Chapter 1773: Thunder Formation

A Mortal's Journey to Immortality - Volume 10: Battle of the Demon Realm

In the vast Barren Lands of the Wind Origin Continent, countless unknown ferocious beasts and monsters roamed. The region was also dotted with extremely dangerous natural barriers, so perilous that even high-level cultivators would find survival impossible if they ventured in rashly. Each year, countless individuals from various races perished in these Barren Lands. Yet, drawn by the lure of rare materials and elusive opportunities, cultivators continued to venture into the Barren Lands in an unending stream.

The Human Race, residing in a secluded corner of the Wind Origin Continent, was considerably weaker than the continent's major races, and not much stronger than its immediate neighbors. Fortunately, they had allied with the Demon Race, whose strength was comparable. Moreover, the Three Realms and Seven Lands of both races had been sealed by powerful restrictions laid down by ancient mighty beings from both sides. With Abyss City serving as the sole entrance, there were no other points of access to their combined territories. This exclusivity allowed both races to recuperate and flourish in peace, securing their enduring presence in the Spirit Realm.

Consequently, Abyss City became a critical stronghold, deemed fundamental by both races. Not only was it garrisoned by a large contingent of their elite forces, but it also boasted a unique Abyss Elder Council, solely dedicated to the city's defense. Though this Elder Council comprised only ten members, each was a cultivator at the Integration stage or higher. Should an elder fall, a new Human or Demon cultivator at the Integration stage would be immediately chosen from either race to join their ranks. This system ensured Abyss City remained impregnable.

Therefore, cultivators from both the Human and Demon races could only access the Barren Lands via Abyss City, their exclusive gateway. Most ordinary cultivators dared not venture too deeply into the Barren Lands, typically operating within a month's journey of Abyss City. This caution ensured that if they encountered truly ferocious ancient beasts or other perils, they would still have a chance to flee back to Abyss City for refuge. Naturally, many bold individuals, confident in their powerful abilities, would venture directly into the deeper reaches of the Barren Lands. Such daring, however, naturally increased their chances of perishing severalfold.

At this very moment, above a lake in the Barren Lands, several Human cultivators found themselves in precisely such a perilous situation, on the brink of demise. Four Human cultivators—two men and two women—were tightly cornered by a peculiar, giant ancient beast that had emerged from the lake. The monstrous beast resembled a colossal sea turtle, yet from its back sprouted over a dozen octopus-like tentacles. These tentacles lashed out, generating fierce winds and casting heavy shadows, forming a massive net that forcibly compressed the four individuals in the air into a tight cluster.

Although these four possessed considerable power, all being at the Spirit Transformation stage, and wielded several extraordinary, dazzling treasures, their flying daggers, flying swords, dharma wheels, and mighty staffs all bounced off the tentacles unceremoniously, failing to breach the giant net in the slightest. Had it not been for a middle-aged man, dressed as a scholar, skillfully wielding a wondrous silver Ruyi-shaped magic treasure that deflected the majority of the pressure from the tentacle-formed net, the four would have had their defenses broken and perished long ago. Even with this defense, the four were panting and drenched in sweat, appearing as if they could not hold on much longer.

"Brother Huo, quickly unleash the Extreme Thunder Orb! We must make our final stand!" the scholar shouted urgently to another person beside him, observing their critical situation.

"No, that won't do. Though the Extreme Thunder Orb is potent, if unleashed in such a confined space, even we would be caught in the blast," replied an unsightly man clad in crimson armor, his expression shifting.

"Of course, I know that! But we can no longer afford such considerations. This Stone Elemental Turtle possesses power at the early Void Refinement stage, and my Hundred Spirits Ruyi Scepter cannot hold out much longer. If we don't unleash a desperate strike now, we won't even have a chance to fight for our lives!" the scholar stated sternly, his decisiveness stark.

The crimson-armored man's expression changed again upon hearing this, yet he still hesitated. The ancient beast's tentacles lashed out with increasing speed, faintly accompanied by the sounds of wind and thunder. The immense force emanating from the giant net intensified significantly. The pervasive white light generated by the Ruyi Scepter dimmed considerably after several successive impacts, forcing its protective circle to shrink by half. This left the four cultivators to defend against the tentacles' attacks, standing back-to-back.

All of this extinguished the crimson-armored man's last shred of hope. He immediately gritted his teeth, flipped his hand, and an egg-sized orb appeared in his palm. The orb glowed with brilliant blue light, its surface covered in intricate blue patterns, appearing exceptionally mysterious. Upon seeing the man produce the blue orb, the two female cultivators, both somewhat comely, instantly blanched.

In a panic, one woman chanted an incantation, then with a flick of her sleeves, a dozen high-level talismans shot forth, forming layers of light barriers that enveloped all four of them. The other woman raised her hand, and a small black bell flew out. The bell instantly expanded to an enormous size. After a soft "clang," a layer of faint black light mist swirled down, also enveloping the group. The scholar, hardening his resolve, consecutively spat out several mouthfuls of essence blood. With each expulsion, his face visibly paled, and he then swiftly gestured with his fingers several times. The essence blood flashed, merging into the Ruyi scepter hovering in the air. The Ruyi scepter's previously dimmed spiritual light suddenly flared brightly, and the white light mist it conjured instantly became exceptionally dense.

As soon as the crimson-armored man saw his companions ready their defenses, he flicked his wrist without hesitation, unleashing the blue orb. The instant the orb was released, it transformed into a blindingly dazzling sphere of blue light. The crimson-armored man formed a hand seal with one hand, urging the blue light. It spun rapidly, expanded to the size of a carriage wheel, and then shot out, colliding with a wildly thrashing tentacle.

A deafening, earth-shattering "boom" resounded. The moment the blue sphere of light made contact with the tentacle, it instantly exploded, and waves of blue energy surged outwards from the point of impact. The giant net formed by the dozen or so tentacles was instantly engulfed by the blue light. The energy waves spread for roughly a *li* (approx. 0.5 km), and within the blue light, winds howled and incessant roars echoed.

Several soft "whoosh" sounds pierced the air. Several startling arcs of light burst forth from the energy waves, and after a few flashes, they converged, shooting towards the horizon. The four individuals within the escaping light were all in a sorry state! The scholar among them was covered in bloodstains, one arm completely gone. The other three were also in ragged clothes, exceptionally pale, and clearly severely wounded. Fortunately, none of the four had lost their ability to fly. With their escape light flashing, they still fled at astonishing speed.

A moment later, the energy waves in the air dispersed, and the brilliant blue light vanished in a flash. The ancient beast, resembling a giant turtle, had most of its dozen or so tentacles instantly obliterated, while the remaining few were charred and incomplete. A furious roar erupted from the ancient beast. Its broken tentacles flashed with green light and astonishingly began to regrow. Then, the nearby lake surged with waves, and a large portion of the lake water rolled up, enveloping the giant turtle. It transformed into a water cloud several *mu* (acres) in size and sped through the air, pursuing the four fleeing individuals.

Seeing this, the four individuals ahead were greatly alarmed and desperately urged their escape light, hoping to shake off the water cloud behind them. However, despite its enormous size, the water cloud's escape speed was surprisingly no slower than the combined escape light of the four individuals. With one in front and one behind, they covered a million *li* in a short amount of time. As time progressed, the distance between the escape light and the water cloud slowly closed. This wasn't because the water cloud's speed had increased, but rather because the four Human cultivators, already wounded, were finally beginning to run low on spiritual power after such a desperate and frantic escape. The four naturally realized the direness of their situation, but utterly powerless against the ancient beast's overwhelming strength, they found themselves helpless.

Finally, after flying for over a hundred thousand *li*, with only about a hundred *zhang* (approx. 330 meters) separating them, the ancient beast behind them suddenly let out a great roar. The water cloud blurred, then with a "bang," it exploded. After a churning expanse of white water spiritual energy dispersed, the giant turtle was nowhere to be seen. The cultivators flying ahead were, naturally, constantly observing everything behind them. Upon seeing this, the scholar with the severed arm turned pale and involuntarily cried out, "This is bad!"

But before the four could devise any other countermeasures, the space above their escape light suddenly rippled, and several dark tentacles flashed into existence, descending with lightning speed towards them. Even before they struck, the immense wind pressure caused the escape light to tremble violently, flickering erratically between dim and bright. The four let out a low cry and almost subconsciously dispersed their escape light, shooting off in different directions to evade. Although they narrowly dodged the vicious strike from above, they were forcibly scattered, each now in a different location. They exchanged grim glances, their expressions unusually grim. Earlier, even with their combined spiritual power, they couldn't shake off the ancient beast. Now, forcibly scattered, escaping with their lives seemed an utter pipe dream.

A massive black shadow flashed in the air, and the giant turtle's body shimmered fully out of the void. Its two emerald green eyes swept over the four, their gaze exceptionally cold. The scholar and the others' hearts sank; most felt that this time, they were likely doomed. However, having cultivated to their current realm and dared to venture deep into the Barren Lands, these four were clearly individuals of extraordinary resolve. They would naturally not simply wait for death. They forced their expressions to harden, and one after another, they spat out their treasures, preparing for another desperate fight. Seeing this, the giant turtle ancient beast let out a low growl, a hint of human-like disdain flashing in its eyes. With a flick of its dozen or so tentacles, they once again transformed into swirling black shadows.

Just as the two sides were about to engage in another fierce battle, a strange expression suddenly appeared on the faces of the four individuals and the beast almost simultaneously, as they abruptly looked upwards. High in the sky, roughly a hundred *zhang* (approx. 330 meters) above them, a massive, head-sized thunderball had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. The thunderball shimmered with silver light, dense, fine electric arcs constantly flickering within it, yet not a single sound was emitted. This stark contradiction of dynamic internal activity and utter silence created an extremely bizarre sensation.

But before the four cultivators and the ancient beast, struck by awe, could react, the thunderball emitted a tremendous roar, and its size suddenly expanded severalfold out of thin air. Then, incessant roars followed as dense electric arcs shot out from the thunderball. After flashing with electricity, they instantly formed a circular magic formation several *zhang* in diameter. Within this formation, composed entirely of silver electric arcs, countless silver runes simultaneously emerged amidst the intense electrical flashes.

An earth-shattering thunderclap rent the air. A lightning bolt as thick as a water vat flashed, and as the electric light dissipated, a figure stumbled into the center of the thunder formation. The moment this figure stabilized, they immediately erupted into a torrent of curses, utterly abandoning all composure!

"Lei Yunzi, you old rascal! Don't let me run into you again next time, or this matter won't be settled so easily!"