Chapter 157: The Dark Yellow Haze

"No!"

For a long time, Dugu Yixiao, who had kept silent, suddenly let out a roar toward the sky. This sound was a cry born from the depths of his soul, brimming with a sense of injustice and fury. Why was Heaven treating Lei Xiang so unfairly? While others only had to endure the standard thunder tribulation for their nascent soul formation, Lei Xiang was forced to undergo this Five Elements Tribulation. The hatred in Dugu Yixiao's heart burned fiercely, but what he hated even more was himself. Why was he so useless? When his only friend was facing a life-and-death trial, he was utterly powerless to help, left here with nothing to do but panic anxiously.

"It's useless for you to go up there. None of us can save Lei Xiang. Right now, perhaps only a true immortal could save him."

These words from Tian Rui felt like a thunderbolt striking Dugu Yixiao. An immortal? Where on earth could they find a true immortal? Why would immortals waste their time coming here to save a complete stranger? Thus, Lei Xiang was, for all intents and purposes, already a dead man. Remembering how Lei Xiang had stepped in to save him multiple times, and recalling how Lei Xiang had risked his life to explore the Suspended Island just to finally track down the whereabouts of his wife... As these thoughts flooded his mind, two clear trails of tears slid down Dugu Yixiao's granite-hard face.

Indeed, this man made of stone was crying.

In truth, not just Dugu Yixiao, but everyone present—including Daoist Wobo—felt a profound sense of grief and despair for Lei Xiang. Looking from afar, they saw that the area around Lei Xiang was densely packed with massive trees. Vaguely, these giant trees seemed arranged according to some mysterious pattern, carrying the faint aura of a formation. And that was not all; once the giant trees plunged deep into the mountain rock, their bare trunks began to sprout tender green buds. These buds grew at an astonishing rate, instantly covering the branches in foliage, and in the blink of an eye, the entire area was engulfed by a dense forest.

With their jaws hanging open in shock, the onlookers found that even their spiritual sense could no longer penetrate the area. This array forest was virtually isolated from the outside world. It seemed Lei Xiang had no chance whatsoever of escaping alive today. Tian Rui began to regret not having tried harder to dissuade Lei Xiang from entering seclusion; with Lei Xiang dead, her plans were ruined as well. If he hadn't rushed his breakthrough, even with his original strength combined with his self-crafted Four-Seven Immortal-Shooting Spear, Lei Xiang might have barely managed to cope with Xiaoya. But now, everything was finished.

The dark green cloud mass above their heads swelled and contracted once more. The "giant trees" stopped growing downward, and the color of the cloud began to fade, slowly shifting into an earthy yellow mass. It contracted sharply until it was only about an acre in size, from which tens of thousands of meteors plummeted. Initially the size of tabletops, these meteors expanded as they fell until they were as massive as multi-story buildings, crashing in a concentrated assault on the area encircled by the forest's giant trees. For a moment, rocks and broken tree branches flew everywhere, and the outside of the forest was enveloped in earthy yellow dust.

The crowd retreated several miles further back once more, each of them silently acknowledging the outcome of this tribulation. Even Dugu Yixiao regained his habitual composure; his granite face remained utterly expressionless as he closed his eyes and sat cross-legged on the open ground. No one knew what he was thinking, nor did anyone ask. A tacit understanding seemed to have formed among them as they waited for the final verdict of the Five Elements Tribulation, even though everyone already knew what the outcome would be.

Yet, a tiny shred of hope lingered in their hearts. After all, the person undergoing the tribulation was Lei Xiang—if anyone could survive such a monstrous heavenly trial, it had to be the equally monstrous Lei Xiang. Their reasoning was not entirely unfounded; Lei Xiang had surprised them too many times before. Moreover, sounds were already beginning to emerge from the forest shrouded in dense dust.

*Tap, tap.*

It was not the sound of earlier explosions, but a rapid pattering, resembling a fierce rainstorm drumming against a stone pavement. More broken branches and leaves were blasted outward, while the surrounding earthy yellow dust grew finer and denser, forming a thick, yellowish haze. Dugu Yixiao, who had been meditating the entire time, suddenly leaped to his feet and burst out laughing. "Good! Excellent! Lei Xiang is not dead! He's alive!"

The people around him stared at him as if he were a fool. Had this man lost his mind? In a formation of giant trees engulfed by such a thick, dense haze, no one could possibly survive. After a moment, Tian Rui's expression suddenly brightened. Nodding, she said, "Dugu Yixiao is right. Lei Xiang isn't dead. I can sense the aura of the Nine-Treasure Lotus Staff and the Blue Lotus Flower Disc. He used the ultimate defense of the Blue Lotus Flower Disc to withstand the Five Elements Tribulation from the heavens, and now he's counterattacking with the Nine-Treasure Lotus Staff. This Lei Xiang is truly astonishing! I just don't know if he can break through this Five Elements Grand Array."

Before her voice had even faded, the yellowish haze began to churn violently, as if a Flood Dragon were churning the sea inside. Broken branches and dust were blasted out even more frantically, and the entire grand array began to tremble and crumble. Could Lei Xiang truly possess the ability to break out? Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, arcs of electricity flashed across the giant trees, turning the dense forest into a dazzling, brilliantly glowing spectacle of myriad colors.

"Thunder and Lightning Fire Tree!" Tian Rui cried out in alarm. Could this be the legendary Thunder-Lightning-Fire-Wood that combined thunder, fire, lightning, and wood attributes all in one? It seemed Lei Xiang was doomed after all. The confidence Tian Rui had just built up was shattered by the sudden appearance of the Thunder-Lightning-Fire Tree. Sighing inwardly, she knew that with a Five Elements Grand Array constructed from Thunder-Lightning-Fire Trees, no matter how heaven-defying Lei Xiang might be, it was impossible to escape such a heavenly tribulation. Tian Rui retreated to her original spot, sat down with her eyes closed, and prepared to wait for Lei Xiang's tribulation failure before checking if there was any chance of saving him.

The onlookers drifted away one by one, leaving only Dugu Yixiao standing there. His hands were clenched into fists so tight that his fingernails dug into his flesh, his eyes fixed blankly upon the Thunder-Lightning-Fire Tree. Among everyone present, only Yang Jian felt a surge of wild elation. If Lei Xiang were blasted to ashes, he would finally regain his freedom and no longer be under Lei Xiang's control. This was something he had wanted for a long time. Last time, the Suspended Island failed to kill Lei Xiang, but this time, the heavens had opened their eyes to send down such a formidable tribulation—it was truly fulfilling his heart's desire. He even began to daydream about a life of freedom.

Events unfolded precisely as Yang Jian hoped. The Five Elements Grand Array made of Thunder-Lightning-Fire Trees remained tightly sealed by the thick yellow haze. The gravel and broken branches hurtling outward grew sparse and intermittent; it appeared Lei Xiang's counterattack had failed. Aside from Yang Jian, everyone's mood was heavy, including Daoist Wobo. Though his friendship with Lei Xiang was not deep, it was Lei Xiang who had helped rescue them when Xiaoya attacked last time. Furthermore, if Lei Xiang successfully formed his nascent soul within the Wobo Sect, having such a mighty god-like figure backing them up would make the future of the Wobo Sect simply wonderful.

Suddenly, a deafening explosion echoed from within the Five Elements Grand Array, one so loud it seemed to shake the heavens and the earth. A massive amount of lumber and fine gravel erupted once more from the Thunder-Lightning-Fire Trees, immediately followed by nineteen consecutive explosive blasts. At the southern gate of the Five Elements Grand Array, an oversized fireball burst forth. A half-meter breach was blown open in the Thunder-Lightning-Fire Trees on that side, turning more than ten of the trees into powder. Dust, debris, and haze surged out through this half-meter gap as if they had found a vent.

It was the Immortal-Shooting Spear!

Dugu Yixiao, who had stood unmoving all this time, violently whipped his tightly clenched right fist through the air. Tears shimmered in his eyes once more—these were tears of excitement. Who said the Thunder-Lightning-Fire Tree Five Elements Array couldn't be broken? Lei Xiang's Immortal-Shooting Spear had pierced right through it!

The crowd rose to their feet and gazed over, their hearts struck by boundless shock. What was this Lei Xiang made of? And what kind of immortal treasure was his Immortal-Shooting Spear? Only Yang Jian wore a joyful expression on the outside while tasting bitter gall within. It seemed failure had struck again. If even the Thunder-Lightning-Fire Tree Five Elements Array couldn't trap and kill Lei Xiang, then there was no way he could escape Lei Xiang's control. He might genuinely end up being his servant for a hundred years.

The yellow haze continued to vent silently outside the southern gate of the grand array. Ever since those twenty gunshots, the area had grown deathly quiet. Everyone watched in silence without uttering a word. After about five minutes, a blurred human figure walked out with steady steps. Indeed, stepping right out from the southern gate of the Thunder-Lightning-Fire Tree Five Elements Array was none other than the protagonist of this Five Elements Tribulation: Lei Xiang. He had truly succeeded.

Dugu Yixiao, who had been standing the whole time, was the first to charge forward. He wanted to give his sworn brother a passionate embrace. Even with Dugu Yixiao's flying arts, it would take him ten full minutes to cover such a distance, lacking as he was in Lei Xiang's Wind-Thunder Boots. But right at this moment, another sudden change occurred. As he charged forward, Dugu Yixiao witnessed a horrifying sight: the cascading yellow haze, mixed with extremely fine dust and particles, suddenly reversed its course the moment Lei Xiang stepped out of the grand array. With the precision of an invisible giant hand at work, the entire cloud of haze rushed straight toward Lei Xiang's head, pouring into it without encountering the slightest resistance.

Lei Xiang's figure froze for a single second before he toppled backward onto the ground. Yet the incoming yellow haze still refused to stop, continuing to pour endlessly into Lei Xiang's skull.