93: Thunder Purification 2

Ling Xiao gratefully clutched the rune, then walked towards Thunder Lord. The lightning face opened its mouth, forming a gate of light: "Jump in, directly into the Thunder Pool. Remember, once the purification begins, it cannot stop. Either succeed, or die!"

Ling Xiao looked back at his two elder brothers, then leaped into the gate of light. With a flash of lightning, his figure disappeared.

After the gate of light closed, Thunder Lord's face turned to Xiao Yan and Xiao Bing: "You can wait here, or..." He pointed to a shorter mountain in the distance, "Go to the Thunder Viewing Platform over there, and you can see the situation in the Thunder Pool."

"Thunder Viewing Platform." Xiao Yan chose without hesitation.

Thunder Lord nodded, and two bolts of lightning struck down, forming a stair-like lightning path in front of them: "Follow it, don't touch anything else."

Following the lightning path, Xiao Yan and Xiao Bing arrived at the so-called Thunder Viewing Platform—actually a flat, massive stone protruding from the mountain. From here, they could clearly see the scene at the summit of the main peak opposite: a circular pool about a hundred zhang in diameter, filled not with water, but with liquid lightning! The surface of the pool constantly churned with purple-white electric plasma, occasionally erupting in blinding flashes.

Ling Xiao's small figure stood at the edge of the Thunder Pool, appearing incredibly tiny. Even from this distance, both could see him trembling all over—that was the instinctive fear of a living being facing destructive energy.

"Can he do it?" Xiao Bing unconsciously clenched his fists.

Xiao Yan didn't answer, his right eye fixed on the Thunder Pool. In the Flame Lord's Fire's vision, the lightning energy in that pool was pure to the extreme, indeed having the potential to purify Chaos pollution, but the process...

As if responding to his thoughts, the Thunder Pool suddenly boiled! A pillar of lightning descended from the sky, completely engulfing Ling Xiao! The young man looked up and let out a heart-wrenching scream, clearly audible even from this distance!

"Ling Xiao!" Xiao Bing suddenly rushed forward, but Xiao Yan pulled him back.

"Don't be impulsive! Interfering now will only kill him!"

Ling Xiao's figure twitched violently in the electric light, his skin began to crack, and blood evaporated before it could even flow out. Most terrifyingly, the black threads twisted frantically under the stimulation of the lightning, drilling out of his body, resisting the lightning like living creatures!

"Hold on... kid..." Thunder Lord's voice echoed through the mountains, "The first wave is just a warm-up!"

No sooner had he spoken than the electric plasma in the Thunder Pool suddenly rose, forming dozens of electric snakes that wrapped around Ling Xiao! These electric snakes burrowed directly into his seven orifices and wounds, releasing violent thunderous power within his body! Ling Xiao's screams abruptly ceased—not because the pain was gone, but because his vocal cords had been burned away!

Xiao Bing's eyes were bloodshot, his nails digging deep into his palms: "This isn't purification... it's torture!"

Xiao Yan's heart was also in agony, but he knew Thunder Lord was right—gentle methods were completely ineffective against Chaos pollution. He could only pray that Ling Xiao's will was strong enough, and the Spirit of the Plane's Origin was stable enough...

The torment in the Thunder Pool lasted for a full hour. Ling Xiao could initially stand, then could only kneel, and finally lay completely by the edge of the pool, only his occasional twitching body proving he was still alive. Most of the black threads had been cleared, but at the cost of Ling Xiao's life aura becoming weaker and weaker.

"He's reaching his limit..." Xiao Yan murmured, ready to rush up and save him at any moment.

Just at this critical moment, a dazzling silver light suddenly burst forth from Ling Xiao's body! The Spirit of the Plane's power fully erupted, forming a mysterious resonance with the lightning. Even more astonishingly, the remaining black threads no longer resisted, but cunningly merged into the silver light, temporarily hiding themselves!

"Cunning beasts!" Thunder Lord cursed, "They're pretending to be purified, but actually waiting for an opportunity to counterattack!"

Sure enough, when the next wave of lightning descended, the black threads suddenly erupted! They no longer dispersed, but converged into a single strand, rushing directly towards Ling Xiao's heart! The Spirit of the Plane's power immediately defended, and the two energies fiercely clashed within Ling Xiao's body. The young man's body strangely floated up, his limbs twisted into impossible angles!

"Not good!" Xiao Yan's face changed drastically, "The energy conflict is exceeding his body's limit!"

Xiao Bing had already rushed out, with Xiao Yan close behind. Ignoring Thunder Lord's warning, they charged towards the main peak with all their might. However, after only a few steps, a lightning barrier blocked their path!

"Get out of the way!" Xiao Bing roared, his Xuanming Ice Flame striking the barrier with full force, but only leaving a few cracks on its surface.

Xiao Yan's right eye blazed with golden-red light, as the Flame Lord's Fire and the wrath seed activated simultaneously: "Break for me!"

The golden-red and azure-silver intertwined flames crashed into the barrier, finally tearing open a gap. The two rushed through the opening and sprinted towards the mountaintop. Lightning bolts continuously struck down along the way, each dodge a narrow escape.

When they breathlessly arrived at the edge of the Thunder Pool, the sight before them was terrifying—

Ling Xiao floated in the center of the Thunder Pool, most of his skin already scorched black, but the most terrifying thing was his eyes: completely black, no whites, no pupils, only pure black! His silver hair had also turned completely inky, dancing wildly in the lightning. Even more horrifying, black energy surrounded his body, devouring any lightning that approached!

"Completely corrupted..." Xiao Bing's voice trembled.

The corrupted Ling Xiao slowly turned his head, "looking" at the two. There were no words, only a whip-like black energy lash! Xiao Bing's hastily condensed ice shield shattered instantly, and a deep, bone-revealing wound was cut across his chest!

"Ling Xiao! It's us!" Xiao Yan tried to call out, but the response was another attack, this time even more fierce!

The two were forced to retreat, while the corrupted Ling Xiao slowly ascended, black energy spreading outwards like a tide. Wherever it passed, rocks dissolved, lightning was annihilated, and even space itself showed tiny cracks!

"We must stop him!" Xiao Bing gritted his teeth and stood up, "Before he completely loses control..."

Xiao Yan, however, held him back: "Wait... look at his movements..."

Although the corrupted Ling Xiao continuously released attacks, his movements had a strange regularity, especially his hands, which would occasionally form a specific hand Seal—precisely the starting stance of the Cultivation Technique "Burning Decisive" that Old Man Yao had taught the three brothers back then!

"He's struggling!" Xiao Yan suddenly realized, "The black threads have controlled his body, but Ling Xiao's instincts are still resisting!"

Xiao Bing also saw it: "But how can we help him? Approaching him will result in attack..."

Xiao Yan pondered for a moment, then suddenly made a crazy decision—he dispersed all his defenses, raised his hands, and slowly walked towards the Thunder Pool!

"Brother! Are you crazy?" Xiao Bing tried to pull him back, but Xiao Yan shook his head in refusal.

"Trust me." Xiao Yan said, and continued forward.

The corrupted Ling Xiao immediately "looked" over, black energy condensing at his fingertips. Xiao Yan did not dodge or evade, but instead began to form hand seals—also the Burning Decisive starting stance, and it was the most original version that Old Man Yao had personally taught them, even the rhythm was identical!

Incredibly, the corrupted Ling Xiao's attack hesitated. The black energy still swirled at his fingertips, but did not immediately release. Xiao Yan seized this opportunity, continuing to approach, while speaking, his voice as gentle as when Old Man Yao had taught them back then:

"Qi vortex, condense in the Dantian... Mind moves with will, fire arises from the heart..."

The corrupted Ling Xiao's body trembled violently, and a faint silver light flickered in his pitch-black eyes. Xiao Yan had already reached the edge of the Thunder Pool, one more step and he would step into the electric plasma!

"Brother! Be careful!" Xiao Bing suddenly shouted.

Ling Xiao's struggle seemed to enrage the black threads within him, and the black energy surged violently again! A black beam, ten times thicker than before, shot directly at Xiao Yan's heart! At such close range, and completely undefended, a direct hit would undoubtedly be fatal!

At the critical moment, the golden-red and azure-silver flames in Xiao Yan's right eye automatically erupted, forming a thin barrier in front of his chest. The black beam struck the barrier, did not penetrate, but strangely curved, flowing into Xiao Yan's right eye along the flames!

"Ah!" Xiao Yan screamed, falling to his knees. A heart-wrenching pain came from his right eye, as if someone had stabbed a red-hot iron poker into his brain! More terrifyingly, he felt the black threads taking root in his right eye, forming a terrifying balance with the Flame Lord's Fire and the wrath seed!

"Flame Brother!" Ling Xiao's voice suddenly rang out, no longer that hollow, dark echo, but his original voice!

Xiao Yan forced himself to look up, seeing the black in Ling Xiao's eyes receding, silver light once again taking dominance. The black threads seemed to have all transferred into Xiao Yan's right eye, and Ling Xiao had instead recovered his clarity!

"What... what did I do?" Ling Xiao looked at the messy scene around him and the injuries of his two elder brothers, his face filled with horror.

Thunder Lord's face reappeared, this time directly above the Thunder Pool: "Interesting... The black threads chose a stronger host. Flame Lord's successor, how do you feel now?"

Xiao Yan gritted his teeth and stood up, his right eye already a bizarre black-gold-silver vortex: "Very... good..." Each word was squeezed out through gritted teeth.

Ling Xiao stumbled over to support Xiao Yan: "I'm sorry... I didn't know..."

"It's not your fault." Xiao Yan forced a smile, "On the contrary, I should thank you... Now I can perceive the movements of the Black Pagoda Seed more directly."

Xiao Bing also walked over, his chest wound temporarily sealed with extreme ice: "So... is this considered a successful purification?"

Thunder Lord laughed loudly, and the entire mountain range trembled with it: "Successful? It's just beginning! However..." His face became serious, "The pollution in this kid's body has indeed been cleared. According to the agreement..."

A pure white bolt of lightning suddenly rose from the center of the Thunder Pool, and suspended within the light was a crystal-clear seed, with countless tiny electric currents flowing within it.

"nexus seed." Thunder Lord's voice suddenly became solemn, "It can connect all other seeds of the plane, and it is also the only key to detonating the pseudo-seed network."

Ling Xiao carefully took the seed. When his Spirit of the Plane's power touched the seed, something miraculous happened—eleven light points appeared within the seed, two of which were particularly bright: one azure-silver, which was the wrath seed within Xiao Yan; and one pure white, which was the seed from the Life Spring. There were also nine dim light points, which should be the locations of the other seeds of the plane.

"I see it..." Ling Xiao's silver eyes reflected these light points, "The next one is in... the south? No, it's the southeast..."

His words abruptly stopped, his face suddenly turning pale: "Not good! Something happened to the Source World!"

Through the nexus seed, Ling Xiao sensed violent fluctuations coming from the distant west—in the direction of the Ancient Clan Sacred Mountain, a pitch-black pillar of light shot up into the sky, tearing open a massive rift in space, and some indescribable terrifying existence was attempting to pass through the rift!

"Mystic Light... He used the Life Spring energy in Father's body to open the passage!" Ling Xiao's voice trembled, "The first Void Claws has descended!"

The black threads in Xiao Yan's right eye also sensed something, twisting violently. Through this connection, he saw an even more terrifying scene—the descending Void Claws was devouring everything around the Sacred Mountain. Wherever it passed, living beings, buildings, and even space itself returned to nothingness! And Mystic Light—who should now be called Xuanming—was kneeling before the monster, his face full of fanaticism!

"We must go back immediately!" Xiao Bing said anxiously, "Father and Grand Elder, they..."

Thunder Lord's face suddenly became blurry: "It's too late... Space has already been disturbed... Ordinary methods cannot return in time..." He hesitated, seemingly making a difficult decision, "Unless..."

"Unless what?" Xiao Yan pressed.

"Unless you are willing to risk using Thunder Teleportation." Thunder Lord explained, "That was the method the Spirit of the Plane used to travel between realms back then, but it has become extremely dangerous since the appearance of the Chaos Devourer... It's very likely to be intercepted midway."

The three looked at each other, not hesitating: "We are willing!"

Thunder Lord sighed: "Alright. Stand in the center of the Thunder Pool, I will guide the power of thunder..."

Just as the three were about to step into the Thunder Pool, Ling Xiao suddenly remembered something: "Wait! Senior Thunder Lord, who exactly are you? Why do you know so much about the Spirit of the Plane and the nexus seed?"

A trace of sadness, which Xiao Yan had never seen before, appeared on Thunder Lord's face: "Me? I am merely the most loyal guardian of that Spirit of the Plane from back then... a failure who watched him dissipate to Seal the Chaos Devourer and was powerless to do anything."

After saying this, the entire Thunder Mountain Range vibrated violently, countless lightning bolts gathered above the Thunder Pool, forming a gigantic lightning vortex: "Are you ready? This will be an... exciting journey!"

The three held hands and stood in the center of the Thunder Pool. The lightning vortex slowly descended, completely engulfing them. In the blinding electric light, their figures gradually blurred, finally transforming into three streaks of light shooting towards the west...