Chapter 131: Chapter 20: Nine Heavens True Thunder

The wind and rain still raged between heaven and earth. Liu Chang was still walking the water to overcome his tribulation, and while Guangxuan and Yu Lian were both captivated by the Thunder Tribulation in the sky, Wang Ping was looking at his glowing panel:

[Nine Heavens True Thunder: The pinnacle of Thunder Techniques, formed from the rules of the Heaven and Earth Cosmos. In accordance with these rules, there are two casting methods. First, cultivate a cosmos within your body, master its rules, and generate magical thunder yourself. Second, construct a casting altar to channel the Power of Heaven and Earth and complete the spell.]

[1: To communicate with the cultivated cosmos within your body, you must pass through the Five Heavens and the Five Qi Realm and forge a Golden Core. You may then attempt to communicate with your inner cosmos. Following the qi circulation method, you can make 20 attempts per day and can succeed within five years. (Progress: 0/100. Today’s Progress: 0/20 attempts).]

[2: Use a fixed magical altar to extract Thunderbolt Power. The altar Array is diagrammed as follows...]

[3: Channeling True Thunder requires a medium, preferably a thunder-attribute Magical Artifact. Otherwise, you must use your own body as the medium.]

[Note 1: The qi circulation pathways are as follows...]

[Note 2: Before reaching the Fourth Realm, do not attempt to communicate with Celestial Thunder during a thunderstorm. The chaotic lightning will tear you to shreds.]

[Note 3: The Magical Artifact serving as the medium must be durable, or accidents may occur. No point of reference exists; please find one.]

[Note 4: Be careful not to use Thunder Techniques near grounding objects, or you may be unable to hit your target. If you have cultivated to the Third Realm, you may disregard this warning.]

’This is just absurd.’ Wang Ping felt his personal boon was like the legendary Celestial Eye, capable of perceiving the essence of all things and peering into the past and future.

This guide was incredibly useful. Although Wang Ping couldn’t cultivate an inner cosmos like the Yuqing Sect, he could craft a set of altar Arrays. When the time came, he could just take it out and use it like a Spirit Gathering Array.

It was worth noting that in the Yuqing Sect’s Cultivation System, their Third Realm corresponded to the Golden Core Realm, in which they cultivated an inner cosmos.

In reality, each of the Five Sects of Xuanmen and the two sects of Tianmen had unique names for every realm. For example, in the *Taiyan Talisman* technique that Wang Ping cultivated, the First Realm was the Spirit Communication Realm, the Second Realm was the Borrowed Fortune Realm, and the Third Realm was the Heaven-Reaching Realm. The realms beyond that were secrets held by the major lineages.

Just as Wang Ping was about to review the details of the altar Array, Yu Lian’s voice echoed in his Spirit Sea. "Why are you spacing out?"

"I just had a sudden insight about this True Thunder."

"..."

Yu Lian said nothing, but her feelings came through loud and clear: she thought Wang Ping was blowing hot air.

Wang Ping found it hard to explain, so he simply closed the glowing panel for the time being and looked down at Liu Chang, who was still walking the water. Liu Chang was now on the final stretch of the waterway. In less than a hundred li, he would complete his transformation under the baptism of Water Spirit Qi.

"Was it like this for you when you integrated with the water spirit?" Yu Lian couldn’t help but ask Guangxuan.

"How could it be? I was integrating with a piece of Underground Milk, and I..." Guangxuan trailed off. His own integration had been a failure, one that had cost his master, Gu Heng Taoist, his life.

"When you broke through, you just slept for a month or two. Why is it so difficult for him?" Wang Ping changed the subject, pulling Guangxuan from his remorseful state.

Yu Lian smacked Wang Ping on the back with her tail to express her displeasure before saying, "I am a Spiritual Object born of Heaven and Earth, inherently acknowledged by the Heaven and Earth Rules. He, on the other hand, is an abomination that violates those rules. The rules won’t acknowledge him, but they have left him one path to survival. He is walking that path now."

"You call this a path to survival?" Guangxuan exhaled, gazing at the sky shrouded in dark clouds. He must have been lamenting the heartlessness of the Celestial Dao.

Yu Lian didn’t continue the topic, as any further argument would be meaningless.

Down in the riverbed, Liu Chang’s speed had slowed considerably. He had burned away his Spirit Veins during the previous Thunder Tribulation; he would have to traverse the remaining path with his very life.

But with one final Thunder Tribulation remaining, how would he possibly withstand it?

「Ten days later.」

Liu Chang crawled inch by inch toward the river mouth. After more than ten consecutive days of torrential rain in Sanhe Prefecture, the Water Spirit Qi was practically overflowing. The fine, blade-like threads of Spiritual Energy forming around Liu Chang grew even denser.

Guangxuan had already departed. The long spell of heavy rain had caused disasters in many areas, and he needed to go manage the relief efforts.

Toward the river mouth, the scene was surprisingly bright and sunny. This stark contrast in weather created a chain of brilliant rainbows, as if forming a stage to welcome the victor.

Near the river mouth, a pair of Cultivators who appeared to be husband and wife stood upon auspicious clouds, silently watching Liu Chang. The man was a Black Flood Dragon in human form, dressed in magnificent, loose-fitting purple silks. The woman was stunningly beautiful, adorned like a noble from the Imperial Palace. The two of them watched quietly as Liu Chang neared the river mouth.

"Are those Liu Chang’s parents?"

"They must be!"

As they spoke, Liu Chang, still in the river, also saw the two figures at the mouth. A glimmer of hope immediately surfaced in his eyes.

The beautiful woman instantly transformed into a streak of light but forced herself to a halt at the boundary between light and darkness. She reached out a hand, silently gazing at the blood-soaked Liu Chang.

The Black Flood Dragon, however, was far more composed. He first cupped his fists in salute toward Wang Ping, then raised his head to observe the Thunder Tribulation brewing within the dark clouds. A flicker of anxiety crossed his gaze; it was clear he desperately wanted to intervene but feared he would only cause Liu Chang even greater harm.

Yu Lian, moved by the atmosphere, asked, "Can he succeed?"

Wang Ping sighed and uttered four words: "A near-certain death."

As the words left his lips, Guangxuan appeared at his side. The two exchanged a look but said nothing more. Down below, Liu Chang mustered his courage, recapturing the indomitable spirit he had when he first began walking the water!

ROAR!

With a long cry, Liu Chang’s massive body shot out of the water. He frantically circulated his Qi Sea, desperate to break through this final stretch, letting the Water Spirit Qi carried by the giant waves wash over his body.

A few moments later, his body began to recover at a visible rate. A trace of draconic energy even burst forth from him.

It all came down to this...

At that same moment, the Thunder Tribulation in the sky finished brewing!

In an instant, Liu Chang moved, darting toward the sunlit river mouth. Simultaneously, a deafening BOOM echoed from the sky, accompanied by a blinding flash of light.

The Thunder Tribulation struck Liu Chang squarely. No miracle occurred. He fell, stiff and unmoving, into the riverbed.

"He’s still alive!" Yu Lian exclaimed in pleasant surprise.

"But the Thunder Tribulation hasn’t dispersed," Guangxuan said, sighing as he gazed at the sky. "It seems it won’t rest until it has ended Fellow Daoist Liu Chang’s life."

Outside, the beautiful woman was desperately trying to control her emotions, but she suppressed the urge to rashly charge in and interfere with Liu Chang’s tribulation.

The next bolt had finished gathering and was about to descend. In the riverbed, Liu Chang was powerless to resist, his consciousness already fading.

"Get up!" The beautiful woman’s heart-rending cry pierced through the downpour, reaching Wang Ping’s ears—and Liu Chang’s as well.

Wang Ping suddenly recalled the section on grounding lightning from the *Nine Heavens True Thunder* guide panel...

He glanced around, a thought forming in his mind: ’Maybe I can throw a handful of seeds to grow a dense forest five or six zhang away from Liu Chang’s body. It could form a temporary lightning-diverting array and buy him a few precious moments.’

’The only question is whether it would do more harm than good, making the descending Thunder Tribulation even more powerful...’