Chapter 119

Thunderclouds gathered overhead, the oppressive atmosphere heavy with the scent of an impending storm. Ye Qinghan barely had time to throw Ye Qiao out before the lightning struck swiftly and accurately, aiming straight for the center.

With a thunderous crash, the lightning bolt lit up the scene as bright as day. To his surprise, the lightning suddenly changed course midway and struck Ye Qiao instead. It was so fast and precise that he didn’t even have time to react.

“Hmm?” Ye Qinghan, already braced for the lightning strike, opened his eyes in surprise.

Ye Qiao hadn’t intended to provoke the heavens this time. During Ming Xuan’s tribulation, she had raised her middle finger in defiance, prompting a fierce bolt of lightning to target her head. Now, with Ye Qinghan’s tribulation, the first bolt of lightning struck directly at her. Her spirit root absorbed it quickly, and she felt a subtle change as she placed her hand on her chest.

She looked up as the second bolt of lightning, even stronger, began to form and once again aimed at her. In that moment, Ye Qiao felt as if the lightning was targeting her specifically. The second bolt was louder and more powerful, causing the onlookers outside to involuntarily retreat in fear.

Was the Nascent Soul stage thunder tribulation always this terrifying?

And this was only the second bolt.

Inside, Ye Qinghan’s expression turned increasingly blank.

Who was he? What was he supposed to do? Wasn’t this his tribulation?

He watched helplessly as the first two bolts of lightning struck Ye Qiao, each strike more intense than the last. In frustration, Ye Qiao defiantly raised her middle finger at the sky, shouting, “Come on!”

Might as well kill her.

The memory of her last painful encounter with lightning wasn’t enough to instill fear in her. Since she was going to be struck anyway, she decided to fully embrace it.

“Ye Qiao,” Ye Qinghan’s cold expression cracked slightly. “Aren’t you afraid of the tribulation?”

“Oh, I’m scared,” Ye Qiao replied. “But I’m doing this on purpose.”

Since she was going to get hit anyway, what harm was there in trash-talking a bit?

“Damn,” Ye Qiao muttered just as another bolt struck. “You’re serious?”

Ye Qinghan’s lips twitched. What was this? Ye Qiao’s final act of defiance?

The intensity of the thunder tribulation shocked the onlookers. The more powerful the tribulation, the greater the talent of the person undergoing it. In previous years, Nascent Soul stage tribulations were gradual. It was rare for the first two bolts to be so powerful, clearly intending to strike someone down.

“My senior brother is amazing,” Chu Xingzhi lazily commented, his face pressed against the outer barrier, trying to get a better look. His eyes widened at the sight of the blinding lightning.

“The greater the lightning, the higher the talent,” Qin Huai remarked, clicking his tongue. “Ye Qinghan is tough.”

Hearing the discussion, the members of the Changming Sect felt a strange sense of clarity amid the confusion.

Mu Chongxi whispered, “Do you guys think that lightning is really meant for Ye Qinghan?”

“Who knows,” Ming Xuan replied. “I feel like it’s aimed at Ye Qiao.”

Ye Qinghan’s talent wasn’t low, but it certainly wasn’t high enough to warrant such deadly lightning on the third strike.

Xue Yu spoke quietly, her lips pressed together, “Does the Heavenly Dao have some grudge against our little sister?”

Thunderclouds never strike the wrong target, yet after Ye Qiao raised her middle finger during Ming Xuan’s tribulation, the lightning had targeted her directly. In thousands of years, many had talked trash during tribulations, but nothing like this had ever happened.

As everyone watched the lightning storm with deep contemplation, the idea of the Heavenly Dao targeting someone specifically was unprecedented.

And yet…

Could such an ethereal entity as the Heavenly Dao really harbor personal likes and dislikes?