Layer upon layer of silver light patterns twisted, and countless spatial fluctuations suddenly appeared, as if numerous spatial gates had opened above Mei Gongzi's head. When the golden light entered, countless golden dots spread around the island, turning the surrounding sea golden.
Large swathes of seawater silently vanished, causing the sea level around the island to drop slightly.
Mei Gongzi shivered violently. The silver peacock behind her was entangled with the golden lightning, struggling in pain.
Tang San's voice rang out.
"The lightning of the Six Directions Eight Desolations Golden Fiend Tribulation has immense penetrative power. Use the White Tiger Transformation to protect yourself internally, and use the Peacock Transformation's Star Shift to deflect it."
Although it was just one bolt of golden lightning, it was enough to make the Peacock Great Demon King shudder in fear. He thought that if he had faced such a tribulation back then, he might have been severely injured just by that single strike.
Another loud rumble echoed in the sky. Immediately, an even larger golden lightning bolt descended from the heavens.
In front of Mei Gongzi, a phantom of a white tiger appeared. Its blue eyes looked skyward, and its wide-open maw released a silent roar.
And the tribulation had only just begun!
The white tiger's shadow leaped into Mei Gongzi's body, and the lightning affecting the silver peacock immediately halved.
Mei Gongzi was now experiencing sensations she had never known or expected. When the first bolt of golden lightning struck, she felt as if her soul had been pierced, and the power of the lightning coursed through her body. The previously turbulent flow of her bloodline power suddenly became smooth, breaking through all barriers and causing her entire body to boil with energy.
When the second lightning bolt struck, she didn't feel pain; instead, she felt her entire body becoming transparent, with countless tiny bolts of golden lightning coursing through her. But although her bloodline power was doing its best to absorb this energy, it was too overpowering. The space energy in front of it was continuously obliterated.
But after just two bolts of lightning, a large amount of spiritual power in her sea of consciousness was stimulated to surge, transforming into divine consciousness and merging inward amidst the rippling golden light.
The sky brightened again, and this time, three golden lightning bolts descended from the heavens, flashing instantly.
The silver peacock suddenly spread its wings and soared, with a platinum crown on its forehead emitting a brilliant light.
Countless spatial forces condensed into sparkling starlight. When the golden lightning fell, it was blocked by the starlight; golden light flickered rapidly among the stars. As a result, the starlight dimmed, and the scattered golden lightning fell once more on the silver peacock.
The silver peacock's light quickly dimmed as the lightning coursed through it, forcing it to descend from the sky and crash onto the ground.
For the first time, a look of pain crossed Mei Gongzi's delicate face, but in the next moment, a fierce and murderous aura burst forth from her. She continuously absorbed the power of the golden lightning. White Tiger Transformation!
The White Tiger Demon Emperor was known for his comprehensive abilities, excelling in both offense and defense. His bloodline’s defensive abilities far surpassed those of the Peacock Demon bloodline. At this moment, it replaced the Peacock Transformation in bearing the remaining power of tribulation lightning. Meanwhile, the Peacock Transformation used its Star Shift ability to deflect most of the attacks.
Mei Gongzi's body underwent another transformation. She felt that her blood, meridians, and bones had gained a faint golden layer under the tempering of the golden lightning. Her spiritual power was even further along with its transformation, elevated to the level of divine consciousness!
As her bloodline power evolved and her spiritual power turned into divine consciousness, the silver peacock regained its vitality, and its feathers now had a faint golden sheen.
To undergo tribulation was to become a god. To become a god was to evolve to a higher level of existence, in body and spirit.
During this process, one had to endure the baptism of lightning continuously. If they withstood it, they successfully crossed the tribulation. If they couldn't, they would be annihilated. It depended on whether their cultivation could keep up with the increasing power of the lightning tribulation.
After three strikes of lightning, Mei Gongzi seemed to be handling it relatively well. However, the Peacock Great Demon King didn't know how many strikes there would be; he didn't even know when he should use the items he had prepared.
Tang San stood not far from Mei Gongzi, and some of the aura from the Six Directions Eight Desolations Golden Fiend Tribulation also fell on him, affecting him. He silently absorbed some of the tribulation’s power, sharing some of the burden with Mei Gongzi.
Of course, he had to be particularly careful not to absorb too much, so as not to affect Mei Gongzi's tribulation crossing.
But in the process, he made a strange discovery—his Golden Armor Transformation seemed rather interested in the lightning power of the tribulation. As he absorbed the scattered tribulation energy in the air, the Golden Armor Transformation imprint became more active.
Tang San didn't dare to let it absorb too much, however. His greatest risk was being affected by the lightning tribulation, triggering his own tribulation. His lightning tribulation would be even more terrifying, and if it caught him now, unprepared as he was, then he, Mei Gongzi, and the Peacock Great Demon King would surely be obliterated.
After three strikes, the tribulation clouds in the sky seemed to calm down slightly. However, Tang San's expression became even more solemn.
The Six Directions Eight Desolations Golden Fiend Tribulation was, as its name implied, a six-eight tribulation—not six plus eight, but six times eight. Six rounds of eight lightning strikes! And moreover, their power would increase! This was just the third strike; even though there had been three bolts at once, it counted as only one strike. In other words, there were still forty-five strikes to go. The show had just begun.
What a terrifying power…. If an ordinary demon was undergoing tribulation, they would have already completed it, and even gotten some extra benefits.
But as long as Mei Gongzi could still endure it, Tang San would never act rashly.
Although the Six Directions Eight Desolations Golden Fiend Tribulation was terrifying and life-threatening, the stronger the lightning tribulation, the greater the benefits, and the more complete the transformation. Mei Gongzi's potential would be maximized in this situation.
Although this was an eighth-level heavenly tribulation, not something just anyone could endure there was still a slim chance of survival. It was no more than one in ten, but it was still better than the ninth-level tribulation, which spelled certain death.
For Mei Gongzi's future, Tang San would carefully protect her, but he also wanted her to use this heavenly tribulation to maximize her potential. If she succeeded in crossing the tribulation, she would not be an ordinary god; although she might not become a Great Demon King at once, she might well reach the peak of the Demon King level in one go.
Therefore, although crossing the tribulation was difficult, Tang San was not all that worried. It was certainly a double-edged sword, but it depended on how it was handled.
The rumbling sounded again.
It was still three golden streaks descending from the sky. But this time, when the three golden lightning bolts appeared, each was faster than the previous one, so much so that the trailing lightning caught up with the leading one. The three bolts merged into one in mid-air and descended from the sky as a single strike, arriving in an instant!
The silver peacock soared into the sky and Star Shift was activated once more, but this time, the starlight dots shattered under the power of the lightning. Around Mei Gongzi, a large area of vegetation on the small island turned to dust almost instantly. The silver peacock was enveloped in lightning and directly struck down to the ground, nearly disintegrating.
Mei Gongzi's delicate body shivered, blood seeping from her mouth and nose. For the first time, golden lightning struck her directly. Her clothes were made of special material, which could somewhat filter the power of the lightning. Despite this, she still showed signs of pain.