Chapter 372: The Power of Heavenly Thunder and Mysterious Fire

Above the canyon, crimson thunderclouds rolled, and the next moment, ferocious crimson lightning howled forth with a destructive aura, slamming directly down upon Luo Tian and the other disciples from Jianlai Peak below.

Flames also seemed to burn on the crimson lightning.

Facing the power of this barrier, even Luo Tian had a solemn expression, his eyes filled with apprehension.

Streams of formidable Origin Qi burst forth from Luo Tian, Lu Xuanyin, and others, forming layers of Origin Qi light shield defenses. They were clearly planning to jointly resist the barrier's attack.

Boom! Boom!

As the flaming crimson lightning struck down, layer after layer of Origin Qi defenses were continuously shattered, obliterated with overwhelming force. While the Origin Qi defenses shattered layer by layer, Luo Tian and the others desperately channeled their Origin Qi, continuously repairing them, attempting to use this to resist...

Boom! Boom!

In response to Luo Tian and the others' resistance, the crimson thunderclouds in the sky unleashed crimson lightning bolts one after another, whistling downwards. The entire valley was affected by the shockwaves, the earth was torn apart, and many massive rocks were pulverized into dust that filled the sky.

Zhou Yuan sat cross-legged on a bluestone, his expression indifferent, his eyes slightly closed. His Spirit pulsed continuously between his brows; controlling a barrier of this level was extremely taxing on his Spirit. If he hadn't broken through to the mid-stage of the Reality Realm earlier, he likely would have depleted his Spirit power after just one round of attack.

Inside and outside the mountain range, countless gazes watched this astonishing confrontation without blinking. As they watched this scene in the valley, a wave of complex emotions surged within them. Who would have thought that the most outstanding gold-sash disciples of Jianlai Peak would be cornered by Zhou Yuan alone, relentlessly bombarded in this valley, appearing utterly discomfited?

Those gazes turned to the young figure on the bluestone, with solemnity and apprehension surfacing in their eyes. Before today, many of them still considered Zhou Yuan to be merely a new disciple who had just entered the inner mountains. Even if he had achieved something, he was still somewhat lacking compared to veteran disciples, not worth worrying about. Even his previous performance on Spirit Rune Peak was largely overshadowed by Yao Yao's presence. But at this very moment, as Zhou Yuan single-handedly contended against the most outstanding gold-sash disciples of Jianlai Peak, people only now began to vaguely feel a sense of shock. This new inner mountain disciple had, unknowingly, acquired the qualifications and strength to challenge, and even surpass, them, the veteran disciples.

Boom! Boom!

The crimson thunderclouds rolled wildly, drawing in Origin Qi from heaven and earth, finally forming vast crimson lightning bolts that continuously rained down. In the canyon below, within the layers of Origin Qi defense, Luo Tian and the others were gritting their teeth, struggling to hold on. However, it appeared they were clearly losing ground.

"The barrier can absorb Origin Qi from heaven and earth. If this continues, we will be the first to collapse!" Luo Tian's smile had long vanished, and he said in a deep voice.

"What do we do then?" another disciple asked in a panic.

Luo Tian stared sharply at the crimson thunderclouds in mid-air, saying, "Pure defense is meaningless. We must use offense as defense. As long as we break the thunderclouds, the barrier will dissipate on its own!"

"We must build up our strongest attack to break through the thunderclouds!"

"But... once we withdraw our defenses, how can we withstand the crimson lightning strikes?"

Lu Xuanyin, at his side, gritted her silver teeth and took out a longan-sized white jade orb from her bosom. The orb was covered in ancient patterns and seemed to contain an ocean within.

"Senior Brother Luo Tian, my 'Sea Spirit Pearl' excels at defense; it should be able to hold them off for some time."

Seeing this, Luo Tian's eyes lit up with delight. The Sea Spirit Pearl was a defensive Origin Treasure, available in the sect's Jade Pavilion. It wasn't cheap, costing at least three thousand Origin Jade, and most purple-sash disciples would try to acquire one when going on missions. He hadn't expected Lu Xuanyin to possess one as well.

"Then I'll trouble you, Junior Sister."

Lu Xuanyin shook her head, her beautiful eyes fixed intently on Zhou Yuan in the distance, saying, "It's fine. I don't want to become his stepping stone and inadvertently boost his reputation." She had originally intended to teach Zhou Yuan a lesson and vent her frustration, but she never expected the situation to turn out like this. Now, if they were careless, they might end up elevating Zhou Yuan's fame using Jianlai Peak's reputation. That would be an utter disgrace for Jianlai Peak. By then, these disciples who had damaged Jianlai Peak's reputation would likely not escape punishment. Just thinking about their Peak Master's temperament, Lu Xuanyin felt a surge of panic. She felt that this incident seemed to have gotten a bit out of hand, so no matter what, they absolutely could not allow Jianlai Peak to suffer defeat at Zhou Yuan's hands.

With that thought in mind, Lu Xuanyin raised her delicate hand, and the "Sea Spirit Pearl" transformed into a point of light that shot upwards. Instantly, an ocean-like water curtain spread out from it, enveloping them like a protective罩. On the water curtain, light patterns emerged, emitting powerful Origin Qi fluctuations.

Boom! Boom!

The crimson lightning struck down, landing on the water curtain and creating enormous ripples, but ultimately, it was dissipated by the water curtain. But as more and more crimson lightning fell, the water curtain also began to thin and weaken.

"Senior Brother Luo Tian, the Sea Spirit Pearl probably won't last much longer," Lu Xuanyin urged anxiously.

Luo Tian nodded with a solemn expression. He gazed coldly at Zhou Yuan on the distant bluestone, saying, "Let us join forces and manifest Qi as a sword! Break through the thunderclouds!"

As his voice fell, a sharp stream of Origin Qi shot skyward. Around him, the disciples of Jianlai Peak also channeled their Origin Qi. Instantly, streams of Origin Qi gathered, forming a column of Origin Qi several hundred zhang tall in mid-air. The Origin Qi was like beacon smoke, soaring straight into the sky. A sharp aura emanated, causing the very space to warp slightly.

Luo Tian clasped his hands together. The formidable Origin Qi in mid-air was centered on him, thus he could control it. However, the pressure made the veins on his forehead throb, and his eyes gradually turned bloodshot. And under his gritted-teeth control, the beacon-like Origin Qi in mid-air began to gradually contract until, under countless astonished gazes, it formed a gigantic light sword, several hundred zhang long.

The light sword stood between heaven and earth, emitting unparalleled sharpness. Facing this light sword, even some disciples at the peak of the Sixth Heaven stage wore expressions of extreme apprehension.

"This Luo Tian truly possesses some ability," a disciple exclaimed in admiration. "He can actually gather the Origin Qi of other disciples and directly manifest Qi as a sword..."

"Their cultivation practice involves Origin Qi of the same lineage. Jianlai Peak indeed has its unique aspects."

"If Luo Tian truly breaks through the thunderclouds, Zhou Yuan's barrier will also shatter. Tsk tsk, this Luo Tian is truly worthy of being the top gold-sash disciple of Jianlai Peak; even in such a situation, he can find a way to break the deadlock."

On the bluestone, Zhou Yuan naturally sensed Luo Tian and the others' movements. With a thought from his Spirit, the crimson thunderclouds in mid-air began to contract, forming a funnel shape, as astonishing Origin Qi fluctuations began to gather. Because of his extensive control over this barrier, Zhou Yuan could feel his Spirit power being consumed rapidly; traces of blood even appeared at the corners of his eyes. However, he showed no signs of stopping, because at this point, there was no turning back. Otherwise, all his previous arduous effort would have been in vain.

Thus, Zhou Yuan's mind remained calm, but his Spirit pulsed more intensely between his brows. And within his brows, above his Spirit, the Sacred Soul Crystal spun continuously, constantly emitting light, allowing his Spirit power to continuously recover.

Under the gaze of countless anxious eyes, both sides were gathering their strongest strike, aiming to completely overwhelm the other.

On Luo Tian's face, veins throbbed, making him look somewhat ferocious. He gazed at the gigantic light sword, several hundred zhang tall, feeling the sharp sword qi within it, his eyes burning as he locked onto Zhou Yuan.

"You want to make my Jianlai Peak your stepping stone? I can only tell you, you are simply dreaming!"

"Break!"

With a fierce shout, the several-hundred-zhang light sword suddenly shot skyward, leaving a fiery tail, sword qi whistling through the sky as it headed straight for the crimson thunderclouds rolling high above.

Zhou Yuan's tightly closed eyes opened at this moment. A trickle of blood flowed from the corner of his eye, caused by his Spirit operating at its absolute limit. He looked up, staring at the funnel-shaped crimson thunderclouds.

"Crimson! Thunder! Fire!" a low voice resounded from his mouth.

Roar!

From within the thunderclouds, crimson light burst forth, transforming into a crimson fireball roughly a hundred zhang in size. Upon that fireball, lightning coiled, releasing incomparably violent fluctuations that raged outwards. When that crimson fireball erupted, the entire barrier trembled; this was because all its Origin Qi had been completely expended.

And so, under the gaze of countless highly anxious eyes, the light sword shot skyward, and the crimson thunder-fireball descended, finally colliding with tremendous force.

An earth-shattering explosion raged above the canyon. Su Wan, Xia Yu, and the other disciples observing from the surroundings all retreated swiftly to avoid being caught in the blast. Outside the mountain range, countless gazes were also fixed intently on the source of the collision. The shockwaves there raged for quite some time before gradually dissipating, and the dust that filled the sky also settled.

The original valley was now completely destroyed, almost leveled, with the widespread devastation revealing the intensity of the previous impact.

"Who won?!" Many disciples eagerly looked.

Within the leveled valley, Luo Tian, Lu Xuanyin, and the other disciples stood rooted to their spots, their figures unmoving. Across from them, the bluestone Zhou Yuan had sat on had also turned to dust. He stood in place, blood flowing down from the corner of his eye in a crimson streak, making him appear somewhat grim.

The valley was utterly silent.

A gentle breeze blew through.

Pfft!

Pfft!

And then, countless gazes watched in shock as the Jianlai Peak disciples around Luo Tian suddenly spat out mouthfuls of blood towards the sky. Finally, beneath the setting sun, their bodies began to collapse backward, one after another.

That scene was utterly breathtaking. The entire mountain range, inside and out, fell into complete silence.