Chapter 56: Nine-Star Dou Shi

Looking up at the lightning gathering in the clouds above his head, then glancing at Xiao Yi and Xiao Bing, who were already struggling to absorb more, Xiao Bai felt a sense of urgency—he needed to escape quickly, or things would become dangerous.

It wasn't that the two little ones were incapable, but to fully assimilate the silver lightning into their own Thunder Seed attributes, they required both wood and fire elements. Without them, their juvenile forms could only absorb so much pure lightning energy.

Examining his dantian internally, he estimated that at his current absorption rate, it would take another half a cup of tea's time to break through to Nine-Star Dou Master.

Above him, another bolt of lightning was forming. The pressure emanating from it was even stronger than the last, causing Xiao Bai's expression to darken. But despite the fear, he forced himself to remain calm.

Xiao Yi and Xiao Bing were still struggling to digest the previous bolt, making it clear they wouldn't be able to help this time.

His mind raced. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he scanned his storage ring with his soul power.

"Gold coins! Would that work?"

"Doesn't matter, let's try it first."

Determined, Xiao Bai used his soul power to compress a massive pile of gold coins inside his storage ring, shaping them into a sphere. He then quickly elongated it into a several-meter-long metal rod.

Focusing on the lightning above, he simultaneously reinforced his surroundings with soul barriers, preparing for the worst.

Just as the lightning was about to strike, Xiao Bai used his soul power to retrieve the golden rod and tossed it to a carefully chosen location—higher than where he was but closer to the forming lightning strike, yet farther from himself.

The silver lightning above twisted like a serpent, initially aimed at Xiao Bai, but then suddenly veered off course as if drawn by some invisible force, heading straight for the golden rod instead.

Seeing this, Xiao Bai was overjoyed—his guess had been correct!

This method was inspired by metal's ability to attract lightning in his past life. He had realized that, despite their immense power, these natural thunderbolts lacked consciousness or will.

Lightning wielded by cultivators carried their intent, making it precise. Similarly, tribulation lightning was guided by the Heavenly Dao, striking its intended target without fail.

But this was pure, natural lightning. Despite its overwhelming strength, it still followed fundamental rules—just like the lightning of his previous world.

Watching the lightning miss him, a smile formed on Xiao Bai's lips.

But his joy was short-lived. The moment the lightning struck the golden rod, the metal instantly vaporized, and several smaller arcs of electricity scattered outward.

One of them was coming straight at him.

"Shit!"

Xiao Bai hurriedly reactivated the soul barriers he had just removed.

The first barrier shattered instantly. Then the second. Then the third.

By the time the third broke, he had no time to construct another. He could only watch as the weakened lightning bolt struck him directly.

Fortunately, after multiple reductions in strength, the remaining energy only sent a jolt through his body, crackling silver arcs dancing across his skin. It didn't cause significant harm, nor did it disrupt his breakthrough.

In fact, the lightning surge accelerated his advancement significantly. The transformation within his dantian was nearly complete.

A few breaths later, Xiao Bai stood up, exuding the powerful aura of a Nine-Star Dou Master.

But there was no time for celebration.

The lightning in the clouds above was growing more intense, the moisture in the air thickening. A deep sense of crisis welled up inside him.

The clouds were descending, closing in around him. If he got enveloped, who knew how many more bolts of lightning were waiting for him inside?

Without hesitation, he swiftly retracted Xiao Yi and Xiao Bing, who had just finished devouring the previous bolt, and immediately shot toward the ground.

Just as Xiao Bai had finished retracting the two Thunder Seeds, the nearest bolt of lightning in the clouds instantly struck toward him.

His spiritual intuition flared intensely. Ever since he had been tirelessly cultivating The Heavenly Heart Perception Chapter, his sensitivity to danger had grown sharper and sharper.

The ominous premonition from behind told him that if he took this lightning head-on with just his body, even if he survived, he would be gravely injured.

From the previous weakened bolt—one that could have easily cost an unwary Dou Spirit their life—Xiao Bai knew that his previous blood exchange had granted him tremendous benefits.

His physical body had strengthened significantly, and his resistance to lightning had increased greatly.

But this bolt… the pressure it exerted made it clear that even if his body were twice as strong, it would still be useless.

Realizing this, Xiao Bai abandoned his descent and turned to face the oncoming lightning head-on. There was no time to use his earlier method.

The Yang Thunder of Bing Fire erupted from his body, forming a massive net of crimson lightning as his first line of defense.

At the same time, his late-stage Mortal Realm soul force exploded outward, reinforcing the lightning net with a thick soul barrier.

He directed the Daoist Righteous Thunder of Yi Wood to shield his internal organs while frantically compressing the freshly strengthened liquid Dou Qi in his dantian. The compressed energy spread across his body, forming a nearly tangible Dou Qi battle robe—though it looked like a thin veil, its defensive power was akin to armor.

Xiao Bai was going all in. Full power unleashed.

At the entrance of the cave, Yao Lao's expression changed drastically at this sudden turn of events.

Even from where he stood, he could clearly sense the terrifying might of the lightning bearing down on Xiao Bai.

That kind of power… Even a high-rank Dou Huang would have to tread carefully in its presence, or they would face dire consequences.

Seeing the lightning bolt surging toward Xiao Bai, Yao Lao wanted to help, but he was powerless.

This was Heavenly Lightning—the natural nemesis of soul bodies.

If he pushed himself to the limit, he might be able to save Xiao Bai, but the consequences would be severe. At best, he would be forced into deep slumber once again, and how long it would take to wake up would be unknown.

Besides, this was just one insignificant bolt from the clouds. If he intervened and attracted even more, wouldn't both of them be doomed?

"Damn it! Xiao Bai, you reckless brat! I told you when there's lightning, you go home—not run off to play with it! Now look at you—trapped in this mess!"

Yao Lao floated anxiously at the cave entrance, utterly helpless and furious, muttering curses in frustration.

Not far away, in the shadow of a tree near the waterfall, a masked man—Ling Ying—was also watching anxiously. His heart burned with frustration.

"Damn it! You just had to show off, huh? Now look at you—trapped! If anything happens to you and the young miss blames me, I'll be taking a trip down the Yellow Springs with you! What kind of mess is this?!"

He wanted to rush in and save Xiao Bai, but he feared drawing even more lightning down. That would only make the situation worse.

If he were a Dou Zong, this wouldn't be a problem—he could resolve it with a flick of his wrist. But he was just a Dou Huang.

"…Forget it. That brat has to be saved. If he dies, the young miss will be devastated."

Gritting his teeth, Ling Ying steeled himself to intervene.

After all, he had watched the young miss grow up. Over the years, despite their differences in status, he cared for her as if she were his own niece or nephew.

But just as he was about to act, he and Yao Lao saw something shocking—Xiao Bai wasn't continuing his escape.

Instead, he stopped mid-air, a crimson glow erupting around him.

They both recognized it immediately—Xiao Bai's signature technique.

But what was he doing?

Was he planning to take the lightning head-on?!

Before they could react, the lightning bolt descended upon Xiao Bai.

A blinding flash of light erupted, followed by a deafening thunderclap that shook the entire valley.