Shi Yi's brows knitted tightly. His earlier probe had left him shaken-when he reached his palm into that silent region, the seemingly tranquil space had annihilated it in an instant. More terrifying still, an invisible, scorching force had surged madly into his meridians through his severed wrist, plunging his organs into what felt like a furnace. He clearly saw strange crimson patterns rising beneath his skin, as though magma were coursing through his veins.
Hiss-
At that critical moment, the Primordial Chaos Heaven-Refining Grand Formation abruptly began to rotate, ancient runes lighting up one after another along its patterns. The strange energy invading his body was forcibly refined. Shi Yi gave a muffled grunt, a thread of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, but a flicker of astonishment crossed his eyes-the refined energy was terrifyingly pure.
"What kind of power is this...?" Shi Yi stared at the new hand growing from his severed wrist, its fresh skin still glimmering faintly gold. Behind him, a bolt of Black Lightning as thick as a bucket struck down, blasting half a cliff into dust. When the flying rubble touched the boundary of the silent region, it dissolved soundlessly like ice and snow.
Suddenly, his pupils contracted. At the center of that deathly silent region, the faint silhouettes of nine stone pillars reaching into the heavens appeared. Chains wound around every pillar, and at the ends of those chains... something seemed to be writhing in captivity.
"This place is far too strange. With my current strength, forcing my way deeper would only be courting death," he murmured, lightning patterns flickering in his eyes. "Still, this seclusion yielded considerable gains. I've comprehended most of the Thunder Dao Laws. It's time to leave."
He looked toward the valley's exit, the corners of his mouth lifting into a cold smile. "If that Divine Fire Realm Thunder Shadow Leopard is still waiting outside... it'll be the perfect target to test my strength!"
Before his words had faded, he transformed into a streak of lightning, shot into the sky, and hurtled toward the outskirts of Thunderclap Valley.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three piercing whistles suddenly rang out. Three long arrows formed from lightning tore through the air, attacking from three exceptionally treacherous angles! Destructive power coiled around their shafts, cutting off every avenue of retreat. Clearly, the attacker intended to kill him in a single strike!
"Hm?" Shi Yi's pupils contracted, but his reaction was not the slightest bit slow.
He slipped sideways like a phantom, narrowly avoiding the first arrow. At the same time, his hands formed seals, and the phantom of a Thunder Flood Dragon appeared behind him. Its roar shook the heavens as it smashed the second lightning arrow to pieces. The third arrow had already reached his chest. With a cold snort, he drove his right fist forward. Lightning burst across his knuckles, shattering the arrow into a skyful of crackling fragments!
"You skulking rat! Get out here!"
His figure flashed, and he landed atop a mountain peak, his lightning-sharp gaze sweeping his surroundings. In an instant, the lightning patterns in his eyes surged, and divine radiance blazed forth, as though he could pierce every illusion and gaze directly upon its source!
"Found you!"
He abruptly raised his right hand. Runes churned in his palm, and countless bolts of lightning intertwined, finally condensing into a long spear of deep, pitch-black lightning. Thunder Snakes slithered along its shaft, and its destructive aura made the heart tremble.
"Die!"
He whipped his arm forward, sending the lightning spear hurtling through the air. Like a streak of black lightning, it split the heavens, twisting space in its wake with piercing explosive cracks!
Boom-!!!
The spear arrived in an instant and plunged viciously into a distant mountain peak. The next moment, a devastating lightning storm erupted!
The entire peak collapsed amid the lightning. Space shook, smoke and dust surged skyward, and countless rocks were ground to powder by the rampaging bolts. Frenzied Thunder Snakes writhed as though alive, turning the entire area into a Thunder Prison. Any living creature that entered would be torn to pieces!
Shi Yi stood with his hands behind his back, his robes snapping in the wind and cold light flashing in his eyes. "Since you dared ambush me, don't expect to leave alive!"
As the dust slowly cleared, a tall figure emerged, treading upon lightning. A hazy, luminous mist enveloped Lei Shang. With every step, faint lightning patterns rippled across the ground, as though resonating with heaven and earth. The glowing mist circulated ceaselessly, revealing occasional flashes of runes. Clearly, it was an extraordinary Magic Artifact capable of concealing him from Thunderclap Valley's detection.
His eyes were like lightning as he fixed Shi Yi with a relentless stare, his voice low and laden with authority. "Human, mere blood fodder, you dare attack me? You have committed an unforgivable sin! Kneel! Admit your wrongs sincerely and offer up everything you possess, and perhaps I might show great mercy and leave your corpse intact!"
His tone was lofty, as though he had been born above all living beings, carrying an unquestionable arrogance.
Rather than showing fear at those words, Shi Yi gave a cold laugh, the killing intent in his eyes deepening. "The Wind-Thunder Leopard clan? A race that should have gone extinct long ago, lucky enough to drag out its last breaths until today. Instead of thanking heaven and earth for their mercy, you're arrogant and conceited. You truly have no idea whether you're courting life or death! Today, I'll sever your bloodline completely and let your clan vanish forever into the long river of time!"
Boom-!
Lei Shang's pupils abruptly contracted. The luminous mist around him churned violently, and savage killing intent shot into the sky!
"You-are-courting-death!" he roared, his voice exploding like thunder and shattering the surrounding rocks!
How glorious had the Wind-Thunder Leopard clan once been? Even in an age when myriad races stood in great numbers, they had ruled an entire region! Though they now lay dormant, he had always firmly believed that one day the Wind-Thunder Leopards would reappear in the world and reign supreme once more!
Yet this human before him actually dared claim that his clan had long since gone extinct? "Impossible! How could my clan have gone extinct?!"
"You-must die!"
Rumble-!
Above Heavenly Thunder Valley, dark clouds churned and endless lightning gathered, as though answering Lei Shang's fury. He stepped forward, his figure flashing like lightning. In an instant, he tore through space and lunged at Shi Yi to kill him!
Shi Yi's gaze was icy. Lightning flared around him, and without yielding an inch, he surged forward to meet the attack!
"Come! Let me see how much ability remains in you, a remnant of a clan clinging to its last breath!"
Lei Shang's furious howl shook the heavens, and countless ancient runes churned and condensed in the air. In an instant, the phantom of a Wind-Thunder Leopard appeared behind him, blotting out the sky and sun. Destructive purple-black lightning coiled around its entire body, and every strand of fur blazed with dazzling electrical light. The moment this Primordial Fierce Beast manifested, waves of resonance sounded from the depths of Thunderclap Valley.
"Annihilate!"
At Lei Shang's explosive shout, the Wind-Thunder Leopard abruptly opened its blood-filled maw and unleashed a pillar of purple-black lightning as thick as a water vat. Space twisted and shattered in its path, and it plowed a scorched trench several dozen feet deep through the ground. The raging Thunder Dao Laws vaporized every boulder along the way.
Facing this heaven-destroying, earth-shattering strike, Shi Yi's eyes flashed like lightning, and his hands abruptly traced profound trajectories. Accompanied by a deafening dragon's roar, a thousand-foot Thunder Flood Dragon soared from his palms. Its entire body was a deep, dark gold, and innate lightning patterns were branded upon every scale. The two dragon horns on its head continually drew in the stray lightning power within Heavenly Thunder Valley.
"Go!"
Shi Yi pointed a finger, and the Thunder Flood Dragon swung its tail, actually drawing upon the countless bolts of lightning within the valley. Innumerable electrical serpents converged from every direction, forming a radiant lightning vortex around the Thunder Flood Dragon. Seen from afar,
it looked as though the lightning power of the entire Heavenly Thunder Valley had been stirred by this single Treasure Art.