Chapter 231: Chapter 157: Decipher (Part 2)

Not daring to delay for a moment, Lü Zhong cast another Technique Mantra at the Purple Copper Pillars on the ground.

A continuous hum arose as the Purple Copper Pillars began to glow.

Suddenly, a dazzling beam of light descended.

The corners of Lü Zhong’s robes whipped in the wind, and his hair stood on end from the static electricity. Snakes of lightning coiled around the eighteen Purple Copper Pillars, radiating scorching heat. However, he didn’t immediately try to draw down the lightning; he just watched quietly.

This was his first time using the Thunder Attraction Array, and the effectiveness of the eighteen Purple Copper Pillars had yet to be verified. He couldn’t be sure if they would function correctly or achieve the desired results. Thus, he needed to experiment and observe for a while. It wouldn’t be too late to begin his training once he confirmed the array was truly working.

’...Looks fine!’ After observing for a moment, Lü Zhong relaxed.

He tried drawing a wisp of lightning fire onto his hand and immediately felt a tingling, numbing sensation. ’As expected of the tyrannical Celestial Thunder.’ Even with his Spiritual Universe Dharma Body at the Great Success stage, he still couldn’t withstand the lightning’s assault. His skin started to redden, and a moment later, the acrid smell of burning flesh filled the air.

Fortunately, he had been circulating the Palm Thunder Technique the entire time. Under the protection of his Magical Power, his meridians remained unharmed. In fact, they grew even more resilient from being tempered by the lightning fire.

He held on for ten breaths before finally withdrawing the lightning fire.

Lü Zhong looked at his smoking left hand with a resigned expression.

’They say the Ancient Cultivators had a high chance of reaching Divinity Transformation and Ascension. I bet that besides nature’s spiritual energy being far more abundant back then, the tough willpower forged by cultivating these kinds of Magic Skills was another major reason.’

He spread some medicinal ointment on his hand. A cooling sensation washed over the burn as the injury began to heal rapidly.

After resting for a while, Lü Zhong activated the Thunder Attraction Array again.

He repeated the process, bitterly persevering.

After repeated sessions of Vein Tempering with lightning, he noticed Thunder Patterns beginning to form on the back of his hand. Although they were few and scattered, still a long way from being complete, it was proof that he was on the right path with his cultivation.

For the next while, whenever a thunderstorm rolled in, Lü Zhong would come to this spot and set up the Thunder Attraction Array.

As he increased the number of tempering sessions, the Thunder Patterns grew denser.

Although his progress was noticeable, it still took a good half a year before he finally made a breakthrough.

At the summit of Thunder Accumulation Mountain, Lü Zhong sat cross-legged.

Without forming any hand seals or Chanting, a complex Thunder Seal materialized on his hand.

The next moment.

His left hand became wreathed in lightning as arcs of electricity began to interweave across it.

"Go!"

With a mere thought, a hair-thin bolt of lightning shot out from his palm.

In a flash, it struck a black stone across from him. Even though the rock had been weathered by lightning for centuries, the blast still turned its surface red-hot, and the point of impact began to melt. The power of the Palm Thunder was clear to see.

’Not bad, not bad at all! All that pain from the lightning was worth it.’ Lü Zhong was overjoyed.

Quantitatively speaking, the power of a single bolt of Palm Thunder was comparable to the Mirror Light from his Qingyang Mirror. It had the advantage of being stealthy and fast to deploy. However, it also had its drawbacks: it consumed a great deal of Magical Power and couldn’t be used for extended periods. Otherwise, his meridians, unable to withstand the corrosive nature of the lightning, would suffer irreparable damage.

Figuring out how to maximize its strengths while mitigating its weaknesses became his next priority.

With his new Magic Skill complete, Lü Zhong felt an urge to blast everything he saw with Palm Thunder.

BOOM! A tree as thick as a millstone was struck by the lightning.

Wood splinters flew everywhere. With a loud CRACK, it snapped in two.

"Hahaha! Again!"

He aimed his palm at a nearby pool and unleashed another bolt. Brownish clouds churned in the water as fish frantically leaped out. Among them was even a Spirit Fish, which the quick-eyed Lü Zhong promptly snatched up.

’An unexpected surprise!’

Gleefully stowing the Spirit Fish away, his expression suddenly shifted. He whipped his head around to look toward his left.

Turbulent fluctuations of Spiritual Qi were coming from that direction, as if people were engaged in a fierce battle.

’What better way to test the power of Palm Thunder than in actual combat?’ Lü Zhong thought. He immediately used Concealing Breath and Traces to sneak over, wanting to see who was fighting.

As he drew closer, he saw a middle-aged man in white robes in a forest clearing, facing off against two other cultivators. All three possessed Early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivation. Their attire was unusual, different from the styles of Lingyue Immortal City, and was mixed with a hint of Barbarian Race fashion. He figured they were from the south.

This wasn’t surprising. Ever since a Great Witch had emerged among the Wildborn Tribes and the situation at the border had changed dramatically, large numbers of cultivators had been migrating from the frontier. The number of new faces in the city grew daily, and even the local circle of Foundation Establishment cultivators had accepted a few newcomers.

The middle-aged man in white appeared to be injured; the strong scent of blood wafted from him. He stared coldly at the two before him and said, "Qichou siblings, I must have been blind to trust you. A pair of ungrateful backstabbers!"

The middle-aged man was clearly familiar with the pair, and after his initial accusation, he unleashed a torrent of curses.

One of the two cultivators, a man with an unsettlingly handsome face, just chuckled. "Lord Alou, why bother struggling? My Heart Rot Poison can’t be pleasant, can it? It won’t be long before the poison reaches your heart and kills you. Rather than suffer needlessly, why don’t you just hand over the item? For old times’ sake, perhaps I’ll even grant you a quick death!"

The middle-aged man, Alou, was inwardly furious upon hearing this.

But he only glanced at the man before laughing unhurriedly. "Hehehe! Chou Dong, you’re speaking too soon. The battle isn’t over yet. Did you really think I came unprepared?"

As he spoke, Alou glanced in Lü Zhong’s direction, his expression perfectly composed. He gestured and said, "Come out, fellow cultivator! Kill them, and I’ll double the reward I promised you!"

The moment Alou spoke, Lü Zhong’s expression flickered.

The man didn’t sound like he was bluffing. Judging by his expression, he had clearly been discovered.

Recalling the scene from a moment ago, he remembered a flash of Spiritual Light in the middle-aged man’s eyes and immediately guessed the reason. The man must have cultivated some kind of Spiritual Eye Skill, allowing him to see right through Lü Zhong’s Concealing Breath and Traces.

But so what if he’d been seen? Lü Zhong decided to stay put and do nothing.

’After you’re dead, I’ll just kill them myself. Then all the benefits will be mine anyway!’

Meanwhile, the man in white grew visibly annoyed. He hadn’t expected the hidden observer to be so determined to play the patient fisherman, waiting to profit from their conflict. Worse, he couldn’t even feign an alliance with the Qichou siblings. After all, they were still advancing with cold sneers, completely convinced he was just bluffing.

Alou’s mind raced with frantic anger. He shouted, "Fellow cultivator, if you don’t act now, you’ll never get my Furan Spirit Eye Technique! After I die, it’s gone! It exists only in my mind and can only be passed on through a direct teaching transmission!"

The forest remained silent.

Hearing this, Chou Dong sneered mockingly.

"Lord Alou, give up the act. This isn’t Panxian Village. All your loyal subordinates have long been devoured by barbarians. Who’s going to come and save you now?"

"Stop wasting your breath on him. Alou is full of dirty tricks. Let’s just kill him first!" his sister, Qizhu, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. With a flip of her hand, she summoned a Yellow Banner.

As she shook it, waves of buzzing erupted from the Yellow Banner.

A swarm of yellow flying insects resembling longhorn beetles poured out of the Banner Flag. These were her tamed "Gold-Breaking Insects," creatures capable of chewing through even Magical Artifacts.

Once the Gold-Breaking Insect Swarm had gathered, Qizhu took a bamboo tube from her waist and released a cloud of blood mist for them to devour. Then, her expression turned cold. A savage grin played on her lips as she cast several complex Technique Mantras at the Banner Flag, directing the swarm to attack Alou.

Seeing this, Chou Dong’s expression grew taut. He stopped talking and also summoned a Banner Flag. His, however, was purple and embroidered with the image of a ferocious centipede, which seemed to come alive as he activated it.

In a moment, it actually flew out of the Banner Flag.

A thirty-foot-long centipede emerged. Its thick, bladed legs looked as if they were forged from steel, and its carapace gleamed with a metallic luster, suggesting an impressive defense. It continuously spewed a poisonous purple mist from its massive maw, and any plant life it touched withered and died instantly.

Seeing this, Alou’s face drained of color in terror. He clutched his chest in pain and scrambled backward. But afflicted by the potent Heart Rot Poison, he could no longer muster his Magical Power. No matter how he struggled now, he was merely a lamb waiting for the slaughter.