Chapter 147: Struck by Lightning

However, after the lesson from last time, Yu Tianyun was much more cautious this time and did not rashly enter beneath the thunderclouds.

He first steadied his mind and Qi, breathing deliberately for a while, bringing his condition to a peak, perfect state. Then, as light flashed, his martial soul was summoned and he activated Dragon Transformation, only then did he cautiously approach the edge of the thundercloud.

Gazing at the flickering lightning within the thundercloud, he muttered softly:

"I'll just linger outside, not go in."

He did not use his Mountain Dragon King Soul Bone technique—Mountain Dragon Guard—for defense, because his goal this time was to absorb heavenly thunder; employing that soul skill would inevitably hinder the absorption.

He simultaneously ignited the five amplification Soul Rings on his body, thereby strengthening his resistance to heavenly thunder.

After all preparations were complete, he slowly flew into the thundercloud, advancing only about ten meters.

Boom— In an instant, the thunder roared like a mountain collapsing, the lightning in the cloud became wildly active, like countless raging silver serpents dancing, and an immense, boundless heavenly might surged forward.

Yu Tianyun felt a sudden tightening in his chest, instantly retracted his aura, concealed the Soul Rings within his body, and kept only his Dragon‑transformed form hovering in the air.

After waiting patiently a moment, he saw the thundercloud revert to its original state, the intense sense of danger gradually faded, a slight smile curved his lips, and he inwardly rejoiced that his guess had been spot‑on.

"Since that's the case, this time there's no need to worry about ending up gravely wounded and near death as last time."

Having said that, the soul power within Yu Tianyun surged like a raging tide, and six Soul Rings suddenly manifested on his body, five of the black ones shining with dazzling light.

Under this powerful amplification, his dragon scales grew thicker and brighter, and he was tightly enveloped by lightning, like a majestic thunder god descending upon the world.

Boom— The thundercloud seemed to sense Yu Tianyun's provocation and let out a continuous angry roar.

Yu Tianyun took a deep breath, his eyes fixed resolutely on the ever‑churning thundercloud.

Within the dense thundercloud, a thunder dragon seemed to tumble and dance, weaving through, giving Yu Tianyun no long wait.

In an instant he felt the surrounding raging heavenly thunder surging wildly, as if countless invisible hands were desperately pulling him. Each bolt of lightning that flashed brought a sharp, stabbing pain, as if trying to pierce his flesh and strike his soul.

The first thunderbolt surged like an enraged giant python, lunging at him swiftly.

Yu Tianyun neither dodged nor evaded—though he could not avoid it—gritting his teeth, his muscles tensed, his dragon scales flashing a faint light, he braced himself to meet the thunder's impact.

When the thunder struck his body, a strong numbness spread instantly throughout him; his body trembled slightly, but he steadied his mind, striving to guide the force within and attempt absorption.

Immediately, the second and third thunderbolts followed in succession, without any pause, giving him no chance to catch his breath.

These thunderbolts rained down like dense droplets, striking him wildly. Each impact made his body shudder more intensely, yet his gaze grew ever more resolute.

His condition this time was far better than last; last time, the first thunderbolt had left him in a sorry state.

And this time, after enduring so many thunder strikes, he is only left with torn clothes, no injuries yet.

But pain remains unavoidable; he endures it, frantically adjusting his breathing, striving to keep his mind calm.

He could feel the heavenly thunder raging inside, trying to burst his meridians. Yet, with stubborn will and prior preparation, he gradually tamed the violent power, guiding it into his channels. As more thunder was absorbed, his body became a massive furnace, scorching and painful. He clearly sensed his control over the forces strengthening and the absorption rate accelerating.

At this moment, he was surrounded by a halo of lightning, his dragon‑scale glow flickering, as if dueling fiercely with the heavenly thunder. Each flash reflected his steadfast, unyielding face.

Despite his body trembling and sweat pouring like rain, Yu Tianyun never gave up, focusing all his attention on absorbing the thunder, advancing step by step toward his goal.

He still had enough energy to glance at his first Soul Ring; the change was slight, but he noticed a bit more red on it, which brought him joy.

However, the next instant Yu Tianyun snapped back to focus, preparing wholeheartedly for the next wave of thunder.

The thundercloud, unable to annihilate Yu Tianyun in one blow, grew angrier; the flashes and roars intensified, as if brewing even more terrifying, unparalleled energy.

Suddenly, a lightning bolt as thick as a water jar, bearing cataclysmic force, struck straight at Yu Tianyun; its dazzling brilliance instantly lit the whole sky, as if to erase him completely in endless brightness.

Yu Tianyun's hair stood on end; last time he had fainted to death under such a powerful thunderstrike, but this time, to upgrade his Soul Rings, he refused to give up!

It's not time yet; it's only just begun.

He roared skyward, instantly unleashing all his soul power to the extreme; his dragon scales blazed with dazzling, mesmerizing light, and the terrifying pressure solidified the surrounding air into an unbreakable substance.

Then, at that critical moment, he rushed forward without hesitation, his right fist wrapped in thunder power, striking the lightning hard. "Bang!"

A deafening, massive sound rang out, and Yu Tianyun's figure was blasted straight downward; after falling about a hundred meters, he managed to halt his descent and then flew back up.

Now he was finally wounded; his fist and much of the dragon scales on his right arm were shattered, exposing bright red flesh, and blood dribbled from his mouth.

He disdainfully spat a mouthful of blood‑tinged sputum; a flash of blue‑gold light surged over him, instantly restoring the broken dragon scales on his right arm.

"Not enough yet, more, more, I'm itching for more!"

Yu Tianyun shouted even more recklessly at the thundercloud above, and the cloud seemed to instantly satisfy his seemingly 'reckless' demand.

"Boom, boom, boom…"

Dozens of lightning bolts, thicker than the previous one, tangled like a swarm of serpents and surged at him in a frenzy.

"Damn, no need to be that brutal!"

At this moment Yu Tianyun wished he could give himself two hard slaps, but saying it aloud was like spitting water; he now had no way out, so he clenched his teeth and resisted stubbornly.

Those dozens of terrifying lightning bolts instantly enveloped him, but faced with this radiant heavenly might, Yu Tianyun decisively summoned his Blue Lightning Tyrant Spear.

"Boom~"

A roar far louder than any before echoed, and the spot where Yu Tianyun had stood erupted in sunlight‑like dazzling brilliance that vanished in an instant, while the thundercloud above seemed to calm its fury.

As the light faded, Yu Tianyun's figure had vanished from the spot. In that instant he was blasted downward at a speed that astonished, nearly matching the speed at which he had fired the Blue Lightning Tyrant Spear.

Fortunately, he forced a breath and at the last moment unleashed the two major soul techniques of the Mountain Dragon King Soul Bone, strongly controlling gravity to slow his fall; the body protected by Mountain Dragon Guard would otherwise have shattered his bones at that speed.

Yet even so, when he hit the ground he created a humanoid deep pit, his body firmly embedded in the earth.

"Cough cough~"

Lying in the deep pit, Yu Tianyun coughed lightly twice, his consciousness still clear.

But his condition was now terrible; his dragon scales had vanished, his pale skin covered in shocking cracks, and each breath made his mouth twitch.

Yet his eyes showed uncontrollable excitement. Such injuries might be a death sentence for others, but for him it meant little.

After a brief pause, a faint blue‑gold light emanated from his right leg, enveloping his body, and his wounds began to heal slowly.

After about a quarter of an hour, no wounds remained on his surface; his skin recovered smooth and fair.

Yu Tianyun then regained some strength, struggled out of the pit, looked up at the clear blue sky, his heart full of emotion.

"This time being struck by lightning was far easier than last, and I absorbed more thunder power; the lifespan of my Soul Rings must have increased, my physique improved a lot. Though still a near‑death experience, it was worth it," Yu Tianyun murmured.

This time, at the final moment, he used the Blue Lightning Tyrant Spear; the explosion it created helped deflect part of the damage, so his condition was relatively better.

Yu Tianyun did not rush to leave, but chose to sit cross-legged at the bottom of the pit, and silently began cultivating.

Although his external injuries had basically healed, his muscles and meridians had not yet recovered; he constantly felt stabbing pain, every movement extremely difficult. Moreover, his soul power was almost exhausted, and he needed to recover quickly.

Time quietly passed in this tranquil cultivation, from the setting sun, to the moon high in the sky, then to the east revealing a hint of fish-belly white.

Yu Tianyun finally slowly opened his eyes; after this day and night of cultivation, his injuries had completely healed from inside to outside, and his soul power returned to peak condition.

He lightly leapt, jumping out of the deep pit; then his chest burst forth with a hint of earth-yellow light, and the deep pit began to slowly close—this is the earth-attributed control power accompanying his Earth Dragon King soul bone.

Next, his soul power gave a shock, removing the dirt from his body, and he changed into a fresh set of tight-fitting clothes.

Subsequently, soul rings rose from beneath his feet and fell again, swirling around his body up and down.

"Hahaha~" Yu Tianyun couldn't help but burst out laughing.

The age limit of his first soul ring had indeed increased significantly; that red hue became even richer, almost covering nearly half of the black. He secretly estimated that after being struck by lightning one or two more times, this first soul ring could fully evolve into a 100,000-year soul ring! The soul rings retracted into his body, he soared into the air, and rushed towards the direction of the Sensitive One Clan.

(End of chapter)