Chapter 32: Strange Signs in the Sky, Thunder in Winter
Chapter 32: Strange Signs in the Sky, Thunder in Winter
Sun Zhenbang shot him a sidelong glance, his expression seeming to smile yet not smile. "If I hadn't come, how could I have heard such a fascinating story?"
"And since you think the culprit was a snake, good. Here, take the pen. From now on, you can write the closing report."
Xie Yixuan stared at Sun Zhenbang's solemn expression.
Xie Yixuan was close to tears. He finally understood why his teammate had been desperately winking just now. "Th-that... I was only joking. Captain Sun, please don't take it to heart."
"Stop spouting such nonsense. You're police officers, for heaven's sake. Aren't you afraid people will laugh at you if word gets out?"
The others nodded like chicks pecking at grain. "Captain Sun, we understand."
Seeing that everyone had rested enough, Sun Zhenbang spoke up. "All right, let's continue!"
"Captain Sun, look at the sky. It isn't going to snow again, is it?"
Sun Zhenbang raised his head and looked at the sky. It was gloomy and overcast, with a huge mass of dark clouds gathering in the southeast, as if brewing something. Like a storm over the sea, it looked unsettling.
"Hard to say."
The sky had suddenly turned frighteningly dark, looking as though it might snow, yet not quite like it.
"Let's hurry. If it starts snowing later, searching will become even more difficult. We might end up delayed for several more days."
Hearing that, everyone unconsciously quickened their pace.
Just as they advanced, the gloomy sky suddenly lit up with a blinding purple radiance, instantly illuminating heaven and earth.
Like a straight, razor-sharp sword, it cleaved the sky in two.
Sun Zhenbang and the others could not help raising their hands to shield their eyes. It was simply too dazzling.
"Rumble!"
Accompanied by a deafening boom, everyone jumped.
"What happened?"
"Sounds like thunder."
"How could there be thunder in the middle of winter? We must be hearing things."
Everyone looked toward the horizon. The mass of dark clouds was growing larger and seemed to be spreading toward them, nearly occupying most of the sky.
"Rumble, rumble!"
Another thunderous boom rang out. A dazzling white light tore across the dark earth, piercing through all the gloom and chaos.
This time, everyone heard it clearly. It was thunder!
That cloud was not an ordinary dark cloud, either. It was a thundercloud!
Thunder in winter was an exceedingly rare sight.
After all, the atmosphere was relatively stable in winter, making convection unlikely. In addition, winter's surface temperatures were low and the air was dry, making it difficult for cloud layers to form and further reducing the likelihood of lightning.
Although thunderstorms could still occur in winter, the probability was truly tiny. At that moment, everyone stared transfixed at the wondrous sight in the heavens.
Snowy scenery illuminated by lightning—this was absolutely a marvel of nature.
"How strange. Why do I feel like the lightning is only striking that one area?"
Everyone looked over and discovered that it really was.
"Exactly. It's been striking that spot the whole time. Could lightning have grown eyes, or is there something wrong with the magnetic field over there?"
The lightning seemed almost alive. Each strike landed in roughly the same place. Other areas were affected as well, but nothing serious had happened there.
What on earth was so unusual about that place? Why was it so favored by heaven? The same question rose in everyone's mind.
"Could some miraculous treasure be emerging? When heaven sends down strange signs, something extraordinary must follow."
The one who said this was Xie Yixuan. His tone carried a hint of teasing, while his face was filled with curiosity.
Sun Zhenbang glared at him. "You need to read fewer fantasy and immortal-cultivation novels. All you do is spout nonsense here. If I hear you say things like that again, I'll throw out every book you own!"
"I was only joking."
Xie Yixuan curled his lips and could not help muttering a few words before falling silent.
The sky had darkened without warning, and the lightning had appeared out of nowhere. All these strange signs foretold something extraordinary—and they had come far too suddenly.
Xie Yixuan was eager to try. "Why don't we go over and take a look? We can find out what's going on."
Sun Zhenbang rolled his eyes and lightly tapped his head. "Don't think I don't know what you're up to. You're never eager to solve cases and catch suspects, but you're awfully quick when there's a spectacle to watch."
"What's wrong with taking a look? It's not like I'll lose half a chunk of flesh."
Catching Sun Zhenbang's expression, Xie Yixuan muttered under his breath. He stared longingly at the lightning in the distance, his eyes spinning as an idea suddenly struck him.
"All right, stop watching. It's only thunder. What's so interesting about it? Let's keep moving. We'll split up later, so keep your eyes peeled."
Everyone gathered their things and prepared to depart. As they continued forward and dispersed, the area assigned to Xie Yixuan happened to be not far from where the lightning was striking. It also fell within his search range.
"This is bizarre. The thunder keeps striking, and all in one area. Could it start a forest fire?"
Xie Yixuan muttered to himself, somewhat uneasy. After hesitating for a while, he still turned around. "I'll go take a look. There shouldn't be any problem."
Everyone had a sense of curiosity, let alone when faced with such a strange sight. On top of that, Xie Yixuan usually loved reading bizarre tales and stories of the supernatural, so it was no wonder he acted this way.
After a long while, the closer he drew to that place, the more clearly he could see it.
Purple light flashed within it. Even the white snow on the ground had been stained with that color, carrying a few traces of razor-edged chill.
Even during spring and summer, when lightning was common, he had never seen lightning like this—much less in winter!
"It's truly bizarre, but there doesn't seem to be any sign of fire."
Xie Yixuan could not help quickening his pace, desperate to see exactly what the situation was like there.
On the other side, as the thunder gradually faded, Ye Qin finally managed to regain his composure.
"It's finally over."
It had arrived with earth-shaking grandeur and vanished without a trace. Everything had happened so suddenly.
Ye Qin guessed that this was no coincidence. It should have been his own heavenly tribulation!
As for why it had not struck him...
Perhaps it hasn't reached that stage yet. My cultivation realm is too low, so this was only a warning?
Ye Qin was not certain, but he knew very clearly that one day he might have to undergo a tribulation. He could not help feeling fear and dread, hoping that day would come as late as possible.
As the thunder dispersed, a curved silver moon appeared in the sky. It had not yet grown completely dark, leaving the world suspended between light and shadow.
That could not stop the silver radiance from slowly spilling down, soothing the restless unease the heavenly tribulation had stirred within Ye Qin.
As he looked at the crescent moon on the horizon, his serpentine pupils once again became calm and undisturbed.
Ye Qin slowly stretched out his body, better accepting the baptism of moonlight.
The sensation was wonderfully profound. In an instant, it was as though his spirit had drifted away from his body, and his entire serpentine form had grown light and buoyant.
Ye Qin coiled his body together. His first realm, "Free Contemplation," had now reached perfection, while his second realm, "Creation Body Tempering," had also achieved some success.
In truth, the first realm's effects had already shown themselves in this regard.
His white bones were constantly tempered, nourishing his body in return. His physical strength and hardness continued to increase.
He could even turn his body into a sharp weapon and pierce a poacher straight through the chest. He could also wield his tail like a whip—not only snapping a small tree in half, but even smashing a person's head apart with ease.
These were merely the changes visible on the surface. As he cultivated the second realm, he borrowed the power of contemplating the moon to continue tempering his white bones. This was what was known as "Creation Body Tempering."
As the white bones grew stronger, they would continuously feed power back into his body, ultimately achieving a true transformation from within. This cycle continued without end, forming the supreme Great Dao of Contemplation.
(End of Chapter)