Chapter 149: The Natural Thunder Pool Within Lingku Mountain (6k)

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Suddenly, explosions rang out continuously.

"Damn beast—" Li Hong, both shocked and furious, couldn't help shouting curses.

The Thunder-Sound Golden Toad merely snorted coldly; the instant it opened its mouth, a long tongue shot out like a black lightning bolt, sweeping straight toward Li Hong.

Where the tongue passed, the air was torn apart, emitting a shrill whistling.

Seeing this, Li Hong turned pale with terror and fled as fast as he could into the distance.

Watching the man and beast vanish into the night, Lu Yaoyao, hidden within the mist and having witnessed it all, involuntarily swallowed hard, patting her chest with a lingering fright.

Then, looking at Zhou Qing's grave expression, she felt nothing but admiration.

【Heart Mirror Points +9】

Soon, the note above her head, 【Good Man】, instantly changed to 【Good Prediction】.

Hearing the prompt, and meeting Lu Yaoyao's gaze, Zhou Qing smiled faintly.

"Senior Brother Zhou, how did you know it was feigning death?" Lu Yaoyao whispered curiously.

Zhou Qing patiently explained: "Observe the details closely—you'll spot many flaws. For instance, the unnatural stench of decay, or the direction it chose for its own grave…"

Since he had nothing else to do, Zhou Qing decided to impart some of this experience to the girl.

Others might scoff, but Lu Yaoyao listened intently and obeyed without question.

Like last time in the secret tunnel—when Second Uncle told her to hide and not show herself, she obediently pretended to sleep, suppressing her curiosity completely.

And her caution during this operation showed perfect synergy with him.

Now Lu Yaoyao listened carefully, nodding and understanding, imprinting every lesson firmly into her mind.

"I understand. So what now? Do we go find the Master's legacy?" Lu Yaoyao asked next.

Zhou Qing shook his head slightly, speaking calmly: "Not yet. Wait until this Thunder-Sound Golden Toad is truly dead."

"Dead? I can see its vital energy is strong—it's clearly faking this to lure us in," Lu Yaoyao said, puzzled.

Zhou Qing only smiled faintly, his tone certain: "Don't worry. It'll come back."

About two hours later, the Thunder-Sound Golden Toad indeed returned.

Its aura had grown dim once more, like a candle about to burn out; lightning arcs reappeared along its back as it began scanning the surroundings.

I wonder if Li Hong escaped—or was killed?

Both watched until the Thunder-Sound Golden Toad vanished into the thick mist, neither daring to follow rashly.

After all, who knew what mad act it might commit before dying?

Zhou Qing wasn't in a hurry—he had all the time in the world, especially since tonight was still a crescent moon.

Until dawn broke, a series of howls suddenly echoed from the distant horizon.

Both immediately went into hiding, concealing their forms.

Not long after, several figures crept cautiously toward them.

Zhou Qing's eyes narrowed: among them were two black-robed figures, and one of them had Li Hong's Nascent Soul floating on his shoulder.

"Nascent Soul-stage humanoid puppet!" He frowned slightly.

Another among them radiated Nascent Soul-level cultivation, his aura formidable.

Zhou Qing instantly understood—these must be all the strongest ones stationed at the Blood Rock Mine.

Li Hong had probably come alone with his loyal followers, hoping to claim the Thunder-Sound Golden Toad for himself.

But he'd failed miserably—after losing his body, he had no choice but to summon others for revenge.

Normally, each mining vein had only one Nascent Soul cultivator stationed, like the Beimang Mine where the Chaos Xuan Gold was found.

But since the Cangyan Dao Palace and Tianji Gate jointly attacked Taiqingmen's mining sites, the Three Sect Alliance launched a counteroffensive, escalating tensions—forcing Cangyan Dao Palace to reinforce its garrisons.

"Li Hong, are you certain this is true?" Chu Yu, also Nascent Soul-stage early, asked.

Li Hong looked helpless, almost exasperated: "Senior Brother Chu, look at me now—do you think I'd lie?"

"I originally planned to call you along, but you were drunk, and the situation was urgent—I rushed here with others. Who knew I'd be ambushed?"

Chu Yu snorted, sneering: "I was drunk, true—but wasn't that wine you brought? And you drank plenty yourself."

Li Hong's childlike face flushed with embarrassment.

"Enough. Since you've confirmed this Thunder-Sound Golden Toad is near death, and I'm here, let's go take a look. You'd better find a new body to possess soon!"

With that, Chu Yu said no more and led the group up the mountain swiftly.

Lu Yaoyao waited until the entire group vanished from sight before turning her gaze to Zhou Qing, silently awaiting his decision.

Zhou Qing pondered.

Judging by the time, the Thunder-Sound Golden Toad should perish tonight. If it clashes with this group, it might die sooner.

And following them now might yield some overlooked points—but the closer to the end, the more unpredictable things become.

Especially since he was with Lu Yaoyao.

"Wait until dark," Zhou Qing said after a moment's thought, calm and steady.

Lu Yaoyao raised no objection, nodding obediently.

Until evening, a continuous rumbling erupted from the mountain peak, mixed with the Thunder-Sound Golden Toad's unique croak and furious roars.

Yet Zhou Qing remained unmoved, still hidden in the mist on the mountainside.

Only when powerful self-destruction blasts followed one after another, causing the previously calm mist on the mountainside to churn violently, did Zhou Qing finally grab Lu Yaoyao's hand and rush toward the summit.

As they neared the peak, they stared in stunned horror at the scene before them.

The ground below was littered with shredded flesh, hanging limply from scattered bones—grotesque and chilling.

All the Jin Dan-stage disciples who had climbed up with Chu Yu were now dead.

Even the two Nascent Soul-stage humanoid puppets hadn't survived, their bodies broken into several pieces scattered on the ground.

As for Chu Yu—he, like Li Hong, now had only his Nascent Soul left, staring in terror at the Thunder-Sound Golden Toad across from him.

Of course, the Thunder-Sound Golden Toad was no better off—only half its body still twitched, as if in its final struggle, until finally, eyes filled with bitter regret, it went still.

"Li Hong, it's all your fault! My body's gone!"

Chu Yu roared, charging at Li Hong and grappling with him.

The sight of two miniature Nascent Souls tearing at each other, amid the bloody carnage, seemed oddly comical—even strangely endearing.

"How can you blame me? Would you have come here if you weren't greedy? Go ahead and keep mocking me!"

"I'll tear your mouth apart!"

"Come on! Don't think calling you Senior Brother means you're stronger than me!"

Zhou Qing and Lu Yaoyao watched the two brawling, and couldn't help smiling.

But Lu Yaoyao dared not move—despite losing their bodies, they were still Nascent Soul cultivators.

Their spiritual sense alone could crush them effortlessly.

Zhou Qing, however, seemed utterly unconcerned; his gaze fixed on the fallen Thunder-Sound Golden Toad, he immediately performed an appraisal.

Compared to these two brainless fools, he felt a flicker of concern for the beast.

【Dead Beast: This is the corpse of a recently deceased Nascent Soul-stage Thunder-Sound Golden Toad. Unfortunately, fate was against it—if it had survived just two more hours, it could have waited for the full moon night to harness lightning energy and sense the suanni bone it sought.】

Seeing the appraisal, Zhou Qing exhaled softly—he was certain the beast was truly dead, with no hidden tricks left.

Then he glanced at the evening scene and sighed lightly.

Had it not been for these two fools' interference, it might have truly lived a second life.

Zhou Qing's spiritual sense subtly extended, confirming no other life signs remained, before gently tapping Lu Yaoyao's back and slowly rising.

Lu Yaoyao startled—she tried to grab him, but it was too late.

Those two were still Nascent Soul cultivators; dealing with them was easy—but Zhou Qing had already stepped out. She scrambled up, swiftly drawing her weapon, and sprinted after him.

The two Nascent Souls, still wrestling and shouting, froze at the sound of footsteps behind them. They turned in unison toward Zhou Qing and Lu Yaoyao, instantly alert, as if facing mortal enemies.

"Damn it! We got played by a fisherman!" Chu Yu cursed.

"I told you I felt a chill down my back!" Li Hong spat.

But good news—they were only Jin Dan cultivators. Overreaching fools.

Wait… that man looked strangely familiar?

"Taiqingmen Zhou Qing?" Li Hong suddenly remembered, his eyes widening in shock.

Chu Yu froze.

The one on the Most Wanted List—rank ten—who killed Meng Xing and Song Yuan, five of our sect's top prodigies?

Zhou Qing spoke no word. He flicked his finger—two golden flames shot out, roaring with violent heat, instantly engulfing the two Nascent Souls.

"Not bad! You know fire cultivation arts? Seems you admire Cangyan Dao Palace—why not defect early? Maybe we'll show you mercy."

"True, we lost our bodies—but you, a mere Jin Dan cultivator, think these little flames can trap us? You're showing off in front of a master."

Both laughed mockingly, their eyes brimming with contempt.

Zhou Qing shook his head.

"Let me give you a piece of advice: never underestimate any small person. Arrogance can plunge you into utter despair."

As he spoke, Zhou Qing glanced at Lu Yaoyao beside him, ready for battle.

Lu Yaoyao blinked, then nodded vigorously, memorizing it.

Zhou Qing slowly clenched his fist. As he did, the two flames began shrinking. The trapped souls screamed in agony, accompanied by a sizzling sound.

Only now did they realize—this fire was terrifyingly advanced. Escape was impossible.

"Impossible! How is this possible!" They struggled desperately, but helplessly.

Zhou Qing walked forward calmly, extended a hand, and pressed his fingertip directly onto Li Hong's Nascent Soul's forehead—initiating a soul search.

Soon, Li Hong felt that terrifying spiritual force; his Nascent Soul trembled violently, his eyes rolled back, and he could hardly believe: "You… you're not a Jin Dan…"

With a dull thud, after completing the soul-searching and finding no useful clues, Zhou Qing applied slight pressure—Li Hong's Nascent Soul shattered like broken glass, instantly turning to dust and dispersing into the air, leaving only a faint ripple of spiritual energy.

Chu Yu, witnessing this, was terrified beyond words and frantically begged for mercy, his voice filled with fear and pleading.

"I'm wrong, I truly am wrong…"

Zhou Qing shook his head. "You're not wrong. You just think you're about to die."

After speaking, he likewise carried out a spiritual sense probe without mercy, then crushed it.

Mercy toward enemies is cruelty toward yourself. You wish to survive—so do we.

In this cruel world, there's no room for excessive compassion.

At this moment, Lu Yaoyao stared in shock at the scene before her.

Wait, two Nascent Soul cultivators just died like that?

That's way too fragile!

Zhou Qing, as if nothing had happened, smiled gently. "What are you standing there for? Quickly pick up the storage bags."

Lu Yaoyao snapped out of her daze and began searching around, while Zhou Qing slowly walked to the corpse of the Thunder-Sound Golden Toad and examined it closely.

Its poison sacs were all shattered, its flesh utterly ruined, its Nascent Soul long gone—hardly anything of value remained.

"Forget it. Because of you, I learned the true method to find the Su Ni remains. Rest in peace!"

Zhou Qing spoke softly, then summoned his spiritual power and dug a deep, massive pit beside him, burying the corpse.

To prevent later seekers from stripping its bones for sale, at least let it rest in the earth.

【Heart Mirror Point +8】

Hearing the prompt, Zhou Qing instinctively glanced at Lu Yaoyao—sure enough, she was running toward him, arms full of bloodstained storage bags, beaming with excitement.

And the text above her head, previously showing 【Good Prediction】, had now changed to 【Good Kindness】.

"Senior Brother Zhou, they're all here!" Lu Yaoyao said, face alight with joy.

Zhou Qing nodded and warned seriously: "Check them yourself first—see if all the storage bags can be opened. Better safe than sorry."

Hearing this, Lu Yaoyao admired Zhou Qing even more.

She'd been careless—if some bags couldn't be opened, that meant soul seals remained; the owner wasn't truly dead, and she'd have to find them quickly, lest someone stab her in the back at a critical moment.

Zhou Qing didn't check them himself precisely to give her more real-world experience—she was still too naive.

Probably when she'd gone out with Li Daoxuan or He Han before, others had handled all these details for her, even shielding her from danger.

If this continued, it would only harm her. Only by experiencing and learning for herself could she survive better in this world of deceit and treachery.

Fortunately, after careful inspection, she found nothing unusual.

Lu Yaoyao further categorized and organized the contents of the bags, consolidating them into just two storage bags before handing them to Zhou Qing.

The rest, she'd take back and submit to the Mission Hall—they were solid credit vouchers, worth plenty of good items.

"You keep them—I don't need them," Zhou Qing waved his hand.

His supply of spirit stones was still ample, and without this girl, he'd never have known the Su Ni remains were here.

Besides, after this mission, they could stop by the Blood Rock Mine on the way back.

According to the soul-searching results, only a few low-level disciples remained there to guard it, and the warehouse still held vast quantities of Blood Rock Crystals.

But Lu Yaoyao shook her head insistently, determined to split the spoils equally with Zhou Qing.

"Listen to me!" Zhou Qing's tone left no room for argument. Then, hands behind his back, he paced slowly around, quietly waiting for the full moon to rise.

Seeing Zhou Qing's demeanor, Lu Yaoyao reluctantly accepted—but her face still glowed with happiness.

She hadn't felt this doted-on in a long time.

Time passed slowly. When the bright moon rose, Zhou Qing immediately activated the "Azure Thunder Sword Art."

Instantly, lightning arcs flickered across his body, enveloping him in a brilliant aura of thunder.

Then he led Lu Yaoyao in a slow circuit around the area, holding their breath, quietly sensing the subtle shifts in the surrounding energy.

Just before dawn, Zhou Qing suddenly sensed something—his eyes lit up, and he shot off at high speed toward one direction.

Before them, beneath the White Bone Mountain, a strange resonance had emerged—a feeling Zhou Qing found deeply familiar, as if he'd sensed it before.

"Is this… a Thunder Pool?"

Realizing it, Zhou Qing's eyes widened in disbelief. He probed again—and became certain: the energy below was unmistakably that of a Thunder Pool.

He'd absorbed vast amounts of pure thunder energy on the stone platform while cultivating the fourth form of the "Azure Thunder Sword Art" at Jin Leizong—he knew this energy well.

"Could it be… that beneath this Spirit Skull Mountain lies a natural Thunder Pool? And that's why the Thunder Beast Su Ni traveled thousands of miles to come here?"

Thinking this, Zhou Qing's heart surged with joy.

But soon, the sensation vanished completely—as if it had never existed.

Zhou Qing panicked and immediately began digging.

Yet after digging dozens of meters deep, he found nothing—not even his vast spiritual sense detected a trace.

It was as if the Thunder Pool's energy had been nothing but an illusion.

Watching the eastern sky lighten with dawn, Zhou Qing sighed helplessly.

Now he understood why the Cangyan Dao Palace had sensed something unusual here yet found nothing.

This place, like the simulated Divine Ruins Palace, existed in a separate space.

The full moon is the gate; thunder is the key. Neither can be missing.

"Senior Brother Zhou, maybe we should search elsewhere?" Lu Yaoyao encouraged, watching Zhou Qing climb out of the deep pit, covered in dirt.

As a child, she'd only heard her father mention this place—he called it his turning point—but she didn't know how he'd received the master's legacy.

Zhou Qing only smiled and shook his head. "No rush. I feel it's right here. Let's rest somewhere, wait till nightfall."

After speaking, Zhou Qing was in high spirits. He found a sheltered spot and took turns resting with Lu Yaoyao.

"Senior Brother Zhou, if you could always keep this optimistic attitude whenever you face impossible obstacles, it'd be wonderful!"

Lu Yaoyao lay on her side, gazing at Zhou Qing's face, and spoke softly.

Zhou Qing replied: "Don't worry—I've got a big heart. When trouble comes, I always look on the bright side. Always positive."

Lu Yaoyao nodded slightly. "Yes, I believe you can. Despair is terrifying—especially when someone never speaks, never smiles, just stays silent. It doesn't just make them miserable—it makes everyone around them worry too."

Zhou Qing looked at her in confusion, but Lu Yaoyao had already closed her eyes, exhausted, asleep—her words sounded like a dreamy murmur.

Watching her peaceful profile in sleep, Zhou Qing felt certain she'd suffered greatly before.

He remembered when the Grand Elder first used a giant cauldron to take them to the Cave Heaven—inside the cauldron, Lu Yaoyao had come over pale-faced, gripping his arm tightly, eyes shut, trembling all over.

At the time, he'd wondered: this girl must have claustrophobia.

Such symptoms are either congenital or caused by childhood trauma leaving psychological scars.

But to this day, no one knew her family, and she'd never spoken of them.

According to his Master's inquiries, the Sect Master had encountered her years ago while hunting sea beasts along the coast—right when a typhoon struck.

Lu Yaoyao had suddenly fallen from the sky. Strangely, though she'd never cultivated, her body's foundation was unusually solid, and she'd suffered only minor injuries.

The Sect Master, intrigued, brought her back to Taiqingmen and took her in as Little Six.

"Probably a tragic soul," Zhou Qing sighed softly. Judging by her past, her brother was almost certainly dead.

Then he gazed at the thick fog clinging to the mountain's mid-slope, growing uneasy.

They needed to hurry—Li Hong, Chu Yu, and the two Nascent Soul puppets were dead. Cangyan Dao Palace's Soul Lamp Tower would surely notice.

They'd realize the Blood Rock Mine had been attacked, and might send other powerful cultivators to investigate.

Just as Zhou Qing eagerly awaited another full moon tonight, elsewhere, a shocking rumor spread once more, instantly causing an uproar.

The ancestral graves of Cangyan Dao Palace—reburied less than a month ago—had been dug up again.

(End of Chapter)