Calm Wanderer
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(AKJ)Chapter 116 - Muscles tearing, bones breaking and a hidden hope
🕑 Added 2025-06-13 15:05:37 +0000 UTCBright Star City, Bright Star Island, Flowing Stars Archipelago, Earth Omniscient P.O.V. [A/N: Just a heads up: I’m changing my writing st
Bright Star City, Bright Star Island, Flowing Stars Archipelago, Earth
Omniscient P.O.V.
[A/N: Just a heads up: I’m changing my writing style a bit, making it less focused on one character (Usually the MC) and making it a bit broader. I’m not used to that kind of POV, so I may not nail it on the first try. You’ve been warned.]
Fuck indeed! From his location, a massive Lightning Bolt was visibly forming in the center of that nine-pointed star, its materialization so quick that even with his superior senses, it felt as if it suddenly went from nothing to completely materialized as if there was no process in between. If the Bolts in the first Phase were waist-sized in width, then the second Phase had washbasin-sized-width ones. This time, however, it went even further, turning car-sized and extending well beyond Bryn’s body, even though she regained her ‘normal’ height at 2 m50, with her shoulder-width fitting that superhuman height. The Bolt’s presence was so menacing that, despite not being directly targeted, Demian could not help but subconsciously tense up. ‘At that point, is that even a test? How the fuck is she supposed to survive that?! Damn it!’ He cursed inwardly while biting his lips in concern, while a feeling of powerlessness washed over him. The two women in his arms were as anxious as he was, their bodies subconsciously hugging the man’s waist tighter as if by doing so, the situation would be magically resolved. Unbeknownst to each other, the three had the same thought: If Brynhild had bonded with Demian, she would have been much safer. At least, if the way it had been working was any indication. Heaven’s Tribulation Lightning? Wasn’t it simply a kind of strong Energy? Demian’s Physiology Perk should work, right? Since it was already considered a cheat, might as well cheat to the end, right?
At the center of the Tribulation Platform, a few kilometers away and a few seconds earlier, Brynhild was readying herself for the next strike. If what Sergei and Ling told her was right, the Thirty-Seventh Lightning Bolt’s power should get a major boost compared to the previous ones. Knowing that, she could not afford to act carelessly, or she might receive some crippling injuries that would lower her chances of passing through the rest of the Tribulation. ‘Only 45 Bolts left...’ She thought as both her Inner Energy and Blood Energy circulated rapidly in her body, tracing the patterns of her Casting Star Art, which boosted her raw power by multiple folds. Feeling the power coursing through her flesh, an excited smile subconsciously appeared on her face. ‘I still can’t believe how strong I’ve become in just a few months. And it all started when Dem awakened his memories and powers...’ As that thought traversed her Mind, a flurry of feelings washed over her Heart, distracting her slightly from the current situation. ‘That guy... Always flirting with my little Sis... And Mom! How can he be so shameless?! Does he think he’s some kind of Harem King or something?! It’s so... Wrong!!’ Despite her reproachful words, she could not muster any real resentment toward her younger cousin's attitude. After all, she knew those three were adults and she had no right to force them apart when it was consensual, no matter how ‘twisted’ she felt their relationship to be. Not that she truly wanted to in the first place. No, if she were truly honest with herself, what she felt was mostly jealousy. Jealousy for what the two women had the courage to do while she was still dilly-dallying, finding excuses for herself to avoid taking that step. If it were just her sister, then she would probably have accepted the situation. Although she might not have been completely okay with it, at least she could have buried her feelings deep enough to live normally alongside them. As for whether that would have an impact on her cultivation due to burying her true feelings? She had not thought that far, probably because she already knew the answer deep down. The worst of it, and what made her feel the most guilty, was that her sister, Seraphine, had always hinted to her that she would be fine with sharing Demian with her, something that had been plainly obvious when she noticed her mother plastered on Demian’s muscular chest... ‘Why am I thinking of his chest..?’ She exclaimed inwardly in embarrassment as a dark gold-colored hue graced her light golden cheeks, prompting another thought that made her feel slightly depressed. ‘I’m just being delusional, anyway. Why would he even want me when he already has Sis and Mom? Those two are so much more feminine than I... Who would be attracted to a muscle freak like me, anyway...?’ Her thoughts were starting to follow a strangely dark path, something that she had experienced many times in the last few weeks, forcing her to distract herself with training. That was one of the main reasons why, besides her ridiculously high talent, she improved so quickly.
Letting out a sigh, the valiant woman decided to shove those depressing thoughts to one side, knowing that mulling over them would lead her nowhere, except depression. Almost as if the Tribulation Clouds noticed the end of her inner struggle, a colossal deep purple lightning bolt instantly materialized right above her head, making her flinch slightly from the threatening fluctuations it emitted. Shaking her head inwardly, Brynhild told herself, while readying herself to welcome what was the first truly dangerous situation since the Tribulation started. ‘Alright, girl! You need to focus and stop thinking about that horny brat.’ Taking a deep breath, she subconsciously switched her posture slightly to adapt to the ridiculous size of her ‘attacker’. An instant later, she sensed the pressure mounting even further as the Bolt of pure Lightning Essence dropped in her direction at a speed so quick that blinking would have made her miss it completely. Fortunately, her powerful battle instinct, already strong from her years of fighting as a World-level fighter in the ‘Mortal World’ and further boosted to an inhuman level by her powerful bloodline, allowed her body to react automatically, with every muscle, tendon and bone, along with her Inner Energy and Blood Energy synergizing to deliver a city-block-destroying strike toward the Energy Lance, a strike transcending an entire Rank, its power matching a weak Core Formation cultivator, while still being at the Peak of the Chi Gathering Rank. Because the Tribulation’s attack was still a bit weaker than hers, it broke down in the same way as the previous ones. However, Bryn could feel the difference this time, as those sparks left behind were not only bigger but when they hit her body shielded by both her physical Armor and Casting Star Shield Spell, she felt her entire body shake from the shock, with small tears appearing in her muscles and her smooth skin and small veins breaking in many places, to the point that the usual golden shine changed to a rich crimson hue that, if not for her armor hiding it, would have brought her family a strong heartache. The upside was that her Organs, protected by another protection layer comprised of muscles and bones, were only shaken but not injured.
“Thirty-seventh down. Forty-four to go...” She muttered wryly as her Soul Sense scanned herself, noticing the fact that a brief moment was all it took for her skin to heal completely, although her now unblemished skin was still hidden below her crimson blood. As for her torn muscles, she could ‘see’ them knitting together through her Inner Sense at a speed that defied comprehension, almost catching up to her cousin and his overpowered Perk, thanks to the synergy between her Bloodline and Physique, boosting every single physical attribute to transcending level, at least compared to others with similar Cultivation Bases. Unlike the previous Phase, when she only had around half a minute to recuperate from each strike, this time, a whole minute passed before another Lightning Bolt, marginally bigger than the previous one, exited the black sea of clouds above. ‘As long as the injuries stayed in the same range, a minute is enough to heal completely. The thing is, I’m not even halfway through and I already received some light injuries. If the pattern stays the same and those Lightning Bolts keep getting stronger...’ She briefly thought, feeling some slight worry creeping up, before she was forced to push that thought aside when the gigantic Lightning Lance fell on her, and she had to do her best to fend it off. This time again, she was able to defend successfully, receiving only a few wounds that healed very swiftly, although her healing rate was slightly slower than previously. ‘As expected.’ She exclaimed inwardly when noticing the slight decrease. Letting out a small sigh, she added. ‘I guess it could’ve been worse. From what I experienced so far and what Sergei and Ling told me, the Tier 1 Tribulation only affects the Physical Body and not the Soul. Not that I’d be afraid if it did, but since my Body is stronger than my Soul and Energy, it’s better for me this way.’ Despite the increasingly perilous situation, the young woman would not let herself break down. Especially with the three people she loved dearly waiting for her, although she would never admit it out loud, especially to a certain horny (and unfairly attractive) bastard. ‘Fuck! Once I go through the Tribulation, I’ll definitely punch his smug face a few times!’
Her random thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the fall of another Lightning Strike, which inflicted her with another round of ‘light’ injuries, although her proud figure did not falter the slightest bit. Instead, her thoughts became rowdier, with plan after plan appearing in her Mind, all to find the best way to pummel the so-called ‘horny bastard’. It started relatively mild, whether her plan or her name-calling. However, as the seriousness of every round of injuries increased, giving rise to excruciating pain, so did the ‘crudeness’ of her ‘language’. From ‘annoying brat’ to ‘fucking unfaithful asshole’, the young woman was clearly using Demian to divert some of her attention, which, in turn, lowered the pain she experienced. Some called it ‘placebo effect’, but in Bryn’s Mind, it could be called unicorn or helicopter effect, as long as it worked, she did not care. Plus, in her Mind, he clearly deserved some punishment. Wasn’t he constantly flirting around with her Sister, her Mother, and even herself? He should be delighted that she even had feelings for him after seeing how much of a playboy he was! No! Not delighted! Honored! Right! He should be honored to have an exceptional woman like her loving him! Another strike fell on her, this time injuring her Internal Organs and bringing a wave of pain along. ‘FUCK! IT HURTS LIKE A FUCKING BITCH!’ She screamed internally, feeling a mounting exhaustion and lightheadedness from resisting the agony she had been repeatedly experiencing, her mental and physical stamina dipping even lower, which forced her to consume another few Healing Pills if she did not want to be too exhausted to resist what was left of her Tribulation. ‘For fuck’s sake! Why does it have to hurt so much? I feel like every centimeter of my insides is both on fire and getting stabbed at the same fucking time. Fuck me!’ Her breath was ragged, and her body kept twitching from the inhuman sufferings she was experiencing. She counted briefly and exclaimed inwardly. ‘That was the Sixty-Fourth Bolt, which should be another cycle. That would explain why it feels like my Internal Organs are being used as a fucking battleground!’
Despite instinctively hiding her inner struggle behind her usual poker face, her deep gasps betrayed her, although no one was beside her to notice it. Only Mikhail Anrepov, Bright Star Island’s General Protector, and the Sergei couple were able to notice the young woman’s current predicament. However, the three, without even needing to consult themselves, decided to keep that information to themselves, as sharing it with the other three Mikhailovs would only unsettle them further, and since they would not be able to provide any help for her, it was better to keep silent for now. That aside, Mikhail was impressed by the kid’s toughness, her mouth not even letting out a small grunt of pain, despite her body being ravaged by Purple-Grade Lightning Essence, even if those were only the remnant sparks, instead of a complete Lightning Bolt. Well, the girl would have been obliterated, with not a drop of blood remaining, if it were the latter, so that was that. ‘Her Combat Power is really off-the-charts. Even those Peak geniuses from the Main Continent are merely at that level.’ Pondering for a moment, he decided. ‘If we nurture her the right way, she might be the key to elevating the Federation’s standing. The thing is, if it gets official, she would definitely be targeted by those Frost Beast Palace bastards... We’ll need to plan it well. Better talk to Sergei and Ling after the Tribulation is over...’ While the spectators were busy with their own thoughts and emotions, from amazement to concern, Brynhild was steadily resisting the periodic fall of Lightning Bolts, all the while receiving progressively graver internal wounds. It was to the point that after the remnant sparks coming from the Seventy-First Bolt, which were each almost as big as those Bolts from the First Phase, fell on her body, she knew her Organs’ healing rate would not keep up with the one-minute time limit she had between each Bolt. The problem was, if her calculations and information were correct, the Seventy-Second Lightning Bolt would gain a larger boost of power, and she would need to use all her strength to avoid being one-hit killed by it.
‘Only nine bolts left! You can do it, Bryn! Think about how you’re going to hit that smug smile of his off his face and maybe...’ With a thought, a few bottles of Pills appeared in the air, floating in front of her face. Another thought, and their lid popped off before a few Pills floated swiftly toward her mouth, where her Helmet was previously seamless, but was now sporting a hole big enough for her to eat normally, leaving plenty of room for gulping a few large bean-sized Pills. After swallowing those potent Tier 2 Healing Pills, the bottles disappeared along with the mouth hole in her armor, turning her helmet back to its previous flawless appearance. As soon as those magical Pills touched her tongue, they dissolved, freeing the massive amount of Energy previously contained in their deceptively small form. Then, as if directed by an unseen force, that heterogeneous mass of Energy separated and moved toward different parts of her Body. Half of it was dispersed in her Bones, Organs, and Muscles, repairing the damage her body was afflicted with by the powerful Lightning Essence that struck her repeatedly. As for the rest, they mostly went to restore her Energy reserve, whether it was her Inner Energy or Blood Energy. ‘Thank Aunt Ling and that General for their Pills! Otherwise, I don’t think I’d have been able to hold on much longer.’ She contemplated as the pain from her injuries was fading quickly, bringing her exhaustion and muscle spasms previously wracking her body along with it. Letting out a sigh, the young woman muttered. “Nine left and I’m done with this shit.” The ‘normal’ Bryn would never utter that kind of foul language, doing her best to appear stoic, giving the idea that she was an unflappable pillar for her family. Now, however, she did not give a damn. She was going through a life and death Tribulation, and the man she fell in love with was not only her cousin but had also seduced both her own Sister and Mother. So, fuck that shit! She would curse, and she would not feel bad about it! Plus, it was not as if those three could hear her over the abnormally loud thunder coming from above her location.
Shaking her head slightly, she was subconsciously keeping track of the time left before the next strike was supposed to fall on her injured self, while sensing the progress of her inner wounds, noting the magic scene of every crack mending and every tear knitting itself together. The ‘view’ was somewhat distracting, especially since her nervous system stopped throwing those mind-breaking pain signals thanks to the Pills’ numbing actions. Seconds went by inexorably, growing closer to the next strike that promised to be extremely powerful, stronger than she had faced so far. Ten seconds left. Nine. Eight. Seven. ‘Should I use the Formation to reduce the Bolt’s strength?’ She thought briefly. Six. Five. Four. ‘No matter if I use it or not, I should prepare the token. Just in case.’ She added, her expression tensing slightly in anticipation of the attack, her Intuition sensing a growing danger. Three. Two. One. ‘Here it comes!’ She exclaimed inwardly as the Purple Lightning Bolt materialized from the dark cloud sea right over her head. As her senses caught the fluctuations erupting from the Lightning Bolt, the already tense expression on the powerful woman worsened even more, prompting her to subconsciously curse aloud. “You gotta be fucking kidding me!” Indeed, while the previous strike was already dangerous even for her, it was still something she would be capable of defending against, although it would leave some serious injuries. This one, however, clearly crossed the ‘serious’ threshold and went directly into ‘Sure-death’ territory. ‘Didn’t they say it was just a test? Why does it look like those fucking Clouds want to obliterate me?’ She complained inwardly, while her Body and Mind moved automatically, the former preparing to strike back, while her Mind was busy activating a few Peak Tier 2 Protective talismans Sergei had included in her Void Ring a while ago. She also immediately activated the City Protective Formation token, covering herself in multicolored Energy Shields, the strong fluctuations they emitted reducing some of her uneasiness.
Although it seemed like all those actions took a long time, barely a fraction of an instant went by, a clear display of Brynhild’s inhuman attributes. Nonetheless, that transcendent level of physical speed and mental acuity was barely enough. Indeed, as soon as those barriers materialized, the Lightning Bolt was already on its way down, bringing with it an overwhelming Killing Intent. Striking the first of several Earth Shield Barriers, it crushed them so swiftly that it almost felt like those were merely illusions. The following Talisman barriers disappeared as quickly, barely denting the Bolt’s Energy reserve and increasing Bryn’s apprehension. However, the next barrier, which was formed from the City’s Yin-Yang Seven Stars Cycle Array, held on for (relatively) much longer, although it was still barely a few blinks before it disintegrated from the Lightning Bolt’s overwhelming power. Not that the Array was inherently weaker than her Tribulation, but since she could only mobilize a small part of it, which was merely equivalent to Peak Tier 2, resisting for a few instants what seemed to be an average Low Level Core Formation Cultivator’s strike was already extraordinary enough. Asking for more would be ungrateful. Especially since average Cultivators at the Peak of the Chi Gathering Rank were only granted Peak Tier 1 access to the Array’s protection. From the information she received from the General before she was teleported, it was only because of her incredible talent that she received some privileges. Plus, from what he told her, using a stronger version of the Array would merely increase her Tribulation’s difficulty instead of helping her pass through it safely. ‘Then, is that why I feel like my Tribulation wants my head instead of being simply there to test me?’ She briefly thought before her entire body moved through her Casting Star Halberd Arts’ cleaving motions, mobilizing every bit of her Energy before infusing everything into her strike. Another blink and her Peak Tier 2 Halberd collided against the weakened Purple Lightning Bolt, generating shockwaves strong enough to easily erase multiple city blocks from the map. Unfortunately, the power behind her own attack was not enough to destroy her ‘enemy’, merely weakening it further before it swiftly went through both the Golden Jade Energy Shield Spell formed around her armored body and the armor itself, crashing against her now unprotected skin.
At that moment, Bryn gritted her teeth in anticipation of the crushing pain that would erupt as soon as what remained of the Purple Lightning Essence started wreaking havoc inside her. And as expected, those distinct masses of violent Energy started to tear down every cell in their way, whether it was her tough Skin, her refined Muscles, flexible Tendons, or resilient Inner Organs, leaving her flesh completely mangled. Even her Bones started breaking down at an alarming rate, which would have been a clear game over for her if not for the Pills still working their healing magic in her system, doing their best to restore the damage caused by the Lightning Essence along with her own monstrous healing factor, exhausting little by little the invading Essence along the way. It sounded slow, but all of it, from the Lightning falling on her head to her body resisting the attack, not even a second went by, which was both a blessing and a curse. Feeling briefly lightheaded from the sudden agony, which forced her to let out a muffled, pained grunt, she quickly recovered thanks to her strong will and powerful Soul Cultivation. ‘Damn it! That was too close for comfort!’ She cursed inwardly as she noted how close she was to dying. ‘But, I can do it! It feels like fucking torture and I’ll probably end up half-dead, but as long as I use the Healing Pills correctly and I don’t pass out, I’ll pass this fucking test!’ Despite the terrible state her body was currently in, the fear previously gripping her Heart vanished almost completely. From metaphorical despair to great hope, Brynhild suddenly felt some kind of soothing energy washing over her Mind, granting her some kind of mental improvement, her thoughts running much smoother and her emotions fluctuating much less. It was as if her emotions would be much less impacted by external stimuli. In Cultivation terms, her Heart Cultivation, although still at the lowest Rank, the Red Dust Rank, had clearly advanced one step further. As for the specific, her knowledge about that mysterious Cultivation System was too lacking to know precisely.
However, details were unnecessary as long as she could enjoy the benefits. And enjoyed she did, as the pain previously reaching agonizing levels had become much more subdued. It was still powerful enough to melt a Mortal’s brain instantly, but for her, it was much more bearable. Letting out a sigh of relief, the young woman commented inwardly. ‘Better late than never... With that breakthrough, my chances increased even more...’ Now that she ‘knew’ she would survive, she wondered. ‘Seeing how ridiculous that Tribulation is, the benefits I’ll get from it should be pretty good, right?’ Her Mind, now much calmer, was filled with random thoughts while waiting for the Seventy-Third Lightning Bolts to fall and inspecting her healing injuries. As a minute passed, a Purple Lightning lance materialized, its size and power slightly stronger than the previous one. ‘Here it comes again. Why can’t it be late for once? Even a few minutes would be fine.’ As if it wanted to destroy her hopes, the Energy Bolt immediately fell on her and, after being broken down, worsened her previously unhealed injuries. A minute and a few Pills consumed later, the Seventy-Fourth Bolt dropped on her head. As the cycle repeated again and again, her injuries were starting to pile up to the point that every bone in her body had some degree of fracture, with the smallest, and thus weakest, looking dangerously similar to bone powder rather than hard bone. As for her Organs, they were rupturing, creating a mess in her upper body, not helped by the fact that her tendons, muscles, and skin were now more akin to meat past than solid flesh. Frankly, if it were not for the Peak-Grade Tier 2 Healing Pills gifted to her previously and her recent Heart Cultivation advancement, she would have already collapsed, not only failing her Tribulation but also losing her life as a consequence. Nonetheless, her persistence was paying off as her slightly dazed Mind realized that the last Bolt was the Eightieth one. ‘One left and I’m through with the whole thing. The Foundation Building Rank is almost in my grasp. I can’t afford to fail right now!’ She told herself firmly. Being young and talented, she was not ready to die just yet, especially against something so low-level as a Tier 1 Tribulation. ‘If I died here, would they be sad? Would he...? Who knows, maybe he’d fall head over heels for me and propose to me? I mean, he did it for my sister, so why not me?’ She wondered, amused, as the image of a handsome young man sporting shoulder-length raven-colored hair appeared in her Mind. The image was swiftly replaced by her Mother and Sister lying smiling in his embrace, prompting a self-mocking smile to grace her mangled face. Shaking her head slightly, she decided. ‘Better stop dreaming, Bryn. He already has those two. Why would he need someone like you? Well, let’s just survive for now. It’s a better use of my time.’
With her decision made, she refocused on her current situation, those thoughts having merely taken instants out of the minute she had left before the last and fiercest Purple Lightning Bolt would assault her, a confrontation that would determine if she succeeded in transcending her current ‘life-state’, evolving into a superior being, or be vaporized, her monstrous potential remaining unfulfilled. As the crucial moment neared, her uneven breaths deepened, and her previously unruly emotions settled down into a peculiar stillness, slowing down her perception of time. Seconds that felt like hours went by, thunderous sounds echoing from the thick, dark cloud sea above her head, while shocking Energy fluctuations brewed hidden from her normal sight but glaring in her Soul Sense. Ten seconds were left. Seven. Five. Two. Zero. ‘If I don’t survive, I hope Demian will take care of Mom and Sis...’ That was her last thought before a colossal Lightning Bolt dropped on her, its color so deep it was almost as black as the clouds floating above, showcasing the terrifying Energy it contained.
In the blink of an eye, everything was over. ‘Did I... Make it...?’ Brynhild wondered, her consciousness vanishing slowly after her Tribulation was finally over.
