“Jiang Xun!”

“Junior Brother!”

“Little Junior Brother, are you alright?”

Jiang Xun’s status within the Qingxuan Holy Land was unquestionable. The moment the Seven Luminosities Lightning Tribulation mutated, his senior sisters and master, Guan Xuelan, immediately acted. They surrounded Jiang Xun, forming a tight protective circle.

Each possessed formidable strength, especially with Guan Xuelan, a Mahayana-stage Paragon, present. This combined force was unrivaled in the world!

However… their protection was unnecessary. The black lightning never once spared Jiang Xun a glance. Instead, it focused entirely on the newly forged Heaven-grade artifact—the Dragon’s Roar Sword.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

One black bolt after another struck the blade! Each strike unleashed waves of overwhelming force. Under this violent onslaught, the Dragon’s Roar Sword could only emit mournful wails, trembling as if on the verge of shattering.

“This is bad! How could this happen?”

“If this continues, the sword will be destroyed!”

“What should we do?”

The onlookers were filled with shock and uncertainty. The power of this black lightning was immense, as if intent on destroying heaven and earth. Everyone felt their hearts pounding with fear, completely at a loss. Even Guan Xuelan felt a sense of unease.

The one with the worst expression was Jiang Xun. Having just completed the blood-binding ritual, he could clearly sense the sword’s agony. It was at its last gasp.

“Master, I feel it… the Dragon’s Roar Sword is wailing. It can’t hold on much longer!” he pleaded.

This…

Guan Xuelan looked at the terrifying black lightning, then at her beloved disciple. Gritting her teeth, she prepared to intervene.

But just then, Second Senior Sister Yuchi Chunlei stopped her. “Master, you must not intervene! This is Little Junior Brother’s great fortune, a once-in-a-millennium opportunity!”

What?

Everyone turned to Yuchi Chunlei. She was the Second Senior Sister, the most ordinary in appearance but physically imposing—tall and muscular, resembling a humanoid beast. She was also the strongest among the sisters, possessing a tyrannical Nascent Soul stage cultivation and exceptional talent in artifact forging.

Meeting their gazes, Yuchi Chunlei’s eyes shone with fervor. “Little Junior Brother is truly blessed! This isn’t the Seven Luminosities Lightning Tribulation; this is the incredibly rare Seven Luminosities Fortune Tribulation!!!”

Seven Luminosities Fortune Tribulation?

Everyone was puzzled until Yuchi Chunlei explained. “The Seven Luminosities Lightning Tribulation is powerful, but danger often accompanies opportunity. This Fortune Tribulation represents the greatest opportunity! It only appears in places of immense fortune and destiny. Once it appears, its power is unstoppable; no one can interfere without drawing its wrath.”

“We only need to observe quietly. Once an artifact endures this, it receives tremendous benefits!”

“Firstly, it allows an artifact spirit—which normally requires extensive time to form—to be born prematurely and become even more powerful! More importantly, the artifact’s grade can ascend further!”

What?!

Everyone was awe-struck. A Heaven-grade treasure could indeed birth a spirit, but it was a lengthy process. Now, simply enduring this tribulation would bypass all that! And ascending in grade…

The Dragon’s Roar Sword was already a Heaven-grade magical artifact. If it rose further… it would become a Heaven-grade Spiritual Artifact or even a Dao Artifact! It would be one of the mightiest swords in existence, a foundational treasure for their sect!

“This truly is an immense stroke of fortune!”

“Little Junior Brother indeed has profound blessings!”

The senior sisters’ expressions turned from worry to joy.

Someone still felt uneasy. “Senior Sister Yuchi… what if it fails?”

“Fail?” Yuchi Chunlei laughed heartily. “That’s impossible! Our sect is blessed. This tribulation only appears where immense destiny gathers. As long as destiny doesn’t shift, there’s almost no possibility of failure.”

These words put everyone at ease. All they needed to do was wait.

However… after the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, some frowned. “Senior Sister Yuchi… why does it feel so prolonged?”

“That’s a good sign,” Yuchi Chunlei smiled. “The longer it lasts, the greater the benefits.”

Everyone nodded and waited.

After an incense stick’s worth of time (roughly 30 minutes), people frowned again. “Senior Sister Yuchi… isn’t this taking too long? The sword’s aura feels weaker.”

“Well… it has lasted a while,” Yuchi Chunlei replied. “As for weakening… that’s normal. Birthing a spirit requires facing death before achieving new life. Be patient.”

Everyone forced themselves to wait.

One hour passed… two hours… three hours…

When deep night fell, everyone finally lost their composure. The tribulation still hadn’t dissipated!

Even Yuchi Chunlei found it hard to smile; her brows were tightly furrowed. “This shouldn’t be possible… Why hasn’t it completed?”

Seeing her anxiety, the senior sisters started worrying again, their eyes darting towards the sword. Unfortunately, the black lightning blocked all view.

But right then…

“Ahhh!!!”

A shrill scream rang out.

Everyone turned and saw Jiang Xun clutching his head, shaking wildly!

“Little Junior Brother!”

“What’s wrong?”

The senior sisters panicked. Xu Wanqing pulled out a handful of pills, trying to stuff them into his mouth.

But at that moment…

“Pfft!”

Jiang Xun spat out a mouthful of blood! The pills were vomited out along with it. His aura instantly weakened to an extreme point—as if he might breathe his last any second!

“It’s Artifact Backlash!”

“Quick! Seal his vital energy channels! Cut off the backlash connection!” Yuchi Chunlei shouted urgently.

Artifact backlash?

Everyone felt bewildered but acted immediately. They noticed that as Yuchi Chunlei spoke, the black lightning seemed inclined to move towards Jiang Xun instead!

All present were experts. They severed the connections while Master Guan Xuelan moved with astonishing speed, tapping several acupoints on Jiang Xun’s body.

Finally… they barely managed to cut the connection between Jiang Xun and the sword.

However… a wisp-like strand of black lightning still struck Jiang Xun, causing him to convulse violently.

Once the power dissipated… where once stood a graceful gentleman now lay someone charred black—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. His aura was almost nonexistent.

Severely injured and hovering near death!

Meanwhile, losing its target, the black lightning dispersed rapidly. The tribulation that had persisted for hours vanished in the blink of an eye.

Everyone looked over…

Only to see the newly forged Heaven-grade magical artifact, the Dragon’s Roar Sword, lying shattered into a pile of scrap metal, devoid of any spiritual nature.

A newly born Heaven-grade artifact, dead prematurely right after birth!!!

Everyone was stunned.

But on the other side… Yuchi Chunlei wore an expression of sheer terror.

“I…”

“I misidentified it!”

“This wasn’t the Seven Luminosities Fortune Tribulation… That was the Seven Yin Baleful Lightning!”

“This…”

“This is…”

“Divine Retribution!!!”