Chapter 431

Chapter 431: Despair

In the blink of an eye, Ji Yang found himself enveloped by countless illusory feathers, forming numerous layers of defense as strong as metal walls.

This was also a divine ability from his Techniques, but it could only be used at the Void Refinement stage. However, Ji Yang had already one foot in the Void Refinement stage. By fully activating the Ascension Technique, he was finally able to unleash this Art.

Yet even with this, Ji Yang still felt it was insufficient. He continued to absorb the spiritual energy from the heavens and earth around him, transforming it into illusory feathers to strengthen his defense.

It was not until Ji Yang had drained the spiritual energy from the surrounding area for several miles that he finally stopped.

The observing cultivators from a distance remained unaware of what was happening. They felt the complete absence of spiritual energy, but those who dared not open their eyes could only assume that this lightning calamity had the effect of annihilating spiritual energy.

Without investigating further, the crowd once again retreated until they sensed a place where spiritual energy still existed, and only then did they slowly come to a halt.

Just as Ji Yang was about to expand his range, the lightning calamity arrived.

As soon as the black lightning touched the outer layer of defense, countless illusory feathers were instantly shattered.

Yet, as the illusory feathers were destroyed, the power of the lightning also weakened slightly.

It was useful, but not very much.

The amount of lightning power consumed was just a drop in the bucket compared to the total force of the calamity.

However, any reduction in the power of the lightning increased Ji Yang’s chances of survival.

So, countless illusory feathers rushed in succession toward the lightning above.

When all the illusory feathers were obliterated by the lightning, the calamity was now directly above Ji Yang.

Before the lightning could fully descend, Ji Yang’s clothes were completely ruined.

“Damn it, my new clothes!” Ji Yang clenched his fists, voicing his anger.

As the lightning struck, Ji Yang felt paralyzed; numerous bolts of lightning power surged into his body, wreaking havoc inside him. Even Ji Yang’s robust physique struggled to endure the onslaught.

His physical strength was still insufficient to withstand the world-destroying thunder.

Its destructive power far surpassed that of the previous lightning bolts; at this rate, Ji Yang would be utterly obliterated by the thunder’s force in no time.

Amid the onslaught of the lightning power, Ji Yang’s thoughts grew sluggish, and his primordial spirit felt obstructed, making it difficult to operate freely. Even using his divine abilities became an arduous task.

As things seemed to be heading toward the worst possible outcome, Ji Yang felt a burning urgency in his heart.

Suddenly, an unfamiliar sensation surged within him, and Ji Yang’s eyes lit up. This familiar feeling was the essence of the Way that had not fully coagulated!

With the Essence of War activated, Ji Yang slowly regained control of his body. While this was not enough to completely free him from his current predicament, it provided Ji Yang with a renewed opportunity.

He did not squander this precious chance and began to fully operate the Feather Transformation Ascension Skill; even the Huang Ting Dao Jing, which he seldom used, started running rapidly now.

Under the combined efforts of the two True Immortal-Level Techniques, Ji Yang soon regained control of himself. At this moment, everything around him became clear and audible, and time seemed to slow down for Ji Yang.

Ji Yang softly murmured:

“Ascend!”

The complete application of the Art of Ascension instantly liberated most of Ji Yang’s body from the destructive force of the lightning.

But this was only temporary; every moment the Art was sustained consumed vast amounts of spiritual energy from the heavens and earth. Even with Ji Yang swallowing pills, he could not match the speed of the consumption, and the surrounding spiritual energy had already been depleted by him. It was merely a stopgap measure.

Moreover, the lightning power around him mercilessly continued to wreak havoc outside his body, causing the duration of the Art of Ascension to diminish even further.

Ji Yang estimated that the Art of Ascension could only last for half a breath of time.

Once the Art faded, he would be once again swept away by countless powers of lightning calamity.

But even just half a breath was the ray of dawn in Ji Yang’s darkness.

After activating the Art of Ascension, Ji Yang quickly urged his divine abilities, while simultaneously deactivating part of his Feather Transformation state to allow the lightning power to once again envelop him.

This was not a path to death, but a strategy to divide and conquer.

With the relentless assault of the lightning powers, Ji Yang had nowhere to hide; even with Thunderous Power, it was unlikely he could quickly absorb them.

But if he could first deal with a portion of the lightning power, his strong physique might give him a considerable chance of survival.

Ji Yang chose to deactivate the Feather Transformation state in his right leg. As the state disappeared, the lightning power, unable to find its target, instantly surged toward Ji Yang’s right leg.

However, before that, the Thunderous Power had already begun to reach its limit.

As the first trace of lightning power surged in, it was immediately broken down and absorbed by his divine abilities, integrating into Ji Yang’s body.

But as more and more lightning power flowed in, the once smoothly operating divine ability encountered a slight obstruction.

Seeing this, Ji Yang once again released a portion of the Feather Transformation state to disperse the invading lightning power, allowing his divine ability to function better.

Even so, Ji Yang’s body quickly reached the limit of what his divine abilities could accommodate, and no matter how hard he tried, he could not absorb the remaining lightning power.

Looking around, over half of the surrounding lightning power still remained.

At that moment, the Art of Ascension could no longer be maintained, and in the next instant, the remaining lightning power surged back into Ji Yang’s body, wreaking indiscriminate havoc inside him!

Ji Yang could not pay attention to anything else; he could only do his best to operate his divine abilities and reduce the power of the lightning.

For everything else, he could only leave it to fate.

As the lightning power in the center gradually dispersed, the previously retreating cultivators, having checked that they were unscathed, began to gather around Ji Yang’s location once more.

When the crowd got closer and saw Ji Yang lying motionless at the center of the lightning, many cultivators displayed looks of astonishment.

This person’s body was incredibly tough; even under such lightning, he could remain intact. If luck was on his side and he encountered a kind-hearted individual, he could even have a grand burial.

“Is he dead?”

“He should be dead! No cultivator can survive this lightning calamity!”

“What a pity!”

…

Many cultivators had doubts about Ji Yang’s death, but it was hard to blame them; Ji Yang’s previous performance had been too remarkable.

However, after seeing Ji Yang’s charred body and the disappearance of his aura, they finally affirmed it.

This person was likely dead.

Yet even though it was merely a corpse, none of the cultivators had any intention of approaching to check.

The black lightning still flickered upon that body, not dissipating.

But quite a few cultivators’ eyes sparkled with intrigue as they considered the idea of claiming Ji Yang’s body.

A body that remained undestroyed under such a terrifying lightning calamity was undoubtedly a top treasure in the Cultivation World! How could they not be tempted?

Many cultivators shared this thought, yet no one dared to step forward; they all waited for someone else to take the lead.

In the standoff among the crowd, a tremor suddenly came from the body at the center of the lightning calamity.

“Wow! He’s alive!”

“How is this possible!”

…

Other cultivators, who had already noticed this scene, stepped back, their faces showing disbelief.

Amid the fearful gazes, Ji Yang slowly rose and examined his current condition.

His internal power had been nearly exhausted, and even his strong primordial spirit had sustained significant damage from the lightning calamity.

The once powerful body was now severely injured.

Fortunately, he had managed to endure.

Just as Ji Yang was about to laugh out loud, he glanced at the calamity clouds above his head that had yet to dissipate, and his earlier good mood vanished instantly.

This fifth lightning calamity was already so terrifying, and he only survived after using all his abilities.

Moreover, his condition was not what it used to be, and the next lightning calamity would undoubtedly be even more formidable.

What should he use to withstand this sixth lightning calamity?

“How can a person triumph over heaven?”

At that moment, Ji Yang recalled the words Ye Wuchen had once said to him.

He remembered that Ye Wuchen had spoken those words with more helplessness and powerlessness.

But at that time, he was spirited and did not understand the meaning behind those words, nor did he take them to heart.

He had thought that as long as he increased his cultivation level quickly enough, the calamity would not catch up with him.

But the truth was that the faster his level rose, the more the calamity waited for him at the finish line, delivering a crushing blow.

Looking at the still-forming lightning above his head, even someone as strong as Ji Yang couldn’t help but show a look of frustration.

He had once firmly believed that with hard work, he could soar high and become immortal, but now he could not even cross this small lightning calamity. How could he talk about becoming an immortal?

As Ji Yang felt dejected, the other observing cultivators also noticed the changes in the calamity clouds above, their expressions turning to astonishment.

“This is the sixth lightning calamity?”

Someone, looking at the lightning still forming overhead, said in disbelief.

The other cultivators did not respond, but the deafening sounds coming from the calamity clouds could not be mistaken.

They had thought that such a powerful lightning calamity would end with the fifth strike, but the current situation far exceeded their imaginations.

What they witnessed today was even more thrilling than their experiences over the past few decades.

Yet, seeing Ji Yang below, who showed no signs of movement, all the cultivators shook their heads and sighed.

Forget about this person; if it were them, they would have probably given up after the first two lightning calamities.

That Ji Yang could hold on until now was something no one in the entire Cultivation World could achieve.

All the Spirit Transformation Stage cultivators watching the lightning calamity now shed tears of regret.

Initially, they had hoped to gain a little opportunity from Ji Yang’s lightning calamity to boost their confidence for their own tribulations.

But now, the anxiety in everyone’s hearts rendered them devoid of the courage to face their own calamities!

This terrifying lightning calamity had left a deep imprint in everyone’s minds.

Had they known it would be like this, why would they have watched?

Reflecting on the warnings Ji Yang had given them earlier, they had thought he was only speaking casually, but it was clear he truly had good intentions and had foreseen his lightning calamity.

Unfortunately, it was too late for regrets!

Many later Void Refinement stage cultivators felt the same way; they believed this group of cultivators had little hope left, as such a powerful Heart Demon could not be overcome by ordinary cultivators.

Fortunately, they were already Void Refinement stage cultivators, and as long as they mastered their path, they could avoid the troubles of the Heart Demon. Otherwise, their outcome would not be any better than those Spirit Transformation Stage cultivators.

However, this was also an opportunity; if they could break through this Heart Demon and advance to the Void Refinement stage, their accomplishments would be even greater.

Yet, such cultivators were truly one in ten thousand.