Chapter 316: Nine Heavenly Thunders, Full Power Restored
"I am the commander of the Luo God Army. This is Luo God Clan territory fighting within the city is strictly prohibited!"
In Luoshui City, Western Heaven Continent, the tense scene unfolded at the teleportation array.
Following the Luo God Army commander's declaration, the soldiers raised their long spears, pointing them at Xiao Tiance and his companions.
"When have you seen us fighting?" Wan Sui snapped, breaking the uneasy silence.
The commander ignored him and pointed directly at Xiao Tiance, his tone stern. "You! Withdraw the killing intent you're radiating, or we will consider you an enemy."
It was only now that everyone realized why the commander had intervened. In the Great Thousand World, the presence of killing intent often preceded actual combat.
"Lord Tiance!"
"Brother Tiance!"
Xiao Tianming and the others quickly called out to Xiao Tiance, trying to calm him down.
Hearing their voices, Xiao Tiance glanced at the Luo God Army surrounding them. In an instant, his killing intent vanished.
Without addressing the commander, Xiao Tiance's gaze remained fixed on the glowing, flickering positioning jade pendant in his hand. Then, he looked back at the commander and pointed in a specific direction.
"What faction controls that area?" he asked, his voice low and urgent.
The commander hesitated, puzzled by the question. As he studied Xiao Tiance, he sensed a faint but overwhelming spiritual energy fluctuation from him, one that was on the verge of breaking into the Earth Supreme Realm.
Swallowing nervously, the commander realized he had narrowly escaped death. A warrior of this caliber could likely kill him with a single move and wouldn't face serious consequences for doing so.
After composing himself, the commander stammered, "T That area belongs to the Blood God Clan."
"Blood God Clan? Good," Xiao Tiance replied, nodding.
He turned to the Sky Academy Dean and the others. "Dean, I'll need to leave for a while. Please look after my cousin Tianming in my absence. I won't be gone for more than half a month and will return to Luoshui City in time to handle our matters."
The Dean frowned at Xiao Tiance's sudden decision, especially the urgency in his expression. Before he could ask, Xiao Tiance added, "If you're curious, Tianming knows why I must leave. You can ask him after I'm gone."
Understanding the importance of the situation, the Dean nodded. "Very well, Tiance. Handle what you must. We'll remain in Luoshui City for the next two weeks. When you return, release your aura, and I'll sense it."
"Thank you, Dean," Xiao Tiance said, smiling.
He gestured, and Qinghou appeared at his side. After glancing at Xiao Tianming, he instructed, "Tianming, focus on converting your Dou Qi into spiritual energy while I'm away. I'll return soon."
"Understood, Brother Tiance. Be careful," Xiao Tianming replied earnestly.
"Until we meet again," Xiao Tiance said. With a wave of his left hand, he tore open a spatial vortex and stepped inside with Qinghou, disappearing from sight.
In the Luo God Clan's Guest House
Once Xiao Tiance left, the Luo God Army commander regained his composure and bowed to the remaining group.
"Esteemed guests, you must have come to participate in the trial of the Ancient Secret Realm at the end of the month. On behalf of the Luo God Clan, I welcome you. We've prepared a guesthouse for your stay. If it pleases you, I can escort you there to rest."
The Dean and the others exchanged glances before nodding. They hadn't planned to leave Luoshui City, so they accepted the offer graciously.
"Thank you for your hospitality," the Dean said with a smile.
"Right this way, please," the commander said, leading them to the guesthouse.
Xiao Tianming Explains
Once they arrived at the guesthouse, Xiao Tianming explained, "Dean, Lord Liu, Lord Wan, you needn't worry. Brother Tiance's strength is unparalleled, as you've already seen.
"As for why he left, it's because he discovered one of our companions. Before coming to the Great Thousand World, Brother Tiance gave each of us a positioning jade pendant. These pendants were designed to help us locate one another.
"However, due to the vast distances between continents in the Great Thousand World, the pendants only work within the same continent. When we arrived in Luoshui City, Brother Tiance's pendant lit up, indicating the presence of a companion nearby. He must have gone to find them."
The explanation eased the Dean's concerns.
"So that's it," Liu Changkong said, nodding. "Lord Tiance could have taken us with him, though. The Blood God Clan is one of the four divine clans of the Western Heaven Continent. They're powerful and have at least three Earth Supreme experts among their ranks. There's a high chance he'll encounter resistance."
The Dean shook his head. "No need to worry. Tiance's strength exceeds mine. Even an Upper Earth Supreme would struggle to defeat him.
"Moreover, I noticed his spiritual energy fluctuations were barely contained earlier. That's a sign of someone about to break through to the Earth Supreme Realm. I suspect he's not just looking for his companion he's also seeking a place to make his breakthrough."
"That's true," Wan Sui added. "If a battle does occur near the Blood God Clan's territory, we're close enough to sense it with our current strength."
With that, the group relaxed and focused on preparing for the upcoming Ancient Secret Realm trial.
A Hidden Observer
As Xiao Tiance traversed the void, he remained vigilant. His positioning jade pendant glowed faintly, guiding his path. However, he couldn't shake the feeling that something or someone was observing him.
He extended his soul force into the darkness but quickly retracted it. The Void Blades in the teleportation corridor shredded his probing energy, forcing him to abandon the attempt.
"Hmph," Xiao Tiance muttered. Though the sensation of being watched faded, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Far away, in a shadowy abyss, a massive dragon chuckled darkly.
"What remarkable perception. He nearly sensed me, even from within the teleportation passage. Fascinating. This is getting interesting," the dragon murmured, its golden eyes glinting with amusement.
Arrival at the Blood God Clan
A few hours later, Xiao Tiance and Qinghou exited the spatial vortex, arriving near the Blood God Clan's territory.
His positioning jade pendant glowed brighter, confirming that his companion was nearby. Xiao Tiance's eyes narrowed as he muttered, "Let's see what the Blood God Clan has in store for us."
"If a fight really breaks out, we can always rush to support him. While the Blood God Clan is strong, our side isn't weak either. We won't necessarily lose to them."
Hearing this, Liu Changkong and Wan Sui relaxed, their worries dissipating.
Xiao Tianming, on the other hand, wasn't worried at all. He knew Xiao Tiance wasn't someone who would engage in a fight without being fully prepared. If a confrontation with the Blood God Clan occurred, Xiao Tiance would have made all the necessary preparations. Even if he couldn't win, he'd be able to retreat safely.
After all, Xiao Tiance was the strategic genius of the Three Stars of the Xiao Clan, a title earned not by chance but through consistent brilliance.
"Dean, Lord Liu, Lord Wan, you don't need to worry. My Brother Tiance is incredibly capable. Even if he faces the Blood God Clan, we don't know who'll end up at a disadvantage," Xiao Tianming reassured them with confidence.
His calm demeanor bolstered the group's faith, and they said no more.
In a Remote Valley on the Western Heaven Continent
In a desolate valley far from Luoshui City, Xiao Tiance and Qinghou stepped out of the void. Without hesitation, Xiao Tiance retrieved two spiritual array tokens from his storage ring and handed them to Qinghou.
"Stand guard," he instructed. Then, he began preparing a spiritual array.
The Dean's earlier speculation had been correct Xiao Tiance was preparing to break through. However, unlike breakthroughs within the Supreme Realm, stepping into the Earth Supreme Realm was an entirely different ordeal. Xiao Tiance had a strong premonition that his breakthrough would summon Heavenly Thunder.
If this occurred in Luoshui City, it would attract unnecessary attention. Moreover, the positioning jade pendant had indicated that the person trapped within the Blood God Clan's territory was none other than Xiao Xuan.
When crafting the jade pendants, Xiao Tiance had included an identification feature to distinguish between their users. The faint glow of his pendant now confirmed Xiao Xuan's location.
The Spiritual Array
With countless spiritual seals forming intricate patterns under Xiao Tiance's hands, a Grandmaster Level Spiritual Array was soon complete, encompassing a radius of several kilometers.
Satisfied with its brilliance, Xiao Tiance activated the array's cloaking mechanism. Unless touched directly, the array would remain invisible. However, anyone foolish enough to trigger it would face the full wrath of a grandmaster level spiritual array.
Even Xiao Tiance himself wasn't entirely sure of the array's destructive potential.
Exhaling deeply, he sat cross legged within the array and murmured, "Let's see what my fully recovered strength looks like."
The Breakthrough
As he began his cultivation, spiritual energy from the surrounding heavens and earth surged toward him, forming a massive vortex above his head.
"Boom!"
In mere moments, the swirling spiritual energy was completely absorbed by Xiao Tiance, leaving the area temporarily devoid of energy. His body trembled as an enormous amount of spiritual energy flowed into him.
Within his inner vision, the compressed Dou Qi crystals in his body were rapidly replaced by spiritual energy, slowly transforming into spiritual energy crystals.
"Not enough!"
Although the transformation was progressing steadily, the speed was far too slow for Xiao Tiance. At this rate, it would take more than a month to fully step into the Earth Supreme Realm.
Circulating his cultivation technique with greater intensity, he expanded his range of absorption, drawing spiritual energy from hundreds of kilometers away.
"Boom!"
Once again, the vortex formed, and Xiao Tiance consumed it all in a single gulp.
This cycle repeated six times. By the end, all the Dou Qi crystals in his body had been replaced with spiritual energy crystals. His Supreme Sea was now fully filled with layer upon layer of surging spiritual energy.
The process took six days.
The Heavenly Thunder
"Earth Supreme… here I come," Xiao Tiance whispered as he crushed every spiritual energy crystal in his Supreme Sea, compressing them into dense, nebulous mist.
Suddenly, thick clouds gathered in the sky above him, crackling with black lightning.
This was Black Demon Thunder, known for its unparalleled destructive power. Within moments, the sky was filled with an expanse of black lightning stretching several kilometers.
Xiao Tiance sensed that once the lightning dissipated, he would ascend to the Earth Supreme Realm. However, the sheer intensity of the lightning made him unusually cautious.
"Bring it on!" he shouted, steeling himself.
"Crack!"
The first bolt of Black Demon Thunder descended from the heavens, forming a massive lightning dragon that crashed directly onto Xiao Tiance.
"Boom!"
The impact obliterated his clothing and hair, leaving him scorched and covered in writhing black lightning. Despite the protection of two spiritual arrays one internal and one external Xiao Tiance still suffered internal injuries.
"Crack!"
Before he could fully absorb the first bolt, a second one followed, even more furious than the first.
"Pu!"
Coughing up blood, Xiao Tiance felt his skin crack under the pressure. Yet, his body began to heal almost instantly, the regenerative power of his newly formed spiritual energy driving his recovery.
"Crack! Crack!"
The third and fourth bolts struck in quick succession, reducing Xiao Tiance to a charred figure dripping with golden blood.
"More!" Xiao Tiance roared, his aura growing stronger with each bolt he endured.
"Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!"
Perhaps provoked by his defiance, the heavens unleashed five simultaneous bolts of thunder. The onslaught lasted ten minutes, as if the lightning sought to obliterate him entirely.
Even the strongest Earth Supremes would have hesitated to face such a storm directly.
The Calm After the Storm
Finally, the thunderclouds dissipated, leaving Xiao Tiance sitting motionless in the center of the array, his body resembling a piece of burnt charcoal.
For days, he remained still, unmoving, as if dead.
Then, on the third day, a faint cracking sound broke the silence.
"Crack!"
With this, the charred outer layer began to peel away, revealing pristine, translucent skin underneath.
"Boom!"
A surge of overwhelming energy erupted from Xiao Tiance's body, shattering the remaining charred fragments and sending them flying. His newly revealed form was radiant and immaculate, his face as handsome as a celestial being's.
"Finally… fully restored," Xiao Tiance muttered, his voice filled with satisfaction.
(End of Chapter)