Thunder Mist Ravine.
Shen Shihuang stood beneath the thunder. Its violent power made every magical beast in Thunder Mist Ravine tremble.
Only Shen Shihuang, suspended in the air, seemed to be enduring heaven's judgment.
Below, Zi Yan watched Shen Shihuang withstand the thunder's power while shrouded in Taisui Flame. Her big eyes were already filled with boundless admiration.
To magical beasts, the power of thunder was practically a natural nemesis.
Though Zi Yan had no idea what her true form was, there was no escaping the pressure of that power of heaven and earth. It came from the soul.
But clearly,
Shen Shihuang could not withstand so much thunder. The power of the Hundred Thousand Thunder Method had already filled the specific meridians along which it circulated. Now the only thing left to absorb the excess power was the Taisui Bone Wings.
The Taisui Bone Wings, originally pitch-black, had now turned silver-white halfway across. The patterns of thunder stood out more and more clearly, as if they had been branded onto them.
The power of the Taisui Bone Wings was also slowly growing stronger.
Space ripples gradually appeared around the Taisui Bone Wings. It was as if, with a single flap from Shen Shihuang, the surrounding space would be torn apart.
This terrifying power was clearly beyond what a Dou Zong could wield.
"As expected of the most violent power between heaven and earth!" Shen Shihuang gritted his teeth and held firm, enduring the pain of his body being torn apart.
Among the forces of heaven and earth, flame and thunder were the most violent.
They were also the most destructive.
Rumble!!
Thunder continued crashing down onto Shen Shihuang. A layer of silver light seemed to envelop him, though faint wisps of blood mist mingled with it.
Greatness and misery coexisted.
Zi Yan gazed at Shen Shihuang in the sky, worry showing on her little face.
Earlier, Shen Shihuang had let out a cry of pain now and then, but now there wasn't a sound from him.
This continued for two whole days.
A thick cocoon of thunder had formed around Shen Shihuang. Even Zi Yan could no longer sense his life force.
"Could he be dead?"
Seeing the thunder in the mist above gradually fade, Zi Yan emerged from her hiding place.
Dou Qi Wings appeared behind her, and she flew over to Shen Shihuang.
Through the cocoon of thunder, Zi Yan could only make out Shen Shihuang's figure vaguely.
He was still standing. Half of the black Bone Wings behind him had turned silver-white, and sparks of lightning clearly flashed across them.
They looked extraordinarily mysterious.
Zi Yan reached out a little hand and tapped the cocoon of thunder around Shen Shihuang. Thunder crackled from her fingertip, and she hastily pulled her hand back.
"Old Shen?" Zi Yan called to Shen Shihuang inside the cocoon.
Shen Shihuang did not move at all.
Just then,
a cloud of black mist rolled in.
"Ke ke~~~~~~"
The shrill sound made Zi Yan tense at once. She turned to look.
A black-robed figure emerged from the mist, the clatter of chains coming from his body.
"It's you!"
At the sight of him,
Zi Yan recognized him at once. He was the one who had stolen the Moonlight Spirit Heart Grass she had been waiting for.
Her little face flushed with fury.
"Ke ke, little girl. I didn't expect to see you again. Your strength is strange, but you're no match for me," Protector Jin said grimly.
Zi Yan stood in front of Shen Shihuang, watching Protector Jin warily. "What do you want?"
Protector Jin looked at Shen Shihuang. "After being struck by thunder for so long, he's probably already dead. Move aside, little girl. Maybe I can still save his soul. If you wait any longer, the power of this lightning might wipe it out completely."
Zi Yan frowned at Protector Jin's words.
Then,
"Hmph! You're a bad person. Besides, who says Old Shen is dead?"
Power gathered in Zi Yan's fist, glowing faintly. "Take one more step and I won't go easy on you!"
Protector Jin paused slightly at the sight of her fist, then said, "The strength in your body really is impressive, but it's not enough against absolute power!"
"Soul-Startling Palm!"
Protector Jin struck at Zi Yan with a palm. Amid the black Dou Qi, a shrill sound like souls wailing rose, making anyone who heard it feel inexplicably agitated.
As the black palm print reached Zi Yan, it transformed into a human face, its features twisted and clawing. It was truly eerie.
"Hmph!"
Purple light blazed from Zi Yan's fist as she punched the face-shaped palm print.
Boom!
Zi Yan's strength was powerful, but Protector Jin was a Four-Star Dou Zong.
The gap in their strength was simply too great.
"Hmph!"
"Hmph!"
"Hmph!"
Zi Yan's body shot backward, only to be stopped by a bolt of thunder.
Zi Yan looked over and saw a silver-white magical beast appear in front of Shen Shihuang.
Its silver-white fur rippled in the air, soft and flowing. On its enormous head, a single thunder scale sat between its brows, and lightning flashed from the horn on its head. Its four hooves seemed to tread on white clouds. As for its tail, it was only half a foot long; unless you looked closely, you could hardly tell it had one.
The magical beast was about one zhang tall and half a zhang long. Its silver-white fur fluttered as it stood in the air, treading on four clouds. It truly looked mighty and imposing!
Its aura placed it among the Seventh-Rank Magical Beasts.
"Did you save me?" Zi Yan asked, watching the thunder around her return to the magical beast's body.
The magical beast turned to Zi Yan. "Hmph!"
"Hmph!"
It was hard to tell whether the sound came from its mouth or its nose. In any case, Zi Yan noticed that every time it made a "hmph" sound, thunder burst from its mouth!
"Something's not right!" Zi Yan frowned. Magical beasts were usually a little wary when they saw her, but this one was completely unfazed.
Seeing the sudden appearance of the magical beast, Protector Jin looked up at the thunder mist in the sky.
Zi Yan hadn't seen how the beast had appeared, but he had.
It had clearly descended from the thunder mist.
"There's something strange about this magical beast," Protector Jin said warily, watching the creature in front of Shen Shihuang.
Because
he had never seen a magical beast like this before.
Was it some kind of horned lion?
No. Its fur was thicker, softer, and more handsome than a lion's.
Was it some kind of canine magical beast?
Still no. It was clearly bigger, stronger, and more handsome!
"It's only a Seventh-Rank Magical Beast!" Protector Jin had no idea what the beast intended to do.
But his prize was right before his eyes. There was no reason to give it up. Besides, this was the soul of a Dou Zong. Ever since joining the Soul Hall, this was the first time he had encountered the soul of a Dou Zong.
Whether he could secure a permanent position depended on this one opportunity!
After making up his mind, Protector Jin darted forward, trying to slip past the magical beast and reach Shen Shihuang.
Just as he was about to approach Shen Shihuang,
the seemingly docile silver-white magical beast made that sound again.
"Hmph!"
Thunder shot from its horn, striking toward Protector Jin.