Xuanhuan: The Empress and I Swapped Bodies - Chapter 20

From the golden gate descended a being forged of lightning.

With every step it took, thunder rippled beneath its feet, spreading across tens of thousands of miles. The sky blazed with electricity, as if the creature were a deity towering above the Nine Heavens, while all living things below were mere fish trapped in its net.

The sheer magnitude of its presence struck terror into the hearts of onlookers.

Many had only heard legends of such a phenomenon—that when a heavenly tribulation reached a certain intensity, a lightning-born entity would emerge to enact heaven’s judgment. Yet few had ever witnessed it firsthand.

But today, Ye Wushuang’s tribulation summoned this creature from the very beginning. The crowd was stunned.

“For a lightning-being to appear right at the start… Just how monstrous is his tribulation?!”

“It’s partly because he provoked the heavens. Otherwise, the trial wouldn’t have begun so fiercely!”

“Regardless, he’s finished. No one survives a tribulation this brutal.”

The moment the lightning-being materialized, the spectators unanimously declared Ye Wushuang’s doom. Even the Divine Dragon Empress and the Imperial Seal of the Human Emperor paled.

Only Ye Wushuang remained unfazed.

As the lightning-being charged toward him, he moved first.

No defensive stance. No hesitation. Just a clenched fist and a direct assault—a close-quarters brawl against a creature of pure thunder.

The crowd gaped.

This wasn’t some flesh-and-blood foe. This was a lightning incarnate. To charge bare-handed was sheer madness.

And yet—

BOOM!

The collision sent both combatants staggering back a step. In raw power, they were evenly matched.

But the aftermath was gruesome.

Electricity wreathed Ye Wushuang’s body, arcing out from his back as if the strike had pierced clean through him. The stench of charred flesh filled the air.

For a moment, he stood motionless, his body blackened, his hair singed upright. He looked like a corpse struck by lightning.

Murmurs of pity arose. Another genius, lost to his own arrogance.

Then—he moved again.

Fist raised, he lunged at the lightning-being once more, roaring:

“Is that all you’ve got? AGAIN!”

Another collision. Another surge of electricity. This time, the bolts engulfed him entirely, crackling across a radius of several hundred meters. Ye Wushuang seemed to bathe in the storm.

The scent of roasted flesh grew thicker.

Yet he didn’t stop. Blow after blow, he attacked relentlessly, as if pain meant nothing. His body charred further, crumbling like brittle coal—yet his eyes burned brighter, his resolve unshaken.

Meanwhile, the lightning-being dimmed with each strike, its energy draining under Ye Wushuang’s savage onslaught.

Finally, one last punch landed—

The creature shattered into dissipating sparks.

Ye Wushuang had outlasted it through sheer force of will.

The crowd barely had time to process this feat when the golden gate above rumbled again.

This time, it wasn’t a single being that emerged—but an entire battalion of lightning-warriors, led by a Thunder General.

The general’s face was obscured, but his aura alone silenced the skies. The sword in his hand radiated a pressure that stifled even immortal kings.

This wasn’t just a trial. This was an execution squad.

The spectators’ pity for Ye Wushuang turned to outright despair.

Surviving one lightning-being was miraculous enough… But now, a general and his army?

Even the Imperial Seal of the Human Emperor muttered grimly:

“This kid… might actually be done for.”

If Ye Wushuang died, the Divine Dragon Empress’s plans would collapse—a worst-case scenario for the Imperial Seal. Yet heavenly tribulations permitted no interference. Any external aid would only amplify the calamity.

They could only watch.

Unaware of their thoughts, Ye Wushuang stared down the Thunder General. Fear was irrelevant. His blood thrummed with battle-lust.

And beneath his charred exterior, something shifted.

Though his body resembled withered charcoal, his draconic bloodline pulsed with newfound vigor. The phantom dragon around him solidified further.

With one step—his scorched flesh regenerated, restoring his striking features.

A second step—his body glowed, reforged into an indomitable vessel.

A third step—his aura exploded, sharp as a sword unsheathed, piercing the heavens themselves.