Iris stared at John, surprise etched on her face as she heard his words. With her eye talents, she could see right through a person, and even tell if they were lying, but John's words carried the weight of absolute truth. He wasn't even in the Heaven Tribulation Realm, and yet he claimed to have been targeted by the heavens. What would one have to do for that to happen?
An item suddenly appeared in John's hands as he placed it before Iris, which was the highest quality healing pill he had on him. Iris hesitated for a moment before she took the pill and swallowed it. A rich medicinal warmth filled her stomach immediately as her body started transporting the medicinal properties to the rest of her body.
Rumble!
The tribulation clouds above rumbled in angered protest, both at John's interference, as well as the pill Iris had just swallowed. Cultivators were supposed to undertake their tribulations with no outside help at all, pills included. Such an action only served to anger the tribulation clouds above, making the tribulation even harder.
"Oh just shut up already," John yelled as he stared at the clouds above, his words angering it further. "You tried to kill me before and failed, and you can grumble all you want, but today will be no different."
Iris's eyes opened wide as she heard John curse the heavens, as no one was crazy enough to do such a thing lest they attract its wrath.
Bang!
A bolt of tribulation lightning blasted out from the clouds above, piercing with absolute fury at John and Iris below. Its might was far greater than anything it had displayed before, its anger on full display.
John raised a finger towards the oncoming lightning bolt, as his essence Qi surged at maximum power.
Lightning Disintegration!
A beam of incredibly powerful lightning blasted out, slamming into the tribulation lightning bolt.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion radiated outwards, bathing the land for miles in each direction in its might. Iris shielded herself to brace for the impact, but was once again protected by John, who blocked any harm from reaching her. Her eyes lingered on his back, which seemed far wider and stronger than normal.
The explosion faded away, revealing a massive crater miles across in the desert sand. Molten lava filled the bottom, a testament to the might of the explosion. John's calm gaze returned to look at Iris, who couldn't even process what was going on at the moment.
"Focus on healing up. In the meantime, Kirii will protect you," John said.
Kirii suddenly arrived next to the two of them, having been summoned a bit earlier by John through their soul connection. While protecting Adam and Chase was important, Iris was in the most danger at the moment.
Iris opened her mouth to reply, but John suddenly took off to the sky, piercing towards the tribulation clouds above. He wanted to put a bit of distance between him and Iris, as the explosions to come could overwhelm her. Even with Kirii protecting her, some could still leak through Kirii's defense.
He couldn't have her leave the area either, as the tribulation lightning was focused only on her. The only way to put distance between her and himself was up, towards the tribulation clouds above.
…
Hovering in the sky above, the shrouded figure watched as Iris struggled against the second wave of her heavenly tribulation. His face remained stoic as he watched her struggle, which was fast coming to an end.
A soft sigh once again escaped his mouth, as the beam that would claim her pierced from the clouds.
"Truly a pity. She fought well, but fate was not on her side," the man sighed as his gaze shifted towards John, and his eyes narrowed slightly.
Bang!
A lightning cage suddenly appeared above Iris, blocking the tribulation lightning strike that would surely claim her life.
"Oh just shut up already," John's angry yell sounded out, causing the man to raise an eyebrow in surprise. He had seen many things in his life, but had never seen someone so young be so dismissive towards the heavens.
The man watched in silence as John unleashed an attack at the tribulation lightning, and eventually shot up into the sky. A look of contemplation appeared on his face, and after a moment, he raised his right hand, as a surge of his Qi flared out. After this singular action, the man lowered his hand, and fell into silence as he watched the events unfold.
…
John shot up into the sky like a bolt of lightning, his cold gaze locked onto the clouds above. His Heaven Tribulation battle axe was tight in his grip as he prepared for the fight to come. However, just as soon as he took to the sky, a frown appeared on his face as he felt his body slow down, and eventually come to a halt.
"Tch, the flight restriction barrier," John cursed as he felt his body come to a halt while the restriction forced him to the ground. However, just as soon as the restriction appeared, it vanished.
He felt his body become unhindered by the flight-restricting formation, as if it no longer existed. His eyes widened slightly in surprise as he had not been expecting such a thing, but he immediately took advantage of the situation and shot up higher into the sky. Regardless of the reason for such a thing to happen, it made no difference at the moment.
Bang!
Another beam of tribulation lightning blasted out from the blackened clouds above, piercing down towards Iris.
Supreme Battle Art!
Limiter of Speed!
Limiter of Power!
Limiter of Pain!
Thunderbody Flash!
"Your opponent is me," John yelled angrily as he activated his strongest combat state without his Immortal Asura Transformation. In fact, it was the first time he had activated all three body limiters at the same time, which placed a substantial strain on his body. The normally dormant muscles, meridian pathways, and acupoints located at these limiters throughout his body sprung to life as John activated everything he could.
In his previous battles, he had been able to rely on his Immortal Asura Transformation to deal with his opponents. However, as he could not reveal that at the moment, he relied on the other tools he had at his disposal.
Body limiters were normally used one at a time, as the strain each limiter put on one's body was immense. It was activating parts of the body that were normally dormant to protect one's body and pushing them to their limits.
John had regularly used two before, but never three at the same time. He would deactivate one before using the other to lessen the strain on his body, but at the current moment he couldn't afford to do so.
Essence Qi and body Qi surged through his body, meandering through his meridians like raging rivers. His opponent was the heavens itself, and such an opponent was not one he could hold back against.
