Boom!
Sheng Tian's realm broke through again, reaching the third level of Foundation. As that happened, the current tribulation he was going through immediately multiplied in strength. However, he didn't stop there, quickly making a breakthrough to the fourth level.
The tribulation clouds now took on a pitch black color. It churned and condensed, taking the form of a dragon over five hundred meters in length.
"Roar!"
A bolt of condensed lightning shot out of its mouth. The Primordial Chaos Tyrant Lightning shot forward to meet the attack but exploded on impact. Sheng Tian sent out the Primordial Chaos Dragon Flame to restrain the lightning. It wrapped around the lightning while the Primordial Chaos Tyrant Lightning reformed.
The Primordial Chaos Tyrant Lightning roared in anger and took large bites out of the lightning. The tribulation dragon panicked and rained down lightning in hopes of deterring the Primordial Chaos Tyrant Lightning.
Sheng Tian used his own Dragon's Breath and unleashed his Dragon's Might, reminding the tribulation that he was the one going through tribulation.
Lightning and thunder struck the ground, destroying dirt, rocks, and what little vegetation there was. Sheng Tian covered himself in dragon scales and flew up, directly into the mouth of the tribulation!
The tribulation dragon thrashed about and flashes of light could be seen inside its body. Sheng Tian stood tall even as powerful lightning struck his body. He was actually using the tribulation lightning to further temper his physical body!
He descended further into the tribulation and reached its center. A ball of pure lightning could be seen and emitted an aura of pure destruction.
Something clicked inside him but he couldn't quite grasp what it was before it faded away, almost like a bout of enlightenment was suppressed.
Sheng Tian shook his head and put that thought to the back of his head. He reached forward for the lightning ball.
Although it couldn't see what was happening in its body, the tribulation dragon sensed great danger and hurriedly amassed all its lightning to protect its core.
"Oh no you don't!"
Sheng Tian took out the Devouring Sword and swung it at the lightning. A large section was blown away and he took that chance to fly through the opening and grab the lightning core.
"Seal!"
Dragon's Might restricted the movement of the sentient lightning ball and Sheng Tian cast restrictive inscriptions and talismans onto the ball. It struggled fiercely but to no avail, with the dark clouds soon dissipating to reveal a clear sky, and a newly created wasteland.
Sheng Tian waved his sleeve and the Primordial Chaos Tyrant Lightning and the Primordial Chaos Dragon Flame flew back. He could clearly see that the Primordial Chaos Tyrant Lightning had been strengthened greatly and would soon rival the Primordial Chaos Dragon Flame once it digested all the tribulation lightning.
He looked at the surrounding area and recalled the destruction caused by the lightning. A deathly aura filled the place as all the vegetation died and massive craters formed.
He stowed away the lightning ball and left for the next area. The Desolate Battleground had truly become desolate, though now it's more fitting to call it a Desolate Wasteland. The qi in the air had thinned greatly and it wouldn't recover for at least a few centuries.
He arrived at his next destination called the Grand Soulless Desert, receiving its name due to it infamously having no vegetation or any other form of life in any manner. In fact, there is nothing, just hundreds of miles of scorching red sand. Despite it having significantly high levels of qi, no powers would settle due to it having no resources.
Wu Di did the same thing here and set up a massive formation before hiding. Sheng Tian sat down and began gathering qi. After an hour, he sat up and broke through two times, bringing his cultivation to the sixth level. He didn't stop and broke through twice more, bringing him to the eighth level of Foundation.
The tribulation hadn't even fully formed yet and its power had multiplied countless times. This time, it stayed as a mass of clouds and sent down a barrage of lightning at Sheng Tian.
He wrapped himself in the Primordial Chaos Tyrant Lightning which absorbed the lightning that came down. A few stray bolts struck the ground around him and created massive craters. The sand turned to dust and dust turned to nothing.
Eventually, the Primordial Chaos Tyrant Lightning was filled to the brim and unable to absorb any more lightning. Sensing that, Sheng Tian put it away and took out the Devouring Sword.
"Heavenly Asura Sword Slash"
A huge red and blue sword struck the clouds and split it clean in half. However, the clouds quickly reformed as if nothing had happened.
"Tsk, missed the core"
He frowned as he thought about how he could get rid of the core. Unlike normal cultivators who would endure the tribulation until it ran out of energy, Sheng Tian was impatient and went straight for the source of the tribulation.
"Sky Sword River"
A river of a thousand swords appeared in the sky and Sheng Tian pointed at the mass of clouds above. The swords flew in different directions into the tribulation clouds and detonated.
Loud explosions rang out as the swords exploded and revealed much of the sky. The tribulation hurriedly tried to regenerate while attacking Sheng Tian only to serve no deterrence effect.
He launched himself into the sky and reached for the receding lightning core and snatched it before it could hide. In a last ditch effort, the tribulation condensed all of its lightning into one huge lightning python. It rushed towards Sheng Tian with an intent to kill but he merely sent out the Primordial Chaos Dragon Flame to devour it for the Primordial Chaos Tyrant Lightning.
His aura stabilized and he took one last look at the destruction before leaving. He couldn't examine the aura left in the aftermath of the tribulation or he would risk his combat prowess dropping.
"At least I got the cores of the tribulations. They should prove useful for my comprehensions once I ascend"
He arrived back at his temporary residence and sealed his room. Despite his immense talent, breaking through at such speeds would definitely affect his foundations.
He would spend the rest of the time in his room in seclusion as news of two areas being reduced to a wasteland in a single day spread.