25: Hyotei's True Body 2

After thanking him, everyone entered the main hall. The internal space was much larger than it appeared from the outside, with countless corridors crisscrossing like a maze.

"Should we split up?" Hu Jia suggested.

Yao Lao shook his head, "Too dangerous. The space here changes on its own; once we get separated, it will be difficult to reunite."

Xiao Bing took out the Source Ice Heart, which was emitting a faint blue light. "Follow this."

Guided by the Source Ice Heart, everyone passed through layers of corridors and finally arrived before a stone door carved with flame patterns.

"This is it," Xiao Yan said with a solemn expression. "Last time, I stopped at this door."

There was a groove in the center of the stone door, its shape matching the Source Ice Heart. Xiao Bing hesitated for a moment before placing the Source Ice Heart into the groove.

"Click..."

The stone door slowly opened, and an ancient aura rushed out. The room was empty, with only a golden lightning bolt suspended in the center, emitting a heart-palpitating pressure.

"Ancient Emperor Thunder!" Xiao Bing's eyes lit up.

Just as he was about to step forward to collect it, the stone door suddenly closed! A golden barrier separated the others, leaving only Xiao Bing inside.

"Xiao Bing!" Han Yue anxiously pounded on the barrier.

Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's voice echoed in the room, "To obtain the Ancient Emperor Thunder, you must pass three questions."

Xiao Bing said in a deep voice, "Please ask."

"First question: What is power for?"

Xiao Bing pondered for a moment, "To protect what I love, and to defend what I believe."

"Second question: What is the Peak for?"

"To not betray my Heart-Nature, and to not go against my original intention."

"Third question: What is life and death for?"

Xiao Bing looked at the anxious crowd outside the barrier, especially Han Yue, who was full of worry, and said softly, "To live together in joy, and to die without regret."

After a moment of silence, the Ancient Emperor's voice sounded again, "A good answer, but... it's not enough."

The golden lightning suddenly surged, transforming into a Lightning Dragon that pounced on Xiao Bing! Xiao Bing instinctively activated the seven Spiritual Thunders to resist, but found that the Qi in his Dantian was completely solidified!

"Pfft!"

The Lightning Dragon pierced through his chest. Xiao Bing grunted, kneeling on one knee. Blood overflowed from the corner of his mouth, dripping onto the ground, where it turned into golden flames and burned.

"Xiao Bing!" Han Yue's voice was tearful.

The Lightning Dragon circled in the air and then swooped down again! This time, Xiao Bing did not resist; instead, he spread his arms, facing it calmly.

"Are you seeking death?" The Ancient Emperor's voice carried surprise.

Xiao Bing smiled, "Senior, if you truly wanted to kill me, I would have died with the first strike."

The Lightning Dragon suddenly stopped the moment it touched Xiao Bing's glabella, transforming into specks of golden light that merged into his body.

"Hahaha..." The Ancient Emperor laughed, "What a cunning boy!"

The stone door reopened, and everyone rushed in. Han Yue immediately helped the tottering Xiao Bing, tears in her eyes. "How are you?"

Xiao Bing shook his head, indicating he was fine, and then was surprised to find that the Ancient Emperor Thunder was quietly suspended in his Dantian, coexisting harmoniously with his other seven Spiritual Thunders.

"This... succeeded?" Hu Jia was incredulous.

Yao Lao was pensive, "Ancient Emperor Senior was testing Xiao Bing's Heart-Nature."

Xiao Yan patted Xiao Bing's shoulder, "Well done! Now there's only one more left."

Xiao Bing nodded, but then suddenly frowned. "No..."

"What's wrong?" Little Fairy Doctor asked with concern.

Xiao Bing inwardly examined his Dantian, and his expression became strange. "The Ancient Emperor Thunder... is transmitting information to me..." He looked up at everyone. "The location of the Heavenly Tomb Thunder has changed; it's not in the depths of the Heavenly Tomb, but in..."

"Where?" Everyone asked in unison.

"The Soul Clan Ancestral Land!" Xiao Bing said in a deep voice. "Soul Heaven Emperor transferred the Heavenly Tomb Thunder there before his death!"

Everyone looked at each other. The Soul Clan Ancestral Land, that was an even more dangerous place than the Soul Hall headquarters!

Yao Lao sighed, "It seems we must make a trip."

— —

Seven days later, outside the Soul Clan Ancestral Land.

A strange black mist permeated the eerie valley. Even with everyone's strength, they could feel a distinct discomfort.

"The black mist is highly poisonous," Little Fairy Doctor reminded. "Even my E Nan Poison Body is struggling a bit."

Xiao Yan took out a bottle of Medicinal Pills and distributed them. "These are detoxification pills refined with the Purifying Demonic Flame; they can last for two hours."

Han Yue suddenly grabbed Xiao Bing. "I sense it... The Moonlight Thunder is warning us that there's something extremely dangerous deep within the Ancestral Land."

Xiao Bing reassuringly squeezed her hand. "Soul Heaven Emperor is dead; the remaining forces of the Soul Clan are nothing to fear."

"No..." Han Yue shook her head. "It's not the Soul Clan... It's something else..."

Xiao Yan's expression was solemn. "No matter what it is, we have to go in. We must get the Heavenly Tomb Thunder."

Everyone took the Medicinal Pills and cautiously entered the black mist. As they went deeper, the surrounding scenery became even more bizarre—trees twisted into painful human shapes, black liquid occasionally seeped from the ground, and faint wails echoed in the air.

"These... are all traces of the Soul Clan's experiments," Yao Lao said sorrowfully. "They used living people to Cultivate evil techniques..."

Suddenly, Xiao Yan, who was walking in front, raised his hand to signal a stop. "Movement!"

In the black mist ahead, dozens of figures slowly emerged. They stumbled, their eyes hollow, and a decaying aura emanated from them.

"Soul Puppets!" Hu Jia exclaimed. "Battle Puppets refined by the Soul Clan!"

Upon discovering everyone, these Soul Puppets immediately roared and lunged. Just as Xiao Yan was about to strike, Xiao Bing stopped him. "I'll handle it."

He raised his hand and waved, and eight Spiritual Thunders intertwined into a net, instantly engulfing all the Soul Puppets. Lightning flashed, and the Soul Puppets turned to ash.

"Keep moving forward."

Along the way, they encountered several waves of Soul Puppet attacks, but none could stop their progress. Finally, they arrived at the core of the Ancestral Land—on an altar, the last Spiritual Thunder, the "Heavenly Tomb Thunder," was bound by chains, surrounded by strange blood-colored runes.

"Something's wrong..." Han Yue suddenly clutched Xiao Bing's arm. "The Moonlight Thunder is afraid..."

Xiao Bing also felt the abnormal agitation of the Spiritual Thunder within him. "Those runes... are not the work of the Soul Clan!"

Yao Lao's face changed drastically after a careful examination. "This is... the writing of the Extraterrestrial Evil Clan! Soul Heaven Emperor truly had a connection with them!"

Just then, the runes on the altar suddenly glowed with dazzling blood-red light! The Heavenly Tomb Thunder struggled violently, and the chains rattled. A hoarse voice came from the Void Realm:

"Finally... I've been waiting for you..."