Elven cultivators

The raging thunder, like a torrent bursting its banks, surged in from all directions and crashed violently against the Fire Cover.

The crimson-gold light curtain trembled violently, flickering uncertainly, like a candle flame that could be extinguished at any moment in a storm.

But the crimson-gold light barrier remained intact until the lightning dissipated, stubbornly holding on.

Anton's eyes flickered slightly.

That lightning bolt just now was roughly equivalent to a full-force strike from a legendary-level expert, far exceeding the lightning that normally strikes down in Uray Valley.

Is it because those seven beams of light caused some kind of change in Ure Valley that the power of the thunder was greatly enhanced?

He looked up at the sky.

The enormous vortex formed by the seven beams of light tearing through the clouds overhead was now slowly rotating.

Purple-blue arcs of electricity leaped at the edge of the vortex, like countless venomous snakes slithering through leaden-gray clouds.

At the very center of the vortex, a deep purple-black lightning bolt was constantly gathering, each pulsation distorting and deforming the surrounding air, emitting a low hum.

Just a few seconds later, another bolt of purplish-black lightning crashed down, striking both Anton and the earth elemental giant.

Anton raised his hand and waved his sword, which tore through the air and shredded the purplish-black lightning layer by layer. The scattered arcs of electricity flew everywhere, leaving a scorching smell in the air.

"What exactly is going on?"

Anton looked around, and many guesses came to mind.

Without hesitation, the sword light suddenly receded, enveloping his body once more, and transformed into a streak of light, hurtling towards the direction from which the initial pillar of lightning had risen.

In the blink of an eye, Anton was more than a thousand meters away.

He casually used his sword light to shatter a bolt of lightning, his gaze falling on the distance.

A jet-black metal pillar stands in the open space, deeply embedded in the ground, with only about three meters of its shaft visible.

The surface of the pillar is covered with dense, hair-thin, strange lines, which seem to be some kind of writing.

The top of the pillar is inlaid with a fist-sized purplish-black crystal, with arcs of electricity jumping inside the crystal. Each flash is accompanied by a low hum, echoing the rotation of the vortex in the sky.

Anton's expression shifted, and his sword flashed out again, heading towards the direction where the second pillar of light was rising.

Sure enough, he found a second pillar on the southwest side of the valley.

Then came the third, the fourth...

Seven pillars form a huge ring around the stone forest, enclosing an area of ​​several kilometers in radius.

Now Anton finally confirmed the origin of this thing.

Thunder Prison Pillar!

An extremely ancient magical item.

It is said that its history is even longer than that of the dragon race.

The crafting technique has long been lost, and only a handful remain today, each one an extremely precious magical artifact.

It has only one core function.

That is to guide the energy of lightning and confine it within a specific area.

A single lightning pillar can only do so much, but if there are six or more pillars arranged in a specific direction, they can form a "lightning cage".

In the ancient oracle bone script system, "seven" represents "cycle" and "cage".

The seven lightning pillars can form a complete cycle, sealing off a certain area and creating a special resonance between the pillars, gathering the lightning energy in this area and guiding it in a specific direction.

"It really is a cage for imprisoning lightning."

Anton looked up at the vortex high in the sky, and a vague guess had already formed in his mind.

The Cage of Lightning is typically used for two purposes.

One function is as an energy node for large-scale magic arrays.

In some super magic arrays, the Lightning Prison Pillar can guide and store the lightning energy in nature, providing a continuous source of power for the magic array.

This application is often seen in large-scale urban defense systems.

Secondly, it serves as a "lightning protection field".

In certain areas prone to lightning strikes, lightning cages can guide lightning energy outside the cage, providing a safe environment for buildings, mines, or residents inside.

Regardless of its intended use, it has nothing to do with combat or killing enemies.

However, the combination of the Cage of Thunder and the unique ecology of Ure Valley has produced a strange reaction, turning it into a terrifying trap that can both imprison and kill enemies.

It gathers all the lightning energy in the valley into the cage and continuously guides and compresses it towards the sky.

What was originally just ordinary lightning has become incredibly powerful under the resonance effect of the Cage of Imprisoning Lightning, now reaching the level of a legendary expert's full-force attack.

"The question is, who set this trap?"

Anton squinted.

His visit to Ure Valley today was entirely impromptu; it was impossible for outsiders to have known his whereabouts in advance and to have set a trap specifically for him.

If we eliminate that, the answer becomes obvious.

Anton looked at the earth elemental giant in the distance, who was also resisting the lightning, and was speechless for a moment.

After all that, I realized I was just an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire.

The Earth Elemental Giant is a legendary creature, and it possesses the precious Earth Elemental Crystal, making it coveted by any powerful force.

However, the earth elemental giant was too powerful, and ordinary forces could only watch helplessly even if they discovered its whereabouts.

Only a very few first-rate or even top-tier forces have the ability to set up a trap of this caliber in an attempt to imprison or even hunt down a legendary creature.

The placement, angle, and depth of these seven lightning pillars were clearly calculated meticulously, indicating that the person who set the trap had a thorough understanding of the terrain and lightning distribution of Ure Valley, which was obviously not something that could be accomplished overnight.

"It seems someone else had their eye on this earth elemental giant before I did."

As Anton was pondering, a deafening roar came from the direction of the stone forest.

He turned his head and saw the earth elemental giant charging wildly in the northeast direction, trying to break out of the cage of lightning.

However, just as it was about to rush out, the nearest lightning bolt suddenly blazed brightly.

boom!

Purple-white lightning surged from the pillar like a waterfall, transforming into a lightning whip as thick as a beam, which lashed fiercely at the earth elemental giant.

Wherever the lightning whip passed, large sections of rock on the surface of the earth elemental giant peeled off, revealing the charred inner layer beneath. The shattered rocks disintegrated into fine powder under the high temperature, which was swept away by the shockwave.

It let out a painful roar, its massive body was whipped and sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground, rolling several times before barely managing to regain its balance.

The inscriptions on the Thunder Prison Pillar lit up for a moment, then returned to their original brightness, as if nothing had happened.

The earth elemental giant struggled to its feet, its dark yellow eyes filled with rage and violence, but it dared not try to break through again, and could only roar to resist the lightning that fell from the sky.

Anton witnessed this scene without any surprise.

There are only two ways to break the Cage of Thunder.

First, destroy the lightning pillar.

If any one of the seven lightning pillars is destroyed, the entire lightning cage will collapse.

This is the most straightforward method.

However, at the moment the Cage of Lightning was formed, the Lightning Pillar had already merged with the lightning energy of the entire Ure Valley.

To destroy the Thunder Prison Pillar, a single strike would need to be more powerful than the total thunder energy of the entire Ure Valley.

Otherwise, any attack that lands on the pillar will be neutralized and annihilated by that unimaginably vast energy, rendering it useless.

And perhaps only a sage could accomplish this.

Forget about reaching the legendary rank.

Another option is to wait.

The cage that imprisoned thunder was not a perpetual motion machine.

While the lightning energy in Ure Valley is abundant, it is not limitless.

Every bolt of lightning that strikes consumes the lightning energy of Ure Valley.

When the lightning energy in Ure Valley decreases to a certain level, the resonance effect of the seven lightning pillars will weaken, and the lightning cage will stop.

Anton was unsure how long this process would take.

But he wasn't worried.

He possesses a sword pellet of the Xuan-level quality and several protective magical artifacts.

More importantly, he possesses the vital energy of the primordial void.

This wood-based healing ability, while not directly usable against enemies, can quickly heal injuries in critical moments.

With the large amount of mana-restoring pills in his storage bag, he was confident he could hold out until the Thunder-Imprisoning Cage collapsed on its own.

Not to mention the earth elemental giants who share half of the lightning attacks.

and many more.

A thought suddenly flashed through Anton's mind.

One way to accelerate the refining of the pill's evil energy is to draw the power of lightning tribulation into the body, using external force to shatter and disintegrate the pill's evil energy, making it easier to absorb.

He had thought of this method before, but he couldn't find a suitable way to do it.

Whether it's lightning from a regular thunderstorm or lightning triggered by a common formation, its power is too small.

And the lightning in Ure Valley before us...

Although it cannot compare to the power of a true tribulation lightning, it has already far surpassed the scope of ordinary lightning.

Perhaps it's worth a try?

Anton looked up at the thunderclouds in the sky and quickly made a decision.

Even if we fail, at worst we'll just get hurt.

If it works, this would be a great opportunity to quickly improve one's cultivation level.

Without further hesitation, Anton immediately dispersed his sword light, removed the Fire Shield, and ceased all defense, allowing the thunderbolts from the sky to strike him with deafening force.

In an instant, excruciating pain exploded, as if every inch of flesh and bone was being scorched by raging fire.

Anton frowned slightly, enduring the excruciating pain, and gritted his teeth to guide the surging lightning power into his body, crashing it into the depths of his dantian.

Within the dantian, the golden elixir floated motionless, enveloped by a thick, stagnant five-colored mist, like a hazy fog.

The moment the power of thunder collided with Dan Sha, the five-colored mist trembled violently.

Those originally solidified and almost solidified Dan Sha suddenly loosened under the impact of the thunder power, and a small part of them turned into mist and dissipated.

Anton was overjoyed and seized the opportunity to mobilize his magic power to rush forward, instantly refining the wisp of evil energy into new magic power.

It works!

Although not as effective as the power of a real lightning tribulation, these lightning bolts can indeed shake the core essence and accelerate its refining process.

Overjoyed, Anton no longer hesitated and continued to guide the power of thunder into his dantian, striking the dantian again and again.

With each impact, tiny fragments of dan sha detached from the mist, dissipated, and were then quickly refined into new magical power.

As time passed, the magical power in his dantian was visibly increasing.