Demonic Qi of Thunder

Zhong Su frowned slightly. "Spirit rings? What are those?"

The two exchanged a glance, and Yu Yuanzhen stepped forward to explain, "My Lord, spirit rings are..."

After a brief explanation, Zhong Su gradually understood, but his comprehension was quickly replaced by fury.

"Hmph! My people need to rely on some spirit beast to continue cultivating? How audacious!"

A clap of thunder shook the heavens, and torrential lightning poured down, venting the Demon's rage.

"Utterly ridiculous. Do you mean to say that without spirit beasts, the people of my Thunder City cannot cultivate?"

Yu Yuanzhen stood beneath the thunderclouds, swaying unsteadily, his hands gripping Yu Luomian tightly to keep him from falling.

Rumble—

After venting his anger, the thunderclouds finally fell silent.

Yu Luomian was snatched up by the lightning and brought before Zhong Su, trembling in terror. "M-My Lord..."

"The most powerful force in this world is lightning; all other powers are mere ants. Do you hear me clearly?" Zhong Su pointed at Yu Luomian in anger, his voice icy.

"Y-Yes, I understand," Yu Luomian stammered in reply.

"Hmph, open your mouth. Let me bestow upon you the true power of Thunder Demon Qi."

Before he could even open his mouth, Zhong Su blasted a bolt of lightning directly into it, causing Yu Luomian to wail in agony.

The people in the plaza below could hear Yu Luomian's pleas for mercy.

Yu Yuanzhen gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, a battle raging within his heart, yet he still did not step forward.

"Ah—woo—"

Yu Luomian struggled helplessly as the lightning, infused with Demon Qi, surged into his body, devouring and reshaping every cell within him.

After a long while, he let out a long, ragged breath, finally liberated.

The lightning that had coiled around him dissipated, flying back into the sea of thunder in the sky, yet he remained suspended in mid-air without relying on any external power.

"Second Brother, are you alright?" Yu Yuanzhen stepped forward, filled with concern.

Zhong Su's overbearing voice boomed, "Hmph, consider yourself lucky to have received my power. No one in Thunder City is to use the power of spirit beasts ever again; you shall all use the power of lightning! Demon Qi, go!"

At his command, thousands of lightning bolts surged downward, as magnificent as the Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers.

Bolts of lightning rampaged through the crowd, locking onto their targets and drilling directly into everyone's chests.

"I broke through just like that? Without needing to obtain a spirit ring?" Yu Tianheng looked at his level 41 spirit power in astonishment, completely shocked.

"I broke through too."

"I went up a level as well, and I didn't need to obtain a spirit ring! Is this all the work of the Old Ancestor?"

The crowd looked up at the sky in joy. With such an Old Ancestor, what more could the clan ask for?

"Old Ancestor, please send down more lightning! I beg you."

"Old Ancestor, strike me! I'm only one level away."

Compared to the jubilant Thunder City, Shendu was stretched thin. He worked tirelessly to patch the rifts, pouring divine power into the cracks as if it were worthless.

For every person in Thunder City who gained Demon Qi, a rift appeared in space. Depending on the individual's strength, the rifts varied in size; the one caused by Yu Luomian was already over a meter long.

"Damn you, Zhong Su, I knew you'd cause trouble," Shendu cursed while his hands never ceased their work.

After a long while, all the rifts were finally repaired.

Shendu carefully calculated that after this frantic round of patching the heavens, he had used up a full one-twentieth of the divine power he had earned from Zhong Su earlier.

Good for you, Zhong Su! I'm only 5% away from running at a loss!

He grumbled about Zhong Su in his heart, wishing he could send him back right now, but the number of people believing in demons because of Zhong Su was still increasing, and with a large amount of divine power coming in every day, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Forget it, I'll let you stay a little longer, but don't you dare cause me any more trouble.

Having finished his work, Shendu returned to his statue form.

At the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, in Thunder City, atop the mountain peak.

Everyone gathered in excitement, cheering at the changes occurring within their bodies.

The Thunder Demon Qi had increased everyone's spirit power by one level and granted them the ability to level up without spirit rings.

Most importantly, everyone felt their bodies had been strengthened, and their lightning spirit skills had become even more formidable.

Yu Yuanzhen threw a punch, and lightning flashed in an instant, blasting a charred, deep crater into the ground.

"Too strong!" The excitement on his face was beyond words.

Relying on his level 91 strength, Yu Luomian experienced flight for the first time, circling freely in the sky.

Zhong Su looked down at them and shouted, "Lightning is invincible!"

The voice immediately drew cheers.

"Long live the lightning! Long live the lightning!"

The crowd chanted this slogan in unison. It had originally been used to praise the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, but now they were willingly shouting it for the Demon in the sky.

"Lightning endures forever!" Yu Luomian shouted, raising his hand in excitement.

Feeling the frenzied cheers of the people around him, Yu Tianheng looked up in silence, silently chanting in his heart, "Blue Lightning endures forever!"

Zhong Su wanted to continue expanding his Thunder City so that it could encompass the entire mountain, a massive project that only the Imperial Clan could complete.

In Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong sat on her high throne, listening to the reports from below.

"Reporting to Your Holiness the Pope, this morning, Yu Luomian of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family took action and captured the entire Imperial Clan. It is suspected that he has already broken through to become a Titled Douluo."

"The members of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family who followed him have also all broken through by at least one rank. According to information sent by our spies within the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family, it seems to be the work of that Thunder Demon, Zhong Su."

The Cardinal read the intelligence from his notebook.

"Oh?" Bibi Dong became interested. "Bring it here for me to see."

It was actually the power of a demon; she had coveted this kind of power for a long time.

When she saw thousands of lightning bolts falling from the sky, she was shocked by the strength of the Thunder Demon, but when she saw that those people had all broken through a rank without needing to obtain a spirit ring, her eyes immediately lit up.

Because the occasion was inappropriate, she could only close the document and return to her icy expression.

The power of a demon is truly fascinating! she thought with anticipation.

It was just a pity that she had made no progress despite studying that broken horn of Hsi Wu; could it be that her research techniques were insufficient?

She began to struggle with the thought.

After much deliberation, if there was anyone in this world skilled at researching things, she did know one person.

Bibi Dong's eyes were cold, and a chill permeated the entire hall.

In the secret chamber below, Shendu had just finished setting up the plan for Zhong Su's exit and returned to the sculpture to rest with satisfaction.

There shouldn't be any bigger trouble appearing now, right!

Deep in the core of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Hsi Wu encountered a mysterious valley and began to explore it out of curiosity. At the bottom of the valley, several fierce beasts lay sleeping beside a pool, their rhythmic snoring echoing through the air.