Amidst the vast expanse of a verdant plain lay an open ground scattered with fragments of stone. At its center, countless mysterious seals were engraved upon the earth, each one glowing faintly with a silver hue, releasing subtle ripples of spatial energy.
The area remained still and silent—until, without warning, a wild gust of wind surged forth from the void. In the blink of an eye, a silver-colored light circle appeared at the heart of the formation, and within it, the shape of a twenty-foot-long ship emerged before swiftly shrinking in size.
Xiao Hua and his group descended gently onto the ground. As they landed, the silver light circle gradually faded from view.
"So this is the Central Plains?" Little Fairy Doctor whispered, her gaze sweeping across the unfamiliar landscape. "It feels rather desolate… yet the energy of heaven and earth here is far denser than in the North-Western Region."
"Of course. The Central Plains cannot be compared to the remote corners of the North-Western Region. Here, opportunities are abundant—but so are dangers. From now on, we must tread with greater caution." Xiao Hua replied with a faint smile, his eyes intentionally drifting toward Zi Yan.
Yet Zi Yan paid no heed to his words or his glance. Her small head turned restlessly in all directions, eyes gleaming with unrestrained excitement as she took in the new surroundings.
Noticing that Zi Yan was completely absorbed in her surroundings, Xiao Hua could only shake his head helplessly. Just as he was about to tap her shoulder, Tian Huo Zun-zhe approached with a faint smile and asked, "Now that we've arrived, where do we head next?"
In response, Xiao Hua retrieved a map of the Central Plains from his storage ring. Though the details were sparse, a marked route could be seen leading from their current location to their intended destination.
"According to Liu Qing's map," Xiao Hua said, his gaze fixed on the marked path, "it should take us a few months to reach the Stormcoil Mountain Range—located at the intersection of the northern and western regions of the Central Plains—by using several Wormhole transfers."
"Calm down," Xiao Hua chuckled softly as he gently rubbed her head. "Old Yao and I are not in ideal condition to rush across this vast land. We'll make camp first and rest for the day. Once we're fully recovered, we'll set out for the Stormcoil Mountain Range."
Although Xiao Hua still appeared relatively composed, Tian Huo Zun-zhe's pale expression betrayed the toll that had been taken. The consumption of Dou Qi required to sustain third-level speed on the Cloud-Void Steering Ship was far from trivial.
'I'm a peak Dou Zun. Yet how does Xiao Hua, a Dou Zong, possess a reservoir of Dou Qi even greater than mine?'
Tian Huo Zun-zhe cast a puzzled glance at Xiao Hua, unable to comprehend how he had managed to sustain the ship's power alone for six straight days...
Little Fairy Doctor and the others nodded in agreement. Without delay, they left the open ground and began setting up camp nearby.
As night fell, Xiao Hua and Tian Huo Zun-zhe remained fully focused on recovering their strength, entering deep rest to restore their conditions. Meanwhile, Little Fairy Doctor and Zi Yan took turns standing watch, their gazes quietly sweeping the surroundings.
When the first light of dawn pierced through the fading darkness, Xiao Hua slowly opened his tightly shut eyes. With a calm breath, he stirred the System from its dormant state.
During their journey through the Wormhole, he had received a Yearly Bonus from the System. Fortunately, back when they were resting in Horizon City, he had drawn several rounds of Gacha and acquired a substantial amount of ACP.
Thanks to those draws, he had already upgraded his ACP Rate, allowing him to earn 250 ACP every twelve hours—and, more importantly, he had removed the previous restriction that limited hourly ACP gain.
Now, as he glanced at his current reserves, the number displayed before him brought a flicker of satisfaction to his eyes—4,096,210 ACP, accumulated from Weekly, Monthly, and Yearly Sign-Ins.
Without hesitation, he initiated a hundred Gacha draws. Though the rewards yielded only modest returns in ACP, he continued drawing until he was satisfied, then used a portion of his remaining balance to further enhance the ACP Rate.
Now, he was gaining 300 ACP every six hours—a considerable improvement from the this year Sign-In.
Xiao Hua nodded in quiet satisfaction. Rising to his feet, he stepped out of the tent. Outside, Little Fairy Doctor, Zi Yan, and Tian Huo Zun-zhe were already waiting for him. His gaze turned sharp as he looked toward the distant horizon—the direction where the Stormcoil Mountain Range lay.
"Let's move. With our speed, we should arrive within two months."
…
However, the journey from their arrival point to the Stormcoil Mountain Range proved far more arduous than expected.
The distance was simply too vast.
In the end, it took the group three full months to reach the mountain range's outer perimeter.
The Stormcoil Mountain Range stretched across the edge of the northern and western region of Central Plains like a great coiling dragon.
True to its name, the range was perpetually wreathed in storm clouds. Thunder rumbled in the heavens, and arcs of lightning danced unpredictably between jagged peaks, casting fleeting flashes of silver across the rugged landscape.
Legend spoke of two ancient clans, both masters of lightning-based cultivation methods, who once waged a cataclysmic war in these lands. Their battle was so devastating, so ferocious, that neither clan survived the conflict.
The destructive force they unleashed reshaped the land itself, giving birth to this fearsome mountain range.
Since that ancient era, the land had borne the name—Stormcoil Mountain Range.
At this moment, Xiao Hua and the others stood at the edge of a dense forest, where the treeline met the shadow of the mountains ahead.
"This place… really feels ominous," Zi Yan muttered, her voice low as she lifted her gaze toward the sky. A trace of unease flickered in her eyes as she watched the storms swirl above.
The sky above the forested region remained bright and clear. Yet, as though an invisible boundary had been drawn between two places, the sky over the Stormcoil Mountain Range darkened unnaturally—even at high noon. The contrast was stark, as if the heavens themselves refused to shine upon the mountains beyond.
Near the edge of the forest, the air grew dense with static. Each breath carried the weight of thunder, the oppressive aura pressing down on the weaker members of the group.
Little Fairy Doctor and Tian Huo Zun-zhe remained largely unaffected, their cultivation realms high enough to withstand the ambient lightning pressure. Zi Yan, however, being only at the Dou Huang level, felt clear discomfort. Her brows furrowed as strands of hair lifted slightly from the buildup of static, a faint grimace forming on her face.
Xiao Hua, on the other hand, showed no sign of unease. Instead, his eyes glinted with interest. To him, this place was no land of dread—it was a paradise for those practices lightning-affinity like himself and Brother Ming Cheng.
"Regardless, we still have to go. Brother Ming Cheng, Sister Li Mei, and Sister Xin Yu are waiting…" Xiao Hua said with a quiet sigh.
Noticing the discomfort on Zi Yan's face, he raised his hand and summoned a translucent veil of lightning essence. It shimmered faintly, woven from the power of five Heavenly Lightnings. The barrier gently wrapped around Zi Yan, shielding her from the oppressive static that prickled at her skin.
"Thank you…" Zi Yan murmured, visibly relieved as the tingling sensation faded. She glanced at Xiao Hua and offered him a grateful smile.
"No problem," he replied, lightly ruffling the little dragon girl's head. His gaze then turned solemn as he looked back toward the mountains ahead. "Let's move. The faster we rescue Brother Ming Cheng and the others, the sooner we can leave this godforsaken place."
Little Fairy Doctor, Tian Huo Zun-zhe, and Zi Yan all nodded in agreement. Even with their strength, they felt an unease lingering in the air—an instinctive wariness that urged caution.
…
Xiao Hua and his group stepped into the outer coils of the Stormcoil Mountain Range, a region known to locals as the Peripheral Peaks. This vast stretch of ridges and valleys wound around the base of the range like scattered dragon scales—silent and watchful, forming the slumbering body of the storm-forged beast.
The sky above the Outer Coil was perpetually overcast. Storms drifted in and out without warning, their presence marked by sudden flashes and ominous stillness. At times, the mountains lay in a heavy, breathless silence—an oppressive calm before the heavens roared again. At others, thin strands of lightning slithered down from the clouds, flashing across the peaks like the lashing tail of a celestial beast. Thunder rumbled endlessly, never straying far.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"No wonder people avoid this place… Just a single strike of lightning here could vaporize a Dou Huang," Little Fairy Doctor muttered, her face darkened as she looked up at the stormy skies. The thunderclaps above seemed endless, each one stirring unease deep within her chest.
Bang!
Suddenly, the churning darkness above was split by a blinding flash. A silver-colored bolt of lightning tore through the sky and shot toward Xiao Hua's group with terrifying speed.
Bang!
"Incoming!" Zi Yan cried out, her face turning pale. She could clearly feel the overwhelming force behind that bolt—it was strong enough to seriously injure her.
Tian Huo Zun-zhe and Little Fairy Doctor instantly reacted, their eyes sharpening as they prepared to intercept the descending strike.
Roar!
Before the silver lightning could strike, a deep, bestial roar erupted from Xiao Hua's body. In the next instant, a mysterious purple Lightning Beast emerged, crackling with arcs of divine thunder. With a savage snarl, it opened its maw and devoured the descending bolt as if it were nothing more than a snack.
Zi Yan blinked, stunned into silence. She smacked her lips in disbelief, her eyes wide with awe. That terrifying lightning—which would have left her grievously wounded—had been swallowed in an instant. The sight left her momentarily speechless.
"See…" Xiao Hua's lips curled into a teasing smirk. With a playful tone, he said, "I told you not to worry."
Little Fairy Doctor, Tian Huo Zun-zhe, and Zi Yan exchanged glances before sighing softly. Though none of them had expected it, Xiao Hua clearly possessed some mysterious methods that allowed them to move through the Stormcoil Mountain Range without being harmed by the volatile lightning.
"If you had a way to deal with it, you should've said so!" Zi Yan puffed out her cheeks in frustration, her tone filled with discontent. "Don't keep it hidden and make me panic like that, Xiao Hua!"
"Ha ha… Even I didn't expect we'd be struck by lightning so soon," Xiao Hua replied with a slightly awkward chuckle.
Naturally, no one argued. After all, none of them had anticipated being targeted by a lightning bolt within mere minutes of entering the range.
"Still… it seems the rumors may hold some truth," Tian Huo Zun-zhe said thoughtfully, his gaze lingering on the purple Lightning Beast with evident interest. "That this mountain range was once the battlefield between two ancient clans bearing Dou Di bloodlines… it doesn't sound far-fetched."
"That might be so…" Xiao Hua responded softly, his voice trailing off.
He could see the curiosity in Tian Huo Zun-zhe's eyes, yet he knew he could not satisfy it. He had spoken about the matter with Sister Azure and Sister Xue Yue in the past, but both had firmly chosen to keep the truth from him.
At first, he suspected there might be a profound reason behind their refusal. But in truth, it was far simpler—they simply disliked drawing attention to themselves. As far as they were concerned, the fewer people who knew about them, the better.
"It's so desolate here… Is there even anything worthwhile in this godforsaken place?" Zi Yan murmured, her gaze sweeping over the barren landscape of the Stormcoil Mountain Range.
All around them, there was nothing but shattered rocks—scorched and broken by the wild bolts of lightning that crackled through the churning black clouds overhead. The entire mountain range felt like a graveyard, carved by the wrath of the heavens.
"To be fair, we're still in the Peripheral Peaks, the outer coils of the Stormcoil Mountain Range. The inner coils are still some distance away," Xiao Hua replied with a quiet sigh.
"Then let's pick up the pace," Little Fairy Doctor suggested, her eyes settling on Xiao Hua's face with a hint of concern. "There's no point in lingering here and getting struck by lightning again and again."
"…You're right. It's too dangerous for Zi Yan to stay exposed to this place for too long," Xiao Hua nodded after a brief moment of thought.
He had originally intended to use the wild lightning here to nourish the Lightning Beast, allowing it to absorb and store the dense lightning energy. However, if the lightning around the outer edge was already this intense, then the deeper regions would surely be far richer in lightning force. There was no need remain here for too long.
Without further delay, the group surged forward. Enveloped in the protective barrier Xiao Hua had cast around Zi Yan—and guided beneath the shadow of the purple Lightning Beast—they transformed into streaks of light and shot deeper into the outer coils of the Stormcoil Mountain Range, leaving the shattered rocks and violent thunder behind.
…
After a long and arduous journey through the rugged terrain—navigating sharp ridgelines and narrow winding passages—Xiao Hua and his group finally stepped into the Inner Coil of the Stormcoil Mountain Range.
What greeted them, however, left all but Xiao Hua momentarily stunned.
Beyond the final pass, the oppressive darkness of the outer coils gave way to an entirely different world. A vast, verdant forest stretched before them, bathed in clear sunlight. The skies above were a calm blue—completely unlike the storm-filled heavens they had left behind.
None of them had expected this. The Inner Coils, rarely entered and scarcely recorded in any texts and maps, were said to be even more perilous than the outer layers. And yet, the scene before them was one of surreal beauty.
"This… is the Inner Coil of the Stormcoil Mountain Range?" Zi Yan murmured in awe, her eyes wide as she took in the breathtaking sight.
Even Little Fairy Doctor and Tian Huo Zun-zhe found themselves briefly speechless, their disbelief plain on their faces.
Yet despite the serenity and beauty, a subtle solemnity settled over them.
Beneath the lush green canopy and towering ancient trees—some reaching heights of tens of thousands of feet—they could still sense it: the overwhelming lightning energy that permeated the entire region. It pulsed faintly through the ground, the air, and even the leaves.
This forest was not formed through ordinary means. Rather, it had been nurtured and refined over countless years by the dense lightning essence of heaven and earth, shaped into its current form by nature's relentless will.
"This is truly… lightning giving birth to wood and earth," Xiao Hua murmured softly. He had witnessed such a phenomenon before—within his spiritual sea, in the realm shaped by the Lightning Beasts. But seeing it unfold in the real world was still a striking experience, even if it didn't shake him as much as it did the others.
"Looking at this, I'm starting to doubt my earlier words about this place being a battlefield between two ancient clans…" Tian Huo Zun-zhe said with a wry smile, his eyes scanning the beautiful yet deeply unnatural forest before them.
Unlike the Peripheral Peaks, which bore the scars of wild lightning and devastation, the Inner Coil showed no trace of war or destruction. There were no shattered peaks or scorched earth—only towering trees, serene skies, and an overwhelming stillness. Clearly, this was not a land ravaged by battle.
"Let's go." Xiao Hua shook his head slightly and stepped forward, his tone turning solemn. "But stay alert once we enter the forest."
He cast a glance over his shoulder, his gaze sweeping over his companions as he warned, "The most dangerous thing here isn't the forest... but the living beings that thrive within it."
Little Fairy Doctor and the other two nodded in dense solemness and alarm. Unlike the Peripherals Peak, which have no living beings within, they could feel a sense of life within the vast verdant forest. Naturally, they are to thread this with extreme cautious.
Upon stepping into the verdant forest, the group immediately sensed the difference. The lightning energy here was far denser—and far purer—than what they had encountered in the Peripheral Peaks. However, with that purity came an equally terrifying undercurrent of destructive power. Even the trees and wild grasses emanated a latent force that could not be underestimated.
Worse still, the sheer abundance of lightning essence distorted their spiritual perception. Visibility and spiritual sensing were both heavily impaired; even the keenest senses could barely reach beyond a few dozen meters. It was clear—this forest was a place hostile not just to humans, but to most Magical Beasts as well.
"This forest is vast… and strange," Tian Huo Zun-zhe muttered, eyes scanning the eerie stillness. "Is there any way for us to locate your brother and sisters?"
"There is," Xiao Hua replied with a nod, retrieving a glowing communication jade token from his storage ring. The token emitted a faint light when he turned in a certain direction, but the glow dimmed and eventually vanished when he faced another.
"Due to the interference from the lightning essence, it's difficult for the jade to lock onto their exact position," he explained calmly, eyes fixed on the shifting glow. "But it can still guide us toward their general location."
Xiao Hua led the way, moving steadily through the forest as Little Fairy Doctor and the others followed closely behind. Fortunately, the protective barrier remained intact, keeping them within sight of one another and shielding them from the chaotic lightning essence in the air.
The Lightning Beast had already returned to Xiao Hua's spiritual sea the moment they left the Peripheral Peaks—it had no interest in devouring the lightning forest.
Roar!
Without warning, a thunderous roar erupted ahead. A blinding light streaked past them in an instant, forcing the group to halt as an enormous scorpion-shaped beast—its body crackling with lightning—rushed toward them at terrifying speed.
With Xiao Hua's reflexes and the strength of both Little Fairy Doctor and Tian Huo Zun-zhe, they could dodge. But Zi Yan, still at the Dou Huang realm, would be left defenseless. Worse, evasion would force them to exit the protective barrier—something that would severely disrupt the Dou Qi circulation of even Tian Huo Zun-zhe and Little Fairy Doctor under the forest's suppressive lightning field.
With evasion no longer an option, Xiao Hua made his move.
A golden glow burst to life beneath his feet as his figure blurred, vanishing from where he stood and reappearing directly in front of the onrushing lightning scorpion. Without hesitation, he stepped beyond the barrier, positioning himself to intercept the beast before it could tear through the barrier.
With a firm clench of his fists, a pair of snow-white gauntlets materialized on his arms, gleaming with an ethereal light. Manoeuvring his Dou Qi towards the fist, Xiao Hua thrust his fist forward to meet the charging beast.
Sensing the sudden threat, the lightning scorpion reacted instantly. Its massive azure tail lashed down in silence, so swift it seemed to split the very air. The moment before impact, a sharp whistle cut through the stillness—then its venomous stinger clashed head-on with Xiao Hua's incoming fist.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion erupted as fist and stinger collided, sending a violent shockwave rippling through the air. The ground trembled beneath their feet, and trees nearby quivered under the force.
Both combatants were forced back—but while Xiao Hua only retreated a few steps, the lightning scorpion was hurled nearly a hundred paces away before it managed to halt its momentum.
Only when the beast came to a stop did its full form become visible to the others—and the sight shook them to the core.
It was massive, its azure carapace crackling with arcs of wild lightning that danced across its body like living chains. Its two titanic pincers were so large that they could effortlessly snap an ancient tree in half. Atop its back arched a towering stinger, razor-sharp and gleaming with a chilling, metallic light.
But what drew the most attention—and astonishment—were the white, glowing patterns etched into its armored shell. They weren't random markings. They formed distinct shapes—eight flowing dragons, each winding along its body as if alive, their forms shimmering with divine majesty and raw power.
Xiao Hua's pupils shrank slightly, and even Tian Huo Zun-zhe, Little Fairy Doctor and Zi Yan found themselves holding their breath.
"Heavenly Lightning Dragon Scorpion!"
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