Chapter Sixty-Seven: Primordial Divine Thunder

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Night had fallen.

There was no moon tonight, and rain fell beyond the window.

A gentle drizzle descended, its sound pleasing to the ear.

Though no moon shone in the sky, within Qingyuan’s mind, an image of the bright moon had already taken shape.

The moon split into six, illuminating the tangled thoughts within him.

The Ninefold Jade Tower sat at the ancestral aperture of the brow, residing in the mysterious Purple Palace; beneath the moonlight it appeared faint and indistinct, as though shrouded in mist.

The first level of the tower had opened.

The second level too stood open.

Qingyuan’s will entered within, passing the first level to ascend to the second.

Compared to the first, the second level was somewhat narrower. The four walls were still bare, devoid of murals, yet the structure itself was more refined.

At the center of this second level shone a white light, mist-like in form.

This radiance had already taken on the rough shape of a person, though it remained hazy and indistinct.

“Refining the Form…”

This was the manifestation of his essence, energy, and spirit—a vessel for his magical power, intention, soul, and the very source of his vital energy, even the root of the Earth Dragon.

The second level was called the Hall of Form Refinement. Its purpose was to mold this glowing mass into a proper human figure, to shape it into his own likeness.

Now it could vaguely assume human shape, yet lacked detail—the face blurred, the fingers not yet separated, to say nothing of the lines of the palm or the intricate web of meridians.

In this stage of refining the form, Qingyuan had already made considerable progress, though the finer points had yet to coalesce.

“Once it is shaped into a true human form, I can attempt to open the third level,” he mused. “The third level is the third heaven—the very limit of the human body. There, one must refine the power of magical intent. By that time, I will be able to use Taoist arts without relying on magical treasures or talismanic paper, conjuring them with a mere gesture.”

Qingyuan had long pondered how best to condense this magical intent.

By disposition, he was calm and reserved, suited to the element of water among the five elements. Yet, during his years in the Purple Cloud Palace, he had often served as a fire-tender, growing close to fire. He found fire talismans came naturally to him, and so his inclination was to favor the path of fire.

Fire is not merely searing and fierce; those attuned to fire among the five elements are not always hot-tempered, though it does have some influence.

“Apart from the intent of the five elements, there is also the will of Heaven and the will of Man.”

“But such things remain far beyond my reach.”

Qingyuan was not one to aim too high; the magical intent most accessible to him now was that of fire.

He closed his eyes and continued his silent cultivation.

Within the Ninefold Jade Tower, in the Hall of Form Refinement, the luminous human figure gradually solidified, features taking shape, even the traces and patterns of flesh becoming faintly visible.

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This was not work accomplished in a single day.

It demanded long and patient effort.

…

Gu Cang, too, was cultivating in his own room.

His master had gifted him a cultivation method, acquired from the Beast Taming Sect—not an evil art by any means.

The master had said the method was not of especially high rank, reaching only as far as the third heaven, and even then, the part regarding the third heaven was incomplete.

Yet Gu Cang had already reached the peak of the first heaven, barely half a step from the second. For now, this method would suffice to help him break through.

In the future, he would need to seek out a new method; for now, this one was only a temporary measure.

Gu Cang had cultivated for several days, but showed no sign of breaking through to the second heaven.

Cultivation is never a certainty; no one can guarantee success.

Countless cultivators linger outside the threshold of the path, and many more spend decades in diligent practice, only to attain a single wisp of true energy—enough to prolong their lives, but never more.

Gu Cang, for all his profound foundation, could step into the second heaven without much difficulty. When that would happen, however, depended on his own perception and fortune.

During this period, his master had imparted much knowledge about the second heaven—tricks and tips for refining the form, common sense to bear in mind, and even, on occasion, insights into the third heaven.

…

The next morning, at dawn.

Qingyuan awoke from his cultivation and went to the window, gazing down at the street below.

The stone-paved streets still glistened with dampness.

“Bai Jiye’s messenger bird is quick indeed.”

Far off on the horizon, a speck of light darted through the clouds.

An ordinary person could never perceive it, but Qingyuan, having reached the realm of the second level, found his five senses greatly enhanced. At a glance, he saw it was a great white eagle.

From his robe he drew out the token and extended his hand out the window.

The white eagle arrived swiftly, cutting through the mist. In an instant it was there, circling high above before descending to land on his arm.

It perched upon his hand.

“He’s a hefty one,” Qingyuan remarked with a smile. As his cultivation deepened, so too did his physical strength, but with greater power came greater control—he could now manage his strength with ease.

This white eagle was an extraordinary breed, noble in bearing, its muscles beneath the feathers powerful and taut, bordering on the realm of spirit beasts. In weight, it nearly rivaled a young calf.

“With a bit of fortune and the awakening of its spirit, it could truly become a spirit beast.”

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Qingyuan found himself increasingly impressed by the Bai family’s resources.

He took a small cylinder from the eagle’s talons, inside which was a scroll of letter paper.

This letter was different from those before.

Judging from the handwriting, it resembled the calligraphy displayed in the Bai family residence of Yuangjing City—this was penned by Bai Jiye himself.

The contents detailed the changes taking place in Luoyue County.

With only a glance, Qingyuan’s expression shifted abruptly, his face alternating between shadow and light. Clenching his jaw, he muttered in a low voice, “Fuzhong Mountain… how could it be such a coincidence?”

…

In just a few months, Luoyue County had undergone strange transformations.

Dark clouds had hung over the sky for three days, thunder and lightning raging in unison.

Later, a bolt of lightning tore open the heavens, striking Fuzhong Mountain, then splitting into thousands of forks that scattered through the mountain.

Rumor had it this was a primordial divine thunder, containing boundless Dao within.

Any ordinary person struck would die instantly, reduced to cinders.

But should a cultivator be struck, they might gain thunder arts or divine abilities, or obtain the legacy of thunder cultivation methods.

As for plants, trees, gold, silver, copper, and iron—some were incinerated by the thunder, while others absorbed its essence and began to take on the qualities of magical treasures, becoming comparable to magical implements, with the potential to become true treasures.

…

At this point, Bai Jiye hesitated, then added a line: since this thunder was so peculiar, and of a primordial nature, there might be hidden secrets behind it.

With the thunder splitting into so many strands, there were now numerous opportunities—transmissions of thunder cultivation methods, arts of the thunder path, innate thunder abilities, and treasures infused with thunder. All of this was critically important.

Every major power had heard the news, with the Orthodox Daoist Sect making the greatest stir, as thunder magic was particularly significant within their school.

Furthermore, from the distant south, even the Huahua Pavilion had become involved.

Both the Orthodox Daoist Sect and the Huahua Pavilion traced their lineages to the Celestial Patriarchs, possessing immense and deep-rooted power.

Beyond these two, many other forces were entangled in the matter, including numerous wandering cultivators who already resided in Luoyue County.

…

“So that’s how it is.”

Qingyuan read further, finding the next section concerned the Southern Liang army stationed within Luoyue County.