At this stage, Wang Yu's body cultivation had reached a bottleneck. To break through to the third realm, he would need to condense a staggering 9,999 drops of blood essence and undergo one final cycle of triple condensation and dispersal.
Even with the aid of dragonblood elixirs refined from Dragonblood Essence, the process couldn't be rushed. The accumulation required was immense. Worse still, after years of use, he was down to a quail-egg-sized fragment of Dragonblood Essence—far from enough to fuel the next breakthrough.
It was time to seek alternative resources.
Inside the Starfall Cold Furnace, Wang Yu slowly opened his eyes, feeling the subtle transformation in his body. A satisfied smile crept across his face.
"Didn't expect my body cultivation to surpass my Qi cultivation. I've already reached the standard of late Foundation stage… and Foundation seventh layer isn't far off either."
He probed his true essence. Within two years, he could break through again.
The lightning tempering effect of Thunderfall Abyss was simply too potent. And it had only been a few days.
After adapting to the changes, Wang Yu resumed cultivation. As the lightning's effect began to wane, he activated the Wind-Lightning Pattern Technique to continue progressing.
He didn't notice the storm brewing above.
Or rather, he deliberately avoided sensing it—afraid that extending his divine sense might alert the Core cultivators. As long as Snowjade remained stable, he had no intention of leaving.
Thus, the lightning storm in the abyss raged on—far longer than usual. Normally, it would subside after half a day. This time, it persisted.
It was as if his cultivation was fueling the storm itself.
—
Elsewhere in the Abyss
Qi Sheng's face was grim. His Lightning Ward Talismans had long been depleted. He now hid inside his life-bound artifact, the Azure Nether Cauldron, trapped in a tunnel with no way forward.
Snowjade, meanwhile, huddled inside the Corpse-Nurturing Coffin, surrounded by the ghoul and two corpse puppets. The poor fox was terrified—it had never been apart from Wang Yu for so long.
Thump—
Qi Sheng slammed the cauldron wall. Winds howled around him, revealing his inner turmoil. He was losing the war of attrition.
His companion should've responded by now. But the lightning field blocked all transmissions. He was cut off.
Four or five days had passed. The storm showed no signs of stopping.
He grew increasingly anxious. What if Nascent Soul cultivators from Yunling arrived and caught him?
He now realized Wang Yu's strategy: delay and exhaust.
Clearly, Wang Yu had planned this from the moment he entered Thunderfall Abyss.
Qi Sheng had two options:
Abandon the chase. Use his artifact to shield himself and force his way out. If successful, he could return safely to You Province.
Push deeper. Wang Yu was only Foundation stage. He couldn't move under this lightning barrage. The odds of catching him were high.
But… what if he was wrong?
Even with Elder Dizang on the verge of Nascent Soul, Qi Sheng didn't want to risk it.
"I've done enough. I'm not one of those slackers. Time to go."
He shrank the cauldron, suspended it overhead, and released Azure Nether Winds to shield himself. He ascended diagonally—just enough to miss the lightning sphere Wang Yu had cultivated.
—
Twelve days later
Wang Yu's body was saturated with lightning. The patterns that once covered only his upper arms now spread across his entire body.
The Wind-Lightning Pattern Technique was complete.
These patterns acted like batteries, storing wind and lightning energy. Full-body coverage meant maximum capacity.
Once unleashed, the power boost would be unimaginable.
However, the stored energy couldn't regenerate quickly. After one use, he'd need time to recharge—making it hard to use repeatedly in battle.
"Too bad only the lightning pattern is complete. The wind pattern still lags behind."
Still, he was satisfied. This tier-three burst technique would serve him well until peak Core Formation. The wind pattern could be refined slowly.
After finishing his cultivation, Wang Yu cautiously scanned the area. Sensing no threats, he used Purple Dragon Earthshift to return to the tunnels.
He reached out with his divine sense to locate Snowjade. It hadn't moved in half a month.
His brow furrowed.
Soon—
"Awroo awroo awroo—!"
"Hm?"
"Awroo!"
"Ah, I see."
After a clumsy exchange, Wang Yu pieced together what had happened. He patted the Corpse-Nurturing Coffin sympathetically.
Snowjade: "(o_0)???"
The coffin, a corpse-path artifact, was naturally weak against lightning. After half a month of soaking in the storm, it was covered in lightning patterns and had faded in color.
Its internal space was flooded with lightning, forcing the ghoul into a corner.
Wang Yu: "…"
The two corpse puppets had fared better—but they too bore lightning marks.
This gave Wang Yu an idea.
He used Dark Yin Palm to extract a chunk of lightning-infused rock, then carved two stone coffins with Ice Sword Slash. He placed the puppets inside.
He buried them in lightning-charged soil and monitored them with divine sense.
To his surprise—mutation began.
The corpse demon responded well. The corpse fiend resisted, its yin and death energies evaporating.
Wang Yu discarded the fiend and focused on the demon, hoping to induce a lightning-based mutation.
Snowjade shrank and perched on his shoulder.
They began retracing their path.
He wasn't sure if the pursuers had left, but after so long, reinforcements from Yunling should've arrived. He was likely safe.
Still, he used Soul-Seeking Mountain Search every half incense stick.
He also kept collecting lightning-charged soil to feed the mutating corpse demon.
—
Half a day later—
Wang Yu returned to the center of Thunderfall Abyss.
He looked up. A tiny white dot—daylight from the surface—shone faintly. It couldn't reach the depths, but it gave him comfort.
"It's over."
This ordeal had taught him a harsh lesson: the gap between rogue and hegemonic Core cultivators was vast. He wondered how Qingyang was doing.
His most trusted ally couldn't afford to fall.
He spread his Frostmoon Wings, preparing to fly upward—
CRACK!
A bolt of lightning streaked past, glowing blue-white.
It didn't strike the ground—it raced toward the center.
As if drawn by something.
Wang Yu's eyes narrowed. Thunderfall Abyss was too strange. Surely there were rare lightning-type treasures here.
He'd explored the tunnels for days and found nothing. That was suspicious.
If the treasure lay at the center of the hundred-li-wide pit… he believed it.
"Since I'm here, might as well take a look."
What's the worst that could happen?
He didn't say the last part aloud.
With that thought, he veered sharply and shot toward the center.
As he approached, lightning grew denser—like serpents converging from every direction.
They all flowed into the darkness ahead.
Wang Yu accelerated.
Soon, he saw charred skeletons littering the ground—blackened, fleshless, melted by lightning.
They were everywhere.
He recalled the legends of Thunderfall Abyss. These must be the treasure seekers who came before.
They'd noticed the anomaly and rushed toward the center—only to meet disaster.
But the occasional lightning bolt couldn't have caused this level of destruction.
"Did they trigger a lightning storm while approaching?"
He grew wary. He activated Soul-Seeking Mountain Search more frequently.
He also remembered the legend of Ji Meng, the ancient beast said to have slain a Soul Formation cultivator here.
If true, the danger ahead was unimaginable.
If false—then what had caused this carnage?
Mid-flight, Wang Yu suddenly halted.
Thunderfall Abyss lay deep within Yunling. If a Soul Formation relic existed here, the Blood Reversal Sect would've claimed it long ago.
Only danger remained.
Unless the unique environment had birthed a new lightning-type treasure… but even that would've been harvested.
This wasn't like the Eastern Capital Ruins, with formations, seals, and dormant monsters. Core cultivators could explore this place freely.
He hesitated.
"No one's come here for a reason. Better not tempt fate."
He turned to fly upward.
But curiosity gnawed at him. He kept glancing down.
He activated Lunar Ghost Eyes to their fullest.
A risky impulse—but human nature is hard to resist.
And it paid off.
His perfected eye technique revealed something unusual.
In Moonwatch Mode, he could see the yin of all things.
Five li ahead, in the depths of darkness, a cluster of radiant yang energy pulsed—emitting waves of spiritual light.
Technically, it wasn't at the center yet.
"Just a peek? Just a peek!!"
(End of Chapter)
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