Above the Shattered Starfield, a tempest of celestial tribulation gathered with unnatural speed, dwarfing any storm Wang Lin had faced before. In the blink of an eye, the clouds, like a shroud across the heavens, coalesced into a swirling vortex of ominous power.

A thunderclap, potent enough to shake the very firmament, echoed through the void. A crimson bolt of lightning, thick as a mighty oak, ripped from the heart of the storm, its descent shattering any stray asteroids that dared to stand in its path.

Even the fabric of space itself seemed to tear and crack under its immense power, as if the cosmos itself threatened to unravel.

Within a shimmering azure shield, two violet-robed elders watched in terror as the crimson lightning hurtled towards Wang Lin. Their eyes, wide with dread, reflected the impending doom. Their very souls trembled as the crimson wrath descended upon him.

“He…he has somehow summoned the Heavenly Tribulation before us!” one elder stammered, his voice filled with disbelief.

The crimson bolt, charged with celestial fury, crashed down upon Wang Lin’s head, creating ripples in the very air. Yet, Wang Lin remained unfazed. With a casual flick of his wrist, he clenched his fist.

In that instant, the devastating lightning imploded, scattering into countless arcs of crimson energy that danced harmlessly around him.

The sight left the violet-robed elders gasping, their eyes wide with shock and disbelief. Behind them, three young men in yellow robes arrived, only to witness the inconceivable – Wang Lin crushing heavenly lightning with his bare hand. Terror seized them, threatening to shatter their very spirits.

One of them trembled uncontrollably, his eyes wide with paralyzing fear.

Wang Lin, his expression cold and resolute, remained unmoved. This paltry tribulation was but a trifle to him. After vanquishing the first bolt, he swept his hand, and the scattered crimson arcs obeyed his command. They surged towards his palm, coalescing with unnatural speed.

In an instant, a sphere of crimson light pulsed in Wang Lin’s hand, crackling with imprisoned lightning. His icy gaze pierced through the azure shield, and, sensing impending doom, the two elders braced themselves for the inevitable. With a flick of his wrist, Wang Lin unleashed the crimson sphere towards the barrier.

The sphere of crimson light slammed against the azure shield in a deafening explosion, causing it to tremble violently. The violet-robed elders within paled drastically.

“He…he is no ordinary cultivator!”

To Wang Lin’s surprise, the azure shield held firm, unyielding to a single bolt of celestial tribulation.

“If one isn’t enough, then I’ll deliver ten! If ten aren’t enough, then a hundred will suffice!” A murderous glint flickered in Wang Lin’s eyes. As if in answer, the storm clouds above churned and roiled once more. A second crimson bolt plunged from the heavens, followed by a barrage of eight more, forming a chain of destructive energy hurtling towards Wang Lin.

A mad gleam lit Wang Lin’s eyes. With a defiant laugh, he soared upwards, meeting the celestial wrath head-on.

Simultaneously, a vortex spiraled into existence on his brow, and the spirit of the Ancient Thunder Dragon erupted forth, unleashing a primal roar at the descending bolts! The roar of the Thunder Dragon, a command to all lightning in the cosmos! Yet, only Wang Lin dared to challenge the wrath of the Heavenly Dao with such audacity. Stunned by the dragon’s defiance, the nine bolts faltered for a moment. Wang Lin, laughing wildly, plunged into their midst. His left eye pulsed with celestial light, drawing the very essence of the nine bolts towards it with irresistible force.

Thunder echoed as each bolt slammed into Wang Lin’s left eye, finally dissipating within. Lightning now radiated from his eye, flickering and crackling around his body like the aura of a Thunder God. “Is that all you’ve got?!” Wang Lin roared, his voice challenging the heavens.

He remained oblivious to the terror his actions inspired below, within the azure shield. The three yellow-robed youths were on the verge of collapse, their minds unable to process the horror of what they witnessed.

“Swallowing…Swallowing the Heavenly Tribulation…” the violet-robed elders stammered, their faces ashen. All arrogance had vanished, replaced by an abject fear. Their eyes, filled with shock and disbelief, stared at Wang Lin. The youth before them, they now realized, had been concealing his true power.

The sight of him consuming the nine bolts caused beads of sweat to break out on their foreheads. One elder turned and bellowed, “Quickly! Form the defensive array! Now!”

The hundred or so cultivators in the distance, though far away, witnessed the spectacle unfolding in the heavens. Stunned into inaction, they gasped as the elder’s command jolted them into movement. Fear fueled their haste as they scrambled to assemble the array.

The two violet-robed elders, forsaking their dignity, rushed back to assist in its formation.

“Hurry! We must flee this accursed starfield! How can there be someone like this within the Alliance… someone who can devour the Heavenly Tribulation?!”

The clouds above seethed with renewed fury, releasing a wave of oppressive power. A violet bolt, thick as a towering tree, crashed down, its immense force tearing through space itself. It pierced the void only to reappear, hurtling towards Wang Lin’s brow, a mere three inches from his face.

With a primal roar, Wang Lin stood his ground, raising his arms to embrace the violet lightning as if it were a lover.

Unflinching, he weathered the deafening onslaught, arcs of raw energy swirling around him.

But the heavens were relentless. One after another, violet bolts slammed into him, coalescing into a sphere of crackling power that swelled to immense size. The sphere grew, eventually reaching hundreds of feet in diameter! Each impact forced Wang Lin to retreat, yet his gaze remained fixed on the storm above, radiating a burning defiance.

“Give me more!” Wang Lin bellowed at the sky. In response, the storm clouds, stretching across hundreds of thousands of miles, emitted a roar akin to a sentient being. A rainbow-colored bolt descended, splitting into seven streams of pure energy, each carrying unimaginable celestial might.

Driven back once more, the sphere of energy before Wang Lin grew further. Within, the stored lightning surged wildly, its power threatening to overwhelm him, despite his mastery over thunder.

As the storm clouds above gathered for another strike, Wang Lin swayed, then thrust the sphere towards the azure shield far below. The sphere, now containing the collected power of numerous celestial strikes, hurtled towards the fragile barrier. The two violet-robed elders, wide-eyed with terror, watched the sphere hurtle toward them, and in their gaze they saw the end of days.

“Activate the array!” one screamed, heedless of its incomplete state.

Without hesitation, the hundred-odd cultivators seated themselves, each channeling energy into the formation. Meanwhile, the two violet-robed elders, at the very moment the titanic sphere of lightning descended, merged their minds with the azure shield, desperately attempting to reinforce its defenses.

The instant their consciousness melded with the barrier, the sphere impacted, unleashing an apocalyptic explosion that engulfed the azure shield.

The azure light flickered and dimmed as the ravenous energy consumed it. Both elders vomited blood, their eyes wide with fear. One, his body unable to withstand the onslaught, exploded in a shower of gore, his fleeing soul desperately seeking refuge within the unfinished array.

Bolts of lightning pierced the azure shield, writhing within like vengeful serpents. Ten of the seated cultivators were instantly incinerated, their souls unable to escape the celestial fire.

Under the sustained assault of the storm’s force, the azure shield shattered, scattering into a thousand fragments as a shockwave roared outward.

Sensing danger, the Mosquito Beast, a veteran of battle, sped away.

In the aftermath, the Shattered Starfield was no more. Where once asteroids and debris floated, there now lay a clean field of space.

Wang Lin, fueled by rage and grief over the loss of his Mosquito Beast, surged forward. The Heavens also surged forward, with a hundred bolts of rainbow lightning and celestial fire descended to burn the remaining intruders.

Then, the fragmented remains of the array came to life, bathing the sky in stars. A wounded elder struggled to reach the array, seeking a means of escape.

Wang Lin would not allow them to escape.

His eyes flashed, causing the very fabric of the sky to begin to tremble. A titanic force erupted around him, threatening to shatter the very cosmos.

Illusory volcanoes erupted around Wang Lin, waves of heat rippled from the caldera of each volcano.

“Mountain Collapse!” Wang Lin uttered, his voice laden with malice.