Chapter 71: Beneath the Storm
The further they rode from Rivergate, the quieter the world became.
The lively sounds of merchants, sailors, and busy streets gradually disappeared behind rolling hills and scattered forests until only the steady rhythm of Amon's footsteps remained. The Iceback Glacier Drake moved confidently across the uneven ground, his heavy claws leaving deep prints in the damp earth while the morning mist drifted lazily between the rocks.
For a long while, no one spoke.
Yun Che sat in silence atop Amon's broad back, watching the distant mountains where dark clouds gathered unnaturally over a single stretch of land.
He had already made his decision.
Now he was trying to convince himself it had been the correct one.
Amon was the first to break the silence.
"This doesn't feel like you."
The drake's deep mental voice lacked criticism.
Only confusion.
"Normally you make plans until everyone becomes tired of listening."
Yun Che smiled weakly.
"I did make a plan."
"A small one."
"...Yes."
Mirage fluttered down from above and landed on one of Amon's crystal-like horns.
The Azure Mirage Butterfly folded her shimmering wings.
"Lightning is terrible," she complained. "It burns flowers. It burns butterflies. It burns everything beautiful."
She looked toward the dark clouds ahead.
"I don't like this place."
Whisper floated quietly beside Yun Che's shoulder, his tiny icy body glowing softly.
"I'm worried..."
The little Frost Spirit rarely spoke many words.
He simply drifted closer until he almost rested against Yun Che's shoulder.
Yun Che reached over and gently patted him.
"I'll be careful."
"You always say that."
"I mean it."
"You also meant it last time."
Yun Che had no answer.
Whisper wasn't wrong.
Every dangerous battle began with those same words.
He looked at each of his companions.
"I know this isn't like me."
"I know all of you are worried."
"But..."
He stared toward the distant thunderstorm.
"...if I let this opportunity disappear..."
"...I feel like I'll regret it forever."
The words came naturally.
Too naturally.
He didn't notice how strongly he believed them.
High above, Lei Zhenyu followed upon his flying sword.
Unlike before, he did not remain far behind.
Eventually he descended beside the road, dismissing the sword beneath his feet before walking alongside Amon.
For several minutes he remained silent.
Then he finally spoke.
"I'm sorry."
Yun Che looked down.
"For what?"
"I encouraged you."
"You would still be traveling with the caravan if I hadn't spoken."
Yun Che shook his head.
"No."
"It was my choice."
"I already wanted to come."
Lei remained unconvinced.
"You might have listened to Elder Ruan."
"Maybe."
"But I still made the decision."
Yun Che smiled faintly.
"I hate regrets."
Lei glanced toward him.
"I spent too long believing opportunities would wait for me."
"There was always another responsibility. Another reason to remain where I was."
"I kept telling myself there would be time later."
His gaze returned to the distant storm.
"Sometimes there isn't."
His voice became quieter.
"There wasn't."
"So when I feel something may become another regret..."
"...I can't ignore it."
Lei nodded slowly.
"I understand."
To him...
Regret was a sword left untrained.
A duel never accepted.
A weakness never corrected.
Different lives.
The same feeling.
Neither of them realized another truth.
Deep within Yun Che's soul...
The Abyss Seed stirred quietly.
It had not forced this decision.
It had merely amplified emotions already present.
Greed became ambition.
Ambition became urgency.
Urgency became necessity.
His old regrets...
Those buried fragments from another lifetime...
Rose to the surface more vividly than they ever had before.
Every negative emotion that touched his heart lingered longer.
Burned brighter.
And sounded far more convincing.
Lei finally spoke again.
"If we're doing this..."
"...then we do it correctly."
Yun Che looked toward him.
"No approaching the treasure."
"No approaching large groups."
"If we see another hunting party, we leave."
"If we find signs of the Third Stage Thunder Tiger..."
"...we retreat immediately."
Yun Che nodded.
"Agreed."
"We hunt only isolated beasts."
"We leave quickly."
Lei folded his arms.
"And one more thing."
"What?"
"No curiosity."
Yun Che blinked.
"...What?"
"You become curious."
"You investigate."
"Then something unexpected happens."
He looked completely serious.
"Distractions cause death."
Yun Che laughed despite himself.
"I'll try."
"No."
Lei corrected.
"We succeed."
Nearly two hours later...
The land changed.
The trees became shorter.
The grass turned grey.
The soil gradually gave way to broken stone.
Even before they saw the storm...
They felt it.
The air itself buzzed.
Tiny sparks danced across Yun Che's gauntlets.
The hairs along Lei Zhenyu's arms stood upright.
Static gathered across every piece of exposed metal.
Then...
The mountains opened before them.
Yun Che instinctively slowed Amon.
"...By the heavens..."
The thunderstorm covered the entire horizon.
Dark clouds churned like a living ocean suspended in the sky.
Brilliant bolts of lightning struck the mountains every few breaths, exploding against stone with deafening force.
Thunder rolled continuously.
Not as separate sounds...
But as one endless growl shaking the earth itself.
The storm stretched nearly twenty kilometers from one end to the other.
It looked less like weather...
And more like the territory of some ancient beast.
Even from this distance...
Yun Che could feel the pressure.
Lightning flashed across the surface of his white-and-gold armor.
"Maybe..."
Mirage whispered.
"...we should go home."
No one laughed.
For once...
Everyone shared her opinion.
Temporary camps dotted the approaches to the storm. Some groups were already entering from distant slopes, while others studied maps, released scouting beasts or tested defensive formations near the boundary.
Before they could move closer...
Movement caught their attention.
Another group approached from the eastern road.
Five cultivators.
All dressed in flowing robes embroidered with emerald patterns that shimmered whenever the wind blew.
Their sleeves fluttered unnaturally even while standing still.
"The Gale Cloud Pavilion," Lei said immediately.
"They cultivate wind."
"They're famous for movement techniques and ranged combat."
"They will search for a route where the storm's winds oppose them less. Wind cultivators rarely enter directly when they can read the currents first."
The group disappeared into the storm.
Moments later another arrived.
These wore robes of deep violet streaked with silver.
Lightning danced naturally around their bodies without harming them.
"The Violet Lightning Hall."
Lei's eyes narrowed slightly.
"They're one of the stronger sects nearby."
"Lightning specialists."
"They'll have an easier time surviving inside."
One disciple casually caught a falling lightning bolt upon his spear before allowing it to disperse.
Yun Che watched with fascination.
"So that's possible..."
"It is."
Lei answered quietly.
"But not easily."
Before long...
Another procession appeared.
This one made Yun Che's eyes widen.
None of them carried ordinary weapons.
Instead...
Dozens of metallic blades floated around them.
Spears.
Flying swords.
Iron rings.
Needles.
Even heavy shields drifted through the air as though pulled by invisible currents.
Every weapon occasionally sparked with blue lightning.
"The Mystic Metal Dao Palace."
Lei's expression became noticeably more cautious.
"They're metal cultivators."
"Their magnetic arts become much stronger after integrating lightning into their techniques."
One elder calmly pointed toward a distant cliff.
Instantly several hundred several hundred iron-rich fragments tore free from the surrounding stone, shedding dust as they rose and orbited around the group before forming a rotating defensive formation.
"They specialize in flying metal weapons."
"The storm only strengthens their control."
Yun Che watched silently.
Yun Che's own use of Telekinesis and Attraction suddenly felt crude by comparison.
"So many paths..."
he murmured.
Lei smiled faintly.
"The world is much larger than any one sect."
"And this..."
He looked toward the sea of lightning consuming the mountains.
"...is where all those paths happen to meet."
Far ahead...
Another bolt of lightning split the heavens.
Somewhere inside that endless storm...
A Stormcrest Thunder Tiger waited.
And countless cultivators had already begun searching for it.
--------------------------
The deeper they ventured into the stormlands, the quieter both young men became.
Conversation gradually gave way to observation.
Every step demanded attention.
The rocky landscape was unlike anything Yun Che had seen before. Jagged black stone stretched endlessly beneath towering thunderclouds that seemed almost close enough to touch. Cracks ran through the earth where ancient lightning had fused ordinary rock into smooth sheets of dark glass. Every few moments another brilliant bolt split the heavens, illuminating the mountains in stark white before plunging everything back into an uneasy twilight.
Rain drifted in uneven curtains.
Sometimes it became a gentle mist.
Sometimes it lashed sideways with the wind.
The storm possessed no rhythm.
It simply existed.
Yun Che had expected his armor to become a liability, but Lin Xia's craftsmanship once again proved its worth. Tiny silver runes engraved beneath the white plates shimmered faintly whenever lightning struck nearby. The insulation formations dispersed stray electrical current through the armor instead of allowing it to gather around his body. Every few minutes small sparks danced harmlessly across his pauldrons before disappearing into the runic network.
He quietly thanked himself for insisting those runes be added.
Mirage, however, wanted absolutely nothing to do with the storm.
The Azure Mirage Butterfly landed squarely on Amon's broad head before crawling behind one of the drake's crystal horns like a child hiding behind a wall.
"This place is horrible," she muttered.
"Everything is loud."
"Everything is wet."
"Everything wants to electrocute butterflies."
Amon gave a rumbling chuckle.
"Stay there."
"Nothing reaches you while you're on me."
Mirage nodded without shame and tucked her wings tightly against herself.
Whisper floated close beside Yun Che, drifting from shoulder to shoulder whenever thunder echoed overhead. Unlike Mirage, he wasn't frightened.
Only cautious.
The little Frost Spirit watched every flash with wide, curious eyes.
Ahead of them, Lei Zhenyu suddenly raised a hand.
"Stop."
The group immediately froze.
Several voices drifted faintly through the rain.
Another hunting party.
Lei crouched beside a boulder and carefully peeked over its edge.
"Five people."
"Western robes."
"They're moving northeast."
Yun Che quietly looked through the narrow gap between two rocks.
Several cultivators carrying long metal staffs crossed the valley below.
They were scanning the mountains carefully.
"Hunters?"
Lei nodded.
"Probably."
"We go the other way."
Neither of them wanted unnecessary attention.
Whenever they noticed another group nearby, they simply changed direction.
Sometimes they climbed over ridges.
Sometimes they descended into shallow ravines.
Sometimes they waited several minutes before continuing.
Neither pride nor curiosity tempted them into making contact.
Their goal wasn't glory.
It was survival.
The storm itself made that difficult enough.
Another bolt descended from the heavens.
This one struck scarcely thirty meters away.
The explosion sent loose stones tumbling down the hillside.
Yun Che instinctively shielded his face.
Lei Zhenyu merely extended one hand.
Blue lightning leapt from the shattered rock toward his palm.
Instead of resisting...
It flowed into him.
Crackling arcs wrapped around his arm before disappearing beneath his skin.
Yun Che stared.
"...You can just do that?"
Lei flexed his fingers.
"The sect trains us."
"When your cultivation reaches a certain level, ordinary lightning becomes nourishment instead of danger."
He glanced toward another flashing cloud.
"Within limits."
"If the lightning exceeds your ability to absorb it..."
"...it simply kills you."
Yun Che looked thoughtfully toward the sky.
"I kind of want to try it."
Lei looked at him.
"No."
"I just want to know what it feels like."
"No."
"It might help me understand lightning better."
Lei folded his arms.
"No."
Yun Che sighed dramatically.
"Fine."
He looked back toward the storm.
"...We'll try it when we're not standing inside a place specifically designed to kill people."
Lei nodded approvingly.
"That is the smartest sentence you've spoken today."
Hours passed.
The further they traveled, the stranger the wildlife became.
The first creatures they encountered were birds.
Not ordinary birds.
These possessed feathers that shimmered like polished silver, while blue lightning danced constantly between their wings. Whenever they flew from one cliff to another, sparks crackled through the air behind them like tiny comets.
"They're called Stormwing Larks," Lei explained quietly.
"They gather conductive metal and build it into the upper edges of their nests."
Yun Che watched one deliberately perch atop a tall stone pillar.
Seconds later...
Lightning struck.
Instead of dying...
The little bird chirped happily.
"It actually enjoys that..."
Lei nodded.
"They molt after thunderstorms."
"The feathers become excellent materials for lightning talismans."
Further ahead they spotted a pack of wolf-like beasts.
Except...
Their bodies resembled hunting hounds more than wolves.
Short white fur.
Blue stripes running along their backs.
Every bark released tiny electrical pops that scattered pebbles across the ground.
"Sparkfang Hounds."
"They hunt in packs."
"They're only Mortal Realm."
Fortunately...
The beasts paid no attention to the travelers.
They were busy chasing frightened mountain goats instead.
Even stranger creatures appeared as they climbed higher.
Long snakes wrapped around lightning-charred trees.
Tiny glowing insects floating inside rain clouds.
Rock lizards whose scales reflected flashes of light like mirrors.
Every creature seemed perfectly adapted to surviving beneath the endless storm.
Then...
Amon suddenly stopped walking.
His nostrils flared.
"Something big."
Lei immediately drew his sword halfway.
"I sense it too."
Yun Che quietly climbed onto a large boulder.
At first...
He saw nothing.
Then the rain shifted.
A massive white figure stepped from behind a broken cliff.
It was unmistakably feline.
Three meters at the shoulder.
Nearly twice that in length.
Its snow-white fur contrasted sharply against the black stone surrounding it.
Sections of its body weren't covered in fur at all.
Instead...
Smooth metallic armor naturally grew along its shoulders, spine and forelegs, each plate veined with glowing blue lines that pulsed like living lightning.
Its tail was the most extraordinary feature.
Rather than flesh...
It resembled a gigantic segmented steel hammer, each heavy section rotating slightly around the next. Whenever it brushed against the ground, sparks exploded across the rocks.
Golden eyes calmly surveyed the valley.
Powerful.
Alert.
Confident.
Lei's expression sharpened immediately.
"...An Irontail Thunderclaw."
Yun Che repeated the name quietly.
"Irontail Thunderclaw..."
"Foundation Establishment."
"First Stage."
"It isn't the Stormcrest Thunder Tiger."
"No."
Lei never lowered his guard.
"But it's close enough."
The great beast paused.
Its ears twitched.
Then it looked directly toward them.
Neither side moved.
Rain continued falling between them.
The Irontail Thunderclaw sniffed the air once.
Twice.
Its heavy metallic tail struck the ground with a deep clang.
Yun Che slowly tightened his grip upon his sword.
Amon lowered his head.
Ice drifted from between his teeth.
Mirage peeked nervously around Amon's horn.
Whisper floated slightly higher, tiny hands already gathering frost.
Lei smiled faintly.
"I believe..."
"...you just found the kind of target you claimed to be searching for."
Yun Che's heartbeat quickened.
Not from fear.
From anticipation.
It might be exactly the battle Yun Che needed.
Or the first proof that everyone in Rivergate had been right to stop him.