Chương 116: The Birth of Bing Yang Lightning

A silvery lightning seed hung suspended within Huaijin's dantian. Around it, spiritual liquid churned and flowed, drawn inexorably into its core as the seed's aura swelled to ever more terrifying heights. In his hand, the map fragment grew steadily dimmer. The profound, mysterious aura that had once wrapped around his body like a second skin faded into nothing. Huaijin's eyes snapped open.

At his fingertip, a bolt of crimson lightning crackled to life, a living thing that danced and leaped like a spirit of the storm, raw power coiling within it.

"Bing Yang Lightning..." A flash of genuine surprise crossed his face. Yen Tianyang had once told him that by immersing oneself in the map fragment's mysterious aura, one could grasp a single lightning-attribute technique. But that was the limit of what an ordinary cultivator could achieve. Zhang Huaijin was anything but ordinary. Bing Yang Lightning was the most formidable fire-lightning force known to the cultivation world, a fusion of yang energy and raging flame, fire and lightning bound in volatile perfection.

Its explosive power could purge all evil and banish every demon under heaven. Even Golden Core Realm cultivators would struggle to acquire so much as a wisp of this force. To comprehend it directly, in its entirety? That was unheard of. And yet Huaijin had done exactly that. He hadn't merely learned a technique, he had grasped the very essence of the world's most potent fire-lightning force. The implications were staggering.

Bing Yang Lightning could temper his physical body as surely as it could destroy his enemies. Working in concert with the Realm-Breaking Pearl, it would forge his flesh into something far beyond mortal limits. And as his understanding of lightning dao deepened over time, he would be able to derive technique after technique from this single, brilliant core. That was the true power of the Yang Fragment.

Even at his current fifth level cultivation, the mere wisp of Bing Yang Lightning he now commanded would make even a peak Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator think twice before crossing him. And if he unleashed the full might of his complete cultivation (body, soul and Qi)? Even a Tier 3 spirit beast, if caught off guard, would be grievously wounded by a single strike. The Crimson Flame Spirit Ruins Scripture, the Tier 2 technique he practiced, was itself fire-attributed.

Bing Yang Lightning was also a fire-attribute lightning force. The two resonated perfectly, amplifying each other in ways that would have seemed impossible mere days ago. He stood amidst the magma, fire-attributed spiritual energy flooding into his body from all directions. The lightning force within him swelled with every passing breath, his foundation deepening with each pulse of power. He looked down at the fragmentary map in his hand, eyes gleaming.

He had never imagined that such secrets lay hidden within this remnant. This fragment alone could serve as his family's greatest heritage, a legacy that any talented clan member could directly comprehend and claim as their own. Of course, the energy within the fragment would need time to recover between uses. And with his current body cultivation, he still couldn't so much as scratch its surface. Whatever this fragment was, its origins were undoubtedly extraordinary.

He tucked it away securely and stepped calmly out of the magma. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. The Violet Gold Azure Armour's energy barrier dissipated around him. He glanced at Yen Tianyang, still lying unconscious nearby, and knocked him out again for good measure. He had claimed the greatest prize this place had to offer. It was time to return home. Once back, he would continue studying the fragment.

If the principles of yin and yang held true, then this Yang Fragment would need to be balanced by its counterpart, a Yin Fragment, requiring pure yin-attributed spiritual land. That would be a separate hunt. If Yen Tianyang hadn't led him here, he never would have discovered this method. No matter how long he racked his brain, the answer would have remained hidden. Truly, fortune favored him. He stuffed Yen Tianyang back into the black robe, slung him over his shoulder, and set off.

—— The journey back was far from idle. Every step of the way, Huaijin continued to meditate on the power within the lightning seed. Lightning force danced and manifested around him in shimmering arcs, technique principles flowing through his sea of consciousness like rivers carving new paths. He wove them together with the techniques he already knew, layer upon layer of understanding building with each passing hour.

By the time he reached Langya County, he had already mastered three distinct lightning-attribute techniques, all Tier 2, each devastating in its own right. He went straight to Purple Cloud Peak. The small lake at its summit had grown considerably in his absence. The Pine Fish had been guarding the peak vigilantly, and its strength was steadily recovering, the spiritual energy on Purple Cloud Peak had become so dense that the beast had already returned to its peak condition.

Nearby, Haihu and the Blazing Sun Chicken cowered at the edge of the lake, terror flickering in their eyes whenever they glanced at each other. Clearly, the Pine Fish had spent the past month administering some very thorough lessons. Huaijin handed Yen Tianyang over to Zhang Rende and immediately retreated into seclusion. No one knew exactly what he was doing behind closed doors. —— Inside the secret chamber. Jiang Wenyin's body lay cold and still. His storage pouch had already been opened.

A smile spread across Huaijin's face.

"Just as I thought. The Foundation Establishment Pill was on you all along." He lifted the jade box from the pouch and began polishing it carefully with his spiritual power, the box itself, the pill inside, every inch of both. He couldn't afford to be careless. The Jin family had a habit of leaving tracking marks on their valuables, and he had no intention of being found out. He sorted through the rest of the storage pouch's contents, cataloging everything methodically. Another substantial haul of resources.

He stored Jiang Wenyin's corpse away for later, once the Haihu (Tiger) had grown strong enough, he would let it feed and advance. Then he lit a Message Talisman. Zhang Liliang's voice crackled through.

"Huaijin. What's the matter?" Liliang had been in seclusion ever since breaking through to Foundation Establishment Realm.

"Draw from the clan treasury. Upgrade Green Bamboo City's spirit vein. Then purchase a Tier 2, mid grade Array formation from the Gao family to protect the city." There was no room for argument in his tone. Liliang's voice sharpened.

"Did you find traces of demonic cultivators?" Only demonic cultivators would warrant such urgency.

"Yes. The demonic cultivators of the Tang Kingdom have risen from the ashes. The clan never had the means to prepare before, but now we do, and I won't let us be caught off guard. Our mortal clan members are our most precious resource. We can't afford to lose them." Zhang Liliang understood immediately. Demonic cultivators were utterly without conscience, blood-sacrificing mortals to fuel their advancement was as routine to them as breathing.

With the Zhang family's population now exceeding a hundred thousand, leaving them unprotected was unthinkable. One Tier 2 demonic cultivator slipping through their defenses could spell catastrophe.

"I'll handle it at once," Liliang said firmly. The talisman crumbled to ash. …

"Soul Sorrow Ridge... Lou Guying..." Zhang Huaijin's eyes narrowed as he recalled his encounter in the Purple Dusk Mountain Range. The name echoed in his mind like a warning bell. He had a grim feeling about what was coming. When the beast tide struck, demonic cultivators world inevitably exploit the chaos, using the chaos as cover, moving through the shadows while the major powers focused their attention on the front lines. It was the perfect opportunity.

The rear would be dangerously exposed, drained of its strongest defenders. But any faction with any sense would have already taken precautions. Those Purple Mansion Realm powers had never truly relaxed their vigilance against demonic cultivators, not since the great Demon Extermination War. Soul Sorrow Ridge had been crippled in that war, nearly wiped from existence. But not completely. Now Lou Guying's emergence proved that the embers had never truly died.

The demonic cultivators were gathering their strength once more, ready to rise again and spread their poison across the land. Huaijin's jaw tightened. He would be ready for them.