After killing two giants, Zhou Hong prepared to return to Tian Yang Continent. Regardless, he had to go back and see if Lu Qian Qian had been killed.
However, just then, the dark clouds in the sky gathered once more.
Zhou Hong frowned slightly. The last time he underwent his first tribulation, the scene was the same. Could it be that someone else nearby was also undergoing tribulation?
As Zhou Hong was wondering, his grandfather shouted excitedly, "Zhou Hong, quickly, get ready for the second tribulation!"
"Grandpa, I just passed my first tribulation. It shouldn't come down so soon, right? It should be someone else undergoing tribulation nearby," Zhou Hong said.
"Silly boy, this is aimed at you."
"How is that possible? I'm not like Ruo Lan, who had accumulated power over time. How can I have two come down at once?"
"Zhou Hong, you don't know this, but if the first tribulation is very easy, the second one will come down very quickly. In short, the easier you pass a tribulation, the faster the next one will arrive. When you passed your first tribulation, it was like a tickle. Now, the second one is following closely behind. If you pass the second one easily again, then the third one will probably also come down very soon."
"Ah, there's such a thing?" Zhou Hong was extremely surprised but very happy in his heart. Originally, reaching the Tribulation Crossing stage meant that when one would break through depended entirely on when the lightning tribulation descended, relying on heaven's will.
But he never expected the second tribulation to come down so quickly. Doesn't that mean he could break through to the mid-stage of Tribulation Crossing soon?
"Zhou Hong, everyone thinks that the speed of breakthrough after reaching the Tribulation Crossing stage is determined by heaven's will, but that's not entirely true. You can influence it yourself, depending on whether you pass each tribulation with great difficulty or with ease. Experienced individuals will make thorough preparations, and the easier they pass, the faster the next tribulation will descend."
"Mhm." Zhou Hong quickly nodded. The dark clouds in the sky were already extremely dense. Zhou Hong immediately got ready.
In the next second, two massive pillars of lightning struck down from the sky. Zhou Hong didn't dodge, allowing the huge lightning pillars to hit him.
To show how easily he passed, Zhou Hong directly activated his sub-world and drew all the lightning into it, like a lightning rod. When the massive lightning pillars struck Zhou Hong, it was as if nothing happened, not even a tickle. It was even easier than the first time, as Zhou Hong had endured the first tribulation himself.
"Grandpa? Did I pass this easily or not?" After passing the second tribulation, Zhou Hong asked with a slight smile.
"Nonsense, it was even easier than the first time. Seeing how easily you passed the second tribulation, the third one should also come very soon," Zhou Hong's grandfather chuckled.
At this moment, Zhou Hong's realm had already reached the mid-stage of Tribulation Crossing.
Zhou Hong waited for a few minutes, and sure enough, the third tribulation arrived.
Zhou Hong was extremely excited. If he passed the third one, he would cultivate to the late stage of Tribulation Crossing.
If he passed the third tribulation just as easily, then the fourth one would also descend quickly.
Once he passed the fourth tribulation, Zhou Hong would step into the Mahayana stage.
Zhou Hong found it hard to believe that at the Tribulation Crossing stage, he could still improve at such an accelerated rate, as if cheating.
A few minutes later, the third tribulation struck down with a roar.
Three massive pillars of lightning. Anyone else would have been scared to death.
However, upon striking Zhou Hong, he was once again like a person who was fine. He directly drew the lightning into his sub-world. With the resistance of Zhou Hong's sub-world, digesting the lightning tribulation was incredibly easy.
Thus, Zhou Hong successfully broke through to the late stage of Tribulation Crossing.
"Grandpa, the fourth one should also be coming soon, right?"
"Theoretically, yes. After all, the easier you pass, the faster it arrives. This is why some geniuses pass the tribulation stage in just a few years. However, you are using your sub-world to resist the tribulation, which is even more brilliant than those geniuses."
"So this doesn't count as cheating, right?"
"Of course not. The sub-world is part of your strength. Those geniuses, when accepting the tribulation, naturally used many pills and magical artifacts to help resist."
"Mhm."
Zhou Hong waited quietly, anticipating the fourth tribulation. Once it descended, he would step into the Mahayana stage in one go.
Zhou Hong truly never expected to reach the Mahayana stage so quickly.
Once he entered the Mahayana stage, he would be at the same realm as the strongest giants in this world. Although he wouldn't be a match in a one-on-one fight, at least they would be at the same level. Zhou Hong could easily evade their detection, and it wouldn't be so easy to capture him.
Zhou Hong waited for about a day, and finally, the fourth tribulation arrived.
Although the interval was longer than the previous three tribulations, it was still only a day, which was considered very fast.
"Boom!" The fourth tribulation let out a deafening roar that shook heaven and earth. The forest where Zhou Hong was located instantly turned into a sea of fire, and the ground was split into a crater.
Zhou Hong stood in the crater, not a single hair out of place, let alone his clothes. Anyone else would have had their clothes turned to ash, just like Ruo Lan last time.
"Zhou Hong, congratulations. You have successfully passed the four lightning tribulations and stepped into the Mahayana stage," Zhou Hong's grandfather sensed Zhou Hong's realm had already entered the Mahayana stage and quickly sent his congratulations through their mental connection.
"Thank you, Grandpa."
"You are now also at the Mahayana stage, so you don't need to be so anxious to find a passage back to Tian Yang Continent."
"Right. I'll go to the giant kingdom's city first and capture 900,000 giants." Zhou Hong's gaze turned cold. It seemed that plans couldn't keep up with changes. He originally intended to return to Tian Yang Continent to find Lu Qian Qian, but unexpectedly, he had reached the Mahayana stage within a day.
"Now that you've reached the Mahayana stage, it won't be so easy for them to find you in any giant city. Capturing 900,000 giants to practice the Zhuxian Great Formation won't be a difficult task. However, 900,000 is still a huge number. How about changing it?"
"What do you mean? Change it?" Zhou Hong frowned slightly.
"Previously, you captured giants at the Nascent Soul stage because your realm was still at the Tribulation Crossing stage. Now that you've entered the Mahayana stage, why not directly capture a hundred thousand giants at the Tribulation Crossing stage? This way, after forming the Zhuxian Great Formation, you can still instantly kill Mahayana stage opponents."
"But the number of giants at the Tribulation Crossing stage must be even rarer. Capturing a hundred thousand of them will probably be very difficult."
Zhou Hong's grandfather pondered this as well. The more powerful the giants, the fewer of them there were.
"Then you decide."