Chapter 457: Now That's Trouble

The moment the two Dark Shadows manifested, Lei Tiankuang's Terrifying Thunderball, which he was about to unleash and which contained Chaos Catastrophe Eradition Power, suddenly stalled in midair, unable to move an inch!

The destructive energy inside the Thunderball roared and clashed wildly, yet it could never break through that seemingly thin yet actually imbued with the supreme Tiandao invisible barrier.

Lei Tiankuang slowly withdrew his palm, and the Terrifying Thunderball silently dissipated, as if it had never appeared.

His deep Chaos-colored Dark Eye stared fixedly at the suddenly appearing Heavenly Sword Master and Seven Yu Elder, his voice cold, saying word for word:

"Hehehe, you arrived quite quickly! … from the Ancient Sword Tomb… Heavenly Sword Master! and from the Great Thousand Divine Universe… Seven Yu Elder!"

His tone was calm and cold, clearly recognizing these two Titan-level beings who enjoy great renown across Nine Heavens Ten Lands and even the Zhutian Wanjie.

At this moment, Ye Wuque and Feng Caichen, after sensing the two familiar yet boundlessly vast auras behind them, felt their taut heartstrings suddenly loosen, and the power surrounding them that resisted the pressure gradually subsided.

They exchanged a glance, each seeing a hint of relieved smile in the other's eyes.

"Huh… I almost thought we'd have to resort to Dunjie Poxu Fu Wang Xun again; it's been a while since I've felt that being pursued with no way to the heavens and no door to the earth," Ye Wuque transmitted to Feng Caichen, his tone relaxed.

Feng Caichen's eyes also held a smile, and he nodded slightly.

With these two big shots here, this almost certain death crisis before us can probably be cut through easily, right?

Immediately, the two's expressions hardened, they turned, and respectfully bowed to the two elders behind them.

Ye Wuque's voice was clear: "Disciple Ye Wuque, has seen Seven Yu Elder, has seen the senior Heavenly Sword Master!"

Feng Caichen also respectfully said: "Disciple Feng Caichen, has seen Seven Yu Elder, has seen my master!"

The Seven Yu Elder and the Heavenly Sword Master first directed their gazes at their own juniors; seeing that although their auras were slightly unstable, their spirit, qi, and mind were complete, their eyes shone with divine light, clearly having made great gains on the Main Road without harming the foundation, their faces showed gentle approving smiles, and they nodded slightly.

But when their gazes turned to Lei Tiankuang opposite them, that gentleness vanished instantly, replaced by unabashed indifference, coldness, and… a hint of chilling murderous intent!

Seven Yu Elder spoke first; his voice was calm, yet like the rhythm of the earth, bearing an undeniable weight and authority that resonated through the starry sky: "I originally thought that the ones who could not hold back, tearing off their masks to strike at my Saint Son of Great Thousand Divine Universe, would be those hidden in the shadows—Other Shore specters—or even the more bizarre and unfathomable Inauspicious Clan…" His gaze, solid as matter, fell on Lei Tiankuang: "I did not expect it to be our own Thunder Clan, a peak great clan within Nine Heavens Ten Lands! Excellent, truly… very good!"

The final few words, Seven Yu Elder's voice remained steady, yet anyone could hear the deep anger and cold sarcasm embedded within.

The Great Thousand Divine Universe, as one of the leading powers of Nine Heavens Ten Lands, has always borne the responsibility of maintaining internal stability and unified external stance.

The Thunder Clan's action is not only aimed at Ye Wuque and Feng Caichen personally, but also challenges the rules and tacit agreements within Nine Heavens Ten Lands, tantamount to a back‑stabbing!

Heavenly Sword Master's words were more direct; his eyes were sword‑like, staring at Lei Tiankuang, his voice clear and cold, each word like a drawn sword slashing forward: "Thunder lunatic, you have such nerve! How dare you lay this poisonous hand on my direct disciple? What, does the Thunder Clan think the swords of the Ancient Sword Tomb are not sharp enough?"

Although the sword intent had not fully erupted, that cutting‑through‑everything edge and protective feeling already surged like an invisible tsunami toward Lei Tiankuang! In the starry sky, faint sounds of countless swords rang out!

Facing the questioning and pressure of the two equally ranked Titans, Lei Tiankuang's face returned to the still, unmoving indifference of an ancient well, yet that hint of murderous intent and anger became even more terrifying!

Lei Tiankuang let out a cold snort, the Chaos-colored Lei Dian Dao Rhythm around him gently pulsated, repelling the Heavenly Sword Master's invisible sword‑intent pressure, "It seems you both value these two little brutes quite highly."

His eyes passed over Seven Yu Elder and the Heavenly Sword Master, then locked again on Feng Caichen behind him, murderous intent unchanged: "This child, the Wind Clan remnant Feng Caichen, on the Ultimate Main Road, used despicable means to assassinate our Young Master Lei Yuhuang, whom our clan has cultivated with great effort! This is a deep Xue Hai grudge, unforgivable! Today, he must die! To appease Huang Er's spirit in the heavens, and to uphold our Thunder Clan's dignity!"

His voice suddenly sharpened, bearing an undeniable resolve: "Even if you two come personally, if I unleash my full power, you… may not be able to stop it!"

"A joke!" Heavenly Sword Master scoffed, his sword‑shaped eyebrows lifted, the myriad sword‑path phenomena surrounding him surged, "Peers contesting, life and death each follow destiny! Your Thunder Clan heirs are inferior; if they die, they die—who's to blame? Is it that only your Thunder Clan may kill, while others may not resist? What nonsense reasoning!"

He stepped half a pace forward, his aura growing sharper: "As for whether you can stop it… Thunder lunatic, you may as well try! See whether it's your Chaos Catastrophe Thunder Speed or my Tongtian Sword Sharpness! See today whether your Lei Dian can slay my disciple, or my sword… first cuts down you, the shameless old brute who bullies the weak!"

Seven Yu Elder also stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Heavenly Sword Master.

Though he said nothing, that vast aura, merged with the cosmos and starry sky, seemingly capable of bearing and nullifying all attacks, acted as the firmest backing, steadily supporting the Heavenly Sword Master's sky‑piercing sword intent; the two's vital energies subtly linked, forming an integrated offense‑defense, invulnerable formation.

He calmly looked at Lei Tiankuang, slowly saying: "Brother Lei, cultivation is hard; why waste nameless effort over a junior's dispute, even to the point of forging a death‑rivalry with my Great Thousand Divine Universe and the Ancient Sword Tomb? If you withdraw now, today's incident could still be considered as never having occurred."

This is already offering a way out.

If not for the consideration that the Thunder Clan is also a peak great clan of Nine Heavens Ten Lands, with equally unfathomable depth, unwilling to spark internal strife now, given the temperaments of Seven Yu Elder and the Heavenly Sword Master, anyone daring to assassinate their own most outstanding disciple would have acted directly long ago.

"Withdraw? Hahaha!" Lei Tiankuang let out a desolate, mad laugh, his laughter filled with grief and resolve, "Huang Er is my direct bloodline, I watched him grow, a future I placed great hopes on! He met a tragic death under this fierce sword, and you tell me to withdraw? Seven Yu Elder, Heavenly Sword Master! Today… you both shall stay as well!"

His eyes suddenly turned blood‑red, and the Chaos-colored Lei Dian Dao Rhythm began to boil violently, running amok!

A terrifying aura, far more ferocious and chaotic than before, as if to annihilate everything and sacrifice itself, erupted thunderously from his hunched body!

He thrust his hands together at his chest, and beneath his skin, countless dark‑gold lines, like veins and thunder patterns, lit up wildly and roamed!

A soul‑freezing forbidden wave, accompanied by ancient, time‑worn, chant‑like sacrifices seemingly from the source of the Thunder Punishment, began to echo through this starry sky!

"With my blood… Sacrifice Thunder Ancestor!"

"With my soul… Summon Heavenly Punishment!"

"Ten Thousand Calamities… Return to the Ruins… Great Jiemie!!"

Boom—!!!

The entire sealed starry sky suddenly crackled with lightning and thunder, but not ordinary thunder, instead showing a bizarre Return‑to‑the‑Ruin hue—gray‑black interspersed with dark gold and scarlet!

Each bolt of lightning that streaked seemed to take away a piece of Space's existence, leaving lingering, irreparable void cracks that exuded the aura of Jiemie!

Lei Tiankuang's aura, driven by some forbidden secret technique, began to surge wildly, burning!

The aura instantly suppressed the auras of the two great masters, Seven Yu Elder and Heavenly Sword Master!

The faces of Seven Yu Elder and the Heavenly Sword Master changed dramatically at once, a flash of shock and disbelief appearing deep in their pupils.

"Not good! This aura… does it mean!"

Seven Yu Elder's expression grew extremely solemn!

The Heavenly Sword Master tightened his grip on his sword, speaking rapidly: "Indeed, that's right, no wonder he is so brazen; it turns out he has already reached that stage!"

"This is trouble now…"

At this moment, whether Seven Yu Elder or the Heavenly Sword Master, the confidence that once shone on their faces had vanished, replaced by a hint of dread and gravity…

They did not expect that Lei Tiankuang's cultivation realm had already reached such a level!

Thus, even if the two of them gave their all, they would find it hard to protect Ye Wuque and Feng Caichen!

Seven Yu Elder also showed a sudden change in expression; the ordinary aura around him abruptly shifted, a vast power akin to the ancient earth awakening and the starry sky overturning began to gather, and his plain robe fluttered without wind.