The entire Long Family Plain was suddenly shaded in black and white. The black and white tribulation clouds startled everyone who witnessed them; such clouds were unheard of, let alone seen before. “What—what is that?” Zhang Yuan'an suddenly raised his hand, pointing to the distance and shouting loudly. Zhang Daofeng and the others hurriedly looked up, and everyone was astonished to find that the area beneath the tribulation clouds in the distant sky seemed to have turned blood-red. The tribulation clouds now had more than two colors; in addition to black and white, a patch of red had appeared. A terrifying scarlet, like fresh blood, lingered at the very base of the clouds. Upon seeing this crimson cloud mass, everyone’s heartbeats involuntarily quickened; it looked as ferocious and dreadful as a boundless sea of blood. The blood-colored tribulation clouds materialized on the horizon.

Inside the quiet room, Zhang Yang, who was rapidly restoring his body, suddenly looked up, a flicker of disappointment still lingering on his face. The Immortal Elixir of the Peaches of Immortality was truly potent, restoring him to fifty percent capacity in such a short time. This speed was tens of thousands of times faster than ordinary Essence Blood Pills. Especially during combat, even a fifth-layer expert slightly weaker than him could potentially defeat a stronger opponent by one or two tiers if they possessed such an elixir. In essence, this was an immortal pill that could alter the strength of a fifth-layer cultivator. Regrettably, what Zhang Yang needed now was far more; fifty percent was simply insufficient. Once his strength reached that level, he distinctly felt the elixir’s medicinal efficacy begin to wane. The absorption rate slowed dramatically thereafter; relying solely on the elixir to fully recover his strength was now impossible. This meant Zhang Yang would have to face the terrifying eighth heavenly tribulation with only half his cultivation restored—and this was not a tribulation meant for one person alone.

“Rumble!” A streak of blood-red lightning suddenly tore through the sky, startling everyone. They initially assumed the eighth heavenly tribulation had finally descended. Only then did they realize it was merely internal friction within the dark clouds, albeit with significant force, manifesting as a small visible flash from the outside. “Red lightning!” Zhang Daofeng whispered the words softly. Startled by the sudden flash, many people had failed to notice the friction lightning once it subsided. “What red lightning?” Zhang Yuan'an asked softly, but the expression on his face immediately changed as soon as he spoke. He hadn't noticed the lightning earlier, but recollecting now, he sharply remembered that the flash that erupted moments ago was also blood-red, not the previous purplish-white. Red lightning—a phenomenon never before heard of.

Seeing Zhang Daofeng and Zhang Yuan'an looking towards him, Zhang Pinglu extended his hand and gently waved it. “Don't look at me. There are no records, nor have any seen, tribulations exceeding the seventh layer. I know nothing about what happens next!” Red lightning, indeed, was exactly as he described: unrecorded. The eighth heavenly tribulation was clearly different. Its immense pressure, the black and white clouds, and the red lightning all indicated an unprecedented and unique storm of retribution.

“Rumble!” The sky roared again. Zhang Yang, who had been meditating to recover, abruptly stood up, shielding the elixir furnace protectively beneath him. Intense white light erupted from his entire body as he converted the majority of the Heaven and Earth spiritual energy into a protective shield. This time, the protection was different from before when it enveloped his whole body; it was focused only on the area above his head. Because the shield wasn't dispersed, the section directly above him appeared exceptionally dense. After enduring several waves of the tribulation, Zhang Yang had discerned the core issue: all tribulation lightning struck from above. For him, protecting the front of his head was paramount. If the top couldn't be guarded, no matter how tightly other parts of his body were shielded, they would be instantly shattered by the lightning.

“Crack!” “Boom!” Suddenly, a massive net of blood-red electricity materialized in the sky. The net then coalesced into a single, thick line, transforming into a blood-colored serpent as thick as an adult’s torso, coiling downward. The eighth heavenly tribulation had arrived. Though not as massive as the previous purple lightning, the power of this eighth tribulation far surpassed any preceding wave. The thick, red bolt of lightning was like a gaping maw that instantly swallowed Zhang Yang whole. Unlike before, this bolt did not vanish after striking but remained fixed in place, creating an incredibly eerie, blood-red serpent suspended between heaven and earth.

“Yang Yang!” Zhang Pinglu clenched his hands tightly, the bizarre sight filling his heart with immense worry. Yet, facing the heavenly tribulation, he was powerless; rendering aid to Zhang Yang was impossible. At this moment, all he could do was pray internally, wishing for Zhang Yang to survive the ordeal. The blood-red tribulation lightning collided directly with the protective shield above Zhang Yang's head. The thick barrier dissipated rapidly, vanishing completely. The scarlet lightning then engulfed Zhang Yang’s head, immediately spreading over his entire body. Soon, Zhang Yang’s consciousness blurred, and an explosive pain erupted in his skull. Multiple bones—cranial, rib, and Ghost Bone—began to crack. The blood-red lightning was saturated with intense heat, causing Zhang Yang’s blood to evaporate at an alarming rate. In mere seconds, Zhang Yang looked as gaunt as a wraith starved for years. The extreme pain, the rapid depletion of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy, and the severe physical damage caused Zhang Yang to lose consciousness entirely, collapsing where he stood. Meanwhile, the blood-red tribulation lightning in the sky still enveloped his body, refusing to dissipate.

“Triple Alert: Host Automatic Warning System Activated!” A mechanical voice, inaudible to anyone else, sounded within Zhang Yang’s body. The system interface, which usually only appeared when Zhang Yang was conscious or actively summoned it, automatically flashed before his eyes. Unfortunately, Zhang Yang was unconscious and completely missed the rapid changes occurring on the screen.

“Quadruple Alert: Host in Danger, Multiple Indicators in the Red Zone!” The system voice sounded again. The once-green interface had now turned completely red and began flashing incessantly.

“Quintuple Alert: Host Heartbeat Stopped. Irreversible failure expected in three minutes!” The screen flashed faster. By now, Zhang Yang’s body resembled a mere skeleton, with multiple bones fractured throughout.

“Sextuple Alert: Powerful energy invading the cranium. Host Level Four matches Special Level Five Upgrade conditions. Automatic advancement to Level Five initiated!” The voice continued on its own. The rapidly flashing red screen suddenly froze for a moment before shifting to an even deeper crimson.

“System Level Five Online. Automatic Defense System activated. Automatic Resistance System activated. Automatic Recovery System activated. Overload Operation System activated. Maximum Body Enhancement engaging…” The announcements kept coming. A faint layer of green light emerged around Zhang Yang’s body, which was still enveloped by the tribulation lightning. The skeleton-like form began to regenerate skin, and the shrunken bones slowly began to enlarge. His entire body was gradually being restored.

“80, 90, 100. Host Body Enhancement complete. System Overload utilized 160 energy units. System temporarily entering hibernation. Beep, Beep!” With two distinct beeps, the interface silently faded from Zhang Yang’s vision. At this point, Zhang Yang had fully returned to his previous appearance; all the flesh and blood that had evaporated were restored to his body. Lying on the ground, Zhang Yang abruptly opened his eyes.

A surge of pure, potent Heaven and Earth energy erupted from him. In the distance, Zhang Daofeng and the others saw a patch of white suddenly appear within the pillar of red tribulation lightning, followed by the entire blood-red bolt cracking and shattering into pieces. Zhang Yang stood up. His clothes were completely shredded, leaving patches of black skin clinging to him. Yet, beneath this black surface, streaks of snow-white—skin as tender and flawless as that of a newborn infant where the damaged layers had torn away—were revealed.

“Rumble!” The sky roared again. After the blood-red lightning dissipated, the movement of the tribulation clouds seemed to intensify, and the low, grinding sounds increased in number. Looking toward the distant clouds, everyone standing near the cave entrance of the Long Family Plain widened their eyes in disbelief. The eighth heavenly tribulation had finally passed.

Standing on the spot, nothing remained around Zhang Yang. The quiet room had completely vanished during the previous heavenly assault. Aside from the elixir furnace he clutched, not even a shred of clothing remained; he was completely naked. The clouds above descended further, the rumbling growing more frequent. Below, however, a slight smile touched the corner of Zhang Yang’s lips. Clutching the furnace, he looked down and poured out two vermilion pills, simultaneously shimmering with a pristine white fluorescence. He seemed utterly unconcerned with the calamity above. The tribulation clouds continued to churn and sink, but the uppermost layers began to dissipate rapidly, thinning noticeably compared to before.

“The heavenly tribulation is over?” Zhang Pinglu suddenly exclaimed, his eyes still wide open. After the eighth bolt struck, the expected ninth tribulation did not fall; instead, the tribulation clouds began to scatter. “How can there only be eight bolts? Heavenly tribulations are always an odd number; a dual number is impossible!” Zhang Daofeng shouted, his voice loud. The clouds were still fading, the black and white parts diminishing, and the oppressive weight lessening. At this point, they could safely retreat, even moving far away. All these signs indicated that the heavenly tribulation had indeed concluded.

“No, there are nine bolts. The eighth one never truly fell. The flickering red lightning from before was the eighth tribulation—it appeared, but its power was held back by the ninth, forcing the ninth to linger in the sky, swearing it wouldn't cease until I am utterly destroyed!” A crisp voice suddenly reached everyone’s ears. Listening to it, excitement bloomed across everyone’s faces; this voice was undeniably Zhang Yang’s. A figure swiftly appeared in the distance, soon landing beside them. Zhang Yang, having finished his ordeal, held the elixir furnace in his left hand and a jade elixir bottle in his right. He was clad in a set of brand-new clothes, smiling as he looked at them.