BTTH : Emperor Yang

”Here it comes!”

Facing the more-than-hundred-zhang golden lightning tearing toward him from behind, Wei Yang spun around and slammed his palm forward.

Buzz~

A massive void black-hole vortex rapidly formed upright before him.

At the same time, with a thought, Bei Wang once again moved ahead, acting as a meat shield.

”Let me see just how powerful the legendary Nine Mysterious Golden Lightning really is!”Even at this critical moment, Wei Yang’s tension carried a hint of anticipation.

Crackle~

As his thoughts flickered, golden lightning filled his vision. A heartbeat later, it smashed brutally into Bei Wang.

Rumble!

The deafening explosion shook the air.

The terrifying impact sent Bei Wang flying backward, dragging the hundred-zhang golden lightning along with him as they both crashed straight into the black-hole vortex before Wei Yang.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The vortex shuddered violently, emitting a strained cracking noise. Fine fractures spread across its surface, and its rotation faltered sharply.

”Hold!”

Wei Yang shouted, pouring his vast Dou Qi into the vortex to stabilize it.

He braced both hands against the shield-like vortex, resisting the immense impact force as his body was pushed back again and again.

Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!

His feet hammered against the void, blowing open cracks as he was forced backward at high speed. The illusory black sun covering his body also began trembling violently at this moment.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Inside the vortex, endless tremors surged as muffled explosions erupted one after another. Within the vortex, the golden lightning exploded wildly, splashing into countless dense arcs that filled every corner. The inside became a terrifying ocean of destructive golden lightning.

Bei Wang, submerged in this lightning ocean, trembled uncontrollably. Faint cracking sounds came from his body, and his skin visibly split open with tiny fissures.

”So terrifying... the Nine Mysterious Golden Lightning can even overwhelm Bei Wang’s body? If it were any ordinary Five- or Six-Star Dou Sheng taking that hit, they wouldn’t just be seriously injured—they’d be lucky to survive at all...”

Watching this, Wei Yang murmured in shock, feeling a chill crawl up his spine. Bei Wang’s physical strength far surpassed Wei Yang’s.

Yet... it was cracking.

But Bei Wang’s thunder-absorbing ability kicked in again. Golden arcs coiled over his body, then slithered like small snakes, drilling slowly into him. Meanwhile, inside the vortex, black flame mixed with black lightning burned fiercely, inching closer to absorb the golden lightning arcs.

Sizzle~

A portion of the golden lightning pierced through the vortex’s barrier, lashing onto Wei Yang’s palms and racing up his arms.

”Hiss—!”

Wei Yang sucked in a sharp breath.

Pain twisted his expression as the metal band on his head exploded apart. His long hair scattered wildly, standing on end. The violent golden lightning instantly charred him inside and out, turning him into a shriveled dark figure for an instant.

Even his hair flickered with golden arcs.

”Ah—this... is great!”

Wei Yang roared into the sky as four sharp fangs appeared.

The black sun sigil blazed on his forehead, and a layer of black scales rapidly covered his body—his form shifting fully into the Hou. His bloodline power surged, and the power of Devouring erupted at full force.

He crazily absorbed every thread of golden lightning invading his body, unwilling to waste even a bit.

Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!

Space burst under his feet as he continued retreating. Even while pushing against the fractured vortex, each backward step spanned a hundred zhang, as if shrinking the earth beneath his feet.

In the blink of an eye, he withdrew from the deepest part of the Lightning Pool and returned to the Black Demon Lightning region from before. Wei Yang still didn’t stop. He kept pushing the cracked, lightning-spraying vortex, letting its force drag him farther back.

Sizzle sizzle sizzle~

Golden lightning seeped through the fractures, crawling along his arms and finally engulfing his entire body, drilling madly into him. Golden radiance flickered across him, forcing the Black Demon Lightning that had been chasing him to halt abruptly.

The bolts twisted around and fled far away, not daring to get close. His backward retreat only stopped after he completely exited the Black Demon Lightning region and reached the silver lightning zone.

Even the silver lightning bolts scattered like startled birds the moment Wei Yang arrived, retreating thousands of zhang as if sensing an unimaginable terror.

”Ahhh—so damn good!!”

Wei Yang’s entire body was wrapped in golden lightning arcs.

His features twisted, teeth clenched, and he forced the words out from between them. Even the tiny gaps between his teeth were filled with dancing golden arcs.

Inside his body, countless tiny lightning arcs slithered through his muscles, fascia, bones, and blood, like swarms of small worms wriggling nonstop. Every cell in his body felt like a greedy little mouth, opening wide to devour every thread of lightning it could reach.

The destructive energy filled every corner of his body. The sensation was painful to the point of pleasure.

His blood boiled and surged, rushing madly through him. Once he stabilized his footing, Wei Yang immediately focused inward, circulating his cultivation method. Vast Dou Qi surged through his meridians, helping digest the golden lightning.

Wherever the Dou Qi passed, golden arcs crackled wildly, sending sharp waves of pain through him. The usually aggressive Death Life Flame and its black lightning—normally tyrannical and invasive—seemed fearful of the golden lightning and shrank back.

”Oh come on, don’t you dare chicken out! Eat! Faster! This is top-tier stuff—I nearly died getting it for you, don’t you waste it!” Wei Yang roared.

Whoosh~

The black flame surged violently, its ferocity ignited. It burned hotter and began swallowing the golden lightning arcs.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Sparks burst outward like blooming fire flowers.

”That’s more like it. As long as I’m here, what are you afraid of? You want to evolve? You want a qualitative leap? Then devour it with everything you’ve got! Don’t make my life-and-death struggle go to waste—this is one of the strongest lightning powers under the heavens!”

Wei Yang said in satisfaction. Then he gritted his teeth again: ”Damn... but this Nine Mysterious Golden Lightning really is insane. Stronger than I thought...”

Even with the Hou bloodline, having this lightning invade his body still made him suffer horribly. But fortunately, his physique was already extremely tough, and his resistance to lightning and flame was strong. The Black Demon Lightning earlier had also tempered his body.

Plus, the Death Life Flame’s Black Demon Lightning attributes offered some protection. He suffered plenty, but at least his life wasn’t in danger. If he had encountered this before absorbing the Black Demon Lightning... he might not have survived.

Golden lightning flickered as Wei Yang desperately refined the berserk lightning inside him. Bei Wang and the void black-hole vortex also helped consume and digest it. After more than ten minutes—

The massive hundred-zhang golden lightning was finally mostly digested.

After absorbing it, the black-hole vortex transmitted waves of pure, violent, vast energy. Under the circulation of his cultivation method, that energy gradually transformed into surging, extremely pure Dou Qi.

It flowed through his limbs and bones, soothing and repairing the injuries inflicted by the lightning.

Under this refinement, not only did Wei Yang’s physical strength rise at a speed visible to the naked eye, but his realm—stuck at the peak of mid-stage Five-Star—also began climbing slowly but steadily.

At this rate, reaching late-stage Five-Star was only moments away.

**