Chapter 1179: Thunderstorm Body Forging

Boom!

In the dense, violent thunderclouds, lightning and thunder continuously echoed. Streaks of tribulation lightning, like enraged dragons, burst forth, striking fiercely with overwhelming destructive power towards a platinum source qi barrier beneath the thunderclouds. The very void twisted under the thunderous assault.

Xu Lei sat cross-legged deep within the thunderclouds, his gaze sharp as he stared at the source qi barrier. In his perception, Zhou Yuan's source qi fluctuations within seemed to be continuously weakening, presumably injured by the tribulation lightning.

"Hmph, no matter what kind of prodigy you are, once you enter my tribulation cloud, you have no chance of survival!" Xu Lei snorted coldly. However, his face was also slightly pale, especially within the sacred pupil in his forehead, where a faint, dark bloody light surged. After all, using his sacred pupil to conjure the tribulation clouds required immense consumption and could even cause some injury to the pupil itself, needing a period of recovery to fully heal later. Nevertheless, as long as he could stop Zhou Yuan here and prevent him from interfering with the Sacred Race's grand plan, everything would be worth it.

"Let's see how long you can last." Xu Lei took a deep breath, and a faint light revolved within the sacred pupil on his forehead. The thunderclouds immediately churned more violently, and streaks of tribulation lightning continuously struck down. By his estimation, the time it takes for an incense stick to burn would be enough to completely obliterate Zhou Yuan, turning him into dust.

"Cherish your last moments," Xu Lei chuckled faintly, slowly closing his eyes. And with that closing, an incense stick's time passed.

After the time for an incense stick to burn, Xu Lei opened his eyes, but couldn't help but frown. He found that although the source qi barrier seemed on the verge of collapse, it stubbornly refused to break completely. Furthermore, Zhou Yuan's source qi fluctuations within, though seemingly weak, persistently remained. Faintly, Xu Lei felt a strange sense of unease. Had this guy been resisting for too long? He wanted to peer into the barrier, but for some reason, there seemed to be a special force within it that directly prevented his perception from penetrating.

Xu Lei's eyes flickered a few times, and then a ruthless glint appeared. Since something felt off, he had to change his tactics. No matter what, he couldn't give that kid any opportunity!

"Can't blast you to death, can I? Then I'll add some power!" Xu Lei formed hand seals. The next instant, streaks of blood vessels suddenly appeared on his face, crawling like worms across his skin before all of them surged into the sacred pupil in his forehead. Immediately, a bloody light bloomed from the sacred pupil. Within the churning thunderclouds, tendrils of blood-red light also appeared. One streak of tribulation lightning even took on a faint, dark crimson hue, giving off an eerie and terrifying sensation. The surrounding tribulation clouds even seemed unable to withstand the power of that particular lightning bolt, beginning to crack and dissipate.

"Go!" Xu Lei's voice was grim as the dark crimson tribulation lightning crashed down, cleaving directly into the source qi barrier. Boom! Boom! As this tribulation lightning struck, the source qi barrier immediately vibrated violently. Faint, violent explosions could be heard from within, and Zhou Yuan's source qi fluctuations became intensely erratic at this moment. A muffled groan, laced with anger, echoed out.

"Truly tenacious," Xu Lei said sinisterly. Still, he praised himself for his caution. He didn't know what that kid was doing hidden inside, but it certainly wasn't anything good. It was fortunate he had suddenly increased the power, which must have caught him off guard. "Next, I'll destroy him in one fell swoop."

The blood vessels on Xu Lei's face proliferated, converging into his sacred pupil. Within the thunderclouds, dark crimson tribulation lightning bolts continuously condensed, one after another, beginning to smash into the source qi barrier. Under this terrifying assault, the space around the source qi barrier showed signs of tearing apart.

Blood flowed from Xu Lei's sacred pupil on his forehead due to the extremely powerful tribulation lightning he was conjuring, making him appear utterly terrifying at this moment. His internal source qi was also gradually being depleted. But Xu Lei gritted his teeth, with no intention of relaxing. He knew Zhou Yuan was an extremely troublesome opponent, so he had to concentrate all his strength to cripple him in one go. Otherwise, if Zhou Yuan recovered, unexpected changes might occur.

Xu Lei stared intently at the source qi barrier. Faced with this level of attack, the barrier clearly began to falter, and Zhou Yuan's source qi fluctuations within became extremely faint. He was clearly severely injured.

"Almost there..." Understanding dawned on Xu Lei, and a smile appeared on his lips. The next moment, he unleashed his final burst of power. And so, the last dark crimson tribulation lightning bolt crashed down like an unparalleled fierce dragon, striking into the source qi barrier.

Boom! Boom! This time, the source qi barrier finally reached its limit. With a deafening roar, it shattered, transforming into countless specks of light that scattered across the sky.

Xu Lei watched the shattered barrier with a faint smile, but his smile lasted only a few breaths before suddenly freezing. A trace of horror rose in his eyes. Because he saw Zhou Yuan's figure sitting quietly cross-legged in the center of the shattered barrier. His upper clothing was completely shredded, revealing a charred body that faintly emitted the faint aroma of roasted meat. But Zhou Yuan's eyes were exceptionally bright, like stars.

He raised his head, looking at the horrified Xu Lei, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"You... you're still alive?!" Xu Lei exclaimed, shocked. After enduring so many of his tribulation lightning strikes, Zhou Yuan was still alive? How was this possible! What kind of monster was this guy?

Zhou Yuan ignored Xu Lei's ghost-seeing gaze and somewhat unsteadily stood up. He looked at his charred body, grinned, revealing stark white teeth: "Your tribulation lightning is very powerful; it really almost struck me dead." He paused. "But, unfortunately... it was still a bit short in the end." He then added, "Also, I really have to thank you for temporarily increasing the power. Otherwise, today would have been a bit of a wasted effort..." He looked at Xu Lei, seemingly genuinely.

"What do you mean?" Xu Lei said coldly.

Zhou Yuan's body trembled slightly. The next moment, the charred skin on his body began to peel off in chunks. A moment later, the charring receded, replaced by a robust physique, tough and filled with boundless power. Every line of his figure exuded a sense of power, yet he didn't appear overly bulky. Zhou Yuan extended his palm and gently clenched his fist. A thunderous rumble erupted in his palm, and with a single clench, the void itself showed signs of distortion. He casually stretched, and immediately, a strange thunderous roar emanated from within his body – an unusual sound produced by the flow of blood and the vibration of muscles. An indescribable power surged through his limbs and bones, as if a single punch could punch a hole through the heavens.

From a distance, Xu Lei looked at Zhou Yuan's body at this moment and suddenly felt a dangerous sensation that made his hair stand on end. The next instant, he suddenly noticed a faint luster subtly flowing across Zhou Yuan's body. That luster was as clear as glass, sacred. Dust motes danced in the air, but as they approached Zhou Yuan, they completely veered away.

Xu Lei stared blankly at the scene, then his heart violently trembled. He finally understood the cause and effect, and his face instantly twisted into a grimace.

"Sacred Glazed Light?!"

"You... you were using my tribulation lightning to refine your body?!"