rank alchemist while still at the Nascent Soul stage. With the two combined, it is only natural that the Heavenly Dao would punish him.”

“What I’m worried about now isn’t Xiao Jihan, but our junior sister.”

Bing Shien looked at Liu Zhiqing. “Considering our junior sister’s guilt… or rather, her feelings toward Xiao Jihan, she will certainly intervene to shield him from the heavenly thunder.”

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Liu Zhiqing naturally understood what he meant.

Unlike Wen Youhe and Shi Wanqing, who simply believed that romantic feelings had developed between Yan Shu and Xiao Jihan, Bing Shien and Liu Zhiqing—who knew about the heart’s blood—still harbored certain doubts.

Their doubt was not whether Xiao Jihan liked Yan Shu, but whether Yan Shu truly liked Xiao Jihan.

After all, if Xiao Jihan had felt nothing for Yan Shu, he would never have so magnanimously forgiven her for the pain of having his heart carved open for an entire year, nor for the loss of his heart’s blood.

That was heart’s blood! Every drop lost was one drop gone forever, and only phoenix blood and Bodhi fruit could replenish it.

Yet no one could be certain what Yan Shu truly felt for Xiao Jihan. One thing, however, was undeniable: she felt guilty toward him.

And that guilt would certainly drive her to help him when he was in danger.

Liu Zhiqing said in a low voice, “He is, at any rate, one of our sect’s people, our junior sister’s only direct disciple, and an eighth-rank alchemist. No matter how you look at it, we cannot allow him to perish.”

After saying this, he gave Bing Shien a meaningful glance.

Bing Shien immediately understood and was the first to speak. “Third Junior Brother is absolutely right. Our junior sister has taken a disciple for the first time, and she has chosen one with such promise. Even if it is only to keep her from grieving, the four of us should not simply stand by. Besides, he is an eighth-rank alchemist.”

Shi Wanqing nodded. “Exactly. The pills he refines are worth what it would take me two or three years of traveling outside to earn.”

Their reasons for intervening suddenly became more than sufficient.

Bing Shien, Liu Zhiqing, and Shi Wanqing all turned toward Wen Youhe, waiting for his decision.

Just then, a resounding dragon’s roar echoed throughout the entire Xuantian Sect.

Everyone looked toward Wushang Peak in unison. They saw a gigantic lightning dragon circling above the peak, and at that moment, the heavenly thunder descended.

Rumble!

A heavenly thunderbolt thicker than an outstretched arm struck the lightning dragon head-on. The dragon immediately let out a cry of pain.

Yet despite its agony, the lightning dragon did not retreat. Instead, it curled into a ball and stubbornly resisted the heavenly thunder, protecting the person beneath its body.

Looking at the scene, Shi Wanqing cried out in astonishment, “That is our junior sister’s thunder whip! It is her life-bound spirit treasure!”

At these words, Wen Youhe, who had remained silent until then, finally spoke.

“Go!”