Chapter 450
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Chapter 450: Opening
Ye Yun pondered Zeng Xuan’s words—the falling thunder wasn’t fearsome; it was human hearts that held true terror.
Ye Yun felt puzzled. To him, whether in Thunder Falls Valley or elsewhere, only true power, absolute power, reigned supreme. Against overwhelming strength, the schemes of men meant nothing.
Thunder Falls Valley loomed like a monstrous beast in the darkness, its head crowned with rolling thunder and flickering electric snakes. The valley itself lay pitch-black, occasionally pierced by streaks of light.
“Midnight approaches. Go now.”
Yue Huai-Chang’s voice rang out, echoing in the ears of the disciples.
Ye Yun and the others stood, their expressions varied. Ye Yun and Zhong Huali brimmed with anticipation and excitement, while some disciples frowned, uneasy about the journey ahead. Jiang Feiyang, however, let out a wild shout and charged toward the valley, utterly unrestrained.
“Stay vigilant. The so-called trials and tasks are meaningless. Only by surviving will you have a future in cultivation,” Yue Huai-Chang continued, his tone unexpectedly earnest. Unlike Tian Yunzi’s cruelty, he treated the seven as if they were his own descendants.
“Thank you for your guidance, Uncle Yue. We understand,” the six replied in unison, excluding the already distant Jiang Feiyang.
Yue Huai-Chang waved dismissively, his demeanor tinged with loneliness.
Ye Yun gazed at Thunder Falls Valley. The dark storm cloud above churned with brightening arcs of lightning, as though gathering immense power to unleash upon the world.
Zhong Huali shot forward like a bolt, crossing a hundred zhang in an instant. Not to be outdone, Ye Yun and the others sped after him.
As they rushed toward the valley, shadowy figures emerged from all directions, converging on Thunder Falls Valley. The valley wasn’t owned by Divine Grace Palace—it was a secret realm coveted by every cultivator in the Great Qin Empire.
Each time the valley opened, swarms of cultivators arrived, each convinced their luck surpassed others’, that they could evade the thunder’s wrath and claim treasures like the priceless Thunder Wood.
Disciples from great sects and wandering cultivators alike came. The latter, starved for training resources, pinned desperate hopes on this heaven-forged realm.
Within moments, hundreds of figures clustered at the valley’s lightning-sealed entrance.
Ye Yun scanned the crowd. Every cultivator here stood at the pinnacle of the Foundation Establishment stage or the First or Second Level of the Golden Core stage. Strangely, none exceeded the Third Level of the Golden Core stage.
“Junior Brother Ye, what holds your attention?” Zeng Xuan appeared beside him, following his gaze.
Ye Yun tilted his head. “Senior Brother Zeng, have you noticed? None here—yourself included—surpass the Third Level of the Golden Core stage.”
Zeng Xuan smiled. “Uncle Yue must have omitted this. Thunder Falls Valley’s natural laws strike down any cultivator above the Third Level. Not even Fourth or Fifth Level cultivators endure its fury—unless they’ve survived the Golden Core great tribulation. Only then can they withstand the Thunderous Strike.”
“But what of the Thunder Avoidance Talisman?” Ye Yun asked.
“The talisman works only for those below the Fourth Level. Beyond that, it’s useless,” Zeng Xuan explained.
Ye Yun chuckled. “Then those like us, who’ve mastered Thunder Spirit Qi, hold an advantage.”
Zeng Xuan shrugged. “Heaven’s balance demands trade-offs. My Thunder Spirit Qi mastery slows my cultivation progress. But here, in this place, our edge is justified.”
Ye Yun’s eyes narrowed. The Thunder Spirit Qi within him far purer than Zeng Xuan’s. If the valley’s Thunder Spirit Power barely affected Zeng Xuan, it would trouble Ye Yun even less.
Before the valley’s entrance, Ye Yun touched the smooth, mirror-like cliff wall. A silken yet faintly numbing sensation greeted his fingertips—the touch of thunder imbued in every stone.
The dark storm cloud draped over the valley like a curtain, blue electric snakes darting brightly within. At the entrance, purple lightning wove a chaotic, dense net spanning six zhang wide and ten zhang high.
At midnight, this lightning seal would vanish. One hour later, it would reform, trapping all inside for ten days until the entrance reopened.
Ye Yun and the hundreds around him waited, eyes fixed on the sealed gateway.
“By the way, why haven’t I seen any experts above the sixth level of the Golden Core stage who survived the great tribulation?” Ye Yun suddenly asked curiously.
“Those who reach beyond the sixth level of the Golden Core stage possess spatial comprehension far beyond our imagination. They’re likely hidden in the darkness now, waiting for the valley entrance to open. They’ll probably enter first without any of us noticing,” Zeng Xuan answered casually, still staring at the valley entrance.
Ye Yun smiled faintly. When it came to spatial laws, his own understanding was refined to its simplest essence. To him, most spatial magical arrays were like naked women—utterly exposed, leaving nothing hidden.
Thunder Falls Valley teemed with spatial magical arrays. While these might be troublesome nightmares for ordinary cultivators, they gave Ye Yun an advantage. With his grasp of spatial laws, he could move through these arrays as effortlessly as a fish through water.
“Look! The lightning in the storm cloud is changing!”
As Ye Yun’s mind wandered, a shrill voice pierced the air. Nearly everyone instinctively looked upward.
A brilliant flash erupted from the dark storm clouds, coalescing into a stone pillar-thick bolt of purple lightning. It tore through the sky, ripping space itself, before crashing into the valley entrance.
Instantly, the entrance—already sealed by purple lightning—blazed with light. Purple lightning snakes writhed as the massive bolt’s energy surged into them, fusing the electric currents into a single glowing sphere that radiated overwhelming pressure.
Cultivators below the Golden Core stage stumbled backward, spines chilled by the gateway’s terrifying aura.
Ye Yun and Zeng Xuan stood firm, their powerful mental fortitude shielding them from the pressure.
“It’s opening! It’s opening!”
The radiant light abruptly contracted, vanishing into the surrounding cliff walls as if it had never existed.
Inside the valley, hair-thin lightning threads now floated like misty rain.
_Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!_
As hundreds of disciples charged forward, a dozen shadowy figures streaked across the sky, disappearing into Thunder Falls Valley before anyone could react.
Ye Yun understood—these were sixth-level Golden Core experts who’d survived the great tribulation. With them leading the way, the valley’s valuables would likely be swept clean.
The crowd surged into the valley, but Ye Yun and Zeng Xuan remained still. The entrance would stay open for an hour, and barely an incense stick’s worth of time had passed.
Neither sought common heavenly materials and earthly treasures. Their targets were Thunder Wood, Ice Spirit Herbs, and other supreme treasures—items only found in the core area, tempered by ten thousand years of lightning.
All other disciples had entered except Zhong Huali. He eyed the pair and drawled, “Ye Yun, recall my words. Stay out of the core area, and I’ll spare your life.”
Ye Yun snorted coldly. “Enough prattle. Remember this—whether you enter the core area or not, whether you find anything, I’ll kill you regardless.”
Zhong Huali’s face darkened, murderous intent flashing in his eyes. With a harsh snort, he vanished into the valley as a streak of light.
“Annoying insect,” Zeng Xuan muttered, brow furrowed.
“Dead insects don’t annoy.” Ye Yun shrugged. He bore no real grudge, but Zhong Huali’s arrogance grated. If conflict arose, he wouldn’t hesitate.
“Then kill him.” Zeng Xuan nodded. His figure blurred as he sped toward the valley. “I’ll go ahead. Be cautious.”
Ye Yun nodded silently, watching his companion disappear before strolling to the now-darkened entrance.
Unlike the others, he paused there, studying the cliff walls flanking the gateway.
Having mastered Lightning Element Law, Ye Yun sensed something peculiar when the Divine Thunder struck—an anomaly in the lightning power, different from ordinary electricity.
The anomaly emanated from the entrance walls.
He pressed a palm against the smooth stone. Residual Thunder Spirit Power tingled through his fingertips.
“This Thunder Spirit Qi… it’s unique.”
Ye Yun grinned, eyes crinkling to slits.
