Chapter 51: Thunder Flash
Bai Ling looked at Xuan Ningyue with a complex expression.
"No... don't..." Xuan Ningyue's gaze trembled with terror. With all her might, she grabbed Bai Ling's arm. Deprived of her primordial energy, she could only muster the strength of an ordinary person at this moment. "You... you cannot... treat me like this..."
He gently parted Xuan Ningyue's garments, revealing a expanse of snowy skin that left him momentarily dazed. Her flawless, curvaceous figure set Bai Ling's entire body ablaze.
Bai Ling grasped her hand in return, leaning his body downward. Xuan Ningyue's resistance instantly dissolved into muffled sobs.
...
The thunder dragon watched the two of them vanish into that tunnel. With a flick of its tail, a barrier of lightning completely sealed off the passage. It looked upon everyone else present, fell into brief contemplation, and then let out an angry roar, "Get lost, all of you! Bad luck!"
Originally, its plan had been to kill everyone who entered the primordial vein to accelerate the awakening of its power, attempting to shatter the seal placed by the mysterious god ten thousand years ago. To its surprise, the seal was broken by Xuan Ningyue, who could wield the power of nothingness. While overjoyed, it had then encountered both the successor of the mysterious god and the daughter of the mysterious god, leaving it feeling extremely distressed at the moment.
Yet, since it could now escape this place, there was no longer any need to harbor murderous intent and slaughter everyone present.
"We are allowed to leave?"
This was the thought in everyone's mind at that moment. They all drew deep breaths of air, their faces filled with utter disbelief.
The thunder dragon slanted its gaze and said, "Lord Dragon possesses a heart of benevolence! Hurry up and get lost, or else I will devour you the very next second!"
At these words, everyone's expressions changed drastically, and they stumbled backward in retreat.
"Go!"
The first to leave were the ten men in hemp garments. Their heads lifted as starlight flashed, and they instantly erupted with the power of the Spirit Origin Realm, fleeing at top speed for fear that they would be left behind as the thunder dragon's food in the next moment.
Seeing this, the rest turned pale with shock. When had Spirit Origin Realm cultivators appeared within this primordial vein? Yet compared to the thunder dragon before them, this question was utterly insignificant!
In less than a quarter of an hour, everyone had departed. Only Yang Qing remained in place.
"Aren't you afraid I'll eat you?" the thunder dragon asked coldly, looking at Yang Qing, who stood her ground and had not left with the others.
"Please take me as your disciple." With a heavy thud, Yang Qing knelt on the ground, her expression solemn and her gaze sincere.
"Hah, ridiculous. A lowly human wanting to take me as master? What qualifications do you have?"
The thunder dragon coiled rapidly, speaking with majesty. It was harboring a pent-up frustration in its heart that it could not release—it had wanted Bai Ling to take it as master, only to be rejected!
And now, a human girl in the Early Origin Realm wanted to take it as master? Dragons possessed their own pride as one of the legendary top-tier demonic races of this world!
"I need power!" Yang Qing said coldly, Li Che's actions toward her a few days prior flashing through her mind.
The tunnel fell into an absolute hush.
Seconds later, the thunder dragon glanced at her sideways, lightning flashing across its entire body. With a flick of its tail, a towering opening appeared at the ceiling of the tunnel. Just as its figure was about to dissipate—
"What if in the future, I can help him?" Yang Qing raised her head to look at the vanishing dragon shadow, speaking once more with reluctance.
Immediately after, the dragon tail whipped toward her, wrapping around her body and completely vanishing.
The thunder dragon shuttled continuously through the tunnel, heading at extreme speed toward the peak of the mountain.
"Master, where are we going?"
Yang Qing asked joyfully. In her heart, she understood that from this moment on, since the other party had taken her along, she might well become the disciple of this Primordial Thunder Dragon!
"Hehe... I wonder if those old fellows are dead yet. Naturally, we need to find a way to restore Lord Dragon's power! That damned mysterious god suppressed me for ten thousand years, allowing me to only display the strength of the Heavenly Origin Realm. Otherwise, Lord Dragon would have traversed the skies and returned to the Dragon God Realm long ago!" The Primordial Thunder Dragon widened its eyes, its tone reeking of resentment.
Yang Qing asked in shock, "Ah... Where is the Dragon God Realm? Is it very powerful?"
"The Dragon God Realm is one of the Nine Heavenly Realms... Uh, whatever. You are too weak; even if I told you, you wouldn't understand!" The Primordial Thunder Dragon blinked and said.
Boom!
Yang Qing stared ahead in shock. Suddenly, the Primordial Thunder Dragon's massive draconic body vanished instantly, and a young man of about twenty years old appeared within her field of vision.
"Hmm, good thing I can transform into human form, otherwise it would cause quite a bit of trouble." The humanoid thunder dragon turned around and smiled at Yang Qing.
This instantaneous scene left Yang Qing dumbfounded. Although rumors said that demonic beasts reaching a certain realm of strength could indeed transform into human form to walk the mortal world, the person before her—
His eyes were profound, his facial features handsome, his figure slender, and his entire body exuded the aura of an overlord who looked down upon the world.
What shocked Yang Qing the most was that he looked completely human, without a single trace of a demonic beast!
"My name is Long Yi!" Long Yi said with narrowed eyes.
Yang Qing was slightly stunned at first, then respectfully said, "...Yes, Master!"
At this moment in Yang Qing's heart, she knew not why this demonic youth, her master, had been suppressed here by the mysterious god for ten thousand years. But she understood that whether it was the mysterious god or Long Yi, neither was a figure of this continent—they existed as deities of ancient legends...
Long Yi looked at the pensive Yang Qing and said with solemn majesty, "Qing'er, if in the future you must do something against your own will, something Bai Ling will not understand—something that might even make him loathe you, despise you to the bone, and perhaps even kill you, plunging you into eternal damnation—would you still become my disciple?" He had made up his mind: if this young maiden before him refused now, he would strike her down on the spot!
Yang Qing was stunned by Long Yi's majestic voice, failing to understand why he would suddenly ask such a question.
Memories flashed through her mind of that day Bai Ling suddenly appeared, grasping the sharp blade of her suicide as blood dripped down... She took a deep breath, her gaze resolute as she answered, "This disciple has never regretted it!"
"Good," Long Yi said. He then cast a sidelong glance toward the direction of the tunnel where Bai Ling was, chuckled softly, and slowly turned around.
Yang Qing also looked toward the mouth of the tunnel, her expression sorrowful and her gaze complex. She understood full well what was transpiring inside that cavern at this moment. With a gentle shake of her head, she turned and followed behind Long Yi.
...
Boom!
At the mountain range of Flowing Moon City, a towering pillar of lightning erupted from deep underground. The entire mountain range quaked as if shaken by an earthquake, rumbling with a terrifying momentum!
Two human figures moved at breakneck speed, quietly departing like a wisp of smoke. Ji Kun and Bai Zhengtian, standing guard outside the primordial vein, failed to notice that two souls had already silently vanished.
...
After what felt like a very long time, Xuan Ningyue's consciousness gradually returned. A burning, unusual sensation washed over her entire skin, accompanied by the sound of heavy, ragged breathing in her ears, causing her mind to go blank for a split second.
She could not comprehend why her consciousness was returning now, nor why she was still alive.
Could it be because at this very moment—
From deep within her limbs came... why was there such a powerful draconic aura?
The tearing pain in her lower limbs made her want to let out a shy cry, and she whispered softly, "Ling, Brother Ling..."
Bai Ling seemed not to hear her voice, continuing to channel dragon soul power and dragon blood to mend her damaged body.
A few seconds later.
Boom!
A massive surge of primordial energy struck from her chest, sending Bai Ling flying five meters away. His clothes were disheveled, yet his face revealed a look of pleasant surprise.
"Yueyue!" Bai Ling cried out with trembling excitement.
"Yueyue, listen to me, what happened was..." Bai Ling recounted everything that had just occurred to Xuan Ningyue, word for word.
Xuan Ningyue quickly donned her garments, her snowy, slender back slowly fading from view.
She turned around slowly and gazed at Bai Ling.
Deep remorse filled Bai Ling's heart regarding what had just transpired between the two of them.
He looked into Xuan Ningyue's eyes. The indescribable, joyful glimmer that had always been present in her gaze was completely gone. In its place were a pair of eyes as cold as frost, carrying an endless chill that was terrifyingly frightful.
Xuan Ningyue simply stood there quietly, looking at him...
"I'm sorry, Yueyue. I will marry you!" Bai Ling said earnestly.
Immediately after, within his field of vision, Xuan Ningyue walked toward him step by step.
With every step she took, the primordial energy aura emanating from her surged upward, leaping from the eighth stage of the Early Origin Realm all the way to the fifth stage of the Earth Origin Realm.
Bai Ling did not know that the dragon soul and dragon blood within his body had accidentally healed Xuan Ningyue's injuries through what had just happened, while his primal male energy had miraculously propelled her cultivation upward by five minor realms.
Swish, swish, swish...
Bai Ling's heart tightened. Xuan Ningyue's primordial energy washed over him like a wave. Her expression icy and devoid of emotion, she stopped just one meter away from him.
"I swear, I, Bai Ling, will never fail you in this lifetime! Once we get out, I will tell Third Uncle that we are getting married!" Bai Ling swore to the heavens.
He lunged forward, wanting to grab Xuan Ningyue's wrist, but instead of skin, his hand grasped only a lingering afterimage that slowly dissipated.
He turned around hurriedly, unaware of when Xuan Ningyue had appeared behind him, departing from him once more...
With a complex gaze, Bai Ling stared at Xuan Ningyue's retreating back. He wanted to say something; a thousand words crowded his heart, yet not a single one could pass his lips.
Xuan Ningyue was gone.
The girl he had yearned for day and night through countless dreams over the past three years.
The girl who had vanished for three years, only to return with the incomparably precious Primordial Chaos Pill for him.
The girl who knew the lower-grade primordial vein was fraught with mortal danger, yet came alone to seek him out.
The girl who was as cold as frost to others, but always wore a smile for him.
And he, without her consent, had defiled her body—even if it was to save her life!
Though it sounded absurd, it had truly happened!
Echoing in Bai Ling's mind was everything from their first meeting up to this very moment. His heart ached terribly.
Watching her figure vanish completely into the temporary tunnel carved out by the thunder dragon, Bai Ling shook his head and murmured softly to himself, "You must hate me so much, Yueyue. I'm sorry!"
Outside the tunnel, Xuan Ningyue's about-to-depart figure came to an abrupt halt. She turned slowly around; within her icy countenance, her gaze flickered with a trace of complexity before she finally turned away and walked off...
Boom!
Bai Ling felt a surge of powerful primordial energy coursing through the meridians of his entire body.
Following that, his third origin gate, fourth origin gate... all the way to the sixth origin gate!
Boom!
The eighth origin gate was shattered in an instant, flooding him with a potent rush of primordial energy.
Bai Ling sat cross-legged, pondering inwardly: Could it be those six drops of dragon blood and the dragon soul that caused my realm to skyrocket?
No, it was Xuan Ningyue's primordial yin energy!!
Previously, the strength Xuan Ningyue displayed had reached the Earth Origin Realm, which shocked him, and she could even unleash terrifying Heavenly Origin Realm offensive power!
Before Bai Ling could revel in the joy of his breakthrough, the dragon blood within him completely fused with his blood vessels and meridians.
Boom, boom, boom!
The remaining three origin gates were shattered in an instant.
Immediately after, a surge of primordial energy manifested outside his body...
This was the Spirit Origin Realm!
Bai Ling extended his palm, calling upon the first-tier technique of the World-Extinction Thunder Canon—Lightning Guidance!
Arcs of lightning instantly crackled across his palm, emitting the sizzling sound of current.
Only at this moment did Bai Ling truly feel the difference between the World-Extinction Thunder Canon and the Thunder Origin Art.
The Thunder Origin Art drew upon the lightning of heaven and earth to temper oneself and cultivate; during thunderstorms, it borrowed the momentum of the heavens and earth to become invincible among peers!
Meanwhile, the first tier of the World-Extinction Thunder Canon corresponded directly to the art of controlling lightning!
The matching primordial skill was Lightning Flash, allowing instantaneous teleportation within a hundred meters to achieve a blinking effect.
Lightning Flash was a movement-type primordial skill, compared to which the Wind Shadow Skill fell hopelessly short.
A tempest raged in Bai Ling's heart. The World-Extinction Thunder Canon consisted of six tiers in total. According to the ancient records in his mind, when cultivated to the ultimate level, stars would shatter and realms would be reduced to cosmic dust with the flick of a finger...
Departure.
After Bai Ling left the tunnel, he returned to the place where everyone had gathered earlier.
The space was now completely deserted, and the Primordial Thunder Dragon had vanished entirely.
Where had the thunder dragon gone?
It had been suppressed by the mysterious god for ten thousand years, until Xuan Ningyue's power of nothingness completely shattered the seal left behind by the mysterious god.
Xuan Ningyue was gone, having left without saying a single word to him. At this moment, Bai Ling's heart felt unbearably heavy.
This young girl who had accompanied him since childhood—though he knew not what she had experienced over the past three years or why she possessed Earth Origin Realm strength—for the weak to possess no great strength and remain mediocre throughout life was something one could usually accept. But who could accept falling from the heights straight down into a jagged abyss?
Yet this was reality!
Bai Ling took a single step forward, turning to look behind him. He was already dozens of meters away from where he had just stood.
Was this the might of the first-tier technique of the World-Extinction Thunder Canon?
Lightning Flash was quite literally a heaven-defying skill!
Leaving the area, Bai Ling proceeded forward along the tunnel.
An hour later, Bai Ling returned to a spot five hundred meters deep into the tunnel, re-entering that chamber.
The bloodstain stench had long since vanished from the dozens of cavern openings.
"Bai Ling? Is it really you?" asked a youth at the sixth stage of the Early Origin Realm in astonishment.
Bai Ling inquired, "Where are the others?"
"The others have already headed into various tunnels to seek their own fortuitous encounters. You... your cultivation—have you reached the Spirit Origin Realm?!" he exclaimed at the end, his face filled with shock!
Bai Ling nodded, selected another tunnel, and stepped inside.
After advancing for about a hundred meters, a ball of primordial mist materialized ten meters ahead in his field of vision. A primordial beast holding a long sword gazed coldly at Bai Ling.
Bai Ling scrutinized its expression closely, confirming inwardly after a few seconds that this beast possessed not a shred of sentience.
It seemed that the sentient primordial beasts he encountered earlier likely harbored a sliver of consciousness from the ancient thunder dragon.
Bai Ling leaped forward, instantly appearing behind the beast, and threw a punch!
The primordial beast instantly disintegrated, transforming into a primordial crystal that landed in his palm.
At that moment, a sneering voice rang out.
"Bai Ling, Grandpa has finally found you. Hehehe..."