Immortality Starts With Investment [XIANXIA LITRPG]

Under Li Feihuang's stunned gaze, the heavens turned pitch black. Lightning snakes writhed, and a pool of thunder roiled above.

Boom…

The first bolt of tribulation lightning descended with a deafening roar, loud enough to rupture eardrums had the Divine Will Sect's cultivators not already retreated. The sound reverberated like a dragon's cry shaking the nine heavens, overturning the world. A silver lightning bolt, as thick as several people's embrace, crashed down like a thunder dragon aiming straight for Ye Chen.

Ye Chen's expression remained calm. He summoned a small bell, suspending it above his head. Streams of Black Yellow Primordial Essence cascaded from it. This was the perfect moment to reforge the bell, inscribing new divine patterns to elevate it into a spiritual treasure. Though countless eyes watched, with Holy Land elders present and his imminent ascension to Holy Son, Ye Chen had no fear of anyone daring to seize it.

It was like a beggar winning a fortune and guarding it jealously, while a tycoon with millions had no such worries. Moreover, with the Holy Land powerhouses here, Ye Chen wanted to showcase his strength. As a latecomer to the Holy Land, he had no interest in arriving only to face disdain and endless posturing. He wasn't fond of flaunting or slapping faces. After so long in seclusion, he only wished to quietly present his gifts to the Holy Land.

The scene left everyone dumbfounded. A thunderbolt as thick as a giant's embrace, capable of annihilating heaven and earth, and yet Ye Chen chose this moment to refine his life-bound spiritual artifact? Such confidence was staggering.

The seasoned powerhouses of the Heavenly Evolution Holy Land narrowed their eyes at the bell.

"Forged entirely from Black Yellow Primordial Essence?" one elder marveled. "I searched for a century and found only a trace. How much Primordial Essence did this new Holy Son use to craft such a bell?"

"Truly worthy of a Holy Son. What fortune! He's undeniably favored by the heavens."

"His luck alone proves his extraordinary destiny."

The bell's appearance ignited the eyes of the powerhouses vying to be Ye Chen's Protector. Such a vast quantity of Black Yellow Primordial Essence was beyond even the Holy Land's reserves. For Ye Chen to possess it before reaching the Nascent Soul stage spoke volumes of his profound fortune.

Ye Chen, however, paid no heed to their reactions. The thunderbolt crashed down, and he stood resolute beneath it, unshaken as lightning danced around him. The divine thunder struck the bell, flowing onto his body. He channeled the lightning's power, tempering both himself and the Black Yellow Primordial Essence bell.

The sight deepened the onlookers' shock. To face such a thunderbolt without defense—was this the mark of a true prodigy? The tribulation lightning, feared by cultivators worldwide, seemed merely a tool for Ye Chen to hone himself, a testament to his unparalleled strength and brilliance.

Boom, boom, boom…

One after another, even more terrifying bolts descended, each thicker and more devastating than the last, like rampant thunder dragons wreaking havoc. The mere sight sent chills down spines, hairs standing on end. No one could imagine facing such a tribulation themselves or what fate would befall them.

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Even Tian Mingzi, who had clung to confidence in suppressing Ye Chen, now wavered. He calculated that, by exhausting every trump card and sparing no cost, he might have a seventy percent chance of defeating this Holy Son… maybe.

One after another, the tribulation lightning descended. The ninth bolt was as massive as a small mountain, yet Ye Chen stood unshaken, using the lightning to temper himself and refine his artifact. The charm of the Dao radiating from his every movement left onlookers in awe.

As the ninth bolt finally dissipated, a collective sigh of relief swept through the crowd. An Miaoli's tension eased. Though Ye Chen had handled the ordeal with effortless grace, unscathed throughout, she had remained on edge. Now, with all nine bolts endured, she could finally relax.

But in the next moment, her expression shifted. The tribulation clouds above didn't disperse; instead, they churned with an even more terrifying aura. Another bolt of lightning coalesced, crashing down like a cascading waterfall toward Ye Chen.

An Miaoli and the others were stunned. Wasn't it supposed to be nine bolts? Why was there more?

The Heavenly Evolution Holy Land powerhouses, however, were unsurprised, their gazes fixed intently. For ordinary prodigies, nine bolts were the norm—a standard tribulation. But for supreme talents capable of slaying foes across realms, it was far different.

The First Holy Son, Hua Yunfei, and Holy Maiden, Dantai Xuan, had each endured eighty-one bolts during their Nascent Soul breakthroughs. The other Holy Sons and Maidens had faced thirty-six. The nine bolts were merely the prelude; the true test was just beginning.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, bolt after bolt of divine lightning rained down, each like a river of thunderous liquid, obliterating all in its path. The air thrummed with the roar of thunder, transforming the entire region into a domain of lightning.

Ye Chen's response grew less effortless. His vitality surged, divine flames igniting across his body as he countered the lightning while continuing to refine the Black Yellow Primordial Essence bell. He wove the essence of his Golden Core accumulations—Eternal Cosmos Scripture, True Phoenix Treasure Technique, Shakyamuni Heart Refining Art, and more—into divine patterns, embedding them into the bell.

Soon, thirty-six bolts had fallen. Quiet Wonder Peak beneath Ye Chen's feet was nearly reduced to rubble. Yet the bell above his head glowed with divine radiance, officially ascending to the rank of a top-grade spiritual treasure, its aura extraordinary and otherworldly.

The lightning paused, and An Miaoli exhaled in relief. But before she could fully catch her breath, her pupils constricted. The tribulation clouds above still hadn't dispersed.

Boom, boom, boom…

Even more terrifying bolts descended, no longer silver-white but tinged with blood-red hues. Endless crimson lightning crashed down, and even the Holy Land powerhouses stirred. This new Holy Son was indeed on par with Hua Yunfei and Dantai Xuan.

Ye Chen ceased merely defending. The lightning's terror demanded action. He unleashed the True Dragon Treasure Technique, the True Phoenix Treasure Technique, and the profound arts of immortal scriptures.

With a raised hand, boundless divine light erupted, clashing against the seemingly endless, unimaginably fearsome crimson lightning. He stood alone, as if defying the entire heavens. His black hair whipped wildly, a war god battling the skies, his presence awe-inspiring.

An Miaoli's face paled, her eyes filled with worry.

Tian Mingzi, watching Ye Chen's divine valor, turned ashen. Was this a test for Ye Chen to sharpen himself, or was it sending Tian Mingzi to his doom? Could he, a Deity Transformation cultivator, even survive such a tribulation? If the Holy Land powerhouses didn't intervene, he calculated that by burning his lifespan and fleeing at all costs, he might have a seventy percent chance of escape.

The divine lightning was relentless, giving Ye Chen no respite, dyeing the heavens red. Even someone as mighty as Ye Chen now stood with tattered robes. Were it not for his Nascent Soul ceaselessly drawing in the world's energy and his Supreme Heart continuously replenishing his vitality, he could scarcely have endured.

But at last, when Ye Chen shattered the final crimson bolt with his myriad techniques, the eighty-one bolts of divine lightning came to an end.

Ye Chen's tribulation was over.