Such a Benevolent Heart

What happened?

Gazing at the vortex that seemed to appear almost directly in front of him, Gu De's expression darkened, and a thought flashed through his mind:

This is targeting me!

As the idea arose, an abundance of lightning also appeared.

In an instant, a strong sensation of numbness mixed with stinging pain spread throughout the entire body.

Even the head, which wasn't in the water, seemed to be swallowed up by lightning in an instant.

Centered on Gu De, in an instant, the hair on everyone's heads on the water's surface was electrified and stood straight, like bursting black dandelions.

For a moment, Gu De felt his mind go completely blank.

Throughout all my past lives of cultivation, through countless accumulations, I have never experienced such a profound feeling.

Being prepared and having something to rely on is ultimately better than being caught off guard.

Fortunately, this process did not last too long.

As the sensation of lightning gradually dissipated, even Gu De felt a sense of relief.

He might not have thought much of it before, but the lightning just now really gave him a feeling:

Now that we've entered this Emperor Road, we absolutely cannot be careless in the slightest.

Because at this moment, the suppression of this world on him has truly and undeniably reduced him to almost the level of a mortal.

Aside from the unsuppressed comprehension and thought processes within his mind, he can no longer rely on anything else, whether it be spiritual power or cultivation level.

If that thunder had been any stronger, I fear I would have perished here today as well.

Fortunately, the purpose of this thunderbolt did not seem to be to kill, but merely to serve as a form of encouragement.

Gu De quickly composed himself and continued flying forward.

This feeling wasn't good for him; if he stayed in the water any longer, he feared he might encounter it a second or third time.

We need to leave as soon as possible.

Elsewhere, most people were just recovering from the mental blankness caused by the lightning.

Some of those who had gone through the first round looked even more anxious now, and some couldn't help but whisper reminders to those around them:

"That second round felt even stronger! It seems they're not the same; the lightning in the water will only get more terrifying. If this continues, I'm afraid we really won't be able to withstand the next few bolts of lightning."

Elsewhere, Li Baimei's face twitched violently, and finally, an idea flashed through his mind:

"If I had known I'd be treated like this, I would have just found someone to impersonate the coffin-clad ancestor!"

The sudden thunderbolt had left his mind blank and his whole body shuddering.

Although I have a vague, inexplicable feeling, if I had to choose to do it again, I'd rather not come back.

On the other side, among the Li Clan experts who were frantically running down the road, someone couldn't help but shout out:

"Patriarch Baimei, are you all alright?"

Upon hearing this, Li Baimei turned his head and said:

"Don't worry."

The person running wildly on the road nodded, then turned to look at the other members of their tribe running alongside them.

As their eyes met, they both saw a hint of relief on each other's faces.

"Thank goodness, at least we can run on the road. Although it's tiring, it's still much better than suffering down there."

They saw what happened just now.

Each and every one of them, regardless of their identity, status, or strength, was struck dumb by the appearance of the lightning in the water, becoming as utterly humiliated as grandsons.

They were running on the road, which was tiring, but it was safer than running in the water where you could be attacked unexpectedly.

"The hints from the Emperor Road have indeed proven beneficial," someone remarked.

No sooner had he finished speaking than the crowd running on the road suddenly felt as if the ground was sinking.

"Etc."

Someone reacted quickly, their expression immediately changing, and they spoke up:

"No way! We've pledged allegiance to the Ancestor, could something have gone wrong on our end too?"

Almost as soon as the words were spoken, the ground below, which had just begun to sink, suddenly jutted upwards.

As the road surface drew nearer, it seemed for a moment to resemble a strip of cloth that had been grabbed by the corner and violently shaken.

The visible, protruding peak came straight at you.

In an instant, figures were seen being tossed into the air.

Thump, thump.

Moments later, figures fell from the road into the water.

Almost the instant they entered the water, their faces all turned extremely pale.

Just moments ago they were feeling sorry for the people in the water, but in the blink of an eye, they too had fallen in.

This scene caused many people in the back who had not yet made a choice to gasp in shock.

"No matter which road it is, none of them look like good roads."

Others looked at the person who hesitated but didn't move forward, shook their heads, and said:

"When has the path of cultivation ever been easy? What we've just experienced is nothing; it's nothing at all."

After saying that, he walked straight ahead.

After this situation, both sides, whether on land or in water, were extremely motivated to move forward.

Everyone was pushing forward with all their might, afraid that if they were even a little slower, they would face another round of trouble.

Underwater.

Mu Fan withdrew his gaze from Gu De and his group, then clicked his tongue and murmured:

"Truly worthy of being called the Human Emperor, you possess so many fine items. I underestimated you when I called you a big fish."

It's no exaggeration to say that the storage items he secretly took from Gu De and his group while Gu De were being electrocuted, containing all sorts of resources, would be considered extremely valuable even within their Five Symbols Sect.

However, for now, they are all quietly staying with him.

As for when the Gu De people discover that their storage containers have been replaced with fakes made of mud, that's their business.

"As for the Li Clan, despite bearing the banner of one of the four top powers, the things they brought were actually rather lacking."

Mu Fan looked at Li Baimei and shook his head.

Then, as if remembering something, he turned to Xiao Ye and reminded him:

"In the next few rounds, take extra care of Li Baimei."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ye smiled and said:

"Senior Brother Mu, is it because we didn't get good results with him?"

"That's not it."

Mu Fan shook his head and said:

"Li Baimei's reaction to the electric shock was quite strong; he must have some unique fetish that he hasn't realized yet."

"I'm just doing this to help him out, to let him have a few more rounds of fun."

Meanwhile, outside the Emperor Road.

Several figures watched what was happening in the Secret Road.

One of them frowned slightly and said:

"Given the current situation, they could easily crush these so-called strongmen in their eyes like insects, yet they choose to toy with them without killing them. Such benevolence is truly superfluous."

As soon as this person finished speaking, another Human Dao:

"If the goal is just to kill, then making things so complicated is a waste of time. I find the current situation quite interesting."

"Moreover, this practice of releasing water and releasing thunder, while controlling the degree and intensity just right, reminds me of Yang Kaizhi of the Huaxia Sect."

At this moment, another person also spoke up:

"I actually think highly of that kid named Gu De. If he had really been shocked to death just now, I would have gone to find him and demanded an explanation."

After everyone finished speaking, a figure nodded and said:

"These kids are quite amusing. They're not particularly ruthless, but when it comes to stealing, they're anything but hesitant—they practically strip people naked."

"I like this style."