While Evan and Alex were talking, the third bolt of lightning exploded from the black cloud above them.
"This tribulation lightning is far weaker than the lightning I faced when I advanced to the golden core stage," Alex said scornfully.
He didn't care about the lightning at all. Without warning, he took a step off the top of the mountain.
The crowd still gathered at the foot of the mountain chattered excitedly.
"Look at that! What is that Alex guy trying to do?"
"Can we walk over there and see what's going on?"
"He can't be trying to stop Willard from becoming a deity, can he?"
"This is outrageous!" Zoe said. "He won't rest until the Rimmer family is ruined." She knocked the ground with her walking stick. She had just allowed herself to get excited about Willard becoming a god, but now, in the blink of an eye, she felt that the family had suffered a heavy blow.
Without a doubt, if Alex wanted to cause trouble when Willard became a god, then Willard would not be able to successfully pass the tribulation. However, among the people present, only Evan could stop Alex.
Evan was also dumbfounded. Although he was a golden core warrior, he had never seen such a thing before. If Willard were to pass the tribulation, then what would happen when Alex rushed under the cloud?
Not even Evan would dare to get in the way of the tribulation, so when he saw Alex step into the range of the cloud, his face twitched.
"Alex, no!" he called out. "Taking advantage of others when they're in danger is not something an honorable man should do."
At the foot of the mountain, many onlookers shouted up at Alex, cursing his actions.
"You beast! How dare you stop Willard from becoming a god? You can't do this."
Ignoring the insults of the crowd, Alex walked step by step until he walked under the dark cloud.
The flaming tribulation lightning exploded with a loud bang and headed straight for Alex's head.
Willard, who was sitting on the ground below Alex, looked up and saw that the lightning bolt had frozen above Alex's head. He blinked and shook his head, not believing what he was seeing. He looked again and realized it really had stopped.
Looking closely, he could see that Alex was now wearing some kind of green gas mask, which wrapped around his head and upper body. The tribulation lightning was moving around the green barrier like a snake looking for an opportunity to strike, but the protection was airtight. No matter how hard the flame searched, it could not find a place to enter.
"Willard, we are destined to defy the heavens!" Alex called to him. "That's why the lightning tribulation has descended. If you want to bear the lightning tribulation yourself, then I won't stop you. But if you want to avoid the tribulation, I'll make it vanish into thin air. You only need to promise me one thing." He stood proudly in the sky, looking down at Willard with a haughty expression.
Willard smiled bitterly. At this moment, he was seriously injured, and the amount of inner energy he could raise was less than one-tenth of his body's usual power. Every tribulation lightning bolt required his full power and attention. Even if his body was in good condition, he might not be able to win, but now, in his weakened state, he knew he had little chance.
He wanted more than anything to become a god, but if he lost his life, he would lose everything.
Alex stood patiently in the air, ignoring the lightning flashing above his head. He just quietly waited for Willard, as if the tribulation was child's play to him.
Perhaps it was his arrogance that angered the heavens. In the midst of the dark clouds, fiery snakes of lightning were constantly flickering, as if they were trying to devour Alex.
Those watching were staggered by what they were seeing.
"Is Alex actually going to help Willard pass the tribulation?" someone exclaimed, causing those who had just insulted Alex to feel ashamed.
"Yeah, we've wronged him. I knew it. Alex is a very powerful man, and he has always been proud. Of course he wouldn't do such a shameless thing. If he had wanted to defeat Willard, he would have waited for him to become a god before he fought him. Why would he attack when Willard was facing his tribulation? That would be despicable, which isn't like Alex at all!"
"He said that he could pass the tribulation with a flick of his finger. Maybe he really can do it!"
Evan looked at Alex in shock. He had thought that Alex had underestimated the power of the lightning tribulation, but now he saw he was wrong.
On the scorched earth, Willard pondered for a moment, and then he said, "All right, Alex. I will accept your help."
"Then, today, I will help you become a god!" Alex said. Then he stretched out his hand and withdrew the green barrier of light. As it disappeared, the lightning bolt rushed toward him.
The lightning drilled into Alex's body, and a layer of flowing light appeared to surround him,
before it moved a little and disappeared into his body.
Alex lowered his head and looked down at his body. The lightning surrounded the golden core inside his body, continuously attacking the surface of it.
The true use of the lightning tribulation was transformative. Only a core that had undergone the baptism of the tribulation could be called a golden core. The more lightning tribulation one experienced, the more perfect the refinement of the core.
Alex was using Willard's lightning tribulation to baptize his own golden core, and he could also save Willard by drawing away the lightning from him, so it was a win-win situation.
"Wow, this feels good," Alex gasped.
He felt the lightning polishing his core into a bright golden light. He was extremely excited and shouted out, "Yes!"
Those watching from below found it hard to believe what they were seeing.
"This guy is a madman, isn't he?"
"He can actually use his body to resist the divine lightning. He really is amazing!"
"A true god should be like this! This is a real divine immortal."
"Again!" Alex raised his head to look at the black tribulation cloud and shouted.
After the tribulation cloud had spat out three bolts of lightning, its color changed. The black cloud turned into a fiery red like metal heated in a flame. It seemed to have grown a little stronger, covering the entire area.
Evan allowed himself to drift like a snowflake and left the range of the cloud. He stood close by and observed with a serious expression.
This tribulation has become more powerful, he thought. The power of one person facing the tribulation is different from two people facing the tribulation. Does Alex understand the danger in what he is doing?
In the middle of the fiery tribulation cloud, a spinning vortex had formed, sending out an unprecedented force. The surrounding trees were bent by the immense force, and up on the mountain, the ancient wall was unable to withstand the force, and large sections of it were crushed.
Alex raised his head proudly, and there was a flash of light between his brows. The tribulation lightning that had been brewing for a long time finally leaped. It exploded between Alex's eyebrows and drilled into his body.
Ever since Alex attained the golden core level, his body had become stronger than steel plates. Even tanks and armored vehicles were not as strong as his body. This tribulation lightning originally belonged to Willard, but when it came to Alex, the thunder was loud and the lightning fierce. After it entered his body, it was absorbed to nourish his core.
"Is that all you've got? Come on, try again!" Alex raised his head and shouted at the tribulation cloud, causing everyone watching to be shocked.
They couldn't believe how arrogant he was. If he wasn't careful, the tribulation might view that as a challenge.