The Thunder Residence's Sacred Artifact
The oppressive feeling emanating from the depths of the Thunder Palace was like the slow, slumbering breath of an ancient thunder Thunder Beast in the shadows, making the air in the entire palace thick and heavy with each breath.
Feeling the oppressive aura, Lin Ming was certain that the Sacred Artifact in the Thunder Palace was far more powerful than the Azure Wood Seal he had already refined.
Therefore, at this moment, Lin Ming was heading directly backward.
Zi Yan followed half a step behind him, her purple eyes reflecting the flickering lightning deep in the passageway ahead. Her figure was as light as a falling leaf, almost making no sound.
Neither of them spoke, but their tacit understanding subtly connected their Spiritual Energy, allowing them to support each other at any time.
Before long, the area in front of him suddenly opened up, and then two Thunder Pillar appeared before him.
The two Thunder Pillar were so thick that it would take three people to encircle them. They were a dark purplish-black color, as if they were made from Lightning-Struck Wood had been struck by lightning for millions of years.
The pillar is engraved with a dense ring of Lightning Pattern, which spread upwards like a network of lightning Lightning Pattern, climbing from the base of the pillar to the top. Each pattern is slowly writhing, as if it were alive.
Fine streaks of electricity occasionally streamed between the Lightning Pattern, producing a soft "crackling" sound that was particularly clear in the silent Thunder Palace.
There are also some deeper engravings on the pillar, like scars left by countless years of repeated lightning strikes. Each scar is filled with purple-white Thunder Plasma, slowly emitting fine light bubbles.
The two Thunder Pillar were about ten feet apart, and at the top of each Thunder Pillar was a ball of lightning.
The ball of lightning was about a foot square, hovering three feet above the top of the pillar, slowly rotating. Purple-white lightning intertwined on the surface of the ball of lightning to form an impenetrable net. With each rotation, it would fling out several thin arcs of electricity, which would strike the surrounding air and burn out a wisp of very faint blue smoke.
Within the thunderous mass on the left, one could vaguely discern what was inside: a long, purplish-white spear.
The spear hovered within the ball of lightning, its tip pointing upwards, and its body was wreathed in purple-white electric light.
The spear shaft was as straight as a ruler, its surface covered with densely packed Thunder Runes. These runes stretched from the spear tip to the spear shaft, like a lightning river compressed into a line. Each rune was as thin as a mosquito's leg, yet clearly discernible, and they were connected to each other by extremely fine lightning threads, forming a complete circuit.
Purple-white lightning slowly flowed around the spear tip, each flow causing the surrounding air to sizzle and burn. Even the space itself was scorched by the lightning, leaving fine black marks like spider silk. These marks appeared and then slowly healed, repeating endlessly, as if the space itself was also bearing the brunt of the spear's edge.
Judging from its aura, it is clearly a weapon of the Sacred Artifact- level, more powerful and violent than the Azure Wood Seal in Lin Ming's hand.
The aura of the Azure Wood Seal was heavy and restrained, like a mountain weighing in one's palm, while the aura of the Thunder Spear was sharp and unrestrained, like a solidified bolt of lightning, ready to explode at any moment.
Before Lin Ming approached the Thunder Pillar, he exchanged a glance with Zi Yan. A hint of seriousness flashed in Zi Yan's purple eyes. She nodded slightly, her lips moving slightly as she silently uttered two words: "Be careful."
Lin Ming smiled slightly, gave him a reassuring look, and immediately flew up to the thunder group.
He lightly stepped on the surface of the Thunder Pillar, using the slight recoil to propel himself into the air, his robes fluttering wildly.
The Thunder Spear seemed to sense his approach; the Thunder Runes on its body suddenly lit up, and purple-white lightning crackled wildly, like a startled Thunder Beast issuing a warning.
The bolts of lightning exploded from the spear, shooting out in all directions. Some even grazed Lin Ming's cheek, making his skin tingle slightly.
The thundercloud itself began to contract and expand violently, emitting a low rumble, like Lei Yun brewing a storm.
Lin Ming did not back down. He stretched out his palm, and Chaos Lightning surged from his palm.
When the Chaos Lightning came into contact with the violent purple-white lightning, it emitted a crisp "hiss" sound, like a red-hot iron block being immersed in cold water.
The two forces of lightning clashed fiercely in the palm of his hand. The purple and white lightning tried frantically to tear apart the encirclement of the Chaos Lightning, but was repeatedly neutralized, devoured, and assimilated by the powerful yet flexible nature of the Chaos Lightning.
Under the shock of the Chaos Lightning, the Thunder Spear struggled a few times in his palm. Each struggle caused Lin Ming's arm to tremble slightly, and a burning pain came from his palm, but he held it very firmly, his five fingers like iron hoops.
Chaos Lightning surged continuously from his palm, enveloping the shaft of the Thunder Spear layer by layer, like warm water soaking a block of Solid Ice, slowly seeping into the gaps between the Thunder Runes.
Gradually, the struggle of the Thunder Spear weakened and weakened, eventually calming down in his palm. The lightning on the spear slowly subsided, revealing its true purple-white appearance.
The purple-white spear shaft was as smooth as a mirror, with the Lightning Pattern faintly revealing the luster of jade. The spark at the spear tip was no longer violent, but flowed gently.
Lin Ming pulled the Thunder Spear from the Altar and held it in his palm to test it.
The spear felt heavy and hot in his hand, like a compressed bolt of lightning. The violent power of the lightning surged in his palm, carrying an almost savage penetrating force that made his palm numb while simultaneously sending a surge of exhilarating excitement through his veins.
He swung the spear, and the tip drew a purple-white arc in the air. Wherever the arc passed, a thin black mark was cut into the space, which then slowly closed up.
The moment the black mark appeared, Lin Ming felt an extremely strong penetrating feedback from the tip of the spear, as if even space itself could not withstand the extreme condensation of the lightning's sharpness with this swing.
Thunder Spear, he murmured the name of this Sacred Artifact in his heart, a satisfied smile appearing on his lips.
The power of this Thunder Spear far exceeded his expectations. The Azure Wood Seal excels at trapping and sealing enemies, while the Thunder Spear is a pure offensive weapon; with a single thrust, it can pierce through anything.
He paused in mid-air for a moment, holding the Thunder Spear, feeling the stabilized lightning pulse on the spear, before slowly descending and returning to Zi Yan's side.
Another Thunder Pillar appeared, and at that moment, Zi Yan's figure also arrived at that ball of lightning.
The ball of lightning also stirred as she approached, but Zi Yan's powerful body easily passed through it and took out what was inside.
Inside is a gold foil object, as thin as a cicada's wing, about the size of a palm, its entire surface gleaming with gold, and a very faint layer of lightning flowing across its surface.
The gold leaf was densely engraved with tiny characters and intricate rune patterns, arranged neatly.
Zi Yan held the gold foil in her palm, and Lin Ming leaned closer to examine it. Their eyes scanned the fine characters line by line, but after reading through the information recorded on it, smiles appeared on their faces.
Because this is another minor supernatural power, named Thunder Punishment.
The inscription on the gold leaf begins by stating. "Thunder is the punishment of heaven and earth; punishment is the wrath of thunder." It centers on the power of thunder, emphasizing the path of enlightenment through thunder and the substitution of punishment for law.
The caster used their own Spiritual Energy to summon the thunder of heaven and earth, transforming it into nine layers of Thunder Punishment that struck down, each layer stronger than the last.
The power of the first layer of Thunder Punishment is enough to severely injure Tier 9 Supreme. When it strikes, it carries the pressure of heaven and earth's judgment. The meridians of the person struck will be corroded by the lightning poison, and the circulation of Spiritual Energy will be sluggish, as if trapped in a quagmire.
By the ninth level, the power of the lightning was enough to make even a powerful Earth Sovereign change color. Under the superposition of nine layers of Thunder Punishment, the space itself would be crushed into dust by the lightning pressure. A brief lightning pool would even form at the point where the lightning struck, with the lightning liquid churning in the pool. Any living being that fell into it would be instantly vaporized.
The gold foil also details the method of stacking the nine layers of Thunder Punishment. The Spiritual Energy circulation routes between each layer are different and need to be activated at a specific rhythm. The slightest mistake will Thunder Induction and devoured.
At the end of the gold leaf was a supplementary annotation that read, "If Sacred Artifact of the Thunder Attribute is used as a catalyst, the risk of Thunder Induction oneself can be avoided, and the power will be doubled."
In an instant, this Thunder Punishment technique and the Thunder Spear became a perfect match. Using the Thunder Spear as a catalyst to activate the Thunder Punishment, its power could be increased to another level.
The thunderous power contained within the Thunder Spear can serve as the "seed" of the Ninefold Thunder Punishment. The spear tip draws in the thunder of heaven and earth, which is then compressed and superimposed layer by layer using the operational route of the Thunder Punishment Technique, before being unleashed all at once.
In this way, the backlash from the lightning force suffered by the caster will be greatly reduced, while the power of the Thunder Punishment will increase dramatically due to the enhancement of the Thunder Spear.
Zi Yan handed the gold foil to Lin Ming, a slight smile playing on her lips, and said, "It seems the master of the Thunder Palace has left you a whole set of opportunities."
So the North King and Xia Jia continued their search for any remaining opportunities in the Thunder Residence. Meanwhile, Lin Ming and Zi Yan stayed behind to refine the Thunder Spear and cultivate the Thunder Punishment Technique.
Lin Ming sat cross-legged in the center of the Stone Chamber, placing the Thunder Spear horizontally on his knees. He placed his hands on the shaft of the spear, Chaos Lightning slowly surged out, seeping into the interior of the Thunder Spear inch by inch.
Refining Sacred Artifact requires imprinting one's own Spiritual Energy into the core of the object. This process cannot be rushed or delayed; it can only be done layer by layer.
At the core of the Thunder Spear was a Thunder Core compressed to its extreme, purplish-white with a hint of deep purple, like a pulsating lightning heart.
Lin Ming's Chaos Lightning enveloped the Thunder Core, slowly imprinting his Spiritual Energy mark onto it. With each imprint, he felt the connection between himself and the Thunder Spear grow stronger.
At first, the Thunder Core resisted somewhat, occasionally bursting out a ray of lightning that pierced his palm. However, the nature of the Chaos Lightning was to contain and assimilate. Those piercing bolts of Chaos Lightning and dissolved, instead becoming nourishment for the Chaos Lightning to grow stronger.
After about two hours, the Thunder Core finally fully accepted Lin Ming's Spiritual Energy imprint. The entire Thunder Spear emitted a deep hum, and all the Lightning Pattern on the spearhead lit up for a moment before returning to silence.
Lin Ming opened his eyes, raised his hand and grasped the spear shaft. This time, what he felt in his palm was no longer a burning resistance, but a gentle obedience as if the Thunder Spear had become an extension of his arm.
After refining the Thunder Spear, Lin Ming did not stop. He immediately stuck the Thunder Spear vertically in front of him, formed hand seals, and began to cultivate according to the instructions on the gold foil.