Chapter 229: The Lightning Retribution Grounds

Chapter 229: The Lightning Retribution Grounds

Lei Kun stared at Pang Jian in amazement.

Are all Sword Pavilion disciples this ridiculously strong?

After I left the Primordial Wilderness, Pang Jian killed Liang Ying, Luo Yunming, Jiu Yuan, and Cao Mang.

And now, there's Luo Yuan, who managed to survive attacks of that magnitude with just his Profound Abode Realm cultivation!

Unaware the two were the same person, Lei Kun could not help but let his thoughts wander.

"Senior Lei, could you tell me more about the Lightning Retribution Grounds?" Pang Jian asked curiously.

In the Primordial Wilderness, Pang Jian had already noticed Lei Kun's preoccupation with saving face. The fiery-tempered rogue cultivator was easy to get along with as long as he was shown the proper respect.

"Of course."

Lei Kun rarely encountered a polite disciple from the upper world, especially one from a sect he respected like the Sword Pavilion, so he was more than happy to explain.

"Cloud Lightning is a fragment that fell from the First World," he began.

Pang Jian was taken aback. "A fragment?"

"Yes, it's a fragment of a larger piece of land!" Lei Kun explained seriously. "Before that white crane appeared, I would come here regularly to cultivate. I'm a lightning-attribute cultivator, so I paid particular attention to this restricted area. I doubt anyone in the Third World understands it better than I do."

He paused and glanced up at the sky.

"Legend has it that Cloud Lightning belonged to a sect called the Profound Lightning Pavilion, which once stood in the First World!

"Thousands of years ago, an ancient Thunder Dragon attacked the Profound Lightning Pavilion, and the Pavilion Master was killed on the spot.

"The enraged Thunder Dragon tore apart the massive landmass belonging to the Profound Lightning Pavilion, and a fragment fell into the Third World.

"That fragment is Cloud Lightning, which we're standing on right now," Lei Kun solemnly recounted.

It's another Thunder Dragon! Pang Jian frowned.

A Thunder Dragon had also split apart the Three Immortals Island, driving out the one-eyed giants and forcing them into the Fifth World.

The vision he had seen while becoming one with the world on the icy altar had shown him just how powerful Thunder Dragons could be.

"That ancient Thunder Dragon is still alive, hibernating in the Dragon Lair Sect in the Second World. It—" Lei Kun abruptly lowered his voice and whispered reverently, "The Pavilion Master of the Profound Lightning Pavilion had a great conflict with the Thunder Dragon over the Dao of Lightning, which is why the Thunder Dragon killed him.

"This Thunder Dragon has done a great service to our human race, having helped eradicate several evil races during ancient times.

"I also heard that this Thunder Dragon played a significant role in the fall of the Celestial Phoenix.

"Because of this, the powerful sects of the First World did not seek revenge against the Thunder Dragon, even though it killed the Pavilion Master of the Profound Lightning Pavilion, and instead allowed it to stay in the Dragon Lair Sect.

"As for the Lightning Retribution Grounds beneath us, it's said that Profound Lightning Pavilion once used it to attract and harness lightning.

"Since it was originally in the First World, close to the sky of the Abyss, it was prone to drawing down profound thunder from beyond the heavens."

Lei Kun had dedicated himself to training in Cloud Lightning and was extremely knowledgeable about its history.

"In the past, this restricted area was home to many Vicious Beasts that thrived by absorbing lightning. But when that white crane appeared, it cunningly killed off all these Vicious Beasts. It treats Cloud Lightning like its personal territory and attacks anyone who dares to enter.

"Damn it! Before it showed up, I was the strongest one here!" Lei Kun cursed angrily.

A crane's cry suddenly pierced the air.

Lei Kun's eyes sparked with lightning as he glared at the misty sky. "It's coming again!"

The white crane reappeared in the clouds, flapping its wings and sending thick bolts of lightning crashing down.

The two ends moved in opposite directions, but the middle section remained suspended unmoving in the air.

The white crane's eyes filled with horror.

"Ah! How could this happen?" it cried.

It had not expected the void rift to widen unendingly, with no signs of sealing back shut.

At that moment, the bronze pendant—also known as the Gate of the Abyss—started to heat up.

An eerie realization struck Pang Jian as he stared at the ever-widening rift.

It seemed the Gate of the Abyss' presence was causing the rift to tear open even further, allowing golden lightning to shoot out from within.

Meanwhile, cultivators wandering in other parts of the restricted area had noticed the unusual phenomenon occurring in the Lightning Retribution Grounds.

"A golden lightning storm appears in the southwest!"

"That white crane, Lei Kun, and Luo Yuan are all caught in it!"

"We have to see what's going on!"

Despite knowing the dangers, they desperately rushed over from all over to investigate.

Massive golden lightning bolts were frozen in place in the Lightning Retribution Grounds.

Lei Kun was stunned to find the lightning was no longer attacking him. His shock deepened as he turned to gaze at the void rift, which was splitting open more and more.

"Bizarre mist!" he cried in horror as he caught a glimpse of the bizarre mist within the void rift.

He was already contemplating how to escape.

Cultivators in the Abyss revered the supernatural bizarre mist, viewing it as a mysterious force beyond even the power of gods.

Therefore, when Lei Kun caught sight of the bizarre mist, his first thought was to flee as quickly as possible. He no longer wished to remain in Cloud Lightning.

Pang Jian, on the other hand, felt a strange affinity with the bizarre mist and watched in captivation as the void rift widened.

Carefully avoiding the thick golden lightning bolts, he approached the void rift, eager to see what mysteries lay hidden within the depths of the bizarre mist.

"Luo Yuan, don't go near it!" Lei Kun shouted in alarm.

Pang Jian acted as though he had not heard him.

The white crane dodged the soaring golden lightning in the sky. Its control over the lightning had completely spiraled out of its grasp, and it could no longer attack Pang Jian and Lei Kun.

"Something's not right; this isn't how it's supposed to be! You two lower-world scums, you must've messed up my plans!" it cursed.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Slender golden lightning bolts shot out from the depths of the bizarre mist within the void rift like golden dragons, creating a chaotic mix of energies in the area.

Crackle! Crackle!

The golden lightning hung like waterfalls in the sky. As its ends stretched, it drilled deep caverns into the basin below as if intending to pierce straight through Cloud Lightning.

On the plateau of the towering hills, He Hui, Ning Wei, and an elder from the Star River Alliance had also noticed the unusual phenomena in the basin. They watched as streaks of golden lightning shot straight into the sky.

"What on earth is happening?!" shouted all who saw the terrifying sight.

By this time, Pang Jian had already reached the edge of the void rift. Maintaining his sturdy green protective shield as a precaution, he squinted as he peered into the depths of the bizarre mist within the void rift.

He saw a massive creature attempting to emerge from the bizarre mist.