Chapter 1144: Lightning's Summon

An endless void. It was unclear where this place was.

Dense thunderclouds stretched boundlessly. At the edge of his vision, only a myriad of luminous clouds and a sea of lightning were visible; nothing else could be seen.

The Azure Luan's wings were spread wide, spanning ten thousand zhang and rivaling the size of a mountain. Such a colossal creature was unbelievable, existing only in legends.

Now, Qin Sang was truly witnessing the divine beast Azure Luan.

Faced with the astonishing power of the heavens and earth, and the mighty Azure Luan – even if it was just an illusion – Qin Sang's mind buzzed, and the world spun. Being in this place, Qin Sang immediately felt incredibly insignificant. Any random thundercloud contained enough lightning power to easily turn him to dust.

This was the Heavenly Thunder Marsh, a death trap for all living beings!

Even shapeshifting great demons or Nascent Soul patriarchs would find it impossible to move here. But the Azure Luan was fearless, soaring effortlessly through the thunderclouds. Innumerable bolts of lightning continuously struck its body, yet failed to dislodge even a single feather.

Azure light emanated from the Azure Luan's body. When lightning struck the azure light, it immediately became docile, then vanished, leaving only faint ripples.

“What realm is the Azure Luan in? Is it perhaps the mythical Heavenly Demon?” Qin Sang was aghast.

The Azure Luan seemed to regard the heavenly thunder as nothing. It appeared to not even use its true essence, yet the lightning could not harm it in the slightest. Its cries even held a hint of contentment. This level of power was terrifying, almost unimaginable.

“No! It’s absorbing the power of the thunderclouds!”

Finally, Qin Sang noticed a subtle detail: the Azure Luan was not resisting the lightning. No wonder the thunderclouds couldn't harm it; each bolt of lightning was actually being actively absorbed by it. Whether resisting or absorbing the thunderclouds, such feats were unimaginable for ordinary people.

“It’s a Thunder Luan!” Qin Sang's mind raced, realizing that the Azure Luan wandering through the thunderclouds in the illusion was likely the true form of the Azure Luan phantom within the mysterious stone slab.

Senior Sister Qing Jun had only caught a fleeting glimpse and hadn't seen the full picture, so when carving the Azure Luan puppet, she could only follow her own imagination, endowing it with the ability to control fire.

The landscape in the void was uniform. Constantly enveloped by lightning, Qin Sang couldn't discern its expression. The Azure Luan seemed to be on a journey, its gaze fixed forward as it sped in one direction, slicing through one thundercloud after another.

The myriad luminous clouds were still far ahead. The endless thunderclouds seemed to stretch on forever.

After the initial shock, Qin Sang regained his composure and wished to escape the illusion.

“Such a terrifying Azure Luan,” he mused, “no wonder it could leave a wisp of its phantom in the present world. Is what's sealed in the mysterious stone slab merely a phantom? What exactly entered my body?”

He worried about his body.

Unexpectedly, just as this thought crossed his mind, Qin Sang suddenly felt a tearing pain that instantly yanked him out of the illusion.

“Ah!” Qin Sang let out a sudden, piercing shriek.

This was a pain he had never experienced before; even the intense agony endured during his breakthrough with the Star Essence Infusion was nowhere near comparable to this. His entire body was wracked with pain. A strange force seemed to tear through Qin Sang's flesh, meridians, bone marrow, and spiritual sea, meticulously searching for something it couldn't find. At this moment, Qin Sang felt he was about to be torn into countless fragments.

Even now, Qin Sang still didn't understand why this was happening. Yet, associating it with the Azure Luan phantom, his contemplation of the Heavenly Demon, and his cultivation of the *Heavenly Demon Refinement Art*, which imbued him with the Azure Luan's aura, Qin Sang could vaguely guess the reason. This power was exceptionally violent, imbued with the aura of lightning, exactly like the Azure Luan from his recent illusion.

Qing Jun was the first to touch the stone slab, and it later fell into the hands of Demon King Qianji. Qing Jun was human, and Demon King Qianji was a shapeshifting snake demon; neither had the Azure Luan bloodline. In their hands, the mysterious stone slab was completely normal, and activating it with true essence only made the Azure Luan phantom appear. Yet, as soon as he touched the Azure Luan phantom, it appeared, and its power invaded his body.

This was no coincidence!

Waves of excruciating pain washed over him. Qin Sang knew that if this continued, his end would not be good!

“Heavenly Demon Refinement!” A thought flashed through Qin Sang's mind.

Only the one who tied the bell can untie it; whether it worked or not, he had to grasp this one lifeline. Enduring the boundless agony, Qin Sang forced himself to concentrate and activate the cultivation method. The Azure Luan's power seemed to find two outlets, surging wildly towards the phoenix wings behind Qin Sang.

These phoenix wings, a manifestation of the Heavenly Demon Transformation ability, were not physical, but so intensely solidified they created an illusion of reality. The moment the power surged in, the phoenix wings shone brilliantly, blurring the line between real and illusory.

A sudden ‘Crack!’ sounded as cracks appeared on the phoenix wings. Even the illusory phoenix wings could not withstand this power and were on the verge of destruction.

Qin Sang, who hadn't even had time to catch his breath, felt his heart sink. He frantically activated his cultivation method, attempting to re-condense the phoenix wings.

Additionally, Qin Sang made a new discovery. Having undergone the Star Essence Infusion, his physical body had reached its limit, a mere hair's breadth from breaking through the fourth layer. Now, after activating the cultivation method, faint signs of a breakthrough were appearing.

But time was of the essence. The respite was brief; the Azure Luan's power was too violent and overwhelming. He couldn't withstand the terrifying impact before fully grasping the Heavenly Demon Dharma Manifestation described in the cultivation method.

‘Crack, crack…’ More cracks appeared. The phoenix wings deformed and twisted, on the verge of shattering.

To make matters worse, Qin Sang's injuries worsened.

“Am I going to die here because of this?” This thought flashed through Qin Sang's mind, but he immediately dismissed it, focusing all his energy on breaking through! He would never abandon his will to survive!

At this very moment, Qin Sang suddenly discovered that a faint suction force had appeared in his spiritual sea, subtly absorbing the Azure Luan's power.

“Heavenly Eye Butterfly!” Qin Sang was pleasantly surprised to find that it was his own natal insect-gu, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, that was absorbing the Azure Luan's power!

A divine beast Azure Luan and a spirit insect Heavenly Eye Butterfly. Two completely unrelated beings—why could the Heavenly Eye Butterfly absorb it?

“Lightning! That’s it! Lightning Control Divine Ability! It’s the Lightning Control Divine Ability!” Qin Sang instantly understood the reason.

This was the power of the Thunder Luan!

After a previous mutation, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly had also gained the Lightning Control divine ability. Though it had never been particularly useful, it was now playing a crucial role, acting as a catalyst. It could also withstand the Thunder Luan's power, helping its master share the pain and benefiting itself in the process.

“After absorbing it, will it transform or mutate?” A thought flashed through Qin Sang’s mind.

Immediately after, the suction force grew stronger as the Heavenly Eye Butterfly absorbed more and more of the Azure Luan's power. Qin Sang's pain lessened, and the phoenix wings stabilized, finally giving him time to breathe. He was about to seize the opportunity to activate the *Heavenly Demon Refinement Art* and seek a breakthrough.

He suddenly heard the Falcon Demon's angry cursing in his ear: “You’re out of your mind! Run, you fool! You’re looking for death, and I haven't lived long enough yet!”

Startled by the words, Qin Sang's mind detached, bringing him back to reality. The entire treasury was a mess. The phenomenon caused by the Azure Luan phantom had already burst out of the treasury.