A large purple streak of lightning had flashed onto Fan Yuqing with a thunderous bloom as she raised her hands to receive the full blast of the lightning. At the same time, Ye Jing and Xuan Danfeng had also cried out loud as the full force of the lightning rippled through them, threatening to rip their very souls to pieces!
Fan Yuqing, Xuan Danfeng and Ye Jing were all trembling with the aftershocks of the lightning blast as they attempted to recover their wits…
Ye Jing said weakly, "Guess that we have just managed to survive the second lightning. Seven more to go…"
Xuan Danfeng nodded. Her fingers were trembling as she popped in a vitality pill while Fan Yuqing was looking extremely pale as she grasped tightly the horn of the Tyrant Behemoth.
Ye Jing tenderly touched Fan Yuqing's hand and asked gently, "Are you alright? You really don't look so well."
Fan Yuqing closed her eyes and said, "I'm alright. You have better focused on your own survival first."
Ye Jing nodded weakly as she popped a pill before she said, "Sisters, I still have some high grade soul stones here to replenish our spiritual force…"
Fan Yuqing quietly grabbed one of the high grade soul stones before she closed her eyes once more to recuperate from her injuries. It was because she knew that she had to recuperate faster than the lightning attacks or else she would not be able to survive this lightning tribulation.
Soon, the third, fourth, fifth and sixth purple lightning had descended and a hole that was 3m deep had appeared where Fan Yuqing, Ye Jing and Xuan Danfeng were and they were all lying on the ground now…
Even the horn of the Tyrant Behemoth had cracked under the pressure of the continuous lightning strikes. The only thing that was unaffected by the lightning strikes was Ye Jing's immortal sword.
Up on the slope of the mountains, Xiaofang could barely watch anymore; he was trembling and hating himself that he was unable to help. He had wanted to rush down the mountain slope but the Celestial Liege warned him of the consequences of distracting them.
"There is nothing we can do now except to observe." He warned Xiaofang.
The seventh purple lightning had burst from the dark heavens like a furious coiling dragon and was now flashing to the ground below where Fan Yuqing, Xuan Danfeng and Ye Jing were.
Fan Yuqing quickly mustered all her strength to stand up as she raised her palm to receive the full fury of the seventh purple lightning as she coughed out blood before she was slammed in a circle onto the ground while Ye Jing and Xuan Danfeng were scattered around the newly created pit as they coughed out a few mouthful of blood.
As they all landed simultaneous on the ground, the horn of the Tyrant Behemoth had also scattered into hundreds of fragments…
Ye Jing smiled weakly with her face on the ground, "The horn is gone now…so are all our soul stones…"
Xuan Danfeng was convulsing on the ground as she struggled to eat the pill that was in her fingers but the lightning had left her upper body paralyzed…
Fan Yuqing was lying on the ground and her breathing was extremely weak, "We…have taken so many divine pills already. These pills do not have any effect anymore…"
She closed her eyes and said, "Sister Jing, Sister Danfeng….I'm sorry. I've thought that we're able to pull through this. But in the end…I am just so weak…and my haughtiness has even cost you your lives…"
Ye Jing muttered, "You…are not…weak. You are taking twice the hits as us…we're actually…not bad…at all, we have managed to survive until now."
Xuan Danfeng smiled weakly, "At least, we…can still chat…for five minutes more…any last wishes?…"
Ye Jing said weakly, "…Sister Yuqing…I've a secret to tell you…I actually do not trust you or like you when we have first met…"
Fan Yuqing smiled coldly, "Is this…even a secret?"
Ye Jing grinned weakly, "I like you when we're in the…Empyrean Warrior Labyrinth…I wish that… journey has not ended so fast…"
Fan Yuqing smiled quietly, "Is that so…"
Ye Jing gasped weakly as she coughed out another mouthful of blood, "I…have…another secret…that I want to tell you…"
Fan Yuqing smiled coldly, "I thought…you just say you only have one secret…and now you have…another secret?"
"That one…doesn't count since you…have already known. This one…is a real…secret….do you remember Dongfang Jun? I've met him and…"
Fan Yuqing was jolted and she gasped weakly, "What about him?…"
Ye Jing smiled and said weakly, "If we survive the next lightning then…I will tell you…alright?…the next wave of lightning…is starting soon…"
The entire dark heavens were now arcing with purple lightning and the mountains were shaking with the sounds of thunders.
Rumble! Boom!
An explosive purple lightning had descended once more against them!
Fan Yuqing mustered all her entire strength as she struggled to stand but the most she could manage was only to her knees as she raised her palm upward to receive the eighth purple lightning, "Ye…Jing! Don't die…and don't forget to tell me…"
The ground below them had sunk another 1m and the earth was sent flying all around them in a huge explosive impact. Fan Yuqing, Ye Jing and Xuan Danfeng were all sent flying and rolling on the ground…
After a few pauses, Fan Yuqing struggled to stand but instead she was crawling toward the motionless Ye Jing, "Ye Jing, don't…die! What…about…Dongfang Jun…you promise…to tell me…about him…"
When she had crawled to Ye Jing, she called out weakly. "Wake….up…please…" Upon seeing that Ye Jing was motionless and did not respond, she slapped her gently on the face. "You badass maiden…you promise to tell me about Dongfang Jun…"
At this moment Xuan Danfeng was aroused by Yuqing panicky calls for Ye Jing. She did not even have the strength to open her eyes as she muttered weakly, "I heard your voice…is Ye Jing…still there…"
Fan Yuqing slapped Ye Jing's cheek a little harder, "You are a golden celestial as well as a saintess now. You…can't die like this…"
The tribulation lightning had voided Ye Jing's entire spiritual sea and all her meridians were dead. That was why Ye Jing were no longer responding. A golden celestial may have superb regeneration ability but without spiritual force, regeneration was not possible; the tribulation lightning had severed Ye Jing's meridians and voided her spiritual sea, making regeneration nearly impossible as regeneration depended on spiritual force and the meridians as its conduit.
Xuan Danfeng muttered weakly, "Yuqing…I don't think I can make it to the very last…thank you…I happy to know you as a friend as well as a sister…"
Fan Yuqing coughed weakly, "We will make it. Try to be strong…don't take the lead from Ye Jing…she is so useless…"
All of a sudden Fan Yuqing froze as she sensed a strong spiritual force that was within Ye Jing. Without thinking, she had reached into Ye Jing's spatial space and took out a folded painting, "This scroll, why does this painting have so much spiritual force within it?"
Without thinking, she had spread out the celestial painting and an outflowing of strong spiritual force quickly enveloped the pit.
Xuan Danfeng was revived by the spiritual force and she managed to open one eye weakly, "What is this? Did…a miracle just happen…"
Even Ye Jing was revived by the strong surge of spiritual force…
Ye Jing was suddenly convulsing weakly as she grabbed Fan Yuqing weakly, "Please…this…painting is more valuable…than my life. It is Dongfang Jun…last gift to me…if you use it here, it will be destroyed…"
Fan Yuqing was startled but after a moment thought, she said weakly. "If we all die here then Dongfang Jun won't be happy…"
She sighed quietly as she looked at the celestial painting. Through it, she could sense Dongfang Jun's aura. He must have spent many years meditating and cultivating with this celestial painting…
Mustering whatever strength she could, she tried to absorb as much spiritual force as possible while saying. "Your spiritual sea is already voided of any spiritual force and you are unable to absorb any now. Only this celestial painting will be able to save us…"
Then she knocked Ye Jing to sleep. Afterward she crawled to Ye Jing's immortal sword as she spat her blood on it before gripping the sword up to the heavens…
Xuan Danfeng was startled as she coughed out, "Yuqing, no wait…are you thinking of drawing the lightning entirely onto yourself?"
"Come, this is the ninth lightning strike already…" Fan Yuqing muttered as she attempted to stand.
Heavy downpour and strong winds began to descend…
Finally the last purple lightning streaked across the heavens, gathering strength and with a mighty thunderous rumble, it flashed down upon the tip of the immortal sword and Fan Yuqing screamed out loud as brilliant light surrounded her…
This last lightning bolt was actually more powerful than the first eight lightning and the entire vicinity exploded with its fury as the mountains shook violently.
Xiaofang, Gong Nanyan, the Celestial Liege, the Confession Lady and the rest who had a bird eye view could only see a burst of purple light exploding into the pit where Fan Yuqing, Ye Jing and Xuan Danfeng were and the entire vicinity was now carpeted with thick smog…
Without saying a word, Xiaofang had dashed down the mountains!
He was quickly followed by Gong Nanyan, the Celestial Liege, the Confession Lady, Chu Yunfeng, Luo Bihua and Li'Er.
Even Beitang Ying was rushing down the mountains after she had recovered from her shock of witnessing the nine-stage tribulations…
Xiaofang was bleary as he shouted for Ye Jing amidst the heavy downpour and the strong howling winds…
"Jing'Er, you will be alright. Please be alright…"
Elsewhere there were excited shouts as the news quickly spread that Lin Wucheng and Tang Yiren had both successful overcome their lightning tribulations and were both Great Saint now…