The people from the Dong Clan stayed their hands when they heard Xiang Shaoyun's words. Dong Qinggu and Dong Zhongyuan stood together, staring at the horned lightning snake in the sky with astonishment.
"What snake is this? It looks so weird, almost like it has undergone a mutation," Dong Qinggu muttered in confusion.
"There are a lot of mutations among demonic beasts, and this demonic snake seems to have evolved to have an affinity with lightning. Just look at the type of tribulation it's facing," said Dong Zhongyuan. "That Xiang Shaoyun already has a Demon Emperor as his mount, yet he still has a demonic snake as well? Is he from the Myriad Beast Sect?"
"The tier-6 Myriad Beast Sect?" Dong Qinggu gasped, intense fear in his eyes.
The Myriad Beast Sect was an ancient tier-6 organization, and if it wasn't for their low number of Sovereigns, they would have become a tier-7 organization long ago. An organization of this level was an existence that the Dong Clan could only look up at.
The horned lightning snake had created quite a scene, instantly attracting three silver lightning bolts. The sight of the unique lightning bolts greatly shocked the Dong Clan people. Regular breakthroughs into the Demon King realm would only attract regular natural lightning bolts, but this snake had actually attracted mutated lightning bolts. Just this alone was proof of how powerful of a bloodline the snake had.
Xiang Shaoyun had all his attention on the horned lightning snake. He could see that the snake was completely fine after taking on the lightning bombardment and that Money's demonic core was still well protected.
Money had been living in the silver lightning core, soaking in silver lightning energy all this time. Just these lightning bolts won't be able to do much to him, Xiang Shaoyun muttered inwardly. His lightning bone started shining, absorbing the dispersed silver lightning energy in the air.
Xiang Shaoyun had assumed that it would be fine for him to absorb the lightning energy in the air, but surprisingly, during the next round of lightning bolt bombardment, one of the bolts split from the others and shot at him.
"Holy shit, you are going to strike me just for this?" Xiang Shaoyun cried out before quickly activating his Six Goldplate Manual, pushing his defense to the peak to face the lightning bolt.
Bang!
The silver lightning struck his barrier, and the destructive impact shattered it, causing him to stagger backward. At this moment, the purple dragon charged out of his lightning bone and directly swallowed the silver lightning bolt. It flooded his body with lightning energy.
Rumble! Rumble!
Silver lightning bolts continued raining down like a thunderstorm, causing the people from the Dong Clan to shiver in fear. Only those at the King Realm and above dared to stay and watch. Initially, they were only watching the horned lightning snake undergo its tribulation, but they soon noticed Xiang Shaoyun. They saw that Xiang Shaoyun had actually charged to the middle of the training field and was facing the tribulation together with the horned lightning snake.
"Money, I will face the tribulation with you," said Xiang Shaoyun. He could sense that he was now one of the lightning tribulation's targets. If that was the case, he might as well jump right in the middle of everything and face the tribulation as well.
He mustered all the energy he had in his second star, creating a thick barrier around himself, and he formed a pair of fists which he sent blasting toward the falling lightning bolts.
Rumble! Rumble!
The silver lightning bolts continued striking the human and snake mercilessly. The Dong Clan was overwhelmed with shock, all of them crying out in alarm.
"Is he a human or a demon? He's actually facing the tribulation with the snake?"
"He is a human. Don't you see him defending with a barrier? What a freak."
"Those are mutated lightning bolts, a few times more powerful than regular lightning bolts! Not even late-stage Kings would easily dare to take on one. He is only a third-stage King, yet he is already doing something like this? What a freak!"
"He is probably a young master from some super clan. Only someone like that can display such terrifying strength."
"But can he survive this tribulation? He better not die here."
...
Dong Zhuoyue and Dong Ziwan had also appeared beside Dong Qinggu and Dong Zhongyuan, watching everything that was unfolding clearly. Dong Zhuoyue immediately spoke in excitement, "Little Wan, I think you made the right call in rejecting the marriage proposal with the Illusionary Palm Society. Your father is very satisfied with this son-in-law you have found."
In the beginning, he only saw Xiang Shaoyun as a rich young master, but he now found that he couldn't have been more wrong. He was now certain that Xiang Shaoyun was definitely a core member of some super organization. After all, the talent he was displaying was one no regular young man would have.
Dong Ziwan had not expected her father to say such things. Her face turned red as she said, "W-we're only friends!"
Dong Zhuoyue was about to reply when Dong Qinggu interjected, "Little Wan, since he is willing to risk himself to help our clan, it is obvious he thinks very highly of you. A young hero like this is very rare even in large organizations. If you fail to grab on to him, it will be very hard for you to find someone similar in the future."
Dong Zhongyuan also chimed in, "That's right. Little Wan, a missed opportunity will be very hard to regain. Be very careful and treasure what you have."
Dong Ziwan sank into thought before saying, "I-I'll try."
In truth, she did have Xiang Shaoyun in her heart. With her elders being so supportive, there was no point for her to hesitate.
"Haha, good. I believe in you!" Dong Zhuoyue smiled in a gratified manner. If their clan could form a relationship with a stronger organization, it would only benefit them.
Time passed, and suddenly, everyone's face sank. They found that during the final moments of the tribulation, Xiang Shaoyun had been struck by nine silver lightning bolts at the same time. The defense around him had completely crumbled apart, and he seemed to have been badly hit.
Eventually, the dust settled. Xiang Shaoyun could be seen lying flat in a deep crater, a burnt smell coming from his body. Everyone was stunned. They were wondering if the lightning had struck him to death.
"Xiang Shaoyun!" Dong Ziwan cried out in alarm. Without any hesitation, she rushed forward. However, Dong Qinggu stopped her before she could go far.
"Calm down. He's still alive," said Dong Qinggu.
Right this moment, a badly damaged purple dragon rose from Xiang Shaoyun's body, spiraling above him as it tried to reform itself. Xiang Shaoyun could also sense the bad shape he was in. Even so, he still maintained a clear mind. With his inner gaze, he studied his lightning bone and found that an astonishing change had occurred.
"T-this...what in the world is this?" He was completely dumbstruck.