Is It Wrong to Bully the Novice Village for System Rewards?

Chapter 235: We Have a Massive Lead; It’s Impossible to Lose

The sky was a boiling cauldron of tribulation clouds. After a brief, suffocating pause, the thirty-sixth wave of lightning crashed down. Blinding white light instantly bleached the world, turning the pitch-black wilderness into a realm of pure incandescence for a hundred miles.

A pillar of destruction thick as a water bucket pierced through the heavens. Like a tsunami made of plasma, it swallowed the tiny figure hovering in mid-air.

BOOM!!!

The lightning detonated, transforming into a violent torrent of energy that swept outward in a devastating ring. The earth cracked like a shattered plate, ancient trees snapped like twigs, and hills crumbled into dust.

When the glare finally faded, a wretched figure remained suspended in the air.

Qi Yuan looked like he had crawled out of a blast furnace. His face was pale, his hair was a bird’s nest of static, and his robes were little more than charred rags clinging to his frame. The smell of burnt ozone and singed fabric hung heavy around him, and countless tiny electric arcs still danced across his skin, numbing him to the bone.

Watching the tribulation clouds gather with renewed intensity, Qi Yuan lost his earlier composure. His face twisted into a bitter grimace.

“Damn, this tribulation is too fierce! It’s like it’s been injected with stimulants, relentlessly striking down. Could it be because it sensed my earlier contempt?”

He looked up at the sky, exasperated. “No way, I only complained a few times in my mind, I didn’t say it out loud….”

As if in response to his internal complaints, the ink-black clouds churned, forming a massive, swirling vortex that looked like the eye of a chaotic god.

In a blink, nine earth-shattering bolts fell simultaneously. Halfway down, the nine dragons of lightning merged, fusing into a single, colossal wyrm of blinding energy. Roaring like a mountain torrent, it lunged straight for Qi Yuan.

Again?

Qi Yuan’s expression hardened. Countless intricate runes flickered in his pupils. As they spun, his aura began to skyrocket, reaching its peak in a heartbeat.

Blood God Four Refinements, Second Layer.

Profound light shimmered across his skin. He funneled every ounce of his Spiritual Qi into his weapon. The Mystic Heaven Sword trembled, emitting a hungry buzz as it resonated with his power.

“Break!”

With a furious roar, Qi Yuan raised the Mystic Heaven Sword and slashed upward, meeting the falling sky with a rising tide of sword light.

RUMBLE!!!

Sword Qi collided with the lightning dragon. The resulting shockwave punched ripples into the very fabric of the void…

A short while later.

On the periphery of the storm, Tu Ruoxu and Piao Genshuo exchanged glances. Both saw deep concern in the other’s eyes.

They were now certain that the person inside had withstood at least forty or fifty bolts of Yang Fire Lightning. If he succeeded, he wouldn’t just be a Soul Formation cultivator; he would be a “Hundred Tribulations” Soul Formation cultivator—and one of the highest tier.

In the cultivation world, any tribulation that summoned more than eighteen bolts (two rounds of nine) fell into the category of the “Hundred Tribulations.”

Beyond that threshold, every additional bolt withstood would further refine and purify the cultivator’s Primordial Spirit. This was the Heavenly Dao’s reward for the truly exceptional.

A monster who had bathed in this much lightning… and who was likely a disciple of the Demonic Path? The mere thought made them uneasy.

A genius appearing in the enemy camp was a nightmare for the Righteous Path.

Piao Genshuo dropped his usual playful, slacker attitude. His voice turned serious. “Senior Brother Tu, what’s the plan? Do we just sit here and wait?”

Tu Ruoxu frowned, his voice low and calculating. “The tribulation is at its peak right now. If we charge in, the tribulation energy will target us too. It’s better to wait here and conserve our strength.”

“Once the clouds disperse, if he’s dead, great. If not, we rush him immediately. We absolutely cannot let him stabilize his realm.”

Tu Ruoxu sighed with regret. “It’s a pity we’re so far out in the boonies. The nearest reinforcements are two or three days away.”

“Agreed,” Piao Genshuo nodded. “We have to confirm his identity. We can’t let the tiger return to the mountain.”

He sneered, regaining some of his confidence. “Besides, I don’t believe anyone can take that much lightning and still be combat-ready. He’ll be a sitting duck.”

Tu Ruoxu narrowed his eyes, a sharp, predatory glint flashing within them. “Demonic cultivators are vicious and tricky. Even if he’s weakened, we can’t get complacent.”

He flipped his hand, revealing a glimmering golden rope. “I happen to have a Dharma Treasure called the [Dragon-Binding Lock]. It’s perfect for locking down a single target.”

“However, its activation speed is slow. He might dodge it. But I’ve heard your Celestial Zenith Sanctuary has a unique Divine Ability, the [Bridge to the Other Shore], which can slow down all matter within a domain.”

Tu Ruoxu smiled coldly. “If we combine our abilities, even a peak Soul Formation cultivator would have to surrender!”

Hearing this, Piao Genshuo’s eyes lit up. He rubbed his hands together, eager for the action. “That sounds perfect. My favorite thing is bullying… ahem, I mean, capturing evil heretics. We’re going to teach this demonic brat a lesson.”

The [Dragon-Binding Lock] of the Eternal Sacred Ground was famous. It was a top-tier functional treasure. Because it sacrificed all offensive power for pure crowd control, its binding strength was absurd—strong enough to hold even a Dao Integration expert, let alone a fresh Soul Formation cultivator.

Facing a mysterious demonic genius had made Piao Genshuo nervous, but with the Dragon-Binding Lock in play?

We have a massive lead. It’s impossible to lose.

Only an idiot would refuse such a free win!

Just as the two finalized their strategy, another deafening explosion shook the horizon. The eighty-first bolt of lightning tore through the clouds, pouring down like a waterfall of judgment.

BOOM!!!

Everything within the tribulation zone disintegrated. Dust and debris, mixed with the residual might of the thunder, ravaged the landscape, leaving nothing but devastation.

Amidst the billowing smoke, Qi Yuan staggered to his feet.

He was pale as a ghost, his Spiritual Power drained to the absolute limit. He swayed, barely able to stay upright. The Mystic Heaven Sword in his hand was dim and lifeless.

Suddenly.

As the final echoes of thunder faded, the oppressive pressure of the tribulation shifted. The destructive energy transformed into a vast, nurturing force, rushing toward Qi Yuan.

Qi Yuan felt a strange, wondrous energy flooding into his Dantian, revitalizing his exhausted Nascent Soul.

Nourished by the tribulation’s afterglow, his Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul began to expand rapidly. Endless Dao Rhymes brewed within it, radiating a majestic spiritual pressure.

Finally.

With a soundless snap, like a shackle breaking, the Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul completed its metamorphosis. It solidified, transforming from a mere infant of energy into a radiant, divine Primordial Spirit.

Soul Formation Realm!

Qi Yuan felt his body overflowing with inexhaustible power. He was at least ten times stronger than before.

Above him, the terrifying clouds began to recede, the vortex shrinking as if the show was over.

“Not enough!”

Qi Yuan narrowed his eyes. With careful precision, he pulled the wisp of [Heavenly Dao Creation Qi] from his inventory and slammed it into his newly formed Primordial Spirit.

The next moment.

RUMBLE!!!

The tribulation clouds, which had been packing up to leave, suddenly froze. Then, as if insulted, they expanded madly, exploding outward like a drop of ink in water until they covered the entire sky once more.

Deep within the black clouds, a new power boiled. Darker lightning surged, filled with an aura of absolute destruction and death.

Qi Yuan looked up at the new storm, which was a hundred times more terrifying than the one he had just survived.

His eyelids twitched violently.

“Here comes the big one.”