Volume One: Tempest in a Small Town Chapter 53: Summoning the Thunder

Zhang Heng pondered in silence. Only the final heavenly tribulation remained now. It stood to reason that the Will of Heaven would gather all its strength for a single, fatal strike—this last blow would surely shake the heavens and move the spirits. With their wounded bodies, the two could never withstand it.

He was their only hope.

At that moment, black clouds spread out, covering the entire sky above the Dragon Burial Abyss. It must be noted—the Dragon Burial Abyss was vast beyond imagination, larger even than the Kingdom of Liu, one of the Seven Ancient Nations. Such an immense mass of dark clouds pressed down upon them, suffocating and exuding a chilling, oppressive force.

Wait—the Dao De Jing doesn't belong to this world, does it? If I recite the complete Dao De Jing once more, then perhaps "it" would realize that I am not of this world. Never mind, it's worth a gamble!

The system would never deceive him.

Facing the heavens, Zhang Heng began to recite loudly: "The Way that can be spoken of is not the constant Way; the name that can be named is not the eternal name..."

Yet, it was useless. The thunderous shadow continued to gather power, and its direction never shifted—it still targeted Qian Muyun and Dugu Bai.

Despair deepened in their eyes. They had never imagined such a turn of events. Now, the two of them were utterly powerless, left only to await death.

Zhang Heng was frantic. Why isn't it working? Why isn't it working, system?

A notification sounded: "The Dao De Jing has already been noticed by these heavens and earth. It was precisely because of its discovery that the two must now endure a sevenfold tribulation. Otherwise, given their talents, three tribulations would suffice. Thus, the Dao De Jing is useless now. The host only needs to recite another scripture."

At that moment, the thunderous shadow arrived. The two gazed up at the sky in despair—would they truly fail to survive? Both looked pleadingly at Zhang Heng, as if hoping he would care for Yan Xueqing and Murong Qingxue after their passing.

Yan Xueqing was already sobbing uncontrollably.

So be it—if death is to come, let it come, Zhang Heng thought. If he did nothing, he could escape unscathed, and no one would blame him. But some things, if left undone, would haunt him for a lifetime.

The seventh thunder tribulation drew ever closer. Without a miracle, the two were doomed.

Yet just as the tribulation was about to strike them—

A miracle occurred.

The thunderbolt that was meant for the pair suddenly changed course.

Now, its trajectory pointed directly at Zhang Heng and his group.

Everyone was stunned. A tribulation thunderbolt could change direction?

In that final instant, Zhang Heng gathered all his strength and shouted, "Miss Yan, go quickly! Traverse the void—go!"

Yan Xueqing had witnessed much in her life. Seeing the thunderbolt racing toward them, she did not panic. Remembering Zhang Heng's earlier words, she hesitated not a moment and activated her void traversal, coming to Dugu Bai's side.

Zhang Heng smiled at last.

Since arriving in this foreign world, he had seen and experienced much. Even if he died now, it would be worth it.

Dugu Bai, Qian Muyun, and Yan Xueqing all looked at Zhang Heng in deep concern.

Though Yan Xueqing believed the thunderbolt might not harm Zhang Heng, tears still fell uncontrollably from her eyes.

This was the seventh tribulation, and a combined one for two people—its power was unimaginable.

The entire mountain range where Zhang Heng stood, along with two neighboring peaks, was leveled to the ground. After the thunderbolt passed, not a single blade of grass remained. The deafening roar shook the very soul.

When the three arrived, they found only a massive crater in the ground—Zhang Heng was nowhere to be seen.

The tremendous noise drew the attention of every cultivator in Dragon Burial Abyss.

In their eyes, it was impossible for anyone to exist in the deepest part of the Abyss. Thus, the sound of the thunderbolt must have been caused either by a spiritual artifact or a spirit beast.

The weak hurried to avoid it, while the strong were ecstatic. After a thunder tribulation, there would be a period of weakness—this was their opportunity.

Whether it was a spiritual artifact or a spirit beast, anything capable of invoking a thunder tribulation was surely extraordinary. Now, that thing would be at its weakest. If fortune favored them, they could rise to prominence in the cultivation world.

Thus, the powerful cultivators immediately used void traversal to rush toward the source of the thunder.

"Zhang Heng, why are you so foolish?" Kneeling at the edge of the crater, Yan Xueqing cried out in anguish.

Dugu Bai and Qian Muyun also observed a moment of silent mourning. Though they did not know how Zhang Heng had drawn the thunderbolt away, he had truly and undeniably saved their lives.

"You idiot, weren’t you always so confident? Why are you gone now?" Yan Xueqing said weakly. Unknowingly, Zhang Heng had come to occupy a special place in her heart.

As the three grieved, a faint, weary voice drifted out: "If you have time to cry, you might as well come give me a hand."

At the bottom of the crater, the soil began to move. A filthy, battered hand emerged, waving feebly.

"Zhang Heng?" On hearing this, Yan Xueqing was overjoyed and immediately flew down.

She brushed the dirt off Zhang Heng, who looked up at her with a playful grin.

Despite the excruciating pain and his disheveled state, Zhang Heng was genuinely happy.

In his previous life, he had tried hard to fit into society, but was never accepted. All his life, he was a small, insignificant figure who had never accomplished anything to make himself proud.

But now, he had survived a thunder tribulation with his bare flesh. If word got out, it would become legend for the ages—a feat without precedent or equal.

Of course, most important was that Dugu Bai and Qian Muyun did not have to die. Yan Xueqing and Murong Qingxue would not grieve. And he himself had gained much.

Yan Xueqing pulled Zhang Heng from the earth without caring about the dirt, embracing him tightly.

Seeing Zhang Heng unharmed, Dugu Bai and Qian Muyun exchanged a smile.

After tidying themselves up, the four once again stood by the cave entrance.

Zhang Heng spoke first. "Elder Dugu, now that the spatial turbulence in the Dragon Burial Abyss has vanished, you can take Miss Yan to search for treasures."

Zhang Heng knew the master and disciple had come to the Abyss with a purpose.

"Sister Muyun, Murong Qingxue is still at the lakeshore ahead. You should go find her," Zhang Heng said to Qian Muyun, pointing in Murong Qingxue’s direction.

Alas, Murong Qingxue had never been to the Dragon Burial Abyss before. She likely didn’t know yet that the spatial turbulence had subsided. She was probably still absorbing the spiritual energy from the lake with all her might.

She had no idea her master had nearly failed the tribulation and fallen under the wrath of heaven, nor that Zhang Heng had withstood the thunder for them.

But perhaps that was for the best. She was a natural spiritual body—her focus should be on cultivation, undisturbed by emotional entanglements.

Now that everything was settled, Dugu Bai finally voiced his doubts.

"Zhang Heng, how did you manage to attract the thunder tribulation? Why were you struck by such a powerful bolt and remain unscathed? Just now, why could I not sense your presence?"

Never mind how Zhang Heng had drawn the tribulation to himself.

Those two thunderbolts could have claimed his and Qian Muyun’s lives in an instant. Yet after striking Zhang Heng, he was unharmed.

Moreover, when Zhang Heng lay in the crater, buried in only a thin layer of soil, Dugu Bai, with his cultivation, should have been able to sense him even if he were thousands of feet underground.

But just now, when he swept the area with his spiritual sense, he found nothing. That was why he had thought Zhang Heng had perished beneath the thunder tribulation.