Thunder Judgment

Morning light pierced the clouds over the Thunderclap Mountain Range, spilling across the bronze walls of the Capital of Blue Electric. This ancient city perched atop the mountains resembled a slumbering Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, its scale-like roof tiles gleaming with a deep blue luster beneath the sun. Bells tolled low within the city, announcing the beginning of a judgment.

Yu Xiaogang carried the heavily wounded Yang Jun on his back as he stood beside Bibi Dong before the city gates. The Blue-Silver Pattern on his body had yet to fade, while the fragment of the Hoe-Sickle against his chest gave off a faint heat, as though responding to the bloodline resonance of this city.

"You cannot enter." An elder clad in a Thunder Pattern Robe blocked the gate, his lightning staff aimed at Yu Xiaogang. "You carry Abyssal Power. You have been tainted by Spirit Hall and sullied the sacred bloodline of our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."

"Great Elder..." Yu Xiaogang spoke softly. "My mother was a guardian of the Capital of Blue Electric. Her blood flows within me."

"But what you hold is a weapon of the abyss." The Great Elder's cold gaze swept over the broken Hoe-Sickle. "It once sealed the abyss, yet it has now been stained by Abyssal Power. We already know of your battle with Spirit Hall. But what you brought back was not merely victory—it was contamination."

The city gates slowly opened, and twelve elders of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan emerged in formation. Lightning gathered in their palms, forming an enormous Thunder Barrier that trapped Yu Xiaogang and the other two within.

"By the laws of the Capital of Blue Electric," the Great Elder declared, raising his lightning staff, "Thunder Judgment shall be carried out upon any who carry Abyssal Power. If you endure three bolts of heavenly lightning without dying, you will prove that you are still a 'Child of the Earth.' If not—you will be expelled from the clan and never permitted to return."

"Absurd!" Bibi Dong sneered. "You would judge your own blood without even hearing the truth?"

"The truth?" a female elder shouted angrily. "He travels with Bibi Dong of Spirit Hall, wields an abyssal weapon, and still dares call himself a 'Child of the Earth'? How can our clan's thousand-year reputation be allowed to suffer such disgrace!"

Yu Xiaogang slowly set Yang Jun down and planted the Hoe-Sickle in the ground. Blue Silver Grass sprouted from the cracks in the stone and wound around his feet, as though the earth itself were supporting him.

"I accept the judgment." He raised his head, his blue eyes flashing like lightning. "But remember this—if I die beneath your lightning, no one will be able to stop the Abyssal Mother Nest. The 'reputation' you protect will eventually turn to ash."

The Judgment Platform stood above the Thunder Pool at the city's center. Natural lightning power churned within the pool; it had been the trial ground of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan for generations. Yu Xiaogang stood in the center of the pool, his robes whipping in the wind, with the lightning formation of the twelve elders behind him.

"The first bolt—Soul Cleansing Lightning!" The Great Elder swung down his lightning staff.

The sky abruptly darkened as a bolt of deep blue lightning split from the clouds and struck directly at Yu Xiaogang's crown. His body shuddered, and the Blue-Silver Pattern instantly flared bright. His mother's phantom appeared behind him, bearing most of the lightning's force for him.

"That is... the guardian's mark!" the female elder cried.

"There truly is a soul resonance with his mother inside him," another elder murmured.

Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth and remained standing. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, but he did not fall to his knees.

"The second bolt—Illusion Breaking Lightning!"

The second strike was fiercer, carrying golden arcs of electricity as it struck directly at his heart. Yu Xiaogang let out a muffled groan and dropped to one knee, but he immediately forced himself back up. The Hoe-Sickle carved a blue-silver trail across the ground, guiding the lightning into the earth.

"He is using the Hoe-Sickle to channel the lightning..." Bibi Dong's pupils contracted. "That is no ordinary weapon. It is the Artifact of the Covenant between Earth and Thunder."

"The third bolt—Heavenly Punishment Lightning!"

The sky split open, and a bolt of violet-gold lightning crashed down with the force to destroy heaven and earth. This was the "Heavenly Punishment Lightning" that had not appeared in the Capital of Blue Electric for a thousand years, created specifically to execute traitors of the clan.

Yu Xiaogang closed his eyes and murmured, "Mother... if this is my destiny, I have no regrets."

Just as the lightning was about to strike him, the fragment of the Hoe-Sickle suddenly erupted with blinding light. A blue-silver phantom burst from his body—it was his Martial Soul Avatar: the Blue Silver Overlord Dragon.

Its entire body was woven from Blue Silver Grass and lightning. The dragon raised its head and roared at the sky, spreading its wings as it forcibly withstood the Heavenly Punishment Lightning!

Boom—!

The Thunder Pool exploded. Yu Xiaogang was hurled backward and crashed heavily onto the pool's edge, his entire body scorched black. Yet he still gripped the Hoe-Sickle, his knuckles white.

The entire venue fell deathly silent.

The Great Elder trembled as he spoke. "He... endured all three bolts..."

"More than that." The female elder stared at the blue-silver markings on Yu Xiaogang's chest. "His martial soul... has fused with the origin of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, and surpassed it."

Yu Xiaogang struggled to his feet, tears glimmering in his blue eyes. "Mother... I did it."

His mother's phantom emerged from the Hoe-Sickle fragment and gently stroked his face. "Xiaogang, you have proven that you are a true 'Child of the Earth.' Now, it is time for you to inherit my power."

After the judgment ended, Yu Xiaogang was permitted to enter the clan's Secret Chamber. At its center stood an ancient statue—his mother, once the guardian of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.

The statue held a complete Hoe-Sickle, perfectly matching the fragment in Yu Xiaogang's hand.

"This is..." Yu Xiaogang reached out and touched it.

In an instant, the statue shattered. The Hoe-Sickle became a stream of light and merged into his weapon. The broken section healed, blue-silver patterns spread across the entire blade, and a beating Heart of Thunder emerged at its tip.

"Blue Silver of Thunder has returned to its rightful place." His mother's voice echoed through the Secret Chamber. "Yu Xiaogang, you have inherited the bloodline of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, as well as the mission to Guard the Earth. From this day onward, you are no longer a boy on the run. You are—the Judge of Thunder."

Yu Xiaogang clenched the renewed Hoe-Sickle, feeling the surging power within it. It was no longer merely an artifact of sealing, but a symbol of purification and judgment.

Bibi Dong stood on the cliff, looking out at the lights of the Capital of Blue Electric.

"Why did you not go in?" Yu Xiaogang approached and handed her a bracelet woven from Blue Silver Grass.

"I am Spirit Hall's 'monster,' a stain in their eyes." She sneered, yet accepted the bracelet. "And you are their hero."

"You saved me, and you saved Yang Jun." Yu Xiaogang looked into the distance. "You are not a monster. You are a Grave Keeper, and the one who can break the deadlock."

Bibi Dong fell silent for a moment before murmuring, "Qian Daoliu will not let this go. The Heaven Dou Empire has already sent envoys to the ruins of Spirit Hall. They want to rebuild order, yet they do not know that the true threat is awakening from the abyss."

"Then we will break the old order ourselves." Yu Xiaogang's blue eyes were resolute. "My mother once said that the mission of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon is not to protect the clan, but to protect the continent."

"So... you are leaving?" Bibi Dong turned back.

"Yes." Yu Xiaogang nodded. "Yang Jun's injuries need treatment from the Ice Soul Cold Pond, and I must find the weakness of the Abyssal Mother God. The lightning power of the Capital of Blue Electric will be the source of strength for my next step."

Bibi Dong gazed at him, then suddenly smiled. "Then I will wait for you. When you return, I want you to smash Spirit Hall's old plaque with your own hands."

"Alright." Yu Xiaogang extended his hand.

They struck palms to seal their vow. Starlight fell around them, as though crowning their promise.