Chapter 2166: Thunder General

Martial Arts and Immortal Heroes

A rhythm within the golden book was activated, and Qin Sang immediately noticed the anomaly. Before he could react, the rhythm quickly spread, extending outside the hut.

Qin Sang was secretly vigilant, his spiritual sense spreading out. Soon, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

"As expected, a formation is hidden here!"

Just as he had guessed, a hidden spiritual array, triggered by the golden book, revealed itself.

With a thought, Qin Sang activated the formation he had previously set up. It transformed into an invisible, intangible barrier, enveloping the entire mountain peak to prevent any disturbance from spreading.

Standing outside the mountain, only those with extremely keen perception or who employed detection divine abilities would notice the changes.

Inside the thatched hut.

Qin Sang stood before the stone platform, his eyes slightly closed, a hint of surprise on his face. At this moment, he could sense the power of the spiritual array, yet he still couldn't discern its origin.

If he were to attempt to break the array now, he would find himself at a loss, though this was also partly because the spiritual array showed no signs of threat or malice towards him.

Based on common sense, this thatched hut should be the core of the spiritual array. Qin Sang carefully sensed it, feeling that the array seemed to be missing something.

He turned his gaze to the golden book, which had opened by itself. The runes on it glowed with increasing brilliance, thick and luminous like water.

Gradually, the golden book actually melted, and individual golden runes materialized, dancing before Qin Sang.

Countless golden runes whirled before his eyes, dazzling him. After a moment, Qin Sang noticed that these runes did not integrate into the grand array. With a slight thought, he extended his right hand.

Whoosh!

The golden runes spun towards his palm. In a blink of an eye, the golden light suddenly condensed in Qin Sang's hand, forming a golden imprint on his palm.

The imprint was composed of extremely complex runes and patterns. Qin Sang stared at it for a moment, unable to make sense of it, but he could sense the connection between the imprint and the spiritual array.

This imprint was precisely what the spiritual array lacked!

Qin Sang attempted to activate the imprint, immediately sensing a change in the spiritual array's configuration. The surrounding scenery blurred, and everything began to distort.

The hut, the stone platform—everything seemed like an illusion, capable of shattering and reforming at will. Yet Qin Sang was certain they were real. The changes, then, must be originating from himself; he was being influenced by the spiritual array.

Gradually, Qin Sang perceived that he was unknowingly enveloped by a spiritual array force. This force contained a pulling sensation, as if to draw him into an unknown realm.

This made Qin Sang hesitate. He didn't know if being pulled in would be good or bad; it could lead to a treasure vault, or danger might await him.

He called upon the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, and together they activated the Heavenly Eye divine ability, focusing on the center of the spiritual array's force, attempting to pierce through the illusion and see its essence.

Both man and insect exerted their full power, but their vision revealed only a expanse of silvery-white light, likely thunder and lightning.

Although he couldn't discern the destination, the presence of thunder and lightning somewhat eased his concerns. He possessed the inheritance of the Five Thunders Institute and considered himself to have some mastery over the Way of Thunder.

With this thought, Qin Sang no longer hesitated. He ceased his resistance, and immediately felt himself being drawn in by the force.

In an instant, Qin Sang's figure vanished into thin air.

The thatched hut returned to its original state, the spiritual array's power vanishing without a trace, as if it had never existed.

The stone platform was empty, and the golden book was also gone.

Crack!

Rumble!

As Qin Sang was pulled in, he immediately heard deafening thunder, and the scene before him became increasingly clear.

Thud!

Qin Sang's feet touched solid ground, and he gazed ahead in surprise.

Here, dark clouds filled the sky, thick layers completely obscuring it without a single gap.

Between the dark clouds, lightning flashed and thunder roared. Countless electric snakes and thunder pythons appeared in the clouds, baring their fangs and claws, emanating fierce power.

The lightning seemed endless, its light illuminating the land. In the flickering light and shadow, Qin Sang saw a magnificent grand hall ahead, towering into the clouds. Its peak reached the heavens, surrounded by countless bolts of thunder.

This appeared to be a thunder hall, with stacked pavilions and terraces, grand and imposing. Lightning continuously struck the hall, yet failed to harm it in the slightest.

This place was definitely not on the original island, and Qin Sang didn't know where he had been brought.

He rubbed the imprint on his palm, feeling its power, and confirmed that he could leave this place by activating the imprint. Reassured, he focused on surveying his surroundings.

Dark clouds covered the sky, blanketing the four directions. The ground was paved with black stone slabs, empty except for the thunder hall. There was not just one grand hall, but also layers of palaces and high walls separating the inside from the outside.

The main gate was in the center, facing him, with a golden roof and vermilion paint, tightly closed.

The thunder hall was extraordinary and mysterious; anyone with discerning eyes could see that it was not simple and might contain opportunities. However, entering the thunder hall would be far from easy, as there were clearly restrictive forces emanating powerful fluctuations.

Qin Sang shifted his gaze to the vermilion gate. Forcing his way in would be asking for trouble; entering through the main gate was the correct approach.

The thunder never ceased. Aside from that, the palace interior was eerily quiet, not appearing to have an owner.

Qin Sang's figure flickered as he flew towards the palace gate. Just as he approached, his expression suddenly changed, and he abruptly stopped.

Swish!

A bolt of lightning descended from the sky, landing before the palace gate and transforming into a tall human figure.

This person was powerfully built, fully six zhang tall, almost as high as the palace gate. He gleamed with silver light, wearing silver armor that, upon closer inspection, was conjured from thunderous power, making him appear even more formidable.

A pair of giant, bronze-bell eyes shone like thunderbolts, radiating an oppressive aura. Standing before the palace gate, he resembled a thunderous general.

In front of the thunder general, Qin Sang appeared tiny.

It looked down at Qin Sang, its eyes blazing with fierce intent, and roared, "Who dares trespass!"

Accompanying the roar, thunder gathered in the thunder general's palm, instantly forming a thunder spear. The spear was over ten zhang long. The thunder general gripped it tightly and struck it down forcefully, causing the ground to rumble violently.

Qin Sang's gaze narrowed. He didn't act rashly but bowed, saying, "This humble Daoist obtained a token and only then entered this place, unaware of its nature. May I ask, Divine General, where is this place?"

After speaking, he waited for a moment but received no response.

Qin Sang frowned and looked up at the thunder general, seeing it standing there like a statue, holding its thunder spear, glaring at him, yet motionless.

The rage in the thunder general's eyes seemed almost real, but Qin Sang sensed no signs of life from it.

"So, it's just an inanimate object..."

Qin Sang thought to himself, looking through the gap between the thunder general's legs towards the archway.

Seeing the thunder general remain still, Qin Sang tried to take a step forward.

Clang!

The tip of the thunder spear flashed with lightning, shooting out a silver bolt that struck towards Qin Sang.

Qin Sang was prepared and quickly retreated, the lightning striking beside his feet.

The thunder general stirred but did not attack further. This strike was a warning; the real attack would only come if the intruder continued to advance.

The ground shook, leaving a white mark but no damage, gradually recovering. Qin Sang's expression, however, grew more serious.

This strike possessed power comparable to that of a late-stage Void Refinement cultivator!

If an intruder's strength was insufficient, they would have to turn back now, unable to even pass the thunder general.

Fortunately, Qin Sang was no ordinary mid-stage Void Refinement cultivator and showed no panic. The situation was clear: he needed to defeat the thunder general to enter the palace, and there might be even more difficult trials ahead.

Sacred lands were built by the alien races to screen their descendants, and the principle of greater risk, greater reward usually held true.

This battle was unavoidable. A green light flashed behind Qin Sang, revealing the Phoenix Wings. With a gentle flap, he ascended into the air.

Qin Sang's gaze met the thunder general's.

As their eyes locked, Qin Sang secretly activated the Talisman Altar, drawing on the Tier 3 Thunder Talisman, the Taiyi Thundergang Talisman.

Years ago, to aid Taiyi's transformation, he had already thoroughly comprehended this talisman and formed a divine talisman imprint, stored in the Talisman Altar. Now, by activating the divine talisman imprint, he could manifest the talisman out of thin air, without needing any external medium or talisman brush. This essentially meant he had mastered this thunder talisman as a thunder technique.

Unexpectedly, just as Qin Sang decided to act, the thunder general's eyes widened, roaring aloud, and raised its thunder spear, pointing the tip at Qin Sang.

"It seems it doesn't only attack when I get close. As long as the intruder shows hostility, the thunder general will actively attack."

This thought flashed through Qin Sang's mind, and a strong sense of danger arose. He saw the spear tip flash with lightning, and the spear lunged forward like a dragon. The thunder general instantly transformed into a silver bolt of lightning, incredibly swift and dazzling.

He fully activated the divine talisman imprint, and the Taiyi Thundergang Talisman formed in an instant, turning into a halo above his head. The halo emitted brilliant light, and endless thunder power surged forth. Lightning connected with the dark clouds, and the world seemed to boil.

At this moment, it was impossible to distinguish which lightning bolts were originally present and which were controlled by Qin Sang. The thunder and lightning transformed into eight thunder dragons, roaring at the sky, shaking their heads and tails, and charging towards the enemy.

The next moment, the eight thunder dragons collided with the lightning bolt. The momentum was extraordinary, and even the lightning in the clouds seemed to pause for a moment.

Qin Sang retreated, avoiding the brunt of the attack, then his expression subtly changed as he noticed something unusual.

A giant thunderball, filled with violent thunder power, appeared at the point of collision. Half of it belonged to Qin Sang, but he found that this thunder was gradually slipping from his control.

He gazed at the center of the thunderball, seeing the thunder general engulfed by lightning, yet its aura not only didn't diminish but intensified. The lightning striking it and its thunder spear was actually being devoured.

The thunder talisman Qin Sang launched had not only failed to kill his opponent but had instead become sustenance for the enemy, merely delaying it for a moment!

Boom!

The thunderball was torn open by the thunder spear, and the thunder general surged out.

Qin Sang felt an extremely sharp aura lock onto his glabella, its power overwhelming!

He remained calm in the face of danger, immediately employing the Thunder Escape technique, transforming into a blue lightning bolt and retreating at extreme speed. However, the threat behind him persisted.

The thunder general pursued relentlessly. Although its speed was not as fast as his, it was still astonishing.

At this moment, Qin Sang could escape this place using the imprint, and presumably, the thunder general wouldn't pursue him. But there was a process from activating the imprint to leaving, even if extremely brief, which was enough to decide life or death in a high-level battle. If others had underestimated their strength and provoked the thunder general, they could genuinely die here!

Each time the sacred land opened, quite a few alien race cultivators perished.

Qin Sang would not flee. Although the thunder general was powerful, it did not threaten him.

With a flicker of thought, the power of thunder reappeared. The Taiyi Thundergang Talisman was easily shattered, yet Qin Sang was still using a thunder technique.

The Five Thunder Heavenly Heart Seal, once unleashed, possessed power far beyond that of the Taiyi Thundergang Talisman, and it was forged from Azure Phoenix True Thunder!

Crack!

The azure lightning descended, striking the thunder general directly.

Sensing the threat, the thunder general raised its spear high and thrust it fiercely towards the azure lightning. Silver light blazed, and a thick bolt of lightning shot out from the spear.

Boom!

The azure lightning and silver lightning clashed. The front of the silver lightning immediately shattered, then collapsed section by section.

The thunder spear in the thunder general's hand flashed rapidly, employing some unknown thunder technique, instantly transforming into a sky full of spear shadows, overflowing with thunderous power.

The next moment, the spear shadows continuously disintegrated before the azure lightning. The battlefield was filled with azure and silver lightning.

Qin Sang intently watched the battlefield. He wanted to use this to verify something, and after a moment, he indeed made a discovery.

The thunder general still wanted to devour the Five Thunder Heavenly Heart Seal, but it was not as smooth as before. After a moment, a distorted roar was heard, and the thunder general fled in a panic. Even though its ability could somewhat reduce the power of thunder, it appeared extremely disheveled, and cracks appeared on the thunder spear in its hand.

From this, it can be seen that the thunder general's ability to devour thunder has its limits. Otherwise, if it were a thunder cultivator who only knew thunder techniques, wouldn't they be helpless against it?

Moreover, Qin Sang believed there was more than one way to counter the thunder general's ability. A pure thunder cultivator, as long as their mastery of the Way of Thunder was deep enough, might be able to find other methods of restraint.

However, Qin Sang didn't need to bother with such complexities, nor did he want to waste too much time on this thunder general; thunder techniques were just one of his many learned arts.

Having verified his conjectures, Qin Sang noticed that the thunder spear in the thunder general's hand was gradually recovering. He immediately stopped holding back, flicked his sleeve, and sword light shot out!

The Gray Warbler Sword flashed, and the sword shadow vanished. The surroundings suddenly plunged into darkness, and the thunder and lightning disappeared, transforming into an endless sea of stars.

The thunder general was surrounded by sword stars, isolated and without aid, but its ferocity remained undiminished. It raised its thunder spear and charged towards the nearest sword star.

In the past, if the thunder general had charged chaotically, it might actually have broken the sword array.

But now, Qin Sang had deduced the Eastern Azure Dragon Sword Array, and its power was incomparable. It was only a pity that the Vermilion Bird was absent, making the southern star domain less brilliant than before.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Individual sword stars detached from their positions, transforming into meteors, crashing towards the thunder general.

The thunder general brandished its thunder spear with unparalleled might. Sword stars were parried and exploded by the spear tip, but then even more sword stars attacked.

After a series of attacks, Qin Sang had probed the thunder general's true nature. It possessed power comparable to a late-stage Void Refinement cultivator, but this was merely superficial.

True late-stage Void Refinement cultivators possessed profound wisdom and cunning divine abilities, whereas the thunder general's attacks were broad and straightforward, only knowing how to charge relentlessly.

The sword art abruptly changed!

Three star seas shifted, their starlight overlapping. Seeing that the time was ripe, Qin Sang finally unleashed the art of superposition.

Dragon roars and tiger roars, phoenix cries shook the heavens!

Three Star Fiends manifested, circling above the thunder general, then the three holy beasts merged and swooped down.

Bang!

The thunder spear shattered.

The thunder general roared repeatedly, stubbornly resisting for a while, but was finally cut down by the sword.

The Gray Warbler Sword swam into Qin Sang's sleeve.

Qin Sang looked towards where the thunder general had fallen, seeing a bolt of lightning fly into the sky, disappearing into the clouds. On the ground, a thunder crystal was left behind, floating towards him.

This was from yesterday; today's chapter will be later.