Crackle! Crackle!

Everyone inside the wine store was shaken when they heard the loud crackling of thunder.

"Eh? Is there a storm or something? No way! When I walked here, I am certain that the sun was shining so bright, so how come there are these sudden crackling sounds of thunder?"

"Man, I guess we'll have to stay inside the store until the rain is over. I hope Young Miss Theia would not punish us for this..."

"This thunder doesn't sound normal. It seemed much louder and stronger compared to normal ones. What the hell is going on?!"

The customers discussed among themselves when they heard the roaring thunder outside.

"Dear guests, may I have your attention for a moment, please?" A beautiful voice suddenly echoed amidst the chaotic chattering of the crowd.

Everyone glanced at Hestia who had spoken and waited for her to speak.

"My master, Jiu Shen, said that everyone should not step out of the store because it is still very dangerous to go outside with this sudden change in the weather. We don't want our valued guests to be injured because of this, so I hope that everyone will stay here." Hestia said politely as she stared at the crowd.

"Young Miss Hestia, don't worry! We will stay here. Hehe."

"Right! Don't worry about us going out, Young Miss Hestia. We will certainly stay here!"

Hestia smiled charmingly when she heard everyone's words.

"In that case, I hope everyone will enjoy their stay here." Hestia curtsied with a smile.

Theia who was standing at the entrance of the store took a peek at the flashes of lightning above the skies through the gap in the windows. She raised her eyebrows as she muttered silently. "Someone is undergoing their tribulation lightning. Was it that old man?"

* * *

On the rooftop of Jiu Shen's store, an old man with a pale face can be seen seated cross-legged. He appeared to be in deep thought and he seemed to be unaware of his current predicament.

Crackle! Crackle!

The sky lit up as violent streaks of lightning flashed about. The most surprising thing was that there were no dark clouds in the sky, so it means that there wasn't a storm.

"So that's it! Hahaha! So it's not yet the end, huh? I sure got lucky to stumble upon this place! Now, I don't know if I should still beat up that good for nothing son of mine or thank him for bringing me here." The old man said as slowly stood up with a wry smile.

"Wait, where am I? Is this the roof of the wine store? Strange." The old man muttered in surprise after discovering that he was no longer inside the second floor. He then stared at the streaks of lightning above the skies and a hint of understanding dawned upon him.

"Hm, I see. Wine Master Jiu must have brought me outside after knowing that I have summoned my tribulation lightning. However, am I already prepared for this? Even with the help of that painting, I'm still not that confident about achieving a breakthrough..." He muttered worriedly while looking above.

The terrifying experience he had during his last tribulation lightning was deeply rooted in his head. He knew for sure that the tribulation lightning this time would be as destructive as the one he had before.

Jiu Shen who was inside the second floor frowned when he saw the current state of the old man through his spiritual perception. From the looks of it, he was certain that the old man was feeling anxious to face his tribulation lightning.

'Sigh. I think I've become soft after experiencing life in this peaceful world. Nevermind, I'll help this old brat this time.' Jiu Shen muttered in his head. He then teleported to the rooftop with a thought.

Hm?

The old man was gobsmacked at the sudden arrival of Jiu Shen in front of him.

"Wine Master Jiu, what are you doing here? It's too dangerous outside." He said as he pointed at the skies.

Jiu Shen remained silent for a moment a he deeply looked at the old man with a calm gaze. After a brief moment of silence, he then asked with an indifferent tone. "Old brat, are you really chickening out after receiving that much of a reward from the painting? Or do you want to fail once again? Don't waste this opportunity since this might be your last chance to become a Nascent God Realm expert!"

The old man felt ashamed upon hearing his words. He had indeed taken so much from that painting, so it would truly be a pity if he could not survive from his tribulation lightning after getting all of it.

The old man took a deep breath and stared back at Jiu Shen. The uncertainty in his eyes was now gone and had become clear and bright once again. He looked at Jiu Shen with gratitude and laughed all of a sudden. "Kid, you underestimate this old man too much. This tribulation lightning is nothing to me. Hahaha! Just go back inside the store and wait for my good news!"

His confidence skyrocketed that he even called Jiu Shen 'kid', but the latter looked as if he did not care about this slip of the tongue.

'Ho. This snot-nosed old brat actually called me a kid?' Jiu Shen chuckled in his heart.

"Well, good luck, old brat. I hope you would not be burnt to death on my rooftop." Jiu Shen said as he shrugged his shoulders. He then teleported back inside the second floor.

"That kid... Did he really have to jinx me?" The old man muttered as he stared at the empty spot where Jiu Shen was standing just a few seconds ago. He chuckled dryly before he shifted his gaze to the darkening sky.

"This tribulation lightning seems to be much stronger than last time. I've read from an old book that the stronger one's tribulation lightning is, the greater their strength would become after overcoming it. I hope that is true..." The old man said as he slowly circulated his true essence to protect his body. He put more true essence to his most vulnerable spots like his eyes, heart, dantian, etc.

After that hasty preparation, the old man waited for the first wave of tribulation lightning. His eyes flashed with a hint of nervousness, but it was instantly replaced by a glint of determination.

Crackle!

Zappp!!

The darkened sky lit up as a streak of lightning swiftly struck the figure of the old man.

The old man gathered his fist and released a punch to meet the lightning.

Bang!

He felt a wave of numbness from his fist and it instantly circulated around his body, but the old man merely grunted lightly when he felt that.

"That's more than fifty percent stronger than last time's tribulation lightning..." He said weakly as he gritted his teeth.

Zappp!!

Zappp!!

This time, two streaks of lightning descended from the sky to smite the old man.

The old man took out a cyan sword from his space ring. It was a Saint Weapon, but its quality seemed a bit lower than the emperor's Silver Wing Sword. However, it was still a genuine Saint Weapon, so its power was not weak.

The old man brandished his sword with all his might! His slash created a brilliant sword light that struck the two incoming lightning bolts.

Baanngg! Baanngg!

Two deafening explosions rang out as the two lightning bolts exploded in midair. This sudden explosion created violent ripples in the air!

"Eh? Was I always this strong?" The old man muttered in surprise as he stared at his sword with a comical look.

"It looks like the painting gave me more benefits than what I have thought. I should properly express my gratitude to Wine Master Jiu after this." He said with a smile.

Zapp!! Zapp!! Zapp!! Zapp!! Zapp!!

Multiple bolts of lightning followed after he had just spoken those words, but the old man was already prepared for this.

He drew a diamond diagram with his sword and uttered. "Sky Diamond Protective Halo. Materialize."

This was one of the strongest techniques of their Silveria Imperial Family and he was also the one who taught Emperor Elyk about this defensive technique, so his familiarity and expertise with it were a notch greater compared to the emperor.

A huge diamond-shaped shield appeared in front of the old man.

Bannngg!! Baaanngg!! Baanngg!!

Several explosions reverberated loudly as the bolts of lightning hit the incorporeal shield that the old man created.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

Spiderweb-like cracks surfaced within the shield, but it still managed to fully block the streaks of lightning. This elated the old man, but before he could even smile, he saw more than a dozen lightning bolts descending from the sky.

"Strengthen! Sky Rendering Sword Phantom! Release!" The old man shouted as he strengthened the broken incorporeal shield with his true essence. He then released a sword skill which almost sucked all of his remaining true essence.