Chapter 287

This year's winter came especially early. The cold wind was like a blade, and snow flew everywhere. The world was covered in silver.

With the passage of time, Zi Chen's incident finally died down.

After the heat, it was lonely and cold. In this winter, many people felt very cold.

There was nothing to talk about after a meal.

Nothing new had happened in the seven cities and the three powers. As for the matter of Zi Chen, practically everyone knew it by heart. Even if they said it, no one would be willing to listen.

Occasionally, there would be people guessing where Zi Chen was.

The Chen family had been exterminated. They had become a family that had offended a monster and disappeared. They had become a passer-by.

Whether or not this matter had been done by Zi Chen remained to be verified. However, some people had heard that those people who had ridiculed the three powers and instigated the killing of Zi Chen had come from the Chen family's death warriors.

Back then, Wang Zhenwei had said that once he found them, he would exterminate their entire family.

In this cold winter, in this endless mountain range, there was a thatched hut covered in snow. It was very lonely.

The world was covered in silver, and the thatched hut was lonely. The only companion was the cold wind.

This was a rare open space in the mountain range. It was hundreds of square meters, and the ground was covered in pure white snow.

In the distance, ancient trees towered into the sky. The cold wind whistled past, and occasionally, a few snowflakes would fall from the branches and leaves, making puffing sounds.

Whoosh.

Just at this moment, a golden light shot out of the forest. It was very fast, like a golden bolt of lightning.

This was the third of the Nine Fleeting Lightning Strikes, and it looked like a beam of light when it appeared.

With a flash of light, the golden light stopped in front of the thatched hut and turned into a figure. It was a young man in his twenties. His handsome face was filled with determination, and his pitch-black eyes were exceptionally bright.

It was Zi Chen, who had disappeared for over half a year.

He hadn't followed Su Long out of the southern region to join the Martial Heaven Alliance. Furthermore, Su Long had no intention of taking Zi Chen with him. After leaving Cangli City, they didn't linger for long. Su Long took Su Mengyao and left in a hurry.

However, when Su Mengyao invited Zi Chen to the Floating Mist Sect, she was rejected by Zi Chen. After the battle in Cang Li City, he understood that he could not entrust his life to others.

After his injuries had completely healed and he had gone through a life and death battle, his potential had been stimulated. Zi Chen had already reached the peak of the 7nd Heavenly Layer. After experiencing the Heavenly Tribulation, his strength had once again broken through. After that, Zi Chen had gone to the Chen family. He had learned from Miao Kong that those people who had caused trouble back then were from the Chen family.

As a result, the Chen family was exterminated.

Next, Zi Chen headed north, away from Cangli City. He bypassed the ruins and found a large mountain range, where he calmly cultivated.

This place was relatively close to Yongqi City, so it would only take a few days to reach there.

Back then, he had obtained the five monstrous geniuses' spatial rings. There were quite a few yuan stones inside, so Zi Chen didn't need to worry about running out.

And so, Zi Chen went into seclusion for over half a year, wholeheartedly cultivating.

In his mind, the lightning youth had successfully evolved the third flash of the Nine Fleeting Lightning. However, there was no fourth flash. Zi Chen's guess was that this was the lightning youth's limit.

Furthermore, the Third Flash's speed had reached a true limit. Ordinary people wouldn't necessarily be able to catch up to Zi Chen in the air.

In his imagination, the lightning youth was omnipotent. He was able to use all the killing techniques of the various great clans, and he was able to comprehend the true essence of each of them. However, he was unable to use the Yin Yang Art. This made Zi Chen somewhat disappointed.

In this half a year, Zi Chen's strength had once more increased. He had already reached the peak of the third Heavenly Layer. He wasn't far from breaking through.

As long as he cultivated diligently for a few more days and refined some yuan stones, he would be able to break through to the fourth Heavenly Layer.

After escaping, his strength had once again increased. Everything was progressing in a good direction. However, the only bad thing was that Elder Mo seemed to have consumed a lot of energy in the last battle. More than half a year had passed, and there were still no signs of him waking up.

Outside, the cold wind whistled. Zi Chen walked into the thatched hut. The footprints he left behind were quickly covered by the wind and snow.

Inside the hut, Zi Chen took out the yuan stones and operated the Yin-Yang Art. His body emitted a golden light as he began to refine them.

After the last battle, Zi Chen's comprehension of the fusion of Yin and Yang had deepened once more. The number of times the Yin and Yang clashed had clearly decreased.

Three days later, there were many yuan stone fragments on the ground in front of Zi Chen. At the same time, Zi Chen opened his eyes, which flickered with light.

"I can break through to the fourth Heavenly Layer now."

Walking out of the thatched hut, the wind and snow had already stopped. Sunlight sprinkled down, bringing some warmth to the cold winter.

Zi Chen turned into a flash of lightning and flew into the depths of the mountain range. He wanted to find a place to break through to the fourth Heavenly Layer.

Half an hour later, Zi Chen found a relatively open area and prepared to face the Lightning Tribulation.

"Rumble."

The sky was blue and there were no clouds for thousands of miles. However, the deafening sound of rolling thunder resounded throughout the entire mountain range.

A terrifying pressure descended from the sky. This was the true might of the heavens. It pressed down on the mountain range from the sky. Some hibernating beasts were directly awakened and were terrified. As for the monsters in the depths of the mountain range, they roared uneasily.

"Boom!"

Silver light shone between heaven and earth. A bolt of heavenly lightning struck down with terrifying power. This time, it was the fourth Lightning Tribulation. If Zi Chen's calculation was correct, there would be thirty-six bolts of heavenly lightning, each stronger than the last.

"Peng!"

Zi Chen flew up into the sky and turned into a flash of lightning. He used his golden fist to shatter the lightning bolts. Then, he absorbed the lightning energy to refine his body.

Inside his body, golden Qi and blood soared into the sky, dyeing the horizon. Surging energy surged.

"Bang."

The second bolt of lightning was also shattered by Zi Chen. He was like a golden-armored war god with unparalleled combat strength. He didn't even take the heavenly lightning seriously. He shattered it with a single punch.

"Boom!"

The heavenly lightning was violent and even more powerful. The rumbling sound spread hundreds of miles, shaking the endless might of the heavens.

Bolt after bolt of heavenly lightning struck down with terrifying auras. The beasts in the mountain range trembled in fear, while the monsters roared uneasily.

During this period, Zi Chen struck out with Extreme Yin, Extreme Yang, and all kinds of combat skills. He tested their power under the heavenly lightning.

At the same time, Zi Chen's body shone brightly as he bathed in the lightning. Using the heavenly lightning energy to refine his body was also a transformation. His Perfect Body would become stronger after experiencing the baptism of the Lightning Tribulation.

The golden will became even more resplendent as it experienced the Lightning Tribulation with Zi Chen. Every time it experienced the Lightning Tribulation, it became more crystalline and resplendent. As for Zi Chen's will, it also became stronger.

"Rumble."

There were a total of thirty-six bolts of heavenly lightning in the four Lightning Tribulations. In the beginning, they fell one by one, but in the end, they all fell together. A lightning chain appeared in the world and pierced through the entire world. Rumbling thunder sounded as the heavenly lightning energy wreaked havoc.

The golden light around Zi Chen became even more resplendent. His combat strength was unparalleled and his physique was astonishing, but he was still struck by the heavenly lightning until his body emitted smoke and his bones emitted cracking sounds.

The Lightning Tribulation was terrifying. Every time it appeared, it was fatal. This meant that the world didn't tolerate it and that it couldn't obtain the recognition of the world. However, once one successfully transcended it, the benefits were immense. It could be considered a transformation.

All the heavenly lightning struck at the last time, nearly killing Zi Chen. Many of his bones shattered, and his body was pitch-black. He had suffered a great deal of damage.

However, after Zi Chen successfully withstood the Lightning Tribulation, a boundless vitality emitted from his body. His bones emitted cracking sounds as his charred skin fell. His new skin was as smooth as jade and emitted a resplendent glow.

Every Lightning Tribulation was a transformation.

With his strength breaking through and his Perfect Body becoming stronger, Zi Chen's combat strength became much stronger.

At some point in time, the blue sky was filled with clouds. The golden sunlight was blocked as large snowflakes drifted down again.

Seeing snow again, Zi Chen seemed to recall the scene from several years ago. A cold dagger stabbed at his heart.

Fate made fools of people.

Zi Chen, who had survived the calamity back then, had such means a few years later. Even the Nimbus Martial Ancestor's Grand Elder had died at his hands.

After that, Zi Chen returned the way he came. He was in a good mood after his strength breakthrough.

However, when he returned to his residence, he realized that the straw hut was gone. The ground was filled with straw that had been blown up. The bedding was thrown all over the ground, and there were a few large footprints on it. It was a mess.

"What happened?"

Zi Chen frowned. This place was desolate and uninhabited. The nearest village was fifty kilometers away. Furthermore, it was winter, so it was impossible for hunters to come here to hunt. However, at this moment, looking at the mess in front of him, it was obvious that someone had arrived.

"Swoosh." "Swoosh." "Swoosh."

At this moment, several figures flashed in the distance. They were extremely fast and arrived in front of Zi Chen in a few breaths' time.

There were four people. They split into four directions and surrounded Zi Chen. Waves of energy surged as an aura locked onto Zi Chen.

"It was you who destroyed my hut." Zi Chen looked at the four of them.

However, he was even more puzzled. The four of them were very strong. All of them were at the True Energy Realm. Furthermore, from the surging essence energy on their bodies, three of them were at the sixth Firmament. The last one was even stronger, at the seventh Firmament.

Such a person had come to this dense forest and destroyed his straw hut.

Zi Chen could not understand.

"Brat, this is a desolate place. Why did you build a straw hut here?" The leading seventh Firmament powerhouse asked coldly.

"Since this is a desolate place, then why did you come here?" Zi Chen retorted calmly.

"Cut the crap. You just have to answer whatever we ask you. It's not your turn to ask questions." One of them was dissatisfied and shouted coldly.

"How overbearing. This is a desolate place and no one cares. I can live wherever I want. Are you going to care about that too?" Zi Chen sneered.

"Brat, you dare to speak like that? You're courting death." The sixth Firmament cultivator beside him had a murderous look in his eyes.

"Third Brother, don't be agitated. Let him recognize the person first." The seventh Firmament powerhouse said.

"Brat, open your dog eyes wide and see if you've seen this person before." The young man called third brother took out a portrait and spread it out.

In the portrait was a handsome young man with a faint smile on his face. He seemed to be very happy.

"Never seen him before." Zi Chen glanced at it and shook his head.