The Path of Immortality: Starts With Creating Water Bear Gu-Chapter 421: The Terrifying Mysterious Metal

Time flowed by, and before anyone realized it, seven days had passed in a flash.

Instead of dispersing, the crowd of spectators had only grown larger.

Everyone eagerly fixed their excited gazes toward the square, showing no signs of impatience. The one who received the most attention was the artifact fanatic standing in the center of the square.

On this day, the originally clear sky suddenly became overcast.

Unnoticed by all, dark clouds had already gathered above their heads, rolling with thunderous rumbles. The deafening roar of the thunder made the people below instinctively cover their ears, their eyes filled with shock.

A fierce wind suddenly swept through the square, howling violently as if about to lift people off the ground. Sand, dust, and debris were all swept up into the air.

On the high platform, the panel of judges had to shield their eyes with their hands to prevent sand from getting in.

"This is…"

Seeing the terrifying sight before them, the judges on the high platform were all taken aback, one after another standing up in astonishment.

"A Lightning Tribulation! This is a Lightning Tribulation triggered by artifact forging!"

"I've been a Fourth-grade Artifact Forger for hundreds of years, and this is the first time I've seen an artifact capable of summoning a Lightning Tribulation! Witnessing the birth of such a tribulation with my own eyes… I have no regrets in this life!"

"So this is the legendary Lightning Tribulation? I never expected that in this artifact forging competition, a genius would actually create an artifact that could summon such a phenomenon! Incredible! I think we already have our champion!"

The judges were beyond excited, their faces flushed as they engaged in heated discussion.

"Who is it? Which genius has summoned the Lightning Tribulation?" Qin Zhan’s eyes gleamed as he scanned the square, observing the ten competing geniuses one by one.

"Hahaha! That would be my clan’s artifact-forging genius, Wang Liang. His Flowing Cloud Sword is almost complete."

"I never thought that his Flowing Cloud Sword could actually attract a Lightning Tribulation. Looks like the championship belongs to my Wang Clan."

"Thank you, thank you!"

Wang An smiled and cupped his hands toward the people around him, his eyes unable to hide his excitement. With the appearance of the Lightning Tribulation, his seven days of nervousness and unease had finally dissipated.

Hearing this, everyone turned their gaze toward a young man named Wang Liang. He was quite handsome, but his eyes carried an air of arrogance.

Above his head, a silver, gleaming spirit sword floated in mid-air, its surface crackling with wild red lightning. It looked as if it could be baptized by the crimson Lightning Tribulation at any moment.

"Hahaha, unbelievable! Absolutely unbelievable! The spirit artifact I forged actually summoned the tenth-ranked Life-Destroying Lightning from the Lightning Tribulation rankings! How can you even hope to compete with me now?"

Wang Liang turned to glance at the artifact fanatic beside him, his gaze full of disdain. He sneered, "So what if you have Heavenly Fire? Having it doesn’t mean you can forge superior artifacts!"

"A forging failure is always a forging failure. Even if you cheat with Heavenly Fire, you have no chance of defeating me, a true artifact-forging genius! This round, you've already lost!"

However, just as he finished speaking, a sudden change occurred.

The artifact fanatic completely ignored Wang Liang’s mockery and simply tossed the rod in his hand into the sky.

"Boom!"

A deafening explosion echoed across the square.

The sound was so intense that everyone instinctively covered their ears, their eyes wide with terror.

Under their stunned gazes, a white tribulation cloud suddenly appeared above the red tribulation cloud.

In the blink of an eye, the white tribulation cloud devoured the red one—leaving nothing behind.

Before the terrifying white tribulation cloud, the red one had no power to resist.

"This…" Wang Liang’s expression froze, his mind completely blank.

He had just taunted his opponent, only to be instantly humiliated the next second. His face burned as if he had been slapped.

"My tribulation cloud was devoured? How is this possible?!"

Wang Liang’s eyes were bloodshot as he roared madly, his face twisted in fury.

"This… This is…"

Staring at the sudden appearance of the white tribulation cloud, the judges’ eyes widened in disbelief.

"That is the legendary Reincarnation Lightning, ranked ninth in the Lightning Tribulation rankings! It's far more terrifying than Life-Destroying Lightning! This artifact fanatic actually forged a spirit artifact capable of summoning Reincarnation Lightning! Am I seeing things?!"

An elderly judge shouted in shock, rubbing his eyes before looking again in disbelief.

The entire crowd collectively gasped, utterly stunned.

If the Life-Destroying Lightning had left them shocked, then the Reincarnation Lightning had downright terrified them.

Wang An stared blankly at the sky, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

It was obvious—just from the power of the tribulation alone—that the Wang Clan had already lost this artifact forging competition.

A victory that had seemed certain was now completely overturned. He had just been boasting moments ago, only for an unprecedented event to take place—a freakish genius had summoned an even more terrifying Lightning Tribulation. Wang An was nearly driven to madness, his gaze toward the artifact fanatic growing increasingly venomous, exuding a murderous aura.

"Boom!"

A bolt of white lightning suddenly descended from the tribulation clouds, illuminating the faces of everyone in the square.

The artifact fanatic raised his head sharply, his fingers trembling slightly. His gaze was solemn.

He was well aware of the terrifying might of a Lightning Tribulation. Under the wrath of the heavens, he dared not hold back.

With a furious roar, his body suddenly expanded, shredding his clothing and revealing golden fur.

In the blink of an eye, his body had grown to a towering height of several dozen meters.

The spectators gasped in horror as they watched a colossal golden monkey appear before them.

The giant monkey’s massive foot stomped down on the square, leaving behind a deep footprint. The other contestants panicked and fled, fearing for their lives—not only from the colossal beast but also from the descending Reincarnation Lightning.

The golden monkey roared to the sky before throwing a powerful punch toward the incoming tribulation lightning.

"Boom!"

Fist and Reincarnation Lightning clashed, producing a deafening explosion. At that moment, the entire land trembled violently.

Those nearby had blood streaming from their ears, their faces twisted in pain and horror. Eyes filled with fear, they frantically fled, not daring to remain any longer.

How could mere ants like them hope to witness a tribulation lightning strike? Stray bolts from the shattered thunder calamity struck the densely packed crowd, causing significant casualties.

On the high platform, the panel of judges turned pale with shock. Looking up at the enormous golden ape, their eyes were filled with disbelief.

The so-called "Artifact Fanatic" wasn’t even human—he was a spirit beast in human form! This revelation completely overturned their expectations.

A spirit beast learning artifact refinement was already shocking enough, but defeating all the human prodigy artifact refiners and winning the championship? It left them utterly dumbfounded.

Gradually, the expressions of the judges turned sour. A competition hosted by humans had been won by a spirit beast—this was nothing short of a scandal!

Did this not imply that their human artifact refiners were inferior to a mere spirit beast? How could they maintain their dignity after such an embarrassment?

“Artifact refinement is supposed to be an exclusive ability of humans. Yet, a spirit beast not only learned it but even surpassed all human refiners. Truly unbelievable!” Long Batian muttered in shock, staring at the golden ape.

“Haha, no wonder his talent for artifact refinement seemed so poor. If this 'Artifact Fanatic' is actually a spirit beast obsessed with refining, then everything makes sense,” Qin Zhan said with a wry smile.

“I never expected him to be a spirit beast! He must be the Monkey King of Ten Thousand Monkey Mountain. It’s said his bloodline has regressed to its ancestral form.”

“In the entire Western Region, there are few who can rival this Monkey King.” Long Batian’s expression turned exceptionally serious as he gazed at the golden ape.

“Enough chatter! Each strike of the tribulation lightning is stronger than the last. The next bolts won’t be something we can just stand around and watch—run!”

An elder shouted urgently. Everyone finally snapped out of their daze. Seeing the second bolt of Reincarnation Lightning about to descend, their faces turned pale. A shiver ran down their spines as they scrambled to flee toward the city outskirts.

“Master!” A senior disciple looked at the "Artifact Fanatic" with worried eyes, biting her lip.

“We must go now! Tribulation lightning does not discriminate between targets!”

“Don’t worry—so long as he abandons that spirit artifact, he will survive.”

The elder covered the young girl’s eyes and cast a solemn glance at the white thunder in the sky before quickly pulling her away.

The events unfolding in Phoenix Heaven City were now repeating themselves in Radiant Moon City.

The golden ape roared furiously at the city center, confronting each bolt of tribulation lightning head-on.

The plaza and the surrounding buildings had long since been reduced to ruins by the relentless storm. The apocalyptic sight left everyone deathly pale, their hearts trembling in the face of the sheer terror of the tribulation. And yet, if such a catastrophe could not kill the golden ape, just how terrifying was this creature?

As they watched the golden giant still roaring in fury amidst the thunder, everyone fell silent, their gazes filled with awe.

No one knew how long the tribulation lasted. Finally, as the last bolt descended, the deafening thunder ceased, the dark clouds scattered, and warm sunlight once again bathed Radiant Moon City in light. A hush fell over the city.

The golden ape had already returned to his original size. However, his condition was dire—his golden fur was scorched black, his body gravely injured, teetering on the edge of death.

Lying on the ground, gasping for breath, he glanced at the black staff pressed against his chest and smiled, feeling the relief of having survived.

He had no chance of withstanding the final two bolts of Reincarnation Lightning on his own. The only reason he survived was that, in his moment of desperation, he instinctively raised the Prison-Heaven Staff he had just refined.

Its hardness far exceeded his expectations—it had endured the last two strikes of Reincarnation Thunder without breaking.

It seemed that after being tempered by the tribulation lightning, the Prison-Heaven Staff had become even more extraordinary, its quality ascending by several grades.

“What kind of metal is this? It’s unbelievably tough! Even under the enhancement of artifact patterns, it could directly withstand tribulation lightning!”

The "Artifact Fanatic" gently traced the engravings on the staff, unable to hide his joy.

Yet, as he sensed the staff’s newfound power, his expression grew increasingly grave.

The Prison-Heaven Staff had surpassed all his expectations. Not only had it unexpectedly drawn the ninth bolt of Reincarnation Lightning, but it had also endured the tribulation and even absorbed its essence, further refining itself.

A spirit artifact that could endure tribulation lightning—what did that signify?

It meant that this was undoubtedly a divine artifact! It might even be the number one artifact in the Gu World.

Such a weapon was destined to defy the heavens. Otherwise, why would the heavens attempt to destroy it, even at the cost of summoning Reincarnation Thunder?

The "Artifact Fanatic’s" fingers trembled with excitement as he caressed the staff’s engravings, his breath quickening. To have personally forged a divine artifact—this was a level of fulfillment he had never experienced before.

This artifact would shake the entire Gu World, and as its creator, he would become famous because of it.

If he could recognize its value, how could others not?

As the tribulation clouds dispersed, the Gu Kings, who had cautiously re-entered the city, now stared at the Prison-Heaven Staff with eyes burning with greed.

A weapon that could summon Reincarnation Thunder and survive it must be an artifact beyond reason. Its wielder would undoubtedly gain unrivaled power within their realm; otherwise, the heavens would not have deemed it worthy of tribulation lightning.

Now, the artifact was right before them, and its owner was gravely injured. How could they not be tempted?

Seeing that the city’s protective formation had been destroyed by the tribulation, leaving no obstacles in their path, the greedy individuals immediately gave in to their murderous intent.

After all, it was just a spirit beast. Killing it meant nothing. Who cared if they took its divine artifact? Killing a mere beast wasn’t even against the law.

At that moment, the Gu Kings could no longer suppress their greed. They surged forward in a frenzied assault…

A similar scene had unfolded after the tribulation in Phoenix Heaven City, and now, it was about to be reenacted in Radiant Moon City.