Chapter 148 - 145 Heavenly Thunder Body Refinement

Chapter 148: Chapter 145 Heavenly Thunder Body RefinementIn just a few days, a month’s time arrived as scheduled. After killing the Yama Ghost General, Murong Yun had promised to let Ye Xuan begin cultivating the Thunder Scripture, and when the time came, he did not delay any further and summoned Ye Xuan, apparently, it was finally going to start. From the words of the Guardian Elder, Ye Xuan had learned that the basic conditions for cultivating the Nine Heavens Thunder Scripture were extremely difficult, and required great determination to even begin its practice. A single misstep could even endanger one’s life. However, Ye Xuan had already prepared himself mentally; what was hazardous for ordinary people might not be as terrifying for him. Upon reaching the main hall of Yang Hall, Ye Xuan saw Murong Yun, whose visage looked somewhat haggard, evidently, the recent events in the back mountains had kept him busy. "Your cultivation..." The moment Murong Yun saw Ye Xuan, he sensed his advancement in cultivation and expressed his surprise. "I achieved it two days ago, but I’m afraid it will take some more time to condense the Golden Core." Ye Xuan bowed with cupped hands, transitioning from abstract to concrete. The step of condensing the Martial Arts Golden Core was crucial and could not be taken lightly, otherwise Ye Xuan could have already progressed further and broken through to Martial Sect. However, the quality of the Golden Core would undoubtedly be much inferior, and he would not do something so foolish. "Mhm, this can’t be rushed. Wait until you are fully confident before you proceed." As someone who had been through it all, Murong Yun immediately nodded. Now it seemed that Ye Xuan becoming a True Disciple was a foregone conclusion. Being too hasty could affect his future achievements, so it was better to be cautious and wait until there was absolute confidence before breaking through with a superior Golden Core. "The cultivation of the Nine Heavens Thunder Scripture is very important at the first hurdle, and your performance within this first hurdle will also determine how far you can cultivate this martial skill." Seeing Ye Xuan nod, Murong Yun brought the conversation to the main topic. The Nine Heavens Thunder Scripture, as the secret scripture of Yang Hall and even the number one esoteric technique of Heavenly Martial Hall, once mastered, would significantly enhance one’s strength. However, the difficulty lay in the fact that many people couldn’t even pass the first hurdle. "I understand." Ye Xuan’s expression remained unchanged. He had already heard similar words from the Guardian Elder. Everyone said this martial skill was difficult, and he wanted to see just how difficult it was. "Come with me to a place." Seeing that Ye Xuan was unmoved, Murong Yun said nothing more and proceeded to walk out of the great hall. Ye Xuan did not ask further and simply followed. ... In the northeastern corner of Heavenly Martial Hall, atop a cloud-piercing mountain peak, stood a dilapidated tower. Rising a hundred meters tall and built upon the mountain’s height, it became the tallest structure in Heavenly Martial Hall, as if it reached into the nine skies. Two figures appeared atop the tower, none other than Ye Xuan and Murong Yun, who had just left the main hall. "To cultivate the Nine Heavens Thunder Scripture, an extremely robust body is required as a foundation. Last time you entered the Yang Yuan Pond, the energy of Yang Gang tempered your body once, greatly increasing your physical strength. But relying on that alone is still not enough." Murong Yun stood with his hands behind his back, surrounded by a faintly dim sky. After looking up into the sky, he continued, "Next, I will draw the Nine Heavens Heavenly Thunder to temper your body for a second time, and this will be the most crucial one. The more heavenly thunders you endure, the better for you. How many you can withstand is up to you." "Body Refinement through Heavenly Thunder?" Ye Xuan was momentarily stunned, then a hint of surprise appeared on his face. No wonder the Guardian Elder had said that ordinary people couldn’t even pass the first hurdle. Body Refinement through Heavenly Thunder sounded quite extreme—the domineering power of thunder and lightning could easily turn someone into charred ash with the slightest carelessness; normally, unless someone was out of their mind, they wouldn’t intentionally seek out lightning to strike themselves. "That’s right, the process of Body Refinement through Heavenly Thunder is very domineering and requires enduring tremendous pain. Think it over carefully; if you wish to give up now, it’s still not too late." Murong Yun, noting the astonishment in Ye Xuan’s eyes, reminded him. "I’ve come this far; I might as well give being struck by lightning a few tries. With the Hall Master present, you probably won’t let me get struck dead by heavenly thunder." Ye Xuan spread his hands, displaying a fearless attitude. Moreover, prior to him, Lu Yan, the senior brother of Yang Hall, must have also undergone this Heavenly Thunder Body Refinement. Since he had endured it, there’s no reason for Ye Xuan to back down. "That should indeed not happen, for there is a Lightning Avoidance Array at the top of this tower that diverts some of the power of heavenly thunder. However, the strength of this array is limited. The further you go, the less effective it becomes, so the destructive power of the heavenly thunder will increase with each strike. When you can’t hold on, shout out." Seeing Ye Xuan’s demeanor, Murong Yun smiled, admiring his decisive nature. "Then let’s get started." A sharp light flashed in Murong Yun’s eyes, and then he turned over his palm and took out a fist-sized black pearl from the Qiankun Ring, placing it in the central groove at the top of the tower. "This Heavenly Grade treasure is known as the Thunder Drawing Pearl. Its function is to disturb the natural forces and draw down heavenly thunder." After a brief introduction, Murong Yun activated his overwhelming True Qi and infused it into the Thunder Drawing Pearl. Suddenly, a wild fluctuation emanated violently from him. Buzz. The top of the ancient tower beneath his feet lit up inch by inch, forming intricate patterns as if an ancient array had been activated. Whoosh! Once True Qi had been poured into it to a certain extent, a startling black beam shot out from the Thunder Drawing Pearl. Carrying a terrifying fluctuation, it shot straight into the nine layers of clouds, disappearing into the overcast sky. Boom boom boom! In just a few minutes after the beam shot out, the gloomy heavens thundered with a deep resonance. In the oppressively dark high sky, figures of thunder and lightning snakes began to emerge, slithering their way out. "Here it comes." Ye Xuan watched the Thunder Snakes infiltrating the sky, his expression becoming grave. He believed that Murong Yun could not be more clear about the power of the Heavenly Thunder. Using Heavenly Thunder for body refinement was an undoubtedly bold method. After all, the ferocity of thunder was too great—if there were any carelessness, the outcome might not be so favorable. "Get ready, unleash the power of Yang Gang!" As thunder and lightning began crawling out of the clouds, Murong Yun shouted at Ye Xuan. He then darted away from the top of the tower and hovered in the adjacent airspace, not straying too far. One reason was to avoid being affected by the Heavenly Thunder, and secondly, should any mishap occur, he would be able to lend assistance. Without needing to be reminded by Murong Yun, Ye Xuan’s spirit had already become highly focused. Following that, the Thunder Drawing Pearl at the center of the array suddenly pulsed. In the next moment, from the sky, a thick Thunder Snake was as if forcibly torn down. Dazzling thunderous light rapidly fell from the heavens, striking towards the figure sitting cross-legged atop the tower. As the rapidly enlarging lightning filled his gaze, Ye Xuan took a deep breath, his True Qi tinged with a hint of crimson, quickly enveloping his body. The speed of the thunderous light was extremely swift, and in an instant, the thunderous strike arrived with a bang, hitting Ye Xuan’s body hard. Buzz! In that moment, the Lightning Avoidance Array on top of the tower also opened up, forming a circular shape that expanded to over ten meters in diameter, enveloping the surroundings. Boom! Dazzling thunderous light burst forth above the top of the tower, blinding to the eyes. And within its midst, Ye Xuan’s body trembled violently as the lightning approached, his whole body as if hammered by ten thousand ruthless mallets. Even his bones emitted a sound of unbearable strain. Hiss, hiss! The thunderous light, like thousands of fine lightning strands, wound around Ye Xuan’s body, melting the True Qi defenses covering him. Then, it penetrated through his Mithril armor, invading every pore in his body indiscriminately. As the thunder and lightning entered his body, intense pain suddenly erupted without warning. His blood cells seemed to contract violently under this stimulus! Hiss! Even with mental preparation, after being struck by this bolt of lightning, Ye Xuan couldn’t help but suck in a breath of cold air. Such torture was indeed unbearable for an ordinary person. However, while enduring the ravaging of his body by thunder and lightning, tiny fractions of the power of thunder and lightning began to merge with the Yang Gang power in his True Qi after the fierce pounding... The Yang Gang power, once infused with the power of Heavenly Thunder, saw a significant increase in strength. "Again!" With a keen sense of empowerment, a trace of joy sprung up in Ye Xuan’s eyes. Although the process of refining his body with Heavenly Thunder was excruciating, with such results, the pain was worthwhile! Boom boom boom! Lightning flared, and the second and third bolts of lightning descended approximately ten and fifteen minutes later, respectively. As Murong Yun had said earlier, the power of the lightning was intensifying, and the effectiveness of the Lightning Avoidance Array was gradually diminishing. After three bolts of lightning, Ye Xuan could feel the power growing stronger underneath his tingling skin. His originally moderate Yang Gang power, after absorbing the power of the thunder, began to enhance his body swiftly, like a fish in water. Although the destructive power of thunder and lightning was strong and difficult to absorb even when remnants were left behind, Ye Xuan’s body contained an abundant amount of Yang Gang power drawn from the Yang Yuan Pond. This Yang Gang power seemed to naturally resonate with the power of thunder. Their fusion was much smoother than Ye Xuan had anticipated. "Bring on more!" A hint of madness flashed in Ye Xuan’s eyes. He flicked his finger towards the Thunder Drawing Pearl, and immediately, an intense fluctuation emanated from it. Boom boom! Above in the heavens, as if angry dragons tumbled, two beams of lightning were ripped down simultaneously. They plunged towards the earth with a ferocious momentum, striking towards the young figure sitting cross-legged on top of the tower.