When Liu Bai confirmed that the perfected realm of his Five Elements Divine Lightning Art could grant him an extremely strong immunity against lightning, he finally exhaled in relief and stopped drawing in the thunderbolts.
Just as he stepped out from the lightning, he immediately saw that withered and skinny black shadow hovering in the sky.
"Senior? You are…" Liu Bai asked curiously.
Within his heart however, he was not surprised in the least.
If his guess was correct, then the true body of the Northern Sea Dragon resided within this Thunder Domain. With all the commotion he had caused on the seventh layer, there was no way he could have escaped its perception. In fact, this was precisely his purpose for coming here…
At this moment, the Northern Sea Dragon was smiling at Liu Bai with squinting eyes. Seeing him appear like this, it finally spoke. "Hehe, you little fellow have truly given this old man a tremendous surprise. Originally, I thought you would need at least a year to reach the standard I required. It seems you are far more outstanding than I imagined."
Liu Bai showed a silent expression, as if concealing some secret he did not wish to reveal.
At this, the Northern Sea Dragon only laughed loudly. "Do not think too much, little one. Everyone has their own secrets. I do not care how you reached this step. That has nothing to do with me. I merely came to confirm whether you already possess the strength to fulfill our agreement."
Liu Bai nodded silently and then asked, "Then may I know what result Senior obtained?"
"Hehe, the result I see seems to no longer need to be spoken of…"
"Then little one, are you now willing to fulfill our agreement?"
"I am willing."
"Good, then let us go."
After a few short words, the Northern Sea Dragon wasted no more time. It appeared beside Liu Bai, its hand landing on his shoulder.
The moment it grabbed him, Liu Bai felt his vision plunge into darkness and then an overwhelming dizziness surged over him.
However, this dizziness did not last long before it quickly dissipated.
"All right."
That faint voice of the Northern Sea Dragon rang in his ears, and Liu Bai opened his eyes. He was immediately stunned by the scene before him.
It was a dim and shadowy space, the entirety of it shrouded in an eerie blackness. Yet what truly shocked Liu Bai was not the color of the space but what loomed above. A boundless black sea of lightning stretched without end, with countless black rivers of thunder cascading down, like thousands upon thousands of pillars of dark lightning descending from the heavens.
Even though he had mentally prepared himself, Liu Bai was still utterly shaken. Staring at the black lightning sea, he could clearly see gigantic arcs of lightning leaping within it. A deep rumbling spread throughout this world, carrying an indescribable might of heaven and earth.
"What is this place?"
Liu Bai pretended ignorance as he asked, though the astonishment on his face was genuine.
"The final layer of the Thunder Domain," the Northern Sea Dragon replied casually.
Liu Bai sharply sucked in a breath of cold air. "So this is truly the final layer of the Thunder Domain? No wonder it contains such terrifying thunder power. Compared to this place, the seventh layer of the Thunder Domain is like a child's plaything."
The Northern Sea Dragon grinned and pointed toward the endless black lightning sea.
"Then look carefully at what is different about the lightning there."
Liu Bai focused his gaze and sensed for a while. His expression turned pale as he gasped. "That cannot be the Black Divine Lightning, can it?"
The so-called Black Divine Lightning was the tribulation lightning that spiritual beasts faced when attempting to shed their spirit form and ascend to divine form. Even those fearsome supreme beasts struggled to resist such thunder.
"All the thunder power in the other layers of the Thunder Domain is leaked out from here," the Northern Sea Dragon said with another laugh.
Liu Bai was left speechless, once again filled with shock.
Afterward, he cautiously asked, "Senior, why did you bring me here? What do you want me to do?"
Whether it was because his acting was too convincing or because the Northern Sea Dragon never considered any other possibility, seeing Liu Bai's cautious appearance, the elder rubbed his bony hands together and revealed a smile. That smile, however, only made Liu Bai feel a chill run through his bones.
The next instant, the Northern Sea Dragon extended its finger toward the black lightning sea that loomed deep within the space and said with squinting eyes, "I want you to enter that lightning sea and retrieve something for me."
"…"
Liu Bai's expression immediately froze. He stared wide-eyed at the Northern Sea Dragon, as though doubting whether he had misheard.
"You want me to enter that place?" Liu Bai blinked, pointing toward the endless black lightning sea.
The Northern Sea Dragon nodded calmly.
"No, Senior, surely you jest? With my current ability, entering there is nothing but seeking death. Although we had an agreement, you cannot disregard my life like this." Liu Bai immediately put on an indignant look.
The Northern Sea Dragon remained unshaken, smiling faintly. "Of course I will not send you to die in vain. But danger will certainly exist. To obtain something, one must pay a price. The cultivation art I promised you is a Deity-grade Art. To take a little risk is worthwhile."
At these words, Liu Bai showed a conflicted expression, seemingly wavering between his own life and the Deity-grade Art.
Seeing this, the Northern Sea Dragon added more bait without changing its expression. "Oh, and let me tell you, this Deity-grade Art has an extraordinary origin. It is said to have been simplified from the ancient Divine-grade Arts themselves. If one cultivates it to its profound depths, it may even reproduce the essence of those ancient Divine-grade Arts. Even in the Great Thousand World, such a thing would be fought over by countless peak experts."
This was the final straw that broke the camel's back. The previously hesitant Liu Bai instantly deflated, muttering dejectedly, "Fine, Senior, you win. I agree to enter that lightning sea."
"Hahaha, good boy. I knew you would not disappoint me." The Northern Sea Dragon burst into hearty laughter.
At the same time, Liu Bai was secretly elated.
He had not expected the cultivation art mentioned by the Northern Sea Dragon to have such origins. It seemed he had truly come to the right place. As for whether there really was a possibility of reproducing the ancient Divine-grade Arts, he did not know. But regardless, he was certain he would not lose out.
Of course, the Northern Sea Dragon would not lose out either, making this a perfect win-win situation.
"Senior, what is it that you want me to retrieve in there?" Liu Bai asked with feigned curiosity.
The Northern Sea Dragon's turbid gaze fixed on the black lightning sea as he spoke faintly. "The Thunder God Pill."
"The Thunder God Pill?" Liu Bai was startled, his face full of puzzlement, as if he had never heard this name before.
Seeing this, the Northern Sea Dragon explained, "Although it is called a pill, it is not something refined by man but something refined by heaven and earth itself."
"Only when the power of lightning has accumulated to a terrifying extent will there be a slim chance of a Thunder God Pill being born. For hundreds of years, I have tirelessly searched for the Black Divine Lightning, even going so far as to construct this Thunder Domain, all for the sake of nurturing the Thunder God Pill."
At this point, the Northern Sea Dragon suddenly let out a sigh and continued, "My luck was actually not bad. The Thunder God Pill did indeed form, but who could have thought that at the very moment of its birth, another existence was born alongside it. It is precisely because of that existence that I have been unable to retrieve the Thunder God Pill."
"What kind of thing is it that even you cannot deal with?"
"I call it the Thunder Spirit. It is not a dead object but a strange form of life. This sea of lightning itself can be considered its body."
Liu Bai immediately revealed an expression of being shocked for a hundred years.
"Fortunately, this Thunder Spirit does not possess strong intelligence. However, if I attempt to approach, I will suffer its fiercest attacks."
As he spoke, the Northern Sea Dragon curled his lips slightly, and a cold gleam flickered in his eyes as he gazed at the black sea of lightning.
"If I were to go all out, I could certainly destroy it, but doing so would also obliterate the Thunder God Pill that was nurtured with such difficulty. Thus, for so many years, this stalemate has continued."
"Why not ask other powerful experts of the Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy for help?" This time it was not an act, for Liu Bai truly felt curious about this matter.
"Of course I have tried." The Northern Sea Dragon shook his head, then continued, "But it was useless. That Thunder Spirit is extremely cautious. Back then, I came here with Tai Cang, but the moment he stepped inside, the sea of lightning erupted violently. If two of us appeared together, the Thunder Spirit would sense danger. If, at that time, it were to perish together with the Thunder God Pill, then the hundreds of years of my painstaking effort would have all been in vain."
Liu Bai immediately understood.
If not for his own appearance, the Northern Sea Dragon would likely have followed the same path as in the original course of events, waiting until Mu Chen, the Son of the World, arrived before finally succeeding.
This could also be considered one of Mu Chen's fateful opportunities. If not for the need to have Mu Chen retrieve the Thunder God Pill, the Northern Sea Dragon would never have passed down the complete Thunder God Physique. Without it, Mu Chen would have missed an extremely important body refinement Deity-grade Art in his early cultivation.
Thinking of this, Liu Bai could not help but feel inexplicably delighted.
"Senior, what should I do next?" Liu Bai raised his head and asked directly.
"I will act to lure out that Thunder Spirit. You will then slip into the sea of lightning and search for the Thunder God Pill," said the Northern Sea Dragon. "But you must be careful. Although your Five Elements Divine Thunder can perfectly conceal your aura, you must pay attention to time. Moreover, the Five Elements Divine Thunder itself holds great attraction for Thunder spirits. Even if the Thunder Spirit may not have the chance to notice you under my interference, it is best to be swift and decisive just in case."
"Understood!" Liu Bai nodded. He certainly would not gamble with his own life.
Seeing this, the Northern Sea Dragon did not waste any more words and began to rise slowly into the air.
In the next instant, Liu Bai felt the entire space suddenly erupt into violent turmoil. Ripples of spatial waves spread madly in all directions like a storm of space, causing the entire realm to tremble.
A terrifyingly overwhelming pressure spread forth.
It was Sovereign Pressure.
Liu Bai's expression changed. Facing such a terrifying aura for the first time, even though it was not directed at him, it still shook him to the core.
The Northern Sea Dragon's expression was solemn. Behind him surged boundless dark waves, and within those waves, an unimaginably massive fish emerged, breaking through the tides.
A roar erupted that shook the heavens and earth. The colossal fish suddenly tore apart the endless ocean and then spread out an immense pair of dragon wings that blotted out the skies.
"So this is the Northern Sea Dragon?"
In that instant, words from Zhuangzi of Liu Bai's past life flashed through his mind. In the Northern Sea there is a fish, its name is Kun. The Kun is so great that none can know its thousands of li. When it transforms into a bird, its name is Peng. The back of the Peng is so vast that none can know its thousands of li. When it rises in fury, its wings spread across the heavens like clouds.
All this time, Liu Bai had never felt any true sense of this phrase. After all, he had never personally seen such a colossal creature.
Even after arriving in the Great Thousand World and witnessing many massive spiritual beasts, never before had he seen one like the Northern Sea Dragon.
This was simply too enormous. Its body stretched for tens of thousands of zhang, so vast that one could not see the end of it with a single glance. The oppressive might it exuded seemed as if even this entire space could not contain it.
A deafening boom resounded.
As the Northern Sea Dragon revealed his true form, a terrifying thunderous roar erupted from within the black sea of lightning.
Liu Bai snapped out of his shock and lifted his gaze to the sky.
From within that sea of lightning, countless towering pillars of black lightning surged into the heavens. They gathered above the sea, finally condensing into a formless black Thunder Spirit.
Rivers of lightning cascaded from its body. A pair of pitch-black lightning eyes appeared, as deep as black holes, staring across the distance at the Northern Sea Dragon.
A thunderous roar burst forth as the black Thunder Spirit seemed to bellow in fury at the provocation of the Northern Sea Dragon. Black lightning raged outward, enveloping a radius of several thousand zhang.
The violent rumbling of thunder reverberated across the space. The destructive power swept forth as if it could annihilate the heavens and the earth, making one tremble in fear.
Liu Bai silently watched the two terrifying existences clash above his head. At this moment, he felt himself to be utterly insignificant.
But that was only natural.
After all, this Northern Sea Dragon was already on the verge of breaking through to the Earthly Sovereign stage, a top-tier Divine Beast that even within the Great Thousand World would count as a powerhouse. As for that Thunder Spirit, it was a terrifying innate spiritual entity. Their battle was something that even ordinary Sovereigns would not dare approach.
Liu Bai quietly observed without making any move.
Only when the Thunder Spirit's attention was firmly locked onto the Northern Sea Dragon Kun would the opportunity to act be at its best. Otherwise, just as the Dragon Kun had said earlier, if he were to attract the Thunder Spirit's notice, even a single thought from it could reduce Liu Bai to dust.
....
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