Chapter 2366: Chapter 2430: Withstanding 5 Strikes

The latter half of the sentence was naturally directed at the electric eel, which made a noise in response, clearly indicating its transformation had reached a critical juncture. After a surge, the bulging head suddenly split open with a small mouth at the center, and out of this aperture, something black with a hint of gold began to emerge, though just a tiny bit.

With this breakthrough, the electric eel seemed to find sudden relief from its agony, letting out a long breath. Nevertheless, its four claws still tightly clamped onto the iron plate, clearly indicating the process was far from over. Concurrently, Li Yifei and Xu Shanshan braced for the second bolt of lightning.

Apparently, Heaven was enraged by the first lightning being repelled, as the power of this second bolt was even stronger, crashing down with unmatched force and no longer silently falling.

Li Yifei and Xu Shanshan combined their efforts, each executing a sword technique. This time, it wasn’t an instinctive move; instead, two mighty weapons faced the challenge, the Mohist War Sword and Mohist War Blade, having seemingly undergone similar ordeals since their forging. Thus, when faced with the lightning strike, the weapons were unfazed. After surviving the first bolt, the weapons seemed awakened, and Li Yifei and Xu Shanshan could feel a jubilant sensation emanating from them. Hence, the second bolt was greeted proactively by the weapons.

The distinction between active and passive defense was evident. This time, though the lightning was thicker and more powerful, at the moment it struck, the weapons emitted a dazzling light, and Li Yifei and Xu Shanshan sensed their weapons were intensely absorbing the power of the thunderbolt. Therefore, the intensity of lightning hitting them diminished significantly, dissolving upon the eruption of Protective True Energy.

Phew! After the second bolt, Li Yifei exhaled with relief. With the autonomous assistance from the weapons, he and Xu Shanshan felt lighter. Meanwhile, on the ship deck, the growth on the electric eel’s head also protruded further, clearly showing its increasing strength, no longer as frail as before.

In the distance, Hu Yu’er and others looked ashen, witnessing two successive lightning bolts falling from the heavens, targeting precisely Li Yifei’s ship, striking directly at Li Yifei and Xu Shanshan!

"Is this... Mr. Li and that lady still human? How can people withstand lightning strikes unharmed..." One subordinate exclaimed, dumbfounded.

"It’s terrifying; the most fearsome, astonishing thing I’ve ever seen in my life!"

"Immortals, these are immortals!"

On this side, the crew frantically sailed away, all the while staring, agape, at the distant ship.

Li Yifei and Xu Shanshan have already endured three bolts of lightning. Apart from the slightly embarrassing first strike, the subsequent bolts, aided by the Mohist War Blade and Mohist War Sword, went much smoother. Certainly, before the fourth bolt arrived, the electric eel had sprouted a horn from its head, not long or large, but undeniably a horn.

Additionally, its body was gradually transforming, extending from over three meters to over four meters, even five meters, with the body slightly slenderer, and the four feet spreading apart. Simultaneously, its mouth evolved into something resembling a mammalian head.

As the fourth bolt descended, Li Yifei and Xu Shanshan felt immense, unmatched pressure. The ground beneath their feet crackled, hammered by the lightning’s force, even denting the steel sheet underfoot.

Sparks flew across their bodies, lingering for a full minute before they recovered. Li Yifei swiftly turned to Xu Shanshan, saying, "Shanshan, leave now! Each bolt is stronger than the last, and we can’t hold out!"

Upon the descent of the fourth bolt, their weapons had unmistakably warned them that they could no longer absorb excessive lightning, and with the potential arrival of a fifth bolt, Li Yifei couldn’t take risks. Moreover, he learned a term from the Mohist War Blade — Thunder Calamity, also known as Heavenly Tribulation. Despite not having heard it before, Li Yifei grasped the meaning as soon as he heard it.

During the electric eel’s transformation into a Flood Dragon, it had to experience a Heavenly Tribulation. Having helped endure four tribulation bolts, they had given it ample time for transformation.

"What about you?" Xu Shanshan asked urgently.

Li Yifei answered, "You go first, I’ll try to hold out. If I can’t, I’ll leave too!"

"Be careful!" Although Xu Shanshan was an Innate Expert, she was still much weaker than Li Yifei. Likely, even two or three Xu Shanshans wouldn’t stand a chance against Li Yifei, thus realizing she couldn’t be of much help here, she promptly turned, grasped the Mohist War Sword, and dived into the sea, swiftly heading towards the shore.

Overhead, dark clouds loomed ominously, emanating a power that was overwhelming and awe-inspiring, instilling a reverence that compelled one to kneel. Upon realizing this was the legendary Heavenly Tribulation, Li Yifei calmed down internally, fully aware that under this celestial pressure, he was insignificant and powerless. Nonetheless, he still wished to try, his Mohist War Blade already imbued with the force of lightning. Thus, both weapons seized the chance to absorb ample lightning power, which now reached saturation. Hence, to withstand the fifth bolt, Li Yifei had to rely solely on himself.

He layered three True Qi Armors upon himself and stowed the Mohist War Blade behind him, conjuring an enormous True Qi Blade, manifested from the Innate Vital Energy stored within.

"Although we had some grudges before, I’ve helped you withstand five strikes of Heavenly Thunder; that’s quite good of me. If you survive the Thunder Calamity, remember to thank me!" Li Yifei gripped the nearly three-meter-long True Qi Blade with both hands. His whole body was enveloped in True Qi, all his acupoints opening simultaneously, filling his entire body with the True Qi from his Dantian. From a distance, Li Yifei appeared to be wrapped in a thick white glow.

The electric eel on the deck, or rather, the Flood Dragon, had rolled over and was trying to stand up, its body still undergoing constant changes, bearing quite a difference from its previous eel form.

Xu Shanshan swam far away, turning back to look at Li Yifei, with no small amount of worry. Hu Yu’er also voiced her concerns, murmuring, "What on earth is going on? Why does someone have to be struck by lightning for no reason?"

No one answered their questions because Li Yifei could already feel the fifth strike of Heavenly Thunder about to fall. He felt the solemn Heaven’s Might, somewhat annoyed, as if blaming Li Yifei for intervening in the punishment meant for the transforming Flood Dragon. The heavens were quite irate.

Li Yifei, however, was utterly unafraid. Holding the True Qi Blade, he shouted, "Come on, bring it down!"

The thunderous sound reverberated across the sky, as if Heaven’s Might was responding to Li Yifei’s challenge with a roar.

The electric eel raised its body, conveying a message to Li Yifei: "Thank you!"

Li Yifei had no time to respond because the fifth strike of Heavenly Thunder had already descended upon him, crashing down like a torrent from the True Qi Blade formed of Innate Vital Energy atop his head. Like a gigantic black torrent, the lightning encompassed Li Yifei’s entire being.

Xu Shanshan shivered with terror, looking at Li Yifei. She hadn’t swum too far, only sixty or seventy meters away, and could quite palpably feel its intimidating power—this fifth strike was far stronger than the previous ones, absolutely the most powerful among these five Heavenly Thunders.

Upon first contact, the three layers of True Qi Armor on Li Yifei’s body shattered one after another under the wash of Heavenly Thunder’s power, breaking apart in an instant. The True Qi Blade in his hand, formed from Innate True Qi, also fractured inch by inch, disappearing into nothingness.

Under such Heaven’s Might, Li Yifei lost consciousness for several seconds. It took a full half-minute to regain his senses, his face as white as a sheet, as if bloodless. After a while, he let out a long breath, the Mohist War Blade flying into his hand. He shook his somewhat weakened body and said to the already upright electric eel, "I’ve done my best; if I try again, I will also be in danger. From here on, you’re on your own!"

The electric eel had completed most of its transformation and nodded at Li Yifei’s words, saying in Li Yifei’s mind, "Thank you, please leave."

Li Yifei wasted no time; it was truly no occasion for jokes. He really couldn’t withstand any more Heavenly Thunders. Forget that each strike was stronger than the last; given his current state, even the first strike would be too much for him now.

The fifth strike of Heavenly Thunder had forced Li Yifei to endure it with his body, but it completely exhausted the True Qi within him, leaving him feeling empty inside. Hence, he could not linger any longer; even the aftershock of the Heavenly Thunder would be enough to eliminate him.

Having experienced such terror, a sense of dread was instilled in his heart; only then did he truly comprehend the terror of Heavenly Thunder.

Once he finished speaking, Li Yifei jumped into the sea. Guided by instinct and assisted by the Mohist War Blade, he quickly left the ship, with Xu Shanshan hurrying to support him.

The sixth strike of Heavenly Thunder seemed delayed, the rolling black clouds overhead emitting a terrifying energy, as if gathering power to unleash the sixth Heavenly Thunder.

Previously, he had always faced the Heavenly Thunder head-on, perceiving its arrival in a flash. But now, as the two swam further away, Li Yifei, from a third-person perspective, saw the entire spectacle of the Heavenly Thunder.

Stretching for a hundred meters, thicker than a barrel, the electrical radiance spread out like a long snake composed of thunder and lightning, yet also resembled a dragon with claws and fangs, making others feel a natural urge to revere. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

The electric eel on the deck had now fully stood up; the horns on its head had grown longer. It gazed up at the sky as the sixth strike of Heavenly Thunder burst from the clouds, falling as the eel raised its head to roar, its mouth emitting a strong and peculiar sound that Li Yifei had never heard before.

The sixth Heavenly Thunder descended directly, striking the eel on the head.