Previously on I Pick Up Talents on the Interstellar Battlefield...
Qin Tian chose to face a terrifying blood lightning tribulation, using its power to trap his enemies. He teleported his allies to safety before unleashing the tribulation's fury upon Shengongsi Yuzuo and his companions. While they suffered heavy losses, Qin Tian absorbed the lightning's power to strengthen himself. He then captured Shengongsi Xin Fu and used him as a shield against the tribulation's thunder dragon.
Fortunately, Qin Tian's physique was exceptionally robust, further augmented by the supreme regenerative abilities of the [Immortal Sacred Body]. His torn muscles swiftly mended, and a pale golden life force emanated from his fractured bones, creating a peculiar equilibrium between destruction and recovery within him. Moreover, the pure thunderous energy, refined by the [Thunder Ancestor] talent, coursed through his meridians, permeating every fiber of his being. This process made his body increasingly resilient and formidable despite the intense pain, causing even the veins beneath his skin to glow with a faint purplish-gold hue.
Observing Shengongsi Xin Fu from the ice valley's edge, Shengongsi Yuzuo witnessed his companion being 'overpowered by a mighty foe' and subsequently struck down by lightning. His tightly clenched fist abruptly slackened, and a profound chill permeated his heart.
The idea of launching a surprise attack, which had just crossed his mind, was instantly obliterated.
He no longer concerned himself with his companion's fate; without a backward glance, he turned and fled the ice valley in desperate haste.
In his estimation, Qin Tian was headed for certain doom—without any external aid, relying solely on his own strength to withstand the heavenly tribulations. Even if he somehow survived the Celestial Thunder Tribulation, the subsequent Body Burning Tribulation would undoubtedly reduce him to ashes.
Given this certainty, why prolong his association with a doomed individual?
His immediate escape was the only path to self-preservation.
As Shengongsi Yuzuo beat a panicked retreat, a cold smile touched the corners of Qin Tian's lips.
He gently released the lifeless Shengongsi Xin Fu, allowing the scorched corpse to fall to the ground, a silent sneer forming in his heart:
*Can you truly escape?*
Huff
Huff—
Shengongsi Yuzuo propelled himself forward with his spiritual energy wings, soaring like a dark silhouette through the jagged ice peaks and frantically navigating the shadowy ice abyss. The frigid wind lashed against his face like sharp blades, yet he remained impervious to the sensation. He cast anxious glances backward every few moments, only to witness streaks of blood-red lightning descending from the distant horizon, precisely mirroring his flight path as if guided by sight, relentlessly pursuing him.
"Damn it! Why hasn't this Celestial Thunder Tribulation concluded yet?"
Shengongsi Yuzuo gritted his teeth, his mind solely focused on one imperative: run!
He believed that if he could just hold on until Qin Tian's Celestial Thunder Tribulation ended, even if the brat survived, he would be severely weakened, and that would be his opportune moment for retribution!
Concealed within the shadow of an ice mountain's flank, a robust figure lay in silent anticipation. Gu Pingzhi rested against the icy wall, his battle sword plunged diagonally into the snow, its hilt lightly swaying in the chilling breeze. He had initially been exploring the ice abyss for hidden treasures but was drawn by the sight of the panicked figure fleeing ahead.
"That's... Shengongsi Yuzuo?"
Gu Pingzhi's eyes widened abruptly, his breathing momentarily ceasing.
While he might not recognize every prodigy entering the ruins, he was intimately familiar with the prominent members of the major Holy Blood Clans. Shengongsi Yuzuo, especially, the leading figure of the Shengongsi Family, with his distinctive sinister visage and Tier Seven Seven Stars aura, was instantly recognizable.
However, he couldn't fathom what dire peril could compel such a formidable Holy Blood powerhouse to flee in such a disheveled and undignified manner.
Acting on instinct, Gu Pingzhi gazed upward. The clouds overhead the ice abyss were as black as ink, swirling with faint crimson lightning and exuding an oppressive aura that drifted on the wind.
Could this phenomenon be connected to the peculiar thunderclouds?
No sooner had this thought taken root than Gu Pingzhi's pupils constricted into sharp points. A figure materialized without warning within the ice abyss. It was a young man with a stern countenance, enveloped by crackling blood-colored lightning, striding as if a war god treading upon thunder.
Even more astonishingly, with every step he took, the tempestuous clouds above seemed to be magnetically drawn, moving in sync. Bolts of blood lightning precisely struck his body but caused him no apparent harm; instead, they appeared to guide his path.
"It’s him!" Gu Pingzhi's heart pounded with recognition.
He certainly recognized this individual—prior to entering this treasure trove, it was this very Qin Tian who had unilaterally ignited the conflict among the major Holy Blood Clans. The tense and dramatic moments were indelibly etched in his memory.
Qin Tian... the thunderclouds... the blood lightning pursuing Shengongsi Yuzuo...
As disparate fragments of the scene coalesced in his mind, Gu Pingzhi's mouth fell wider and wider open, a terrifying yet absurd conjecture erupting like thunder: "Could this be the Celestial Human Three Tribulations?"
He had witnessed numerous individuals undergo the Celestial Thunder Tribulation, typically in secluded locales, meditating in lotus position, utilizing treasured family heirlooms, the vigilance of guardian Elders, and a plethora of elixirs for their protection.
Never before had he encountered an instance where someone would brazenly flee during a tribulation, let alone utilize it as a means to hunt an enemy!
Gu Pingzhi’s mind suddenly flashed back to Shengongsi Yuzuo’s panicked flight, juxtaposing it with Qin Tian’s deliberate maneuvering within the tribulation. His eyes bulged to their fullest, his throat growing parched. "Surely not... is he attempting to... use the tribulation to kill?"
Such a feat could only be conceived by a lunatic!
Gu Pingzhi swallowed rigorously. Every instinct screamed at him to retreat from this perilous situation immediately, yet his feet remained rooted, compelled to advance, following stealthily. An insatiable curiosity burned within him to witness the conclusion of this utterly bewildering "tribulation hunt."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Bolts of crimson lightning rained down like a dense volley of arrows, gouging deep, scorched Craters into the frozen expanse. The thunderclouds seemed to writhe in celestial fury, churning with increasing violence, their immutable resolve set on reducing the "blasphemer" below to mere cinders.
Yet, for Qin Tian, this was a golden opportunity. Not a single lightning strike went astray; each was precisely guided by the [Thunder Ancestor] talent, transformed into pure body-tempering Qi, and disseminated through his meridians to invigorate every limb and bone. The longer the Celestial Thunder Tribulation persisted, the more fortified his physique and spiritual energy became.
"Close now."
A piercing glint flared in Qin Tian’s eyes, his spiritual energy perception clearly registering a presence ahead.
Within the tempest of the thunder punishment, the surrounding space had become remarkably stable, precluding any form of teleportation. Fortunately, his arsenal of speed-enhancing techniques was more than adequate.
In the subsequent moment, the void behind him convulsed, and a pair of ebony Night Demon Wings unfurled dramatically, etched with streaks of dark gold lightning. A subtle tremor generated a violent gale, and Qin Tian’s aerial velocity escalated manifold in an instant.
Then, he unleashed a long-dormant talent—[Charging Rally].
This particular talent necessitated the accumulation of spiritual energy to its absolute zenith, culminating in an attack with over tenfold damage upon its release. However, considering the narrow proximity between himself and Shengongsi Yuzuo, the charging duration was restricted, precluding a significant damage burst. Yet, that had never been his primary objective; his true aim lay in the instantaneous 100% speed augmentation conferred upon the talent's activation.
Swish!
Amethyst-gold lightning erupted across the Night Demon Wings, propelling Qin Tian forward like a sound-barrier-shattering bolt of pure energy, instantly cleaving through the frigid wind.
In a mere two breaths' time, he rounded the icy mountain's bend, gaining a clear view of the fleeing gray figure scrambling desperately through the ice abyss.
"He's catching up!"
Shengongsi Yuzuo felt the searing aura of thunder bearing down behind him, his heart constricting as if seized by an immense hand, his face contorted in sheer terror.
How could the pursuer possibly possess such incredible speed?
"Now, it's your turn."
Qin Tian's icy voice reverberated through the ice abyss, causing Shengongsi Yuzuo's hair to stand on end and his soul to tremble with dread, as if an imminent doom was poised to descend.
Before he could even contemplate turning to defend himself, an immense, cataclysmic force slammed into his back—akin to a head-on collision with a high-speed dive-bombing jet, an instantaneous wave of agony engulfing his entire being.
Immediately following, a pair of iron-like arms, crackling with purple lightning, clamped firmly around his waist and abdomen, applying sudden, immense pressure.
"Not good!"
Shengongsi Yuzuo's pupils dilated sharply. This now-familiar "locking maneuver" instantly conjured the horrifying image of Shengongsi Xin Fu being engulfed by lightning just moments prior.
He frantically attempted to mobilize his calamitous spiritual energy, striving to break free from Qin Tian's inescapable grip, but Qin Tian's arms felt welded to him, unyielding.
"Too late," Qin Tian's voice whispered by his ear, resonating with the thrum of lightning.
Scarcely had the words escaped his lips when a furious roar erupted from the thunderclouds above. Hundreds of blood-red lightning pillars, as thick as barrels, intertwined like colossal dragons, coalescing into a thunder punishment beam that spanned the very heavens and earth, descending with devastating force.
An overwhelming deluge of lightning enveloped them both!
