The competition site, where Er Yun was supposed to be, was still swarming with people intent on finding Robin, and the area around Chi Si had become increasingly chaotic and noisy! With more and more spectators flooding in to watch the commotion, this sub-venue became completely overcrowded and gridlocked! Just as the situation threatened to spiral out of control, someone with a booming voice suddenly shouted, "Look! That dark cloud, it’s terrifying!" Everyone followed his pointing finger.

Instantly, one by one, they were dumbstruck.

In moments, the entire sub-venue fell silent; every single person was looking up toward the distant sky.

From the direction of the Demonic Beast Forest, a strange, dark cloud was visibly expanding at an alarming rate in the heavens.

This cloud was exceedingly peculiar, possessing a sinister blend of black and purple.

Furthermore, it seemed as if something dreadful was on the verge of emerging from within the cloud layer! "How can this be? Wasn't the sky perfectly clear just a moment ago?" someone mumbled to himself.

The others shared his confusion, utterly unable to comprehend how the weather could change so rapidly, without any discernible transition.

Was a massive storm about to break? But then they noticed something even stranger: this menacing dark cloud was hovering only over the Demonic Beast Forest; everywhere else remained completely unaffected! Truly, one crisis had barely passed before another arose! Robin’s sudden disappearance had yet to be thoroughly investigated, and now this terrifying expanse of cloud had materialized from thin air.

What else was about to unfold? As the crowd pondered these mysteries, the dark cloud expanded several times over, and a deep, muffled sound, like the roaring of tens of thousands of wild beasts, rumbled forth from within it! "Heavens, what is that?" Just then, someone gasped in alarm.

Immediately afterward, everyone else’s face hardened into expressions of sheer horror; some even began to tremble uncontrollably! What exactly had they witnessed? Suddenly, several colossal bolts of lightning ripped through the cloud layer, darting up and down—resembling excited, serpentine dragons! These people had never witnessed such a spectacle; they all held their breath, as if awaiting the very end of the world.

It wasn't just the spectators who were shocked; even Zhong Shenxiu, who had been prepared for something, was momentarily stunned speechless by the sight! This was not a Heavenly Tribulation; this was clearly a Heavenly Punishment! (Note: Heavenly Punishment is a far more terrifying existence than Heavenly Tribulation!) And if the power brewing within that cloud was already this terrifying, it was still growing stronger.

What exactly did it intend to do? After his initial moment of shock, Zhong Shenxiu dared not delay.

He quickly brought forth the magical artifacts he had refined, furiously weaving hand seals and channeling his entire spiritual power into the defensive array.

Robin, watching from a distance, was also stunned by the display.

She clearly felt an extraordinarily terrifying power building within the ominous clouds, an energy that already seemed capable of destroying heaven and earth.

This development made Robin even more anxious.

She prayed silently for Zhong Shenxiu, her beautiful eyes locked onto him, refusing to let her focus wander for even an instant! Time seemed to stretch, each heartbeat feeling like an entire century! Finally, the first bolt of heavenly lightning was fully charged! With an unbelievable flash, a lightning bolt of indescribable magnitude split downward.

No—to be precise, it descended with a rotational force, plunging down like a drill boring into the earth; its sheer intensity seemed unstoppable! Yet, this was only the first bolt.

Eight more followed, each one stronger than the last! Zhong Shenxiu was past the point of no return.

Without hesitation, his magical artifacts surged forward to meet the attack.

Though he didn't expect them to fully block the first bolt, they were intended to absorb and mitigate some of its power! Zhong Shenxiu’s artifacts possessed a strange quality; as they flew toward the lightning, they automatically formed themselves into a Bagua formation, their combined effect multiplying the defensive power several times over! Another crucial point was that these artifacts, specially processed by Zhong Shenxiu, were not merely durable; more importantly, they could absorb electrical energy and convert it into their own power, while also reflecting a portion of the lightning back! These artifacts were custom-built by Zhong Shenxiu specifically for transcending tribulations.

Although their effective lifespan was limited, they were undeniably potent! Indeed, when the ferocious heavenly lightning struck these artifacts, they were not instantly destroyed.

Instead, a significant portion of the energy was intercepted.

Moreover, after absorbing the heavenly lightning's power, the artifacts emitted a strange zheng zheng sound and began to spin rapidly! This perfectly embodied the principle: Use the foe's strength to defend oneself! Of course, relying solely on these artifacts could not completely stop the heavenly thunder.

Due to their buffering mechanism, they avoided direct, head-on collision, which inevitably meant some of the lightning's force would leak through! But there was no need to worry.

Zhong Shenxiu was enveloped by his "Defensive Array," which was no less formidable than the artifacts.

It too had been specially treated by Zhong Shenxiu to possess extraordinary efficacy against heavenly lightning.

As the residual lightning struck, the array’s primary power instantly engaged, filtering and dispersing the energy through multiple layers before channeling the remnants safely into the earth.

Thus, the first bolt was successfully defended, and Zhong Shenxiu avoided being touched by the lightning once! A true genius, indeed.

Any ordinary cultivator encountering this lightning would have been vaporized by now! "Teacher Elena, what is wrong?" Cherie asked, looking at the visibly trembling Elena.

Elena’s face was ashen white, her entire body shaking uncontrollably, and her forehead was slick with sweat! As an elemental mage specializing in lightning, no one could understand the terror of that recent heavenly bolt better than she could.

To use an analogy, that single bolt was equivalent to the compressed energy of dozens of forbidden spells—though its area was vast, its destructive power was absolute! Furthermore, the sheer density of the compressed lightning element sent a chill down Elena’s spine.

She couldn't fathom how such an intense elemental compression could exist in this world; it should have been impossible! It was no exaggeration to say that with Elena's current strength, she couldn't even hope to control a single magical element of that magnitude! In this world, Space Magic and Lightning Magic were renowned as the two most perilous disciplines—exceptionally difficult to master, and fraught with extreme danger during the learning process! Minor academies without robust emergency protocols dared not offer such courses, as one never knew the extent of the devastation should the magic run wild! Elena had seen lightning before, but she could swear on her very purity that she had never witnessed lightning this monstrously abnormal in her entire life! Even sensing it from afar made her weak at the knees; its terrifying nature defied all verbal description! In another location, members of the "Stacy Family" watched the dark cloud with grim expressions.

They had seen the first lightning bolt—it looked as if a rent had been torn across the sky.

Although they couldn't feel its horror as acutely as Elena, they could deduce from its appearance that it was absolutely extraordinary! "This is too bizarre.

I have never witnessed weather like this in my entire life!" one middle-aged man said, still unnerved.

He struggled to imagine the scene unfolding beneath the dark cloud in the Demonic Beast Forest! "I find this whole situation highly suspicious," another middle-aged man murmured thoughtfully. "What makes you say that?" "Think about it: why would this weather appear now, shortly after we arrived, instead of earlier? Moreover, Caribbean was nearly beaten to death just a few days ago.

Do you really think such coincidences happen in this world?" the first man mused. "Are you suggesting all of this is targeted specifically at our 'Stacy Family'?" another asked, alarmed. "I believe that’s highly probable!" "But didn't the initial witnesses say Caribbean was injured by a little girl?" another interjected. "Do you genuinely believe that's possible? You and I both know Caribbean's strength.

Forget a 'little girl'; even a seasoned adult swordsman would find defeating him difficult," the first man paused, then continued, "And you are overlooking one crucial element: time! Consider this—in about one minute, how could anyone injure Caribbean that severely? Even you or I couldn't manage it.

Besides, Caribbean isn't foolish; if he couldn't win, why didn't he flee?" At this, the others fell into deep contemplation! The first man then stated, "I suspect those witnesses were either bribed or are accomplices, trying to divert our attention while some unseen plot is executed!" The others nodded in agreement, finding his reasoning sound. "We need to be extremely cautious now.

Our enemy might be lurking just beyond our sight!" the middle-aged man warned. "Which family do you think could be behind this?" "That’s uncertain; any family other than the Yeft Family is a possibility!" As they spoke, a scene unfolded that shocked them anew.

Another lightning bolt descended from the dark cloud, and this one was at least twice as large as the first! Amidst their shock, a single question echoed simultaneously in the minds of these middle-aged men: Could human beings orchestrate such a spectacle? If one had to assign responsibility, then the credit—or blame—for this massive display could only be laid at the feet of Zhong Shenxiu! As the second bolt of heavenly lightning descended, Zhong Shenxiu’s brow furrowed.

While he was confident he could safely intercept this bolt as well, extrapolating the pattern, he realized that by the fourth tribulation, his artifacts would lose their efficacy, and by the fifth, the "Defensive Arrays" would completely crumble! If that happened, what would he have left to transcend the tribulation?