REINCARNATION OF THE STRONGEST WAR HERO-Chapter 290: FIFTEEN BOLTS

Time slowly passed, yet Logan continued to cultivate without any rest or distraction. Night deepened, and before long, it was already past midnight — but there was still no sign of the dark clouds in the sky dispersing.

Meanwhile, the three members of the Evil Spirit Family, who had been hiding deep within the forest with Rowan, who was now unconscious, were starting to grow frustrated.

"What the hell is going on? He should’ve completed his breakthrough long ago! Yet the clouds refuse to move, and he’s still not stopping either. How long are we supposed to keep waiting here?" one of them barked impatiently.

"Have patience," another one said, trying to calm his companion. "Maybe he consumed some kind of treasure. That would explain why, even after breaking through, he still has enough spiritual energy to keep refining it."

"Fine, I get that he might still have energy left to cultivate," the impatient one shot back, "but what about the tribulation clouds? Why the hell aren’t they dispersing?"

"That..." The man who had just spoken trailed off, unable to continue. He had no idea what was happening either.

"What if..." the third one suddenly began, his voice low and uncertain. "What if he’s about to have another breakthrough?"

His words dropped like a bomb.

"Are you insane?" the first one snapped. "No one can have two breakthroughs back-to-back! No matter how great the treasure, it can’t be that absurdly powerful. And even if it were, do you think any human body could endure that much energy? He’d explode into blood and chunks of meat instantly."

Silence fell. None of them spoke again. Though all three were growing restless, they continued to watch quietly.

Time crept on, and dawn slowly broke. The faint light of the rising sun began to chase away the darkness from the horizon — but above Logan’s head, the clouds only grew darker and heavier. Every now and then, flashes of lightning flickered within them, as if a divine weapon was being forged to obliterate everything in its path.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind swept through the forest as two new figures arrived — the girl and the young man from earlier. Though they had been in another kingdom far away, they had traveled the entire night without rest. Their speed was far beyond that of any horse, and so they managed to reach the forest in just one night.

"What the hell... he’s just a kid," the young man muttered when his eyes fell on Logan.

"Yeah," the girl replied softly, her gaze sharp. "But that ’kid’ is radiating the aura of a Martial King — just like me."

At that moment, the three members of the Evil Spirit Family emerged from the shadows.

"Well, well," one of them sneered. "Look who decided to show up. Seems like the Xiuhuan Family sent their little representatives, too."

Hearing the voice, both the girl and the young man immediately tensed up.

"Damn it," the young man muttered under his breath as he recognized who had just spoken — and noticed the two others standing beside him. ’So the Evil Spirit Families didn’t sit idle after all... and they even arrived before us. I just hope they haven’t already managed to win that boy over to their side.’

The girl and the young man shifted slightly, taking light combat stances — alert and ready to react at any moment.

"Hahaha! What do you think you’re doing? Planning to fight us?" one of the three from the Evil Spirit Family laughed mockingly. "There are only two of you — and one of you is just a Martial King. Look at us. Three Martial Saints. Do you really think you stand even the slightest chance of fighting back?"

"So what if you’re three?" the young man retorted, his tone sharp. "Don’t think we’ll just stand by and let you take that boy under your influence without resistance."

"Resistance?" one of the three sneered. "With just the two of you? Go ahead and try. I’d love to see what you’re capable of."

But before either side could make a move, lightning crackled violently within the clouds above.

And before they could even comprehend what was happening, a blinding bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky, striking Logan directly.

BOOM!

The stone beneath him shattered instantly, and his body slammed against the ground. Deep gashes tore open across his skin, blood splattering the earth.

A shockwave exploded outward, shaking the forest. Both the three from the Evil Spirit Families and the two from the Xiuhuan Family were left stunned by the sheer force of it.

Logan’s internal energy surged wildly, his entire body trembling as he endured the pain with clenched teeth and unyielding willpower.

"What the hell is going on?!" one of the Evil Spirit Family members shouted. "Is he... is he really having another breakthrough?! That’s impossible!"

All three of them broke into a heated murmur, unable to believe what they were witnessing. The girl and the young man, too, stared at Logan in shock — their minds unable to process the sight before them.

Before long, another bolt of lightning roared down from the heavens.

The spot where Logan had been sitting turned into a deep crater, the earth around it scorched and splintered. His body, too, was battered and torn, covered in wounds from head to toe.

But then — that same golden light from before flared to life once again, wrapping around him like a divine shield. Before their very eyes, his injuries began to heal at an astonishing speed. Flesh mended, blood vanished, and even the cracks on his skin closed as if they had never existed.

Seeing that golden radiance, all five of the uninvited guests froze in shock.

"It’s... It’s him. There’s no longer any doubt," said one of the three from the Evil Spirit Families who had been the most impatient throughout the night. The two beside him nodded dumbly, unable to take their eyes off the scene.

The girl and the young man from the Spirit Family stared at Logan, their expressions a mixture of awe and disbelief.

But before they could witness it for some more time, another bolt of lightning came crashing down. And then another — and another. It was as if the heavens themselves were enraged at Logan’s existence, striking him again and again with furious, destructive bolts. Each one was stronger than the last, shaking the entire forest to its core.

For several long minutes, the storm raged on — fifteen bolts in total — before the crackling in the sky finally ceased. The black clouds began to disperse, slowly fading into the dawn.

The entire area where Logan had been sitting was now nothing but a wasteland, scorched and filled with smoke and dust. The once-lush ground had turned into a shattered, barren crater.

Then, just as the last traces of lightning vanished, an overwhelming pressure erupted from the center of the crater. The very air trembled, sweeping through the forest like a tidal wave.

All five of them — the three from the Evil Spirit Families and the two from the Xiuhuan Family- struggled to remain standing as that terrifying aura spread outward.

And then...

Logan slowly opened his eyes.