A bitter tide swelled within Wang Lin’s heart. Beside him, Qing Yi clasped his hand, her gaze brimming with a deeper tenderness. “It matters not what you become,” she whispered, “I will remain at your side.”

Wang Ping merely nodded, his silence heavy.

Leidaozi’s face, a mask of thunderous displeasure, remained fixed on Wang Lin. “I shall enlighten you,” he snarled, “as to what truly constitutes a Messenger of the Thunder Celestial Hall!” He raised a hand, pointing a gnarled finger towards the heavens. “Awaken, Celestial Beast of Thunder!”

Across the vast expanse above, a torrent of lightning surged forth from the infinite beyond. The celestial canvas itself seemed consumed by this electric tide, which coalesced and compressed with terrifying speed. In an instant, above Leidaozi, a colossal sphere of raw thunder formed.

A deafening roar, the voice of the storm itself, echoed through the heavens, resonating with an awe-inspiring majesty that shook the very souls of all who heard it.

Upon the star of Ranyun, those cultivators who had been struggling beneath the oppressive weight of Leidaozi’s divine sense now felt the earth tremble beneath their feet. The thunder resonated within them, causing their spiritual energies to surge uncontrollably, threatening to tear them asunder.

With a sudden lurch, the thunderous sphere imploded, resolving into a magnificent beast of lightning!

The creature was a vision of martial grace and power. From its nostrils issued streams of electric fire, serpentine bolts of lightning that danced in the air. Its immense eyes blazed with a haughty pride, an assertion that it was the noblest being in all creation.

Yet, as its gaze swept downward, landing upon Wang Lin, a flicker of hesitation, a hint of confusion, clouded its divine countenance.

Leidaozi, his tone cold and measured, declared, “It is only by possessing a Thunder Beast that one may claim the title of Messenger of the Thunder Celestial Hall! To falsely claim it is a crime punishable by the eradication of your entire lineage!”

Wang Lin regarded the creature, his expression calm. “Without the horn of lightning, how can it be called a true Thunder Beast?” He tapped his storage pouch, and the God-Slaying Chariot materialized, exploding in a burst of dazzling radiance!

From within this incandescent light, an aura of apocalyptic power emanated, a presence that threatened to unmake the very fabric of reality. Slowly, majestically, a colossal beast of pure thunder emerged.

Its form bore a resemblance to the Qilin, yet it was not a Qilin. Upon its brow stood a single, magnificent horn of silver, crackling with untamed power.

The moment it stepped forth, Leidaozi’s face underwent a drastic transformation. Never since his arrival upon Ranyun had he experienced such profound shock. Stunned, he could only stare at the colossal beast, wordless.

Above him, the Thunder Celestial Hall’s Thunder Beast pulsed with raw energy, its gaze riveted upon the newcomer. Its hooves pawed the air, radiating savage intent.

The beast born of the God-Slaying Chariot lifted its head and unleashed a primal roar that shook the heavens.

And the heavens answered. A deafening thunderclap split the air, and bolts of lightning, not of tribulation, but of this creature’s own dominion, rained down from the sky.

The Thunder Celestial Hall’s beast, overwhelmed, issued a terrified howl.

A chilling glint shone in the eyes of Wang Lin’s Thunder Beast. When Thunder Beasts met, without the intervention of their masters, a deadly struggle was inevitable. This instinct was unique to their kind.

A surge of lightning erupted beneath the feet of Wang Lin’s beast, and without hesitation, it charged, its roar echoing across the land as it lunged towards the Thunder Celestial Hall’s creature.

Panic flashed in the eyes of the Hall’s beast. Its bloodline was impure, yet it could sense the overwhelming power of its opponent. Still, pride refused to allow it to yield. It roared defiance, and met the charge.

The air crackled with the roar of thunder as the two beasts collided in a cataclysmic struggle.

For a moment, the very earth seemed to tremble.

“That… that is a Silver-Horned Thunder Beast!” Leidaozi’s gaze snapped to the silver horn atop Wang Lin’s creature, his eyes wide with disbelief.

“He possesses a Thunder Beast… and commands the power of lightning…” A bitter realization dawned upon Leidaozi’s face. Had he not been under orders to investigate this very matter, had he not been utterly certain that no emissary had been sent here from the Thunder Celestial Hall in the past seventy years, he would have sworn that Wang Lin, too, was one of them!

Silver-Horned Thunder Beasts were not unheard of in the Thunder Celestial Hall, but they were exceedingly rare, entrusted only to a select few, the Celestial Envoys themselves. If he could claim such a beast, his status within the Hall would soar.

His gaze returned to the magnificent horn, a flicker of avarice igniting within his eyes. He looked back at Wang Lin, and, casting aside all pretense, he formed a series of hand seals. With a final, swift gesture, an aura of power erupted around him. A longsword of pure silver materialized within his grasp.

The blade crackled with energy. Leidaozi thrust it forward, and with a blinding flash, it became a bolt of living thunder, hurtling towards the immortal guard.

“Once I have slain him, the beast, now without a master, shall be mine!” Leidaozi roared. He threw forth the flying sword, and with a powerful stride, he surged forward. His hands spread wide, and he roared, “Thunder Celestial Tribulation!”

A bolt of violet lightning materialized within his grasp, weaving itself into a net of raw power. Accompanied by a chorus of thunder, it snaked its way towards Wang Lin.

Wang Lin’s expression remained calm, but his pupils contracted imperceptibly. Leidaozi was an embodiment of the Void Gazer cultivation. Not only did his celestial energy run deep, but his mastery of the element of thunder was frightening.

*His Intent seems to be one with the element as well!* A chilling glint flashed within Wang Lin’s eyes. He reached for his storage pouch, and from it, he produced a golden immortal brush.

With a sure hand, Wang Lin swept the brush through the air before him, and a single rune bloomed into existence. Without pause, he continued to create them, completing seven strokes in rapid succession!

Seven strokes was the limit. With each stroke, a fraction of his soul merged with the rune. As the seventh stroke completed, he had scattered seven parts of himself to the wind.

However, Wang Lin’s soul had undergone a profound transformation after devouring a portion of the Primordial Thunder Dragon. Now, as his seven soul fragments merged with the runes, the golden light transformed into a white, blinding light.

Upon the runes rested not only the majesty of the immortals, but the overwhelming pressure of the celestial thunder itself. As the runes solidified, a series of crisp, crackling sounds reverberated around them.

A unimaginable aura of power, like a raging storm, surged forth.
The oppressive force was undeniable, a true thunderous might unlike any mortal invocation of lightning. As its power pulsed outward, even the battling thunder beasts in the distance paused, turning their heads towards the source. Their senses, finely attuned to the currents of lightning, clearly perceived a trace of primordial sky-thunder within the arcane glyph!

This ancient sky-thunder… it originated with the Primordial Thunder Dragon, a being whose very existence was to wield thunder on behalf of the celestial Dao. Now, that authority, that right, was gradually merging into Wang Lin’s nascent soul, born from his consumption of half a Thunder Dragon.

Indeed, Wang Lin’s cloud-spirit thunder surpassed all other forms of thunderous power in the world! Had this Lei Daozi attempted any other spell or technique, perhaps there would have been a chance. But if he dared to wield the power of lightning, he would find no path to victory against Wang Lin!

Even if his cultivation was high, that height, unless it truly reached the Second Step, would avail him naught!

For Wang Lin possessed absolute mastery over lightning. No thunderous incantation of this world could harm him!

One could even say that Wang Lin, in essence, was the living embodiment of the Primordial Thunder Dragon!

With the seventh stroke completed, Wang Lin pointed the brush forward, and the glyph shot forth like a bolt of divine judgment, straight towards Lei Daozi.

Lei Daozi’s face darkened. Gritting his teeth, he thrust out the violet lightning crackling in his palm to meet the oncoming rune.

“BOOM!”

The glyph shattered, unleashing a torrent of raw power, carrying with it Wang Lin’s seven nascent souls, which slammed directly into Lei Daozi. The violet lightning in his hand dissolved, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood, his body staggering back as if struck by a tempest.

“BOOM!” “BOOM!” “BOOM!” “BOOM!” With each resounding blast, a nascent soul echoed within Lei Daozi’s body, driving him back with further spurts of crimson.

When the final soul’s echo faded, Lei Daozi stood pale and breathless, having retreated over a hundred paces. Horror etched itself upon his face, his eyes wide with disbelief.

This was the first time in his life he had been defeated by the power of lightning. He felt a bizarre certainty that, compared to the one before him, Xu Mu was the true envoy of the Thunder Immortal Palace, while he himself was but an imitation.

This unsettling feeling forced him to take a deep breath, and his gaze grew even more ominous.

Wang Lin inwardly sighed. This Lei Daozi was indeed a master of the Void Refinement stage. The glyph had only wounded him, failing to strike at his core.

The celestial power within him was too dense, and laced with a trace of Heaven and Earth yuan-force, which constantly dissipated the lightning that had penetrated his body.

“You… are strong!” Lei Daozi said, regaining his composure. “Hiding away in this Ran Yun Star to cultivate, I presume. Perhaps, given a hundred more years, you would be even more formidable. If your cultivation were equal to mine, this battle would surely spell my doom. Alas, your progress has stalled at the First Step!” He took a deep breath, and his injuries seemed to vanish in an instant.

But Wang Lin clearly noticed that the Heaven and Earth yuan-force within him had diminished slightly.

“I ask you one last time, hand over the Silver Horned Thunder Beast and the puppet, and I will let you leave! Otherwise, you are doomed to die here today. What I showed you before was mere commonplace magic. If you remain stubborn, I will unleash techniques unique to Second Step cultivators, utilizing yuan-force. You… cannot resist!” Lei Daozi declared, his voice heavy with threat.

Wang Lin’s expression remained calm. He slapped his storage pouch, producing a greatsword, its tip pointed towards the ground. “Then strike,” he said, his voice even. “Let me witness the yuan-force abilities of a Void Refinement cultivator!”

Whether it was the Old Ancestor of the Illusion Family, Qian Kui Zi, or this Lei Daozi before him, Wang Lin had observed the same element in all three: Heaven and Earth yuan-force!

Clearly, this yuan-force was the key to the Second Step!

This battle was, in effect, Wang Lin’s first personal engagement against a cultivator of the Void Refinement stage. The sheer regenerative ability of the Void Refinement cultivator stirred a deep unease within Wang Lin.

Lei Daozi’s gaze shifted past Wang Lin, settling on Wang Ping and Qing Yi behind him. A strange light flickered in his eyes as he spoke slowly, “To forsake enlightenment for the sake of a dead man… I confess, I find this quite perplexing!”

“Stop!” Wang Lin snapped, his head jerking up. His eyes burned red as he slowly raised his sword, his voice a chilling whisper.