A Terrifying Thunderstorm, Where Does It End?

Li Guanqi's eyes flickered as a sudden spark of inspiration flashed through his mind! If this thunderstorm kept attacking him endlessly, where was the end of it? If a heavenly tribulation's lightning tested whether a cultivator could endure it, was this Heavenly Dao thunderstorm testing whether he could sever the shackles of the Human Spirit Realm's Heavenly Dao? As long as he could carve open the immortal path with his sword, would the Heavenly Dao thunderstorm no longer be able to do anything to him? The more Li Guanqi thought about it, the more convinced he became! If not for this, how could this Heavenly Dao thunderstorm ever stop? Yet such transcendence... had to be something above the laws. Likewise, he needed to shatter the thunderstorm with his own strength. Boom! Boom! Boom! The raging lightning seemed imbued with a fierce determination to slay Li Guanqi at all costs. Li Guanqi confirmed it again and again; it was definitely not his imagination. His figure flickered. Bolstered by the Devouring Void Sacred Armor, his defense was extraordinarily formidable. In his current state, his physical body could even rival Xuan Yue, who possessed the soul of the Black Tortoise. Dozens of lightning bolts converged in a siege, sealing off every path of retreat. Stirring the clouds and wind, the chaotic spatial energy made teleportation completely impossible. With a sharp glint in his eyes, Li Guanqi drew his sword swiftly with his left hand, weaving a dense, impenetrable screen of sword light! Crack! Bang! Rumble! Li Guanqi turned pale and spewed a mouthful of blood as lightning struck both his chest and back! His armor shattered, his dragon scales burst apart, and the lightning tore through his body like sharp blades. Three fist-sized puncture wounds pierced clean through him, and his internal organs were scorched black. As if struck by a colossal hammer, he crashed into the Celestial Spirit Mountain Range like an artillery shell. The terrifying force pierced straight through the mountain range, only halting after shattering two entire mountains. Even as he hurtled, countless lightning bolts continued to rain down upon him! Boom, boom, boom! Rumble! Su Xuan clenched his fists, ready to step forward. But the instant he lifted his foot, violent winds and clouds abruptly surged across the firmament! The thunderclouds churned violently, spinning furiously as if on the verge of forming a second eye of the storm! Su Xuan slowly looked up, eyes narrowed, his jaw clenching and unclenching. After hesitating for a moment, he slowly drew back his foot. Only then did the wildly churning clouds in the heavens calm down slightly. The nascent eye of the storm at the center of that second vortex gradually dispersed. Screeech! Whew, whew, whew! Dozens of terrifying sword rays shot out wildly in all directions, shredding every falling bolt of lightning. Deafening explosions resounded one after another. Amid the shattered celestial light and pervasive dust, a figure shot out violently! Li Guanqi's hair crown had shattered, and his bloodstained hair danced wildly in the wind. The cloud boots on his feet were long gone, leaving him standing barefoot. Flesh squirmed around his wounds as his injuries healed at an astonishing speed, his jaw working as he chewed continuously. From the center of the firmament's thunderstorm, lightning continued to strike down, each bolt growing increasingly potent. By now, the ground of the Realm of Celestial Spirits had been reduced to ruins. Rubble and broken walls lay everywhere; hardly a single building remained intact. Li Guanqi was expending an immense amount of primal energy, for every descending bolt of lightning was comparable to the full-force strike of a late Tribulation Transcendence Realm cultivator. Even he had to swing his sword with everything he had just to contend with them. Li Guanqi's mouth was filled with the metallic tang of blood. Veins crept across his pure white eyes, yet his resolute gaze showed not the slightest retreat. Perhaps sensing that Li Guanqi was formidable, the lightning across heaven and earth abruptly vanished! Yet Li Guanqi's heart jolted. He stood in the void, gazing up at the firmament. Above him, the ten-thousand-zhang thundercloud began to rotate as a whole, muffled roars echoing from within the storm's eye. Lightning gleaming with an eerie violet radiance flickered at the center, and the crushing pressure of heaven and earth deepened. Hum! A strange chill suddenly rushed straight from the soles of Li Guanqi's feet to the crown of his head! The entire space of the Realm of Celestial Spirits shuddered in terror. The earth rumbled, and the Celestial Spirit Mountain Range began to crumble. The ancient trees of the forest, formed from celestial spiritual energy, began to disintegrate. Li Guanqi's throat bobbed slightly. He could sense that the power of the thunderstorm was skyrocketing! Su Xuan looked at the pitch-black thunderclouds and muttered softly, "The second stage... Hold on, you little bastard!" Li Guanqi's chest heaved violently. Though the previous attacks had been perilous, he could still manage them. Yet if the intensity escalated again, it would not be so easy to withstand! He spat a mouthful of bloody saliva downward. His hand tightened around the hilt of his sword. "Now is when I truly have to lay my life on the line..." Suddenly! The cloud layer, which had previously only flickered with violet light around the storm's eye, churned violently! The roiling clouds rolled like an earth dragon turning over. In an instant, lightning saturated the clouds across a radius of ten thousand zhang! In that moment, the Realm of Celestial Spirits was illuminated as bright as day. Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes, casting aside all stray thoughts, violent lightning energy surging around him. At the same time, he unleashed his power of laws without restraint! Boom! In an instant, with Li Guanqi at the center, countless streaks of violet-black lightning spread out across thousands of zhang! Wherever the lightning passed, space shattered into annihilation. The power unleashed in that single instant was enough to obliterate a cultivator newly entered into the Tribulation Transcendence Realm! A terrifying pressure swept out, faintly rising to rival the thunderstorm in the heavens. Lightning crackled with shrill, piercing shrieks like the crying of ten thousand birds. Serpents of electricity danced and wove together into a vast net. Beneath his feet, the Celestial Spirit Mountain Range crumbled, the ground of Celestial Spirit Town was scorched black, and buildings were pulverized by thunderbolts. Facing the thunderstorm of the firmament, Li Guanqi let out a roar thick with soaring battle intent! "I... am also the storm!" Rumble! The fluctuations of the firmament's thunderstorm grew even more violent, its pressure instantly climbing to the half-step Ascension Realm! Having come this far, Li Guanqi had no fear left. No matter how immense your power... I'll just take it! Boom! A bolt of lightning as thick as a water barrel tore through heaven and earth, ripping open the void. It struck with blinding swiftness, offering no time to react. Only as the lightning was about to strike did Li Guanqi react. He instantly pushed his power to its absolute limit. Thunder shrieked, and in a flash, a hundred-zhang-tall Thunder God giant manifested! "Thunder Wrath: World Annihilation!" Boom! Holding the sword with both hands, the giant slashed upward with a fierce sweep, an upward strike brimming with world-destroying might. Boom! The lightning shattered the sword ray, pierced through the phantom's body, and ultimately slammed into Li Guanqi... Thud! The thick bolt of lightning slammed Li Guanqi into the earth, blasting through the ground and hurling him a thousand zhang away. His waist was pierced clean through; the flesh on his entire left flank had vanished. Spurt! Blood gushed violently. Lightning invaded his internal organs, instantly shattering them and scorching them black. "Guanqi!" Su Xuan's anxious cry rang in his ears. Yet Li Guanqi's consciousness was already fading into a blur.