Slowly, stubble began to grow on Li Xuan’s face, and his skin became dry. A layer of dust had accumulated on him, though he knew not when.
Yet Li Xuan remained unmoved, his eyes fixed on the tree before him with unwavering intensity.
Uncountable years passed, and the sapling had grown into a towering tree, its roots as thick as a grown man’s arms. The leaves on its branches were identical to those within the jade box.
Rumble.
Thunder roared once more. In the wind and rain, the great tree stoically endured one clap of thunder after another. Soon, the thunder dissipated, and the sky returned to its calm.
Leaf by leaf, the leaves fell, scattering in the air before settling on the ground.
The great tree gradually withered, leaving only its trunk. It then transformed into a pile of decaying wood, and as a gentle breeze blew, ashes drifted far away.
In the end, not a trace of the great tree’s existence could be seen.
Around Li Xuan, more saplings had quietly sprouted. Li Xuan smiled faintly, his gaze growing brighter and brighter.
This must be the evolution of a divine ability. I never imagined I would witness a complete manifestation of one.
Li Xuan raised his hand and gently tapped a sapling beside him. A brilliant beam of Xuan light flashed, and the sapling rapidly began to grow.
In the blink of an eye, it had transformed into a colossal tree.
Li Xuan nodded with satisfaction and slowly stood up.
At this moment, Li Xuan finally understood what this divine ability truly entailed.
From the appearance of the sapling, its growth, its weathering of storms and thunder, its eventual decay and death, and then the birth of more seeds.
This repetition, again and again, was like an endless cycle.
“This technique, I shall name it Samsara,” Li Xuan stated plainly.
As Li Xuan’s words fell, the surrounding scenery instantly vanished, and Li Xuan’s body dissolved into specks of starlight, drifting into the distance.
Hum.
Within the chamber, Li Xuan slowly opened his eyes. A faint smile graced his lips.
“A flower in a world, a leaf in Bodhi.” Li Xuan sighed softly, then reverently placed the leaves back into the jade box.
Rumble.
Just as Li Xuan emerged from the Town Prison, he felt a surge of pressure. Looking up, a bolt of lightning struck him. Without hesitation, Li Xuan swung his left fist, shattering the first tribulation lightning.
“Damn, that lightning tribulation came too fast!” Li Xuan muttered to himself, then focused his attention.
Boom.
Soon, the second and third tribulation lightning descended together, striking directly towards Li Xuan’s head. Li Xuan’s expression remained unchanged as he swung his fist again.
The fourth, the fifth, the sixth…
A total of eighty bolts of tribulation lightning descended before it ceased. Li Xuan’s clothes were tattered, with not a single intact piece left from the lightning strikes. However, his skin had become increasingly bronzed under the tempering of the tribulation.
Logically, there should be one more. Why did it stop so abruptly? Li Xuan looked up at the dispersing dark clouds, a sense of confusion washing over him.
Crack!
Just as Li Xuan finished his thought, a flash of lightning suddenly crackled in the sky. Faintly visible within the dark clouds was a silhouette. Li Xuan’s heart seized in terror. There was a figure within the lightning tribulation!
Who could this person be?
Rumble.
As if sensing Li Xuan’s gaze, the dispersed dark clouds instantly condensed. Streaks of lightning flashed, and when Li Xuan looked again, the figure was no longer within the clouds.
Could I have been mistaken? Li Xuan was somewhat surprised.
Boom.
What happened next solidified Li Xuan’s conviction that he had seen a figure. The final tribulation lightning was a fist, an impossibly massive fist. The patterns on the fist were clearly visible.
Following the direction of the fist, a figure resembling a colossal deity descended. Its power was such that no ordinary person could withstand it.
However, even so, Li Xuan had confidence in his physique. With this thought, Li Xuan unleashed his physical strength to its absolute limit.
“Annihilate.”
The tribulation lightning, now in human form, spoke with indifferent eyes as Li Xuan charged towards it, uttering a single word: “Annihilate.”
As the word fell, incredibly violent lightning, like dancing serpents, flashed everywhere. Streaks of terrifying thunder struck towards Li Xuan.
It can even speak human words! This lightning tribulation must have gained sentience! Li Xuan grumbled inwardly. Gazing at the terrifying tribulation above, he dared not be careless and unleashed his strongest attack.
“Unrivaled Overlord Fist!”
Boom.
The two immense forces collided fiercely. Li Xuan felt as though his left arm had been rendered useless. A world-destroying aura instantly struck him down.
Pfft.
Li Xuan crashed heavily onto the ground, creating a large crater, and spat out a mouthful of blood.
“Damn it! It’s still coming!” Li Xuan, having just wiped the blood from his lips, exclaimed in disbelief as he saw the tribulation lightning still charging towards him.
“Divine Ability, Samsara!”
Li Xuan immediately took to the air, without hesitation unleashing the divine ability he had just comprehended. The tribulation lightning figure, which had been expressionless moments before, suddenly changed its demeanor drastically.
“The aura of Samsara! A person of destiny!” With these words, the tribulation lightning figure vanished without a trace. Then, a beam of auspicious light slowly descended, flowing towards Li Xuan.
What the hell! It vanished! Li Xuan felt a sudden surge of powerlessness, as if his fist had struck cotton.
I never expected this lightning tribulation to fear death.
Li Xuan muttered, then sat down on the spot to absorb the auspicious light.
In the distance, on one side of the sky, a figure slowly appeared.
Watching Li Xuan absorb the auspicious light, the figure remained silent. After a long while, he sighed helplessly, “To think that a person of destiny would appear in such a godforsaken place. Fortunately, the appearance of his aura just now alerted me.”
“There’s someone behind this, I can’t afford to offend them.”