The mind blanked instantly: This, it was actually happening… With a mere summons from him, this wind… truly obeyed his command? Gu Han shook his head, seemingly determined to dismiss such an unrealistic notion.

Or maybe it was just coincidence? A bit of wind on a fine morning, what was so strange about that?

It had to be a coincidence! But then, the very next moment… Jun Mo Xie frowned slightly, seeming dissatisfied, then with a gesture full of the air of a mystic, he commanded, "The wind is too weak.

Bigger, bigger still…" With a sound like "...", the gentle breeze instantly escalated into a gale. Banners immediately snapped taut, whipping and billowing wildly.

"Bigger!" "Bigger still..." "Bigger..." Finally, under Jun Mo Xie’s repeated urging, the sound of the wind grew steadily stronger, eventually morphing into a full-blown hurricane! A hurricane of at least level nine!

It emitted a sharp, mournful howl, like some colossal beast from antiquity, sweeping overhead and raging across the sky… Gu Han’s mouth dropped open. Staring at Jun Mo Xie, who stood perfectly stable amidst the ferocious winds, he managed to utter an “Ahhh” or two before promptly collapsing onto the ground.

This could no longer be coincidence, yet how was he supposed to explain any of this? “Right, I get it.

I must be dreaming right now. Since I’m dreaming, I might as well go back to sleep…” Everything before his eyes felt overwhelmingly unreal… But, the very next instant, a deafening boom completely jolted him awake.

The Lightning Tribulation had officially begun to unleash its power! Gu Han finally couldn’t hold back, struggling to sit up and stare intently.

He saw the first winding bolt of lightning tear free from the clouds, slamming down violently towards the ground. “A mere glow-worm dares to shine so brightly!” Young Master Jun shook his head, his tail wagging with an air of ultimate, arrogant disdain, pursing his lips dismissively.

Then, pointing his right index finger upwards, he softly commanded, “Retreat!” With a "..." sound, the descending lightning bolt simply vanished. It genuinely vanished on command!

“Gulp…” Everyone from the Three Great Holy Lands who witnessed this scene swallowed in unison, and their immediate next action was—to rub their eyes in unison. I must have seen things!

Damn it, the pressure recently has been too immense; I’m actually having hallucinations… But, once could be a hallucination. Twice?

N times? The tribulation lightning in the sky seemed to have been utterly enraged by Young Master Jun’s arrogance.

Lightning began to fall from all directions like a torrential downpour. Crackling and snapping, it lit up the entire sky until it was blindingly bright.

Young Master Jun kept shouting, constantly gesturing and dancing in the air with a self-consciously suave flair, even striking a delicate "orchid finger" pose and cooing, “Retreat……” “Hmph, retreat!” “Retreat!” “Retreat for me!” “Retreat for this old man!…” “Retreat retreat retreat retreat……” Rumble, crash… The spectators below felt their eyelids twitch uncontrollably, their eyeballs nearly cramping up. Finally, someone could no longer endure such a crushing blow to the spirit, foaming at the mouth, and collapsing with a final “Guh…” sound.

It was too insulting! Besides being insulting, it was also utterly repulsive!

Gu Han, his face ashen, watched the incredibly flamboyant figure in the sky and felt an urge to faint and vomit himself. We know you can do it, we understand your power, we accept you are formidable, but do you really need to flaunt it this much?

Aren’t you tired of bouncing around like that? Even watching you tires me out… To be honest, Young Master Jun in mid-air was indeed exhausted.

Putting on a show always comes at a cost. Though Young Master Jun thoroughly enjoyed this display of bravado, even this—this could not go on endlessly!

But this mass celestial tribulation seemed never-ending… Of course, the continuous lightning tribulation had its advantages. Under such a massive heavenly tribulation, as long as the tribulation hadn't fully subsided, the alien race would absolutely not dare to make a move.

However, Young Master Jun was growing tired of his performance; he was running out of steam to show off… Jun Mo Xie’s original intention was simply that by enabling so many warriors to advance simultaneously, his display of “divine power…” would undoubtedly boost morale and the confidence to win considerably… This idea was certainly good, and it achieved remarkably effective results. The great war was imminent, and on their side, they possessed a freak like Young Master Jun who could casually defy the Heavenly Tribulation… Furthermore, it was the ultimate tribulation for thousands of people; for him to withstand it single-handedly required what level of divine might?

What level of strength? With such a leader, what war could they not win?

The effect was indeed excellent, even exceeding expectations. Now, not only the Heaven’s Punishment Warriors, but even the experts on the side of the Three Great Holy Lands, who had already succumbed to pessimism and despair, found a surge of hope ignited within them!

Still… the duration of this tribulation was getting excessively long. So long that Young Master Jun was becoming impatient… While it was easy, one or two displays of posturing constituted showing off and felt exhilarating.

But once it became excessive… showing off turned into a clown’s performance. After this continued for nearly an hour, Young Master Jun, the grand show-off, was simply running on fumes.

Forget the spectacle; whatever happens, happens. This wasn’t under his control anyway.

It was the Hongjun Tower automatically absorbing the lightning's energy; it had nothing to do with him. He was essentially just a figurehead… Ah, in truth, he was just a facade from the start.

In fact, after administering the spirit medicine to the warriors and confirming everyone would break through, his role was basically over. Once the elevated auras emerged, the Hongjun Tower prepared itself.

After confirming that everyone had completed their ascension, the Hongjun Tower spontaneously deployed something resembling a massive screen across the sky above their heads. This structure was invisible and undetectable to anyone except Young Master Jun.

In truth, Jun Mo Xie couldn't see it either, but he could sense it clearly! Perhaps it was because the number of individuals undergoing the tribulation this time was simply too large, and each person’s level was quite significant.

In the past, when had the Hongjun Tower ever made such preparations! Watching the Hongjun Tower ravenously devour the power of the heavenly lightning, Jun Mo Xie couldn't figure out what this mysterious Hongjun Tower wanted with so much lightning energy.

Was it purely for energy? Probably not; it didn't absorb worldly spiritual energy in such massive quantities.

Previously, it was limited to diverting the lightning for itself; now, it simply didn't let a single bolt pass. This phenomenon was truly strange.

Jun Mo Xie was also utterly exhausted. Putting on airs required energy, so he casually sat down in mid-air, bored.

He looked up at the sky, then down at the earth, displaying an air of profound idleness. But to the observers from the Three Great Holy Lands, it conveyed a single thought: Looking at his demeanor, was this fellow about to ascend further after absorbing that massive amount of lightning energy!

Forget what came before; now he was directly absorbing it instead of merely diverting it—infinitely easier than before… After a while longer, sitting was still tiring, so Young Master Jun simply lay down. Lying down meant he could sleep and rest properly, right?!

Before long, a rhythmic snoring began to drift out… Stupefying! He fell asleep?

He actually fell asleep again? Amidst such widespread, booming thunder, amidst the roaring of tens of thousands of lightning strikes, he managed to fall asleep?

How incredibly thick and resilient must one’s nerves be! Actually, it wasn't just about nerves; Young Master Jun was genuinely worn out.

First, three days of full-force advancement with absolutely no rest; then his own tribulation; following that, dealing with the noise from the Three Great Holy Lands; and then rushing to elevate the combat power of all the Heaven’s Punishment and Xie Jun Manor forces—he had been truly running ragged. When the combined mass tribulation arrived, Young Master Jun still wanted to put on a show, dancing around like a supreme deity.

If he wasn't tired, that would be unnatural! Under this level of fatigue, anyone needed sleep and rest, regardless of thunder and lightning!

The rumbling roar in the sky lasted for three full days and nights! It drove the people of the Three Great Holy Lands to the brink of madness.

This sound—they couldn't ignore it, but they couldn't stop it either. This was the sound of the Heavenly Tribulation!

The most authoritative, solemn, and symbolical sound in the mortal realm! Most importantly, even if they plugged their ears, the sound still permeated through.

However, by the third day, everyone had calmed down considerably. Nothing much; habit becomes second nature.

Since the lightning wasn't striking them, they just carried on with whatever they were doing. As the tribulation time dragged on, the oppressive might naturally weakened, and everyone gradually adapted, no longer looking as miserable as they were at the start!

As for Young Master Jun, during those three days and nights, he truly rested well—waking, sleeping, sleeping, waking—it was agonizingly monotonous. Everyone else could move, but his elderly self absolutely could not!

Why? Why else?

He had positioned himself in the absolute center, the core position. The Hongjun Tower naturally followed him, but once in that spot, as long as the tribulation lasted, he was completely immobilized!

He couldn't go anywhere. He could hop around a bit right there, but he absolutely could not move beyond a one-meter radius.

If he shifted from his current spot, the Heavenly Tribulation wouldn't pursue Young Master Jun; it would strike directly down upon the heads of those truly undergoing the tribulation… So, Jun Mo Xie now absolutely could not move, nor could he phase into the Hongjun Tower, as the tower was currently feasting; he couldn't get in for the world. Thus, he could only wait right there, awkwardly.

Jun Mo Xie was feeling rather depressed. It was like setting up a stage, preparing to perform a few lines to hype up the atmosphere before stepping off.

But once the performance started, he realized the stage was impossible to dismantle. And he, the sole lead actor, couldn't get down; even if he stopped acting or threw a tantrum, he couldn't descend.

He was stuck up there, displayed for all to see… How could Young Master Jun, finding himself in such an awkward predicament, not feel conflicted? But no matter how conflicted he felt, there was nothing he could do but wait—wait until the Heavenly Tribulation vanished on its own.

This was also a situation of his own making: thousands of people undergoing the tribulation simultaneously in the same location… Such a grand undertaking could unequivocally be called unprecedented in history! The combined power of such a massive Heavenly Tribulation was beyond description, let alone the word terrifying…

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