Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Ten days, twenty days… thirty days!
Jiang Yi would repeat this monotonous and dull life. He would cultivate his essence force during the day in the thunder ridge and slipped out to the thunder mountains at night to comprehend the dao pattern, trying to catch the trace of dao presence that came from the thunder mountains.
The city was extremely peaceful during this period of time. Big Sister Bell didn’t want to get involved while Leng Aotian and Chief Li were in seclusion. The six chiefs were at wit’s end and could only wait for Jiang Yi’s five-month due date before he returned to the city.
Jiang Yi couldn’t achieve anything for one entire month. He had a feeling that the trace of dao presence was right in his palm, right beside him, right in this zone—but he could touch it or grasp it.
For the entire month, Jiang Yi didn’t try to comprehend any sorcery arts; neither did he try to comprehend other dao patterns. He invested all his mind into the ten thunder mountains as he had this drive that wouldn’t allow him to give up until he caught that trace of dao presence.
He wasn’t being stubborn. He just had this intuitive feeling that… if he could comprehend this dao pattern, it would be of great benefit to him!
The entire Sky Thunder Island was a giant Thunder Gathering Array. This place had the peculiar thunder mountains and ridges, the dreadful Thunder Fire, and the bizarre thunder stones. Everything here was related to thunder and lightning, and he was currently sensing a dao presence from the thunder mountains. If he could completely comprehend it, he felt that it would be absolutely beneficial to him and might probably allow him to have better days on Sky Thunder Island.
He handed over 100 days worth of thunder stones for the first time while he followed up and handed over the rest of his thunder stones. Right now, he didn’t have to hand over any thunder stones for a total of five months. However, once those five months were up, he must return to the city.
There wasn’t even a need to check as Jiang Yi could imagine it even if he used his butt to think—to know that there were people standing guard at the city gates at every moment. There must be someone there even during the night. Thus, he had to use these five months to increase his strength. Putting aside achieving the strength to kill the chiefs, he must at least be able to rush into the city.
His strength wouldn’t have any drastic increase even if he was to comprehend a sorcery art or other dao patterns. It would still be impossible for him, Feng Luan, and the Golden Flood Dragon to rush into the city. Hence, he was determined to concentrate on capturing this trace of dao presence.
“Sigh…”
During the night, the temperature on Sky Thunder Island was very high, but Jiang Yi couldn’t feel a hint of heat. Instead, he felt that the blue Thunder Fire that scattered across the mountains had made the entire Sky Thunder Island very cold and desolate. He was seated on a small mountain peak, looking at the ten, sky-reaching thunder mountains from a distance of several miles while his body was emitting a solitary chill.
“Thunderbolt, thunder mountains, thunder ridges, Thunder Fire, thunder stones…”
His eyes looked misty, and he was mumbling softly. Recently, he no longer entered the Union of Heaven and Man state because it was useless to enter it. Since he was able to sense and capture that trace of dao presence more clearly if he was to simply look like this. He was like a silly lunatic as he stood alone on the mountain peak, chanting those words repeatedly.
It was deep into the night, and the sea breeze was getting stronger while the stars in the sky were getting dimmer. A crescent moon was suspended in the sky, and at this moment, it felt as though the small mountain and that human figure had fused.
“Thunder mountains, Thunder Fire, thunder stones… thunder stones? Thunder stones!”
Jiang Yi’s misty eyes suddenly regained its clarity and shot out two rays of brilliance. His eyes opened wide and looked to the left and right while he muttered softly, “That’s right… thunder stones! Thunder stones are produced from the thunder mountains. The Lu Clan requires thunder stones, and it can be exchanged for merits. A single thunder stone is worth 1000 celestial stone, meaning that the thunder stone has great value. I… why don’t I try and refine the thunder stones? I might just discover something new?”
Jiang Yi had always been gusty, and in order to survive, he couldn’t be bothered with anything else. He sat cross-legged on the peak of the mountain and took out a piece of thunder stone, enveloping it with his essence force gradually. This thunder stone didn’t look any different from a celestial stone and should be able to refine with essence force.
However—!
The instant Jiang Yi’s essence force enveloped the thunder stone, a powerful electric arc scuttled out from the thunder stone. Jiang Yi’s decisiveness had put him in a tragedy!
Chi! Chi!
The electric arc was very powerful, and Jiang Yi’s entire body was trembling in disorder like he was having a break out of epilepsy. All the hair on his body was raised up, and his skin let out this charred smell while his clothes caught on fire and were burned into ashes. If it wasn’t for the Fire Cloud Armor which appeared to protect his body, a large portion of his skin would probably be cauterized.
“Ahh… Ahh… Ahh… Ahh!”
Jiang Yi’s body was trembling with rhythm while he was screaming out in pain. His eyes rolled white, and his mouth was foaming—which was just like a break out of epilepsy.
It was just ten breaths, but Jiang Yi felt several months had passed. This tart and satisfying feeling was something that no one would feel unless they were struck by a thunderbolt.
“Hu-Hu-Hu!”
When the pain had faded away from within his body, he then opened his mouth wide and panted. Right now, every breath he took was fiery hot and had charred smoke. His eyes looked at the thunder stone that was tossed on the ground as though he was looking at a sinister and venomous snake.
“No wonder it is called the thunder stone. The power of thunder is so tyrannical. Fortunately, I didn’t dare to refine it with too much essence force. Otherwise, my body would be totally scorched.”
Jiang Yi swallowed a mouthful of saliva which had a smoky taste. He touched his scorched hair and gritted his teeth as he grabbed the thunder stone on the ground and resolutely enveloped it with essence force. Of course, he only used a tenth of the essence force that he had used earlier. This way, the electric arc that scuttled out wouldn’t be as violent.
Chi! Chi!
Electric arcs scuttled out from the thunder stone again, but this time, it was much lesser and not as intense. Jiang Yi’s body trembled slightly as he gritted his teeth and endured while sensing his body.
There were traces of indescribable energy that was scattered in his body. It didn’t merely enter his meridians; that indescribable energy was roaming around every inch of blood, flesh, and bones. Wherever the energy went through, his muscles would jolt a little while he felt a prickly pain.
Round and round… the energy slowly disappeared, and Jiang Yi’s body finally stopped trembling while the painful feeling had vanished as well.
“Uh… the refining of the thunder stone doesn’t seem to be useful!”
He opened his eyes with disappointment as the power of the thunder from the thunder stone circulated inside his body… but didn’t leave any kind of energy behind. His body didn’t have any changes while the power of the thunder couldn’t be stored in the dantian or in the body. It could be said that it was completely useless.
He sat and stared blankly for a moment before he finally decided to continue refining the thunder stones. He wanted to see if the power of thunder could be control or stored in the body. He wanted to see if refining the thunder stones would help him to comprehend the dao presence in the thunder mountains.
He released some essence force which was even lesser than before so that it would cause any major damage to his body. At the same time, he entered the Union of Heaven and Man state so he wouldn’t feel the pain at all. With this, he could concentrate his attention on checking the power of thunder in his body and comprehend the dao presence of the thunder mountains at the same time.
One time, two times… ten times!
After using up the thunder stone, Jiang Yi took out another to continue refining. He was prepared to spend the night on the thunder stones and refine thunder stones for an entire night. He wanted to see if it would help him comprehend the dao pattern when the power of thunder was within his body—during the refinement of the thunder stones.
The power of thunder entered his body with a steady flow, causing his body to shudder with rhythm, while his breaths were filled with heat and burnt air. It was fortunate that his body constitution was as tough as an elephant after he refined the Destitute Dragon Grass. His body would automatically recover without him circulating his essence force for recuperation. Such a degree of thunder damage wasn’t going to be of any problem to him.
The sky was turning bright, and it was yet another night. Jiang Yi had refined dozens of thunder stones, but there were still no results. The power of thunder couldn’t be stored, and it was basically impossible to capture the dao presence from the thunder mountains.
“Sigh…”
As he was about to finish refining the thunder stone in his hand, Jiang Yi exited from the Union of Heaven and Man state without a choice while he looked at the thunder stone in his palm. He casually circulated a trace of essence force to finish refining it before he looked at the distant thunder mountains and was preparing to collect the thunder stones after the Thunder Fire vanished.
“Eh?”
Suddenly, his soul spirit shivered as he blinked his eyes in a dazzled state. He abruptly glanced at his body and noticed something strange.
After getting damaged by thunder for an entire night, it felt as though he had some resistance against the power of thunder? When he refined the last bit of the thunder stone, his body actually didn’t shiver? The pain on his body was also pitifully weak.
