Chapter 111

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Chapter 111: Thundercloud Dragon Ring

A simple ancient ring showed signs of enduring countless years, carrying the weight of centuries.

Dark and unassuming in its plain design, the ring seemed ordinary until Ye Yun’s finger made contact. A terrifying pressure instantly flooded his body, invading his mind and piercing through to the depths of his soul.

Violent spiritual energy tore at Ye Yun’s consciousness, threatening to rip his soul apart as excruciating pain radiated through every fiber of his being.

The crushing force bore down on his soul, yet through the agony came flashes of ancient memories—centuries of struggle containing power, desperate hopes, bitter resentment, and resigned despair.

In mere moments, Ye Yun lived through the fragmented memories of a Golden Pill master’s lifetime: rising to prominence, dominating the world with Golden Core stage power, striving endlessly for the elusive Nascent Soul breakthrough, then stagnating into bitter failure and eventual death.

The soul-rending pressure intensified, threatening to shatter Ye Yun’s consciousness completely.

Yet his soul had been tempered through countless trials. Though the remnant soul’s assault brought unimaginable torment, Ye Yun stood firm, iron determination burning through the pain.

Even this sliver of a Golden Pill master’s lingering will proved overwhelming for a Qi refining stage cultivator like Ye Yun. He felt like leaf battered by ocean storms, moments from being swallowed by raging waves.

But panic never surfaced. Ye Yun’s willpower—honed through repeated suffering—surpassed even most Qi refining experts.

Endless waves of soul-deep agony pushed Ye Yun toward collapse. The Golden Pill master’s remnant soul kept attacking like relentless tidal waves, showing no signs of stopping.

Just as his defenses neared breaking point, the long-dormant Heart of Immortals and Demons stirred within his dantian. A tremendous suction force erupted, channeling the attacking soul energy into its swirling black-and-white whirlpool.

Torrents of spiritual power poured into the artifact like rivers meeting the sea. The soul-crushing pressure vanished instantly, leaving Ye Yun gasping with relief as he sensed subtle changes within him.

Within moments, the Heart of Immortals and Demons completely devoured the remnant soul. Pure energy flowed from the artifact—different from ordinary spiritual energy, impossible to absorb directly. This strange power circulated through Ye Yun’s meridians, gradually dissipating until nothing remained half an incense time later.

Ye Yun opened eyes that now saw with shocking clarity—every dust particle and faint wall scratch stood revealed. More importantly, he sensed… something. Even blindfolded, he could feel air currents and spiritual energy movements, as if part of him floated above observing everything.

A spark flashed in his eyes. "This sensation… Could this be divine soul perception? But that’s supposed to manifest only during mid foundation establishment stage!" He recalled Su Ling’s explanations about cultivation milestones.

Though his cultivation remained far below foundation establishment level, this strange awareness matched descriptions of soul force. Before he could ponder further, his attention snapped back to the ancient ring.

The tarnished band appeared completely ordinary—the kind most would ignore if dropped roadside. But only priceless treasures warranted protection by a Golden Pill master’s remnant soul after death.

Ye Yun slid the ring onto his left index finger and channeled spiritual power. Sharp pain stabbed his chest as essence blood seeped from his pores into the ring.

Sudden understanding flooded his mind as a profound connection formed with the artifact.

Thunder Sound Metamorphosis!

This ring combined offense, defense, and storage. Its internal space spanned dozens of zhang in length and width, unimaginably vast. While storage was its basic function, what truly shocked Ye Yun was its ability to absorb thunderous sounds and, when fueled by true qi, transform them into a thunder dragon for attack or defense.

However, activating the thunder dragon required reaching the Qi refining stage. Though Ye Yun now owned the Thunder Sound Metamorphosis ring, he couldn’t test its full power yet and had to treat it as an ordinary storage ring.

Storage rings weren’t rare among outer disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect—most owned one. Only newcomers like Ye Yun, who hadn’t completed enough tasks, struggled to afford one. Thus, even if he openly wore the ring within the sect, it wouldn’t draw attention.

Ye Yun felt the ring’s spiritual connection, his excitement surging like a tidal wave.

Even without its combat abilities, the ring’s massive storage space alone dwarfed his old storage pouch, which held only three zhang. Outer disciples’ rings were slightly larger, and even inner disciples’ storage tools paled in comparison. By storage alone, this ring was a priceless treasure.

Ye Yun’s gaze shifted to the jade table against the final stone wall.

A plain wooden box sat atop it.

After the ring’s discovery, Ye Yun’s expectations for unassuming objects soared. Since the stone chamber’s top three treasures were extraordinary, the fourth must be equally rare.

He approached the jade table.

The box lacked carvings or markings. The table’s surface held no glowing text or descriptions.

Ye Yun touched the box—neither cool nor warm, just ordinary wood. He lifted the lid.

Inside lay no glittering treasure, only a rusted iron key.

Baffled, Ye Yun wondered why such a key shared space with the Thunder Sound Metamorphosis ring. Yet he knew appearances deceived—this key held significance.

He stored the box and key in the ring, adding the Blood Spirit Mushroom, Spirit Gathering Pill, and Blood Jade Celestial Crystal. His now-empty storage pouch dangled at his waist.

Finding no hidden compartments on the jade table, Ye Yun turned to the central staircase. If this floor held such treasures, the next must equal it.

As he moved to ascend, he paused, eyeing the four jade tables. With a grin, he hauled them into his ring.

“These tables must be valuable too. Without this ring, my pouch couldn’t hold even one.” Satisfied, he approached the spiral staircase.

Upon stepping onto it, an invisible force repelled him gently.

“Spatial Restrictions again!” Ye Yun frowned. This energy mirrored what he’d encountered before—resisting force with equal strength.

Hualun Hall’s complexity made sense—it belonged to a Golden Core expert skilled in spatial arrays. Such a place wouldn’t let intruders loot freely.

Previously, Su Ling’s knowledge or Luo Wencheng’s brute force had bypassed such barriers. Alone now, Ye Yun lacked both understanding and power to break through.

He pressed his palm against the stairway’s barrier. The resistance felt pliant yet unyielding. Suddenly, the chamber trembled—the stone walls began closing in.

“This can’t be!” Ye Yun panicked. Converging walls would crush him.

As the walls advanced, ripples shimmered in the air before him, revealing a star map dotted with dozens of stars.