Chapter 154: Divine Ability: Concealed Thunder! (46k)

If this place really sealed away some special and powerful monsters, letting them out would still be troublesome.

Although Huanhu Dao is not exactly near here, it's not far either, and there is a certain possibility it could be affected.

"No, if it were a seal, even without a formation there should be some demonic or spiritual power residue, but the two pieces of Heavenly Thunder Gold Essence I obtained earlier show no trace at all."

"Moreover, unrefined Heavenly Thunder Gold Essence is neither a formation vessel nor a formation flag; it cannot store spiritual power, so how could it constitute a seal?"

Thinking this, Yunhe slightly relaxed his breath.

This place probably isn't a seal site.

On the contrary, the formation barrier at the bottom of the riverbed he visited earlier is more like some kind of seal.

"Here, it's purely because of the presence of Heavenly Thunder Gold Essence, causing the yin qi to stagnate and be unable to dissipate."

"Furthermore, the reason the yin qi here is so dense may also be related to Heavenly Thunder Gold Essence invisibly blocking the yin qi; without it, perhaps the yin qi here could not accumulate, and such a Fengdu Ghost Realm scene could not arise."

After figuring out the key, Yunhe pondered and put this piece of Heavenly Thunder Gold Essence away.

Then he stood in place, silently waiting a moment.

The surroundings showed no significant change.

The only change might be that the yin qi originally suppressed here was released again, but actually its effect on the outside is not large.

Originally a gap had already been opened; one place overflowing with yin qi and two places diffusing yin qi merely meant the area covered by yin qi might expand slightly, and that expansion would not be large.

After all, the total amount of yin qi is roughly fixed, and its natural growth speed is not that fast; this place has so much only because it has been suppressed for too long.

Actually, in Yunhe's view, properly releasing some yin qi so it doesn't become overly stagnant is also a good thing.

Otherwise, overly dense yin qi might possibly give birth to one or two excessively powerful monsters.

Demon Sense swept around again, confirming that no Heavenly Thunder Gold Essence remained nearby, and he returned the way he came.

Wu—wu!

Seeing Yunhe return, the little fox, frightened and trembling, hurriedly came to greet him.

Seeing this, Yunhe smiled.

"It's fine; as long as you don't leave the Beast Soul Banner, there shouldn't be a big problem."

The two beast souls in the Beast Soul Banner—the three-headed strange bird and the double-headed black tiger—originate from this place; if they were other beast souls they might be besieged by outsiders, but since they are native beast souls here, and with the little fox's illusion concealing them, Yunhe and company need not worry as long as they don't actively expose themselves.

Wu—wu——

The little fox stuck out its tongue.

"Did you find anything?" it couldn't help asking.

"Good stuff."

Afterwards.

Yunhe then took the little fox and continued searching in this place.

Although he still couldn't find the high-level demon beast skeletons he expected, he did find three pieces of Heavenly Thunder Gold Essence of varying sizes.

Adding the two pieces he already had, together they were enough to craft half a magic treasure.

Of course, correspondingly, they indeed saw many more demon beast skeletons, each located in a large cave.

After one or two times, even the little fox was getting used to it.

But Yunhe increasingly felt that this place was not simple.

How could wild demon beasts possibly be buried so concentrated in one place?

Moreover, they were dumped in batches into different caves.

No matter how you look at it, it seems as if someone deliberately did this.

But what could be the purpose of doing so?

Is it simply to create a place of extreme yin?

Demon beasts are not like human cultivators who seek extreme yin places to refine corpses and raise ghosts; their greatest reliance is themselves, and no amount of external force can match their innate strength.

Of course, someone like Yunhe who also possesses a cultivator body is an exception.

Moreover, how would creating an extreme yin place produce Heavenly Thunder Gold Essence?

Or why are there so many scattered pieces of Heavenly Thunder Gold Essence?

One question after another arose as his exploration deepened.

"Unless... that demon beast itself needs to rely on yin qi to grow."

As this thought surfaced, Yunhe, who had been wandering underground here for a long time, suddenly shuddered.

The little fox perched on his back couldn't help but cry out in surprise.

Wu—wu!

I saw it spring directly from Yunhe's back, as if struck by electricity.

Even more exaggerated, its snowy white fluffy fur all over stood on end, resembling a hedgehog with its spines raised.

Seeing it like that, Yunhe couldn't help but laugh.

Because the little fox really was "electrified," and that electricity undoubtedly came from Yunhe.

After absorbing the electricity from the Heavenly Thunder Gold Essence, Yunhe seemed to have a special sensitivity to it; whenever Heavenly Thunder Gold Essence was nearby, the electricity stored in his body would involuntarily become active.

This is also why he could find several pieces of Heavenly Thunder Gold Essence in such a short time.

However, this time the electricity stored in his body was indeed a bit overly active.

Such a reaction undoubtedly indicates that a large piece of Heavenly Thunder Gold Essence is nearby!

Guided by the electricity stored in his body, Yunhe and the little fox cautiously approached.

Soon.

After traveling about three li through the rock strata.

They discovered they had actually returned to the banks of the Black River of the Abyss Ravine again.

However, it was not the place they came from, and the depth was even deeper.

In the black water with a "splish-splash" sound, a huge exposed rock beside somewhere faintly flickered with streaks of tiny golden lightning.

Whooo!

After following Yunhe around for so long, the little fox also clearly knew what Yunhe was looking for, and instantly showed an uncontrollable look of surprise and delight, unable to help excitedly patting Yunhe's turtle back.

In Yunhe's Demon Sense, he indeed sensed the presence of "Heavenly Thunder Gold Essence" behind that huge rock.

But correspondingly.

He also scanned a demon beast inhabiting the space behind that rock.

One, a third-rank demon beast!

When he told this information to the little fox, the little fox stared blankly.

Third-rank demon beast, what to do?

"Early-stage third-rank demon beast"

Actually, there wasn't much time for them to hesitate, because as Yunhe's Demon Sense scanned the opponent, the opponent likewise sensed Yunhe's presence.

Roar——

Suddenly.

A low, mighty roar came from behind the boulder, stirring the surrounding black water into constant turbulence.

Immediately after came the sound and movement of the opponent approaching.

Yunhe and the little fox's expressions changed at the same time.

There was no time to think much; Yunhe used Demon Sense to transmit sound, telling the little fox what to do.

Huh?

After hearing that, the little fox looked worriedly at Yunhe.

But Yunhe gave it a reassuring look.

Bang!!

The next moment.

As the huge rock on the riverbank suddenly exploded, large amounts of golden lightning surged out.

The little fox on Yunhe's back also hid and disappeared along with it.

Roar——!!

And Yunhe, not to be outdone, roared at the figure charging out bathed in lightning.

Full of vigor, his aura was not in the slightest weaker than that of the charging entity.

Then came a powerful impact wrapped in lightning, its sharp, dense teeth biting straight into Yunhe's forelimbs.

Bang!!

Yunhe was heavily slammed against the riverbank rock wall behind him, accompanied by the shaking loose of many rocks, causing the entire riverbank to collapse to some extent.

The sharp teeth scraping against the tough scales produced a harsh, grating sound.

At the same time, Yunhe finally made out the fierce beast attacking him.

This monster's whole body was covered in black scales, which faintly flashed with a bluish light; its slender, streamlined form bore a horn about a foot long on its forehead, resembling a crocodile and a flood dragon—it was indeed a crocodile flood dragon!

Third-rank demon beast, Thunder Horn Mystic Crystal Crocodile!

Its vertical pupils, filled with murderous light, stared fixedly at Yunhe without any emotion.

In its eyes, Yunhe was nothing but food.

Feeling that murderous aura, Yunhe's heart jumped, yet he had no hesitation.

Demon Sense was as substantial as matter.

Heart Worm Technique!

Attacks originating from Demon Sense are more effective against demon beasts than against cultivators.

The Thunder Horn Mystic Crystal Crocodile's movement stalled, its expression briefly dull.

Yunhe still did not hesitate, swinging another claw and smashing his fist hard into the Thunder Horn Mystic Crystal Crocodile's body, sending it flying; he then employed Water Escape Technique, darting straight toward the water surface.

Having reacted, the Thunder Horn Mystic Crystal Crocodile shook its head violently; seeing its prey flee, it unhesitatingly slashed with its claws twice and whipped its thick, powerful tail, pursuing at great speed.

And after they went one after the other.

Hiding beside them with an Illusion Technique, the little fox revealed its form, blinked its eyes, and a lively gleam flashed and vanished.

Enduring the black water's scouring, it rushed at top speed toward the Thunder Horn Mystic Crystal Crocodile's nest.

Bang!!

Above the abyssal ravine.

One turtle, one crocodile—one fleeing, one pursuing—two demon beasts chased across the barren plain, kicking up clouds of dust.

However, Yunhe's speed was clearly inferior to the Thunder Horn Mystic Crystal Crocodile's; each time he was about to be caught, he had to turn back and meet the attack.

After running a certain distance, Yunhe suddenly stopped moving.

As he took a deep breath, his already sizable body rapidly expanded.

Divine Ability: As You Wish!

Immediately, he twisted his body without hesitation and, facing the Thunder Horn Mystic Crystal Crocodile chasing from behind, he unfailingly clenched his fist and struck out.

Moving Mountain!

Boom!!

The heavy fist smashed down, the ground instantly cracked in layers, and the Thunder Horn Mystic Crystal Crocodile was even smashed into a deep pit.

But upon close inspection, one could see that Yunhe's attacks did not inflict much substantial damage on the Thunder Horn Mystic Crystal Crocodile, and his attacks were completely blocked by it.

Roar!!

The spiraled horn on the Thunderhorn Mystic Crystal Crocodile's head burst forth with golden lightning, its tremendous force and searing pain flicking Yunhe's claw away.

Soon after, the Thunderhorn Mystic Crystal Crocodile, shaped like a flood dragon, leapt swiftly from the deep pit and charged straight at Yunhe.

Seeing this, Yunhe without hesitation drew in his head and limbs, hiding himself beneath his heavy turtle shell.

Bang!!

The terrifying impact sent it flying whole.

And the Thunderhorn Mystic Crystal Crocodile leapt up again in pursuit, its blood‑filled maw flung open as it bit down on the turtle shell.

But soon, the Thunderhorn Mystic Crystal Crocodile froze.

Because it discovered that, despite its terrifying bite force, it could not crush Yunhe's turtle shell, only producing a grating 'squeak‑squeak' as its teeth scraped—let alone shattering a piece of shell, the sharp teeth merely left a few white marks.

It, could it actually fail to crush the shell of a late Second Stage Turtle?

Unconvinced, it again flung its jaws wide and bit down viciously.

Squeak!

The sound grew louder, the white marks on the turtle shell deepened a bit, yet there was still no sign of the shell being broken.

So hard?

Meanwhile, Yunhe, hidden inside the turtle shell and left to the Thunderhorn Mystic Crystal Crocodile's devices, quietly let out a breath of relief.

To be honest, after undergoing the baptism of the 'Demon‑Washing Pool' and his bloodline transforming, he truly had no clear idea of just how strong his current power and defensive ability were.

This was also why he chose to let the little fox stay behind while he lured the Thunderhorn Mystic Crystal Crocodile away.

He wanted to take this opportunity to test things; if he truly couldn't win, he also had a way to escape.

The facts proved it.

Yunhe's judgment of the strength of his present fleshly body was correct.

Leaving other aspects aside, his turtle shell could definitely match a third‑stage demon beast, and might even be stronger than an early third‑stage demon beast.

After all, whether it be black tortoise bloodline, dragon tortoise bloodline, or giant turtle bloodline, as a turtle, the turtle shell is always a necessary factor for growth.

The unconvinced Thunderhorn Mystic Crystal Crocodile retreated a distance.

Its expression grew solemn, lightning arcs leapt upon its horn, gathering into thunder, and the light became ever more pronounced.

Seeing this, Yunhe revealed a solemn expression.

Although his turtle shell could block the Thunderhorn Mystic Crystal Crocodile's bite, that did not mean the shell could also withstand the power it had stored up.

After all, a third‑stage demon beast is a third‑stage demon beast; even if only an early third‑stage, it still possesses an absolute cultivation base advantage over it.

But watching the Thunderhorn Mystic Crystal Crocodile's flickering lightning, Yunhe suddenly felt a strange sensation, as if he had gained some insight.

'It seems...'

Boom——

Like the thunder of a shattered cauldron, it exploded.

From the Thunderhorn Mystic Crystal Crocodile's horn burst a bowl‑thick bolt of golden lightning, containing demonic power and lightning force, which violently tore a vacuum in the gathered yin qi of this place.

Daring to dwell beneath the black‑water river where yin qi gathers, the Thunderhorn Mystic Crystal Crocodile naturally has its confidence.

But the next second.

A scene that the Thunderhorn Mystic Crystal Crocodile could truly not accept appeared.

One saw.

Its stored lightning traced a brilliant golden flash in the air, while the great turtle opposite suddenly shot its head out from under its shell, opened its mouth toward the lightning, and then—

Eat, eat it up?

The Thunderhorn Mystic Crystal Crocodile was dumbfounded.

Still, still can it be like this?

The lightning it had painstakingly released was just... swallowed like that?

At the same time.

Yunhe, having swallowed the lightning, burst forth with scattering lightning patterns across his body, as if he were bathing in thunder.

To be honest, he felt no better either; his whole abdomen felt as if he had swallowed a mouthful of fire, burning painfully, while in his qi sea dantian three inner elixirs spun rapidly.

With the demonic power released simultaneously by the three inner elixirs, it suppressed the swallowed lightning at the same time.

Although the demonic power of the three inner elixirs was inferior to that of a third‑stage demon beast, by sheer quantity it could still achieve a brief suppression.

Roar!!

Suddenly.

Yunhe, unable to endure any longer, let out a roar.

The moment his mouth opened, a stream of blue‑purple thunder slurry surged forth.

It was actually somewhat thicker than the lightning released by the Thunderhorn Mystic Crystal Crocodile!

Boom!!

The Thunderhorn Mystic Crystal Crocodile, unable to dodge in time, was struck by the thunder slurry, its body blackened and smoke rising.

Roar!!

The pained Thunderhorn Mystic Crystal Crocodile roared, staring at Yunhe with wide eyes, unable to understand why this was happening.

But before it could comprehend, it suddenly felt that the thunderstone tied to its fate had been moved!

It immediately gave up on Yunhe, turned and fled.

And Yunhe immersed himself in this special realization.

'So that's how the innate divine ability 'Nurturing Thunder' can be used.'

What he can store is not only his own lightning, but also external lightning; no wonder he can absorb the arcs released by the 'Heavenly Thunder Gold Essence'.

The strength of the swallowed lightning depends on his demonic power and his body's tolerance.

【Just saying my awakened talent divine ability seems pretty strong, actually it's just that, turns out I never properly developed it. This is one of the fundamental powers of demon beasts!】

【Looking at it this way, I have a natural counter against thunder-attribute demon beasts. As long as I don't exceed the tolerance of 【Stored Thunder】, thunder-attribute demon beasts that touch me will have to call me 【dad】.】

However, swallowing thunder too strong for him is also a kind of injury; even after spitting out that thunder, he still feels an unbearable burning pain in his abdomen now, estimating that swallowing it one or two more times would reach his limit.

At the same time, this also let Yunhe realize that perhaps his other talent divine ability 「As-You-Wish」 is not merely a simple change in size and strength.

He came to his senses.

The Thunderhorn Mystic Crystal Crocodile had already disappeared from his sight.

He did not pursue.

Even if he could counter the Thunderhorn Mystic Crystal Crocodile, with many methods, defeating it should not be difficult, but killing it. Perhaps it would result in mutual destruction.

A dying beast is the most dangerous.

His purpose has already been achieved; there's no need to pursue relentlessly, unless it comes to him of its own accord.

【As expected, I still prefer being passive.】

————

PS: This chapter is 4.6k characters.

(End of chapter)