C1723 The Power of the Thunder God

Above the moon.

"Elder Han?"

Chung Guanyu, along with cultivators from the Cold Yin Sect, Spirit Void Sect, and Taiyuan Sect, turned their attention sharply toward Han Miaoyuan.

Seated on the frigid moon, he was issuing commands to various sects, instructing Lin Daoke to head to the Plover Realm and ordering the Unrestrained Stage cultivators from the Sword Sect and Spirit Void Sect to apprehend Duan Yisheng and Zhongli. In this moment, he was furiously stamping his foot.

Beneath Han Miaoyuan's feet, the earth cracked into a web of fissures, his complexion a steely blue.

In the midst of the crowd, Yuan Lianyao and Zhou Cangmin from the Red Devil Sect stood side by side. Their cultivation not yet at the Unrestrained Stage, they were oblivious to the unfolding events.

She suddenly noticed that the cultivators from the Spirit Void Sect, Cold Yin Sect, and Cloud Water Sect were casting odd glances her way.

"This shouldn't be happening. It shouldn't be this overwhelming."

Zhou Cangmin, clad in white, shook his head and whispered, struggling to come to terms with the chaos erupting around him.

"What's going on?" Yuan Lianyao asked softly.

"Yu Yuan has made a sudden appearance in the Vast Ocean, slaying many Thunder Sect cultivators with the Dragon Slash Platform," Zhou Cangmin declared.

"Isn't Wei Zhuo around?"

As Yuan Lianyao's face drained of color, she still remembered to inquire. She had assumed that the recently notorious leader of the Thunder Sect had been dispatched by Han Miaoyuan to the outer realms, collaborating with the Sword Sect to capture their targets.

The newly risen Supreme of Thunder had been the talk of the time, his ferocity commanding awe and respect.

Amidst her astonishment, Yuan Lianyao couldn't shake her concern for Yu Yuan, fretting over what might happen if Wei Zhuo found out and rushed back from the outer realms.

"Wai Zhuo is actually at the Thunder Sect!" Zhou Cangmin's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"What?"

Yuan Lianyao gasped, her delicate fingers quivering, at a loss for words.

"He's being restrained by the Dragon Slash Platform. It seems he can't break free from it to pose any real threat to Yu Yuan." As Zhou Cangmin spoke, his gaze involuntarily shifted back to Han Miaoyuan.

At this moment, over at the Sword Sect, a vast river of sword light, visible even to the mightiest beings beyond the heavens, surged toward the Profound Sky Sect.

The Profound Sky Sect, along with the Primordial Yang Sect, were all situated on the Heavenly Source Continent, not far from each other.

"Senior Han!"

Qin Luo, resembling a divine crystal of flame, soared out of the sun and traversed millions of feet across the void. Transforming into a blazing meteor, he was the first to plunge toward the vast expanse.

Qin Luo took the lead!

Han Miaoyuan brought his hands together, clutching a Divine Level talisman, and called out with a grave tone, "Activate the talisman!"

Strands of dark yellow light enveloped him, linking to the Profound Dao Flag he had left in the vast expanse, establishing a stable coordinate and direction.

Whoosh!

In the blink of an eye, as the talisman disintegrated, Han Miaoyuan vanished from the moon.

...

Profound Sky Sect.

Han Miaoyuan, gripping the Profound Dao Flag, materialized suddenly beside Cao Jiaze, making the grand and majestic palaces shine as if bathed in divine light upon his return.

"Sect Master!"

"Old Sect Master!"

Surrounding Cao Jiaze, Lin Yu, Guanghong, and other Unrestrained Stage cultivators like Ren Yun, all exclaimed in unison upon witnessing his timely return from the heavens.

"Little Ze, go operate the array. I'll channel the Spiritual Qi!" Han Miaoyuan instructed, then, in front of the sect's younger members, he brandished the Profound Dao Flag.

The Spiritual Qi of the entire region surged in response to the movements of the Profound Dao Flag. Han Miaoyuan disrupted the natural flow of Spiritual Qi, redirecting it solely for the benefit of the Profound Sky Sect.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Nine colossal palaces, like nine gaping whales, instantly drained all the Spiritual Qi within thirty thousand miles.

Boom!

The nine palaces emitted beams of Spiritual Energy, swiftly refining it mid-air, resembling a colossal umbrella unfurled by a deity, sheltering the entire Profound Sky Sect beneath.

A torrent of boundless Spiritual Qi roared in from thirty thousand miles away, forming an inexhaustible sea of Spiritual Qi.

A full quarter of the Heavenly Source Continent's Spiritual Qi was commandeered by those nine palaces.

Many practitioners who were channeling Spiritual Qi, along with lower-tier Demonic Beasts, discovered that no matter how forcefully they breathed or concentrated their energy in their dantians, they were unable to capture even a trace of Spiritual Qi from the air around them.

It was as if the Spiritual Qi nearby had been siphoned away, leaving none for them.

"What's going on?"

Elderly hermits deep in meditation and young monks studying Spiritual Spells emerged from their seclusion, visibly distressed, loudly seeking answers from one another.

"The Sect Master of the Profound Sky Sect is casting a spell!"

"Exactly! Only he possesses such might!"

Amidst the astonished cries, someone spotted the dazzling, expansive river of sword light in the void above.

"What is that?"

"Ah! A massive river composed of countless sword lights? Only the Sword Sect could manifest such a fearsome river of sword light! But why is it flowing towards Han Miaoyuan's Profound Sky Sect?"

"Has there been a falling out between the Sword Sect and the Profound Sky Sect?"

"Silence! It's the work of someone at the Thunder Sect who has tampered with the Sword Sect's Sword Cave, creating a river of sword light aimed at the Profound Sky Sect!" an informed individual scolded.

"The Thunder Sect?"

Those unaware of the situation took to the skies of the Heavenly Source Continent in various ways—some by manipulating magical artifacts, others by wielding their spiritual treasures—to peer into the Thunder Sect's domain.

"What happened to the Thunder Sect?"

"And what about the Thunder Sect's cluster of peaks and those towering palaces?"

Those who had been closely monitoring the Thunder Sect were shocked to see that the sect, which had recently ascended to the status of an upper sect on the Heavenly Source Continent, had vanished without a trace.

In the place where the Thunder Sect once stood, there was an enormous, shimmering white stone platform that continued to undulate.

With each rise and fall, the land that once belonged to the Thunder Sect shook violently and sank a bit further.

It was as though something was being relentlessly compressed beneath it, struggling in vain to dislodge the gleaming white stone platform, only to be pushed down with greater force.

Atop the expansive stone, a figure stood tall and confident, sword in hand, laughing heartily.

His sword pointed directly at the Profound Sky Sect!

"Old thief Han!"

The man's laughter was wild and his demeanor haughty, as if Han Miaoyuan was beneath his concern. "I've given you time to return from beyond the heavens to face this river of sword light! Brother Cao, since you've only recently reached the Unrestrained Stage, I'll extend you this courtesy and not overwhelm you."

Cao Jiaze of the Profound Sky Sect watched the slowly advancing river of sword light, which had indeed slowed its pace, and managed a bitter smile. He then respectfully clasped his fists and conceded, "I take your point."

"Dragon Slash Platform!"

"Yu Yuan! That's Yu Yuan from the Divine Soul Sect!"

Shouts of alarm echoed from every corner of the Heavenly Source Continent, from the Primordial Yang Sect, the Sword Sect, the seven lower sects, and even the minor third-rate sects.

"Heh!"

Yu Yuan surveyed the Dragon Slash Platform beneath his feet. His gaze cut through the luminescent material and its brilliance, revealing the depths of the earth where the Thunder Divine Pool lay. It was expelling a relentless stream of thunderous energy, fueling Wei Zhuo's colossal Dharma Idol.

Within Wei Zhuo's divine form, veins pulsed like primordial thunder dragons, his bones shimmered like divine crystals tempered by lightning, and his blood coursed with electric currents, radiating a divine might that seemed the bane of all dark spirits and demons.

The towering figure of the God Wei Zhuo stood within the Thunder Divine Pool, his arms thrashing about as if they harbored millions of thunder dragons, furiously pounding the Dragon Slash Platform.

Beneath the pearlescent surface of the platform, divine chains of Dao blossomed like unfolding flowers.

The weight of the Heavenly Dao, coupled with the powers harvested from the starry skies of the Gray Domain within the Dragon Slash Platform, relentlessly bore down upon Wei Zhuo.

As Wei Zhuo gathered his strength, the Dragon Slash Platform, with a force capable of crushing entire worlds, plummeted down.

Boom!

Each time the Dragon Slash Platform forced Wei Zhuo downward, he plunged towards the earth, and the Thunder Divine Pool erupted with myriad bolts of lightning.

Having returned from the Gray Domain, the Dragon Slash Platform, now re-forged in its harsh climes, possessed a magic several times greater than when the three Dragon God corpses were present. Its might had surpassed even that of its first life with him.

Armed solely with this unparalleled Dragon Slash Platform, he was able to pin Wei Zhuo down, sealing the fate of the Thunder Sect.

As for the Sword Cave, the recognition and resonance of the thousands of Spiritual Swords and Divine Swords were an unexpected delight.

The moment he arrived at the Thunder Sect with his sword, he sensed through the Optimus Sword that every Spiritual Sword and Divine Sword with a sword soul in the Sword Cave rejoiced at its return.

It was in that instant that he came to a realization.

The Spiritual Swords and Divine Swords of the Sword Sect held Nie Qingtian in higher esteem, naturally feeling an affinity for the sword soul of the Optimus Sword.

This was a reflection of the contrasting personalities between Lin Daoke and Nie Qingtian.

For Lin Daoke, his Sword Dao was paramount. Obsessed with his sword practice, he showed little concern for his fellow sect disciples, the Sword Sect itself, or any worldly matters.

Over the years, it was Nie Qingtian who tirelessly campaigned and fought on behalf of the Sword Sect. He was their champion.

The Great Sword Immortals who fell in battle outside the heavens were avenged by Nie Qingtian. He respectfully interred their remains and gathered their Divine Swords and sword spells, ensuring they were either promptly returned to the vast Sword Sect or placed in the luminous river of sword light within the Firefly Starfield, to be sent back together at a later time.

His actions were driven by a desire to preserve the once resplendent Sword Dao True Spells from vanishing with their Founders' deaths.

Though the original wielders of the Spiritual Swords and Divine Swords in the Sword Cave had perished, their sword souls and sword intents lived on through Nie Qingtian.

Lin Daoke, however, remained indifferent to these matters.

As a result, the sword souls and sword intents within the Sword Cave's Spiritual Swords and Divine Swords felt a deeper connection to Nie Qingtian and were more inclined to align with the sword soul of the Optimus Sword.

Upon the summoning of the sword soul, they would heed the call without hesitation, each contributing their sword light to the pursuit.

Thus, a river of sword light, more mystical and mighty than that of the Firefly Starfield, coalesced.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

From the Quietus Continent, the Profound Sky Continent, and the Crack Archipelago, sword lights burst forth from numerous secluded areas, converging upon the increasingly gradual river of sword light.

Many Sword Sect cultivators, gazing at the Spiritual Swords and Divine Swords they had acquired from the Sword Cave, wore expressions of confusion.

Why were the sword souls not heeding their commands?

Why had they taken flight towards the Heavenly Source Continent without so much as a farewell to their masters?

Could it be that an incident had occurred within the sect's Sword Cave?

With this concern in mind, Sword Sect cultivators scattered across the realms hastened to the nearest space teleportation array, eager to return to the Sword Sect and uncover the truth behind these events.

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