The destruction of the electricity dampening field signaled the failure of the eastern barbarian operation in the thunder lagoon.
Sen Ye was well aware of this fact.
As the blare of the horn resounded throughout the Forbidden Land of Thunder, every eastern barbarian that could hear it roared in anger, reluctantly retreating in the direction of the Forbidden Land of Ice.
At the same time, the Thunder Crystal Beast commanded all of the thunder and lightning in the Forbidden Land of Thunder to target the skulking barbarians, sending every lightning bolt and rumble of thunder into a frenzy.
It was as if a thunder god had erupted into a violent rage, determined to cleanse the world of filth with electric flames.
Berserk lightning washed over the retreating eastern barbarians, blowing scores of them to pieces.
In one part of the Forbidden Land of Thunder not far from the thunder lagoon, Yan Min and his group of eastern barbarians were still fighting the three forces.
Despite his sturdy physique, Yan Min was covered in bloody wounds that were bone-deep. Still engaged in pitched combat with Ten Thousand Beast Mountain’s Yu Men, the barbarian giant wore an expression of insanity. He howled madly, preparing to fight Yu Men to the death.
But the blaring barbarian horn jolted Yan Min from his violent rage. After looking to the thunder lagoon for a few seconds in disbelief and hesitation, he suddenly roared,
Retreat to the Forbidden Land of Ice!
This order stunned the eastern barbarians who were in the middle of fighting the three forces. They stopped for a moment, dazed, then turned and ran toward the Forbidden Land of Ice.
All of this only took an instant. The eastern barbarians that had been locked in battle against the three forces were suddenly receding tides in the sea.
One of the last to retreat, Yan Min was at the back of the retreating barbarian forces. He grinned as Yu Men chased him, roaring,
You won’t be left alive! All martial practitioners who go deeper into the Graveyard of Gods shall be killed one after another! You will all die!
As these words echoed throughout the area, Yan Min bellowed angrily, barreling off into the distance like a giant boulder.
His actions left every martial practitioner of the three forces surprised and confused.
What happened?
What the hell happened?
Look at the sky! The thunder and lightning of the Forbidden Land of Thunder are assaulting the eastern barbarians… almost as if they’ve become sentient! This is… this is unbelievable!
Ye Yihao, Huang Zhuli, Yu Men, Feng Yiyou, and everyone else of the three forces stood perfectly still, yet the lightning pouring from the sky seemed to ignore them.
On the other hand, thick arcs of lightning would strike the heads of the escaping eastern barbarians, leaving deafening rumbles of thunder in their wake.
These fierce attacks were precise, only targeting the eastern barbarians.
Where are Qin Lie and his companions?
Huang Zhuli asked in sudden realization.
The moment she spoke, vacant looks adorned the faces of the martial practitioners of Ten Thousand Beast Mountain, Celestial Artifact Sect, Black Voodoo Cult, and the three great families.
However, someone had noticed Qin Lie’s movements and picked this moment to bring it up.
They snuck away while we were mired with bloody combat some time ago,
they said.
They left?
The cogs in Huang Zhuli’s mind turned as she shook her head, frowning.
That can’t be right! They would never give up so easily!
Maybe Qin Lie caused the strange change in the Forbidden Land of Thunder. That guy could control this place’s thunder and lightning, so could he be the cause?
Feng Yiyou exclaimed in shock.
The thunder lagoon! He must be at the thunder lagoon!
The Pure Soul Springs! He probably went back to acquire the Pure Soul Springs!
Dammit!
Many martial practitioners came to these realizations, and after a moment of hesitation, all three forces turned back and headed for the thunder lagoon.
Only a golden sandstorm remained on the battlefield, which slowly faded to reveal Chu Li. After a moment of silent contemplation, he wordlessly followed everyone back to the thunder lagoon.
……
Du Xiangyang, Luo Chen, Xue Moyan, Song Tingyu, Pan Qianqian, and Xie Jingxuan stood just outside the thunder lagoon. They craned their necks, peering into its depths.
At this point in time, Sen Ye had long since led his eastern barbarian companions in a terrified retreat.
Dozens of eastern barbarian corpses lay scattered around the perimeter of the thunder lagoon. Having beaten a hasty, laborious retreat, the remainder of their forces had clearly failed to bring those corpses with them.
Qin Lie!
Du Xiangyang cried out from above.
From the bottom of the lagoon, Qin Lie looked up and called out,
Are you guys okay?
We’re all fine. How about you? Are you okay?
Song Tingyu asked worriedly.
I’m fine.
Qin Lie smiled calmly and pondered for a moment. Then he said,
Don’t come down yet. Help me by guarding the entrance and preventing anyone from entering.
Alright,
Du Xiangyang agreed, calmly turning around to sit at the edge of lagoon.
Song Tingyu, Xie Jingxuan, Xue Moyan, and Pan Qianqian followed his lead, sitting down one after another to guard the lagoon. They had no problem with letting Qin Lie take care of the situation down there.
However, Luo Chen’s face was rigid and full of reluctance, and he was unwilling to look away from the depths of the lagoon.
It’s time to sit and rest, Luo Chen.
Du Xiangyang patted the ground beside him, beckoning him with a smile.
He won’t let us go down there. Is he trying to take the Pure Soul Springs for himself?
Luo Chen clearly took no comfort in this arrangement.
Du Xiangyang laughed loudly.
The thunder spirit is still down there. Even if he actually wanted to take all the Pure Soul Springs for himself, would you be able to stop him?
Luo Chen frowned.
We’ve done all we can. As for whether we’ll get any of the Pure Soul Springs… heh. That’ll depend on our luck. It can’t be forced,
Du Xiangyang said calmly.
After hesitating for a moment, his face grim, Luo Chen finally moved beside Du Xiangyang and sat down.
At the bottom of the thunder lagoon, its floor covered in bright soul crystals, Qin Lie sighed.
I’m here to seal you with the Demon Sealing Tombstone,
he said.
Crouching in front of him, as clear as the six flowing Pure Soul Springs floating around it, was the Thunder Crystal Beast. Its intelligent eyes shone with the light of helplessness and sorrow.
A wisp of mind consciousness in the form of electric light shot from its pupils.
I know. I… understand. You have the essences of the fire spirit and wood spirit inside of you. I know you have the Demon Sealing Tombstone.
I have also come for the Pure Soul Springs and the soul crystals here.
Qin Lie had no intention of hiding his motives.
You aren’t the only one. Every being who entered the Forbidden Land of Thunder to seize the Pure Soul Springs, pilfer the soul crystals, and seal me.
Every bolt of lightning that the Thunder Crystal Beast seemed to contain a sigh. Qin Lie watched silently as cracks appeared on the beast’s crystalline body.
—They were signs of how grievous its injuries were.
After long period of deliberation, Qin Lie calmly said,
Tell me about your… circumstances.
Thunder Crystal Beasts such as I are born in violent, thunderous lands. We inherently posses the power of the world’s thunder and lightning within us, and are able to control that power from birth. We live for the thunder and lightning, and it lives in us.
For as long as I can remember, I was a captive of this place, imprisoned as the eye of the Forbidden Land of Thunder’s formation. I didn’t know what I was when I was younger. But I did know that I could control the Forbidden Land of Thunder and use its thunder and lightning to cultivate and grow.
However, just as I am able to control the Forbidden Land of Thunder, it and the Graveyard of Gods control me. I am only allowed to move around this domain of thunder and lightning, unable to leave.
As I slowly grew, an incredibly powerful being threw the souls of elites into this domain and told me how to refine them, how to use lightning to temper them one by one.
I have never seen that person. I have only heard his voice. He told me that, as long as I obeyed his orders and refined nine Pure Soul Springs from the souls of elites he gave me, he would free me and allow me to leave.
Souls of elites were thrown to me one after another. Many of them couldn’t endure refinement by thunder and lightning and were instantly destroyed. Upon destruction, portions of these powerful souls formed soul crystals.
After countless years and so many souls… I was only able to refine six Pure Soul Springs.
Three are still needed to complete a set of nine.
Unfortunately, that person hasn’t thrown any souls in here for a very long time, and I haven’t heard his voice either. It seems that the person who imprisoned me here, the master of this place, has encountered some kind of accident…
That person once told me that, if he didn’t show up for long period of time, someone with the Demon Sealing Tombstone would come. If that were the case, he said I needed to be obedient, give the person with the tombstone everything in the Forbidden Land of Thunder, and allow myself to be sealed. He said that was my only shred of hope in escaping this place.
At this point, the Thunder Crystal Beast paused and stared at Qin Lie deeply.
I sensed the auras of the wood spirit and the fire spirit in your body from the moment you arrived here. I know you possess the Demon Sealing Tombstone. You are the person he spoke of.
But I do not wish to believe that person’s words. I do not wish to be sealed. I do not wish to be trapped in the tombstone.
I wish to try and see if there is another way. I wish to escape this place and reach the outside world on my own.
That is why I prevented you from controlling the power of thunder and lightning. I hoped that you would be killed by others, resulting in the tombstone becoming masterless once more. I thought this would help me become free.
Perhaps everything was long ago ordained by fate.
People more aware of this place’s secrets than you are came.
They even brought something that could restrain me, saying that they would capture me alive and take me from the Graveyard of Gods to refine me. To use me as a living sacrifice.
In the end, I was grievously injured, and my strength was exhausted. I sense that a huge change had occurred in the Forbidden Land of Thunder. I… probably do not have the ability to leave this place any longer. I do not wish to be captured by those people either.
Now… I submit to fate. I will allow myself to be sealed by the Demon Sealing Tombstone. I will act according to that person’s plans.
After everything that had occurred, the Thunder Crystal Beast resigned itself to its fate and attempted to merge with the Demon Sealing Tombstone. It did so willingly, just like the fire spirit of the Forbidden Land of Flame.
Perhaps the fire spirit, the wood spirit, and the thunder spirit were all promised the same thing.
—As long as they willingly submitted and allowed the Demon Sealing Tombstone to seal them, there may yet be hope for freedom.
This was the promise that the master of the Graveyard of Gods made to them.
The wood spirit had resisted, attempting to leave the Graveyard of Gods using Ye Yihao, but failed. The Demon Sealing Tombstone ultimately sealed it.
The Thunder Crystal Beast resisted like the wood spirit had. However, it also failed. In the end, it submitted to fate as well.
Is your knowledge limited to just his land? What secrets does it hold?
Qin Lie asked, unwilling to give up so soon.
Everything he knew about the Graveyard of the Gods came from Feng Yiyou and Chu Li’s explanations.
Chu Li’s understanding of the Graveyard of the Gods was even worse than Feng Yiyou and Yu Men’s. Those two were more familiar with the secrets of the Graveyard of Gods because they both lived in the Heavenly Fissure Continent, which hosted its entrance.
If Qin Lie could truly learn the secrets of this mysterious place, he would know about the plans for it and why they were made. If he knew these things, they could give him an edge later on.
I am not the only spirit. Like me, the others exist only as the eyes of their respective formations. We are all trapped. We are all imprisoned within our own domains.
The Thunder Crystal Beast sighed deeply.
Although we have been here for so long, we do not understand this place.
That is all I know.
The thunder spirit’s confession caused Qin Lie to frown deeply.
