Thunder Source

Before he could sense the changes within his body, his gaze turned toward the direction Bi Xiao had flown.

At the edge of his vision, Bi Xiao's eyes were vacant, her mind utterly lost. Like a rootless wisp drifting in the wind, she flew straight into the central killing zone of the Dragon-Phoenix Battlefield.

The Divine Phoenix's natal true fire blazed across the land, scorching the sky and boiling the sea. The interwoven thunder Dao patterns around it frantically tore apart space.

Just a trace of residual force spilling from the battlefield shattered the immortal light around Bi Xiao's body. Her robes fluttered wildly, and faint, fine streaks of blood appeared across her delicate body.

In another half-breath, the great Dao's crushing force of intertwined thunder and fire would completely pulverize her Taiyi immortal body and annihilate her soul!

Under the threat of death, Bi Xiao regained her senses, but she could do nothing.

"Little Four, get out of here!"

Bi Xiao shouted with all her strength, then closed her eyes.

She did not see that, the instant she shut her eyes, the enormous five-clawed golden dragon abruptly turned around. Its dragon body, stretching across ten thousand miles, instantly blocked Bi Xiao's path.

The mountain-heavy dragon body became a barrier, forcibly blocking all the residual Phoenix fire and intersecting Dao patterns filling the sky!

Boom!

The Divine Phoenix's heaven-burning true fire slammed fiercely into the dragon-body barrier, erupting into endless waves of blazing flame.

Firelight reddened the entire sky as crimson-gold flames surged outward like a tide, burning the heavens and space until they warped and twisted.

The five-clawed golden dragon let out a low, muffled groan—the instinctive response to pain under Lei Xiao's control.

A careful observer would have noticed that the five-clawed golden dragon's body had become somewhat more illusory.

At the same time, as the pain she had expected failed to arrive for a long while, Bi Xiao could not help opening her eyes. Then, her gaze met the dragon's.

"Little Four, is that you?"

In an instant, Bi Xiao saw Lei Xiao's reflection in the five-clawed golden dragon's eyes.

"Third Sister, go claim the innate spiritual treasure first."

As he spoke, Lei Xiao controlled the five-clawed golden dragon and swung its claw. An unstoppable force wrapped around Bi Xiao, controlling her body as it tore through space and made her vanish.

During this process, the five-clawed golden dragon endured several more attacks from the Divine Phoenix, and half its body was shattered once again.

"You enjoyed attacking just now, didn't you? Now it's my turn."

After sending Bi Xiao away, Lei Xiao controlled the five-clawed golden dragon, whose body was already half destroyed, and sharply turned its head, locking onto the arrogant Divine Phoenix projection.

Lei Xiao controlled the half-ruined five-clawed golden dragon. Rather than retreat, it charged fiercely at the Divine Phoenix.

Azure-black lightning intertwined with Purple Heaven Divine Thunder around the broken half of its dragon body, turning into streaks of thunder patterns that spread across its wounds and temporarily stabilized its body, which was on the verge of collapse.

Roar—!

The five-clawed golden dragon unleashed a roar that shattered space. Its jaws opened wide, no longer releasing mere lightning breath, but converting every bit of lightning power within its body into the most primal and tyrannical Purple Heaven Divine Thunder, blasting it forth without reservation.

In an instant, a deep-violet pillar of lightning, like a divine punishment that split heaven and earth, carrying a terrifying aura capable of destroying all laws, crashed fiercely into the Divine Phoenix's natal true fire.

Sizzle—

A tooth-grinding sound of corrosion instantly rang through heaven and earth.

The Divine Phoenix's crimson-gold true fire, capable of incinerating all things, melted and collapsed at a visible rate the instant it encountered the Purple Heaven Divine Thunder, like accumulated snow beneath the blazing sun!

The Divine Phoenix's enormous body shuddered violently, and fear appeared in its phoenix eyes for the first time.

Screech—!

The Divine Phoenix let out a shrill, miserable cry. Daring not to resist head-on any longer, it fiercely flapped its massive wings, sending crimson fire-feathers raining down like a storm of arrows toward the thunder dragon. At the same time, it rapidly retreated, trying to widen the distance.

But how could Lei Xiao give it the chance?

With a thought from Lei Xiao, the massive body of the five-clawed golden dragon instantly transformed into countless purple lightning chains. Ignoring the distance through space, they wrapped tightly around the Divine Phoenix's wings and tail like parasites clinging to bone.

The Divine Phoenix cried out in alarm, frantically beating its wings as crimson flames erupted from every feather, attempting to burn away the lightning chains wound around its body.

"Trying to run? Too late."

Lei Xiao snorted coldly. Purple Heaven Divine Thunder surged madly into the Divine Phoenix's body along the lightning chains, mercilessly erasing its obsession and remnant soul.

Purple Heaven Divine Thunder inherently possessed the dual attributes of destruction and purification. At this moment, it displayed an especially tyrannical side. The Divine Phoenix's once-solid body rapidly grew thinner and more transparent beneath the wash of violet lightning.

Very soon, the Divine Phoenix vanished completely, leaving behind only a ball of crimson-gold flame.

"Phoenix Divine Fire at the Great Luo Golden Immortal level. This is a good thing, and it suits Second Sister's attributes perfectly. I can bring it back for her."

Lei Xiao secretly rejoiced. Enduring wave after wave of dizziness caused by the depletion of his divine sense, he controlled the golden dragon phantom to extend a dragon claw and carefully wrapped the ball of terrifyingly hot crimson-gold flame with countless strands of Purple Heaven Divine Thunder.

"Collect!"

At his low shout, the Phoenix Divine Fire seemed to sense an irresistible suppression. After struggling slightly a few times, it obediently compressed into a crimson fireseed beneath the Purple Heaven Divine Thunder and was sealed away.

Once all that was done, the five-clawed golden dragon spanning ten thousand miles could no longer hold on. It let out an unwilling wail as its enormous body turned into countless motes of light and slowly dispersed between heaven and earth.

However, the thunder source within the five-clawed golden dragon remained.

When his consciousness returned to his body, Lei Xiao was utterly exhausted. His essence, energy, and spirit had been greatly depleted, but he was in much better condition than last time and did not faint on the spot.

Before he could make any move, the thunder source left behind by the five-clawed golden dragon seemed to be drawn toward him. It turned into a streak of light, flew toward him, and entered his body.

Boom!

Violent yet incomparably pure lightning power abruptly exploded and surged wildly through his body. In an instant, countless cells within him were ground away. But as the Purple Firmament Origin Divine Thunder within him trembled lightly, a force of creation appeared from nowhere, and his destroyed cells rapidly regenerated.

Moreover, the regenerated cells were strengthened, causing the overall strength of his physical body to soar madly at this moment.

Of course, it was not just his physical strength that was improving. His source was also growing stronger, and his cultivation was steadily advancing toward the middle stage of the Golden Immortal realm.

Elsewhere.

"I... I left the illusion realm?"

Bi Xiao surveyed her surroundings. She was now on an island, one that resembled a forbidden zone of life left behind after a war. As far as the eye could see was a land of calamity, still lingering with an aura of destruction.

"Why didn't Little Four leave with me?"

Bi Xiao spread out her divine sense but found no trace of Lei Xiao. Anxiety inevitably appeared in her eyes.

"I'll find the treasure that called me here first. If I'm right, that treasure should be the foundation sustaining the illusion realm. As long as I take it away, Little Four should be able to escape the illusion realm."