Chapter 902: Thunder Cave

The Human World

The group spread out around the pool. One by one, the Beast King Banners were activated, emitting dazzling golden light that was suppressed within the space near the pool. Spectral forms of demonic beasts leaped from the Beast King Banners, roaring silently before shattering into golden threads that merged into a grand formation. The confined space filled with remarkably sharp golden threads, which then converged above the pool.

Unbeknownst to them, a butterfly rested on a withered Dark Thunderwood tree nearby, observing everything. Qin Sang was also hidden not far away. Seeing the Beast King Banners and a few familiar faces, he confirmed that these were indeed his old adversaries, the disciples of Black Serpent Mountain.

Black Serpent Mountain had gone to great lengths, from hunting the Kui Dragon to disguising themselves as Dou Niu Peak disciples and dividing their forces to infiltrate Dongming Island. Their scheme must be significant. Qin Sang's gaze was solemn, and a pensive expression appeared on his face.

Although his opponents were powerful and outnumbered him, and he didn't know what treasure Black Serpent Mountain coveted, Qin Sang had no intention of retreating. It would be a disservice to himself not to intervene in such a good opportunity. Not seeing the young man surnamed Fang was good news; he was most wary of this person. Qin Sang surmised that the sea of blood in the bamboo pavilion, which trapped Chief Lu and four other Golden Core cultivators, was the work of the young man surnamed Fang, as other Black Serpent Mountain cultivators did not possess such strength.

Some mysteries were now unravelled. One of Dou Niu Peak's true inheritances was that lightning technique. No wonder the lightning carried astral malevolence. Qin Sang had already considered acquiring that technique and planned to demand it from Black Serpent Mountain later; now, he could resolve it all at once. Of course, it would be even better if he could also seize the treasure Black Serpent Mountain coveted. This would not be easy to accomplish. The opponents were strong and possessed the Beast King Banners. To snatch food from the tiger's mouth, he would need the right moment. Furthermore, there were Golden Core cultivators from other sects at the entrance to Dongming Island, as well as two masters, Chief Lu and the young man surnamed Fang; these were all variables. Acquiring the treasure was secondary; the most important thing was to escape safely after obtaining it. Qin Sang's gaze flickered uncertainly.

Meanwhile, the grand formation of the Beast King Banners was finally ready. The golden threads vanished, having condensed into a small golden blade, aimed directly at the vortex. Activating the Beast King Banners to achieve this transformation seemed very taxing for them, but they had to do it to break the restriction. This layer of restriction was very likely laid personally by Sect Master Lu of the Landou Sect. Fortunately, they had obtained a jade talisman, which allowed them to unlock another layer. Otherwise, even with their strength, breaking it would have taken a considerable amount of time, and the commotion would surely have alerted those outside.

“Beast King Blade! Descend!” The black-robed figure's voice was hoarse as he let out a low cry. The golden blade trembled slightly, emitting a metallic sound, then sharply plunged into the vortex. The golden blade moved with astonishing speed, like a golden streak vanishing into the vortex.

After a brief silence, a tremendous roar erupted from the depths of the pool. The ground shook violently, and then a pillar of light, woven with white and gold, shot forth. Accompanying the sky-piercing light pillar, waves imbued with chaotic power swept in all directions. The surrounding Dark Thunderwood trees turned to dust the moment they were struck.

‘No good! Retreat!’ The black-robed figure's expression changed. He grabbed a Beast King Banner and rapidly retreated. All present were battle-hardened Core Formation cultivators. Without needing the black-robed figure's reminder, they all rapidly flew backward. Even so, they were still affected. For a moment, everyone was in disarray. Several Beast King Banners were damaged, and some were injured by the shock, their faces pale, coughing up blood. However, they did not lose their composure.

Qin Sang couldn't find an opportunity and sighed inwardly. Fortunately, he had reacted quickly. Before the golden blade broke the restriction, he sensed trouble and ordered the Heavenly Eye Butterfly away from the pool. Otherwise, no matter how strong the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's concealment ability, it would surely have been exposed if caught by the aftermath. The most critical aspect was the pillar of light; it shot up dozens of feet high before slowly dissipating like a rain of light. The tremor, moreover, instantly spread across the entire Dongming Island.

The black-robed figure's expression was exceedingly grim. Without time to recover, he flickered back to the edge of the pool, where he saw a large pit had been blasted out of the pool by the waves. At the bottom of the large pit, there was a white stone staircase leading straight underground. Seeing this, the black-robed figure's anger turned to joy. He turned his head, gave an order, and swiftly entered.

The others also took out spirit pills, forcibly suppressing their injuries, and once again activated the Beast King Banners. With the acute perception of Core Formation cultivators, they would certainly have detected the anomaly here and would be on their way, perhaps appearing before them at any moment. Sure enough, no sooner had they adjusted their spirit formation than a sound of tearing air reached them. Looking up from the treetops, they saw two streaks of light in the distant sky, rapidly approaching their location. There were more behind them. All the Core Formation cultivators on the island had been drawn over. They only hoped that their Senior Disciple Brother would act quickly; otherwise, a fierce battle would be unavoidable. The group exchanged glances, their eyes filled with deep worry.

By this time, the black-robed figure had already entered the stone staircase. Time was short, so he dared not pause, rushing downwards at the fastest possible speed. Fortunately, there seemed to be no other restrictions here; the path was clear, and he eventually reached the underground. A stone door stood before him.

The stone door was unusually heavy, shimmering with silvery-white light, as if tiny electric snakes were wriggling across it. The door was sealed by a restriction, but with external enemies approaching, there was no time to break it. The black-robed figure took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over the stone door. After a moment of thought, he flicked his fingers repeatedly, and strange runes flew from his fingertips, landing on the stone door. The positions where the runes landed subtly conformed to a certain pattern. When the last rune settled, the stone door suddenly lit up with dazzling silver light, then the light and all the electric snakes swiftly vanished, revealing it as an ordinary door.

The black-robed figure, whose face had been tense, visibly relaxed, and an expression of ecstasy appeared on his face. He reached out and pushed hard. With a ‘creak,’ the stone door was easily pushed open. The next moment, the black-robed figure cried out, ‘Ah,’ and hastily channeled his true essence to protect his eyes.

Behind the stone door was a large hall. The hall was extraordinarily bright, dazzlingly so. If a mortal were here, they would instantly be blinded, as the light contained the power of thunder. In the very center of the hall, there was a circular stone pit in the ground. The pit contained a layer of silvery-white liquid. It appeared calm but exuded an incredibly violent aura; it was a highly concentrated essence of thunder energy.

Seeing the pool of thunder essence, the black-robed figure's face showed alarm. If this thunder essence were to erupt, he would surely have no chance of survival, certainly reduced to nothing but bones. Fortunately, all around the pool of thunder essence and on the four walls of the hall, countless runes were densely carved, forming a massive spirit array that sealed the pool. Only faint traces of thunder energy had seeped out due to the passage of time. Above the pool of thunder essence, an unusual stone platform floated.