Chapter 203: Call Thunder (4K)

The young temple attendant fainted for a moment before slowly regaining consciousness.

She lay on the ground, dazed for a while, then remembered Zheng Fa's voice, glancing nervously at the towering deity statue and whispering cautiously: "Lord Thunder, are you there?"

"I am here."

The young temple attendant shuddered again, but this time she did not faint; instead, her face lit up with fervent reverence: "Lord Thunder, you've finally manifested!"

But Zheng Fa could hear her inner thoughts murmuring:

"Oh no, oh no—if I'd known Lord Thunder would manifest, my father should've taught me what offerings to make… wait, it's not his fault, it was my grandfather who taught him… no, Lord Thunder just woke up, he shouldn't know…"

Zheng Fa found her hypocrisy amusing.

"What is your name?"

"Me? I'm Xiao Qing."

"What is your surname?"

"Surname?" Xiao Qing looked confused. "What's a surname? I'm just Xiao Qing."

Zheng Fa understood—this world was vastly different from the outside.

Moreover, everyone in Half-Mountain City might well be descended from the same ancestor.

"Do you know the Thunder Sect?"

"The Thunder Sect?" Xiao Qing's face brightened, as if relieved Zheng Fa wasn't scolding her for stealing offerings: "Everyone in the city knows about it…"

"The sect leader is said to have suffered a strange illness for over a decade—then he gained control over heavenly thunder and founded the Thunder Sect. No one in the city dares disobey him."

Control over heavenly thunder…

Hearing Xiao Qing's words, this man was clearly not a fraud.

It was clear Xiao Qing was talkative; Zheng Fa didn't need to ask further—she went on:

"But he's not a good man," Xiao Qing spat angrily. "Half-Mountain City survives by gathering mountain goods and fishing. Now the river with the most fish is seized by the Thunder Sect. Those who gather mountain goods must give up half their basket—or even nine-tenths! They're heartless—their leader used to gather mountain goods himself!"

Zheng Fa was already aware of this—he had come before primarily to observe his own fief.

In the Heavenly Stele Realm, at least within Zheng Fa's fief, people relied on only two sources for food—mountains and wetlands.

Or rather, the constant lightning storms brought unceasing rain year after year.

Plains and basins alike became lakes and marshes; only the mountain ranges remained temporarily untouched.

His fief contained only these two terrains.

The mountains held mostly fungi, some edible plants, and small animals—large animals were rare, as nature couldn't sustain them.

The wetlands held plenty of fish and aquatic plants—Xiao Qing's clothing, for instance, was likely woven from fibers of an aquatic vine.

From Xiao Qing's account, the Thunder Sect had already taken control of Half-Mountain City and begun collecting taxes…

"And what else?"

"There's more…"

Xiao Qing's face turned ashen, fear twisting her features; her lips trembled, and she could not speak.

Only one thought in her mind made Zheng Fa wonder if he'd misheard:

"They… eat people."

Seeing Xiao Qing's terror, Zheng Fa fell silent—

He had always thought the Xuanwei Realm was terrible, but under the current dominion of immortal sects, cannibalism was at least officially forbidden.

Yet here, he heard those two words.

At that moment,

A middle-aged woman entered the temple, carrying two garments, similar to the coarse cloth Xiao Qing wore.

"Aunt Yun?" Xiao Qing rose and addressed her: "You've come to worship Lord Thunder? Let me tell you—"

She was about to speak of Lord Thunder's manifestation.

"Xiao Qing," Aunt Yun, thinner than Xiao Qing, with sallow skin and lips covered in gray-white dead skin, cut her off: "Look—do you want these two garments?"

Xiao Qing glanced at the clothes and recognized them.

"These are Xia's, aren't they?"

"Yes."

"She doesn't want them anymore?"

"She was taken by the Thunder Sect."

Xiao Qing stared blankly before speaking:

"Taken? Why did they take Xia?"

"They say the sect leader is becoming a god, and they're celebrating," Aunt Yun replied, her voice devoid of sorrow.

"Celebrating…"

Xiao Qing understood.

She stared at the garments and whispered: "When Xia comes back…"

"She won't come back," Aunt Yun thrust the clothes into Xiao Qing's hands. "I keep them at home—I see them and think of her. You're about the same height…"

She left without finishing her sentence.

From the moment she entered the temple to when she left, she never glanced at the deity statue.

Xiao Qing held the garments, staring at them for a long time before gently placing them on the altar.

She hugged her knees, sitting beside the altar table, speaking as if to Lord Thunder—or perhaps to herself: "Since childhood, Xia has always taken care of me."

"She came here every day to make offerings to Lord Thunder—I know, she was afraid I'd starve."

She paused, then suddenly spoke: "Lord Thunder, do you know? Everyone knows—when the Thunder Sect takes women, they torture them for amusement. If they're young girls, they… eat them."

"Some who lost family come here to make offerings—they weep bitterly, begging Lord Thunder to manifest and avenge them. When you don't appear, they beg me."

"My father, my grandfather, my grandfather's grandfather—all generations were temple attendants. They believed I could make you manifest, that I could deliver justice. But I can't—I don't even remember when you last manifested."

"Later, they realized it too. Fewer people come to the temple now—and more go to the Thunder Sect."

"I shouldn't think poorly of Lord Thunder," Xiao Qing looked up at the statue, her tone now angry: "If I weren't the temple attendant, I might've been eaten already. But I still want to ask…"

"Lord Thunder, are you just watching?"

…

The silence of Zheng Fa's temple was shattered.

A group of burly men approached the temple.

In their center, sixteen men carried a middle-aged man. He was not particularly muscular, yet none dared look directly at him.

Behind them followed a vast crowd.

Nearly ten thousand strong.

Most were emaciated, their cheekbones sharply protruding, yet their eyes burned with more fervor than the burly men.

The light in their hollow sockets flickered like ghostly flames.

Hearing the commotion outside, Xiao Qing walked to the temple door and stared at these intruders.

"What do you want?"

Her voice trembled; she dared not even look at the middle-aged man, showing even greater reverence than she did before the statue.

"Today, our sect leader ascends to godhood—this temple must belong to our sect leader!"

One of the burly men shouted loudly.

"This is Lord Thunder's temple!" Xiao Qing glared. "How dare you defy Lord Thunder?"

"Lord Thunder? A false god!" the man sneered. "This temple's deity vanished years ago. Only our sect leader is the true god of this age!"

"Today, we shall smash this false god's statue and turn this place into the Thunder Temple!"

Xiao Qing grew even more panicked, blocking the doorway as if to stop them.

…

On the statue, Zheng Fa watched the burly men.

Fewer than a hundred, yet their presence was overwhelming—their broad, muscular frames stood in stark contrast to the emaciated townsfolk.

They clearly lived well, well-fed, with ample meat.

In the Heavenly Stele Realm, though wetlands teemed with fish and shrimp, fishing was perilous—anyone near rivers or on boats risked being struck by lightning.

Fishermen could only fish on rare days when thunder ceased and rain paused.

Such days were irregular and scarce; one person barely caught enough to feed themselves, let alone a family.

Thus, protein deficiency was the norm in this realm.

These men…

Zheng Fa glanced at them and felt disgust; he turned his spiritual sense toward the middle-aged man seated on the dais.

This must be the so-called Thunder Sect leader.

Under his spiritual sense, Zheng Fa saw clearly—the man's body held faint spiritual energy, but no cultivation technique traces.

Such a case had occurred before in the Xuanwei Realm:

Immortal Lady Lingye had eaten a thunder-type spiritual fruit; had she survived, she gained cultivation without entering the Dao.

Xiao Qing had said this man once gathered mountain goods—he likely had a strange encounter in the mountains.

His decade-long illness was probably the fruit digesting within him.

Now, his spiritual energy was weak—barely at Qi Refining first or second level—but to the people of Half-Mountain City, such power seemed divine.

What made Zheng Fa suspect this man was more cunning than he appeared was his deliberate, or perhaps unintentional, division of followers into two starkly unequal classes…

Greatly increasing their loyalty.

……

"You're Xiao Qing, right?" said the leader of the Thunder Sect. "This temple was built by Banshan City to worship the Thunder God. Now that I have ascended to godhood, this temple rightfully belongs to me."

"The Thunder God has truly manifested!"

Xiao Qing spoke angrily.

"Manifested? I've already checked the records," the leader smiled lightly. "Your line of temple keepers has always deceived Banshan City. Since the city's founding, this statue has never once manifested!"

"…"

"We offer daily sacrifices and yearly prayers—yet this wooden, clay idol has never so much as stirred!"

Zheng Fa couldn't help but sigh.

What he said was probably true…

The Heavenly Stele had only recently appeared; the old Thunder God must have vanished long ago.

Even the Divine Enthronement Hall had mentioned the phrase "Immortals and gods unseated."

This statue… was likely an ancient relic of faith, but in Banshan City, there had surely been no divine manifestations for ages.

It was clear this leader was cautious—he had bothered to investigate whether the temple was worth challenging.

"And I!" the leader declared loudly. "By Heaven's decree, I command the thunder—I am the new Thunder God!"

With that, he gently clasped his hands, and bolts of lightning flickered at his fingertips.

Seeing this "miracle," his followers all knelt to the ground, shouting in fervent ecstasy:

"Thunder God!"

"Thunder God!"

"Thunder God!"

Though their bodies were weak, their cries were fierce. The roar of ten thousand voices surged like a storm, forcing Xiao Qing, standing at the temple entrance, to step back two paces.

"Did you see that?"

"This… is the heart of Banshan City!"

"I am the god of Banshan City!"

…

The Thunder Sect's grand arrival at the temple drew many residents of Banshan City.

They followed behind the crowd, surrounding the temple, their eyes fixed on Xiao Qing.

Xiao Qing's face seemed fearful.

Before her stood thousands of Thunder Sect members; she was alone.

Her gaze swept the crowd, as if seeking help.

These people were not Thunder Sect members—in fact, most had suffered at their hands.

Some had lost their fishing grounds to the sect.

Others had been robbed of mountain goods.

Some families had lost daughters who never returned.

Yet those she looked at either turned away coldly or lowered their heads in shame.

The Thunder Sect followers slowly advanced. At their forefront stood dozens of burly men, towering and massive. Xiao Qing, no taller than a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old girl, looked even more insignificant.

"When I ascend to godhood, all within the Thunder Sect shall enjoy peace and comfort!"

Behind them, the Thunder Sect leader murmured softly. Hearing this, the eyes of the burly men glowed with excitement.

Their gaze toward Xiao Qing grew even more vicious.

As if she were food.

Xiao Qing trembled, hugging herself, seeming uncertain yet yearning for something, as she prayed to the statue:

"Thunder God above, your divine might is vast."

"Your humble servant prays with sincere heart."

"Let heavenly thunder descend to punish evil and reward virtue."

"Teach the world, let your grace bless all."

Her voice was weak, her tone faint.

Yet the leader seemed to hear it—he laughed loudly: "Blindly clinging to delusion! I am the true Thunder God!"

As he spoke, more lightning surged over his body, lending him a faint aura of solemn majesty.

"From now on, I shall command the thunder! Let every cloud, rain, and lightning bolt obey my will!" He pointed to the sky, triumphant.

The believers' eyes burned with even greater fervor.

"Command the heavenly thunder!"

"Command the heavenly thunder!"

"Command the heavenly thunder!"

From the sky, a golden, majestic bolt of lightning descended.

The thunderlight illuminated all of Banshan City, forcing everyone to squint.

The lightning struck straight toward the finger the leader had pointed at the sky, illuminating his face—frightened, stunned.

In a flash of lightning, the leader's figure vanished.

The followers looked left and right, searching frantically—but could not find their leader.

"This lightning…"

"It must be the leader's doing! Didn't he say he could command the heavenly thunder?"

"Then what's this ash?"

"…"

"The leader has become a god!" One of the burly men, quick-witted and sensing the shift, cried out: "Our leader has shed his mortal form—he is now the Thunder God!"

"If we worship him faithfully, we too shall become gods!"

Another flash of lightning struck, leaving another pile of black ash on the ground.

"…" The burly men exchanged glances, then turned and fled—none showed the slightest desire to become a god.

(End of Chapter)