The violent winds of the Forbidden Valley finally subsided, leaving behind a scene of utter desolation. The charred earth, craters of varying sizes, and the faint smell of ozone lingered in the air, silent witnesses to the cataclysm that had just unfolded. Li Chen stood at the center of this destruction, his body still emanating a faint, golden-purple thunder glow. His eyes, once filled with pain and despair, now blazed with an unyielding, domineering light, as if he had transcended the very laws of heaven and earth.
He slowly raised his right hand, and a thin strand of chaotic thunder emerged from his palm, coiling like a tiny, living dragon. Unlike the wild, destructive lightning of nature, this thunder was calm, controlled, yet filled with an overwhelming authority. It was the true manifestation of the Chaos Thunder inheritance he had awakened—a power that stood above all others, capable of suppressing all laws and commanding all spirits.
Li Chen closed his eyes, focusing his consciousness inward. The moment the Chaos Thunder awakened, his entire being had been completely transformed. His shattered dantian, once the source of his despair, had been reconstructed into a brand-new, peerless thunder core. This core pulsed with a violent yet orderly energy, drawing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth at a speed dozens of times faster than any ordinary cultivator. His meridians, broken and crippled, had been reforged into channels of pure thunder, able to withstand the immense power of his new cultivation system. Even his bones and flesh had been tempered by the chaotic thunder, becoming far more resilient and powerful than before.
"Chaos Thunder… the first thunder under the heavens," Li Chen murmured, his voice deep and resonant, filled with a sense of destiny. "Ancient inheritance, peerless power… from today onwards, I am Li Chen, the Thunder Sovereign."
A wave of memories surged into his mind, memories from the ancient era, memories of the primordial god who had once owned the Heaven-Defying Cauldron, memories of the vast, boundless cultivation world that lay beyond his imagination. These memories were not just knowledge, but a profound comprehension, allowing him to instantly understand the fundamental principles of the Chaos Thunder, its infinite possibilities, and its terrifying power.
He opened his eyes, and in that instant, the entire valley trembled once more, as if responding to his will. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth, which had been surging around him, suddenly converged into a massive, swirling vortex directly above his head. Dark clouds gathered rapidly, and faint thunderbolts flickered within, a clear sign that his aura had far exceeded the limits of the mortal realm.
Li Chen took a deep breath, and the vortex above him suddenly erupted. Streaks of golden-purple thunder rained down, merging into his body without the slightest resistance. Each strike of thunder was equivalent to a month of hard cultivation for an ordinary cultivator. In just a few minutes, his cultivation base surged forward, from the initial stage of Foundation Establishment to the middle stage, and then to the late stage, finally stopping at the peak of Foundation Establishment.
But this was not enough.
Li Chen's lips curled into a cold smile. He was not satisfied with simply reaching the peak of Foundation Establishment. He wanted more—he wanted to break through the very limits of the mortal realm, to transcend the boundaries that had confined cultivators for thousands of years. He focused all his energy on the Chaos Thunder core within his dantian, channeling the immense power of the chaotic thunder to impact the invisible barrier between the Foundation Establishment and Golden Core realms.
Crack—
A faint, crisp sound echoed in his mind, like the breaking of a thin glass. The barrier that had blocked countless cultivators was easily shattered by the overwhelming force of the Chaos Thunder. In an instant, a brand-new, brilliant golden-purple core took shape in his dantian, rotating rapidly, absorbing and refining the spiritual energy of heaven and earth with extreme efficiency.
Golden Core Realm.
Li Chen had broken through to the Golden Core Realm in one step, a feat that was unheard of in the entire history of the cultivation world. Ordinary cultivators needed to accumulate spiritual energy for years, conducting countless small breakthroughs, before they could even think of reaching the Golden Core Realm. But Li Chen, with the help of the Chaos Thunder, had done it in a matter of minutes.
He opened his eyes, and his gaze, once focused on the peak of Foundation Establishment, now looked toward the vast, boundless sky, filled with ambition and disdain for the world. His aura had completely changed, from the calm dominance of a Foundation Establishment cultivator to the overwhelming, tyrannical pressure of a Golden Core expert. Even the air around him seemed to condense, as if even the laws of heaven and earth were bowing to his will.
Li Chen stretched his limbs, feeling the immense power surging through his body. He could now easily lift a mountain with one hand, split a river with one finger, and even fly through the air with ease, a privilege that only Golden Core cultivators and above possessed.
But he did not rush to leave. Instead, he sat cross-legged on the charred earth, closing his eyes once more to fully comprehend his newfound power. The breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm was just the beginning. He needed to familiarize himself with this new power, to stabilize his cultivation base, and to further explore the infinite possibilities of the Chaos Thunder.
As he sat in meditation, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth continued to surge around him, forming a thick, golden-purple mist that enveloped his entire body. This mist was not just spiritual energy, but a concentrated form of the Chaos Thunder, a rare and precious resource that could greatly accelerate a cultivator's growth. Li Chen allowed this mist to enter his body, refining it with his Chaos Thunder core, further strengthening his dantian, meridians, and soul.
Time passed slowly, and the sun rose and set twice in the valley. When Li Chen finally opened his eyes again, the golden-purple mist around him had completely dissipated, and his aura was even more stable and domineering than before. His cultivation base had been completely stabilized at the early stage of the Golden Core Realm, and he had a thorough understanding of the Chaos Thunder's various abilities and usages.
He stood up, brushing the dust off his clothes, and looked toward the direction of the Azure Cloud Sect. The towering main peak of the sect could be seen faintly in the distance, like a giant beast lying in wait, ready to pounce at any moment.
The senior brother who betrayed him, Zhang Hao.
The fiancée who abandoned him, Su Yan.
The sect that had once given him hope, only to crush it completely.
All of them, along with all those who had looked down on him, mocked him, and hurt him, would soon pay the price. Li Chen's eyes blazed with a cold, fierce light, filled with an unquenchable desire for revenge.
But he was not reckless.
He knew that the Azure Cloud Sect was not as simple as it seemed. Besides Zhang Hao and Su Yan, there were numerous elders, core disciples, and hidden experts who were far more powerful than him. If he rushed back to the sect now, he might be able to kill Zhang Hao and Su Yan, but he would surely be surrounded and killed by the sect's experts, his revenge ultimately ending in failure.
He needed to grow stronger.
Much stronger.
He needed to accumulate enough power to overthrow the entire sect, to make all those who had opposed him pay a price worse than death. He needed to become so powerful that even the heavenly courts would fear his name, so powerful that he could transcend fate and control his own destiny.
Li Chen turned his gaze toward the deeper, more dangerous parts of the mountains. It was said that beyond the Forbidden Valley lay a vast, boundless mountain range, filled with countless demonic beasts, natural treasures, and dangerous ancient ruins. It was a place of great danger, but also a place of great opportunity.
For a cultivator, danger and opportunity always went hand in hand.
Li Chen's lips curled into a confident smile. He was no longer the weak, helpless youth he had once been. He was Li Chen, the Thunder Sovereign, the inheritor of the Chaos Thunder. He was confident in his ability to survive in any dangerous environment, to overcome any obstacle, and to grow stronger with every step.
He took a deep breath, and his figure suddenly vanished, leaving behind only a faint trail of golden-purple thunder. He had unleashed his supreme movement, the Thunder Sovereign's Step, moving at an incredible speed that far exceeded the limits of ordinary Golden Core cultivators. In the blink of an eye, he had crossed the entire valley and entered the dense forest that lay beyond.
The forest was dense and dark, filled with the chirping of birds and the howling of wild beasts. The spiritual energy here was far more intense than in the Forbidden Valley, and the air was filled with a faint, fresh scent. Li Chen moved through the forest with ease, his golden-purple thunder vision allowing him to see clearly even in the darkest depths, his sensitive ears catching every subtle sound.
As he walked, he kept a close eye on his surroundings, alert to any potential danger. He knew that the demonic beasts in the mountains were far more powerful than those in the outer regions, and that many of them possessed intelligence and abilities that were no match for ordinary cultivators.
But Li Chen was not afraid.
He was confident in his strength, confident in the power of the Chaos Thunder. Any demonic beast that stood in his way would be crushed by his thunder, becoming a stepping stone on his path to ascension.
After walking for about an hour, Li Chen suddenly stopped. He raised his head, his gaze sharp, and looked toward a certain direction in the forest. There, he could feel a faint, rich spiritual energy, mixed with a hint of a strange, dangerous aura.
A natural treasure.
Li Chen's eyes lit up. He quickened his pace, moving toward the source of the spiritual energy. As he drew closer, the aura became more and more intense, and he could even hear the faint, excited chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves, as if some kind of feast was taking place there.
Finally, he arrived at a small, open space. In the center of the open space grew a single, strange plant. The plant was about the height of a person, with a thick, green stem, and large, glossy leaves that shimmered with a faint, golden light. At the top of the plant bloomed a single, bright red fruit, about the size of a fist, emitting a rich, sweet fragrance that made people's mouths water.
Spiritual Ginseng Fruit!
Li Chen's eyes widened in surprise. This was a rare and precious natural treasure, a mutated spiritual ginseng that had absorbed the essence of heaven and earth for thousands of years, finally bearing fruit. Eating this fruit would allow a cultivator to instantly absorb a massive amount of spiritual energy, greatly accelerating their cultivation speed, and even have a chance to break through to a higher realm.
For Li Chen, who was in the early stage of Golden Core and was in urgent need of resources to grow stronger, this Spiritual Ginseng Fruit was simply a timely gift from heaven.
But as he was about to step forward and pick the fruit, a low, menacing roar suddenly echoed from the surrounding trees.
Li Chen's expression turned serious. He quickly stepped back, raising his hand to condense a strand of chaotic thunder, ready for battle.
From the dense forest, several massive figures slowly emerged. They were demonic beasts, each about the size of a small elephant, with black fur, sharp fangs, and blood-red eyes. Their bodies were covered in thick, tough scales, and they exuded a fierce, tyrannical aura that far exceeded that of ordinary Golden Core cultivators.
Three-headed Hell Dogs!
Li Chen recognized them at a glance. These were powerful demonic beasts that were famous for their ferocity and strength. Each of them was at the peak of Golden Core, and together, they possessed a combined strength that was equivalent to that of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
It seemed that these three-headed Hell Dogs had also discovered the Spiritual Ginseng Fruit, and were determined to claim it as their own.
The three-headed Hell Dogs let out another roar, their eyes filled with greed and ferocity. They fixed their gaze on Li Chen, as if they had already marked him as their prey.
Li Chen's lips curled into a cold, fierce smile. He had just broken through to the Golden Core Realm, and was in desperate need of a real battle to test his strength. What better opponent could there be than these three powerful demonic beasts?
"Come on," Li Chen said in a low voice, condensing more chaotic thunder into his hands. "Let me see how powerful the so-called peak Golden Core demonic beasts really are."
With that, he charged forward, his figure moving at an incredible speed, leaving behind a trail of golden-purple thunder afterimages.
The three-headed Hell Dogs let out a roar of rage, charging toward Li Chen, their massive bodies shaking the ground.
A titanic battle, one that would determine the fate of the Spiritual Ginseng Fruit, and Li Chen's path of ascension, had begun.