An infinitely miniaturized Dragon God aura flickered briefly, and Tang San's Divine Sense jolted in shock.
The Golden Dragon King awoke, roaring, "Tang San, the Dragon God's power is supreme! This king foresees the day the Dragon God returns—far stronger than you!"
Tang San's expression turned cold. "You've lost your Physical Body; everything you do pave the way for my son. What does the Dragon God's might have to do with you?"
The Golden Dragon King snorted. "Really? Your boy hasn't absorbed even a scrap of my strength. Aside from a big appetite and brute force, what else has he got?"
"My very existence suppresses the life goddess's blessing; otherwise his Spirit wouldn't be the feeble Blue Silver Grass—nothing but roadside weeds."
Tang San raged inwardly.
"Never insult Blue Silver Grass! You can't fathom the greatness of your life."
Unconcerned, the Golden Dragon King laughed wildly.
"Is that so? Your son's Blue Silver Grass came from you. How well did you wield it? Evolved, wasn't it?"
"Oh, wait—even evolved, you never used it. Your power comes only from the Asura God Sword and the Sea God Trident, relying on those two old fugiys' legacies."
"And you're far inferior to the old Asura God—utterly disgracing the Asura Sword!"
Tang San thundered, "Golden Dragon King, had you not been destroyed body and soul, this seat would show you the might of Tang Sect's supreme arts!"
The Golden Dragon King replied, "Talk is cheap—undo the Seal and let this king return if you dare!"
"Delusional!"
Tang San's Divine Sense fell silent; only a madman would unseal the Golden Dragon King.
"Trouble… could the Dragon God truly still live? Another variable outside my plans—I can't let it upset my millennia-long scheme."
Tang San's Divine Sense began weighing his next moves; if necessary he would unleash the Unsettled Storm meant for the Abyss Saint ahead of schedule.
Feeling ignored, the Golden Dragon King grunted and stopped speaking.
Yet he secretly wondered, "That faint aura wasn't the Dragon God at all; it feels like the Silver Dragon King who once gained a shred of my power—my dear sister. How pitifully weak you are."
"But why do I sense, faintly, that the Dragon God is near, growing closer?"
In a deep valley of a small plane on Star Luo Continent, an anonymous seven-colored dragon let out a puzzled snort, and countless dragon souls trembled.
Aboard the star luo ship, Feng Zaixing carried Na'er back to her room, pressed his palms to her back, and channeled pure spirit power—supremely hard yet soft, yin yet yang—along with jade-gold life-light.
As he worked, Feng Zaixing's face turned half black, half white, half saint, half demon, as though cycling between god and demon.
Moments later Na'er's spirit power recovered, her aura growing stronger. "Thank you, Senior Brother."
"It's nothing."
Feng Zaixing withdrew his power. "Congratulations—you can begin cultivating This Sect's Innate Secret Method. I hope you catch up to Senior Brother and me."
Na'er nodded like a pecking chick. "Mm-hmm, I'll catch up as fast as I can!"
Outside the door, Han Tianyi tossed in a blood-crystal bone with a grin.
"Evil Orca Right Leg Bone—nice luck."
Among the six Spirit Bones, the Right Leg Bone ranks lowest, yet one from an Evil Orca is no trifle: ruby-crystal clear, far thicker and tougher than ordinary leg bones, with scarlet fluid flowing within and a sleek lower-calf contour.
Na'er caught it and handed it to Feng Zaixing. "Senior Brother, take this as my One Heart Society dues—spoils turned in."
"All right, noted."
Feng Zaixing stowed the Spirit Bone in his storage ring, clearly pleased but composed.
After wiping out large numbers of Hidden Families, even a top-grade bone beneath hundred-thousand-year level hardly thrilled him; he had no use for it and would gift it when fate allowed.
Backed by the Star Dou Sightseeing Garden, Na'er lacked for nothing; if she wished, she could be fully kitted out, only bothering to glance at hundred-thousand-year bones.
Han Tianyi's eyelid twitched, his heart slightly bruised as he left of his own accord.
"If nothing goes wrong, a pod of orcas will strike tomorrow. You youngsters keep some restraint and be combat-ready."
Before leaving the old man glanced at Feng Zaixing and dropped an ambiguous remark, filling the air with an odd mood.
The wily Senior had seen that Feng Zaixing was like Yun Ming of old, sure to attract countless proud daughters of heaven, but youngsters must know moderation lest they ruin their health!
Feng Zaixing's face darkened. "Old man, if you haven't cultivated the Innate Secret Method, don't mock others. Don't you know it requires a virgin body?"
He had cultivated the Innate Secret Method for far less time than A Ruheng, yet through countless life-and-death trials and opportunities, after emerging from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well he had reached the third stage—only needing life energy to begin the golden-body phase.
But without the Golden Dragon King's vast sealed energy as backing, he had no intention of contributing to humanity's Legacy just yet.
Na'er chimed in, "Right, shameless old man!"
Han Tianyi slipped away fast, pretending not to hear.
"Junior Sister, I'll be off then."
Embarrassed, Feng Zaixing left, plunged into the sea, traveled dozens of nautical miles, and released the Thunder Hell Vine.
"No time like the present—let's do it today! Go!"
He raised a life sapling's light-shadow and signaled the vine to begin channeling lightning.
The vine bowed deeply to Feng Zaixing in loyalty, then eagerly roused its thunder-god Bloodline, drawing boundless sky-lightning down.
In moments lightning flashed and thunder roared like myriad phenomena; fierce winds and rain soon painted a scene of apocalyptic calamity.
Shielded by the life sapling's glow, the Thunder Hell Vine danced wildly. "Rumble—(So good, so good—thank you, child of nature!)"
Seated aboard the Blazing Fire, Feng Zaixing watched new bamboo joints—emblems of cultivation—form on the vine and clicked his tongue. "Gaining centuries of power in the blink of an eye—way faster than the Spirit Ascension Platform."
The blazing apricot jiao shu sent out a voice: "That's right, that's right. Our Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well once had a Thunder Hell Vine. Once its cultivation passed a thousand years, none of us could endure it."
Feng Zaixing laughed: "Fortunately, it won't harm you now. Lightning is the righteous energy of heaven and earth; when it reaches a hundred thousand years, it will become our supreme Sharp Weapon."
The Thunder Hell Vine was his trump card against Evil Soul Masters, able to restrain even battle armor below four-word level. But the situation in Star Luo was unknown—he couldn't even be sure whom its lightning would strike.
Thunder rolled for half the night, and boundless lightning pulp was drawn and absorbed by the Thunder Hell Vine, becoming part of its cultivation.
Feng Zaixing walked into the lightning light for two hours, using the thunder pulp to temper his organs, blood vessels, and Meridians, even his brain and thoughts. Crackling sounds came from within his body; his heart boomed like a war horn, and his essence, energy, and Spirit grew imperceptibly, becoming ever more unified.
Before dawn, the Thunder Hell Vine gathered in the thunderclouds that filled the sky. The vast currents of air returned to its body, and the dark-purple segmented vines retracted, now shining with a noble, dazzling gold-purple light.
Thunder Hell Vine had broken through a hundred thousand years!
"Little Lei has fulfilled her mission without disgracing it. Your great kindness will never be forgotten!"
The Thunder Hell Vine flew to the front of the Blazing ship and spoke crisply, expressing gratitude.
Their race is born with wisdom; they are the foremost destroyers of the plant World, but upon reaching fifty thousand years they almost inevitably explode. Only the protection of the child of nature allows her to grow safely.
Inside the Blazing ship, Feng Zaixing asked with interest: "You make me feel extremely threatened—can you still grow further?"
The Thunder Hell Vine laughed: "As large an umbrella as my lord can provide, so large my potential will be!"
"However, this subordinate suggests giving me a period of adaptation, so I may become familiar with and master my race's Innate abilities."
"Even if you hadn't said it, I couldn't shelter you for the time being. The Innate talent of your race is truly terrifying."
With those words, Feng Zaixing glanced meaningfully at the sky, his gaze profound.
At the instant the Thunder Hell Vine broke through a hundred thousand years, he was struck by an acute sense of danger, as though some mighty being had glanced over; even Ji Juechen's Divine Sense within the heavenly saint splitting abyss halberd stirred restlessly.
The feeling lasted only an instant. Feng Zaixing knew that only one person could give him such a sense of danger—Tang Hao.
Regrettably, the ocean was not under Tang Hao's control; it acknowledged only Tang San as master, and Tang Hao's presence was likewise rejected.
The Thunder Hell Vine said: "This subordinate has reached a hundred thousand years and can now take human form to converse with my lord."
Feng Zaixing replied casually: "Then pick a form at random—make it easy on the eyes. The future offering of the Body Sect can't look shabby."
"Yes, my lord—please look."
Feng Zaixing turned toward the voice, and his eyes felt as if they'd been struck by lightning.
"This lightning control needs practice—otherwise it'll blind people…"
Rubbing his eyes and reopening them, Feng Zaixing saw a purple-haired beauty standing not far away, her aura even more powerful than the six Vicious Beasts of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
The human form the Thunder Hell Vine had taken appeared about twenty, her exquisite face carved to perfection. Deep-purple eyes sparked with fragmented lightning; her wild gaze seemed ready to summon heavenly thunder at any moment.
Her long hair cascaded like a waterfall of lightning to her waist, the tips dancing with silver-white arcs. Tall and lithe in a short purple-black outfit, she displayed full breasts and hips atop legs coiled with explosive power. The air around her crackled with tiny electric flowers, and at her waist hung a purple lightning whip identical to her true form.
"You can even bring your own weapon? Looks like you learned well from me," Feng Zaixing remarked, noticing the whip—clearly influenced by him.
The blazing apricot jiao shu quavered: "My lord, she's terrifying; the Blazing ship might not withstand her sustained attacks."
"Relax—she's one of us."
Feng Zaixing soothed it, then said to the vine: "From today onward, you shall be called Thunder God. If I recreate the God Realm in the future, you will have a chance to become a deity."
"Thank you, my lord, for granting me a name." Thunder God bowed without the slightest resentment over her new station.
Feng Zaixing nodded, about to speak further, when a call came through: Han Tianyi reported large numbers of Sea Soul Beasts outside the star luo ship.
"Thunder God, enter the life sapling to organize your powers—your moment to fight will come soon."
Putting away Thunder God, Feng Zaixing steered the Blazing ship toward the giant Star Luo vessel.
In the Plane lands, Tang Hao swung the Clear Sky Hammer, smashing at the Plane Spirit he had contested for millennia, roaring hysterically.
"For thousands of years, why won't you obediently yield the position of Plane Lord? Why keep scheming to sabotage our Tang Clan's grand plan to contribute to Douluo Star!"
"Don't think I know anything just because I can't control the ocean! Speak! Is the new Plane Son you've chosen the most renowned man on Douluo Continent right now—Feng Zaixing? Is it him!"
The Plane Spirit dodged the Clear Sky Hammer and replied coldly: "Your so-called grand plan is to secretly influence the Sun Moon Federation's leaders, making them use terror weapons to destroy the ancient tree of life and kill Old Jin, so your wife can replace
Him!
"How is that helping the Plane? It's clearly destroying it! The Abyss Plane was also brought in by your son!"
This seat only regrets misjudging him twenty thousand years ago and allowing him to gain the upper hand!"
Tang Hao grew even more furious, fiercely swinging his hammer; Their battle affected the Douluo Plane, causing small-scale earthquakes across three continents.
"So what! The path of my Tang Clan is the righteous path; the Dao of my Tang Clan is the Heavenly Dao! Whatever does not serve us must die!"
Tang Hao raged: "Fine, Plane Spirit—fine, life core! Defying us means only death. My son's Divine Sense is already in the ocean—do you think Feng Zaixing can escape his schemes?"
The Plane Spirit said nothing, dodging to protect itself while dimming its light, as if resolved on some course of action.