Chapter 128: The Only Glimmer of Hope

"Boom!"

The moment the violent roar erupted, the Nether Demon Flood Dragon recoiled abruptly. A sudden, savage aura washed over him, leaving him feeling deeply unsettled.

Just as he retreated, a bolt of lightning flashed before his eyes and struck Liu Pan.

Tribulation lightning!

The Nether Demon Flood Dragon realized what was happening, his expression shifting drastically. Yet, before he could react, the firmament turned, and an aura of absolute terror descended, slamming directly into his body.

The earth shuddered as if the world were ending. Caught completely off guard, the Nether Demon Flood Dragon was instantly blasted back into his original form. His massive body sank into the ground, causing the entire island to sway as if it were about to shatter into pieces.

In a small crater just before the dragon’s massive frame, Liu Pan coughed up blood. Without any defenses, the single strike of tribulation lightning had nearly torn his body apart. Three ribs were broken, and the agony was so intense that even with his formidable mental strength, he nearly blacked out.

Yet, despite his wretched state, Liu Pan felt an unprecedented sense of relief. He smiled, for the Nether Demon Flood Dragon’s aura no longer locked onto him; the suffocating fear that had rendered him unable to even contemplate resistance had faded, and he regained control of his body.

The Profound Ice Technique surged, sending icy energy coursing through his limbs. A look of madness flickered in his eyes—he knew this was his only chance. In the next heartbeat, he scrambled from the pit and lunged toward another one nearby.

"Boom!" "Boom!"

Two consecutive, violent roars echoed. Liu Pan was struck mid-leap and slammed hard against the solid ground. Blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, and countless wounds were carved into his skin by the arcs of lightning. Ignoring the pain, he rolled and scrambled toward the next crater.

The Nether Demon Flood Dragon was truly terrified. After the first bolt, he had tried to turn and actively resist the coming tribulation, but before he could even lift his body, the second bolt struck without a moment’s pause.

The power of the tribulation was overwhelming. The dragon’s scales, as tough as steel plates, were shattered and pulverized like paper. As shards of scales flew in every direction, a horrific wound appeared on the dragon's body.

Is this the Divine Lightning Tribulation? The Nether Demon Flood Dragon felt genuine despair. He had never dreamed that the Divine Lightning Tribulation would be this terrifying—strike after strike, with no pause at all.

Liu Pan did not know what the dragon was thinking, but he understood that the nature of this tribulation was inextricably linked to his own "Evil Cultivator Tribulation."

Understanding this key point, he knew that the brief window before the third bolt ended was his only opportunity to seek survival.

"Boom!" "Boom!"

Two more violent roars rang out. As two more bolts descended, Liu Pan’s rolling body was hammered into the ground once again. Sparks of lightning flickered, causing his body to spasm violently. But for only a moment—he thrust a charred, blood-soaked hand into the earth, the tearing pain ignored as he exerted all his strength.

Finally, with this leverage, he rolled forward once more and tumbled into the crater he had been aiming for.

"Roar!"

A terrifying howl erupted from the Nether Demon Flood Dragon. As the third bolt struck, another ghastly wound appeared on his body. He could clearly feel his life force ebbing away, which filled him with dread.

In truth, the dragon’s tribulation should not have been this miserable. But consumed by fear, he could not muster the resolve to face it properly. Furthermore, the dragon was in his twilight years; his physical functions were failing, and he subconsciously believed he could never survive the ordeal, leading to his defeat.

Every creature, as it reaches the end of its life, treasures it all the more—especially an ancient monster like this one, who had lived for over three thousand years.

Having felt the horror of the tribulation, the dragon had been in despair, knowing he couldn't last much longer under such relentless bombardment. To his surprise, however, the lightning ceased after the third bolt.

In an instant, the Nether Demon Flood Dragon mobilized his remaining spatial power and vanished, diving into the sea. He was a Nether Demon Flood Dragon; the ocean was his home turf, and even if he had to face the tribulation in earnest, it was only in the sea that he could unleash his full potential.

Gales howled and waves surged. The formation protecting the island had shattered during the first bolt, and moments after the dragon departed, the entire island was swallowed by hurricanes and tsunamis.

In the deep pit, Liu Pan had one arm buried deep in the soil to anchor himself, while the other was curled against his chest, clutching a ring still stained with bits of flesh.

Beside him, a mangled corpse was swept away by the hurricane, stripped into scraps of meat and bone by the gale-force winds until nothing remained. It was the body of Li Tu.

Li Tu had been a high-ranking Water-element alchemist, which was precisely why Liu Pan had chosen this pit; he knew it was his only path to survival. Liu Pan had been gambling—the dragon’s tail had crushed Li Tu into a pulp, and there was no guarantee the storage ring would remain intact. But his worries were unfounded; the ring was made of Starry Netherstone, a material so durable it could not be easily destroyed.

The moment he grasped the ring, Liu Pan breathed a sigh of relief. He knew he had done all he could; the rest was up to fate.

Since Li Tu was dead, the soul imprint on the ring had dissipated, allowing Liu Pan’s mental energy to scan its contents without resistance. As for binding it with a drop of blood, he was already covered in it, so the ring had accepted him as its master the moment he touched it.

Without delay, Liu Pan summoned several bottles of medicinal pills and swallowed them. Being a Water-element alchemist himself, he could distinguish basic pills and had no fear of poisoning.

As the medicine took effect and his wounds began to heal, Liu Pan finally had the presence of mind to look out of the pit.

With the formation gone, the island was exposed to the fury of the storm. As the winds ravaged the land, he could clearly see the dirt at the edge of his pit being stripped away layer by layer. In a few moments, the crater would vanish, and he would be exposed to the elements.

Yet, Liu Pan was not worried. He knew that the next wave of lightning would be arriving very soon.