Chapter 1492: Is Your Shimu

"You..."

The First Elder was truly on the verge of madness. *This is your damn lightning tribulation!* he wanted to shout. *I came here to kill you, not to help you resist it!*

He was so furious he felt like he would explode, wanting to rush over and crush the fellow. But then he saw the lightning in the sky strike down again. This time it was even larger than before; before it even reached him, its raging power threatened to tear him to shreds.

He had no choice but to continue resisting. The next moment, his whole body was scorched, and his aura weakened considerably. This lightning was even more powerful than the Void-Space Tribulation. Although his strength surpassed the Void-Space Realm, he was still outmatched by this kind of heaven-sent punishment. After several continuous strikes, the qi and blood within his body scattered, and his internal organs suffered various degrees of damage.

"First Elder..."

Having finished controlling the formation, Zhang Wuchen had initially thought Zhang Xuan was already dead. Now, seeing that not only was the other party unharmed, but the First Elder was being struck half to death, he was utterly stunned, unsure what to do.

"Don't worry about me, hurry and kill that Zhang Xuan! Kill him, and the lightning will stop!" The First Elder roared, fending off another incoming lightning strike.

"Yes!" Knowing the situation was critical, Zhang Wuchen turned his head to look.

At this moment, Zhang Xuan had landed on the ground, swaying and twitching as if drunk, looking extremely strange.

"Kill him!" Unsure why the fellow was twitching, Zhang Wuchen gritted his teeth and rushed forward. Before he even reached him, he struck down with a palm.

*Crack!* His attack didn't even land. A bolt of lightning struck down, and before Zhang Wuchen could react, he plunged headfirst into the ground, completely scorched black.

"Ahhh! What the hell is going on!" The First Elder bit his tongue, spitting out blood. Why did it feel like the lightning was protecting this guy? When others undergo tribulation, the lightning seems eager to destroy them. But when *this* guy undergoes tribulation, the lightning desperately protects him, striking anyone who dares to interfere?

Of course, if that were all, it would be fine. But the most crucial thing was... *We*, who are being struck by lightning, aren't even flinching, yet *you*, completely unharmed, are sitting on the ground, looking perfectly relaxed... Why are you twitching, what a load of crap!

As he stood there in shock, he saw Zhang Wuchen climb to his feet again and charge towards Zhang Xuan. Again, before he could reach him, another bolt of lightning struck him down. Immediately afterward, the sea of lightning in the sky, as if fearing he would get up again, unleashed a continuous barrage of electrical currents. In the blink of an eye, the Third Elder's tongue was hanging out, his body twisted into a bizarre posture, and a distinct aroma began to emanate from him.

The First Elder clutched his head. Seeing this, he now understood: this lightning was absolutely intentional!

"First Elder, Third Elder..." Amidst shouts, a dozen more elders flew over. The commotion was so immense, the entire clan was on the verge of being torn down. All the elders knew that something major had happened and could no longer remain passive.

"Don't come any closer..." The First Elder's face paled as he roared. Before his voice even finished, lightning filled the sky and struck down again. With a searing stench, a dozen elders simultaneously fell from the sky, each with their head buried in the ground, a truly miserable sight.

"What exactly is going on..." The First Elder trembled, looking at the elders scattered across the ground and the numerous buildings in the ruins that were nearly completely collapsed. Twenty years ago, although Sword Saint Meng caused a great disturbance, injuring many people and tearing down many buildings, it still paled in comparison to this event. This time, it wasn't mere damage; it was utter destruction!

"Zhang Xuan, our Zhang Clan will never rest until you are dead!" With a roar, the First Elder spat out a mouthful of blood. Spitting out the blood, he felt a little better. He stamped his foot, gritted his teeth, and charged forward. Even if he were struck dead by lightning today, he would first kill this fellow!

*Crackle!* As he moved through the air, lightning continuously struck him. The First Elder himself resembled a lobster in a pot, emitting a cooked aroma. However, despite his severe injuries, given his strength, he could still endure and would not die. His current objective was to kill the opponent first, even if it meant sustaining injuries. Once the opponent died, the lightning would dissipate, and the Zhang Clan would be saved.

"This guy..." Zhang Xuan, who was sitting on the ground, feeling dizzy, couldn't help but shake his head when he saw the First Elder charging desperately towards him. Had this guy gone mad? Was he absolutely determined to kill him? The crucial point was that he couldn't retaliate right now... His soul form was too large; even though his physical body had significantly strengthened, directly entering it still made him feel lightheaded and dizzy, finding it difficult to adapt.

"Azure Dragon Beast, Qilin Beast, quickly go block him..." Knowing that even escaping would be difficult, Zhang Xuan rubbed his temples and whispered.

*Whoosh! Whoosh!* The two beast pets flew out and directly met the charge.

"Don't stop me, or don't blame me for what happens next..." With smoke rising from his head and his hair standing on end, the First Elder pointed a finger at the two charging sacred beasts, and two enormous palm prints descended from the air.

*Rumble! Rumble!* The Qilin Beast and Azure Dragon Beast met the attack, their flames soaring. The clashing forces spread out like a vast river or sea, engulfing everything around them.

*Crash! Crash!* Countless buildings in the core area of the Zhang Clan were completely destroyed. Zhang Jiuxiao, who was recovering his strength, also regained consciousness and stared blankly at the extensive ruins.

"Teacher..." He then saw Zhang Xuan sitting on the ground, swaying continuously and looking pale, and he hurriedly flew over. "What's wrong with you?" he asked, full of concern. Although he was a member of the Zhang Clan, he was from a collateral branch and had never enjoyed the preferential treatment of the main family. The Zhang Clan becoming ruins didn't cause him much distress; instead, his teacher's injury filled him with anxiety.

"I'm fine... just a little unaccustomed. I'll be fine after I adjust for a bit!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand weakly. His soul form was too powerful to perfectly merge with his physical body. This was something he had anticipated before. For this very reason, he had rarely allowed his soul form to absorb power without restraint. Had it not been for the emergency, he certainly wouldn't have done so.

"I will protect you, Teacher..." Zhang Jiuxiao breathed a sigh of relief and quickly nodded.

"Mm!" Responding, Zhang Xuan closed his eyes. The soul form within him rapidly circulated the methods of the Heaven's Path, reducing the pressure on his physical body. After circulating for some time, he still felt a splitting headache and found it difficult to recover. He shook his head and opened his eyes. The conflict between his soul form and physical body had occurred many times before and was not easily resolved. Otherwise, he wouldn't have simply fainted back then.

"Zhang Jiuxiao, with such a huge commotion this time, your relationship with the Zhang Clan might be difficult to mend. I have something to tell you beforehand!" Knowing this was not the time for adjustment, Zhang Xuan looked over.

"Please tell me, Teacher!" Zhang Jiuxiao quickly said.

"Your bloodline is pure. If the Zhang Clan asks you to marry the Luo Clan's young princess, you absolutely must not agree..." Zhang Xuan said.

"Your disciple understands!" Zhang Jiuxiao nodded, then looked somewhat puzzled. "Teacher, is that all? Why can't I marry her?" *Such a solemn instruction, for such a minor matter?*

"Why? Because..." Zhang Xuan shook his head. "The Luo Clan's young princess is your... teacher's wife!"