Chapter 359: Thunder Fire Reveals Strange Phenomena

The scene before their eyes was simply like a miracle.

Bolts of thunder tore through the long sky, landing on the Jin Dian, then turning into thunder fireballs that rolled about, agile and violent.

Not only that, the entire top of the Jin Dian seemed to be draped in a layer of gold foil, and the roof ridge along with the ridge beasts—dragon, phoenix, horse, fish, lion, etc. —shone brightly, as if light bulbs had been switched on.

Never mind Wang Fu, even Li Yan's eyes widened.

"Don't wait, hurry!"

The Daoist leading the way in front was anxious. "The thunderstorm doesn't know when it will stop. If you miss the opportunity, you'll have to wait at least another ten days."

Now that it was autumn, the chances for a great thunderstorm were indeed few.

Li Yan and his companion dared not delay any longer. Following the Daoist, they quickened their pace, passed through two corridors, and arrived outside the Jin Dian.

This Jin Dian was located at the highest point of Wudang Mountain, sitting west facing east. Its area was not large, about the same as a slightly larger small pavilion. It was an entire gilded bronze hall with a double-eave hip roof.

Outside the hall body, there were bronze-cast partition screens, with large and small architraves cast on them. The upper eaves had double-curved, double-cantilever nine-step dougong brackets supporting the eaves rafters. The lower eaves applied single-curved, double-cantilever seven-step gilded dougong brackets, which were very exquisite.

Under the reflection of the thunder light, the Jin Dian shot out fire, as if the Lei Shen's treasure hall from heaven had fallen into the mortal world.

Outside the Jin Dian, several Daoists were already waiting.

Among them, an old Daoist stood under the eaves of the opposite great hall. With a flick of his horsetail whisk, he said calmly, "Everyone has arrived. The opportunity of Thunder Fire Refining Hall is limited; each person only has one chance."

"Only by having the guts to enter the hall and not be disturbed by the Heavenly Gang Thunder Fire, and then focusing your spirit and entering meditation, will you have the chance to comprehend."

"Whether you can succeed depends on you all..."

Rumbling!

Just as he finished speaking, another huge bolt of thunder struck down.

The Jin Dian suddenly shone brightly, stinging everyone's eyes so they couldn't open them. After the white light dissipated, sizzling thunder light rose on the bronze pillars.

Those who came to participate were not just Li Yan and his companion, but also Daoists from other temples on Wudang Mountain, but the number was relatively small. Including Li Yan and Wang Fu, there were only five people in total.

"I'll go first!"

One of the Daoists stepped out first.

He had a tall figure and a face full of whiskers. He handed the long sword behind his back to someone else, then strode toward the Jin Dian.

Entering the Jin Dian to practice also had taboos, one of which was not to carry metal items. Li Yan had left all his metal ritual implements like the Dust-Severing Saber at the Purple Tian Gong, and the lotus lamps used for setting up the ritual altar had all been replaced with ceramic lamp stands.

There was another point, which was to choose a good timing.

One had to enter during the gap when the thunder and lightning fell.

This Daoist was clearly somewhat impatient. Just as he walked halfway, his messy hair suddenly stood on end. His expression changed, and he retreated quickly.

Boom!

A bolt of thunder fell, and the Jin Dian flickered with thunder fire again.

"Next!"

The old Daoist's expression didn't change as he said coldly.

The tall Daoist had a face full of regret and retreated to the side.

Since it was an opportunity, naturally it wasn't so casual.

He had turned back halfway, already missing the opportunity, and could only continue to accumulate merit and find a chance to apply again.

Having had the previous example, the other two Daoists were much more careful. After the Jin Dian's thunder light flickered, they rushed in instantly.

One of them sat cross-legged, wanting to focus his spirit, but the thunder fire rumbled, and he tried several times to enter meditation but couldn't. His spirit nearly suffered damage, and he had to leave dejectedly.

Seeing this, the old Daoist shook his head and reprimanded, "Your foundation is not deep, and your Dao heart is not firm. How can you withstand the refining of thunder fire? Do not be overly ambitious."

"Senior Uncle's reprimand is correct."

The young Daoist had a face full of embarrassment and retreated to the side.

As for the remaining Daoist, his age was clearly not small, and his Dao practice had already reached the three-story tower. His temperament was steady. After entering the Jin Dian, he quickly focused his spirit and entered meditation.

Focusing one's spirit in this Jin Dian was clearly much more difficult.

He sat cross-legged. Amidst the flickering thunder light, before long, his face began to turn ferocious, and his forehead was full of cold sweat.

He persisted for less than half a stick of incense before spitting out blood with a "pu" sound and stumbling out of the Jin Dian.

Seeing this, the old Daoist comforted him, "Not bad, you are already much stronger than last time. You will definitely succeed next time."

"Thank you, Senior Uncle."

The Daoist's face was pale, and he retreated to the side.

Seeing this situation, Li Yan was also somewhat surprised.

Wang Fu had already told him that the difficulty of Thunder Fire Refining Hall could be called number one among the three great Mystic Realms, and those who could successfully comprehend it were few and far between.

If it didn't work, he would return to the Purple Tian Gong to build his tower.

Li Yan had always heard of this Thunder Fire Refining Hall, but because the people he interacted with were many geniuses on Wudang Mountain, he had developed a misconception.

In this Mystic Realm, the failure rate was actually higher than he had imagined.

And Wang Fu on the side shook his head directly. "Brother Li Yan, it looks like this Thunder Fire Refining Hall will hurt the spirit. This poor Daoist just built my tower, so it is not suitable to take risks, lest my Dao practice be scattered. You go."

Wang Fu's choice was not wrong. Even the old Daoist next to him frowned and shook his head upon hearing this. "What a mess. Did no one tell you about this? Wasting an opportunity for nothing."

Ordinary people didn't have Li Yan's Great Luo Dala Dala Fa Shen. A martial artist's body was precious, and a cultivator's spirit-focusing was the same. Once injured, it would take a very long time to recover.

Boom!

Another bolt of rolling thunder fell, with a terrifying momentum. Although the thunder fire was all absorbed by the Jin Dian, the resulting shock and rumbling still made the surrounding palaces buzz and dust fall down.

The old Daoist looked up at the sky, his brow furrowing slightly. "You are also unlucky; today's thunderstorm is too violent."

"Hurry up. In a while, I fear you won't even be able to get in."

Li Yan didn't talk nonsense. He walked out carrying his bags, and with two leaps, he landed in the Jin Dian.

He looked up and saw that inside the hall were offered the True Martial Patriarch statue, with the Golden Boy holding a book on the left, the Jade Girl holding a seal on the right, and the Water and Fire Generals holding flags and swords.

Without the slightest hesitation, Li Yan closed the door immediately, then lit candles and oil lamps, set up a complex Bagua formation, and then wrapped red thread and hung up yellow talismans.

Afterward, he took out a cloth bag.

Inside the cloth bag were a piece of gloomy wood, a stone from the Cloud Dream Marsh, a suppression coin, a broken pottery bowl containing water, and an old oil lamp.

These were all things he had collected. Some were found by the Tuo Master, and some he had purchased at Baotong Zen Temple. They couldn't be considered top-grade, but they were all heavenly treasures.

By now, he could already freely control his Great Luo Dala Dala Fa Shen and absorb the fortune within heavenly treasures at will, so he wasn't afraid of carrying them with him.

This time, he not only wanted to build a tower but also wanted to simultaneously build the "Gan Si Lian Wan Lü Tian Gong" among the six palaces of Luo Feng.

This was the power of the "Luo Feng Sutra."

The same three-story tower could build one more palace than other methods, representing deeper Dao practice and stronger spell-casting ability.

Not only that, building the six palaces of Luo Feng would all come with corresponding Yin Office supernatural powers. For example, the "Gan Si Lian Wan Lü Tian Gong" was the Soul-Hooking Chain.

As for what supernatural power the next layer, "Zong Ling Qi Fei Tian Gong," would obtain, even he didn't know. The "Luo Feng Sutra" did not mention it, and Liu Gang, the strongest person he knew who practiced this method, had not built the second palace before completely abandoning his identity as a Living Yin Messenger.

Outside the Jin Dian, the old Daoist frowned upon seeing this and looked at Wang Fu next to him. "Is this kid that Li Yan? He wants to build a tower inside the Thunder Fire Refining Hall?"

Wang Fu bowed respectfully. "Yes, Senior."

Puchi!

A Daoist next to him nearly laughed out loud.

The old Daoist turned his head and glared at him, then shook his head. "What a mess. Building a tower in the Thunder Fire Refining Hall can only be done during a small thunderstorm. In weather like today, not a single person has ever succeeded."

"Get ready in a while to go in and save him."

"By the way, tell Junior Brother Yuhanzi to prepare medicinal soup and bathing water there, used to vent the thunder fire aura..."

This old Daoist was also kind-hearted. He didn't ignore him just because Li Yan was an outsider, but started preparing in advance.

Seeing this, Wang Fu couldn't help but feel worried in his heart.

On the other side, inside the Jin Dian. Rumbling!

The terrifying sound of thunder rang out continuously.

This Wudang Mountain Thunder Fire Refining Hall was a bit like a Faraday cage; no matter how fierce the thunderstorm was outside, it wouldn't enter the hall.

But the Gang and Sha auras within the hall changed because of this.

Even though his supernatural powers were suppressed, Li Yan could still smell waves of fresh yet foul-smelling auras surging up and down within the great hall.

It was like an invisible beast, eager to try on the side.

Li Yan was stronger than others because he had the Great Luo Dala Dala Fa Shen, which made him especially bold. He kept walking on the edge of the extreme cliff, unintentionally conforming to the fearless spirit of a cultivator.

Hu~

After lighting all the oil lamps, wind suddenly rose out of thin air in the hall.

Strangely, all the oil lamps did not flicker or dim; instead, it was as if they had been injected with fuel, suddenly becoming fierce.

Li Yan dared not have the slightest hesitation. He sat cross-legged, his two hands continuously forming seals, rotating along the twelve heavenly stems, while simultaneously closing his eyes to focus his spirit.

Thunder rumbled continuously, like a god roaring in his ears.

!.

Li Yan stabilized his mind by force and gradually entered meditation.

Not long after, he arrived at the spirit-focusing space.

Practicing in the Thunder Fire Refining Hall was indeed vastly different.

Within the two-story divine palace, the two Daoist god images Li Yan had visualized opened their eyes at the same time and looked upward.

The originally dim and hazy sky was now covered by dark clouds, and bolts of thunder flickered within, rumbling continuously.

These were all influences from the external environment.

Just like when he built his tower initially, he had to draw in the Earth Yin aura, borrow its power to suppress, separate Yin and Yang, and visualize the Yin Sea, Luo Feng Mountain, and the Divine Palace step by step.

Of course, by now, he didn't need to be so troublesome.

Seeing the thunder rumbling in the sky, Li Yan was pleasantly surprised rather than shocked.

The "Luo Feng Sutra" cultivation had changes at every stage.

Building the first-story tower, separate heaven and earth.

Building the second-story tower, clarify Yin and Yang.

Building this third-story tower naturally required dividing the Five Elements.

Therefore, he had specifically looked for Five Element spiritual objects.

And thunder was the pivot of Yin and Yang changes. With its help, dividing the Five Elements and Yin and Yang would become even easier.

Of course, the premise was that he had to be able to withstand it!

Rumbling!

As the magic formula rotated, a bolt of thunder flickered in the sky.

This bolt of thunder did not fall, but it seemed to split the firmament.

Within the tower-building formation, the Five Element spiritual objects began to dissipate their aura. At the same time, in the sky within the spirit-focusing space, five-colored auras of green, red, yellow, white, and black also fell.

The original spirit-focusing space was dim and gloomy, seemingly only having black and white colors. However, as the Five Element auras fell, the entire space quickly became agile.

Of course, most of the Five Element auras fell onto the mountain, wrapping around the two-story divine palace and gradually strengthening it.

Rumbling!

This action seemed to have provoked the wrath of heaven.

Thunder light whistled down and struck directly on the Yin Sea.

The sea waves exploded, seemingly setting off a tsunami, surging toward the surroundings.

Rumbling!

Not long after, the entire Yin Sea flickered with thunder light, and then began to expand outward, representing Li Yan's Dao practice improving rapidly.

Li Yan's two spirit-focusing images smiled at the same time.

His guess was correct; it was indeed easier to build a tower in the Thunder Fire Refining Hall. Originally, the time he needed to divide the Five Elements was far more than this.

However, his expression changed immediately afterward.

He saw that above the sky, thunder light continuously gathered and surged, actually forming a sea of thunder, turning into bolts of human figures, neatly arranged, like the gods of the Thunder Department in heaven.

What happened?!

Li Yan was horrified. The strange change before his eyes was completely unexpected.

And outside the Jin Dian, the people around also had slightly changed expressions.

They saw dark clouds rolling above the firmament, and bolts of thunder falling like a waterfall, rumbling continuously, making everyone's head buzz.

Wang Fu was horrified. "Senior, what happened?"

The old Daoist also had a face full of disbelief. "This... this poor Daoist has never seen it either. This is a scene that only appears during thunder punishment."

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Just at this moment, several figures leaped over.

Seeing this, the old Daoist bowed quickly. "Greetings, Sect Leader."

It was the Thunder Fire Refining Hall abnormality that had alarmed the Seven Elders of Wudang who were practicing. The leader was none other than the Wudang Sect Leader, Yu Chanzi.

"Who is inside?"

Yu Chanzi asked with a slight frown.

"It is that Benefactor Li from outside the mountain."

The old Daoist replied quickly.

"Oh?"

Yu Chanzi was lost in thought, then turned his head to look at Wang Fu and asked in a deep voice, "Has this young friend Li ever practiced Thunder Methods?"

Wang Fu dared not hide it and said, "Originally practiced the Yin Thunder Palm, and later received the 'Heavenly Thunder Demon-Subduing Hammer' passed down by Senior Yu Longzi of your sect."

"Cultivating both Yin and Yang thunder?"

One of the Seven Elders of Wudang frowned upon hearing this. "Thunder is originally the change of Yin and Yang. Cultivating both Yin and Yang thunder is adding fuel to the fire. How can he be so bold and reckless?"

"This Yu Longzi is just like his master, also..."

Halfway through the sentence, he forcibly closed his mouth.

Yu Longzi was famous far and wide and was considered one of Wudang's ascenders to divinity, known as the number one person in Ezhou for catching demons and driving away evil, and his Thunder Methods were extremely fierce.

However, Yu Longzi was not from the lineage of Patriarch Sanfeng of Wudang, but a disciple of a hidden cultivator on the mountain who joined the True Martial Palace back then.

To put it bluntly, he was powerful but unrestrained, and he was a famous big drunkard, so naturally, some people couldn't stand him.

Of course, he was loyal to Wudang Mountain; otherwise, why would he accept the Sect Leader's order to go to Shu to risk his life?

Yu Chanzi remained calm. He formed the Shangqing seal with his hands, and thunder light flickered in his eyes immediately, then he strode out.

The current Thunder Fire Refining Hall was already shrouded in thunder light.

And as he walked into it, those thunder lights circled his body, actually merging with him, circling around him without causing any harm.

He looked into the hall through the window.

He saw Li Yan sitting cross-legged in meditation, and bolts of electric light actually appeared out of thin air and drilled into his body.

And this thunder light was actually released from the murals on the side.

On that mural, auspicious clouds surged, and god generals with angry eyes and ferocious expressions were painted, some holding swords, some carrying hammers, with flags fluttering behind them.

Since the Great Xuan Dynasty, the status of the True Martial Great Emperor had been continuously rising. Volume 5 of the "Heavenly Emperor Supreme Dao Tai Jing Jade Record" stated: "On both sides of the Xuan Emperor Hall, the gods of the Thunder Department should be sculpted."

The Jin Dian's area was not large, so murals were used instead.

And the leader among them had a golden face and three eyes, holding a golden whip in his right hand and the Lei Shen seal in his left, with hair and beard all standing on end, and a vivid aura.

The thunder light was exactly emitted from the thunder hammer in his hand!

Second update at three-thirty.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 360 =====