Chapter 152 - 109: Killing with a Bang_1
The most important things for a Robbing Cultivator are keen eyesight and a resolute heart.
Although the man in the black robe lacked eyesight, his heart was very decisive. Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, he turned around and fled, even employing a secret Demon Path technique to transform into a pitch-black rainbow light, escaping rapidly into the distance.
“Supreme Jade Pure King, Nine Heaven Universal Transformation Heavenly Venerable!”
“Transform Ten Directions World, subdue all demon spirits!”
“Holding divine qi in hand, whipping the wind, lashing the thunder!”
“Commanding the Five Yuan Skill, aiding souls through the long night!”
“Heavenly Venerable’s imperial edict commands, appointing the position: Grand Spiritual Officer of Universal Inspection, fierce official without bias across the Three Realms!”
“Divine soldiers, hurry forth like a decree!!!”
Xu Yang recited the spell, and the Thunder Series true method was instantly completed.
In a blink, thunder roared, and lightning streaked across the sky.
Even the dense Cumulated thundercloud underfoot began at the same instant to sound with booming thunder and flash with bright lightning.
Xu Yang formed the Thunder gesture with his hand, urging his mana, and within an instant, the world around him darkened, then brightened once again.
“Boom!”
A bolt of lightning, striking down furiously, locked onto the black rainbow light that had already escaped a hundred paces away.
Five Thunder Demolishing Demon Spell!
Xu Yang, now at the Foundation Establishment stage of cultivation, corresponded to a Taoist True Man in the World of Dao and Law.
A Taoist True Man is already capable of deploying thunder spells, including the Five Thunder Destroying God Spell, Five Thunder Demolishing Demon Spell, Five Thunder Slashing Demon Spell, and so on, embodying the thunder’s peak, excising demons and evil, and driving out malevolence with righteous methods.
The Five Thunder Demolishing Demon Spell is one of them, complementing the Five Thunder Destroying God Spell.
Five Thunder Destroying God, annihilates the Divine Soul!
Five Thunder Demolishing Demon, primarily breaks the demon body!
It utilizes thunder to blast the flesh and body.
Compared to the Five Thunder Destroying God Spell, which targets the Divine Soul, the Five Thunder Demolishing Demon Spell is faster and its effects are more direct and visible.
Just one thunderbolt descended, aiming straight at the fleeing black demonic light.
Feeling the threat of the devastating heavenly thunder, the demonic light flickered, becoming unpredictable, repeatedly changing its course, attempting to dodge the blasting thunder.
However, no matter how it shifted and dodged, the thunder relentlessly locked onto its form, never veering off course.
In the end…
“How can this be!”
With an alarmed shout, the heavenly thunder struck, and the demonic light was utterly obliterated, revealing a person’s figure.
It was the man in the black robe.
The exquisitely black robe, once radiant with mysterious light, was now reduced to tattered cloth. Even as a Supreme Grade magic artifact, it could not withstand the strike of the thunder, and beneath the ruined garment, his body was streaked with blood, covered in burn marks, vast expanses of skin, flesh, and even bones were charred to ashes. After they crumbled away, fresh red flesh and innards were exposed…
What a gruesome sight.
Even for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, such injuries are extremely severe, reaching the brink of life and death.
This was the result of Xu Yang hastily casting the spell, the power of the thunder somewhat lacking.
If he had time to open an altar and fully invoke the Five Thunders, coupled with the skill traits of the “Thunder Lightning Mana King”, not to mention a mere early-stage Foundation Establishment opponent, even those at the middle and even late stages of Foundation Establishment would perish under the thunder, leaving not even bones behind.
This is the might of “Five Thunder Demolishing Demon.”
Five Thunder Boom, targeting the physical body specifically!
Xu Yang, at the midpoint of the Foundation Establishment stage of cultivation, completely overpowered the opponent with his mana and Taoist cultivation. Moreover, with the authority of the Thunder Series True Scripture that suppressed Demon Path skills…
“Pffft!!!”
The man in the black robe, his escaping light shattered, burst out in a pitiable explosion of his body, suffering an unprecedented heavy hit. No longer capable of fleeing or even maintaining flight, he plummeted straight into the lake.
Xu Yang arrived on a cloud, reaching out his hand, and with thunder transforming into a great palm, he plunged into the lake and pulled out a person, no, a corpse.
It was indeed that man in the black robe, clearly already dead.
There’s no recourse, before the power of thunder, all methods cease!
The might of the pivotal force of heaven and earth, all skills and bodies must yield, and his Demon Path body was especially susceptible. The fact that he wasn’t instantly shattered to pieces was the result of Xu Yang’s restraint.
A battle between Thunder Cultivators is inherently overpowering. Moreover, it was a mid-stage against an early-stage Foundation Establishment opponent—with realm, cultivation level, and foundational potential fully superior, even overwhelming. If one can’t instantly defeat the enemy under these conditions, what kind of Thunder Spell is it?
Xu Yang retrieved the corpse, storing it in his Storage Bag, and then turned to collect the spoils from his earlier disposable foes.
Though disposable, he was still at the tenth layer of Qi Cultivation; even the leg of a mosquito is flesh, and there was no reason to let it go.
Fetching the charred corpse, he stored it in his Storage Bag, and after confirming nothing was left behind, Xu Yang finally rode his cloud away.
Thus a great battle came to an end.
The rain stopped and the clouds dispersed, the thunder and lightning had passed.
White Dragon Lake returned to tranquility.
But this was only on the surface.
Soon…
After a short while, inside White Dragon Tower.
“Steward!”
A maid hurriedly came reporting the news.
“What?”
Yun Yan’s eyes narrowed as she looked at the maid: “Is it true?”
“Not a word is false!”
The maid nodded her head, speaking solemnly: “Just now, seventy-five li outside of White Dragon Island, it was witnessed by numerous cultivators!”
“Is that so?”
Yun Yan then regained her composure: “Do we know the identity of the Foundation Establishment Robbing Cultivator?”
“According to the description of his appearance, the performance of his skills… It should be the infamously notorious Zhang Jia with his Demon Hand!”
“Zhang Jia?”
Yun Yan frowned: “I heard that this person practices demon skills and has a notorious reputation, his methods being extremely strange. Several cultivators from the markets who were combat-ready at the Foundation Establishment level tried to capture him but were repeatedly evaded by him, and he even counterattacked in secret, assassinating one. To this day, the victim is entwined with demonic fire, enduring agony day and night, unable to recover.”
“To think that he has now fallen at White Dragon Lake.”
“This Elder Shi, no, King Shifa, is truly remarkable!”
Finishing her words, she then looked towards the maid: “How many moves did the two exchange, and what methods did they employ?”
“This…”
The maid shook her head with a wry smile: “The specifics are unknown, and no one dared to closely watch the battle. However, according to the accounts from those who were nearby, Elder Shi, no, King Shifa seemed to have only made three moves.”
“Three moves?”
Yun Yan’s heart skipped a beat, she became even more amazed, “What about three moves?”
The maid narrated, “King Shifa started with a palm strike, killing Zhang Jia’s demon minion, then another palm forced the hidden Zhang Jia out of concealment, and finally, he mobilized his Thunder Series skills to summon heavenly lightning. From a hundred paces away, he struck down Zhang Jia, who was fleeing with his Escape Light, all with three moves.”
Such a description from the maid plunged Yun Yan into silence.
After a long while, she finally let out a wry laugh, “It seems we have underestimated this King Shifa!”
The maid lifted her head, puzzled, “What do you mean, Steward…?”
Yun Yan shook her head, declaring solemnly, “When I met him earlier this year, I found him unfathomable and even more elusive!”
“Initially, I thought he had merely broken through Qi Cultivation to reach Foundation Establishment, but now it seems likely that he had achieved Foundation Establishment long ago, and the change in aura I sensed back then was a breakthrough from the early to the middle phase.”
“This man is actually a mid-stage Thunder Cultivator!”
“No, no, no!”
She hadn’t finished her thought when she shook her head again, dismissing it, “Mid-stage Foundation Establishment may not be the truth either. Given his style, it’s possible he’s still hiding his strength, and late-stage Foundation Establishment is also a possibility.”
“A late-stage Thunder Cultivator in the stages of Foundation Establishment!”
“Within the bounds of Liang Country, aside from the Three Sects of Golden Core, who could roam as freely as he?”
“This Zhang Jia picked the wrong person to rob, he really didn’t know whether to live or die.”
At this point, Yun Yan let out an inexplicable smile, “It’s a pity that only a Zhang Jia was lured out. If those other robbing cultivators in Foundation Establishment and those few old fogeys were also drawn out and caught in one fell swoop, then my White Dragon Island would finally know peace.”
Having said that, she pondered for a moment and then instructed the maid, “Collect the items from that previous list as much as possible, no matter the cost. Since this incident originated from our White Dragon Island, whether intentional or not, we must offer an apology, and not neglect our duty!”
“Yes!”
News had reached White Dragon Tower, and rumors flew through the marketplace.
“Have you heard?”
“Heard what?”
“Didn’t you hear the big commotion outside just now?”
“It was just thunder, what’s so strange about that?”
“That was someone engaging in magical combat.”
“Such a huge commotion, it has to be the sound of combat, could it be… a Foundation Establishment Cultivator?”
“Just now, one of the robbing cultivators in Foundation Establishment attempted to slay King Shifa outside the island, but instead, he was thunderously annihilated by King Shifa.”
“Shi Jian!”
“He really has broken through!”
“Zhang Jia might have been a Demon Cultivator, deeply vulnerable to Thunder Series spells, but would he really be killed by one strike?”
“His command over Thunder Series is extraordinary; he most definitely has an impressive background!”
“That Old Ghost Shi is truly cunning; clearly having already made a breakthrough in Foundation Establishment, yet he has been feigning incompetence, clearly hoping to lure others into a trap. Luckily, I didn’t fall for that, or else the one dead today wouldn’t have been Zhang Jia.”
“Damn it, I knew it, that Old Ghost Shi is full of schemes. Back then he baited The Three Scourges of White Dragon, and now he’s baited the demon-handed Zhang Jia.”
“Just what kind of dragon crossing the river has he turned out to be…”
All were shocked and apprehensive.
On the other side…
Xu Yang, having changed his appearance to his original look, had returned to Dongting Lake on a cloud.
Cumulated thunderclouds, aside from thunder and lightning, carried mist and rosy light, which could change shape or even shift into concealment.
Upon leaving White Dragon Island, he had entered a state of “Concealing Presence Flight,” using the mist and rosy light to hide himself and making use of certain skill traits to further conceal his presence. Without Golden Core cultivation or the art of Spirit Eyes, no one would think to discover him.
Thus, Xu Yang didn’t have to worry that anyone would follow the trail of “Shi Jian” to find his lair.
After returning to Dongting Lake, he did not rush back home but instead patrolled the eight hundred waterways.
Lately, many unfamiliar faces had turned up in Dongting Lake, some ordinary people and some Cultivators.
Some were Loose Cultivators who had been bilked by the Three Sects of Golden Core because the rental fees for Cave Mansions spiked thrice daily, depleting their Spirit Stones and forcing them to eke out a living in the mundane world, where they happened to take a fancy to Dongting Lake.
Though inconvenient, they posed no great threat.
But others were different.
Within the main hall of the Flying Fish Gang, in a study…
A young man stood with his hands behind his back, gazing into the night sky.
Two subordinates reported in a serious tone.
“Young master, after several days of investigation, we’ve pinpointed the location.
“The Cultivators who’ve gone missing recently are likely trapped there.”
“We released Spirit Beasts to scout, but it’s like a stone sinking into the ocean; not a single bit of news came back!”
“The mere mortals we sent, the majority discovered nothing, likely confused by a Formation.”
“A few who carried Talismans never returned, probably detected.”
“Good, you may leave. Maintain surveillance and don’t act rashly,” the young man responded after hearing the reports, not saying anything more.
“Yes!”
The two nodded and left the study.
The young man was left alone, his brows furrowed with tension and an inexplicable unease.
The matter of Immortal fate had become systematic, with many Cultivation families in the mortal realm possessing power, monitoring anomalies everywhere, and hunting “Immortal fate Men!”
His Wang Family was no exception.
In recent years, however, they’ve detected a significant anomaly.
Dongting Lake!
Over the years, hundreds of Cultivators have come to Dongting for various reasons and then vanished without a trace.
That is not normal, highly abnormal, even exceeding the usual scope of “Immortal fate.”
“Hundreds of Cultivators couldn’t have disappeared without reason!”
“There must be some secret hidden within Dongting Lake!”