NOVEL NEXT Chapter 292: Power Up, Back to Dragon Island
For the first time, Johnnie actually wanted to be killed.
"Take off all the gear!" He looked at the Heavenly Tribulation forming again, then on impulse put away all his weapons and equipment.
His stats only dropped by a few tens of thousands—not much.
Johnnie's strength came from himself, not from gear buffs.
That should be a good thing, but he couldn't feel happy about it.
Rumble!
The dark clouds shook. Another Heavenly Tribulation fell. A huge purple pillar of light wrapped Johnnie and slammed down. The sea rose in giant waves, and the area turned into a sea of lightning.
Johnnie, covered in blood, crawled out of the water. Even the sea around him was stained red.
Even this terrifying strike still didn't kill him.
"Damn, is this Heavenly Tribulation too weak?" Johnnie cursed. This was already the seventh one. There were two more. If they couldn't kill him, he might really step into Half-God.
"The last two should be strong. They should be able to kill me. If not, there's still Maiev and the others." he muttered, thinking of Maiev and her team.
He had several Divine powerhouses on his side. If a Domain showed up inside the Heavenly Tribulation, its power would rise.
But that would also raise soul damage. If his soul died, he'd be gone for good.
This was already the eighth Heavenly Tribulation. The later ones would be stronger, and the soul damage wouldn't be small either.
Johnnie wasn't fully sure he could take it. That's why he didn't dare call Maiev and the rest yet.
Rumble!
Another boom. The sky split. A massive purple pillar fell, painting everything a dark purple, filled with killing intent.
The eighth Heavenly Tribulation!
Johnnie spread his arms slightly, made no defense, and faced it with defiance.
Buzz—
Space trembled. The purple pillar swallowed him whole.
A terrifying aura spread. He felt like his body was being torn apart—his soul too.
The Eight Desolations Body-Tempering Art roared to life, and in the end it still held.
Damn!
Johnnie felt like cursing.
[Ding, your physique improves: Body toughness +1, Lightning affinity +1]
…
The prompt messages popped up. Johnnie's injuries healed fast, and both his body and soul were slowly rising.
Only the last Heavenly Tribulation was left, and it should be the strongest.
At this rate, it might actually kill him.
But Johnnie didn't dare bet on it.
"Looks like I have to call a true Divine powerhouse to boost the tribulation's strength." he sighed. With a thought, he summoned someone.
It was the Eternal Wood Emperor.
He was a Core God expert. The Heavenly Tribulation he could draw would be much more terrifying.
Johnnie had also thought of a way to deal with the Soul Damage: go deep into the sea, where the water could greatly weaken the tribulation's Soul Damage.
Rumble…
Thunder rolled. Dark clouds boiled, and the Heavenly Tribulation's power jumped straight to the Core God level. The world dimmed. Only endless lightning flashed as a terrifying aura spread, like the end of days.
"Heavenly Tribulation!" the Eternal Wood Emperor cried, his soul trembling. This was the final Heavenly Tribulation—the god-ascension trial for Core God experts. He couldn't withstand it at all.
"Johnnie, are you trying to kill me or yourself?" He stared at Johnnie in shock.
Johnnie glanced at the raging clouds above, his face turning more serious. "You're right. I'm trying to kill myself."
The Eternal Wood Emperor opened his mouth, at a loss for words.
He had seen madmen before, but never anyone as crazy as Johnnie.
"Quick, to the seabed. Hide under me. I'll take this hit." Johnnie said, sinking fast toward the depths.
The Eternal Wood Emperor snapped out of it and followed.
"You can't take it." he said, worried.
"I need to fail to hold it. Otherwise I'll become a god." Johnnie said calmly, still diving fast.
"Damn it, do you hear yourself?" The Eternal Wood Emperor was speechless.
Many experts get stuck at stage 9, peak, and don't dare trigger the god-ascension Heavenly Tribulation because they can't endure it.
Johnnie was the opposite. He could take the tribulation, but he didn't want to.
It made sense, though.
His talent was insane. At just stage 6, his stats were no less than a Half-God's. If he grew to stage 9, it was hard to even imagine.
"Careful, it's coming." the Eternal Wood Emperor warned, sending his voice into Johnnie's mind. Countless vines shot out, weaving into a giant net that wrapped around both of them.
This was the final god-ascension Heavenly Tribulation. Its power was terrifying. Even with Johnnie sharing it, he didn't dare relax and went all out to block it.
Boom!
Suddenly, a crushing force hit. Johnnie coughed blood.
The tribulation was so strong that the seawater around them was being compressed.
The Eternal Wood Emperor also spat blood. He couldn't bear the pressure either.
Rumble!
Another thunderous blast. The sea around them seemed to explode.
Johnnie's body was flung away. Then he saw a massive purple pillar of light blot out the sky and slam down.
As expected, it instantly killed him. A sharp, stabbing pain tore through his mind.
Even with the seawater weakening the Soul Damage, he was still badly hurt.
[Ding, you were killed by the Heavenly Tribulation. Ascension failed. Resurrection Ring activated]
System prompts popped up, and Johnnie finally let out a breath.
Right after, he revived on the spot. Lightning still crackled around him and through the nearby sea. The tribulation had failed and the cloud had dispersed, but the lightning power lingered.
The Eight Desolations Body-Tempering Art roared to life, drinking in the lightning.
[Ding, your physique improves: Body toughness +1, Lightning affinity +1]
…
[Ding, Eight Desolations Body-Tempering Art advanced to Tier 5. All four base stats +100,000]
[Lich bloodline fusion 50%, All four base stats +100,000]
[Ding, your physique improves: Body toughness +1, Lightning affinity +1]
...
Eight Desolations Body-Tempering Art actually pushed up to the fifth tier, and system prompts kept popping up. It was still improving, just much slower now.
Lightning filled the area, waves raged, but they could hardly hurt Johnnie anymore.
He glanced at the Eternal Wood Emperor beside him.
Right now, the Eternal Wood Emperor was a mess—covered in blood, his aura faint, like he could fall at any moment.
Johnnie moved him straight into the Map of Heaven and Earth.
With Maiev and the Undead Tree treating him, he'd be fine.
Johnnie stayed under the lightning for half a day before the leftover power of the Heavenly Tribulation finally faded.
Eight Desolations Body-Tempering Art stopped running and settled at tier five.
"Looks like I need to be careful about triggering Heavenly Tribulations in future fights." Johnnie muttered, rising back to the surface.
Gales howled, waves surged, thunder kept rolling.
But the lightning no longer hurt him at all, and even Eight Desolations Body-Tempering Art didn't react.
To advance it further, he'd have to find other sources of damage.
He had already absorbed the Six Ding Divine Fire, and now lightning and the power of the Heavenly Tribulation. It seemed any damage from a different element could feed Eight Desolations Body-Tempering Art.
"Time to do the real work." Johnnie took out the Celestial Mirror. Space rippled, and he vanished.
He'd come here to find the Dragon Pulse.
Johnnie appeared on Dragon Island. The same towering city stood ahead.
It was quiet. Pitiless was gone.
"Human, are you here for the Dragon Pulse?" A middle-aged man walked over.
He was a dragon clansman, and like the old man Johnnie had met before, he seemed to welcome him.
The Dragon Pulse was the dragons' greatest treasure. There was no way they'd just hand it over. There had to be a scheme.
Johnnie nodded and looked the man over. His aura was solid. He wasn't a Half-God, but a Lesser God.
He was curious. With his strength rising again and again, if he used Seven Sword, could he kill a Lesser God?
"Human, come with me, quick. The Dragon Pulse is about to open. If you're two days late, you might not get in." the middle-aged man said warmly, leading Johnnie into the city.
"The Dragon Pulse is about to appear?" he asked.
"Yeah." the man said. "A lot more experts have arrived. In at most two days, we can open the Dragon Pulse."
"Is that so?" Johnnie answered calmly. He didn't fully believe him.
He followed the man inside. The city was even grander than it looked from the outside, crowded and lively.
But Johnnie soon sensed something off. Everyone here was from the dragon clan. There were no experts of other races.
He asked warily."Where are the other experts who will enter the Dragon Pulse secret realm? Is the Dragon Pulse not in this city?"
"Of course not." the man said with a smile. "The Dragon Pulse is special and still sealed. It needs outsiders like you to break the seal."
Johnnie nodded and asked, confused."So how do we break it?"
"You'll know when we get there." He quickened his pace.
They crossed the city and came out the other side.
It was a bit desolate here. He still didn't see any other dragon experts. A slightly crumbling wall cut the area off.
They reached the gate. A squad of dragon-clan soldiers stood guard—seven of them, all at the Lesser God level.
Johnnie was a bit surprised by the dragon clan's deep foundation.
"Leaving the city?" the leader asked coldly.
The middle-aged man bowed. "Sir, this is an outsider—he's here to help open the Dragon Pulse."
The leader glanced at Johnnie, sensed his level, and a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes. He waved for his subordinates to open the gate and said flatly."Go on. The Dragon Pulse is out in this wasteland. Whether you find it or not depends on your luck."