Chapter 145: When Did I Need to Act Like a Subordinate and Follow Orders?

About half an hour later, the group clearly felt a rumbling thunder echoing from ahead.

The sound grew louder as it drew nearer, like ten thousand cavalry charging forth; merely hearing it was profoundly stirring.

As they gazed forward, they saw an immense mountain range, entirely encircled by countless ancient thunderwood trees.

Each tree was inscribed with dense, intricate thunder runes, extraordinarily remarkable.

Looking up at the sky, they saw dark clouds densely packed, covering the heavens; within the clouds, bolts of lightning like silver serpents continually tore through the air and crashed down upon the mountain below.

Each lightning strike was accompanied by blinding light and deafening thunder, a spectacular scene.

Before they even neared the place, Zhou Qing could already feel the spiritual energy around him growing wildly turbulent.

But due to his cultivation of the Azure Thunder Sword Art and the thunder-shaped sword embryo in his dantian, he quickly adapted.

As his gaze extended further ahead, he saw countless stone platforms floating above the thunder mountain, arranged in orderly tiers across the sky, each nearly occupied by a seated figure.

According to Lei Lie's explanation, these platforms were forged entirely from magnetic thunderstone, capable of autonomously absorbing thunder spiritual energy from the heavens and converting it into usable thunder spiritual power.

In essence, they were another form of small spirit gathering array.

This made Zhou Qing's eyes brighten, deepening his curiosity and anticipation for the Thunder Pool.

Not long after, the three arrived at the foot of the thunder mountain.

Lei Lie turned to Zhou Qing and said softly, "I heard from Master that you cultivated the Azure Thunder Sword Art of your sect and wish to use this Thunder Pool to further master it?"

Zhou Qing nodded quickly and replied, "Precisely so. I humbly ask for your guidance, Brother Lei."

Lei Lie smiled lightly and added, "I've heard the Azure Thunder Sword Art was mastered by Elder Duanmu—a powerful technique that perfectly fuses lightning and sword qi."

"Back then, our Jin Leizong paid a heavy price, desperately wanting to acquire it, but Elder Duanmu never parted with it. I never expected you'd be fortunate enough to cultivate it—you truly have exceptional talent."

Zhou Qing was stunned—he had never known this.

Then Lei Lie turned to Mo Xingjian and said respectfully, "Master Mo, you likely know that our Jin Leizong's Thunder Mountain is divided into ten layers based on the intensity of its lightning. The outer layers have weaker lightning; the deeper you go, the stronger it becomes."

"The Thunder Pool lies in the deepest Tenth Layer, guarded by Elder Gong Zhen. Lightning radiating from the Pool can be used for cultivation from Layer One to Layer Ten."

"But note this: only those with Nascent Soul cultivation can enter the deepest three layers—otherwise, it's life-threatening."

Lei Lie's meaning was clear: you wish to use the Thunder Pool for cultivation? Any floating platform on the mountain is open to you—but only up to Layer Seven.

Mo Xingjian nodded slightly, acknowledging this, then turned to Zhou Qing with a look of concern.

Zhou Qing, however, wore an expression of excitement and anticipation. He immediately bowed to Lei Lie and said, "Thank you, Brother Lei. I'll go ahead then."

"Be careful!" Mo Xingjian quickly warned.

Seeing Zhou Qing fly toward a stone platform on his sword, Yan Xiao's eyes darted, and he immediately sidled up to Mo Xingjian, grinning broadly. "Master, since we're here, I'd like to take a look too."

Mo Xingjian turned to look at Yan Xiao.

When they set out today, this fellow had begged relentlessly to come along; now, seeing this sly grin, Mo Xingjian knew he was up to no good.

"I have no ulterior motives—I'm just deeply drawn to this thunder mountain. Look how majestic and awe-inspiring it is! Those senior and junior brothers up there look like thunder gods themselves—it makes me itch to get closer and feel it firsthand."

Yan Xiao quickly showered praise, making Lei Lie beside him smile with quiet pride.

Lei Lie spoke up: "Master Mo, there are still many vacant platforms. Since Brother Yan has this interest, let him try—it shouldn't be dangerous."

Since Lei Lie had spoken, Mo Xingjian had no grounds to refuse—but he quietly sent a mental message to Yan Xiao: "Don't cause trouble."

Yan Xiao immediately made exaggerated facial expressions and replied with a grin: "Relax, I'm so well-behaved, I won't cause trouble. Master, just rest easy."

Mo Xingjian rolled his eyes.

After Yan Xiao departed, Lei Lie said, "Master Mo, accommodations have been arranged. Rest assured—if any danger arises, Nascent Soul Elders on the mountain will intervene."

Mo Xingjian listened, thought for a moment, then shook his head. "This place is fine. Once they finish cultivating, I must take them back quickly."

Primarily because Zhou Qing's current state is the rare Four Flowers at the Crown, and with this unreliable third brother around, Mo Xingjian couldn't possibly relax—he'd better stay nearby, just in case.

…………

At this moment, Zhou Qing selected a platform and stepped onto it, immediately feeling pure lightning energy swirling around him—a strange sensation, as if the lightning had grown tame, no longer wild and uncontrollable as outside.

"This platform is truly wondrous—like a mother hen, stripping away the violent aspects of lightning and leaving only the pure essence for cultivation."

Zhou Qing murmured to himself, then quickly retrieved his jade slip and extended his spiritual sense into it.

But he found only the same boundless sea of lightning—no characters visible at all.

"Could it be that the lightning energy here isn't dense enough?"

Zhou Qing put away the jade slip, gazed toward the deeper reaches of the thunder mountain, pondered briefly, then headed straight inward.

Meanwhile, Yan Xiao landed on another platform. He cautiously glanced around, confirmed no one noticed him, then beamed with excitement.

He stealthily pulled a purple-gold gourd from his robes and quietly opened its mouth.

Instantly, a powerful suction vortex emerged, drawing in the surrounding lightning energy without pause.

Seeing this, Yan Xiao broke into a wide grin.

"I'm rich! I'm really rich!"

Through his recent observations, he'd noticed that the sect's exchange hall traded the most healing pills, lightning-attracting talismans, and various magic treasures and weapons.

He couldn't get the other two, but he could learn to make lightning-attracting talismans himself.

Before coming to the thunder mountain, he'd already done his research—he knew the hardest part of crafting such talismans was engraving the thunder runes.

Now, with this pure lightning energy, everything changed—he could produce large quantities of low-grade lightning-attracting talismans in a very short time.

The usage was simple: just throw them at the enemy, create a storm of lightning to disrupt their formation.

After absorbing enough, Yan Xiao rushed to another platform…

Nearby, watching Yan Xiao's antics, Mo Xingjian helplessly pressed his palm to his forehead and sighed.

Meanwhile, Zhou Qing had reached the fourth-layer platform, where Jin Leizong disciples were far fewer than on the outer layers.

Even above, lightning occasionally struck the platform directly.

Now, Zhou Qing finally saw lines of text in the jade slip—though only a small portion.

"Never mind. Wait a bit longer—this lightning energy seems highly beneficial to my thunder-shaped sword embryo."

Zhou Qing put away the jade slip, then immediately activated the Azure Thunder Sword Art, absorbing the surrounding lightning to further forge his sword embryo.

Time passed slowly. When Zhou Qing sensed the lightning energy here beginning to dwindle, he rose without delay and prepared to advance to the next layer.

At that moment, two bolts of lightning suddenly struck from the sky.

Zhou Qing didn't dodge—he reached out and seized both bolts with his bare hands.

Instantly, powerful current surged through his entire body, making him shudder violently.

But soon, the pain transformed into a deeply pleasurable tingling sensation.

"Interesting!"

Zhou Qing's lips curled slightly as he headed straight for the fifth layer. After brief cultivation there, he moved on to the sixth, then the seventh…

Roar!

On the seventh layer, Zhou Qing sat cross-legged, gripping a jade slip tightly. Lightning arcs swirled around him like spiritual serpents, intertwined with piercing sword qi—he seemed fused entirely with the lightning and sword energy.

After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes, lightning flickering in his pupils.

"So far, I can only see one-third. The complexity is several times greater than the first three forms. If I master it fully, even if it doesn't surpass the Golden Crow Burning Sky Scripture, it'll be close!"

Zhou Qing murmured, filled with excitement.

The Golden Crow Burning Sky Scripture—of course, it was a Chuanchengbaoshu from the Golden Crow bloodline of the Heaven Realm.

He'd only reached minor accomplishment so far, yet even then, it had delivered tremendous power when he slew Song Yuan and Meng Xing.

The Azure Thunder Sword Art, especially its fourth form, was the finishing touch—elevating this already formidable technique to an unimaginable height, its potential incalculable.

"The one who created this sword art must have been at least a Cut-Spirit cultivator—or stronger!"

Zhou Qing marveled.

He rose slowly, gazing at the barrier ahead.

Crossing it meant entering the eighth layer—accessible only to Nascent Soul cultivators.

Just as he lifted his foot, a figure suddenly appeared before him, hands behind his back, blocking his path.

"I am Gong Zhen," the old man said slowly, his voice low yet radiating undeniable authority.

Zhou Qing's heart jolted—he quickly bowed respectfully. "Disciple Zhou Qing of Taiqingmen, pays respects to Elder!"

This was none other than Gong Zhen, the guardian of the Thunder Pool, who had once known Master Gao Xian.

When Master's group of eighteen came to aid Jin Leizong, the first person they contacted was Gong Zhen.

Gong Zhen nodded slightly—he'd already heard of Taiqingmen's visit to use the Thunder Pool. He studied Zhou Qing and asked, "You're the one who killed Meng Xing and Song Yuan?"

Zhou Qing, embarrassed, replied, "I… had to resort to some unsavory tricks…"

"Good riddance!" Before Zhou Qing finished, Gong Zhen's stern expression vanished—he beamed with delight and shouted approval.

This sudden reaction left Zhou Qing stunned.

Gong Zhen continued: "The Cangyan Dao Palace is vile and cruel. Their so-called prodigies are mostly scoundrels—deserving of death!"

Zhou Qing could only smile in agreement, secretly growing fonder of Elder Gong Zhen's blunt honesty.

"You wish to enter the eighth layer?"

Quickly, Gong Zhen unleashed his Nascent Soul spiritual sense, carefully scanning Zhou Qing's cultivation base, then asked.

Zhou Qing nodded and replied honestly, "I require stronger lightning energy to aid my cultivation. I humbly beg Elder's permission."

Gong Zhen hesitated, then said, "The eighth layer is forbidden to those below Nascent Soul—but I'll help you."

With a wave of his hand, a thunder seal emitting immense lightning energy appeared.

The moment it materialized, it expanded instantly and settled firmly above Zhou Qing's head.

Zhou Qing almost said, "You really don't need this."

But since the elder meant well, he could only bow deeply with heartfelt gratitude.

Upon entering the eighth layer, Zhou Qing immediately felt the thunder here far wilder and more violent than in previous layers.

Every so often, thunderbolts as thick as water barrels crashed down, and just looking at them made one's heart tremble with fear.

Fortunately, thanks to the protection of the Thunder Mark on his head, these bolts were absorbed the moment they neared Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing seized this rare opportunity, immediately extending his spiritual sense into the jade slip, diligently memorizing the newly appeared cultivation incantations, not daring to slacken for a moment.

After memorizing the incantations, he immediately activated the Azure Thunder Sword Art and the Yin-Yang Art, fully absorbing the purer thunder energy from the stone platform.

This time, Zhou Qing spent a full day before slowly opening his eyes, his expression brimming with excitement.

Because his cultivation base was rising rapidly.

"Elder, could you please take me to the ninth level?" Zhou Qing asked Elder Gong Zhen.

After a brief hesitation, Gong Zhen nodded and said, "Let's go!"

Indeed, those who cultivate thunder arts, besides often having fiery tempers, also act with such directness and decisiveness—so refreshingly straightforward.

Two days later, Zhou Qing finally packed away the jade slip, fully memorizing everything about the fourth technique—his gains were substantial.

As for the tenth level, he did not enter it.

That place was the true core of Jin Leizong, like the Heaven Grotto of Taiqingmen; to enter rashly would seem disrespectful.

Moreover, it might cause Jin Leizong to misunderstand, thinking Taiqingmen, after helping them quell the internal rebellion, now dared to recklessly demand rewards.

If this sparked any unpleasantness, it would likely harm the upcoming cooperation among the three sects.

One must know when to stop; never be too greedy.

…………

Cangyan Dao Palace!

At this moment, in a hall, a figure wrapped entirely in a golden robe stood silently beside the window, saying nothing.

Beside him stood two powerful guardians, respectfully attentive, vigilantly monitoring the surroundings.

Soon, the hall door opened, and Sikong Yan entered.

"Tell me about the humanoid puppets!" came a youthful voice from beneath the golden robe, tinged with dissatisfaction and accusation.

Then a memory stone was tossed out, arcing through the air and landing at Sikong Yan's feet.

Sikong Yan bent down to pick it up, then suddenly laughed, dismissing it: "What's there to explain? When you brought the prototype over, you should've already guessed."

"But does it have to be this cruel? Fine, even if we grant that, why not conduct such shadowy affairs quietly within the sect? Why do it outside, where someone might discover it? Are you doing this on purpose?"

Upon hearing Sikong Yan's words, the golden-robed figure flew into a rage, his voice rising involuntarily—clearly furious about the repercussions of this incident.

Sikong Yan remained calm: "How can you say that? Why would I deliberately do this? Right now, all blame falls on Cangyan Dao Palace—who would be foolish enough to pick up a stone and smash their own foot? This was merely an accident."

"I don't care. This region of Lingyun Prefecture's eastern domain is under my responsibility. No major chaos can occur; I won't let those few outshine me."

The golden-robed figure remained dissatisfied, paused, then added: "Clean this up quickly. Leave no traces that might jeopardize the future plan."

Upon hearing this, Sikong Yan frowned, his smile vanishing, replaced by a cold sneer.

He slowly said, "I recall we're partners, not master and servant. When did I become someone who must obey orders?"

"You…" The golden-robed figure was momentarily speechless, his face beneath the robe turning dark with fury.

Sikong Yan ignored his reaction entirely, sitting down with casual ease: "Relax. Everything's under control. I know what I'm doing. I won't let things worsen—don't waste your energy worrying."

"I hope you mean it. Several people are already watching me. For now, I won't appear in Lingyun Prefecture. Next time I hear news from here, I hope it's good news!"

The golden-robed figure clenched his teeth, spat out the words in hatred, then left with his two guardians.

Sikong Yan remained seated, holding the memory stone, gently tapping it against the table, his brow furrowed, lost in thought.

…………

"Mo Brother!" Lei Wuji appeared in a flash, hovering midair, his face beaming with warmth.

Seeing the Jin Leizong Sect Master himself arrive, Mo Xingjian immediately rose and smiled in reply: "Lei Brother!"

The two exchanged smiles, radiating mutual goodwill.

"I'm truly sorry," Lei Wuji said apologetically. "You've been here three days already, and I've been so swamped I couldn't properly host you."

Mo Xingjian waved his hand, smiling: "Lei Brother, you're too polite. We're the ones intruding, and even Taiqingmen feels the same."

Then, the two naturally shifted to discussing the humanoid puppet matter.

Unfortunately, the formation was too bizarre; despite repeated deliberations, they found no effective countermeasure.

They couldn't fathom where Cangyan Dao Palace had obtained such a strange method.

"Greetings, Sect Master!"

Soon, Elder Gong Zhen arrived with Zhou Qing and Yan Xiao Hu from Lei Mountain.

After exchanging pleasantries and greetings, Mo Xingjian led the two onto the teleportation array to return.

"How was it?" Back at Taiqingmen, Mo Xingjian asked immediately.

Zhou Qing's face glowed with excitement: "Worth every moment!"

"Me too!" Yan Xiao Hu chimed in beside him.

Hearing this, Mo Xingjian nodded in satisfaction, smiling: "Good. At least the trip wasn't wasted."

Then, the group mounted their flying swords and headed toward Xiao Ling Peak.

"Zhou Brother!" At that moment, Zhou Qing's identity token received a message from Lu Yaoyao.

Well, looks like the girl's back.

When Zhou Qing stepped off his flying sword and landed, he saw Lu Yaoyao outside the courtyard, playfully teasing an old hen.

Wasn't it tied up inside? How did it get out?

"Zhou Brother!" Lu Yaoyao turned at the sound, spotted Zhou Qing instantly, her face lighting up with joy. She cheered and ran over happily.

And above her head, the original 【So Amazing】 had changed again to 【So Awesome】.

"When did you get back?" Zhou Qing asked, concerned.

In the past, whenever he saw this girl, he always tried to avoid her—her mischievous nature constantly pulled off unexpected stunts.

But now, knowing her brother might be dead, and that she regarded him as family, and aware of the secret passage, Zhou Qing had unconsciously begun to step into the role of an older brother.

Life is unpredictable. Even Luo Xue had unexpectedly perished; what more for Lu Yaoyao, who was only at the Golden Core realm?

After so long without seeing her, he genuinely worried for her.

Lu Yaoyao grinned, revealing two cute little fangs: "Just got back. Hey, you're so powerful now—you're even in the top ten of Cangyan Dao Palace's kill list."

"That was just luck!" Zhou Qing laughed.

Lu Yaoyao shook her head, earnestly saying: "That's strength, not luck. In my heart, you're always the strongest. No one else even deserves to carry your shoes."

Hearing this, Zhou Qing felt a little embarrassed.

Mid-month, please give me a monthly vote, esteemed masters. ██●





(End of Chapter)