The tribulation lightning collided with the barrier. With the support of Alex's majestic genuine essence, the barrier didn't break, and it started absorbing the lightning.
Paula and Lloyd had never seen anything like this before. Alex was relying on a mere stick to block the lightning.
Alex's powerful senses swept across the barrier. Yes, he thought. This is going to work.
He looked at Paula and Lloyd in the distance. Then he pointed the celestial staff at them, and the sky-covering barrier extended toward them.
Lloyd pressed his palm against the barrier, testing it. "Alex, don't be so arrogant," he said. "This is the divine tribulation lightning. Do you really plan to attack us while you're fighting it? Aren't you afraid we will kill you?"
Alex snorted. "You think you can kill me? You're no match for me."
The next bolt of lightning gathered, and Lloyd grinned. "Paula, it's time."
The two of them started to advance on Alex, who was busy watching the lightning. He reached out and pressed the celestial staff through the barrier, touching Lloyd's palm. There was a sizzling sound as the staff drew the lightning to Lloyd's body. Lloyd felt it coming, but it was too late, and he couldn't avoid it.
The bolt struck him and went straight for his golden core, but he shielded himself with his genuine essence, which collided with the powerful lightning.
Paula looked at Lloyd, who was pale and shaking. "Lloyd, what happened?"
"He drew the lightning to me!" he spluttered, looking at Alex in disbelief.
Evan heard this from afar and looked up at the figure standing in the sky-covering barrier. "He's a genius."
A voice boomed from the spaceship, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Friends, I am Zaxx. I don't think any of you want Alex to pass the lightning tribulation. Our ship can launch a nascent-level attack, so we can help each other. We want Alex to die."
Lloyd and Paula looked at each other and nodded.
Alex studied the ship with concern. A nascent-level strike was not something he could defend against, even if he hadn't already had tribulation lightning above his head. In the distance, Lloyd and Paula stood by, waiting for Alex to be destroyed.
**
Linden and Zaxx were poised to attack, waiting for the next lightning bolt. When it formed, Linden shouted, "Go to hell, Alex!" and jabbed at the firing button.
If Alex survived the day, then Linden feared he would soon be facing his own end. Alex, who had yet to become a god, was nearly invincible. So Linden didn't even want to think about what Alex would be like when he reached that stage.
**
Green and yellow energy appeared on both sides of Alex as he cast two spells to protect himself.
A vast mountain grew under Alex's feet, and behind him, a towering tree blocked the sight of the rainbow-colored cloud above his head. A blue aura flowed out of Alex and wrapped around the trunk of the tree.
The tribulation lightning and the laser cannon strike landed at the same time.
Alex had covered the tree with a layer of ice crystals. The lightning ran down the tree trunk and turned the ice crystals into powder before finally blasting into the soil.
The laser, with strength comparable to a nascent immortal, also blasted into the earth. It shattered the huge mountain, and the lightning bolt flattened the debris.
Alex hadn't been affected by the lightning strike, but without the support of his genuine essence, the barrier that had covered the sky had been turned into powder when the tribulation lightning had hit it.
He looked at the spaceship in the distance and said very calmly, "All of you deserve to die." Then, in an instant, he was in front of the ship. A purple flame covered his left hand, and a golden sword was in his right.
He slashed at the ship with his sword, but it took no damage. As he swung, Lloyd and Paula appeared next to him, floating next to the ship.
Linden was laughing aloud in the ship's control room. "Alex, do you really want to kill me that much? Not even a nascent-level warrior could break through this ship's defenses, much less you. And since you can't kill me now, the next laser shot will destroy you."
Alex didn't respond to Linden. He was busy fighting with Lloyd and Paula.
Lloyd blocked Alex's swing, while Paula hurled damaging energy at Alex.
Paula was not the same person she had once been. She had studied in that hidden place at Jade Lake for thirty years, and she had learned to wield a trace of nascent power. This power was what she planned to kill Alex with now.
Alex forced Lloyd and Paula to retreat, but in doing so, he suffered quite a serious injury.
The clouds were churning. Lloyd and Paula were staring at Alex triumphantly, and Linden was ready to kill him with his next attack. Alex flashed a mocking smile and said, "We'll see who will live and who will die today."
His long, black hair fluttered in the wind and divine energy visibly flowed across his skin.
He concentrated, and everything within a ten-yard radius transformed into genuine essence and started feeding into him, enhancing his power.
When Alex had been learning about the five great divine abilities, he had hidden this move. It was dangerous, as he could easily lose control of it, so he was putting his life on the line to win this fight.
Another bolt of tribulation lightning struck and quietly disappeared ten yards away from Alex. It had just simply gone.
Lloyd and Linden were both struck dumb. They had never heard of anyone who could make tribulation lightning just disappear. From the look on Alex's face, it appeared that he had absorbed most of the energy.
Linden was firing as often as he could, while Lloyd was quaking in his boots. Paula turned and fled.
Alex moved toward Lloyd step by step. Lloyd threw a divine spell at him, and it also disappeared some distance from Alex.
Lloyd blinked and found Alex standing in front of him.
Alex looked into Lloyd's eyes and asked, "You want to kill me?"
"No, no, Mr. Ambrose, sir," Lloyd stammered. "It was that bitch, Paula. She bewitched me. I didn't know what I was doing. Honest."
Alex reached out and grabbed Lloyd by the neck.
"Immortal cultivation is a never-ending path of competition," he said. "I know that and expect it, but why did you attack me while I'm in the middle of my tribulation?"
Alex tightened his fist, and Lloyd's last expression was one of disbelief.