Compared to ordinary Soul Beasts, the Innate Thunder Spirit possessed a uniquely blessed ability: it could control all lightning in the world.
It fed on lightning-element energy. Once it broke through the hundred-thousand-year mark, it could even ignore Lightning Tribulations—or perhaps control them!
However, the conditions for its birth were extremely harsh. Legend had it that it was formed from pure natural energy left behind between heaven and earth after a Lightning Tribulation. Only one might be born after a hundred Lightning Tribulations.
Meng Chen could barely contain his excitement as he stared fixedly at the ghostlike flash of purple lightning in the canyon.
It was fast—so fast that Meng Chen could only barely catch a fleeting silhouette, unable to make out its actual shape.
After several fruitless attempts, Meng Chen turned to the Titan Giant Ape. Pointing at the purple lightning in Heavy Cloud Ravine, he had no choice but to ask for its help.
"Hey, big black gorilla, can you catch that purple lightning for me?"
The Titan Giant Ape looked toward Heavy Cloud Ravine. Seeing that a Thunder Spirit had somehow appeared in the canyon, it scratched its huge head in confusion.
"Roar! Roar! Roar..." The Titan Giant Ape growled a few times, then patted its granite-like pectorals and nodded confidently.
Wasn't it just a Thunder Spirit? Easy.
Seeing how confident the Titan Giant Ape was, Meng Chen stepped aside to watch it perform.
The next moment, the Titan Giant Ape leaped like a god of war. Its massive body transformed into a black meteor and crashed into Heavy Cloud Ravine!
With a boom, the ground trembled violently as though an earth dragon had turned over, and even the mountains shook several times!
Meng Chen, who had yet to fully recover, lost his footing and fell to the ground as well.
"Can't this big black gorilla make a little less noise? Isn't it afraid of scaring off that Innate Thunder Spirit?"
Meng Chen climbed to his feet, grumbling as he brushed the dust from his clothes and looked back into the canyon.
Within Heavy Cloud Ravine, the Titan Giant Ape stood proudly among the beasts. Its overwhelming pressure blanketed the surroundings as the Gravity Control Domain instantly unfolded.
Under the crushing force of gravity, every Soul Beast was pressed flat against the ground, unable to move and only capable of letting out faint, mournful whimpers.
Even the Innate Thunder Spirit, a special being formed from pure lightning-element natural energy and possessing lightning-like speed, slowed beneath the tenfold gravity of the Gravity Control Domain, revealing its true form.
The Innate Thunder Spirit was purple and shaped like a sphere. Its color deepened toward the center, gradually turning black, while a flicker of gold shone at its core. Purple-black lightning coiled around its body.
Facing the suppression of tenfold gravity, it struggled desperately. Purple lightning raged across its surface, swimming through the air like electric serpents, yet its body seemed trapped in a swamp, unable to move.
The Titan Giant Ape slowly walked over to the Innate Thunder Spirit. Its Gravity Control Domain began to shrink as well, completely suppressing the Innate Thunder Spirit and forcibly imprisoning it.
The other Soul Beasts, freed from the gravitational pressure, swayed as they rose to their feet. Looking at the Titan Giant Ape, they all revealed humanlike awe.
The Titan Giant Ape ignored them. Grabbing the Innate Thunder Spirit, it performed another god of war leap.
With the help of the Gravity Control Domain, the Titan Giant Ape floated up as lightly as a feather and drifted gently down beside Meng Chen.
Watching this, Meng Chen was left speechless.
"Big black gorilla, if you can use the Gravity Control Domain to make yourself lighter, why did you make such a huge commotion just now?"
"Roar roar roar roar!" The Titan Giant Ape growled.
How could those be the same? I'm the king of the forest! My entrance has to be intimidating! It has to be domineering! It has to be fierce!
Of course, Meng Chen had no idea what the Titan Giant Ape was roaring about.
He looked at the Innate Thunder Spirit imprisoned in the Titan Giant Ape's hand, his face filled with astonishment as he silently marveled.
As far as Meng Chen knew, special beings like Innate Thunder Spirits should only exist in deadly, perilous places saturated with lightning elements. Why had one appeared here?
Could it be because so many lightning-element Soul Beasts had gathered here, attracting the Innate Thunder Spirit?
But how was he supposed to kill it?
Meng Chen looked at the Innate Thunder Spirit, feeling somewhat troubled.
This special lifeform, condensed from natural energy, was already immune to physical attacks and extremely difficult to kill. He had to shatter its origin core.
Suddenly, inspiration struck Meng Chen.
"This Innate Thunder Spirit is composed of pure lightning-element energy. My Thunder Hell Vine survives by devouring lightning, so doesn't that mean I can..."
The corners of Meng Chen's mouth curled upward, revealing an excited smile.
Seeing Meng Chen suddenly smile for no reason, the Titan Giant Ape raised a hand to scratch its head, looking rather bewildered.
What's wrong with this human? Don't tell me my majestic physique frightened him stupid?
Oh no. If he becomes stupid, Sister Xiao Wu won't let me off!
The Titan Giant Ape looked anxious and hurriedly extended a finger, intending to poke Meng Chen.
Seeing the huge black pillar suddenly reaching toward him, Meng Chen hurriedly raised his hand.
"What are you doing, big black gorilla?!"
Seeing that Meng Chen had not gone stupid, the Titan Giant Ape sighed in relief and growled at him twice.
"Roar roar!"
I thought you'd gone stupid. Good thing you haven't—I won't have to take a beating from Sister Xiao Wu!
Meng Chen could not be bothered with the Titan Giant Ape. Raising his hand, he summoned a mass of Thunder Hell Vines and sent them winding toward the Innate Thunder Spirit.
Upon seeing the Thunder Hell Vines, the Innate Thunder Spirit seemed to foresee what was about to happen. Its body suddenly trembled, overwhelmed with terror.
It struggled even harder, releasing lightning frantically. Purple thunder surged like a tide, continuously battering the Titan Giant Ape's domain.
The Thunder Hell Vines ignored the surging sea of lightning. Like divine chains of order, they bound the Innate Thunder Spirit tightly. No matter how much lightning the Innate Thunder Spirit released, it was all devoured by the Thunder Hell Vines!
At the same time, Meng Chen could feel the Soul Power within his body slowly increasing.
Time passed bit by bit. Under the devouring of the Thunder Hell Vines, the Innate Thunder Spirit's body visibly shrank, until its origin core was finally exposed.
"It's finally out. Break for me!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Meng Chen controlled the Thunder Hell Vines, twisting them together into the Thunder Hell Spear and blasting the golden core with a single strike!
Crack!
The Thunder Spirit's core shattered on the spot.
As the core broke apart, the lightning-element energy sustaining the Innate Thunder Spirit's body also dispersed. With one sweep, the Thunder Hell Vines devoured it all without wasting even the slightest bit.
After a while, the Innate Thunder Spirit's Soul Ring gradually emerged.
Compared with other Soul Rings, it was black as well, but golden lightning patterns were engraved upon it. It emanated dense Soul Power fluctuations and was approximately thirty thousand years old.
Although it had not reached the forty-thousand-year mark Meng Chen had expected, the Innate Thunder Spirit was more suitable for the Thunder Hell Vine than any Soul Beast, so Meng Chen did not dwell on it too much.
After devouring the Innate Thunder Spirit, the Thunder Hell Vine's vines had grown at least twice as large. Their color had become deeper, their golden patterns denser, and lightning swirled around them. It resembled a purple Thunder Jiao, savage and ferocious!
Meng Chen drew the Innate Thunder Spirit's Soul Ring before him, sat down cross-legged, and began absorbing it.
The Titan Giant Ape remained beside Meng Chen, standing guard for him.
The instant he came into contact with the Thunder Spirit's Soul Ring, the violent Soul Power contained within it surged into Meng Chen's body. Carrying the resentment of the Innate Thunder Spirit, it rampaged through his meridians.
Before fusing with the Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone, Meng Chen truly might not have been able to withstand it. But things were different now.
Meng Chen easily endured the impact of the Soul Power and slowly refined it.
Even the Innate Thunder Spirit's Soul Shock was nothing before Meng Chen, who had cultivated the Silver Moon Meditation for years. It could not shake his spiritual power in the slightest...
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