Appearing before Xiao Yan was a world of lightning, with countless bolts of thunder crashing down from the boundless sky like a waterfall, creating deafening roars and carrying a dense aura of heavenly thunder. As soon as Xiao Yan’s soul force entered this world of lightning, the many descending bolts of lightning seemed to sense it, and with a hissing sound, they pierced through the sky. The sudden burst of light almost covered the entire horizon.
Facing the overwhelming surge of lightning, Xiao Yan frowned slightly; he knew these were not real lightning bolts but rather the remnants of soul forces left in the scroll. “Disperse!” With a light tap on the void, a powerful soul force spread out like ripples, continuously surging from where his finger touched. Wherever the soul force passed, the incoming countless lightning bolts crumbled, transforming into silver specks of light that gradually faded into nothingness.
With a single finger, Xiao Yan dispelled the leftover soul forces within the scroll. His gaze then slowly swept across the space, seeing only the dazzling silver. Below him was an enormous silver lake, with lightning darting across it like silver serpents, resembling a lake of thunder. Except for the thunder lake, there was nothing else in the space, and any information about the so-called Three Thousand Lightning Body Phantoms was non-existent.
Scanning the space inch by inch, his gaze finally landed on the thunder lake. Frowning, Xiao Yan pondered for a moment before tapping the lake again. A powerful surge of soul force rushed down, sweeping across the entire lake, causing the surrounding lightning to dissipate rapidly. As the lightning faded, the lake became as clear as a mirror.
Xiao Yan watched intently as the lake became clear. After a moment, ripples appeared on the surface, and from those ripples, words formed by lightning slowly emerged. Standing high above, Xiao Yan could clearly see the lightning script. Excited, he concentrated and carefully memorized the words.
There were not many lightning script words on the lake, and after about ten minutes, Xiao Yan had them all etched in his mind. However, when he tried to piece the information together, his brows furrowed again. These pieces of information, according to his guess, should indeed be part of the Three Thousand Lightning Body Phantoms, but they were extremely disorganized, offering no clear lead.
“Shen Yun’s position in the Wind Thunder Pavilion is not low, so he wouldn’t fake a Scroll of Dou Technique. But why is the cultivation method not clear here? And upon closer inspection, it seems to have many flaws,” Xiao Yan murmured.
After pondering for a while, Xiao Yan closed his eyes and began to sort out the jumbled information in his mind. This process lasted nearly an hour. When Xiao Yan opened his eyes again, the confusion was gone. He did indeed find some issues; the information was indeed part of the Three Thousand Lightning Body Phantoms, but it was incomplete, just a part of the whole. That previous feeling of deficiency stemmed from this.
“The Three Thousand Lightning Body Phantoms have been split into several parts, and Shen Yun only has one of them. It’s a pity,” Xiao Yan sighed regretfully. It was only natural, as the Wind Thunder Pavilion’s treasure, it would be kept securely, not given entirely to a single elder. Splitting it apart was the safest way.
“I wonder how many parts are left. If I get a chance, I’ll try to gather them all. If I can successfully cultivate the Three Thousand Lightning Body Phantoms, it will surely be a great help in the future,” Xiao Yan sighed. He took another look at this world of thunder, shook his head, and his figure gradually faded away.
As Xiao Yan disappeared, the world of lightning once again became a chaotic storm.
In the cave, Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes, looking at the brilliant silver scroll in his hand. He couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly; indeed, obtaining a high-grade Earth Stage Dou Technique was not easy. At least, he had obtained part of the cultivation method for the Three Thousand Lightning Body Phantoms. According to his guess, the other parts might be with other elders of the Wind Thunder Pavilion. Perhaps, if he got the chance, he could gather them all.
With a light smile, Xiao Yan put the silver scroll into the Nether Sea Ring and shifted his attention to the more pressing matter: dispelling the Blood Thunder Mark in his body. If he didn’t, as Shen Yun warned, it would be a beacon guiding whoever followed him regardless of where he went.
Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yan quickly entered a meditative state, focusing his mind within his body, scanning every part. To his surprise, there was no sign of any abnormality, and the Blood Thunder Mark was nowhere to be found.
“It can’t be. I saw it enter me,” Xiao Yan muttered, then his heart stirred. The Lutinous Lotus Heart Flame slowly circulated through his meridians, eventually erupting and spreading throughout his body. Within his body, the flames burned fiercely. After a while, Xiao Yan finally detected a slight anomaly. His mind moved, and he focused on the source of the disturbance.
The place of the anomaly was quite remote, but the Lutinous Lotus Heart Flame, in its thorough search, revealed it. On a certain meridian, a slightly crimson silver mark flickered faintly under the flames’ burn.
“Indeed, deeply hidden. Without the power of the Flame, it would’ve been hard to find,” Xiao Yan sneered. He could sense the strange energy within the mark, which he was familiar with from his time cultivating the Three Thousand Lightning Movement, absorbing a bit of the wind and thunder energy from the fierce winds and thunder.
This energy was more powerful than regular Dou Qi. For ordinary people, it would be risky to forcibly remove it, as the wind and thunder energy’s eruption would cause significant damage. Fortunately, the Flame’s power was even more potent and unpredictable.
With a thought, a green flame quickly emerged, enveloping the mark and the meridian, releasing a terrifying heat. The high temperature did not harm the meridians, instead, giving a warm and comfortable sensation. The Blood Thunder Mark, however, began to distort, and the blood-colored energy dissipated under the intense heat.
“This Blood Thunder Mark is indeed peculiar. Even the Flame needs a long time to eliminate it. But it’s still due to my strength being insufficient. I need to level up quickly. Maybe it’s time to take the Sovereign Pill,” Xiao Yan mused as the mark faded.
The Sovereign Pill, a high-grade pill for Battle Sect, could increase the user’s strength by one or even two stars, but only one pill per person. Still, Xiao Yan had never used it, but now he might have to rely on it.
“Once the Blood Thunder Mark is neutralized, I’ll find a safe place to take the pill and break through to the Battle Sect level. Roaming in this Central Region, Battle Emperor strength is far from enough,” resolved, Xiao Yan focused his mind, urging the Flame to quickly refine the Blood Thunder Mark.
The refinement process lasted about two hours. The Blood Thunder Mark, under the intense burn, transformed into a cloud of blood mist and finally evaporated.
When the Blood Thunder Mark completely vanished, Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes, sighing in relief, “Finally done.”
“Now, it’s time to leave.” Standing up, Xiao Yan tidied himself, stowed the Earth Puppet into the ring, and headed towards the cave entrance. Just as he was about to move the boulder, a thunderous boom echoed from outside, shaking the cave violently.
“Xiao Yan, come out, you old bastard!” Amidst his shock, a furious roar thundered through the mountains.
“Shen Yun? Actually chased us down,” Xiao Yan’s face darkened, hearing the roar. He hadn’t expected this old man to bear such a grudge and chase him so quickly. If Shen Yun dared to follow, Hong Tianxiao must have come too. Facing two Battle Sects, if Xiao Yan didn’t use his true strength, things might not end well.
Taking a deep breath, a fierce look flashed in Xiao Yan’s eyes. These two old men were desperate, and a cornered rabbit would bite—let alone a wolf with sharp fangs like Xiao Yan.
“Ha, boy, didn’t expect to see you in such a miserable state right after waking up. Truly, what a spectacle,” a hoarse, amused voice suddenly echoed in Xiao Yan’s mind.
“Old Mr. Yao? Hearing the familiar laughter, Xiao Yan exclaimed, a look of joy in his eyes.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage