Chapter 1066: Terrifying King Shiye

Boom!

Although the Otherworldly Demon’s power was fierce, the orb was not weak. It seemed to struggle for control, rotating violently. Immediately, the two saw a deep blue light flash across its surface, shooting straight into the sky. A thunderous roar followed, and lightning raged all around.

It was as if the lightning in the sky was being controlled by this sphere.

“Controlling lightning… Could this be the Lightning Orb?” Feng Xun’s pupils contracted, and he couldn’t help but transmit his voice.

“Lightning Orb?” Zhang Xuan frowned. Having read all the books in the Master Teacher Academy, he knew the names of countless treasures and was truly well-informed, but he had never heard of a Lightning Orb.

“It’s a lightning-attribute artifact,” Feng Xun continued, his face filled with disbelief. “Similar to spirit stones containing spiritual energy, it holds a vast amount of lightning essence. Once released, it possesses terrifying, world-destroying power. This item can only be formed in places where lightning is most concentrated. Its rarity is comparable to a 9-star master teacher; it’s a legendary treasure. How could it be here?”

“That precious?” Zhang Xuan gasped. Although he hadn't heard of the Lightning Orb, he knew how rare 9-star master teachers were – only a handful might exist on the entire continent. For something to be equally rare was truly astonishing.

“Containing lightning is one thing, but the most crucial aspect is that it can serve as the core of a lightning-attribute formation!” Feng Xun continued. “Its function is similar to a formation plate. Once refined, it’s like mastering a grand formation, capable of unleashing astonishing power!”

“Is this Sea of Thunder a grand formation?” Zhang Xuan’s expression changed.

“It must be,” Feng Xun said, his face paling. “And at least an eighth-tier one. It’s already this powerful without anyone controlling it. Once refined and fully controlled… even if we had Teacher Wu’s strength, we wouldn’t be able to resist it!”

“This…” Zhang Xuan’s body tensed. Having traveled through the Sea of Thunder, he knew how terrifying this formation was; if not for his Faction Soul, he wouldn’t have been able to enter at all.

This was without anyone controlling it. Once mastered, there would be no weaknesses in the lightning’s power or attack direction… He feared no one could stop it, and anyone trapped inside would be unable to escape.

“The lightning suddenly becoming so intense earlier must have been caused by this fellow trying to refine the Lightning Orb, stirring up the formation…” Knowing how terrifying this item was, Zhang Xuan finally understood.

The Lightning Orb possessed the ability to control lightning formations. When this individual touched it with his Zhenqi, it caused the Sea of Thunder to become even more volatile, almost killing everyone.

If merely touching it was so terrifying, truly controlling it would be unimaginable.

His face grim, Zhang Xuan quietly communicated with King Violetleaf in the Thousand Ant Hive. He quickly received a clear answer: the tall Otherworldly Demon before them was indeed King Stoneleaf, the fourth among the Top Five Kings.

No wonder he dared to touch and attempt to refine such a formidable treasure as the Lightning Orb.

“We must stop him, otherwise, it will be even harder to deal with him later…” Feng Xun clenched his fists.

He had witnessed King Stoneleaf’s battle with Teacher Wu earlier and knew his immense strength. Even at his peak, Feng Xun wouldn’t be his match. If King Stoneleaf refined the Lightning Orb, they would be even less able to resist him. If they met again then, everyone might die here.

“You’re right, he hasn’t succeeded yet. If we think of a way, we might still have time!” Understanding Feng Xun’s concern, Zhang Xuan transmitted his voice.

“Mm!” Feng Xun’s expression was solemn. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the Lightning Orb in front of them rotate again, emitting a gentle glow. King Stoneleaf, not far away, his eyes brightening, abruptly reached out and grabbed it.

Whoosh! The blue-glowing sphere slowly flew towards him.

“No time left! Attack now!” Seeing this, Feng Xun could no longer hold back. With a flick of his wrist, a long sword appeared in his palm, and he transformed into a streak of sword light, piercing directly towards King Stoneleaf’s back.

It looked like the Lightning Orb was almost completely refined. Once it fell into his grasp, it would mean the opponent had mastered infinite lightning power, and there would be no turning back.

“Wait…” Zhang Xuan cried out anxiously, surprised that Feng Xun had charged forward without discussing a strategy with him. He quickly followed suit.

Although the opponent's refinement of the Lightning Orb was terrifying, there surely were still weaknesses if they looked carefully. If utilized properly, victory might not be impossible. But charging in directly now... would only be more dangerous.

Boom! Feng Xun, truly deserving of his title as a Centurion of the Combat Master Hall, thrust his sword forward. Man and sword became one, like a meteor streaking through the sky. Even peak Saint 4-realm experts would temporarily avoid its edge, not daring to confront it directly.

“Hm? Not dead yet?” King Stoneleaf, who was refining the Lightning Orb, suddenly felt an intense killing intent. He spun around, saw Feng Xun’s face, and raised an eyebrow. “There’s a path to heaven, yet you chose not to take it; there’s no gate to hell, yet you barged in. Get down here!”

Without dodging, he continued to refine the Lightning Orb with one hand while striking forward with the other.

Boom! A powerful wave of Qi swept forward. When it clashed with Feng Xun’s sword light, the latter instantly shattered into pieces, like a porcelain bowl struck by a hammer.

The remaining force struck Feng Xun’s chest, sending him flying backward to crash heavily onto the ground, where he spurted out a mouthful of blood.

The difference in their strength was too vast; he was sent flying with just one move.

“So strong!” Zhang Xuan’s pupils contracted.

He had already encountered six of the Ten Kings, almost all of whom had died by his hand. Although they were all Saint 4-realm experts, compared to the individual before him, they were not in the same league at all. No wonder King Violetleaf trembled just hearing the name of the fourth-ranked among the Top Five Kings; he was indeed terrifyingly powerful.

Nevertheless, no matter how strong the opponent, he had to fight. Gripping the Glacial Rain Sword in his palm, he drew a semicircle in mid-air and thrust it forward, just like Feng Xun.

However... he wasn't attacking King Stoneleaf, who was nearby, but the Lightning Orb directly in front of him.

The main priority now was to prevent the opponent from refining this treasure. Attacking the opponent directly would give him time to react. If he could catch him off guard, he might succeed.

Whoosh! He put all his strength into this sword strike. His Zhenqi surged like boiling water within him, and combined with the power of his physical body and soul, it tore through the air, emitting a wailing sound as if it would rip space itself apart.

This was probably the most powerful attack he had unleashed since he began practicing swordsmanship, no weaker than Feng Xun's earlier strike.

“Foolish!” Seeing his intention, King Stoneleaf’s eyes narrowed. Without any superfluous movements, he extended two fingers and lightly flicked them.

Zhang Xuan felt a tremor in his tiger's mouth. The Glacial Rain Sword in his hand could no longer be held and flew backward, embedding itself in a nearby wall. Like Feng Xun, he spurted blood, forcibly changed direction in mid-air, and finally managed to stabilize himself by striking the ground with his palm.

His eyes were filled with horror. This guy's strength was even more terrifying than he had imagined; he had used all his might, yet couldn't even block one of the opponent's fingers.

He didn't continue forward. Instead, he hurriedly pulled out the book from his mind. The recent battle had forced the opponent to use his martial skills, and information about him had already been recorded.

“King Stoneleaf, one of the Ten Kings of Qingtian, among the Top Five Kings. Cultivation: peak Saint 4-realm. Invincible defense... Weaknesses: First, insufficient Zhenqi at his glabella when executing cultivation techniques; second, soft underarms, where power cannot fully reach…”

Zhang Xuan quickly scanned the book, but instead of rejoicing, his expression grew even grimmer. The newly formed book had indeed recorded his weaknesses, but his glabella and underarms... these were the most heavily defended areas, requiring close-range attacks. He hadn't even gotten within two zhang of the opponent before being easily repelled, so knowing these weaknesses was useless!

Boom! As he was reading, he heard a thunderous roar. King Stoneleaf, not far away, struck down with another palm.

The immense palm print covered a distance of several tens of meters, enveloping both him and Feng Xun. Before it even reached them, the powerful oppressive force made it hard to breathe and impossible to resist.

“This is bad!” Knowing he couldn't resist, he stomped his foot, activating the Heaven's Path Movement Art, and flew straight outwards.

Before he could fly out of the palm print's range, he felt an immense force lift him up and violently strike his back. He spurted blood again and crashed through seven or eight walls before finally stopping.

Struggling to his feet, Zhang Xuan’s eyes were filled with shock. Fortunately, his physical body had recently improved, otherwise, this strike would have at least flayed him alive, if not killed him!

Although he had cultivated the Saint Ascension Art and made significant progress recently, he was still far too inferior compared to a true peak Saint 4-realm expert. They were simply not on the same level, completely incomparable.

“Where’s Feng Xun?” He hurriedly looked around and saw Feng Xun also lying disheveled nearby, his face pale and his chest soaked with blood.

Clearly, his injuries were even more severe than Zhang Xuan's. Although Feng Xun's strength was higher, his escape abilities were clearly inferior. He had taken most of the previous palm strike head-on. If not for being a combat master, with his physical body, Zhenqi, and soul far surpassing ordinary master teachers, he would probably be dead by now.

Even so, his entire body felt weak, and he had no idea how many bones were broken; he couldn't even move.

“Die, both of you!” King Stoneleaf sneered, continuing to refine the Lightning Orb with one hand, while bringing his other hand down once more.

His movement was light and seemed to lack power, but Zhang Xuan knew that if he were hit, he would surely die. His face changed in alarm, and with a swift turn of his feet, he dashed towards Feng Xun.

Feng Xun had come with him; he absolutely could not watch him die before his eyes.

Whoosh! The Heaven's Path Movement Art was incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, he reached Feng Xun, grabbed him, and pulled him into his grasp. Just as he was about to retreat rapidly, he realized it was too late; King Stoneleaf's palm print was already descending upon them.

“Ruthless!” He cried out in his heart, and a dense, pure aura of slaughter instantly surged forward.

Although it was also a murderous aura and wouldn't significantly affect an Otherworldly Demon, a sudden disturbance could still delay him for a moment.

As expected, sensing the powerful aura of slaughter emanating from the young man before him, King Stoneleaf's face showed shock, and the power in his palm slowed by a fraction. Seizing this brief opening, Zhang Xuan had already grabbed Feng Xun and escaped the range of the palm strike.