Originally, Xiao Lin hadn't planned to obtain the Thunder Emperor Dragon's soul ring.
That was because the path to the core region was filled with countless dangers.
However, now that Yu Tianxin was leading the way, most of those dangers could be avoided during the search for the Thunder Emperor Dragon.
Moreover, Xiao Lin was confident — confident that with his silver tongue, he could persuade the Thunder Emperor Dragon to sacrifice itself voluntarily.
Of course, Xiao Lin wasn't relying on some vague "becoming a god" nonsense to convince the dragon.
Even though Xiao Lin was confident and clearly had great potential, every soul beast that managed to live to a hundred thousand years was an extraordinary creature —except for Xiao Wu.
The only reason Xiao Lin dared to even think of convincing the Thunder Emperor Dragon to offer itself was because he had the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings backing him up.
With Yu Tianxin leading, the group quickly passed through the mixed zone of the Thunder Canyon and arrived at its core region.
The moment they stepped past the boundary of the core zone, an overwhelming pressure descended on them.
Suddenly, heaven and earth dimmed. Endless bolts of lightning filled the sky like an army formation of a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers, weaving an inescapable net of thunder before them.
A blinding blue radiance erupted ahead, followed by a deafening explosion that shook the earth itself.
The immense thunderous might sent chills down everyone's spines.
Except for Xiao Lin, even Tang San was forced to retreat several steps. His normally pale face turned even whiter.
"Such terrifying power…"
After a long while, Tang San finally managed to speak, trembling.
At that moment, he noticed Xiao Wu had curled up beside him like a frightened little rabbit.
Even Tang Ni — usually calm and brave — had her legs trembling. Her beautiful face was filled with fear, though she gritted her teeth and forced herself to appear defiant.
Tang San also realized that Yu Tianxin and his two companions had already backed away more than ten meters, expressions pale, martial spirits released — clearly ready to flee at any moment.
Only Xiao Lin stood unmoved, without even a hint of fear. Instead of retreating, he charged toward the heart of the lightning storm.
Tang San was dumbfounded.Was this guy even human?Any normal human would instinctively tremble before such divine thunder.
To tell the truth — Xiao Lin was human.
But he really wasn't afraid.
A mere thunder tribulation? He had prepared for this long ago.
In fact, inside Xiao Lin's storage soul tool was a massive Faraday cage!
He had taken every precaution against lightning.
And if things got dangerous, he could even use his Qiu Long Staff as a lightning rod.
With the staff's indestructible toughness, he didn't need to worry about it being damaged by heavenly lightning — nor about the lightning rebounding to harm him.
"Ah, I see now! I understand everything!"
Suddenly, Xiao Lin burst out laughing. He finally realized why the Thunder Emperor Dragon had been acting so abnormally.
He finally understood why the dragon feared it couldn't survive the tribulation.
First, the environment of Thunder Canyon amplified lightning too much — even the Thunder Emperor Dragon couldn't guarantee a perfect success.
Second, Xiao Lin could tell this thunderstorm blanketing the entire core region wasn't a mere hundred-thousand-year tribulation.
No — this was a three-hundred-thousand-year tribulation!
In other words, some other soul beast was transcending its heavenly tribulation in this canyon —a beast whose cultivation had already reached three hundred thousand years.
And if that soul beast happened to be of the dragon race, then the scale of this thunder tribulation made perfect sense.
After all, the Thunder God had once been slain by the Dragon God — it was only natural for his power to take revenge on dragons.
Third, Xiao Lin guessed the Thunder Emperor Dragon's luck was simply terrible.
It must have been attempting its own tribulation at the same time as that other beast.
Perhaps the Thunder Emperor Dragon's own lightning tribulation had been amplified by that other creature's!
It wasn't that the dragon's bloodline was weak — but rather, its tribulation had been strengthened beyond its own level.
Excited, Xiao Lin quickly explained all this to Tang San and the others.
Tang San's eyes brightened with joy.
"That's great, Brother Lin! That means you might actually have a chance to convince the Thunder Emperor Dragon to sacrifice itself!"
Tang San was genuinely happy for Xiao Lin.
With his father, the Clear Sky Douluo, absent, he could only rely on his hidden weapons — and Xiao Lin's strength — to ensure their safety.
The stronger Xiao Lin became, the safer they would be.
Beside him, Tang Ni and Xiao Wu both breathed sighs of relief, calming their trembling hearts.
Xiao Wu didn't fully understand what was going on — she was just happy for Xiao Lin.
Tang Ni, on the other hand, did understand — and she knew Xiao Lin was probably right.
Lei Huang (Thunder Desolation) itself belonged to the Thunder Emperor Dragon race. If Lei Huang weren't undergoing its own tribulation, then trying to trick the Thunder Emperor Dragon into sacrificing itself would be suicide.
After all, that Thunder Emperor Dragon was most likely Lei Huang's father.
In the distance, Yu Tianxin hadn't heard Xiao Lin's explanation.
The moment he saw the overwhelming thunder web filling the sky, he decided not to go any further.
"Xiao Lin! The Thunder Emperor Dragon you're looking for is straight ahead. Go straight forward and you'll find a lake — that's its territory!"
Yu Tianxin shouted from afar, then made it clear he wouldn't go any deeper.
If Xiao Lin still wanted to move forward after seeing that apocalyptic lightning storm — there was nothing Yu Tianxin could do to stop him.
Xiao Lin understood and respected his decision.
Then, for safety's sake, he solemnly told Tang San and the others to leave the area as well.
"Brother Lin, what do you take me for? Do you think I'd abandon my family?"
Tang San frowned, his tone firm.
No matter what, he wasn't leaving Xiao Lin alone — it was far too dangerous.
"And me too, Brother Lin! I won't abandon you either!"
Xiao Wu raised her hand, her voice trembling but resolute.
Even though she was terrified and her legs felt like jelly, she couldn't bring herself to leave her family behind.
"I have my Invincible Golden Body — I can protect Brother Lin!"
Clenching her fists, Xiao Wu's pretty face showed absolute determination.
"I'll go too," Tang Ni added.
She didn't share the same deep bond as Tang San or Xiao Wu, but she still wanted to protect them.
She might not have much power to defend them, but her identity alone might help persuade Lei Huang to listen peacefully.
"Xiao Wu… doesn't your Invincible Golden Body harm your soul when you use it?"
Suddenly, Xiao Lin frowned, as if recalling something.
"What!? Xiao Wu! Is that true!?"
Tang San's face changed instantly. If that was true, he would never let Xiao Wu use it to protect them.
"Brother Lin, how did you even know that? Anyway, it's fine! As long as it's not a divine-level attack, I'll be perfectly safe. It's just this one tribulation — it'll be okay!"
Xiao Wu stomped her foot, startled that Xiao Lin somehow knew her secret.
But now wasn't the time to question it — she was truly determined to protect them.
Without Brother Lin and Brother San, how could she go on living?
(End of Chapter)