The Steward Demonic Emperor

Chapter 1179: Scarlet Lightning Valley

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Everyone got restless at his words, with Murong Lie saying, “All Genesis Stage cultivators with me. We’ll draw away the lightning tribulation!”

“Too late.”

Glancing at the thundering clouds above, lightning struck nearby, leaving behind a black crater fifty miles wide. 

Zhuo Fan squinted and shook. Black energy came out of him, covering Luo Yunhai and thousands of others below Genesis Stage, “I’ll protect them with my domain while you get some distance and take on your tribulation.”

Murong Lie and the rest shot away. But another boom sounded as lightning slammed overhead and cut off their flight.

But recalling the many innocent lives behind, they kept forcing themselves to fly.

Boom~

Lightning snaked and struck down on them. Zhuo Fan held the fort, ignoring the lightning striking him as well. He worked his energy to keep the others safe. At the same time, black energy was released around, absorbing the lightning’s power to increase his own cultivation. His meridians and Yuan Qi were being refined with every strike.

He was only in the 7th layer of Genesis Stage, but ever since he arrived here and felt the thick spiritual energy, his cultivation grew as well.

While he was defending the Luo clan and the rest, he was also taking in the heaven’s power, strengthening himself several times.

With a muffled sound, he reached the 8th layer.

Zhuo Fan grinned…

Boom!

Another lightning came down on his head and he shook all over. His Demon Transformation Art was revved up to the max, working to remove the lightning’s power, but still a fraction got loose within him, roaming through his veins and making his body spasm. Blood spilled from his mouth.

He chose to contain it and endure. He could, in fact, use more of his focus to absorb the violent lightning, but then who’d defend the little guys? He could only bear it in silence.

Boom~

The deadly lightning struck again and again, thick as a bucket, or thin as a plate, crashing down like a mountain, eighty one times. 

Zhuo Fan bore through it, and while his body smoked now, he was still fine. His meridians at least had strengthened and his cultivation reached the 9th layer.

“Ha-ha-ha, looks like I’m close to Spirit King as well!”

Zhuo Fan looked at the scattering black clouds and sighed, “Never mind, taking eighty one lightning strikes almost burned through all my body. Taking another round right now to advance to the Spirit King level will most likely kill me. Next time…”

Zhuo Fan felt his aching body, but his power surged with vigor through his limbs.

Only a monster like Zhuo Fan, able to fight a Spirit King, could take something like that. Other Genesis cultivators would’ve breathed their last around the thirtieth strike.

Just as Zhuo Fan was about to let the others out, booming sounded again and looked up. The deadly lightning echoed in his ears once more.

His brow jumped, his face twitching, “You don’t mean it’s still coming, do you?”

Boom!

Another explosion was his answer to that challenge as an even thicker lightning slammed into him.

The dreadful power made him tremble all over as he spurted blood. 

[What is this? That’s no lightning tribulation. No such lightning has that kind of power.]

Zhuo Fan peered at the sky in shock, finding the thunderclouds weren’t just black, but laced with crimson.

[Soul-sucking blood lightning?]

[This is Scarlet Lightning Valley!]

Looking at the burnt soil below, Zhuo Fan finally knew where he was in Sacred Domain. Lightning constantly struck it and on a different level than outside this area.

Each lightning was devastating in might, turning a brighter red the stronger it was. Once a red lightning fell, even a Saint would have to be wary, yet a white lightning could press hard a Spirit King.

That was what made this place so desolate. No one wanted to come in here just to die the next second.

[What’s with our rotten luck? We just came to Sacred Domain and landed in this place.]

Zhuo Fan gnashed his teeth. This place wasn’t up to Lightning Canyon, but it wasn’t far behind either.

[Right, Thunder Pavilion!]

Zhuo Fan exclaimed in realization.

The eight World Wind Tunnels in the mortal domain corresponded with Sacred Domain’s eight extreme locations. Thunder Pavilion was linked to this Scarlet Lightning Valley. Since they came through the Thunder Pavilion’s location, they ended up in this god-forsaken place. All the constant lightning around the Thunder Pavilion was due to this place as well. 

Zhuo Fan held his head.

[This is fricking fate, I tell you. The recoiling array needed to draw spiritual energy from all around. The crucial thing is balance. Its best location was the heart of the five lands, which was Thunder Pavilion.]

[Which made coming from mortal domain to the Sacred Domain always going to be here. The Scarlet Lightning Valley couldn’t be avoided. Now we just have to get the hell out of here under a shower of lightning before a scarlet one drops on us…]

Zhuo Fan’s eyes shone and a demonic sword appeared in his palm, shining scarlet.

[Soaring Sword Art, Soaring Heaven!]

Zhuo Fan slashed and a scarlet sword wave shot at the thunderclouds. 

Rumble!

White flashed just then, striking the wave. Scarlet and red collided and dissipated, but Zhuo Fan’s art remained, its power piercing the clouds and punching a hole through them.

Zhuo Fan grinned.

[This works. Now I just have to break down the clouds and the scarlet lightning can’t form.]

But he then watched as the clouds flickered with lightning and sealed back the hole like it never happened.

Zhuo Fan’s face twitched, his hand waving the sword around as he sent attacks at the clouds.

[I’ll just have to be faster than its recovery.]

Booms sounded constantly, the sword waves clashing with the lightning yet the art’s power reached the clouds many times and punched holes in it.

But then the lightning grew in strength and Zhuo Fan’s Soaring Sword Art lost its advantage, until it could no longer even block it. The following lightning struck Zhuo Fan and numbed his whole body while the holes in the sky were patched up as a trace of scarlet flashed.

Zhuo Fan started.

[Once they start turning red, I’ll have no chance!]

Zhuo Fan’s hands were sweaty…

Ding!

A ringing reached his ears and Zhuo Fan flinched. His Thunder Ring flashed purple and the Sundering Sword appeared in his other hand.

“Oh, Sundering Sword, what are you up to?” Zhuo Fan asked.

Whoosh!

The purple sword released a powerful lightning wave, then took Zhuo Fan to face the heavens.

Zhuo Fan blinked, but still chose to follow the spirited sword into facing this challenge.

Boom!

Lightning thundered and a huge strike came down at Zhuo Fan. It even contained a trace of red.

[Damn it, the lightning changed!]

Zhuo Fan panicked, wanting to block with the demonic sword, but the Sundering Sword moved first, slapping it out of the way and releasing a strong purple wave. It carried Zhuo Fan’s arm and struck hard. 

Boom!

With a deafening explosion, the purple lightning wave blasted the incoming attack into harmless motes of light. The purple sword then shot into the thunderclouds and blew a huge hole in them, greatly weakening the charged lightning clouds. To the point the snaking lightning glowing red turned white.

[This is destruction, the power of the Sundering Sword Art!]

Zhuo Fan’s eyes shook, “I see, the Soaring Sword Art might be tough enough to break heaven, but clouds are formless, merely pushed back and not dissipated, letting them recover fast. But with the Sundering Sword Art, containing the power of destruction, the thunderclouds were greatly weakened.”