Thunder Prison Hell Vine

Dark clouds blanketed the sky, thunder rumbled incessantly, and the scorched black earth remained barren. A tender sprout that had just emerged from a withered tree nearby was struck by a bolt of lightning from above, instantly reduced to ash.

The sacred ground for lightning-attribute spirit beasts—Thunder Canyon—was once again trodden by Su Zhen and his two companions.

"Xiao Zhen's fifth spirit ring needs to be between thirty and fifty thousand years old. Let's head to the deepest part of the canyon; that is where we should find what we are looking for."

Qian Daoliu led Su Zhen and Oscar back to the spot where they had previously hunted the Thunder Spirit. The traces of the fierce battle between Su Zhen and the Thunder Spirit had not yet faded, and a dense concentration of lightning energy still lingered in the air.

"Teacher, my martial soul is craving it. Deep within this canyon, our target is definitely there."

Su Zhen was not lying this time. He summoned the Thunder Prison Qilin, and the lightning coiling around the ink-jade-colored Qilin seemed eager to break free from its host and surge toward the depths of the canyon.

Guided by Su Zhen, the three men ventured deeper into the canyon. The further they went, the more desolate the scenery became. Along the way, not a single spirit beast, tree, or even a blade of grass could be seen. The world was rendered in charred black, and the ground and cliff walls on both sides were riddled with pits carved out by lightning strikes.

"Brother Zhen, is there really a spirit beast you want in here? I can't even find a bird dropping."

Seeing the landscape grow increasingly barren, Oscar couldn't help but complain, his eyes scanning the surroundings without blinking, hoping to find even the slightest trace of life.

"It will be there. My martial soul wouldn't lie to me, and I can feel that the lightning attribute is becoming more concentrated the further we go."

Su Zhen condensed black lightning in his palm; the active lightning energy in the air made the aura of his black lightning far more potent than ever before.

The three of them delved deep into Thunder Canyon for an unknown amount of time before finally coming to a halt—not because they had found a suitable spirit beast, but because a cliff wall blocked their path.

"It's a dead end. It seems the spirit beasts in the depths of Thunder Canyon have already been hunted to extinction by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family. Grandfather, Brother Zhen, let's head back. We can try our luck in the Star Dou Forest in a few days."

Oscar pulled on Qian Daoliu's hand and turned to walk toward the canyon exit; the desolation of this place had completely redefined his understanding of a forbidden zone for life.

Are there really no spirit beasts left?

Su Zhen carefully sensed the changes in the Thunder Prison Qilin within his body, but there was no reaction; the craving he had felt moments ago had vanished entirely. Seeing no harvest, Su Zhen prepared to turn and leave.

BOOM!

A thunderbolt struck the cliff above the wall. The sound of the thunder stopped Su Zhen in his tracks. His Thunder Prison Qilin finally reacted, and the source was right—

"Teacher, fly up!"

Su Zhen exclaimed, simultaneously activating Martial Soul Possession to sense the location of that aura.

Six white-gold angel wings sprouted from Qian Daoliu's back, and with a flap of his wings, he ascended, reaching the top of the cliff in the blink of an eye.

"This is? Grandfather, what kind of spirit beast is this? I've never seen it before."

"This old man has never seen such a spirit beast either."

Qian Daoliu and Oscar stared at the creature with faces full of confusion; it was a spirit beast they had never seen or even heard of.

"Teacher, Oscar, we have truly hit the jackpot. This is the supreme overlord among lightning-attribute spirit beasts."

"The Thunder Prison Hell Vine!"

Su Zhen stared with burning eyes at the top-tier spirit beast on the cliff below, shouting its name in astonishment.

At the top of the cliff in the deepest part of Thunder Canyon, a purple-black vine, four meters thick, took root and spread across the ground. Its bamboo-like segments resembled a giant bamboo stalk that had been toppled over, covered in dense, sharp thorns, each wrapped in arcs of lightning. Arm-thick branches spread out, thrusting in all directions. The entire vine was covered in shifting lightning patterns that flickered on and off with a crackling sound, while the sparse, vine-like leaves resembled dark purple swords, swaying without a breeze.

"The Thunder Prison Hell Vine, a top-tier lightning-attribute plant-type spirit beast. It carries the bloodline of the God of Thunder and possesses innate intelligence. It can attract lightning to cultivate; every hundred lightning strikes equal one year of cultivation for a normal spirit beast. Judging by its body, this vine should be forty thousand years old."

Su Zhen excitedly introduced the basic information about the Thunder Prison Hell Vine to the two men.

"Brother Zhen, if the Thunder Prison Hell Vine is so powerful, why has it never appeared in the spirit master world? There isn't even a shred of information about it."

Oscar voiced his doubt.

"The Thunder Prison Hell Vine was formed when a drop of essence blood from the fallen God of Thunder dripped onto a vine. Each one is extremely rare and powerful. Possessing innate intelligence, they attract lightning to cultivate, but because they are plant-type spirit beasts, their bodies cannot withstand too much lightning. Around fifty thousand years, they usually self-destruct due to lightning overload. Plus, they only grow in places dense with lightning, making them very difficult for ordinary spirit masters to find. You could say that the compatibility of the Thunder Prison Hell Vine for me is far beyond that of the Thunder Spirit."

Su Zhen's tone gradually calmed, but the longing in his eyes grew even more intense.

"Xiao Zhen, where did you get this information? Is it reliable?"

"Teacher, it was Senior Di Tian who told me before, though even he didn't hold much hope that I would be able to find a Thunder Prison Hell Vine."

Qian Daoliu nodded, and the Angel Holy Sword appeared in his hand.

"In that case, it is destined to become your fifth spirit ring."

After saying this, Qian Daoliu raised his sword, intending to help Su Zhen hunt the Thunder Prison Hell Vine.

"Child, you have come."

A voice like rolling thunder emanated from within the body of the Thunder Prison Hell Vine.

Qian Daoliu stopped his movements and turned to look at Su Zhen.

Su Zhen walked forward slowly, waving his hand to stop Qian Daoliu from stepping in to protect him; he felt a sense of kinship from the Thunder Prison Hell Vine.

"You knew I would come?"

"Yes. Six years ago, when you awakened your martial soul, I sensed your aura. From that day on, I knew I would meet you, though I did not expect it to be now."

Su Zhen's pupils dilated; the Thunder Prison Hell Vine had actually known of his existence six years ago.

"By the sound of it, you were waiting for me?"

"Yes, child. I have been waiting for you, waiting for you to come to my side, waiting for your body to be able to withstand my sacrifice."

"Sacrifice!" X3

All three were shocked by the words of the Thunder Prison Hell Vine. One had to know that only a spirit beast that had cultivated for one hundred thousand years could perform a sacrifice. A sacrifice meant the spirit beast gave everything—its spirit power, spirit bones, and even its soul—to the recipient without reservation. The process would cause no harm to the recipient, nor would the recipient have to endure the pain of absorbing a spirit ring; it was the most perfect way to obtain a spirit ring.

Yet now, this Thunder Prison Hell Vine claimed it wanted to offer itself as a sacrifice to Su Zhen; how could the three of them not be shocked?

"Why?"

Su Zhen asked his question with a face full of disbelief; he did not believe that this Thunder Prison Hell Vine he had just met could be so kind.

"Child, you said it yourself just now: most of our kind cannot last until fifty thousand years because we cannot withstand the lightning and end up self-destructing. That was my destined end as well."

"But six years ago, I changed my mind, because you awakened your Martial Soul."

"Because of me?"

"Yes, child. The Martial Soul you awakened is the most unique existence on the entire Douluo Continent. Even the Angel Martial Soul of the blond boy beside you cannot, to a certain extent, compare to your Thunder Prison Qilin."

"What did you say! What is so special about my Martial Soul?"

Su Zhen was greatly alarmed upon hearing the words of the Thunder Prison Hell Vine; he could not imagine what was so strange about his own Martial Soul.

"Child, you will know when the time is right. You are still too weak right now; you have no qualifications to explore your own Martial Soul."

Listening to the Thunder Prison Hell Vine finish speaking, Su Zhen fell into a silence, lost in deep thought.

"One last question: why not try to break through the fifty-thousand-year mark again? What if you manage to survive? And what are the conditions for this sacrifice?"

"I can no longer hold on. That bolt of lightning just now was the final one I had to endure for my forty-thousand-year threshold. With my current strength, it is impossible for me to survive another, so sacrificing myself to you is my only remaining path. As for the condition, just remember to resurrect me once you become a god."

"Come, child, accept my gift!"

After the Thunder Prison Hell Vine finished speaking, it did not wait for Su Zhen to react before initiating the sacrificial ritual.

The body of the Thunder Prison Hell Vine suddenly exploded, transforming into a violent bolt of lightning that struck Su Zhen.

"With my ten-thousand-year thunderous body and the sacrifice of ten thousand thunders, I shall assist you in reaching the summit and inheriting the Power of the Thunder God!"

The voice of the Thunder Prison Hell Vine exploded deep within Su Zhen's soul.