Message of the Strange Thunder

In the dense jungle, a black shadow suddenly flickered into a thicket. His gaze pierced through the gaps in the branches, fixed on a spot beneath a large tree only a hundred meters away, where a dozen figures were taking a temporary rest.

Elder Qian extended his right hand and gripped the air. Below, the dozen people were instantly reduced to mists of blood as the space around them distorted and compressed; until the very last moment, they likely never even realized death was upon them.

Indifferently collecting the storage rings that fell to the ground, Elder Qian let out a cold snort. "Not worth the pity."

Elder Qian's figure flickered, vanishing toward the location of another group...

In Black Seal City, Xiao Li casually snatched a coin purse from a man on the street and made his way to an inn.

"Elder Qian, so fast?" Xiao Li was somewhat surprised.

Elder Qian nodded, smiling. "Don't joke. This old man is a Dou Zong powerhouse; dealing with these Dou Ling and Dou Wangs is nothing more than child's play."

As he spoke, Elder Qian flicked his sleeves, scattering dozens of storage rings across the table.

Xiao Li's mouth hung open. Looking at the coin purse in his own hand, it suddenly felt worthless. Experts really did make money fast; these rings alone were worth at least a million.

The Blood-Shatter Ginseng, medicine cauldrons, Dou Techniques, weapons, and even that Dou-Spirit Pill—everything was there.

Xiao Li instantly felt like an upstart. With this single haul from Elder Qian, he had nearly acquired the entire foundation of five Xiao Clans.

Watching the excited Xiao Li, Elder Qian smiled slightly. "These aren't important. What matters is that I seem to have found information regarding an exotic lightning."

Exotic lightning?

Xiao Li froze in place. Had such a pleasant surprise really come so suddenly?

"Elder Qian, what kind of exotic lightning?" Xiao Li asked hurriedly.

"This is information I extracted from a member of the Blood Sect."

Elder Qian recalled the pale-faced man. "That kid had decent strength; he actually managed to withstand a casual strike from me despite being only a Dou Wang. To save his life, he gave me this information."

"Beneath the Blood Sect's headquarters lies the place where they discard their corpses." Recalling that nauseating sect, even Elder Qian's expression darkened.

"They rely on consuming blood to cultivate and raise blood slaves; their methods are extremely cruel. The place where they dump corpses naturally accumulates immense baleful energy. To prevent this energy from building up too much, the ancestors of the Blood Sect summoned lightning to purge it. By some stroke of fortune, it seems something called Blood-Shatter Heaven-Striking Thunder was formed."

Seeing Xiao Li's excitement, Elder Qian's expression remained solemn. "Don't get happy too soon. The Blood Sect hasn't claimed this lightning for themselves, likely because its fierce nature conflicts with their own cold, sinister Dou Qi. However..."

"Then why hasn't the Dean taken it?" Elder Bai's figure popped out, picking up where Elder Qian left off.

Xiao Li was stunned. That was true; if there was an exotic lightning right on their doorstep, why hadn't the Dean of Canaan Academy claimed it?

"Let's go see for ourselves. Once we see it, we'll understand," Elder Qian decided.

Xiao Li nodded. Regardless, going to see it for himself was the right course of action.

With news of an exotic lightning, Xiao Li naturally lacked the focus to continue sorting his loot and immediately decided to head toward the Blood Sect.

According to Elder Qian, the Blood Sect possessed decent strength, and it seemed an ancestor at the peak of the Dou Huang realm was still clinging to life. However, to The Two Elders Qian and Bai, that was of no consequence.

"Xiao Li, do you have any plans to build your own faction?" Elder Qian suddenly asked, his gaze piercing, looking as if he were not joking.

"In a few years, perhaps," Xiao Li replied casually.

A few years from now, if the three-year agreement still held, he certainly couldn't let Xiao Yan fight alone; he would definitely need to show up to support him. If he wanted to deal with a behemoth like the Cloud Mist Sect, he had to have his own foundation.

The Black-Corner Region was full of experts, and there were countless hidden powerhouses living under assumed names. If he could recruit them, Xiao Li would have the confidence to stand against the Cloud Mist Sect. Of course, this was an endeavor he could only begin after reaching the Dou Wang realm; his current strength as a Great Dou Master was still too weak.

Elder Qian nodded without saying more. For now, it was better for Xiao Li to focus on himself.

"Alright, kid. At your speed, it will take at least half a month to reach the Blood Sect. This is all part of your training. Unless the older generation of the Blood Sect makes a move, neither I nor Bai Lie will intervene," Elder Qian said.

Xiao Li cupped his hands. "The auction was already a great trouble for you both. Since I am out for training, I certainly cannot rely on my elders for everything."

Had there not been so many good items at the auction—items that would be a shame to lose to other factions in the Black-Corner Region—Elder Qian would not have interfered so much in Xiao Li's training process.

The Blood Sect's base was located in the northwest of the Black-Corner Region, a place almost no one dared to approach for fear of being snatched away as a blood slave.

Because the members of the Blood Sect relied on consuming blood to cultivate, they could not reside in Black Seal City like the Eight-Fan Sect; instead, they occupied a mountain.

According to the Dou Wang from the Blood Sect, the Blood-Shatter Heaven-Striking Thunder was located a thousand meters beneath the central hall of the Blood Sect, with the entrance hidden inside the hall itself.

"Elder Qian, how are we supposed to get in?" Xiao Li asked.

"Can you sneak in?" Elder Qian countered.

"Uh... the Blood Sect's hall must be very close to the Sect Master's residence. I cannot," Xiao Li scratched his head. Under the nose of a Dou Huang, how could he possibly sneak in?

Elder Qian rolled his eyes. "There you have it. When the time comes, Bai Lie will cause a scene to draw away the Blood Sect's top brass, and I will help you enter the depths of the sect."

"However, let's be clear: you handle anyone below the Dou Ling realm yourself. We won't help you."

"This junior understands."

Night fell over an unknown mountain forest. Because Xiao Li had just mastered the Mystic Thunder Body, Elder Qian had given him a rare day off, waiting until they found a place with denser lightning to guide it into his body for tempering.

Elder Bai went ahead to scout the Blood Sect, while Elder Qian had uncharacteristically wandered off, claiming he needed to find some medicinal herbs; absorbing exotic lightning required meticulous preparation.

With no one around, Xiao Li quickly took out all the beast corpses he had obtained and moved them into the Blood Furnace within his body.

The Blood Furnace had been silent for a long time, but with the addition of a large batch of corpses, it finally roared back to life with raging flames. As Xiao Li's strength leaped forward, the furnace's capabilities grew stronger, and the first and second-tier corpses were consumed at a speed visible to the naked eye, with Blood Pills appearing in Xiao Li's hands one after another.

Xiao Li chose not to use them now. If he accidentally broke through and the wily Elder Qian noticed something, he might not be able to keep his Siphon Technique a secret.

It was safer to wait until he went into seclusion a year later to use them all at once.

Moreover, the first and second-tier Blood Pills were of little use to him now; selling them later or giving them to the Xiao Clan disciples would be a good choice.

However, the Blood Pills contained many impurities, so he would have to warn the Xiao Clan members not to be greedy for quick results.

It would take another half-month to reach the Blood Sect, just enough time to refine all the Blood Pills.