At the bottom of Luosha Mountain Valley lay a massive expanse of ruins, entirely black and faintly flickering with surging lightning.
This was the Thunder Pool Stone Wall.
Before the stone wall, disciples from various peaks' small teams landed one after another. They lightly tapped the stone wall with their jade pendants, and then, guided by a mystical aura, were drawn inside.
"Inside is the Thunder Pool," Li Yuan whispered, advising, "Guard your mind and hold your jade pendant tight." He was the first to vanish before the stone wall, followed closely by Xu Mu and the others.
With a muffled thunderclap, the scene before Xu Mu's eyes shifted abruptly. From the mist-shrouded, verdant, ruined valley of Luosha Peak, he was instantly transported to a boundless world of vast thunderclouds and rocks.
Lightning of varying thickness continuously struck down from the sky in the semi-dark space, the sounds dense as threads, white electrical light flashing incessantly.
Mu Yunshu, observing the world before her, explained to Xu Mu:
"This is the Thunder Pool Celestial Realm. It's roughly divided into three areas: the Cloud Thunder Zone, the Shock Thunder Zone, and the Heavenly Punishment Zone. The Cloud Thunder Zone has the weakest lightning; as long as one isn't exceedingly unlucky and possesses the strength of the middle stage of the second tier, they can roam here freely. The Shock Thunder Zone has a wider range, with lightning from the second tier all the way up to the upper stage of the third tier. The Heavenly Punishment Zone has the strongest lightning; the weakest lightning there can kill early third-tier cultivators, and deeper within, one can even encounter terrifying thunder comparable to lords of the fourth tier. Your strength is too weak; Senior Brother Li Yuan will likely place you in the Cloud Thunder Zone to collect thunder ore."
Xu Mu clasped his fists in thanks.
Li Yuan nodded, "That's right, you'll stay in the Cloud Thunder Zone. Although most of the ore there is the least valuable white-patterned thunder ore, each worth only three points, it's already quite good for you. Zhe Hao and Mu Yunshu, your strength and realms are comparable, so you two will go to the front and middle sections of the Shock Thunder Zone to collect gray-black ink-patterned thunder ore, the kind worth five points. If you encounter blue-green patterned thunder ore, cooperate to collect it, but be extremely careful not to lose your lives. Ning Yuanchen, you are at the peak of the second tier, so you'll be in the middle and back sections of the Shock Thunder Zone, focusing on collecting the blue-green patterned thunder ore, which is worth twenty points."
Upon hearing their assignments, everyone nodded with serious expressions. Collecting thunder ore sounded easy, but in reality, they would face constant lightning tribulations, and a single mistake could lead to utter annihilation.
"Senior Brother, what about you?" Mu Yunshu suddenly asked Li Yuan, curious about where the sword cultivator from Xianyou Peak, who was in the third tier, would go.
"I'll be at the end of the Shock Thunder Zone, of course," Li Yuan replied, drawing the Dao sword from his back, a mysterious glint in his eyes. "If the situation allows, I might enter the Heavenly Punishment Zone."
"The Heavenly Punishment Zone!" Ning Yuanchen exclaimed in shock. Zhe Hao and Mu Yunshu's faces were also filled with astonishment, clearly not expecting Li Yuan to venture into the Heavenly Punishment Zone for thunder ore.
"Although the Heavenly Punishment Zone is dangerous, and even third-tier cultivators could perish at any moment, the thunder ore there is also the best. Blue-green patterned thunder ore is widespread, and with good luck, one might even find crimson dragon-patterned thunder ore, which alone can fetch a thousand points!" Mu Yunshu mused, resting her chin on her hand, a hint of envy in her voice. Crimson dragon-patterned thunder ore only appeared in the Heavenly Punishment Zone, and the points it could exchange were fifty times that of ordinary blue-green patterned thunder ore. It could be said that a single piece of crimson dragon-patterned thunder ore was equivalent to three to five days of their tireless efforts, incredibly tempting, but also truly perilous—they, at least, had no right to attempt it. Only Li Yuan, who was in the upper stage of the third tier, could.
"By the way, where is Zuo Mingqiu?" Xu Mu suddenly asked. He hadn't forgotten that his purpose for coming here was to find Zuo Mingqiu and impart the Bagua of Fuxi to him. As for other thunder ore... what did it have to do with him?
"Over there." Li Yuan gestured towards a massive stone monument behind them with a complex expression. The monument was a dull gray, studded with numerous small red dots.
"Each red dot appearing signifies that someone new has entered the Thunder Pool. The jade pendant will track your positions in real-time and display them on this stone wall. As you can see, the red dot deepest within this wall, the deepest part of the Thunder Pool, belongs to Zuo Mingqiu."
Xu Mu's gaze became solemn as he stared at the stone wall, roughly estimating the locations of the various zones based on the distribution of red dots. Zuo Mingqiu was indeed in the inner depths of the Heavenly Punishment Zone, with a considerable distance around him devoid of any other presence. He was only a step away from the Thunder Pool's critical boundary, where fourth-tier heavenly tribulations were likely to be encountered. Cultivators permitted to enter the Thunder Pool were not allowed to exceed the fourth tier, so anyone encountering such terrifying lightning tribulations would not survive.
"What exactly can merit points be exchanged for? Is he risking his life like this?" Xu Mu asked curiously.
Li Yuan shook his head and sighed, "It has nothing to do with merit points. As the Dao Child of Tianshi Mountain, the next Heavenly Master, he is inherently someone who doesn't lack resources. His purpose for venturing into the depths of the Heavenly Punishment Zone is to temper his physical body."
"Temper his physical body?" Xu Mu was even more bewildered. As a Dao Child proficient in three thousand Daoist techniques, why would he come here to suffer lightning strikes and cultivate his body instead of diligently practicing his Daoist arts?
"Perhaps it's because of the two opponents he encountered at the Myriad Races Alliance," Li Yuan said, a trace of melancholy appearing in his eyes. He had long passed the age to participate in the Myriad Races Alliance, and the strength of this year's event far surpassed his own. Not to mention others, he himself couldn't defeat Zuo Mingqiu, even the second-tier peak Zuo Mingqiu. Later, Zuo Mingqiu broke through to the third tier but still lost, and not to just one person. He stopped at the top four. Among the top four were two junior Daoists: one named Xu Mu, and the other Yan Yu. The latter had not fought Zuo Mingqiu, but had instantly killed Dongfang Yuchu and exchanged blows with Chen Changkong, who had revealed his trump card, clearly no weaker than Zuo Mingqiu. And the former, Xu Mu, had directly defeated Zuo Mingqiu, twice at that. Zuo Mingqiu's monstrous physique had left an indelible impression on him. This was why he had been entering the Thunder Pool for three consecutive months, only leaving after being beaten half to death by heavenly lightning, only to return after recovering, in a continuous cycle.
Hearing this, Xu Mu couldn't help but inwardly gasp, not expecting that Zuo Mingqiu's current state had something to do with him.
"Senior Brother Li Yuan, are you going to find Senior Brother Zuo Mingqiu?" Mu Yunshu asked, hands clasped in front of her chest, her eyes twinkling. She was an ardent follower of Zuo Mingqiu.
"He's not worthy of being compared to Senior Brother Zuo."
Before Li Yuan could answer, four figures radiating brilliant golden light emerged from the space behind them. Xu Mu and the others looked back to see four young men clad in Daoist robes edged with gold and jade, their auras emanating immense power.
"The leader is from Shengyang Peak!" Ning Yuanchen exclaimed, sensing the third-tier pressure emanating uniformly from the four men, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of fear.
Li Yuan looked at the four, frowning, "Lan Yu from Shengyang Peak, Han Qing from Luosha Peak, Cao Guang from Biyun Peak, and Qing Si." He then added, "Four of them, still one missing."
Lan Yu from Shengyang Peak looked at Li Yuan, tilting his chin mockingly, and pointed towards the depths of the Thunder Pool. "The last one is deep inside."
Li Yuan's eyebrows twitched, "Zuo Mingqiu, will he team up with you?"
Lan Yu's expression turned hostile as he looked at Li Yuan and said, "What, you think the few of us aren't qualified?" He continued, "Or do you think you are?"
Li Yuan shook his head, "None of us are qualified. He doesn't need anyone's help, nor does he need to team up to enter the Thunder Pool. The only reason he's with you is likely out of respect for your grandfather."
Lan Yu's grandfather was an elder of Tianshi Mountain at the Domain Lord realm, possessing a noble lineage. Lan Yu's face darkened, and he pointed at Li Yuan, roaring, "Li Yuan, don't think you can be so arrogant just because you luckily defeated me once. In the next Sword Trial Assembly, I will surely defeat you, and I won't let anyone from your Xianyou Peak go!"
Li Yuan sneered dismissively, "Everyone in Tianshi Mountain knows that Shengyang Peak is declining. Its lineage is noble, that's true, but the strength of the younger generation..." He paused, "Apart from the top three, and Zuo Mingqiu, what right does your Shengyang Peak have to be arrogant before my Xianyou Peak? Lan Yu, don't forget, Xianyou Peak has over three hundred people as strong as me. And Shengyang Peak? How many disciples do you have in total, a few hundred?"
Lan Yu took a step forward, a heavy golden light pressing down, and he roared in anger, "Li Yuan, don't go too far! Do you believe I'll end you right here!"
Li Yuan remained unfazed, gripping his sword and stepping forward. His robes fluttered in the wind, wisps of sword energy spilling out, disturbing the entire space and slicing through the golden light. "This is a sacred site of the Thunder Pool; fighting is forbidden. However, if you wish to try, I can accommodate you. As long as you promise me that if anything happens, you won't go home to find your grandfather."
"Outrageous, utterly outrageous! I will kill you!!!" Lan Yu was further enraged by this remark, his innate abilities surging, and he was about to attack Li Yuan.
But at that moment, from the distant horizon, a bolt of heavenly lightning descended, striking the earth and causing a terrifying tremor.
"If you move again, this lightning will strike both your heads," a deep, authoritative voice echoed in everyone's ears. Li Yuan and Lan Yu immediately ceased their confrontation, standing nervously to the side.
"An Elder from the Enforcement Hall has intervened!" Ning Yuanchen cupped his ears, lowering himself. He dared not even look at the lightning bolt, for it was too terrifying, let alone imagine what it would be like to be struck by it. A Domain Lord of the fifth realm, terrifying indeed.
"We'll settle this later!"
A moment later, Lan Yu, having no choice, could only utter a harsh threat before leading the other three away and entering the Thunder Pool.
"If I don't avenge this, I swear I'm not human!" Inside the Thunder Pool, Lan Yu and the other three walked side by side, their third-tier innate abilities surging, directly ignoring the lightning tribulations of this space. Lan Yu's face was flushed red with anger, and he cursed continuously.
Cao Guang frowned, "Li Yuan is indeed a troublesome individual. His talent and strength are not to be underestimated within Xianyou Peak."
Lan Yu's expression was grim, "Then what should we do? He insulted us like that, are we just going to let it go? How can my Lan family maintain any face in the future!"
"It's not that there's no way," Qing Si, who had been silent, suddenly spoke. Lan Yu turned to him, "What way?"
Qing Si said calmly, "If we can't deal with Li Yuan, we can deal with others from Xianyou Peak. That can be considered revenge."
Lan Yu's expression was unpleasant, "Are you suggesting we arbitrarily find some Xianyou Peak disciples and beat them up, calling it revenge against Li Yuan? That's laughable!"
Qing Si shook his head, "Of course not. If we're going to act, we must find someone related to Li Yuan within Xianyou Peak."
Lan Yu's voice turned sinister, "You also know that's Xianyou Peak. Most of Xianyou Peak are rogue cultivators, and Li Yuan is an orphan. Who can you find?"
Qing Si smiled slightly, "Xu Mu."
"The youngest person in Li Yuan's team just now. He's also a disciple of Xianyou Peak, and was only accepted into Xianyou Peak by True Master Taiwu today after his first ascent to the mountain."
Lan Yu and the others were taken aback, "Is he a genius?"
Qing Si nodded with a smile, "Indeed. He's a genius, and he's on the same team as Li Yuan in Xianyou Peak, so they must have some interaction. We might be able to start with him regarding dealing with Li Yuan."
Lan Yu's eyes lit up, "Excellent idea!" He continued, "Qing Si, this matter is entrusted to you. If you handle it well, your transfer to the Enforcement Hall will be my responsibility!" Qing Si cupped his hands in thanks. Lan Yu grinned sinisterly, turning away, and felt an immense sense of relief. He didn't realize he was already being manipulated by Qing Si. This evening's events at Biyun Peak, he was unaware of, but Qing Si knew. Because it was Daoist Liu Ru himself who told him, or rather, entrusted him with the task. Thinking of the rewards from Liu Ru and Lan Yu after he dealt with Xu Mu, Qing Si's face displayed a triumphant, cold smile.
"Xu Mu."
"I'm sorry!"