The dense rumble that had enveloped the Lightning Valley for hours slowly receded.The sound did not stop all at once, but faded softly, resembling the roar of a tired beast finally running out of ammo after raging all night. At the mouth of the valley, the remaining cultivators who had previously crouched in fear now slowly lifted their heads, exchanging confused glances."Strange..." A brown-robed man looked up, staring at the clearing dark sky. "The lightning... is starting to decrease drastically."Not far away, an elderly cultivator with a wooden cane adjusted his position, narrowing his eyes upward. The crease on his brow shifted deep. "Not just decreasing.""What do you mean, Elder?""The Qi flow in the air... has changed completely."All heads looked up in unison. The pitch-black clouds that had been spinning wildly since yesterday slowed their rhythm. The purple electric flashes that usually struck each other brutally now vanished without a trace, leaving a grey sky beginning

Morning sunlight slowly forced its way through the narrow crevice at the end of the stone corridor.The closer Qin Zilong and Lin Yue stepped, the more the damp air smelling of wet mud and dense ozone gradually gave way to a fresh mountain wind breeze. The glow of light from the outside grew increasingly dazzling, until finally the two figures truly set foot at the mouth of the tunnel.Zilong halted his steps for a moment.His gaze lifted instantly, sweeping across the vast expanse of the sky. The pitch-black clouds that had enveloped the sky of the Lightning Valley for days were now scattered by the wind. The brutal lightning flashes that had never failed to strike were now gone without a trace, leaving a clean grey sky slowly reflecting a faint bright blue tinge behind it.He did not utter a single word.The change did not surprise him. From the very beginning, he had anticipated that the loss of the energy core would end the anomaly in the Lightning Valley.beside him, Lin Yue look

Several disciples swallowed hard with difficulty. If Lin Yue himself said so, it meant what happened inside the belly of the valley was truly beyond human reason.Han Wei refocused his attention on Qin Zilong. The longer he stared at the youth, the stronger an unfamiliar feeling churned in his mind. The youth's face felt so familiar, as though he had seen him somewhere before, yet his memory refused to cooperate."Strange..." Han Wei muttered softly. "Feels like we've met before."Qin Zilong shook his head lightly. "Just a coincidence."Han Wei smiled faintly. "Perhaps."The conversation paused briefly when one of the disciples patted Han Wei's shoulder enthusiastically. "By the way, Senior Brother Han also just fully recovered from his old injury a few days ago, right?""That's right." Another disciple chimed in with high spirit. "If not for the blessing of that Meridian Recovery Pill..."Hearing those words, Lin Yue instinctively glanced at Han Wei.Han Wei reflexively reached into

The afternoon sky stretched out far cleaner than it had been a few hours earlier. The thin mist creeping along the slopes of Lightning Valley was slowly swept away by a mountain breeze, revealing a winding, rocky descending path. The trees that had once been scorched by the lightning's fury now sighed softly, while the calls of wild birds began to break the silence, as if nature were reclaiming its right after thousands of years of being frozen by terror.Qin Zilong walked alone.The hem of his black robe fluttered lightly whenever a gust of wind greeted it. His stride was steady neither hurried nor sluggish. Although his gaze was fixed straight ahead on the path before him, his mind was busy mapping out his next strategic steps.The Lightning Powder was safely stored inside his spatial ring.His thoughts revolved calmly. What remained now was to find an isolated place with a stable spiritual concentration to begin the body-refinement process.He had no intention of rushing whatsoever

The mountain wind blew gently, swaying the tops of the dense pine trees growing closely along the rocky trail.Qin Zilong walked without rushing. His footsteps were extremely steady, as though completely undisturbed by the forest's silence that slowly began to feel odd. It had been nearly an hour since he left the borders of the Lightning Valley.And throughout that time, he had sensed several hidden breath streams continuously trailing him from a distance.They were not in a hurry to approach. Neither did they intend to pull back. The hunters were simply patiently waiting for the right moment—waiting for a gap where the terrain turned desolate and isolated.The corner of Zilong's mouth lifted on one side, forming a faint, nearly imperceptible smirk.You've finally run out of patience.He kept walking at a constant pace until his feet brought him to a small clearing surrounded by low stone cliff walls. Right in that open spot, he halted his steps.Silence instantly embraced the area.