Chapter 157 — Defying The World Law

Victor stared upward.

The clouds continued gathering above him.

They became darker.

Then darker still.

What had started as a strange collection of clouds had transformed into something ominous, almost alive. Lightning flashed throughout the darkness, crawling between the clouds like enormous serpents.

Victor's expression became serious.

Whatever was coming next…

It wasn't going to be easy.

A few moments later, something inside the clouds changed.

A massive bolt of lightning began forming.

It didn't immediately fall.

Instead, it remained suspended within the clouds, as though the heavens themselves were holding it in place.

Energy continued accumulating.

More.

And more.

Victor stared at it.

Then his expression changed.

"Wait a second."

The lightning was aimed directly at him.

There was barely enough time to react.

The bolt descended.

BOOM!

Victor immediately activated his newly formed Spiritual Core.

Every ounce of Spiritual Energy he could access surged through his body.

He raised both hands.

The lightning struck.

CRACK!

Pain exploded throughout his body.

The lightning surged through his hands and instantly traveled through every meridian.

Victor's entire body convulsed.

"ARGHHHH!"

His muscles spasmed violently.

The lightning seemed to burn him from the inside out.

His skin blackened in places as electricity tore through his body.

Outside the lightning's path, Lyra watched in horror.

But she didn't just see Victor's suffering.

She felt it.

The Soul Bond carried a portion of his pain directly into her soul.

Lyra instinctively covered her mouth.

Victor!

She took a step forward.

"I—"

Gregol's hand immediately stopped her.

He shook his head.

"This can only be done by himself."

Lyra looked at him.

"The chosen one must walk his own path."

Lyra didn't understand everything he meant.

But she understood enough.

If Gregol believed interfering would make things worse, then there had to be a reason.

She stopped.

All she could do was watch.

Victor's Black Phoenix Flame suddenly reacted.

The flame surged through his body, desperately trying to repair the damage being inflicted upon him.

His newly formed Spiritual Core accelerated the process.

The difference was immediately apparent.

His physical body was far stronger than it had been in the Body Tempering Realm.

Victor could clearly feel the difference between his previous realm and his current one.

The first lightning bolt continued tearing through his body.

Then, slowly…

It began fading.

Victor's knees trembled.

For a moment, his vision went dark.

He almost collapsed.

But he didn't.

His Black Phoenix Flame continued repairing his body.

Victor staggered backward.

Then steadied himself.

He was still standing.

He looked upward.

The clouds had become even darker.

Victor understood.

The world's laws don't want me to succeed.

Something was trying to suppress him.

To push him back down.

To prevent him from growing stronger.

Victor's anger began rising.

He looked directly into the clouds.

Then he shouted.

"Your laws will not stop me!"

His voice echoed throughout the cavern.

"Give me whatever you have!"

His eyes burned with determination.

"Let's see if I fall here today!"

His conviction settled into his soul.

Everything he had experienced since arriving in this world came together.

The slave bracelet.

Elder Benton.

The powerful cultivators who believed they could control his life.

The countless times he had been forced to rely on others.

The people he had lost.

The people he wanted to protect.

Victor clenched his fists.

He would become strong.

Nothing would stop him.

Not the bracelet.

Not powerful cultivators.

And certainly not the laws of the world.

His life belonged to him.

The instant Victor finished his declaration—

The clouds reacted.

The energy within them surged.

Monklalusa's expression changed.

Gregol's eyes widened.

They both understood what Victor had just done.

He had openly challenged the World Law.

That was almost unheard of.

The World Law governed the energies of the world.

The laws of life itself.

To challenge it was almost the same as challenging the world itself.

And Victor had just done exactly that.

Monklalusa stared at him.

"That boy…"

Another bolt began forming.

This one was different.

The lightning turned blue.

It grew.

And grew.

Until it was nearly twice the size of the previous bolt.

Gregol's expression became serious.

"The World Law is responding."

Victor looked upward.

The blue lightning descended.

Victor didn't move.

A smile appeared on his face.

"Come."

The bolt struck him directly in the chest.

BOOM!

Victor's body convulsed.

He didn't raise his hands.

He simply took it.

Lightning spread across his chest.

Cracks appeared across his skin as the energy burned through him.

His teeth clenched.

Pain exploded through his entire body.

This was the worst pain he had experienced since arriving in this world.

Nothing else came close.

Victor's muscles spasmed.

Blood escaped from the corner of his mouth.

His body trembled violently.

But his eyes remained fixed on the clouds.

He refused to look away.

His conviction remained firm.

My life is mine.

The lightning continued.

Victor finally dropped to one knee.

But even then…

He continued staring upward.

The lightning slowly faded.

Victor breathed heavily.

His entire body was covered in burns.

He could barely feel his limbs.

He knew the last attack had nearly taken everything from him.

There wasn't much left.

And yet…

He looked up.

The clouds were still there.

Victor smiled.

He slowly forced himself back onto his feet.

His legs shook.

He nearly fell.

But he remained standing.

"If you're not finished…"

He took a breath.

"…then neither am I."

His voice was hoarse.

"Come!"

The clouds responded.

A third bolt began forming.

Victor's expression changed.

This one was black.

Red energy twisted throughout it.

It almost looked like molten lava had been turned into lightning.

The sheer pressure coming from it made the air tremble.

Monklalusa's expression became grim.

Even he wasn't certain he could take such an attack head-on without suffering serious injuries.

Gregol watched silently.

The power contained within the bolt was terrifying.

And Victor was about to take it with a body that had already been pushed to its limits.

Victor stared upward.

Something inside him told him this was the final attack.

If he survived this…

The World Law would no longer be able to stop his breakthrough.

Victor clenched his fists.

"Come."

The lightning continued gathering.

"Show me."

The energy grew more violent.

"Throw everything you have into this bolt."

Victor's voice rose.

"You will not hold me back!"

Then he roared.

The sound came from the deepest part of his soul.

It wasn't simply a shout.

It was a declaration.

A battle cry.

Victor screamed toward the World Law.

The World Law answered.

The black-and-red lightning descended.

BOOM!

It struck Victor directly in the chest.

His entire body spasmed.

His arms flew outward.

His legs collapsed.

Victor slammed onto his knees.

Lightning tore through him.

His skin began turning black and red.

Blood poured from his mouth.

His body was burning from the inside out.

Victor knew.

I might die.

The thought was strangely calm.

He could feel his body approaching its limit.

His Spiritual Core trembled.

It was about to collapse.

Then—

Something inside Victor reacted.

His Black Phoenix Flame exploded.

The flame surged through his body.

And something Victor hadn't seen in a very long time awakened.

The Black Phoenix Form.

Victor's eyes widened.

He had used it once before.

Back when he was still in the Body Tempering Realm.

That transformation had nearly destroyed his Core.

He had been unable to use it since.

He had almost forgotten about it.

But now…

The Black Phoenix Flame activated it on its own.

Not for offense.

Not for battle.

For survival.

The instant the transformation began—

BOOM!

Victor's energy exploded.

Rank One Spirit Gathering.

Then Rank Two.

Rank Three.

Rank Four.

Rank Five.

Rank Six.

Rank Seven!

His cultivation surged all the way to Rank Seven Spirit Gathering.

The energy stabilized.

Victor's Black Phoenix Flame followed the path of his cultivation, growing stronger alongside it.

His physical body transformed as well.

His healing ability accelerated at an incredible rate.

The burned portions of his skin slowly began peeling away.

New flesh formed beneath them.

His body repaired itself faster than the lightning could destroy it.

But the pain didn't disappear.

Not even close.

Victor convulsed violently.

Blood continued flowing from his mouth.

His body repeatedly collapsed against the ground before his Black Phoenix Flame forced it back together.

Destroy.

Heal.

Destroy.

Heal.

The cycle continued.

Victor had no idea how long it lasted.

It felt like an eternity.

Monklalusa and Gregol watched silently.

Neither understood what the Black Phoenix Form was.

They had never seen anything like it.

But they could see what it represented.

Victor was refusing to surrender.

Monklalusa's expression changed.

He had respected Victor before.

Now…

It was different.

This was a warrior who had openly challenged the World Law itself.

Gregol felt the same.

He had followed Victor because Samal had chosen him.

But watching Victor endure this punishment without surrendering…

Gregol gained a new respect for him.

Not as the chosen one.

As a warrior.

Lyra couldn't watch anymore.

She stood nearby, her body trembling.

Through their Soul Bond, she could feel everything.

Every wave of pain.

Every burst of agony.

Every moment Victor's body broke apart and repaired itself.

She turned her head away.

She couldn't bear watching him suffer.

But she couldn't leave either.

She remained there.

Waiting.

Eventually…

The lightning began to fade.

The final sparks disappeared from Victor's body.

The clouds slowly began dissipating.

The pressure that had filled the cavern vanished.

Silence returned.

Victor remained on his knees.

His breathing was ragged.

His entire body was covered in burns and blood.

But he was alive.

He slowly raised his head.

The clouds were disappearing.

Victor smiled.

He had done it.

He slowly raised one trembling hand toward the fading clouds.

He tried to speak.

But no words came.

His arm dropped.

His body finally gave out.

Victor collapsed face-first onto the bridge.

Thud.

He didn't move.

His body remained there as his Black Phoenix Flame continued repairing the remaining damage.

The tribulation was over.

And Victor had successfully entered the Spirit Gathering Realm.