The name “Thunder Immortal Hall” echoed in Wang Lin’s mind, a title he had heard more than once. He cast a thoughtful glance at the Thunder Beast beside him, then strode forward, stepping onto the soil of Thousand Illusion Star.

Dismissing his Star Compass, he pierced the planet’s turbulent罡 winds and found himself before a vast land. A sweep of his divine sense locked onto the south, and he surged forth like a shooting star, propelled by roaring thunder.

In the southern reaches of Thousand Illusion Star, within the ancestral halls of the Huan Family, Patriarch Huan Wuqing stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze fixed on the heavens, his expression grim. On either side of him, members of the Huan family’s direct bloodline stood in silent ranks, a hint of discontent flickering within their eyes, carefully concealed.

Liu Mei stood beside the Huan Patriarch, her own gaze lost in the sky, her thoughts unfathomable. The remaining family members were sequestered within the surrounding houses, for not all had managed to return in time.

“Liu Mei,” the Huan Patriarch intoned, his voice heavy, “I ask you again, are you certain this person hails from the Alliance Star System, as you do?”

Liu Mei offered a subtle nod, but remained silent.

“How could one from the Alliance Star System command a Thunder Beast…?” This mystery troubled even Huan Wuqing.

Unbeknownst to him, the creator of the Divine Chariot, a figure of vast connections, had journeyed to the Realm of Thunder Immortals to procure the beasts needed for the Chariot’s soul. Through means unknown, he had wrestled several Thunder Beasts from the grasp of a Thunder Immortal Lord.

Now, in the Patriarch’s sight, rumbling thunder echoed from the horizon. A meteor streaked across the sky, within it, Wang Lin! Beside him flew the Thunder Beast, its nostrils flaring, electric currents coursing through its body, its savage eyes fixed upon the Huan Family below.

As starlight dissipated, Wang Lin descended, halting before the great array that protected the Huan Family’s ancestral domain.

The Huan Family’s estate sprawled like a city, built entirely of black stone, resembling an ancient beast slumbering in the depths.

“Release Liu Mei!” Wang Lin’s voice was like ice, his gaze a chilling wind that swept over Liu Mei, standing beside the Huan Patriarch beneath the array.

A complex emotion flickered in Liu Mei’s eyes, and she turned away, unwilling to meet Wang Lin’s gaze.

“Presumptuous!” Patriarch Huan’s eyes flashed with a cold light. “Young whelp, if you can breach the Huan Family’s array, then you may speak such words!”

Wang Lin’s expression remained frozen. He struck the Thunder Beast’s head, and the creature roared to the heavens, its voice a thunderclap that transformed the world into a realm of thunder.

The sky darkened, and heavy storm clouds gathered. As the Thunder Beast roared with increasing ferocity, bolts of lightning crackled within the clouds, striking down upon the Huan Family’s protective array.

Deafening explosions echoed through the heavens as the might of the sky descended, battering the array. The array shimmered with blinding light, revealing swirling, watery patterns as it absorbed and dissipated the thunderbolts.

Wang Lin’s gaze grew even colder. He bit his right fingertip, and a drop of blood flew forth, landing upon Liu Mei’s brow.

“Seal, open!”

As Wang Lin’s icy command resonated, the Thunder Beast shuddered, and a wave of pure thunder erupted from its being, forming a swirling vortex of lightning.

The vortex grew, drawing the clouds from the sky. Lightning bolts surged from all around to envelop it, creating a cage of crackling energy.

“Break the array!” Wang Lin roared. The Thunder Beast unleashed its full electric potential. Within a hundred leagues, dust and stones danced in the air as if drawn by an unseen force.

Even those within the array felt the overwhelming power. Some Huan Family members, more knowledgeable than others, recognized the Thunder Beast for what it was, and their faces paled.

“Patriarch! That…that is a Thunder Beast!”

Qian Kuizi’s earlier telepathic message had been directed solely at Huan Wuqing, so the other Huan Family members were ignorant of the Thunder Beast’s presence.

“Patriarch, Thunder Beasts serve the Thunder Immortal Hall! Patriarch, think carefully!”

“Patriarch, to bring calamity upon the Huan Family for an outsider is unwise!”

The carefully concealed discontent of the direct bloodline members finally erupted. It had begun with Liu Mei’s arrival, swelled during the blood-exchange ritual, and now reached its peak.

“Silence, all of you!” Patriarch Huan snapped, his gaze sweeping over his bloodline kin.

The Thunder Beast’s vortex howled forward. The Thunder Beast itself charged forth, a living battering ram aimed directly at the array. Where before, the attack had consisted of individual thunderbolts, now all the heavenly thunder was gathered into one concentrated, devastating blow.

The force of the impact was immense. The sky grew darker, the earth trembled. For a moment, all that existed in the heavens and earth was the charging Thunder Beast, transformed into a storm of pure lightning! Its roar filled the world, and with a deafening crash, it slammed into the array.

A sound that resonated across Thousand Illusion Star erupted as the Thunder Beast, now a vortex of pure thunder, writhed across the surface of the Huan Family’s array, sending out sparks of energy. In the eye of the storm, the Thunder Beast drove into the array’s protective shield, carving it inward.

Lightning crackled through the air, and in the face of such celestial power, the face of Qian Kuizi revealed a cold smile.

Beneath the array, the faces of the Huan Family were pale. All save for the Huan Patriarch were visibly shaken.
From the celestial realm of thunder, in the lower star-domain of Luo Tian, they held an unwavering devotion and reverence for the power of thunder. Now, facing the thunder-beast, herald of the Thunder Immortal Palace, it was not their cultivation levels that faltered, but their very hearts! The deafening roar of the thunder-storm ceaselessly unleashed torrents of lightning, battering the great array. Yet, this was no ordinary barrier, but a weave of potent enchantment crafted by the Huan family. Its resilience was astounding, enduring the onslaught without so much as a crack.

The patriarch of the Huan clan, his visage a mask of grim displeasure, fixed his gaze upon Wang Lin beyond the array. Inwardly, he mused, “Unleash your sword-qi, mortal! Otherwise, breaking through this barrier will prove a feat beyond your grasp. Only by relentlessly depleting your essence of the sword will I make my move to end your life!”

Amidst the relentless assault of the thunder-beast’s storm, a phantom flickered beneath Wang Lin. In an instant, his Celestial Guard construct materialized. With a decisive stride, he reached the barrier and unleashed a devastating punch.

That single strike seemed to eclipse the light of the heavens, emitting a blinding golden radiance. Even the raging lightning paled in comparison.

As the Celestial Guard’s fist landed upon the array, a tortured groan echoed forth. Under the combined might of the thunder-storm and the celestial construct, the barrier’s surface writhed with waves of furious energy, desperately attempting to dissipate the overwhelming force.

The Celestial Guard retracted its fist, pausing not for respite. Again, it unleashed a strike, and then again. Soon, the construct multiplied, its fists raining down upon the barrier like a tempest of destruction. The thunder-beast, in a frenzy of roars, channeled its power, its body crackling with intensified lightning.

The reverberations of the assault shook the very foundations of the world. Within the array, the faces of the Huan clan members grew ever darker.

“Honored Ancestor!” a low, resonant voice called out from the forefront of the Huan family’s direct lineage.

The Huan patriarch’s brow furrowed. He might ignore the pleas of a common clansman, but the speaker held a position of significant import. Turning his gaze, the patriarch regarded the source of the voice: Huan Fengshen, the clan’s very leader!

“Fengshen, do you, too, stand against my judgment?” Huan Wuqing questioned, his tone heavy with reproach.

“Fengshen dares not presume such. But, Honored Ancestor,” Fengshen began, his voice measured, “Regardless of whether this individual is truly aligned with the Thunder Immortal Palace, he commands a thunder-beast and wields a construct of the Yin-Yang Void Realm. I implore you to consider: Should our clan forge an alliance or engage in a deadly feud?”

Fengshen’s eyes burned with unwavering conviction as he met the patriarch’s gaze. “To befriend him is to gain an ally. To fight him offers us no advantage. Are we to spill blood merely to protect an outsider? A woman whose cultivation you have forced to the pinnacle of the Questioning Realm, her comprehension lagging far behind. Even should she ascend, her path will be forever bound to the Yin-Yang Void. I understand your intentions, Honored Ancestor, but is this gamble, this risk, worth the price of fulfilling a personal desire?”

Liu Mei, the woman in question, displayed no outward reaction to these words, her gaze fixed ahead, her eyes devoid of emotion.

The Huan patriarch’s countenance darkened further. He regarded Fengshen in silence for a long moment before declaring, his voice laced with finality, “This matter is mine to resolve.”

Fengshen sighed, a note of resignation in his tone. “If the Honored Ancestor remains steadfast, I cannot stand in opposition. Should this individual fail to breach the array, then no harm is done. But the moment it falls, I will retreat to safeguard the clan. My nature seeks stability, not reckless risk.”

The Huan family’s great array shimmered and pulsed, its waves of energy weakening with each thunderous blow. The radiant light flickered at its limits, the rippling energies blurring the very vision within and without, as if viewed through troubled waters.

The thunder-beast’s roars and the Celestial Guard’s relentless strikes reached a fever pitch. At that very moment, Wang Lin’s eyes blazed with focused intensity. His right hand swept across his storage pouch, and a great sword materialized in his grasp. The Rain Immortal Sword, severed by Zhou Yi and entrusted to Wang Lin, bearer of its destined lineage!

Its razor-sharp edge glimmered, concealing unimaginable power. Its very presence exuded an aura of overwhelming might. As Wang Lin grasped the hilt, he became one with the blade, for he was its true master! With a serene gaze, Wang Lin raised the Immortal Sword, its angle poised to strike.