Time passed bit by bit. After several moments, the invisible pressure permeating the void gradually intensified to a weight of a hundred pounds. The thin layer of ice that had just formed on the mountain peak even began to emit eerie cracking sounds.
“Boom!” A deafening explosion resounded.
The black vortex in the sky solidified, and a massive arc of lightning, as thick as a water vat, descended from its center. As it passed, a scorching heat radiated through the void, and in a flash, it struck another vortex within the enormous pit.
The thick silver arc vanished in an instant. The mist near the vortex churned violently, and a low, guttural roar, as if emerging from the depths of an abyss, suddenly erupted, seemingly filled with endless agony.
Immediately after, another thunderous roar erupted from beneath the ground, and a terrifying shockwave rapidly spread from the pit.
The entire mountain peak began to tremble.
The thick, crystalline layer of ice covering the ground cracked under the violent fluctuations, splitting into countless fissures before shattering completely.
But at that moment, flashes of lightning flickered within the black vortex high above, and another thick silver arc coalesced before mercilessly striking down once more.
As the silver arc hurtled toward the pit, an angry roar erupted from the mist below, and a burst of milky-yellow flames surged forth, directly intercepting the arc.
The two collided in an instant.
The yellow flames appeared to blaze fiercely, yet they exuded an astonishingly frigid aura. Within the flickering firelight, ghostly faces materialized intermittently, appearing utterly grotesque and terrifying!
With a muffled explosion, both the silver arc and the flames simultaneously dissipated into nothingness.
“Yellow Springs Earthfire? No, such a small amount of Earthfire shouldn’t possess such formidable power!” Han Li narrowed his eyes, his thoughts racing as he observed the scene.
Just then, a voice filled with awe suddenly whispered into his ear: “This Huangliang Stone Spirit truly lives up to its reputation, having cultivated within the Yellow Springs Earthfire for tens of thousands of years. It has merged some of the Earthfire with its own demonic energy, transforming it into a formidable supernatural ability. Fellow Daoist Han, you must exercise caution when confronting this spirit, especially against this demonic fire.”
“Thank you for the warning, Venerable. I will be careful,” Han Li replied solemnly, his heart tightening as he expressed his gratitude.
From the sky, arcs of lightning continued to strike down one after another, their frequency increasing rapidly. Yet, the bursts of yellow demonic fire erupting from the depths of the pit matched their pace, intercepting each strike with precision, rendering the thunderbolts utterly ineffective.
However, this defiance seemed to provoke the wrath of an unseen force.
The black vortex in the sky writhed, and the lightning arcs ceased abruptly.
But in the next moment, a thunderous roar erupted from the vortex, and silver thunderballs, each the size of a human head, emerged within the dark clouds. Crackling with electricity and flashing with arcs, they appeared in such vast numbers that their exact count was impossible to discern.
This terrifying spectacle clearly unsettled the Stone Spirit lurking in the mist below.
With a strange cry, the yellow mist churned violently, and a creature roughly a foot in size shot out from the depths of the pit. In a flash, it hovered in the void a hundred zhang above the pit’s base. Its eyes bulged as it stared at the thunderballs in the sky, emitting low, guttural croaks, its posture one of grave tension.
Han Li, standing outside the mountain peak, scrutinized the creature intently.
It had an enormous mouth, slender limbs, and a short, thick neck that seemed almost fused with its body, bearing an uncanny resemblance to a toad. However, a third blood-red eye sat in the center of its forehead, and its skin gleamed with a golden radiance. Instead of webbed feet, its limbs ended in four sharp, menacing claws.
“So this is the Huangliang Stone Spirit! Truly bizarre in appearance!” Han Li marveled silently.
The moment the Stone Spirit’s true form appeared, the thunderballs in the sky seemed to react as if greatly provoked. With a deafening roar, countless bolts of lightning descended simultaneously.
In an instant, the entire mountain peak was engulfed in a dense web of thunderbolts, as if a tempest of electric hail had descended from the heavens.
The Stone Spirit’s eyes darted about, its croaking ceasing abruptly as it opened its mouth and spat out a small yellow flower.
The flower glowed with a faint yellow light, its surface covered in multicolored runes. As it caught the wind, it expanded to a zhang in size, completely shielding the Stone Spirit’s body.
This bizarre, oversized flower was clearly no ordinary object!
The moment the flower was summoned, the thunderballs in the sky homed in on their target, crashing into the yellow blossom in clusters of several or even a dozen at a time.
The flower rotated slowly, its runes glowing brightly as each thunderball vanished into it without a sound, as if swallowed by a bottomless abyss.
Even more astonishingly, with each wave of thunderballs it absorbed, the flower’s petals visibly expanded, growing larger by the moment.
After absorbing over a dozen waves, the yellow flower had doubled in size.
Consequently, its absorption rate increased dramatically, and within moments, the sky was cleared of thunderbolts.
Beneath the flower, the Huangliang Stone Spirit appeared unscathed. In fact, upon observing the flower’s current state, it let out a delighted chirp. Its belly swelled before it inhaled sharply, drawing the flower back into its body as a swirling mist of light.
A thunderclap erupted!
Electricity crackled across the Stone Spirit’s body as over a dozen thick silver arcs surged forth, intertwining to form a shimmering silver net around its form.
Within the lightning, the spirit rapidly grew in size. Within a few breaths, it had expanded to the size of a calf, its aura intensifying dramatically. Its three eyes widened as it emitted another strange cry, its cultivation seemingly having advanced significantly!
From the black vortex above, thunder roared once more. Amidst the writhing silver serpents, over a dozen silver thunder dragons flickered in and out of existence, poised to descend in the next wave.
“This is troublesome. I hadn’t expected this Huangliang Stone Spirit to possess such an ability to convert heavenly thunder. It seems its cultivation might actually increase after enduring the tribulation. In that case, there’s no need to wait any longer. Fellow Daoist Han! Venerable Tianchan! Let’s act now!” The Black Rain Venerable’s voice transmitted urgently, laced with frustration.
Han Li naturally had no objections and immediately voiced his agreement.
On the other side, Tianchan the monk nodded solemnly, his expression grave.
At that moment, the thunder dragons within the dark clouds roared in unison, diving downward.
“Now!” the old man barked without hesitation, no longer concealing his actions as he formed a single-handed seal.
With a “whoosh,” his figure blurred before vanishing into a wisp of black smoke.
An instant later, a ripple appeared a thousand zhang above the mountain peak, and the old man materialized.
With a sinister grin, he raised his hand and hurled a silver orb downward.
The orb expanded mid-flight, transforming into a colossal silver bell over ten zhang tall, crashing down toward the toad-like spirit.
Simultaneously, countless black threads materialized in the void around the mountain peak, hissing through the air as they shot toward the creature.
Behind the Stone Spirit, a white lotus silently bloomed in the void. A flash of white light later, a faint silhouette emerged—none other than Venerable Tianchan.
The monk’s eyes were lowered, his face expressionless, but from his sleeve flew a string of crystalline prayer beads.
With a flick, the beads transformed into dozens of multicolored orbs, hurtling toward the Stone Spirit.
Before they even struck, the orbs emitted thunderous roars, swelling to the size of human heads as they flew.
Faced with this sudden onslaught, the Stone Spirit initially recoiled in shock before letting out a piercing shriek of fury.
It opened its maw, spewing forth the same yellow flower to intercept the descending silver bell.
Then, its body blurred as it began spinning rapidly on the spot.
A golden flash erupted as countless golden rays burst from its form, scattering outward like a tempest.
The golden rays clashed with the black threads, producing ear-splitting explosions. Countless bursts of light erupted around the spirit, illuminating the entire mountain peak in a dazzling display.
The black threads couldn’t advance an inch closer!
Similarly, the multicolored orbs found themselves unable to breach the golden barrage.
Meanwhile, the silver bell collided with the giant flower. The bell trembled before suddenly emitting three clear, resonant chimes.
Each chime grew louder and more soul-piercing than the last.
Then, something bizarre occurred.
After the third chime, the yellow flower shattered into countless motes of light without warning, vanishing entirely.
The silver bell blurred once more, expanding several times over before crashing down like a small mountain, completely trapping the Huangliang Stone Spirit within.
Witnessing this, both the old man and the monk paused in surprise, their expressions brightening before they halted their incantations.
Above, the dark clouds crackled with lightning as the silver thunder dragons descended, their claws outstretched. Yet, as they neared the mountain peak, silver threads shimmered into existence, forming a massive net that enveloped the entire summit.
The dragons plunged into the net, only to explode into countless electric threads, which the net absorbed effortlessly.
This “Silver Sky Thunder Net,” prearranged by the Black Rain Venerable, had even severed the heavenly thunder—a testament to its renown as a treasure listed on the Myriad Spirit Ranking.
The old man muttered incantations, his fingers flicking rapidly as over a dozen spells vanished into the bell.
With a resonant hum, the silver bell’s surface shimmered erratically, poised to be retrieved by the Black Rain Venerable.
But in that brief delay, an earth-shaking explosion erupted from within the bell.
A wave of extreme cold swept through, and the entire bell shattered into fragments!
Yellow flames billowed forth, and a golden streak shot out like a meteor from the inferno. In a blur, it abruptly changed direction, diving straight back into the pit below.
The Huangliang Stone Spirit, recognizing the formidable nature of its foes, had chosen to flee!
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