Yi Tianyun continued his frenzied absorption as Experience Value flooded ceaselessly into his body. He simply couldn’t stop.

Illusory Zither’s pale blue eyes were fixed on Yi Tianyun, observing his condition. She was worried something would happen to him—not because she feared being unable to escape, but because the thought of her rescuer dying would leave her consumed with guilt.

"Are you sure you’re okay? You can rest for a bit..." Illusory Zither said, her voice laced with concern.

"I’m really fine. Just stay put and watch me break you out of this cage," Yi Tianyun said with a smile.

’Are you kidding me? This is no problem at all. In fact, I wish I could keep absorbing forever. With every passing moment, this cage is growing more and more fragile. If this keeps up, it’ll be completely drained in no time.’

’Seventy-five thousand Experience Value, sixteen thousand Experience Value, seventeen thousand Experience Value...’

’The Experience Value gain suddenly plummeted. This meant the Tenfold Experience Card and Fivefold Experience Card had run out, and I decided not to buy more. It just wasn’t worth it anymore. By now, a Tenfold Experience Card cost a staggering 200,000 Madness Value, and a Fivefold Experience Card was 100,000 Madness Value. Definitely not a good deal.’

’Looks like I’ll just have to rely on Madness Mode...’

Yi Tianyun shook his head. Even maintaining Madness Mode came at a considerable cost, consuming one hundred Madness Value per minute. Of course, that was a trivial amount for him now, but if he kept it up for a whole day, the total consumption would be substantial.

’But compared to the Experience Value I’m getting, it’s a trade-off I’m willing to make!’

’Without the stacked bonuses from the Experience Cards, my Experience Value gain is much slower, which will make leveling up a lot harder. I guess this is how it has to be for now. I’m not willing to burn a Twentyfold Experience Card, so I’ll just have to keep absorbing at this steady pace.’

Although the amount of Experience Value gained per tick had dropped, his absorption speed hadn’t slowed. The cage was gradually approaching the brink of collapse, and he, like a bottomless pit, continued to absorb its energy.

"Almost... It’s almost broken..." Illusory Zither couldn’t contain her excitement. If this kept up, the cage would definitely break, and Yi Tianyun still looked perfectly calm, as if he was completely fine.

A faint smile played on Yi Tianyun’s lips. ’This is no challenge at all. It’s just too easy.’

"See? I told you it was no problem for me."

CRACK-BOOM!

In that instant, a bolt of Divine Thunder rapidly coalesced in the air and hurtled down toward Yi Tianyun. It was incredibly fast, engulfing him in a flash! The next moment, he was violently sent flying, smashing against the wall.

"Ngh..." He let out a muffled grunt as a trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth. He had sustained a minor injury.

’Was that a lightning strike?’ Yi Tianyun felt as if he had nearly been split in two. If it weren’t for his incredible Physique and formidable armor, he really would have been killed.

’My entire body is numb... that was terrifying. I feel like even a Spirit Pill Stage cultivator would be killed instantly by a strike like that. As I suspected, this cage isn’t as easy to destroy as I thought. They left a failsafe!’

"Th-that’s the Celestial Thunder Array! He inscribed his signature Celestial Thunder Array into it!" Illusory Zither cried out in terror. "Don’t come any closer! Run! He’s using the lightning on Demon Cloud Island as a final line of defense! If you keep approaching, you’ll be struck dead!"

Yi Tianyun got to his feet and wiped the blood from his lips. He sneered, "You think I’d give up that easily? It’s just one bolt of lightning. It only made me a little numb. I refuse to believe I can’t break this thing!"

He was not one to give up so easily. Immediately, he unleashed his Dragon God Bloodline Power and charged forward once more.

CRACK-BOOM!

A terrifying bolt of lightning crashed down, but Yi Tianyun threw up a hand, activating his Star Absorption Technique. As long as it was energy, he could absorb it!

’Sixteen thousand Experience Value, fifteen thousand Experience Value...’

"Ngh..."

Yi Tianyun was sent flying again, a large patch of his body charred black! His absorption speed was still too slow. The lightning’s power was too immense; he couldn’t possibly absorb all the bolts that Demon Cloud Island could gather and send crashing down on him.

’Unless my Cultivation Technique improves, my absorption speed will never match the power of this attack!’

"Just go! Stop trying! The Celestial Thunder Array is activating! If you keep this up, you’ll die for sure!" Illusory Zither pleaded. "I know what you’re trying to do, but please, just go... I’m begging you, leave..."

Tears welled in her eyes. She longed for freedom, but she couldn’t bear to watch Yi Tianyun die in front of her. Though they had only just met, she could tell he was genuinely trying to save her, and she couldn’t let him throw his life away for her.

"Don’t worry. You think this is all I’ve got?"

A glint flashed in Yi Tianyun’s eyes. ’This is indeed tricky.’ He watched the Celestial Thunder begin to gather on the ground. If this continued, the lightning would become even more terrifying. Soon, it would reach a point where even his current cultivation wouldn’t be enough to withstand it. This just went to show how fearsome the array truly was.

The next moment, he took out the Shadow Cloak—’Five seconds of invincibility!’

He then charged toward Illusory Zither again, his gaze meeting hers. She looked at him with sorrow, shaking her head, silently pleading for him to stop being so reckless.

Her reaction only strengthened his resolve. ’A selfish person would demand to be saved, no matter the cost to my life. But Illusory Zither is different; she truly doesn’t want me to die for her sake.’

CRACK-BOOM!

The Celestial Thunder descended again, but this time, he had activated the Shadow Cloak!

BOOM!

When the bolt of lightning struck him, it instantly vanished, having no effect whatsoever. It was completely nullified.

In a flash, he was back before the cage, his hands seizing the bars.

"ROAR!"

A dragon’s roar erupted from his lips. He gripped the stone pillar and yanked with all his might, but there was only a faint CRACK as a tiny fissure appeared on the surface. The effect was minimal. He didn’t give up. Instead, he quickly got a new grip, grabbing two stone pillars and trying to wrench them apart with sheer force!

Rampant power erupted from his hands. Veins bulged on his arms, and the Dragon Scales covering his skin seemed to swell and strain, a terrifying sight to behold. Under this frenzied burst of strength, the stone pillars began to emit a continuous CRACKLE as small fragments broke off and fell away.

"Mad Damage Mode, activate!"

Yi Tianyun roared, trying to forcibly rip apart the already fragile cage. Just then, a strange Evil Fire surged out from the stone pillars, traveling up his arms and into his body. However, it was instantly nullified by his Shadow Cloak’s total invincibility.

’So there was Evil Fire hidden inside this...’

Yi Tianyun knew instantly what it was. ’So the one who set up this cage left another trap. If someone tries to destroy it by force, this Evil Fire will surge into their body!’ The power of this Evil Fire was astonishing, designed to wreak havoc from within.

’I can’t believe it. On top of the Celestial Thunder, there’s also this Evil Fire! They didn’t just have one trick up their sleeve; they had two.’