Chapter 547: 547. Heavenly Tribulation
Lu Yao had made thorough preparations and seized the moment of clarity to directly prepare for his tribulation.
Riding the Spiritual Sparrowhawk, he found a stretch of thunderclouds over the sea spanning dozens of kilometers, looking immensely gloomy and heavy, with occasional flashes of lightning.
The distant rumbling of thunder reached him, and Lu Yao said to the three Spiritual Sparrowhawks:
"You don't need to stay too close, just keep an eye on my physical body."
With those words, his Divine Soul left his body through the forehead, with his mind shifting to it, causing his physical eyes to glaze over.
The three Spiritual Sparrowhawks cried out together, as if bidding farewell and blessing him.
Lu Yao waved his hand and resolutely charged into the flashing lightning within the dark clouds!
Instantly, the surroundings turned pitch dark, and the next second, all the free charge within the clouds converged towards him, creating a dazzling light that tore through the darkness!
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"Boom boom boom!" Thunder exploded, and a lightning bolt over ten kilometers long completely engulfed Lu Yao!
This was not the fine thunder summoned by a "Lightning Summoning Rocket" but a "Full Force" version.
An indescribable roaring, dizziness, and intense pain filled his mind; it was as if a heavy metal rock band was holding a concert in his head.
And before the sparks of the first lightning strike had finished, another lightning bolt entwined around Lu Yao!
Ruthlessly hammering Lu Yao's feeble Divine Soul with the mighty will of heaven and earth.
At this moment, he felt as though he was a bean thrown into a millstone, about to be ground into dust.
Fortunately, after undergoing a gradual and systematic baptism by the lightning in both worlds, his soul had solidified to the limit, and he was still holding on.
Other Spirit Refining Practitioners would never imagine that someone in the world could "preview" Heavenly Tribulation beforehand, which would make Crossing Thunder Tribulation seem easy to grasp when the time came.
But things were not so simple, for the lightning strikes did not come in single file as in "The Calabash Brothers saving Grandpa."
Suddenly, one after another, lightning bolts converged from all directions and struck Lu Yao!
The whole sky thundered and roared, with Lu Yao blinded by the brilliant flashes, looking from afar like a glowing white cocoon.
At that instant, he no longer felt pain, but instead felt airy and almost transcendent, as if ready to ride the wind away.
Lu Yao inwardly cried out in alarm; this was no good sign—it meant his consciousness was about to disperse!
"Argh!!!"
He shouted to maintain clarity, mobilizing all his strength to contend with the Heavenly Might! If he lost consciousness now, it would all be over, and the best outcome would be becoming a vegetable!
More relentless lightning strikes kept coming, mercilessly striking Lu Yao!
While he strained to keep his thoughts from scattering, he wholeheartedly embraced the baptism of the lightning, understanding the Heavenly Might within, or rather, the will of the planet.
It contained no intention of killing or anger, only a self-operating routine that followed its own laws.
"Indeed, the heavens and earth are heartless..." Lu Yao could not help but sigh.
Lightning strikes hit him one after another, like a master swordsmith swinging a hammer, repeatedly and vigorously striking.
Gradually, all impurities in his soul were expelled, and the essence was repeatedly folded and hammered countless times, solidified to the utmost extremity of the limit!
In a certain moment, just when Lu Yao thought he could not hold on any longer, he suddenly felt his soul become incredibly substantial, as if gaining physical form!
Subconsciously clenching his hands into tight fists, he felt an extremely real sensation.
This wasn't an illusion; his soul had truly gained substance!
At this moment, the damage caused by the lightning gradually lessened, replaced by a warm and soothing sensation, as if spring breezes were caressing his face.
Lu Yao felt as if he was bathing in a hot shower—once the scalding sensation passed, comfort and pleasure followed.
On closer inspection, the lightning that had struck his body had disappeared and was astonishingly absorbed by his soul!
His soul absorbed the energy contained within the lightning, growing at an astounding rate.
Previous injuries healed in a few breaths, all intense pain as if it were an illusion.
From then on, the roiling thunder became a nourishing tonic.
"Destruction breeds life anew, life and death cycle in succession, this is nature~"
Lu Yao let out a long sigh in his Divine Soul form.
He looked at his palm, where bones, flesh, tendons, and membranes were visible in perfect detail, along with blood vessels, through which blood faintly flowed.
As his Divine Soul continuously absorbed the lightning, a "thump-thump" could vaguely be heard in his chest—a heartbeat, he was fully alive!
The Heavenly Tribulation had been crossed!
It was as if Lu Yao had absorbed all its energy; the dark clouds dispersed in an instant, and sunlight streamed down.
The three Spiritual Sparrowhawks flew over carrying his body, and with a thought from Lu Yao, his Divine Soul instantly returned to his orifices.
He opened his eyes, and a flicker of lightning surged within!
~~~~~~~~~~~
While he was Crossing Thunder Tribulation, the situation in the capital of the Oya Federation below was far from peaceful.
The broadcast studio was in the city center, and after the incident occurred, ambulances arrived swiftly.
Lao Er and He Shanshuo, with the strenuous help of the medical staff, struggled to separate from each other.
But the outcome was not looking good.
The human body is both strong and fragile; once muscles are damaged, they can never fully recover.
Host Lao Er would have to live with diapers for the rest of his life; as for He Shanshuo, due to brain hypoxia, he would now suffer from cognitive disorders and coordination impairment in his limbs.
Even worse, the live global broadcast of the two combined into a centaur had turned them into a laughingstock around the world; they would now be a staple in memes.
Lu Yao's actions had stirred up strong reactions, and the entire Oya Federation was essentially swamped with negative sentiments.
But he didn't care at all.
This godforsaken place was already the leading producer of negative sentiment; the locals loathed him, the yellow-skinned Superman.
And with a total population of just over 20 million, it wasn't worth his effort to take seriously, so Lu Yao did not plan to stay and develop ties; once he was done enjoying himself, he would leave.
But some people just wouldn't have it!
Citizens from all over the Oya Federation started massive protest marches—
["Oppose the act of terrorism! Our security is under severe threat!"]
["Bring the criminal to justice!"]
["Death to the Yellow-Skinned Monkey"]
People waved signs and chanted slogans or voiced their outcry over social media.
And the military was impatient to claim that they were ready to wage war against Lu Yao!
At that moment, the whole world thought the Oya Federation had gone mad.
Netizens from various countries questioned:
["This country with just over 20 million people, whose army, navy, and air force combined totals only 60,000, dares to provoke Lu Yao?"]
["Don't they know that even the Star Alliance Country endured major embarrassment, and now the Oya Federation dares to use nuclear weapons? Are they looking for mutual destruction with a Superman!?"]
["It's not surprising. A country founded by descendants of criminals is bound to be peculiar. After all, their ancestors were not the best of people, so it's only normal for the descendants to have bizarre ways of thinking."]
["That's right, it's a freak country, where the intelligence of the politicians is only slightly better than that of kangaroos."]
Nobody could understand the country's moves or guess the intent behind them.
Even though it eagerly served as a dog for the Star Alliance, charging into battles all over, the act of starting a war on their own soil against a Superman was truly unthinkable and baffling.
But what did it matter? It didn't stop everyone from enjoying the spectacle.
In the shadows, the Star Alliance Country had already rapidly provided the latest models of "Electromagnetic Railguns" and "Laser Weapons."
They wanted to take this rare opportunity to test the effectiveness of such advanced weapons.
And these weapons, as if taken right out of a science fiction movie, were the source of the Oya Federation's confidence!