The number of tribulation lightning bolts was directly related to the cultivator's strength; the more bolts during the tribulation, the stronger the resulting power would be after passing the ordeal.

Spirit Beasts were generally stronger than human cultivators, so Spirit Beasts faced a minimum of five bolts. Correspondingly, a human cultivator who weathered five bolts would possess a strength equal to a Spirit Beast that had also passed five bolts.

Among human cultivators, those who drew five bolts during their tribulation were far fewer than those who drew three.

In the courtyard, Zhang Pinglu was a mix of excitement and worry. He was excited because of Zhang Yang’s strength—to survive five bolts meant he was a standout among the Fifth Layer experts, guaranteeing Zhang Yang a brilliant future.

At the same time, five bolts dramatically increased the difficulty of the tribulation, which was the source of his concern for Zhang Yang.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Even as he thought this, the fourth tribulation bolt crashed down. This time, the lightning appeared exceptionally fearsome, resembling a giant serpent opening its maw to devour Zhang Yang.

The instant the tribulation lightning struck, the pure white energy light surrounding Zhang Yang intensified dramatically. Unfortunately, this brilliance lasted only a moment. The protective shield, refined from the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and possessing immense defensive power, shattered almost immediately upon contact, breaking into pieces. Finally, the massive bolt of lightning struck Zhang Yang directly.

A new, deeper pit appeared, swallowing the two previous ones, leaving the area around the depression a scene of utter devastation.

“The fourth one!”

On Mount Changbai, Hua Feitian appeared silently beside Li Jianyi at some point. Although his face was still ashen, he appeared mostly recovered.

Hua Feitian and Li Jianyi could not sense Zhang Yang’s aura, but they keenly felt the violent tremors caused by each descending tribulation bolt.

Even separated by a thousand miles, they could clearly perceive the destructive force of the lightning. Both believed that if they were enduring this tribulation now, even at their peak strength, they would have been unable to handle this fourth bolt, even if they had managed to dodge the previous ones.

They exchanged a look, their expressions complex.

The location of the tribulation was somewhere in the Long Family Plains; they could roughly sense the coordinates. Regardless of who was undergoing tribulation there, or for what reason, it was never good news for them.

Should the tribulation succeed, their own coming days would become significantly harder.

Climbing out of the deep pit, Zhang Yang’s expression was grim.

His clothes were scorched black, and his hair was disheveled. The power of the fourth bolt had exceeded his expectations; this direct confrontation had already injured him.

Had the energy shield not absorbed the majority of the impact, this single strike would have been enough to leave him severely wounded.

This Heavenly Tribulation was proving anything but easy for Zhang Yang.

He looked up at the churning storm clouds in the sky, a trace of helplessness crossing his face. He retreated once more into the quiet chamber, pouring the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into the medicine furnace.

The recent tribulation had destabilized the furnace, forcing Zhang Yang to divert spiritual energy just to stabilize it.

Zhang Yang hadn't anticipated that mastering the essence of the Dao while refining medicine would culminate in a Heavenly Tribulation. His strength had not yet fully recovered; he relied entirely on the automatically generated energy shield to resist the lightning. Wanting both to pass the tribulation and protect the spiritual medicine simultaneously had more than doubled the difficulty of his ordeal.

The difficulty had increased manifold, yet Zhang Yang showed no hesitation. As long as there was a sliver of hope, he would not abandon the Flat Peach Elixir—it was the only salvation for Zhang Pinglu.

After infusing the spiritual energy, the pale liquid inside the furnace gradually deepened to a reddish hue, emitting an alluring, sweet fragrance.

This batch of spiritual medicine was close to success.

Immediately after finishing the infusion, Zhang Yang swiftly left the quiet chamber, moving far away from the location.

The fifth bolt, which was brewing outside, was nearly formed. If he remained in the chamber during the final phase, the nearly completed Flat Peach Elixir would certainly fail; the area simply could not withstand such immense fluctuations.

“Crack!”

“Rumble!”

Suddenly, five massive purple rings of electricity appeared simultaneously in the sky. The fifth wave of tribulation lightning actually consisted of five bolts all at once—a development that stunned not only Zhang Pinglu but also Zhang Yang, who was preparing for the final confrontation.

With no time to think, Zhang Yang condensed every ounce of spiritual energy around him into an energy shield, and all five bolts struck him simultaneously.

The powerful impact produced a deafening roar. The light from the lightning illuminated dozens of miles surrounding the Long Family Plains, turning the landscape as bright as day. Within the range of this brilliant light, whether Spirit Beasts or common wild animals, everything lay prostrate, too terrified to move.

Even the smallest ant clung motionless to the ground.

Following five continuous, thunderous explosions, the area within a hundred meters of Zhang Yang’s position vanished completely, transforming into a massive chasm.

The power of the fifth tribulation bolt was simply too immense, far exceeding all expectations.

Zhang Pinglu’s face was etched with worry. His understanding of Heavenly Tribulation was limited, gleaned only from ancient texts. No Fifth Layer cultivator had appeared on the lands of Huaxia for hundreds of years, let alone witnessed their tribulation firsthand.

“He’s out! Yang Yang is out!”

After a moment, Zhang Hefeng suddenly shouted in excitement. From the edge of the abyss, as black as the void itself, a small figure slowly climbed out. They couldn't see clearly from a distance, but at that moment, only Zhang Yang could possibly be there.

This was a tribulation; how could anyone else appear?

Zhang Yang was out—that meant he was alright, that he had survived, that the Heavenly Tribulation had not defeated him.

“Why hasn’t the tribulation cloud dispersed? Wasn’t it five bolts?”

Zhang Yun’an cried out suddenly, and Zhang Daofeng finally noticed: after the five bolts, the tribulation clouds overhead had not only failed to dissipate but had condensed even more fiercely.

In the courtyard.

“This… this Heavenly Tribulation wasn't five bolts, it’s seven!”

Zhang Pinglu gasped, his hands trembling slightly. An ordinary human cultivator could only draw a five-bolt tribulation. Humans, unlike Spirit Beasts, were physically constrained and could not exert one hundred percent of their strength, even at the Great Perfection stage.

Consequently, in the history of human cultivation, a seven-bolt Heavenly Tribulation had never occurred; seven bolts were reserved only for Spirit Beasts.

Even among Spirit Beasts, only a very small number drew seven bolts.

Seven bolts were vastly more powerful than five. This increase in intensity was evident from the progression of the first five bolts.

The fifth bolt was already terrifyingly potent, and Zhang Yang, who had just crawled from the chasm, was clearly injured. The remaining two bolts would be an absolute supreme test for him.

“Seven bolts?”

Zhang Yang’s lips twitched slightly, a bitter expression on his face.

After forcefully resisting the fifth bolt, his body had sustained significant damage. He thought the ordeal was over, but two more remained. This tribulation had freakishly escalated to seven bolts.

This was a Spirit Beast’s tribulation, and it had fallen upon him.

Zhang Yang was unaware that the reason for the seven bolts was the systemic enhancement of his physical body. His reinforced physique meant he was not bound by the limitations of Great Perfection and could unleash his full potential.

This was also one of the reasons he had become so powerful so soon after reaching the Great Perfection stage, and why the energy shield had been capable of helping him through the first five bolts.

The sixth tribulation bolt continued to condense. Zhang Yang’s expression darkened, the situation growing grimmer.

With the tribulation escalating to seven bolts, at this critical juncture, the Flat Peach Elixir was about to mature. He could feel the Elixir demanding vast amounts of heaven and earth spiritual energy—the very resource Zhang Yang currently lacked.

Without hesitation, Zhang Yang returned to the quiet chamber, pouring spiritual energy into the furnace. The liquid inside had now turned a deep pink.

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Yang quickly left the chamber again. This time, he held an object in his hand.

The Cold Spring Sword, Zhang Yang’s most trusted divine weapon. He hadn't used it during the preceding tribulations, but facing a tribulation he himself was unsure he could survive, he had to stake everything.

At this moment, Zhang Yang intended to directly counter the Heavenly Tribulation, reducing the incoming impact on himself.

“Boom! Boom!”

A massive bolt of lightning, nearly two meters in diameter, materialized out of thin air. The lightning hovered ominously in the sky for ten seconds before crashing down fiercely.

As the lightning hovered, Zhang Yang channeled spiritual energy into the Cold Spring Sword, hurled the blade forward, and sent it colliding head-on with the descending tribulation bolt.

“Crash!”

A small spark bloomed in the sky, quickly vanishing, and the ground beneath it once again gave way to a massive abyss.

In the air, countless fine fragments rained down like shrapnel. The Cold Spring Sword, a top-ten weapon on the Divine Weapon Rankings, was utterly shattered.

The power of the Heavenly Tribulation was beyond anything Zhang Yang had anticipated. The Cold Spring Sword failed to block the bolt, and the lightning ultimately enveloped him completely, striking his body.

After the lightning subsided, black smoke continuously curled off Zhang Yang. Several places on his skin had cracked open, oozing fine trickles of blood.

“What a powerful Heavenly Tribulation!”

On the other side, the Golden Three-Eyed Beast, which had been continuously observing Zhang Yang’s ordeal, was inwardly astonished.

It knew Zhang Yang was formidable, but it never expected him to advance to the Fifth Layer so quickly, triggering a Seven-Bolt Tribulation—something only Spirit Beasts usually commanded. This proved that Zhang Yang possessed strength comparable to their most elite Spirit Beasts.

Even they, the Three-Eyed Beasts, could not guarantee drawing seven bolts when facing their own tribulation.

Slowly, Zhang Yang crawled out again. As he emerged, he did not stop, staggering toward the quiet chamber. The Flat Peach Elixir was finally reaching its climax; Zhang Yang had to reach it now, or all his efforts would be wasted.

If the Elixir succeeded, even if he failed the tribulation, the medicine could still save Zhang Pinglu, ensuring the Zhang family retained a Great Perfection expert. With the Golden Three-Eyed Beast mother and child, plus Wuying, the Zhang family would remain an unshakeable force.

Regarding his own tribulation, Zhang Yang no longer possessed the initial confidence he once held.