As Zhang Ling prepared to erase the memories of Deng Yu and Deng Jiao, Li Yundong’s nascent soul was already maneuvering in the air, commanding the very breath of heaven and earth to summon the thunder.
The technique of the Five Thunders was notoriously complex, yet once mastered, its execution became astonishingly straightforward.
Li Yundong, in his spirit form, began drawing upon the primordial Hun Yuan Qi of the cosmos. At first, he struggled to perceive this essence, but soon, as he channeled the purest Zhen Yuan from within his own body, the heavens stirred into tempestuous motion. It was only when he achieved the convergence of his Five Essences (Wu Qi Chao Yuan) that the cosmic Hun Yuan Qi seamlessly connected with the vital energies emanating from his internal cosmos—the five Zang organs.
In that singular moment, Li Yundong experienced a profound sensation of oneness with the universe—the macrocosm and his personal microcosm merging into one. He felt infinitely vast; his gaze became the sky’s own stare, and his feet, the very grounding strength of the earth.
With a mere thought, Li Yundong sensed countless moisture particles between earth and sky beginning to ascend in a vast exhalation. These droplets converged and collided in the air, gradually coalescing into heavy, churning masses of dark cloud.
Next, Li Yundong could feel an ineffable force gathering within these clouds, a power intrinsically linked to the energy of his own five Zang organs. He could command it, direct it, and dispatch it.
Initial elation erupted within him; he realized, with blinding clarity: he could actually wield lightning! He commanded the most potent magic known to the cosmos!
But this euphoria was short-lived.
The speed at which the power amassed within the clouds far outstripped Li Yundong’s expectations. At first, he felt as if he were astride a wild stallion—fierce and untamed, yet ultimately manageable. But suddenly, one horse became two, two became four, and in moments, it transformed into a stampede of ten thousand—a torrent he could no longer contain.
Li Yundong suddenly found himself in an impossible bind. If he relinquished control, the immense power would recoil and consume him. Yet, if he released it indiscriminately, he feared it would strike mortal men in the secular world, inviting another heavenly tribulation upon himself—a prospect that offered anything but pleasure.
After a moment’s contemplation, a notion struck him. His gaze drifted toward the location of the Shangqing Palace atop the main peak of Longhu Mountain. Looking down from his vantage, he saw the newly restored palace nestled within the dense, verdant forest, the sweeping eaves and Daoist archway faintly visible.
Li Yundong mused: The Zhengyi Sect has repeatedly opposed Zi Yuan, and now they press aggressively against me and the Fox Zen Gate. Why not bestow this heavenly lightning upon the Zhengyi Sect instead?
As the thought formed, Li Yundong decisively guided the amassed power toward the Shangqing Palace on Longhu Mountain.
He had intended to strike the main hall, but as his first attempt at wielding the lightning art, his control was imperfect. With a deafening boom, the heavenly bolt struck squarely upon one of the palace’s subsidiary wings.
By a strange twist of fate, this side hall was precisely where Zhang Ling and Zou Ping were situated. The lightning strike shattered the roof tiles and plummeted directly toward their heads.
Zhang Ling reacted with lightning speed. As the thunderbolt neared, the hairs on her body instantly stood on end. She crushed a talisman hidden in her sleeve, raised her hand, and pointed skyward, shouting, “Haste!!”
With a resounding crash, a wall of fire materialized mid-air above them.
The lightning bolt struck this fiery barrier, a spectacular collision of heavenly fire and earthly fire, resulting in a violent explosion that rapidly engulfed both figures in black smoke.
Moments later, the Earth Fire True Person shielded her nose with one hand while flapping her sleeve with the other, whipping up a powerful gale that swiftly dispersed the thick, choking smoke from the hall. She focused her eyes on Zou Ping and saw that her beautiful, cherished disciple now resembled a soot-covered kitchen deity—her mouth black, even her teeth stained dark!
The Earth Fire True Person gasped, her fury erupting: “Who dares commit such audacity on Longhu Mountain! Are they tired of living?!”
Her roar echoed outward, shaking the surrounding mountains with reverberating shockwaves.
Zou Ping hadn't processed what happened; she could not fathom how she nearly perished under a bolt of heavenly lightning while on Longhu Mountain’s main peak!
Still shaken, she stammered, her eyes wide: “Mas-Master, what—what happened? Where did that thunder come from?”
As the Earth Fire True Person was about to reply, her peripheral vision caught sight of the two souls, Deng Yu and Deng Jiao, still resting within the formation of the main hall. They lay serenely upon blooming lotus platforms, sleeping peacefully.
Both were completely unclothed, their skin smooth and tender, like chilled jelly, seeming as if a mere fingertip could pierce their delicate flesh.
The Earth Fire True Person stamped her foot and lamented, “Too late, too late! The two Sword Souls have awakened. It is now impossible to erase their past memories! Alas, is this truly the decree of Heaven?”
Zou Ping fumed: “Insolent wretch! Who is the audacious madman daring to strike Longhu Mountain with lightning! That is like reciting the Classics of Filial Piety before Confucius, or brandishing Guan Gong’s broadsword before Guan Yu—utterly presumptuous! Does he think Longhu Mountain is easily bullied?!”
With that, she suddenly leaped into the air, flying in all directions to locate the one who summoned the lightning.
As Zou Ping ascended, numerous figures rose from the surrounding side halls and annexes, most clad in Daoist robes. Upon seeing her, they shouted in unison, “Junior Martial Niece, what was that just now?”
Zou Ping opened her mouth, ready to announce an attack by thieves on Longhu Mountain, but Zhang Ling materialized beside her, placing a restraining hand on her arm, preventing her from speaking. Zhang Ling called out loudly, “Nothing much, my disciple had a minor mishap while practicing lightning arts. Thank you all, Senior and Junior Brothers, for your concern!”
The Daoists who had flown up had heard Zhang Ling’s previous roar and knew the truth in their hearts. They did not expose her. Hearing her explanation, some merely chuckled and flew back to their quarters, while others, who habitually disagreed with Zhang Ling, offered barbed sarcasm: “Earth Fire True Person, your disciple should stick to playing with fire; why dabble in lightning? Haven’t we lost enough temples on Longhu Mountain already?”
The Earth Fire True Person snorted coldly and refused to engage in verbal sparring. She took Zou Ping by the arm and flew back into the hall.
Zou Ping was startled and whispered, “Master, why didn’t you tell them the truth?”
The Earth Fire True Person sneered, “And say what? That our annex was struck by someone of unknown origin? Humph! If that news spreads, we will be the laughingstock of the entire cultivation world by tomorrow! Do you wish to invite such ridicule?”
Zou Ping insisted urgently, “Then we just swallow this insult? We must at least find out who did this!”
The Earth Fire True Person scoffed, “Hmph. To dare summon lightning against Longhu Mountain? This person is the maddest rogue of all time. He cannot escape!”
Saying this, the Earth Fire True Person sat down cross-legged. She commanded Zou Ping, “Take these twin Sword Souls to the main hall. Since we cannot erase their soul memories, let them be—it seems to be fate’s will, and we cannot force it. Now, I must perform the Great Soul-Searching Technique of Heaven and Earth to trace this madman’s whereabouts. After delivering the Sword Souls, return and guard my surroundings, lest someone take advantage of the opportunity again.”
Zou Ping assented with a nod. Her figure swept across the space like a swallow darting through water. With a delicate turn of her wrist, she captured the souls of Deng Yu and Deng Jiao in her palm and swiftly carried them toward the main hall.
Meanwhile, on a remote peak of Longhu Mountain, Li Yundong, having just settled his spirit body, saw a figure rush towards him, shouting in terror, “Are you insane? You actually struck Longhu Mountain with lightning!”
Li Yundong focused his gaze and saw that this frantic screamer was none other than Zi Yuan, who was usually as serene and ethereal as a celestial maiden. Li Yundong questioned her, “What’s so strange about that? They bully you constantly; why are you concerned for them? You are far too kind!”
Zi Yuan’s face was ashen with distress, her voice rapid-fire: “You are truly mad! The Zhengyi Sect has more lightning masters than grains of sand! And you dared to play with thunder right here—you are too arrogant! Hurry, hurry, come with me now!”
Li Yundong started to laugh, about to reply, when a voice saturated with ultimate fury roared from the main peak: “Who dares commit such audacity on Longhu Mountain! Are they tired of living!!!”
This tremendous shout nearly made Li Yundong leap off the ground; he could even feel his soles tingling with the shockwave!
Li Yundong was startled, muttering, “Who is that? The Heavenly Master of the Zhengyi Sect? How powerful!!”
Zi Yuan cast aside her usual composure, frantically grabbing Li Yundong’s arm and dragging him rapidly away. She said quickly, “That is the Earth Fire True Person, Zhang Ling! A cultivator of extremely high attainment, the elder sister of the Zhengyi Sect’s Heavenly Master! If she comes to catch us, the two of us might barely hold her off, but there are countless masters on Longhu Mountain. If even one more arrives, we won’t stand a chance! Hurry, if we don’t leave now, we truly won't be able to escape!”
With that, she pulled Li Yundong out of the stone cave dwelling. As they burst forth, they looked up and, by the starlight, saw the sky filled with an uncountable swarm of rising Daoists, dense as the stars themselves.
Li Yundong wished he hadn’t looked. He gasped, breaking out in a cold sweat, his scalp prickling.
“Damn it, I poked a hornet’s nest!” Li Yundong exclaimed, dumbfounded.
Zi Yuan shot him an annoyed glare and dragged him careening down the mountain.
The sky was teeming with Daoists, so the two dared not fly. They scrambled down the slopes, fleeing until they were far beyond Longhu Mountain’s immediate sphere of influence. Only when they confirmed the sky was clear of pursuit did they dare ascend and fly toward Tiannan City.
After flying a considerable distance away from Longhu Mountain, Zi Yuan finally relaxed her grip on Li Yundong’s arm and urgently demanded, “What got into you? Why did you go mad and summon lightning to strike Longhu Mountain?”
Li Yundong offered a sheepish grin: “I couldn’t control it!”
Zi Yuan was frantic: “Then don’t strike the main peak! You had ninety-nine mountains to choose from—why the Shangqing Palace on the very center peak! Heavens, if this ever gets out, and the Zhengyi Sect becomes enraged, we’ll be fugitives by tomorrow!”
Li Yundong startled, saying weakly, “No way, they shouldn’t know, right?”
Zi Yuan glared at him: “Maybe we got away with it this time, but there absolutely cannot be a next time!”
Li Yundong quickly plastered on a fawning smile: “Never, absolutely not!”
Zi Yuan snorted, looking at Li Yundong as if he were deranged. She shook her head and said, “Forget it, let’s hurry back. We speak of tonight’s events to no one.”
Li Yundong chuckled dryly: “Naturally.”
The two flew for nearly two more hours, returning to Tiannan City. Just as they were about to descend toward their home, a figure shot up from the residence, moving so fast that Li Yundong nearly collided with them mid-air.
======================================= Don't worry, the twin sisters will be retrieved~ But not now~ D