Chapter 861: Binding Thunder Spell

"Damn it, what kind of divine art is this?"

"How can it latch onto a soul?"

"Are you a demonic cultivator?"

The captured soul of Prince Qingqi cursed He Pingsheng incessantly.

He Pingsheng ignored him, simply staring at Prince Qingqi's soul.

After cursing twice, Prince Qingqi fell silent.

After several breaths, he seemed to ponder deeply, then said: "Fine... I admit it—I've been outwitted today!"

"You're no match for me!"

"Tell me, how do I get my soul back?"

"Let me go, and I'll reward you handsomely!"

He Pingsheng glanced coldly at Prince Qingqi's soul and said: "Don't talk about rewards—I already had the Heavenly Thunder in hand, and you ruined it. First, figure out how to repay the karmic debt you owe me."

"And... I just heard you wanted me to become your Heavenly Dao slave?"

"Hehe... I think it'd be better if you became my slave—or my mount!"

"Don't even dream it!" Prince Qingqi sneered. "I'd rather you kill me now than become your slave or mount!"

"As a divine race, we have divine pride!"

"Kill me!"

Prince Qingqi shut his eyes, adopting a stoic, death-defying posture.

Swoosh...

A streak of azure lightning shot across infinite void and landed before a grand hall in Qingqi Imperial City.

"Second Elder! Second Elder..."

"Your disciple has urgent news to report!"

The disciple, kneeling half-bowed before the hall, shouted frantically.

Boom...

The next instant, the hall's protective array unfolded layer by layer.

Then, an old man with white hair and beard appeared at the doorway.

"Greetings, Second Elder!"

The Second Elder nodded: "What is it?"

The disciple said: "The Prince... the Prince's avatar... has lost consciousness!"

"What?" The Second Elder's eyes instantly lit up.

Indeed, ever since Prince Qingqi left the imperial capital to pursue the Heavenly Thunder, the Second Elder had dispatched spies to monitor the avatar's every move.

Now the avatar had lost consciousness?

What did that mean?

Only one possibility: the Prince's original body had perished.

In the cultivation world, an avatar carries no soul—only a thread of spiritual awareness, which must cling to the original body's soul to exist.

Once the original body's soul is damaged, the avatar slips into unconsciousness.

For instance, if the original body is slain, the avatar remains unconscious during the brief interval before the soul reaches it.

Like a living corpse!

Only when the soul merges with the avatar does the avatar become the new original body, reborn.

And this process is swift.

It takes barely a few breaths.

"How long?" the Second Elder asked eagerly.

The disciple replied: "Half an incense stick's time!"

"Hahahaha!" The Second Elder burst into joy. "I know—the Prince's soul must have suffered a catastrophic anomaly, perhaps even total annihilation!"

"Come—let's go see!"

The Second Elder did not head to the avatar's location. Instead, he went straight to the Qingqi Clan's Life Tablet Hall.

"Second Elder..."

The Elder guarding the Life Tablet Hall bowed respectfully.

The Second Elder said: "Open the hall—I'm going in."

Boom...

The Life Tablet Hall's doors swung open.

The Second Elder stepped inside, glanced once—and saw Prince Qingqi's life tablet intact, undamaged.

That meant Prince Qingqi was not dead.

What was going on?

The avatar was unconscious, yet the original body still lived?

This was...

The Second Elder's spiritual sense spun wildly.

In less than a breath, he deduced the only possibility: the soul was trapped by something, unable to return to the original body—hence this state of neither death nor rebirth!

Hehe...

So this was Prince Qingqi's dire omen.

"Go!" Without hesitation, the Second Elder headed straight to the avatar's location.

The avatar lay before him.

Without a moment's pause, the Second Elder's face hardened with cruelty—he raised his hand and slammed down. The avatar instantly dissolved into blood.

"Ahh..."

Prince Qingqi's soul, far away beside He Pingsheng, screamed in agony, then roared: "Damn it! Who killed my avatar...?"

"I..."

His face turned pitch black: "I know—it's Uncle Two!"

"Hehehe..."

"You told me this place held great doom, knowing I'd come!"

"Fine!"

"You planned for me to die!"

"Friend!" Prince Qingqi looked at He Pingsheng with earnest sincerity. "Spare my life—let me return and kill that old bastard, Uncle Two! I swear I'll be eternally grateful!"

He Pingsheng asked: "What realm is your uncle?"

Prince Qingqi replied: "Mahayana Emperor Realm, first layer."

He Pingsheng:...

He stared at Prince Qingqi like he was an idiot: "Your avatar's gone—and you still want to kill a Mahayana?"

"Are you dreaming?"

"No!" Prince Qingqi's twisted face broke into a mad grin. "Hehe... they don't know—I have a second avatar!"

"Hmph." He Pingsheng sneered. "Don't waste my time with this nonsense..."

"First, tell me how you'll repay your karmic debt to me."

"If you don't speak, I'll obliterate your soul right now..."

"No no no!" Prince Qingqi said. "I'm burdened with blood-deep vengeance—I can't die! Young brother... no... Friend..."

"Here's something: I have a 【Spell】, called the 【Binding Thunder Spell】..."

"Once you learn it, you can use it to capture the Heavenly Thunder!"

"This is my compensation for losing your Heavenly Thunder—what do you say?"

He Pingsheng nodded: "Give me the spell."

Prince Qingqi said: "Fine—I'll chant it now. Listen closely!"

With that, Prince Qingqi closed his eyes and began chanting the spell.

He Pingsheng listened intently, and soon memorized the entire incantation.

"Friend He!" Prince Qingqi said. "This spell doesn't just capture the Heavenly Thunder—it helps you refine it too!"

"It'll save you hundreds of years of painstaking refinement!"

He Pingsheng nodded: "Alright... stay with me. I'll use this spell to capture the Heavenly Thunder first—prove you're not lying."

As he spoke, He Pingsheng engraved the spell onto a jade slip, then casually tossed it into the Treasure Basin for enhancement.

"Good—our karmic debt from you ruining my plans is settled."

"Now... let's talk about what you owe me for letting you live."

"What rare treasures or heavenly artifacts can you offer me?"

"Don't mention the ring!" He Pingsheng shook the ring in his hand. "That's my spoils—now it belongs to me, not you."