"No-who was it?! Who killed my child?!"
A heartrending roar rang out beyond Thunderclap Valley, shaking rocks until they shattered and throwing the lightning into chaos. An enormous Wind-Thunder Leopard stood at the valley entrance, every strand of its silvery-white fur bristling with rage. Towering fury burned in its golden eyes.
At the mouth of the gorge lay a charred corpse-a smaller Wind-Thunder Leopard, its fur burned away by lightning, its life long extinguished.
The adult Wind-Thunder Leopard dug its claws deep into the ground. Every step was agonizingly slow, as though it were resisting the reality before its eyes. How desperately it wished this were merely another member of its species, rather than its own flesh and blood.
Yet when it finally made out the familiar markings on the corpse, its last shred of hope was utterly crushed.
"ROAR!!!"
Violent lightning erupted from its body. Boulders within a hundred zhang instantly crumbled to dust, and the ground cracked like a spiderweb before collapsing with a thunderous crash. The pressure of a Divine Fire Realm Fierce Beast poured out without restraint, scattering even the lightning overhead and briefly creating a vacuum.
"Hahaha... good! Very good!" The Wind-Thunder Leopard laughed in its extreme fury, its voice chilling to the bone. "Since I entered the Divine Fire Realm, no one has ever dared provoke me! Today, I will make the murderer repay this blood debt in blood! If I cannot avenge my child, I would sooner let my Dao heart shatter and die!"
Only after a long time did its aura gradually settle, but the murderous intent in its eyes grew ever stronger. It lowered its head and carefully sniffed the air, then abruptly looked up, its gaze stabbing like a blade into the depths of Thunderclap Valley.
"Good! Good! Good!" Its voice was low as thunder, each word sharply enunciated. "You killed my offspring, yet instead of fleeing or hiding, you dared venture deeper into Thunderclap Valley? Just how much contempt do you hold for my Wind-Thunder Leopard race?!"
With a sweep of its claws, it stored the young leopard's corpse in the space within its body. Then its figure flashed, transforming into a streak of silver lightning that shot into the gorge.
Wherever it passed, lightning parted before it, unable to keep pace with its speed. Behind it, countless bolts gathered into an ocean, surging like furious waves, yet all they could do was chase its afterimages in vain.
At that moment, Shi Yi was still immersed in comprehending the laws of lightning.
Lightning patterns flowed around him, and the meridians within his body had almost transformed into lightning. Every breath drew forth a resonant chorus of thunder from heaven and earth. Yet just as he was about to touch a deeper layer of those laws, an unprecedented sense of dread suddenly struck him!
"This is bad!"
His eyes snapped open. The Golden Roc Wings abruptly spread behind him, and the Primordial Chaos Heaven-Refining Grand Formation ran at full power. Like a phantom, he merged into the void and hurtled deeper into the gorge!
When cultivators comprehended the Dao, they received mysterious intuitions, especially when mortal danger approached; the Great Dao would often give warning. Though Shi Yi did not know where the danger came from, he chose to flee without hesitation.
The instant he left-
BOOM!!
A silver figure descended upon the spot where he had been sitting. Violent lightning pressure swept in every direction, annihilating all the lightning within a thousand zhang!
"Get lost!" the Wind-Thunder Leopard roared. Its Divine Fire Realm pressure erupted, briefly bringing the lightning within the gorge to a standstill!
But how could the laws of Thunderclap Valley tolerate such provocation? Mere breaths later, even more violent black lightning gathered once again, intertwining across the sky like furious dragons.
The Wind-Thunder Leopard stared fixedly ahead, murderous intent surging in its eyes.
There, pitch-black bolts pierced heaven and earth, each containing destructive power. Even a Divine Fire Realm expert would be reduced to ash by the slightest carelessness.
It hesitated. As a native of this place, it understood the terror of this black lightning better than anyone-the deeper one ventured, the more its power compounded. Even a True God risked death by entering! But how could it leave its child's murder unavenged?!
"You think you can survive by fleeing into this deathtrap?" the Wind-Thunder Leopard growled, a trace of resolve flashing in its eyes. "Today, even if heavenly lightning destroys my body, I will tear you apart with my own claws!"
Before its words had faded, its figure flashed, and it charged fearlessly into the sea of black lightning!
Deep within Thunderclap Valley, pitch-black lightning raged like frenzied dragons, every thunderclap shaking the void. Terrifying storm energy swept outward; even its aftershocks were enough to gravely wound a Venerable Realm expert.
Shi Yi raced through the void, the formation patterns of the Primordial Chaos Heaven-Refining Grand Formation flowing around him and blending his aura into the surrounding emptiness. Yet the black lightning was far too terrifying. Despite the formation's protection, a streak grazed his left arm, instantly charring his flesh and sending a piercing agony through him.
"Hiss-"
He endured the pain and gazed solemnly deeper into the gorge. The lightning there had almost solidified, cascading like waterfalls, each bolt carrying destructive power.
"This is as far as I can go..." Shi Yi stopped, runes flickering in his eyes. "Any farther, and even the Primordial Chaos Heaven-Refining Grand Formation won't be able to protect me."
He drew a deep breath, the formation patterns around him flickering uncertainly. A powerful enemy was behind him, recklessly venturing deeper meant certain death, and his retreat had been cut off-the only chance of survival was to perfect the third layer of formation patterns of the Primordial Chaos Heaven-Refining Formation as quickly as possible!
I have to complete this breakthrough before the enemy catches up... Shi Yi sat cross-legged in the void, forming seals with both hands as the formation patterns within his body flowed like a river of stars.
On the outskirts of Heavenly Thunder Valley, a silver-striped Wind-Thunder Leopard stood with its head raised, divine power surging around its body and dispersing every lightning bolt that struck down. It had not assumed human form, yet an almost human struggle flickered in its golden beast eyes.
"That human actually managed to reach the heart of Heavenly Thunder Valley..." It stared fixedly into the depths of the gorge, its sharp claws buried deep in the ground. "A mere Array Formation Realm cultivator-how?"
Suddenly, its pupils contracted-unless its opponent possessed a supreme treasure capable of resisting lightning!
As soon as that thought arose, greed replaced the murderous intent in the Wind-Thunder Leopard's eyes. What a heaven-defying treasure it must be, to let an antlike Array Formation cultivator force his way into Thunderclap Valley!
"ROAR!"
With a long roar, it transformed into silver lightning and charged into the inner valley. In an instant, the previously relatively calm black lightning went utterly berserk!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Lightning pillars as thick as millstones rained down, each strike rivaling a full-power attack from a peak Supreme expert. More terrifying still, even more dreadful lightning was brewing deep within the gorge, as though a primordial Fierce Beast were awakening.
"Pfft!"
Despite the Wind-Thunder Leopard's incredible speed and the dozen or so afterimages trailing behind it, three lightning pillars struck it simultaneously. It gave a muffled grunt. Large patches of its silver fur were charred black, and a trickle of golden blood seeped from the corner of its mouth.
"Damn it..." The ferocity in its eyes intensified. Ancient runes emerged around its body as it braved the lightning storm and pressed deeper.
Watching the black lightning rampage within the gorge, Shi Yi knew that the powerful enemy responsible for his dread had entered. The situation was perilous. Though the Heaven-Refining Grand Formation merged into the void and shielded him from Heavenly Thunder Valley's detection, against an enemy stronger than himself, Shi Yi still had to rely on his own strength.
"For now, this is the limit of the Primordial Chaos Heaven-Refining Grand Formation. There's no way I can finish condensing the third section of its formation patterns
in such a short time. If it can reach this place, then my only choice is to fight."
Dazzling light radiated from Shi Yi's entire body. Countless runes gathered into divine power and flowed around him like coiled, furious dragons, seemingly ready to burst from his body at any moment, tear his enemy to pieces, and grind it to dust.
His eyes shone even more brilliantly, powerful runes taking shape within them as though they were about to open up heaven and earth. If an ordinary cultivator looked directly into his eyes, at best their eyes would bleed and suffer injury; at worst, they would be blinded, with no hope of ever regaining their sight.
Shi Yi then raised his condition to its absolute peak and stood ready for battle. His enemy was far too powerful. He had to give it everything he had.