Cross looked at the Thundercloud crazily, the bolt of lightning fell and destroyed his flesh. Cross looked as though he didn't feel pain as he laughed and stuffed his mouth full of the spirit herbs, activating 'Great Way of the Buddha'.
The medicinal energy exploded in his body as the second stage of lightning punishment fell. The medicinal energy and the 'Great Way of the Buddha' circulated, two black lightning bolts fell from the cloud and wrecked havoc in Cross' body, destroying everything.
The Medicinal herbs along with the 'Great Way of the Buddha' were healing him from the inside out as an enormous change was happening in his body. Cross roared and his body started sucking in all the black lightning, allowing it to smash around in his body, destroying his insides and entering his energy reserves.
The medicinal ingredients were definitely WAY too strong for the current Cross, maybe he would've exploded and died. Luckily, he had the best talent there ever was and his Tribulation was more of a Death Sentence by the Heavens themselves. It was as if they couldn't live under the same sun!
Cross felt angry but also relieved and happy, perhaps he would've died if he was favored by the heavens. The Lightning wasn't enough, however...
Cross whistled a sad song and threw an Accepted Separation Lotus at the clouds, blowing a huge hole in them as he shouted in complete madness "You want me dead?! You're going to have to try harder than that! Hahahahaha!"
The Thunder clouds formed again and instead of doubling, like normal, they tripled! 6 pitch black lightning bolts slammed down on Cross, who didn't even grunt in pain, instead he smiled wildly with crazy desperation in his eyes as he said "Hehe~ Now I'll really die for sure..."
He stomped the ground and flew into the air shouting "Come on! What are you sending me? Static electricity?! I can't feel a thing! Heaven's punishment? Ptui! Feels more like a scolding! My wife hits harder than you!"
He could feel the clouds getting angrier by the second as it rained down lightning bolts. Cross circulated 'Great Way of the Buddha' to save his life! He basically didn't have any skin left, only his blood, muscles, and bones were left!
He was, quite literally, a blood man at this point! His hair, flesh, and clothes were all gone. His necklace and tattoos strangely remained, as if they were painted on his soul! The necklace softly absorbed some of the black lightning, sending it out to the girls, along with the excess medicinal strength.
They all got the energy and knew Cross was going through his lightning tribulation right now. Jasmine said quickly "Cross! What's going on! How big is your Thundercloud?! Where are you!?" she sent a group message and Cross burst out laughing crazily "Hhahahahaha! I'm in the God Realm of Absolute Beginning! My cloud... Hehe~ It's the entire Realm!"
The girls were absolutely floored and Jasmine shouted "That's impossible! You'll die!" Cross shouted "Don't you dare come here! If you come here I won't resist and you can find me in Hell!" the girls choked and Cross added "If I can't survive this little bit of 'punishment', what right to I have to even go looking for you all?"
The girls were silent and Cross finished crazily "Whether I live or die... Hehe~ It'll be decided today." the girls started crying in anxiousness, the last thing they heard was a crazy laugh and a shout "Your fucking mother squeezed my dick harder! Come on, destroy me! HAHAHAHAAH!" Before the beads cut out.
The girls were dumbfounded. Jasmine muttered to herself "He's a maniac! A complete maniac! He's even provoking the Heavens themselves!" Luna said "Jasmine... If he dies, watch our kids will you?" Feng Xue'er said anxiously "Big sister, what do you mean?!" Luna said resolutely "I will not allow my husband to be alone on his journey to the next life." the other two trembled and Jasmine said seriously "I don't believe a single Tribulation can kill my man! Keep your kids to yourself and wait for him to come get us."
Cross was standing in spot with smoke coming off his skinless body, almost all his flesh was burnt! He was on his 7th stage of Tribulations, he was in a miserable shape but he was healing at a visible rate. A 9 colored gas where his stomach should be was re-building his body from the ground up, the density of Divine Beast origin blood was steadily increasing with every lightning strike and his energy was devouring the black lightning greedily, without end!
Cross might look dead but he was still laughing, staring at the clouds with a wild and hateful expression. The 8th stage came.
'KRACK!'
For those of you following along at home, the 1st stage was 1 bolt the 2nd was 2 but the 3rd was 6 and it kept tripling since then. So the 8th was 1458 lightning strikes! It just goes to show how resilient our little Elf boy was!
One by one, 1458 lightning strikes smashed against Cross' body, intent on turning him to dust. When they all fell down, there was an eerie silence for a few moments before a laugh was heard. The laugh slowly grew louder and louder before a wild mocking laughter sounded from Cross, his eyes popped, leaving blood red flames in his fleshy skull, they burned with a strong obsession for life and strength!
Even as a barely flesh skeleton, he was still mocking the Heavens! As if he wouldn't stop until they gave up or he turned to dust! Cross' laughter didn't stop as the 9th stage came down with 4374 strikes!
Anybody else, they would have been long dead by now! The clouds were beyond enraged, as if they were humiliated that an ant was mocking them!
During every single one of the lightning bolts, Cross didn't even pause his laughter. The 'Great Way of the Buddha' and the Medicinal energy were still going stronger than ever! Even Cross himself was absorbing the energy around him along with the lightning!
He was simply a super maniac! A psycho that wouldn't stop until the world burned!
The 9th stage came and went and Cross 'sneered' with heavy disdain in his eyes. Though, that shouldn't be possible because he didn't have lips... or eyes! The Thundercloud didn't disperse and continued with the 10th wave! 13,122 strikes!
Holy fuck!
Cross stood tall, unwilling to bend to anyone! Not even the Heavens! Even if he turned to ashes, he still wouldn't kneel! He crossed his arms, which barely had any flesh left on them, and just took the lightning punishment.
Oh? The pain? Excruciatingly painful! The most painful thing he had ever felt in his entire life! But he would never admit it! Heh! Even if he turned to ashes he would still say it didn't hurt from Hell! What a petty guy!
You send a single lightning bolt at him and all of a sudden, you're his mortal enemy...
Cross looked up after the 10th stage... He was pretty much a skeleton at this point, but he was still circulating his 'Great Way' and medicinal strength, along with absorbing everything. He was doing this forcefully, even if it stopped he would spin it himself! Plus he still had his soul to fall back on!
Bones? Who needs 'em?! Ptui!
He didn't know what kind of medicinal herbs he ate but they were still far from finished. He should expect this, it was said everything from the God Realm of Absolute Beginning was a heavenly treasure. He had eaten around 9 different 'Heavenly Treasures' in one go!
Cross snorted in disdain and drank the 'Water' from his gourd before throwing it back saying "That's it? I was just a little parched." If the clouds could speak they would definitely say 'You're a skeleton! How can you still drink?! Do you live just to infuriate me?!'
Cross spread out his bone fingers and looked at them as if he was looking at his nails. The Divine Water of Absolute Beginning merged with the Medicinal energy and boosted it even further. Cross yawned and said "You're done? I'm afraid your partners in the future would be aggrieved. A 10 pump chump is what we call you."
The Thunder boomed above him and the 11th stage fell down. A whole 39,366 strikes, but Cross just watched as his lower body bones disappeared. He sneered and said "Hmph! You think if I don't have any bones I'll kneel!? Foolish!" as he floated in the air with only an upper skeleton left.
He even flipped a bony bird to the thundercloud! What an asshole!
The clouds blasted him with the 12th stage, destroying the rest of his bones! Oh no! Could this be the end for our Elven Hero! Find out next time.. Hehe, just kidding~
Cross appeared, still circulating the 'Great Way of the Buddha' and Medicinal Energy AND absorbing the lightning! He was in his soul form! His soul was bright gold! he had his tattoos and everything! He looked up at the Thunderclouds and chuckled "This is my final stand.. Hahah.. HAHA.. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA HIT ME WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE, I DON'T BELIEVE YOU CAN KILL ME! AHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!!!!"
A maniac till the end it seems, let's see if it'll pay off.
With a final roar the 13th stage came, slamming 118,098 lightning bolts! Cross opened his arms wide and stopped suppressing the medicinal energy, letting it explode with strength as the lightning bolts slammed against his soul.
Endless and excruciating torture but he could feel his soul getting denser and denser as he absorbed the lightning frantically, he ran everything he had for his life. This was the moment! Would he live and become a legend?! Or die and be forgotten about!?
He still stood tall and faced the clouds with a big insane grin on his face. Refusing to give the Heavens even a single shred of satisfaction! He even laughed! He laughed! The lightning was smashing his soul and he laughed!
The 13th stage ended and Cross stood completely still, the clouds were aggrieved but they couldn't go any further than 13. So they left before they could be mocked again! Their friends would definitely laugh at them when they saw them again...
Cross moved very, very, slowly. He tapped on the Prayer Bead Necklace and said "I, your husband, have survived. Rejoice... When I... See you... again... I'll... fight... 3000 rounds... with all three... of.. you... at the.. same... time..." before he swayed and leaned forward.
He suddenly took a mighty step! Slowly standing straight before falling unconscious! He didn't even fall when he passed out! He stood tall, like a Hero!
Jasmine appeared in front of him and saw the absolute carnage that was the space around Cross. She trembled in shock! Just what did he go through! She had just arrived, and only heard the end of his little victory speech from his mouth before he fell forward.
She was going to go out and catch him, but he suddenly stood straight and his soul dimmed as he stood tall, making her heart tremble in awe, fear, love, and pain. But more than this, she was proud! Proud of having such a man as her husband!
Suddenly a golden pagoda appeared over his head and sank into his very soul! Shining extremely brightly! 9th level of the 'Great Way of the Buddha' achieved! The 9 colored medicinal gas covered his soul as if it was stimulated and a single drop of Bright Golden-Red blood with many different colored specks appeared where his heart should be before getting bigger and forming a heart over the White-Gold flame.
His body was being re-created! Self Re-Creation! Basically Nirvanic Rebirth!
Jasmine was completely dumfounded and felt her heart in pain, what had he gone through in these past 2 years without her? How was he? Did he feel lonely? Was he sad? Intense guilt filled Jasmine, if she hadn't suggested the others to leave and give them the means to do that very thing, he wouldn't be alone. He wouldn't have to go through so much!
She knew he would never admit it and she knew he wouldn't blame them. He was simply too good to them! It made her pain throb in pain, she forced out 3 drops of essence blood and flicked them into his heart. Her face turned extremely pale and she brought his body to a quiet place.
She found a cave and slaughter all the beasts inside before attempting to sit him down, but his legs were as stiff as steel! They refused to bend even a little bit! She let him stand and sat by his side as time trickled by, watching over his every move, refusing to even sleep incase something happened.