Shen Xiu stood on the slope of Thunderfall Mountain, purple lightning dancing in his palm and radiating a heart-quailing glow. He could clearly sense the qualitative leap in the thunder power within his body. It was no longer merely golden lightning, but violet-gold thunderlight carrying a trace of the power of the Heavenly Dao. This was the mark left by the tempering of the lightning tribulation—the purest, most powerful force between heaven and earth.
The eighth transformation of the Ninefold Thunder Body Art, Thunder God, had finally been achieved.
Lin Fan stood beside him. Looking at the purple bolt in Shen Xiu's palm, he nodded. "Not bad. With the eighth transformation complete, both your physical strength and soul strength have risen to another level. Though you're still at the ninth level of the Saint Venerable Realm, your actual combat power is no weaker than that of a half-step Saint Emperor. And if you use Thunder Emperor Descends, even a true first-level Saint Emperor may not be your match."
Shen Xiu clenched his fist, feeling the power within him that was nearly overflowing, yet there was not much joy in his heart. Breaking through was necessary, but the road after a breakthrough was still long. The eighth transformation, Thunder God, was only a midway station on the path to the ninth transformation. The true destination was the ninth transformation, Return to Origin—where soul and body fused completely, reaching the supreme realm of neither death nor birth.
"Brother Lin, what exactly is the Return to Origin realm like?" Shen Xiu asked.
Lin Fan fell silent for a moment, his gaze turning toward the distance as though he were looking at some place far, far away. "Return to Origin means returning to one's source. At that realm, your body is lightning, and lightning