While Lu Xiaotian was away, Palace Master Xing Shu assigned Du Xin to guide a unit of the immortal army into the Cloud-Sand Region. The Palace Master's eyes flickered. A moment later, a round portal suddenly appeared behind him. Then he found himself above a sea of rolling thunder, with dense thunderclouds filling the sky. Bolts of lightning as thick as barrels crashed down from the clouds, sending towering waves surging across the thunder sea.
"Old Youlei, come out this instant! Or I'll turn your Hundred Lodgings Thunder Pool upside down!" Palace Master Xing Shu laughed aloud, his voice drowning out the rolling thunder around him.
"Old monster Xing Shu, go ahead and try! Let's see if I don't tear down your Xing Shu Hall!" A rough, resonant voice boomed from beneath the vast thunder pool.
"Come out. There's something important I need to discuss with you." Palace Master Xing Shu laughed again, trading a few jests with him before speaking.
With a splash, a hole opened in the thunder pool below. A burly, powerfully built man with a head of purple hair emerged from within.
"Old monster Xing Shu, what do you want?" Emperor Youlei, the Thunder Venerable, asked, then added suspiciously, "Didn't you go to that godforsaken corner of Weishan Immortal Realm? Did you run into trouble there that even you can't handle?"
"Exactly. There may well be a powerful opponent in the Cloud-Gang Sand Region whom even I can't easily deal with. The Honghao Celestial Court has gotten involved, too. Even Du Xin of the Nine Micro Palace may have unwittingly fallen into the enemy's trap while gathering intelligence in the region." As Palace Master Xing Shu spoke of the matter, his expression turned grave.
"Oh? I've heard of that girl Du Xin. She's one of the