Chapter 103: The Trial of the Hundred Lightning Calamities
The crowd looked at the old man who had fallen, and couldn't help but swallow nervously.
They almost forgot that the man before them was not someone they could casually oppose.
Although they were displeased with Sylvus's domineering attitude, they dared not say anything. None of them wished to throw their lives away.
"I'll give you three more seconds. Those who are unwilling to break through may leave now," Sylvus continued.
"I don't want to die. You all go ahead and stay here," someone muttered.
"Hmph, I don't want to die either, especially since I have a good chance of surviving the tribulation on my own. There's no need for Boss Sylvus's help."
As Sylvus finished speaking, over a hundred people stood there, and thirty or forty of them left one after another.
The remaining people continued to sit cross-legged on the ground, quietly waiting for Sylvus. Among these people, only a few truly believed that Sylvus had the ability to help them. Most had other reasons for staying.
Some knew that their chances of surviving the tribulation were slim. If they were going to die anyway, they preferred to die together, finding solace in company on the road to the underworld. Others stayed because they were out of resources—Sylvus wouldn't refund their money, and they couldn't possibly succeed in their tribulation on their own, so they had no choice but to grit their teeth and stay.
No matter their reasons for staying, there were still ninety-three people remaining after the three-second countdown.
"So many people still remain." A trace of disappointment flashed in Sylvus's eyes as he observed the ninety-three people. He had hoped that everyone would leave; that way, he could pocket ten trillion magic crystals without wasting time. However, since so many chose to stay, Sylvus would not go back on his promise.
"Since you've all decided to stay, let's begin," Sylvus said indifferently.
The ninety-three people exchanged glances before nodding in agreement. Powerful auras burst forth from each of them. Among these ninety-three were Nine-Star Saint Archmages and Nine-Star Platinum Knights. The sheer power of these individuals caused the magic energy within the entire Holy City to go wild.
"Just the power from these experts is already so overwhelming. How powerful will the Heavenly Tribulation they draw be?" someone muttered.
"I think it might be best to wait until the undead invade and have all the experts summon the Heavenly Tribulation together. Maybe we could wipe out the undead in one fell swoop."
"That's impossible. Do you think they want to die? They're attempting the tribulation now just to gain more power for themselves."
"Boom..."
As everyone released their power, the bright sky instantly turned dark. Thick, dark clouds gathered across the entire sky, covering it. Countless arcs of purple lightning flickered within them.
Sylvus also looked up at the sky. At this moment, the dark clouds had covered a radius of a hundred miles, filled with flickering purple lightning. As time passed, the purple lightning began to fuse together rapidly.
"So, this is the Hundred-Person Tribulation?" Sylvus squinted, his eyes flashing with intensity. Such an overwhelming power—perhaps even a Ruler-Level Expert wouldn't be able to withstand it.
"Boom..."
At that moment, the Heavenly Tribulation continued to fuse. The originally hundred-mile-wide dark cloud condensed into a radius of only one kilometer. The purple lightning within had transformed into black thunderbolts, and an aura of destruction enveloped the entire Holy City.
Although the Heavenly Tribulation had not yet fallen, the very space of Aisral Continent had already begun to shatter. A massive black thunder vortex formed in the sky. At the same time, every living being on Aisral Continent seemed to sense something, their eyes filled with terror.
"Could it be that the undead have come?" they wondered. "Why do we feel such immense pressure?"
In the Abyssal Lands.
"What's going on? This aura seems to come from the Polk Empire. Why is there such a powerful force?" Elf Queen Elena couldn't help but exclaim.
"This appears to be the aura of a Heavenly Tribulation. Even from such a distance, we can clearly feel it. Could someone be breaking through to the level of a Ruler ?"
"Impossible. The divine power of this era has long been plundered by the undead. It's impossible for anyone to break through to the Ruler level."
In the Abyssal Lands, over a hundred figures frowned. Among them, the lowest rank was a Mage Emperor. Almost all the Mage Emperors on the continent had gathered here.
"Everyone, stay focused. No matter what happens next, our first priority is to stop the undead's advance. Soon, someone will tell us what has happened," Mo'er said seriously.
Everyone nodded and once again channeled their power into the Abyssal Lands, maintaining the barriers' operation.
Above Holy City, the massive black thunder vortex had taken shape, and countless streams of magic energy surged toward it. The people of Holy City were filled with panic. Such a powerful Heavenly Tribulation—just one strike could obliterate the entire city.
"Boss, is everything really going to be alright?" Even Meylan, who had immense faith in Sylvus, couldn't help but voice his concern. This Heavenly Tribulation was simply too terrifying; the very space of Aisral Continent was already shattering.
"It's too late to regret it now," Sylvus said with a faint smile.
Upon hearing this, Boone's expression changed. What did the boss mean by that? Could he handle this or not? Then again, even if he couldn't, there was no turning back now.
"Could it be that we'll die by our own hands before the undead even arrive?" Boone couldn't help but think. He looked at Sylvus and somehow couldn't believe that the man before him was an ally.
At that moment, the black thunder vortex in the sky had finished brewing. With an earth-shattering roar, a massive black thunderbolt, ten meters in diameter, descended rapidly, striking directly at Sylvus's small shop.
"It's over... Just the first Heavenly Tribulation is this terrifying, and who knows how many more will follow... This... this..." Boone's heart was filled with regret. If he had known, he wouldn't have sought out Sylvus.
As the group facing the Heavenly Tribulation prepared for the worst, they swallowed nervously. How could anyone endure such a lightning tribulation? Even Rulers wouldn't survive this!
As they thought this, the first black lightning bolt approached them, its immense power shaking everyone's spirit. The weaker ones almost fainted.
All eyes turned toward Sylvus. Didn't he say everything would be alright? Could he really withstand this Heavenly Tribulation?
"Come here!" Sylvus called out as the black lightning entered the range of the shop.
In that instant, the lightning that had seemed capable of destroying everything suddenly froze. Under everyone's astonished gaze, the once-destructive lightning transformed into a gentle stream of light, gathering into Sylvus's hand.
Before long, the first Heavenly Tribulation vanished completely, replaced by a massive black energy orb in Sylvus's hand.
"Why are you all standing there? Hurry and absorb it!" Sylvus glanced at the crowd. The black energy orb in his hand turned into ninety-three rays of light, each entering one of the individuals present.