Chapter 167: Body Tempering

Amidst flashes of lightning and thunder, the Tianhe Sect disciple's immortal sword turned into a rainbow, slashing down upon Chen Ting from above.

This move caught everyone completely off guard.

Chen Ting's figure exploded backward, and a round mirror appeared above his head; a beam of grey mystic light shot from the mirror's surface toward the Tianhe Sect disciple's broadsword.

Several disciples of the Zizaimo Sect over there looked at this one and then that one, hesitating for a moment, unsure whom to attack.

The auspicious clouds above their heads slowly dissipated, as if they wished to observe the battle situation.

Just then!

A bolt of lightning as thick as a water bucket appeared out of nowhere.

It lit up behind them!

One person on the far edge of the group was engulfed by the lightning, letting out a shrill scream of agony.

Everything happened so fast that by the time the lightning faded, the others finally reacted.

Within the lightning, a figure became visible.

It was none other than that Tianhe Sect disciple.

He had taken advantage of the group's laxity to directly ambush and kill one of the Zizaimo Sect disciples.

Zheng Fa twitched the corner of his mouth; this person was utterly devoid of martial ethics.

"You... are so arrogant!"

With one dead, only four Zizaimo Sect disciples remained; they scattered quickly while casting incredulous glances at that Tianhe Sect disciple.

Zheng Fa understood very well why these people called the other arrogant.

Could you not fight them one by one?

Why provoke them all at once?

Clearly, this person possessed absolute confidence.

"Even if there are a few more disciples of the Demon Sect, what of it?"

That Tianhe Sect disciple snorted disdainfully, leaped forward, and engaged these few in battle.

This Tianhe Sect disciple was very strong.

This was Zheng Fa's most direct impression from watching these people battle with techniques.

This strength did not stem from cultivation level.

Within Lei Chi, these people likely dared not reveal their strongest cultivation; for the most part, they fought with the power of the Foundation Establishment stage.

But under equal cultivation, the characteristics displayed by this Tianhe Sect disciple were comprehensive—

His broadsword seemed extremely miraculous, fighting Chen Ting alone to a standstill.

And he himself, unarmed and facing several Zizaimo Sect disciples, did not fall behind.

This person also seemed to cultivate lightning techniques; within Lei Chi, he was like a fish in water, occasionally flinging out several talismans, causing the opponents to panic.

In magical treasures, techniques, and talismans, this person displayed extremely high attainment.

In contrast, Chen Ting and the others seemed somewhat constrained within Lei Chi; the power of their techniques and treasures was far weaker than the opponent's.

Zheng Fa, standing aside, suddenly understood.

This was still due to Lei Chi—

In the Xuanwei Realm, most Demon Sect cultivation techniques are yin and evil, while lightning techniques are supremely yang and rigid, naturally counteracting them.

Within Lei Chi, the combat power of this group was weakened even more severely than others.

As they fought on, this Tianhe Sect disciple, facing many opponents, actually gained the upper hand.

Chen Ting and those four Zizaimo Sect disciples also seemed to realize this wouldn't work; they exchanged a glance and, with unspoken understanding, moved closer together.

Standing together, these few showed a tendency to join forces.

Zheng Fa, standing aside, could not help but sigh—

Wasn't Chen Ting being hunted down by these people?

Now they are joining forces?

Clearly, this Tianhe Sect disciple exerted immense pressure on them.

He looked toward that Tianhe Sect disciple, only to find the other not angry but delighted, laughing heartily: "I was waiting for you to join forces!"

Everyone froze, then saw him lift his crane cloak; beneath that seemingly ethereal and Daoist-like garment lay a body of knotted muscles, incredibly muscular and robust!

Zheng Fa keenly sensed something was wrong and piloted the Du'e Boat to fly away at high speed.

But it was already too late for Chen Ting and the others to escape.

The Tianhe Sect disciple merely waved his hand; the broadsword fell upon his head and drove straight up into the thunderclouds in the sky!

The spiritual energy fluctuation on that sword far exceeded the scope of the Foundation Establishment stage.

"!"

Zheng Fa suddenly understood what this person intended to do!

Lei Chi certainly did not indulge him; in the sky, thunderclouds gathered rapidly, layer upon layer, like quilts piled into a mountain.

The cloud layer above his head was so low it was terrifying, as if one could reach it with a hand.

In the next moment, ten thousand bolts of lightning surged down!

These lightning snakes looked like a forest of thunder.

That Tianhe Sect disciple, who dared to provoke Lei Chi, was naturally the primary target of these thunderbolts.

But Chen Ting and the others also suffered greatly!

They stood too close; one bolt of lightning could strike three people, and they never expected this person to be so mad.

They directly suffered the collateral damage.

Zheng Fa could see that among the four Zizaimo Sect disciples, roughly two with insufficient strength were instantly blasted into flying ash.

The other two were also in dire straits, fleeing in all directions.

Chen Ting, protected by that round mirror, seemed slightly better off, but he was also rapidly fleeing this forest of thunder, clearly unwilling to linger.

But the one struck the most was that disciple of the Tianhe Sect.

He was like a lightning rod, attracting at least half of the thunder.

Yet this person seemed utterly unconcerned; thunder flickered over his body as he continued to hunt down these few.

Soon, the two from the Zizaimo Sect were caught up by him; without him even needing to strike, those two met their end beneath the heavenly thunder.

What a suicide attack!

After killing those two, this Tianhe Sect disciple turned and headed straight for Chen Ting.

Chen Ting, braving the round mirror, had barely managed to run a bit farther when he turned back and saw that person grinning savagely, rushing toward him with layers of black clouds overhead.

His whole body shuddered, and his form sped up even more.

Zheng Fa, seeing the two rushing toward him, turned the Du'e Boat's bow and hid to one side, wanting to make way for them.

Unexpectedly, Chen Ting spun his body and charged directly at him.

"Zheng Shidi!" he called out, "Please, in light of our past camaraderie as fellow disciples, lend me a hand!"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Fa said not a word and urgently urged the Du'e Boat onward.

The Du'e Boat was naturally suited for Lei Chi.

Moreover, the Tianhe Sect disciple behind Chen Ting would occasionally strike Chen Ting with a sword, hindering his escape.

The distance between Zheng Fa and Chen Ting not only failed to close but actually grew somewhat larger.

Seeing the slightly bewildered expression on Chen Ting's face, Zheng Fa thought inwardly:

Are we really that close?

He's coming rolling in with heavenly thunder!

And you want me to block it for you?

"I have news about Senior Sister Zhang!"

Seeing Zheng Fa running extremely fast, Chen Ting spoke again.

Zheng Fa paused, looked at him carefully, and the Du'e Boat slowed slightly.

The expression on this person's face was sincere; it seemed he was speaking the truth.

"Recently, I was hunted by people from the Zizaimo Sect; I killed many of them and obtained some news regarding Senior Sister Zhang!"

Chen Ting said urgently.

This, logically speaking, was indeed possible.

Chen Ting had sacrificed not only the old grandpa on his person but also part of the divine power of the Great Zizaimo Demon Ancestor.

If the Zizaimo Sect hadn't known, that would have been one thing.

But judging by the current situation, they must have found out.

And Senior Sister Zhang did indeed go missing during a conflict with people from the Zizaimo Sect.

"I know you and Senior Sister Zhang are deeply in love. If you help me escape, I will certainly..."

Chen Ting hadn't even finished speaking.

The speed of the Du'e Boat beneath Zheng Fa's feet increased by another segment.

"Senior Brother Chen, do you no longer care about Senior Sister Zhang?"

He couldn't help but shout.

"Senior Brother Chen, before I came to Lei Chi, Junior Uncle Pang gave me many instructions. The most frequent was to not trust others blindly, especially those who are two-faced, sinister, cunning, and hypocritical." Zheng Fa's voice floated over from afar.

"I am not! I was once a disciple of the Sect Master as well; he knows me best!"

"Indeed, he knows you well." Zheng Fa's tone carried a slight sigh: "Those instructions could be said to mention your name in every single scroll..."

"..."

It wasn't that Zheng Fa didn't want to know news about Senior Sister Zhang; otherwise, he wouldn't have gone against his nature to go watch the battle of those few.

But Chen Ting was the existence that had caused his own old grandpa to perish.

Zheng Fa didn't particularly dislike this person, but he absolutely did not trust him.

He even suspected that even if he helped this Chen Ting, Chen Ting would have other demands...

The news in his mouth might not be false, but the price Zheng Fa would have to pay was huge—at the very least, he would have to face that Tianhe Sect disciple, and perhaps even be made to block disciples of the Zizaimo Sect.

That disciple looked like a madman...

With that fighting style, while others might endure one thunderbolt, this person would endure at least ten.

Getting involved in the conflict between these two, let alone what would happen to Zheng Fa.

The Jiushan Sect would probably have a headache.

However, one piece of information in Chen Ting's words made Zheng Fa pay some attention... the Zizaimo Sect knew Senior Sister Zhang's whereabouts.

The jade pendant left by Junior Uncle Huang was still flashing, indicating that the Zizaimo Sect still had no way to deal with Senior Sister Zhang.

Zheng Fa thought for a moment; to find Senior Sister Zhang, Chen Ting might indeed have clues—but this person's mind was too deep.

The most direct approach would be to find people from the Zizaimo Sect.

Zheng Fa still followed the map given to him by Senior Sister Zhang, searching for a location suitable for body refinement with heavenly thunder.

Senior Sister Zhang's map marked five possible locations.

He did not rashly choose one; instead, he spent over half a month visiting every single one.

After seeing them all, he felt somewhat disappointed in his heart...

It was not said that these places were unsuitable for Heavenly Thunder Body Tempering.

But rather... he actually thought that Shijie Zhang might have left some clues in these places for him to find.

Yet he found nothing.

Finally, he could only choose the most secluded location with the fewest people and stopped the Du'e Boat there.

Zheng Fa sat cross-legged at the bow, his entire soul and spirit leaving his body and rushing straight toward the thunderclouds above his head.

Boom!

A bolt of Heavenly Thunder struck straight down upon his body.

His entire body shuddered.

Compared to the intensity of the Lei Ting during the Blood Exchange, this Heavenly Thunder was much stronger.

But compared to the pain of the Blood Exchange, he now felt comfortable—this Heavenly Thunder seemed to carry a life force within it.

While destroying Zheng Fa's body, it was also reshaping his physique, even subtly causing Zheng Fa's body to change slowly—no, evolve!

He now somewhat understood the logic behind the Five Thunder Divine Body; the so-called four layers before were merely to allow Zheng Fa to withstand the destructive power of this Heavenly Thunder until he could receive the nourishment of this life force.

Zheng Fa could feel that something seemed to be growing inside his body.

Before he could figure out exactly what was growing inside him, suddenly, the ball of Qingyang Qi given by the Jiushan Ancestor in his dantian exploded!

Since this Qingyang Qi entered his dantian, it had not moved at all.

It seemed to be waiting for the day Zheng Fa's Five Thunder Divine Body technique reached perfection.

Part of this Qingyang Qi scattered into Zheng Fa's body.

Another part rushed toward the sky, breaking through the thunderclouds above Zheng Fa's head and ascending into the boundless heights.

In the sky, a giant tree appeared.

This giant tree had a trunk but no branches; crimson broad leaves grew around the main trunk, like the evening glow.

This giant tree was so vast that it seemed to support the blue clouds above and reach down to the Yellow Springs below.

In the Lei Chi, the clouds dispersed and the thunder ceased, as if paying homage to this giant tree.

The constant sounds of fighting everywhere also subsided.

Everyone looked up, gazing at the sky above their heads.

Zheng Fa felt the Qingyang Qi within his body scatter, shaping numerous tiny meridians inside him.

The patterns of these meridians seemed to vaguely match the vein patterns of the leaves of the giant tree that appeared in the sky.

The words the Jiushan Ancestor had spoken to him back then surged to his mind—when his Pure Yang Body Tempering cultivation technique reached perfection, that would be the day the Qingyang Dao Body was achieved.

Now, were these newly grown tiny meridians the mark of the Qingyang Dao Body?

At this moment, Zheng Fa had no time to ponder this; he urged the Du'e Boat, wanting to leave this place—the commotion just now was a bit too great.

He feared someone would come.

"You also like getting struck by lightning?"

Suddenly, a voice came from far behind him.

Zheng Fa turned around; the disciple of Tianhe Sect looked at him with bright eyes, and there seemed to be some familiarity in his gaze?

No.

What do you mean "also"?