Chapter 193: The Void Thunder Pool!
"Rumble..."
Suddenly, the explosive roar of thunder faintly reached the two's ears. The two exchanged a glance. From the look in each other's eyes, they could tell—they had arrived at the destination of this journey.
Before long, overwhelming, sky-filling thunderbolts filled Jiang Yun and Xiao Yi Xian's field of vision.
Within the pitch-black void space, the distant Void Thunder Pool rumbled and boomed with thunderous crashes. At the end of the darkness, silver light blazed brilliantly. Colossal thunderbolts, like giant dragons, howled and raged madly.
Countless, uncountable silver-white bolts of lightning connected the heavens and the earth, condensed and coalesced into an entire sea of thunder.
At the periphery of the Void Thunder Pool, streak after streak of pitch-black thunderbolts surged and churned madly. Masses of black lightning—slowly writhing like dark giant dragons—intertwined and collided. Any single one among them was sufficient to annihilate everything beneath the Saint realm.
"For there to actually be this many Black Demon Thunders within the void!" Even though she had already mentally prepared herself from Zhu Kun's description—upon seeing the real thing, Xiao Yi Xian still felt deeply, profoundly shaken.
She had seen the Black Demon Thunder before. Whether it was Jiang Yun refining pills, or her own pill refinement, both had summoned the Black Demon Thunder. But those had all been pitifully, meagerly few in number. For it to form an entire vast sea of thunder like this—it truly made one marvel at the wonders and mysteries of the world.
"It is indeed rather astonishing!" Jiang Yun gazed at the distant sea of thunder and nodded.
After the two of them had finished refining pills for the Ancient Dragon Clan, Zhu Kun had told him the information about this place.
This had taken Jiang Yun somewhat by surprise. But then, thinking of Zhu Kun's soul realm, and the many high-star Dou Shengs currently present on Dragon Island, it no longer seemed so strange.
After telling Jiang Yun the location of the Void Thunder Pool, Zhu Kun had said that there was a surprise waiting for him inside.
Jiang Yun had instantly understood. He knew that what Zhu Kun was referring to was the Nine Mysterious Golden Thunder.
Even the Nine Mysterious Golden Thunder's current condition and circumstances—Jiang Yun was certain that Zhu Kun was also well aware. But the Nine Mysterious Golden Thunder was of little use to Zhu Kun, and no one within the Ancient Dragon Clan could make use of it either.
And Zhu Kun knew that Jiang Yun could devour heavenly rarities and strange objects to raise his cultivation—which was what had led to this trip into the void.
"Let's go inside and take a look!"
Jiang Yun retracted his gaze and looked at Xiao Yi Xian beside him. Hearing this, Xiao Yi Xian smiled faintly. Extending her hand, she took hold of Jiang Yun's hand.
With a stir of his mind, a mass of black flame followed along Jiang Yun's hand and enveloped the two of them, forming a thin, fine membrane.
As the two walked deeper into the thunder pool, they immediately, unsurprisingly, drew the attention of some of the Black Demon Thunders.
A pitch-black thunderbolt, roughly a dozen or so zhang thick, instantly shot forth like a giant python. With a crackling, sizzling blaze of electric light, it blasted toward the two's heads.
"Rumble—"
The pitch-black thunderbolt smashed against the black demonic flames on the surface of the two's bodies. The black demonic flames swept and coiled, abruptly erupting with a strange, peculiar suction force that directly swallowed that bolt of Black Demon Thunder whole.
Then, an exceptionally pure, refined energy surged forth from within their bodies, ultimately dispersing and spreading into their limbs and bones.
As this pure, refined energy flowed through their meridians and muscles, it actually brought with it a faint, subtle, numbing, tingling sensation. Wisp after wisp of what seemed like electric current quietly, silently seeped and soaked in, causing every organ within their bodies to, in that very instant, erupt with an exceptionally comfortable, delighted, pleasurable sensation.
"It works..." Jiang Yun felt the surge of pure, refined energy that had appeared within his body, and the practically negligible, microscopic improvement to his physical body. Shaking his head, he said, "But not by much."
By Jiang Yun's estimate, even if he were to completely devour every last bit of Black Demon Thunder within this sea of thunder, it still wouldn't be enough to push him to a four-star Dou Sheng. Because after devouring too much Black Demon Thunder, his body would develop a resistance and tolerance to it.
It was like many pills that boosted one's cultivation—a person could only ever take one in their entire lifetime.
And a single star's worth of improvement—to Jiang Yun, it was practically negligible, scarcely worth mentioning. It wasn't worth wasting time over.
After reaching this conclusion, Jiang Yun no longer hesitated. Bringing Xiao Yi Xian with him, he charged directly and straight into the very depths of the sea of thunder. And this action of his immediately provoked and triggered a violent rampage within the thunder pool.
Streak after streak of thick, massive black thunderbolts—densely, overwhelmingly packed—smashed toward Jiang Yun and Xiao Yi Xian's bodies. Amidst the crackling, sizzling flickering of electric sparks, they were saturated with a violent, raging power that made one's scalp tingle and crawl.
Yet even as violent and raging as the Black Demon Thunder was—it still could not impede or obstruct Jiang Yun's advance in the slightest.
Deep within the silent, still Void Thunder Pool, rumbling thunder rang out in wave after wave. Countless black thunderbolts, like giant pythons, howled and surged, their sheer momentum overwhelming and sky-filling. Ten thousand thunders moved in unison. Before such a magnificent, spectacular sight, even a Dou Sheng expert would feel their own utter insignificance and tininess.
A pitch-black whirlwind rampaged and tore through the thunder pool, heading swiftly and rapidly toward its deepest depths. Within this ocean of black lightning, it formed a spiraling tornado like a whirlpool. Streak after streak of black lightning howled and coiled, entrenched and gathered.
Yet no matter how ferociously, how fiercely they charged and assaulted—this spot remained like a bottomless pit that could never be filled. Regardless of how many Black Demon Thunders came surging forth, in the end, with a single flash of black light, they all vanished without a trace.
This abnormal, unusual situation at last made the Black Demon Thunders in the sky feel an instinctive, primal sense of danger. Overwhelmingly, blanketingly, they darted and scurried toward a pitch-black region at the very center of the depths—as if that place could grant them a sense of safety and security.
At the very center of the sea of thunder, a giant dragon—its entire body a brilliant, glittering gold, as if forged from the purest gold—coiled and sprawled, winding and twisting. Golden thunderbolts spattered and shot forth from the surface of its body. Streak after streak of black pythons swiftly came and bowed before it in worship and supplication, begging the sovereign of thunder to grant them protection.
On the surface of the golden giant dragon's body, golden electric arcs flickered and flashed unceasingly, unendingly. Faintly, a power of sheer annihilation quietly, silently spread outward, causing even the void space to warp and twist to an absolute, extreme degree.
"Ang—"
The surging and churning of the Black Demon Thunders roused and awakened this emperor who slumbered deep within the thunder pool. Its tightly shut dragon eyes slowly opened. Within its pupils, lightning flashed and thunder roared—as if the entire world and heavens were reflected and cast into those enormous dragon eyes.
A heaven-startling, earth-shaking, furious roar boomed forth from deep within the Void Thunder Pool. That terrifying sound wave transformed into ripples, spreading and surging outward.
A strange, peculiar oppressive might spread forth from the depths.
"There's actually a Nine Mysterious Golden Thunder here!" At last, Jiang Yun and Xiao Yi Xian arrived at the very depths of the thunder pool. Seeing the Nine Mysterious Golden Thunder, Xiao Yi Xian covered her lips in astonishment. Her eyes full of delighted surprise, she gazed at Jiang Yun.
What Zhu Kun knew—she naturally also knew. At this moment, she was genuinely, sincerely happy for Jiang Yun.
As for the question of whether the Nine Mysterious Golden Thunder could be subdued and tamed—neither Xiao Yi Xian nor Zhu Kun had ever once considered it. Or rather—they believed Jiang Yun could do it.
"It is indeed the Nine Mysterious Golden Thunder. To think I would face it ahead of schedule after all." Jiang Yun gazed at that thunderbolt—brimming and saturated with oppressive might—in the distance. A trace of a smile flickered through his eyes.
The Nine Mysterious Golden Thunder would only appear in this world when a ninth-tier Golden Pill was successfully refined. What Jiang Yun meant, naturally, was that he would be meeting this emperor of thunder before he himself refined a Golden Pill.
Between heaven and earth, there existed many terrifying flames and thunderbolts. The Nine Mysterious Golden Thunder was, relatively speaking, equivalent to the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame, or even the Nihility Devouring Flame's status on the Heavenly Flame List.
And supreme experts of the level of Gu Yuan and Hun Tiandi—if they obtained any one of these three—could advance even further and become a Half-Di expert of the same terrifying, era-suppressing caliber as the Purifying Demonic Lotus Saint.
If Lei Ying obtained the Nine Mysterious Golden Thunder, then he could, in the blink of an eye, break through to nine-star Dou Sheng and become an expert who could stand shoulder to shoulder with Gu Yuan and Hun Tiandi.
Such was the terrifying, heaven-defying boost that a heavenly rarity and strange object of this caliber could bestow.
"Boom—"
Suddenly, the golden thunder dragon's dragon mouth opened. A golden thunderbolt, roughly a hundred zhang wide, shot forth with a fierce, tearing crackle, streaking toward the two at a speed approaching that of light itself.
Jiang Yun's expression remained calm and composed. With a stir of his mind, the vast, mighty Saint Demon Flame surged forth violently. In practically an instant, it swept upward and devoured that golden thunderbolt.
"Fizz! Fizz!"
Sheet after sheet of golden electric arcs danced and leapt across Jiang Yun's body, like wriggling little worms, continuously, unceasingly burrowing and drilling toward the interior of his body. What a pity—with the Saint Demon Flame protecting his body, no matter how the electric arcs leapt and danced, it was all utterly futile.
At the same time, an exceptionally, extraordinarily pure and refined energy surged forth from within Jiang Yun's body—a full ten times or more that of a single bolt of Black Demon Thunder.
Jiang Yun controlled this vast, mighty energy, driving and propelling it to circulate and course along his meridians. Everywhere this energy passed, wave after wave of numbing, tingling sensation transmitted from within his meridians, bringing an indescribable, soothing comfort.
After absorbing it, Jiang Yun sensed the energy within his body. He could feel that just with this single strike, the barrier to three-star Dou Sheng—which he was already on the very verge of breaking through—had very nearly been blasted wide open.
"Are you alright?" Seeing Jiang Yun come back to his senses, Xiao Yi Xian asked softly and gently.
"Not bad. Though this Nine Mysterious Golden Thunder is terrifying, it hasn't yet exceeded the limits of what I can withstand!" Jiang Yun chuckled lightly and nodded, his gaze thoughtful and contemplative as he looked at that golden giant dragon.
"Rumble—"
Just then, a wave of violent, raging, thunderous crashes rang out. Deep within that sea of thunder, the Nine Mysterious Golden Thunder seemed to have been thoroughly enraged and provoked by Jiang Yun's actions.
There, the golden thunder dragon's colossal body suddenly blasted apart into enormous electric arcs, each one saturated with wretched, piercing dragon roars that resounded, heaven-startling and earth-shaking, throughout this stretch of heaven and earth. The surrounding Black Demon Thunders were also so terrified that they scattered and fled far, far into the distance.
"Spiritual energy is converging—that Nine Mysterious Golden Thunder is gathering spiritual intelligence!"
The Nine Mysterious Golden Thunder's movements made Xiao Yi Xian stare at it with some wariness. But after observing for a moment, her gaze flickered rapidly. With a face full of astonishment, she looked at Jiang Yun and spoke.
"Boom! Boom!"
In the distance, every time a surge of spiritual intelligence welled up within the Nine Mysterious Golden Thunder's dragon eyes, the backlash and recoil within its body also grew increasingly violent and intense. Deep, heavy, thunderous explosive crashes rumbled and boomed unceasingly from within its form.
"It seems we'll be able to save ourselves a bit of effort." Jiang Yun nodded. Looking at Xiao Yi Xian, he spoke with a face full of smiles.
Then, with a wave of his hand, spirit seal after spirit seal flew forth. In an instant, an enormous Spirit-Gathering Grand Array took form, shrouding and covering the entire center of the thunder pool. At the same time, Jiang Yun transmitted a wave of goodwill-laden soul fluctuation outward.
With a single pointed finger, a streak of purple light shot forth like a sharp arrow, crossing countless stretches of void and plunging directly, straight into the center of the thunder dragon's brow.
"Roar~~~"
The golden giant dragon—spiritual light blazing brilliantly in its eyes—suddenly let out a furious roar. The surrounding spiritual energy surged and poured into the Nine Mysterious Golden Thunder's body at a terrifying, shocking speed.
At the center of the Void Thunder Pool, the Nine Mysterious Golden Thunder let out one after another low, rumbling roar, each tinged with wretched, piercing grief and fury. The surrounding Black Demon Thunders scattered and fled far, far away, coiling and circling beyond a thousand zhang from the Nine Mysterious Golden Thunder. They all knew very, very clearly—right now, the Nine Mysterious Golden Thunder was at an extremely, exceptionally critical, pivotal juncture.
As the light within the Nine Mysterious Golden Thunder's eyes grew increasingly lively and spirited, its body was also rapidly, swiftly shrinking. Beside it, a golden thunder pearl, roughly half the size of a fist, was swiftly, rapidly coalescing and condensing into solid form.
As time passed, at long last, the spiritual intelligence within the Nine Mysterious Golden Thunder's dragon eyes grew fuller and fuller, richer and richer. Toward the very end, its eyes became unprecedentedly lively and full of spirit.
A wave of soul fluctuation slowly transmitted forth from within its body.
"It succeeded!" Sensing this change, Xiao Yi Xian beside him looked at Jiang Yun with a face full of astonished surprise.
"Yes... the very first Nine Mysterious Golden Thunder on the Dou Qi Continent to possess spiritual intelligence—has been born!" A faint smile on his face, Jiang Yun nodded as he gazed at that golden-yellow giant dragon—now shrunk from a thousand zhang to a mere ten zhang in size.
"Welcome to this world."
With a beckoning wave, Jiang Yun collected the golden thunder pearl beside the Nine Mysterious Golden Thunder. Gazing at the other's current energy fluctuations—now so weakened they had fallen to merely the Dou Zun level—he gave the Nine Mysterious Golden Thunder a kind, benevolent smile. Turning around, bringing Xiao Yi Xian with him, his figure transformed into a streak of rainbow light as he shot forth and departed.
Deep within the thunder pool, the Nine Mysterious Golden Thunder dragon blinked its eyes, gazing at the two's distant, receding figures. As the first sight beheld by a newborn soul—it was etched and imprinted into the very deepest depths of its soul, indelible and inerasable.
"Elder Huo Yang—for the Yan clan's jade invitation, please be sure to pass it on to Clan Leader Yan Jin. For our clan's coming-of-age ceremony this time, our friends of the Yan clan absolutely cannot be absent just because the Heavenly Tomb has yet to open!"
A hundred li from the periphery of the Yan Realm, Gu Xing of the Gu clan—who had come to deliver the jade invitation to the Yan clan—was fortuitously, coincidentally encountered by 'Huo Yang.' Gu Xing naturally handed the jade invitation over to him and gave this word of instruction.
"Brother Gu, rest assured! Setting aside the fact that the Gu clan is the current number one imperial clan—our two clans have also been on close and friendly terms for generations. I shall go and present this to the Clan Leader at once. For such a momentous event as your esteemed clan's coming-of-age ceremony, my Yan clan will most certainly send representatives to attend." 'Huo Yang' gazed at Gu Xing with a face full of solemn gravity and pledged. Then, he cupped his fists toward the other.
Seeing this, Gu Xing nodded with satisfaction. "Then I shall await the grand arrival of our Yan clan friends in the Gu Realm. I still have to make a trip to the Lei clan—so I shall take my leave here!"
"Brother Gu, take care on your journey!" 'Huo Yang' nodded and spoke quietly.
After Gu Xing departed, 'Huo Yang's' expression immediately shifted, turning exceedingly dark and sinister. Staring at the jade invitation in his hand, he casually crushed it to pieces. Sneering coldly, he said, "The Gu clan... the Yan clan's fate—sooner or later, it will fall upon your heads as well."
"Hurry up and move. Word has come from the Ling clan's side—the Gu clan's people have already left. Lord Nihility is already fully prepared. We're heading to the Shi clan's side to keep watch." A sinister, chilling voice rang out from behind 'Huo Yang.' A figure clad entirely in black robes stepped out from a spatial passageway and spoke in a deep voice.
"Good!" 'Huo Yang' nodded and followed him into the dark, pitch-black spatial passageway.
The Eastern Region of the Central Plains. The powers that lived and survived in this area were all subordinate forces under the Gu clan.
Previously, because the various great imperial clans all dwelled within their own great realms and rarely ventured or walked about in the outside world, even the leaders of the various major powers living in the Eastern Region were exceedingly, exceptionally unfamiliar with this supreme overlord of the Eastern Region.
But after the journey to the Bodhi Ancient Tree, once the various great imperial clans had revealed merely the tip of the iceberg of their true strength, the various powers of the Eastern Region instantly had their minds and thoughts racing and stirring with restless, eager activity.
With such an incredibly powerful big brother—if we, the little brothers, are too weak and feeble, wouldn't that just bring shame and embarrassment upon big brother's face? So—shouldn't the Gu clan be helping and supporting its little brothers' development...
And thus—after word spread that the Gu clan was preparing for its coming-of-age ceremony, the long-silent, dormant Eastern Region instantly erupted into bustling, lively activity.