Chapter 68 [Zhang Jiao, the Thunder Liberator]

"I'm very satisfied, Little Yaozi, you may withdraw." Gu Ye put away the [Wood-Carved Spirit Blood] card, a playful smirk hanging on the corner of his lips, as he deliberately drew out his tone to tease Bu Yao.

"Ah—Gu Ye! You're courting death! Today I will definitely cripple your third leg!" Bu Yao instantly flew into a rage, her little face flushed red with anger. She grabbed a throw pillow from the sofa and hurled it at Gu Ye, the fury in her eyes almost spilling over.

The two of them continued to bicker and laugh like this, and several days passed in the blink of an eye.

On the other side, Ning Shijun, relying on the vast resources of the [Salvation Cult of Pure Luck], quickly gathered all the card-making materials needed to create the Zhang Jiao card; everything was ready, and he only lacked the final push.

Inside the secret room, the light was soft, the environment was quiet, and the air was permeated with a rich spiritual aura and the ancient charm of the card-making materials.

In the spiritual space, Ning Shijun looked at the illusory card before him with a focused expression. His spirit drawing pen danced in his hand as he began to write out the world background for Zhang Jiao, and with his brushstrokes, it was slowly engraved into the card.

[Zhang Jiao, courtesy name Taiping, was born into a poor family in Bengou Town, a remote town on the outskirts of Demacia on the "Runeterra Continent," and was born with the special ability to perceive magic.]

[Under the iron law of Demacia that "magic is sin," his parents handed him over to the Mage-Seeker organization to save his life, and he was later trained as a Mage-Seeker.]

[Later, due to an accident, he was fitted with magic-suppressing Petricite shackles and thrown into the deepest part of the Mage-Seeker black prison, isolated from the world.]

[The Hero King Gilgamesh from afar arrived at the black prison by chance. Upon seeing Zhang Jiao, who was bound in iron chains, covered in wounds, yet still possessing an unyielding gaze, the Hero King felt a sense of appreciation. After spending some time together, the two gradually became friends. When the Hero King was about to leave, he gave Zhang Jiao a book, the "Taiping Qingling Shu," a powerful secret manual that Gilgamesh had accidentally obtained in the mysterious East.]

[Finally, Gilgamesh said one thing: Since you cannot change yourself, then let others change to adapt to you.]

[From the "Taiping Qingling Shu," Zhang Jiao realized a philosophy of salvation, equality, and a world without suffering, so he founded the Way of Peace and titled himself the Grand Preceptor of Great Benevolence.]

[After shattering his Petricite shackles with thunder and escaping the black prison, he wandered through Demacia for decades, witnessing countless deaths. He saw the corruption of the Demacian royal court, the suffering of the people, and grew to hate the hypocrisy of the Demacian monarchy and its unjust anti-magic system.]

[Thus, he set a grand plan: Demacia is dead, the Way of Peace shall be established, the year is Jiazi, and there shall be great peace under heaven.]

[He gathered oppressed mages and commoners from all over Demacia, formed a rebel army, and declared war against the hypocritical monarchy and the unjust anti-magic system.]

[Today, Zhang Jiao is the spiritual leader of all the oppressed in Demacia. He uses thunder to shatter the darkness, purify all evil in the world, and lead his followers to ignite the flames of resistance on Demacian soil. He firmly believes that he is not a rebel, but a true Demacian; what he wants to destroy is the corrupt old order, and establish a new nation where everyone is equal and magic belongs to all living beings.]

As Ning Shijun made the final stroke, he took a deep breath and calmly shouted those words: "Heavenly Dao is above, this card is complete, may the Heavenly Dao bear witness."

Ning Shijun waited nervously, and a crisp, melodious metallic clanging sound suddenly rang out in the secret room. "Ding—ding—"

The sound was ethereal and distant, carrying an unquestionable majesty. The moment he heard this sound, Ning Shijun's tense body relaxed instantly. He let out a long sigh of relief, feeling unburdened, and the nervousness and anxiety in his eyes were completely replaced by ecstasy.

A card, entirely gilded with complex golden runes engraved on the back, slowly descended from the void. The runes flowed, emitting a majestic and sacred aura.

Ning Shijun hurriedly reached out and carefully caught the card. He held it tightly and, unable to wait, focused his attention to examine it. The card's detailed information instantly and clearly appeared in his mind:

card: [Thunder Liberator · Zhang Jiao]

Quality: [Deep Gold · 7 Stars]

Category: [Magic / Summon / Humanoid]

Traits:

[Thunderstrike] A lightning-type magic realized by Zhang Jiao from the "Taiping Qingling Shu," drawing the thunder of heaven and earth for his own use.

[Way of Deception] The art of scattering beans to summon soldiers from the "Taiping Qingling Shu," which Zhang Jiao improved into a magic more suitable for himself after realizing it. When someone dies, Zhang Jiao automatically absorbs their soul and turns it into his own "Deceptive Soldiers" (limit 80).

[Mage-Seeker's Eye] A special eye awakened when Zhang Jiao was a Mage-Seeker, capable of seeing through falsehoods and looking directly at the enemy's weaknesses.

[Petricite Body] Immune to all sealing, silence, and suppression effects. Whenever an ally is deprived of power, imprisoned, or judged, Zhang Jiao gains one stack of "Fury." Each stack of "Fury" increases magic power and can reflect one control effect.

[Lord of the Way of Peace] Zhang Jiao will absorb the power of faith brought about by the influence of the Card Master, condensing a divine spark; without needing divinity, he can become a god on his own.

Skills:

[Thunder Tribulation]: Zhang Jiao invokes the laws of thunder between heaven and earth, shrouding an area and summoning heavenly thunder to attack.

[Enlightenment]: When an ally enters a near-death state, one "Deceptive Soldier" can be consumed to restore half of their injuries while clearing all negative effects from their body.

[Shackle Breakout]: The realization Zhang Jiao had when he broke his chains and was truly free for the first time; gains a shield. If he successfully breaks free from control during this period, the maximum number of [Way of Deception] "Deceptive Soldiers" is doubled.

[Return the Way, Repay the Body]: Can steal the strongest skill of one enemy and turn it into his own use.

[Command of the Thirty-Six Regions — General Tiangong]: Zhang Jiao can absorb the power of all allies and condense it into himself.

[Era of Great Peace]: When all allies die, including Zhang Jiao himself, it will summon the ideal nation he pursued his whole life — [World of Great Peace].

"Holy shit!!!!" Even Ning Shijun, who had extremely high cultivation and had experienced great storms, was shocked for a moment.

His gaze was locked firmly on the card trait [Lord of the Way of Peace], especially the words "divine spark," and the earth-shattering description that followed: "without needing divinity, he can become a god on his own."

Having experienced so much, Ning Shijun had long known that to break through to a Mythical-level Card Master, one must possess divinity. Therefore, he had long ago given up hope of ever breaking through to the Mythical level in this lifetime, but now Gu Ye had given him a huge surprise that almost knocked him out cold.

Ning Shijun gripped the card tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force. Tears shimmered in his eyes, but the corners of his mouth uncontrollably curled upwards as he burst into loud laughter: "Hahaha, kid, you really have given me an unimaginable surprise!"

"If I still cannot accomplish this great task after possessing Mr. Zhang Jiao, then how could I be worthy of him."