With his mind made up, Yu Yuanchen's gaze turned firm as he walked step by step toward the lone peak that bore the Thunderclap Nethervine. He no longer hid his aura; instead, he actively released his lightning-attribute soul power fluctuations, like a lighthouse lit upon a dark sea, clearly signaling his presence.
The Thunderclap Nethervine resting at the peak was immediately stirred. The mass of deep purple thunder clouds at its apex surged violently, emitting a sense of displeasure and warning. It showed no courtesy to this insignificant creature that dared to disturb its accumulation of power as it prepared to challenge the chasm.
"Sshhh-!"
A bolt of Ultimate Thunder, condensed into a ribbon just like before, tore through the sky and struck down ferociously with a will of pure destruction!
Yu Yuanchen had been prepared, but this time he chose not to rely on full defense or evasion. Instead, he kept his defense at a critical point while fully opening his senses to "welcome" the lightning!
"Boom!"
As the lightning hit his body, terrifying destructive energy instantly poured into his limbs and bones! His Dragon Scale Armor flickered unsteadily, his Lightning Strike Robe vibrated violently, and agonizing pain swept through his entire body like a tide, as if every cell were being torn apart and carbonized. He let out a muffled groan, blood spilled from the corner of his mouth again, and his body trembled slightly, but he forced himself to remain steady, refusing to retreat!
His spiritual power was highly concentrated, like the most precise instrument, analyzing every fraction of power contained within the lightning. He clearly "saw" the core of destruction capable of annihilating everything, but he also captured a faint yet incredibly resilient spark of new "life force" that sprouted quietly the moment the destructive power reached its peak and the old structure was completely shattered! It was like a green bud sprouting from a charred trunk after being struck by lightning!
"So that's how it is... Life force is not the opposite of destruction, but the end of destruction. It is the conclusion of the old order and the beginning of the new! Destruction itself is the most extreme form of 'purification,' clearing the obstacles for new life!"
After the lightning faded, Yu Yuanchen was lightly injured, but his eyes erupted with an unprecedented, brilliant light! He immediately sat cross-legged, consumed a pill, and circulated his soul power and qi and blood to repair the damage, all while digesting the precious enlightenment he had gained at the cost of his pain.
Once his injuries healed and his state returned to its peak, he stood up again and triggered the second heavenly thunder!
During this period, the Thunderclap Nethervine seemed to sense something and sent him a message, stating that it could cooperate with Yu Yuanchen in his comprehension of Ultimate Thunder, but if he succeeded, he must help it do one thing. Otherwise, it would no longer tolerate his provocations; if Yu Yuanchen provoked it again, it would kill him with all its might. Furthermore, if it failed its tribulation, it would inevitably detonate its remaining body, leaving nothing for Yu Yuanchen.
Yu Yuanchen agreed helplessly; after all, compared to gaining nothing, agreeing would allow him to obtain great benefits. Additionally, Yu Yuanchen stated that he would only help if he had the capability, and if his life were in danger, he would prioritize his own survival.
The Thunderclap Nethervine agreed.
And so, a long-lasting, almost masochistic cultivation began.
At first, he only dared to take one heavenly thunder at a time, then needed several days to repair his body and digest his insights. As he grew familiar with the laws of conversion between destruction and life force in the Ultimate Thunder, and as his physique and soul power slowly strengthened under the repeated tempering of the lightning, the frequency of his endurance began to increase.
From one bolt at a time to two, then three... He remained at the foot of the peak like a devout ascetic, constantly enduring the baptism of lightning from the summit. His body was torn open and charred black time and time again, only to be reborn through his powerful recovery ability and the aid of pills. His spirit hovered on the edge of destruction and rebirth, becoming increasingly resilient, and his understanding of the essence of thunder became clearer, like seeing the sun through the clouds.
Time passed silently amidst the roar of thunder and the nirvana of breath regulation; in the blink of an eye, nearly a year had gone by.
By now, Yu Yuanchen was able to withstand nine consecutive strikes of Ultimate Thunder at once! Standing within the lightning, though electric snakes still darted across his body and he was covered in scars, his eyes were as calm and deep as a boulder that had weathered eternity. His body seemed to have developed a certain resistance to this level of lightning, and his recovery speed had greatly accelerated.
His comprehension of thunder had also reached a critical point.
The five nature transformations—the heart's ascendancy, the spleen's heaviness, the lung's agility, the kidney's nourishment, and the liver's growth—had long since circulated harmoniously within him along with his qi and blood. Yet, he remained stuck at the final step, unable to perfectly fuse them with the "destructive" nature of the lightning itself.
Until this day, when he once again actively triggered the lightning, no longer limiting himself to nine bolts, but allowing the Thunderclap Nethervine at the peak—which seemed to have been provoked—to unleash countless bolts of deep purple lightning that poured down upon him like a waterfall. In that boundless sea of destructive thunder, under the extreme pressure where he felt he would be completely annihilated in the next second, he had a flash of inspiration!
"I understand! The key to fusion is not forced blending, but—transformation!"
"The essence of thunder is energy, the manifestation of law! Destruction is its appearance, life force is its inner essence; ascendancy, heaviness, agility, nourishment, growth... all are its 'phases' in different contexts! The key is to find a core 'node,' a 'one' that can control all changes!"
"Where the mind goes, the attribute transforms! I want my lightning to be both extremely Yang and hard, destroying all things; and also extremely Yin and soft, nourishing life; it can be as heavy as a mountain, or as light as the wind! In a single thought, all changes exist within one heart!"
In the instant of this enlightenment, the five nature transformation forces circulating within him, the soul power surging through his meridians, and the true meaning of destruction and life force that had penetrated his marrow through countless lightning strikes, suddenly found that key balance point and transformation hub!
"Hum--!!!"
A vast aura, indescribable and seemingly touching upon the rules of the world's origin, erupted from within Yu Yuanchen! The blue arcs of lightning swirling around him instantly transformed into a deep, noble purple-gold that seemed to contain all the mysteries of thunder between heaven and earth!
Ultimate Thunder, achieved! This was Yu Yuanchen's own Ultimate Thunder, not an ultimate attribute forcibly shaped by heavenly materials or heaven-defying opportunities, but a path belonging to him, achieved through his own comprehension and cultivation.
At this moment, Yu Yuanchen felt as if he had pushed open the door to a new world! His perception became incredibly sharp; the lightning elements drifting between heaven and earth showed a strong affinity and worship toward him. With a slight movement of his mind, he could command the power of thunder within several miles! He saw the deeper structure of energy, the subtle, dynamic balance and transformation between destruction and life force. His lightning was no longer limited to a fixed nature, but had become a living embodiment of law that could change as he pleased!
The nearly year-long lightning purgatory not only allowed him to achieve Ultimate Thunder, but the countless lightning strikes, each containing a trace of the Heavenly Tribulation Law, also brought him unexpected gifts.
The strand of "Thunder God Power" within him, originating from his Thunder Spirit soul ring, had spent this year greedily and frantically absorbing the faint yet real fragments of thunder law contained in those heavenly thunders, like a long-awaited rain after a drought. Quantitative change caused qualitative change; the moment he achieved Ultimate Thunder, this strand of "Thunder God Power," now grown many times over, suddenly collapsed and condensed, finally forming a complex, purple-gold, eternally flashing—Law Imprint—deep within his Dantian!
The moment this imprint formed, it flew out automatically and merged into the origin of his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul! At the same time, a purple-gold lightning rune, identical in origin to the imprint but tiny and incredibly clear, quietly emerged beneath the skin at the center of his forehead, like an innate divine rune, adding a touch of mystery and majesty to him.
This was not a Divine Examination Imprint, but a proof he had condensed himself, representing that he had initially touched upon the Law of Thunder! Through this imprint, he could comprehend the deeper laws of thunder contained within. However, the law was vast; with his current realm, he could barely comprehend the outermost fur, and to delve deeper, he would likely need to reach the Titled Douluo realm or even higher.
Combining the original text with his own experience, Yu Yuanchen also understood the relationship between the Thunderclap Nethervine and the plane. The plane recognized its status and ability to control heavenly might, and the heavenly thunder it triggered inherently carried a trace of law power, which was the root of its strength. However, the plane would never tolerate its act of "stealing" the origin, and that fifty-thousand-year chasm was an absolute forbidden zone set by the plane. As long as it did not cross that line, they could coexist; once it attempted to cross, what the plane sent down was not a test, but total annihilation—endless heavenly thunder, until it was burst apart.
"Ultimate Thunder is achieved, and my cultivation has reached the critical point!" Yu Yuanchen felt the surging power within him. After nearly a year of hard cultivation, aided by the dense lightning elements here and countless breakthroughs on the edge of life and death, his soul power had already reached the peak of level sixty-nine! At this moment, with the vast assistance of achieving Ultimate Thunder and triggering the resonance of heaven and earth origin qi, the bottleneck of level seventy melted away like thin ice under the sun!
"Boom!"
His soul power rushed into a vaster world like a breaching river! Level seventy! Soul Sage!
And an even greater change followed!
His Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon bloodline, already boiling from the achievement of Ultimate Thunder, was completely detonated at this critical moment of breaking through to Soul Sage and experiencing a leap in life level! The Law Imprint merged into his martial soul provided the most crucial "divinity" trigger!
"Roar--!!!"
A dragon roar, far more majestic and ancient than ever before, as if coming from the mythological era, resounded through the heavens from within Yu Yuanchen! The martial soul behind him manifested involuntarily; the deep blue dragon shadow twisted, expanded, and transformed violently within the purple-gold lightning!
The dragon body became more slender and perfect, its scales completely turning into a deep purple-gold, with naturally engraved runes flowing with the glow of law. The dragon horns were magnificent, as if forged by thunder, and as the dragon eyes opened and closed, purple-gold lightning flashed like substance, carrying an indifferent and sacred air that looked down on all beings. What swirled around him were no longer simple electric snakes, but patches of miniature, constantly appearing and disappearing purple-gold thunder clouds!
Thunder Sacred Dragon! It was no longer a temporary evolution form, but a true, stable—Super Martial Soul! He had completed a leap in life level!
Moreover, a normal Thunder Sacred Dragon was enough to be ranked as a Super Martial Soul, and now it possessed an ultimate attribute that even ordinary Thunder Sacred Dragons might not have, plus a trace of divinity. The combination of these factors made it comparable to the God-Tier Martial Souls, the Six-winged Angel and the Sea God.
At the same time, his fifth soul ring, the one that granted him "Purple Lightning Domain," shone brilliantly at this moment! The domain power that had originally been attached to the soul ring seemed to break free from some invisible restraint, completely merging with the origin of his Thunder Sacred Dragon martial soul and the Law Imprint, sublimating into—Heavenly Tribulation Sacred Dragon Domain.
From then on, this domain was no longer just a soul skill, but had transformed into his—Innate Domain! Like the Angel Domain of the Six-winged Angel or the Blue Silver Domain of the Blue Silver Emperor, it became an innate part of his martial soul! It would continue to grow and expand as his cultivation level increased, and might even evolve to derive stronger power at certain key cultivation nodes in the future! This was far beyond what a fixed-growth domain granted by a soul ring could compare to!
Yu Yuanchen felt the transformative change in his body, the Ultimate Thunder that moved as if an extension of his arm, the vast power of the Thunder Sacred Dragon martial soul, and the innate domain that was integrated with his martial soul, and his heart was full of high spirits!
The Ultimate Sacred Dragon had descended, and the Soul Sage was about to be born!
───────────────
Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: GodKun-Chan