The three of them walked along the winding ancient stone path behind Thunder God Village, and then traveled for about several dozen miles. The ancient and solemn atmosphere in the air became increasingly heavy.
By now, the stone steps beneath their feet had long been eroded and mottled by the passage of time. On the mountain walls on both sides, one could occasionally see broken stone carvings depicting scenes of dragons circling and thunder descending upon the world. Although they had been weathered and blurred, one could still vaguely discern the magnificent atmosphere of yesteryear.
These reliefs also faintly retain some spiritual power, and these traces also reveal the heyday of the Thunder Clan.
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the view ahead suddenly opened up.
A vast expanse of ruins unfolds like a scroll painting amidst the embrace of mountains, with broken walls and charred stone pillars lying haphazardly on the ground. Some are half-buried in the rubble, with only half of the pillar exposed, and the lightning patterns engraved on the pillar surface still faintly visible in the dim lightning.
Some grand halls still remain in the ruins, though the roofs of many palaces have been largely torn off, and the remaining walls are covered with dark red lightning patterns, like congealed bloodstains.
A strange, burnt smell filled the air, and with each breath, one could feel tiny fragments of Thunder Spiritual Qi crackling in their lungs.
Amidst these broken walls and ruins, translucent figures wandered aimlessly.
Their bodies are no different from ordinary people; there are males and females, old and young, and you can even vaguely make out the styles of clothing they wore before they were born.
It was a long robe made mainly of coarse hemp with thunder patterns embroidered on the collar, somewhat similar to the clothing of the villagers of Thunder God Village.
However, their bodies have an ethereal, dark blue hue, and they move without a sound, which is quite eerie.
Han Xuanji's gaze lingered for a moment on a wandering Thunder Spirit, a phantom of a child who looked no more than seven or eight years old, with the outline of a child still remaining on his face, but which had been forever frozen into this semi-transparent, dark blue form.
He withdrew his gaze, his face expressionless, but he had already made up his mind.
These Thunder Spirit are most likely the survivors who could not rest in peace when the Thunder Kingdom was destroyed. After their deaths, they were transformed into evil spirit-like forms by the remaining Power of Principle, and are forever trapped in this ruin.
But despite his feelings, he wasn't there to pray for the Thunder Kingdom's soul.
"These Thunder Spirit... are they remnants of the Thunder Kingdom from back then?"
Lan Miao had clearly noticed something was amiss, and her tone became more reluctant.
He came from a prominent family and was used to seeing battles between cultivators, but many of the Thunder Spirit before him did not seem to be cultivators.
Even though he was a man of good character, he couldn't help but feel a complex mix of emotions at this moment.
"Perhaps, this is probably a warning."
Zhou Yuan gave a concise answer, his gaze sweeping warily over the wandering, eerie blue figures deep within the ruins.
He was keenly aware of the threat posed by these semi-spiritual beings. They might seem pitiful, but in essence, they were energy Body Integration driven by the Power of Principle, just as dangerous as the Variant.
Han Xuanji did not participate in the discussion between the two. His gaze passed over the wandering Thunder Spirit and landed on the relatively open square in front of the main hall.
A large number of people had already gathered there. A quick glance revealed more than a dozen cultivators scattered around, occupying the still relatively intact stone pillar bases and ruins in the square in twos and threes.
Some were searching for clues, while others were whispering amongst themselves. These people came from different factions and maintained a proper distance from each other, keeping a delicate balance.
It seems the news of the ruins of the Thunder God Hall has indeed spread.
Han Xuanji withdrew his gaze, secretly becoming more vigilant.
Chi Yuan hasn't shown up yet, but he absolutely doesn't believe that guy has left. He must be hiding somewhere, observing the situation and waiting for an opportunity.
As he was pondering this, he suddenly noticed a gaze fixed on him.
Han Xuanji looked up and met Jiang Hanzhou's calm and deep eyes.
The leader of the Profound Origin Association stood beside a toppled stone pillar on the other side of the square, with six cultivators standing neatly behind him, their demeanor calm and their formation orderly.
Han Xuanji remembered clearly that there were only four of them when they entered the Ten Directions Immortal Hall, but now, in just a few days, the number has expanded to seven. It seems that the other party's skill in winning people's hearts is truly remarkable.
Their gazes met in the sky above the square. Jiang Hanzhou smiled slightly, nodded politely to him as a greeting, and then casually looked away.
Han Xuanji didn't look at him much, but she became much more wary.
There was indeed no grudge between him and Jiang Hanzhou; in fact, they had even joined forces to fight against the Ten Thousand Immortals Association before entering the palace.
But that all happened before entering the palace.
Right now, everyone is scrambling for the Thunder Token. Whoever gets the token will be the first to enter the next level of heaven. Faced with such a huge temptation, those verbal agreements are as fragile as a piece of paper, easily torn apart.
Jiang Hanzhou's efforts to gather manpower were clearly aimed at gaining a greater advantage in the struggle for the token.
Of course, anyone in Jiang Hanzhou's position would have done the same.
Even with seven people, Jiang Hanzhou would not be careless when facing Han Xuanji Ten Thousand Immortals Association just utterly defeated the Wanxian Society.
The other cultivators present also glanced back and forth between Han Xuanji and Jiang Hanzhou.
People were whispering and discussing whether they would start fighting.
In the entire Thunder World today, apart from the most outstanding geniuses, there is probably no one present who can rival Han Xuanji.
Some even doubted that Chi Yuan might not be a match for Han Xuanji.
Chi Yuan's combat strength is mysterious. He rarely makes a move, except when he was fighting for the Profound Origin Fruit. Even the most powerful Variant did not force him to use his full strength. He was previously recognized as the number one expert.
But now, many people have changed their minds.
"There seems to be no need for us to join forces."
Han Xuanji had no intention of actively seeking Jiang Hanzhou's help to attack Chi Yuan.
He felt it was already a good thing the other party hadn't stabbed him in the back.
" Han Xuanji is formidable; although we outnumber him, we cannot underestimate him."
Jiang Hanzhou was extremely wary of Han Xuanji.
Lessons from the past should guide future actions.
Since none of the seven members of the Ten Thousand Immortals Association were a match for Han Xuanji, it's likely that the other seven wouldn't be a match for him either.
However, these words stirred up some resentment among the three newly joined cultivators.
" Han Xuanji is indeed strong, but even at his strongest, he's still just one person."
A wiry cultivator behind Jiang Hanzhou suddenly spoke in a low voice, his tone tinged with resentment:
"Of the two people beside him, Zhou Yuan can barely be considered half a fighter, and Lan Miao is somewhat capable but limited. The seven of us might be able to put up a fight against him."
The other person shook his head upon hearing this and lowered his voice, saying:
"If it's not necessary, we should try to avoid conflict. Chi Yuan is keeping a low profile and probably knows more than we do."
They arrived a few days earlier than Han Xuanji and his group, and they still haven't figured out what could be hidden in this place.
It was a wasteland, with nothing there at all.
Even though some Thunder Spirit were killed, no one knows when more will appear, or what their purpose is.