The dark purple pupils of the double eyes of Wuyu instantly became visible. The jet-black, plum-blossom-shaped irises looked so strange.

What in the world was this?

Zhong Shenxiu’s attention was completely captivated. He had a peculiar sensation that some earth-shattering secret was hidden within those bizarre eyes.

However, before Zhong Shenxiu could even begin to analyze what he was seeing, the "Heavenly Thunder" moved again, showing no intention of giving him time to process the shock.

This time, its speed was even greater. It bypassed the strange Nascent Soul and shot straight backward.

Zhong Shenxiu became increasingly perplexed. He couldn't fathom where this "Heavenly Thunder" intended to go.

Behind the Nascent Soul was the back of Zhong Shenxiu’s head. That area shouldn't possibly accommodate such immense power. So, where was the "Heavenly Thunder" heading?

Zhong Shenxiu hastily propelled his "Spiritual Wave" to follow closely. One reason was to ascertain the destination of the "Heavenly Thunder"; the other was to prevent any sudden destructive action from it.

Soon, the "Heavenly Thunder" stopped again. This time, it clearly had no intention of moving further, as it had merged into a peculiar sphere.

What made it peculiar was that Zhong Shenxiu had never seen such an object. What was even more baffling was that this sphere was transparent, and only the size of a grape. If not for the ripple caused when the "Heavenly Thunder" merged into it, Zhong Shenxiu might not have even noticed its existence.

What is this now?

Zhong Shenxiu was utterly confused again. In all his years of cultivation, he had never known that there was such a strange object hidden behind the Upper Dantian's Nascent Soul.

What is its purpose? To absorb the power of the "Heavenly Thunder" like that? How is that possible?

Previously, it was always Zhong Shenxiu who shocked others. He never imagined that this time, he would be shocked by himself.

Down.

As Zhong Shenxiu was studying this transparent sphere, the power of the "Heavenly Thunder" had been completely absorbed by it, rendering the sphere entirely transparent once more.

Zhong Shenxiu’s profoundly shaken heart could not calm down for a long time. After a moment of hesitation, he finally separated a thin wisp of his "Spiritual Wave" and slowly moved it toward the location of the transparent sphere.

Zhong Shenxiu was extremely cautious because he knew nothing about this "Transparent Sphere," and even more so, he feared it might absorb his "Spiritual Wave" just as it had absorbed the "Heavenly Thunder."

But the very next moment, Zhong Shenxiu froze again.

Nothing. There was nothing there. The transparent sphere wasn't unseen; it had vanished entirely.

How is this possible? It was clearly right there a moment ago!

Zhong Shenxiu simply could not accept this fact. He searched everywhere for a long while but could not locate the transparent sphere.

Now, Zhong Shenxiu finally understood why the "Heavenly Thunder" that had entered his body had disappeared. The culprit was this mysterious transparent sphere.

However, this was immediately followed by a new mystery: how did it vanish while still within the perception of his "Spiritual Wave"?

It seemed the only way to clarify this matter was to wait for the seventh bolt of Heavenly Thunder.

Zhong Shenxiu's state of mind had completely shifted. At the beginning, he was worried about the appearance of the Heavenly Thunder; now, he was eagerly anticipating its arrival.

This time, Zhong Shenxiu had made a firm resolution. When the seventh Heavenly Thunder converged toward that transparent sphere, he would definitely seize the opportunity to separate a small portion of his "Spiritual Wave" to approach it and discover what it was and how it disappeared.

The later the Heavenly Thunder descended, the greater its power, and the longer the necessary preparation time. This time, Zhong Shenxiu waited for nearly an hour before it finally streaked down from the heavens.

The preceding process was nearly identical: it hovered around his body for a short while before suddenly drilling into Zhong Shenxiu’s physique to refine his meridians and cells.

However, when the thunder reached the Nascent Soul in the Upper Dantian, there was a slight difference: the black, plum-blossom-shaped pupils in the Nascent Soul’s eyes actually rotated, appearing terribly strange.

At that very moment, Zhong Shenxiu felt a profound, mystical sensation spread throughout his body. It felt as if something had been added to his physical form, yet it remained indistinct.

Zhong Shenxiu had no time to investigate this now, as the "Heavenly Thunder" was already shooting towards the transparent sphere.

Zhong Shenxiu dared not delay, hurriedly separating a small portion of his "Spiritual Wave" to move towards the transparent sphere. However, what he never expected was that this transparent sphere possessed a "range of effect." Outside this range, one could sense nothing, but once one stepped within its boundary, an irresistible force assaulted them.

This small segment of the "Spiritual Wave" encountered a powerful pull before it could even truly approach the transparent sphere, pulling it directly into the sphere without allowing Zhong Shenxiu any chance to resist.

Zhong Shenxiu thought he would suffer some injury this time, but the result exceeded all his expectations. Not only was he unharmed, but he could actually perceive the "Spiritual Wave" that had been absorbed.

This outcome filled Zhong Shenxiu with immense joy. He calmed his mind and began to carefully examine the imagery transmitted by that small section of the "Spiritual Wave."

It was a long, winding passage, surrounded by what seemed like a vast, boundless cosmos. He tried to wrest control of the "Spiritual Wave" and detach it from the spiral path, but it was impossible. The suction force was too powerful; it was utterly impossible to break free from its grip.

Just as Zhong Shenxiu thought this wisp of his "Spiritual Wave" would drift forever, he sensed a brilliant flash of light ahead, shaped into a quadrilateral, like a great gate.

In the blink of an eye, it passed through this great gate. And Zhong Shenxiu was even more surprised to find that his small portion of the "Spiritual Wave" had mysteriously come to a halt.

Upon closer inspection, he realized it had arrived in a mystical world.

And what shocked Zhong Shenxiu to his core was that this place seemed familiar; he felt he had seen it more than once before.

He saw clearly: it was a vast, milky-white world, filled with all sorts of dancing runes soaring through the air. These runes seemed to hold specific meanings, and yet, each rune appeared to possess its own life, moving in an imperceptible rhythm.

Isn't this the illusionary realm I have glimpsed several times?

Why? Why is it appearing here?

Zhong Shenxiu was thoroughly mystified. He had always assumed the illusionary realm was ethereal and nonexistent, never imagining it was hidden inside this transparent sphere.

But now was not the time to dwell on this matter. Zhong Shenxiu knew what it meant when he encountered this illusionary realm: his inspiration would reach an unprecedented height, and all sorts of novel ideas would emerge one after another.

Therefore, Zhong Shenxiu quickly gathered his thoughts and focused on observing the multitude of soaring runes.

As expected, his inspiration surged like a spring. Everything he had studied recently was rethought and restructured, deepening his comprehension. Problems that had been previously unsolvable now presented clear paths forward.

And what made Zhong Shenxiu even more excited was that a complete set of techniques specifically relating to lightning spontaneously formed in his mind!

Combining the strange phenomena of this Heavenly Tribulation, his physique modified by the Heavenly Thunder, and his existing knowledge and insights, Zhong Shenxiu had finally succeeded in conceptualizing a technique: the "Heavenly Thunder Art."

The theoretical assumption was that if he mastered this "Heavenly Thunder Art," he could not only unleash devastating moves like Heavenly Thunder but also enhance his insight into and control over the forces of nature, thereby gaining strength that could defy the heavens.

What do cultivators fear most? Heavenly Tribulation. If he learned the "Heavenly Thunder Art," even the fiercest tribulation striking his body would feel no worse than an itch.

What do cultivators strive for? Defying heaven. If he learned the "Heavenly Thunder Art," the laws of nature would bend to his will.

Even though Zhong Shenxiu was proficient in countless cultivation methods, he was so excited that he nearly let out a long cry.

Of course, this "Heavenly Thunder Art" was still purely theoretical; it required "clinical trials." Only through practice could it be perfected. But readers need not worry; once the theory is born, Zhong Shenxiu is certain to transform it into reality—that is the measure of his "genius."

After a long while, Zhong Shenxiu's excited heart finally settled. At this point, a new question arose in his mind. He remembered clearly that whenever the illusionary realm appeared, it consisted of two parts. Now, only the first part was present. Where was the other part?

Or perhaps, that part of the illusionary realm was not here. If so, where could it be?

According to Zhong Shenxiu’s deduction, since the two illusionary realms always appeared connected, there must be some link between them. He had found one part; the remaining part should not be far away.

At the very least, he should be able to find clues here.

With that thought, Zhong Shenxiu began searching around.

However, this place resembled an endless world. If he were to search bit by bit like this, who knows how many years it would take?

What should he do now?

Just as Zhong Shenxiu was troubled by this, an inadvertent glance made his spirit soar.

To his front-left, there was a black dot, as tiny as a fingernail clipping. If one wasn't paying attention, it would easily be mistaken for one of the surrounding dancing runes. Yet, there was a massive difference between them.

First, the small black dot was square, unlike the rod-like shape of the runes.

Second, the small black dot was static, showing no change whatsoever.

Could the connection lie there?

Excitement surged uncontrollably in his heart again. Zhong Shenxiu never expected his luck to be this good. Without further delay, he controlled the small wisp of "Spiritual Wave" and moved towards the black dot.

The black dot seemed extremely far away from his current location; the "Spiritual Wave" traveled for half a day yet had not arrived. However, even before reaching it, he could clearly discern its form—it was a great black door.

Zhong Shenxiu became increasingly certain that the other part of the illusionary realm lay on the other side of this door.

And just then, another event occurred.