Chapter 449
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Chapter 449: Thunder Falls Valley
"Ice Spirit Herb!"
Zhong Huali froze momentarily before his face paled, eyes widening with shock.
"You know of this herb?" Yue Huai-Chang observed his reaction with curiosity.
"The Ice Spirit Herb refines one’s Ice Spirit Qi after reaching sufficient mastery. It liquefies spiritual energy, condensing Ice Spirit Qi into true qi for greater storage and potency. Am I correct?" Zhong Huali spoke deliberately after brief contemplation.
"Correct. This herb grows in Thunder Falls Valley’s heart. Retrieve it, and you’ll become my elder brother’s formal disciple." Yue Huai-Chang nodded, surprise flickering across his face.
"What if both Ye Yun and I return with the herb?" Zhong Huali challenged, confidence undimmed.
Yue Huai-Chang chuckled. "Then both would be accepted by my elder brother."
"I take only one!"
Tian Yunzi’s icy voice cut through the air.
Unfazed, Yue Huai-Chang rubbed his nose. "The other shall join my tutelage. Your Master knows my methods – ask Shu Anshi, your eldest brother. He advanced from Golden Core’s Third Level to Fifth under my guidance, recently surviving his great tribulation to approach the Nascent Soul stage."
Murmurs swept through the group. Even Zhong Huali and Ye Yun exchanged startled glances. Progress through Golden Core stages demanded immense effort and fortune. Leapfrogging two levels seemed impossible, yet Shu Anshi had done it.
"Enough," Tian Yunzi interrupted. "Uncle Yue leads this trial to Thunder Falls Valley. Withdraw now or die attempting later."
The disciples hesitated. Though perilous, the valley offered rare treasures beyond Thunder Wood and Ice Spirit Herb – heavenly materials, earthly riches, unusual flora.
"I… I withdraw!"
A trembling voice broke the silence. Ye Yun recognized the speaker – one of Ding Haochen’s followers, weaker than his peers yet at Foundation Establishment’s peak.
Tian Yunzi’s eyebrow arched. "Others?"
The remaining seven stood motionless.
"Good." Tian Yunzi’s sleeve flickered. Light and shadow danced.
The withdrawing disciple clutched his throat, blood jetting through his fingers despite desperate efforts to staunch the flow.
"Clarity: withdrawal means death here or en route." Tian Yunzi’s robe flapped calmly in the mountain wind as the disciple collapsed.
Horror gripped the group. No retreat permitted – death awaited only in Thunder Falls Valley. This brutal selection tolerated no weakness, demanding absolute commitment.
"Third Brother, proceed." Tian Yunzi turned towards distant clouds, back to the corpse staining Absolute Heart Peak’s summit.
Yue Huai-Chang grinned, soaring westward. Ye Yun and Zhong Huali shared resolute nods before pursuing. Within moments, the party vanished into cloudbanks, leaving Tian Yunzi contemplating blood seeping into stone.
Of the seven Registered Disciples, only Ye Yun hadn’t reached Foundation Establishment’s pinnacle. Yet even thousands of miles between peak and valley meant little to cultivators at this stage – a single day’s journey sufficed.
As night fell, Ye Yun and six others under Yue Huai-Chang’s command glimpsed the valley roughly ten miles ahead.
Above Thunder Falls Valley, thunder rumbled while electric serpents writhed beneath thick storm clouds that draped the basin like an imperial canopy. Dull booms echoed from the distance, swelling into earth-shaking roars.
"This is Thunder Falls Valley." Yue Huai-Chang gestured solemnly. "Observe these glass-smooth cliff walls. Ten thousand years past, these lands held mountain ranges spanning thousands of miles. Unending lightning strikes over millennia shattered all but the central peak, forging what you see today."
Ye Yun squinted across the distance. Even miles away, the valley’s towering heights dwarfed imagination – thousands of zhang tall despite enduring endless bombardments. The outer cliffs gleamed like polished jade, every stone compressed to diamond hardness by celestial hammers.
Murmurs arose among the group. Such divine craftsmanship mocked mortal efforts. Not even Nascent Soul ascendants or Heavenly Realm immortals could replicate this thunder-forged marvel.
"Worse awaits within." Yue Huai-Chang’s levity vanished. "No creature scales those inner walls. Attempting escape through them means death. Thunder Avoidance Talismans only shield you below hundred-zhang altitudes. Rise higher, and lightning’s fury multiplies tenfold – enough to vaporize sixth-level Golden Core veterans. Remember this."
The disciples paled, absorbing every warning.
"How large is the valley?" Zhong Huali interjected.
"Perceptive." Approval flickered in Yue Huai-Chang’s eyes. "Outwardly spanning hundreds of miles, its true diameter barely reaches a hundred. But spatial laws twist its dimensions. Thunder-borne illusions trap the unwary. Some zones merge lightning with spatial distortions – there, talismans fail. Tread carefully."
Zhong Huali bowed deeply. Such knowledge meant survival.
"Midnight approaches." Yue Huai-Chang eyed the starless sky. "Rest until the moon opens the valley’s gates."
Disciples scattered like autumn leaves, seeking solitude to steady frayed nerves. Only Ye Yun and Zhong Huali remained, transfixed by distant lightning dancing through the storm blanket – ethereal fireworks in the gloom.
"Avoid the core, and I’ll not hinder you." Zhong Huali’s voice cut the silence.
Ye Yun chuckled. "No core, no Thunder Wood. No Thunder Wood, no Ice Spirit Herb."
"Consider yourself warned." The taller youth turned sharply, robes swirling.
Watching Zhong Huali retreat, Ye Yun’s lips quirked in silent amusement.
"Share the joke, junior brother?"
Purple fabric blurred as Zeng Xuan materialized beside him, azure sword hilt peeking over one shoulder.
"Senior Brother Zeng!" Ye Yun feigned surprise. "Here for herb-gathering too?"
"Thunder Wood’s your concern." Zeng Xuan’s gaze drifted toward Zhong Huali’s distant silhouette. "The Ice Spirit Herb’s domain rejects even your Thunder Spirit Qi. Leave that to me."
Ye Yun’s eyes narrowed. Behind Zeng Xuan, Zhong Huali stiffened under their scrutiny.
"Peak Foundation Establishment yet such Soul Power?" Zeng Xuan mused. "Half a year prior, you might’ve bested me."
Zhong Huali rose, eyes glinting cold steel. "Golden Core seniors shouldn’t underestimate juniors."
The air crackled.
"Refine your core properly," Zeng Xuan finally said, "and you’ll rival Divine Grace Palace’s best. Retrieve Thunder Wood, earn Tian Yunzi’s favor."
"Ice Spirit Herb remains my prize." Zhong Huali’s smile held no warmth. "Hold nothing back, senior brother."
As Zeng Xuan’s jaw tightened, he turned to Ye Yun. "Settle your rivalry elsewhere. But remember – thunder’s the least danger within."
With violet robes billowing, he vanished toward the valley.
Ye Yun stared at lightning-veiled peaks. Least danger… His fingers brushed sword hilt. What schemes brewed behind those electric storms?
