Gou Zai Wudao Shi Lian Shen

Deep within the crimson mist, the Thunder King and Zhang Zhen were locked in a fierce battle.

The surrounding mountains and forests were almost completely leveled, ancient trees were turned into charcoal, and rocks were shattered into dust by lightning. Dark red thunderclouds hung low between the mountains, and with each roll, they illuminated the two figures locked in fierce combat.

The Thunder King was four zhang tall, and his charred black royal robes fluttered in the thunder and wind.

Its four vertical pupils opened simultaneously, each containing a swirling ball of black and red lightning. With each beat of the dark red demonic heart in the center of its chest, a bolt of heaven-burying lightning would fall from the sky.

Boom!

A bolt of black lightning cleaved through the crimson mist, heading straight for Zhang Zhen's head.

The ground beneath Zhang Zhen's feet suddenly collapsed, and he soared into the sky amidst the lightning. His Dragon Realm blood surged forth from his body, condensing behind him into a crimson dragon tens of feet long.

"break!"

Zhang Zhen loosely clenched his fists.

The crimson dragon let out a deafening roar, its massive body rapidly shrinking into a blood-red dragon spear over ten zhang long. The spearhead thrust upwards, colliding head-on with the descending lightning bolt.

boom!

The crimson light and black lightning exploded simultaneously.

The violent aftershocks swept across the mountains, severing two nearby peaks in half. Before the large amount of rubble could even hit the ground, it was crushed into powder by the dissipating lightning and vital energy.

Zhang Zhen rushed out from the center of the explosion.

He held the guns in both hands, the tips of which trailed a crimson dragon shadow. In an instant, he covered hundreds of feet and thrust the gun straight into the chest of the Thunder King.

The Thunder King did not dodge.

It raised its right hand, covered in black scales, and grabbed the blood-red spearhead. Sharp blood and qi tore through its palm, and a large amount of black blood gushed out, but after leaving its body, it transformed into countless tiny lightning snakes, coiling around the spear.

Crack!

The Heavenly Thunder spread rapidly along the crimson dragon spear.

Zhang Zhen's arms went numb, and his blood and qi stagnated for a moment. Before he could draw his gun and retreat, the Thunder King had already raised his other hand and slammed it down on his chest.

Before the ghostly claws even touched him, a terrifying gust of wind pressed Zhang Zhen's robes tightly against his body.

"Heavenly Dragon Protection!"

Zhang Zhen spoke in a deep, low voice.

The blood dragon coiled behind him quickly contracted, transforming into a dense layer of crimson dragon scales covering his entire body.

boom!

The demon's claw landed on his chest.

Zhang Zhen was sent flying backward like a meteor, crashing into two huge boulders before embedding himself in a rock wall. The wall split open with a deafening roar, burying his body in a shower of rubble.

The Thunder King slowly withdrew his hand.

The wound on his palm, pierced by the dragon spear, was still bleeding, yet black lightning surged continuously from the crack. The charred flesh and blood intertwined, but within two breaths, it had healed completely.

"Is this all that the Martial Temple has become?"

It raised its head, and its voice, like rolling thunder, echoed across the mountains.

"Those three Heavenly Dragon Guards a hundred years ago were able to shatter my ghostly body and nail me into the Thunder Burial Valley."

"And you—"

The Thunder King looked at the mountain peak where Zhang Zhen had fallen, and contempt appeared in his four vertical pupils.

"You don't even deserve to let me have my fill."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a dragon's roar suddenly echoed from the distant mountain peaks.

boom!

All the rubble that was pressing down on the mountainside was blown apart.

A crimson dragon burst forth from the mountain, and Zhang Zhen stepped onto its head, soaring back into the air. His robes were torn, and large patches of charred marks appeared on the crimson dragon scales covering his body, yet a cold smile played on his lips.

"After being suppressed for over a hundred years, their ability to boast has only grown stronger."

Zhang Zhen raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Three predecessors from a hundred years ago could nail you back to the ground."

"Today, I, Chang Chen, can make you lie in bed for another hundred years!"

The Thunder King narrowed all four of its eyes at the same time.

"court death."

Its five fingers clenched together, and the black and red thunderclouds covering the mountains began to rotate. Dozens of bolts of heavenly lightning emerged from the clouds, like jet-black serpents, all locking onto Zhang Zhen.

The sneer on Zhang Zhen's face disappeared, and his expression became extremely solemn.

Each of the Heavenly Lightning Bolts was enough to severely injure a martial artist at the peak of the Nourishing Organs realm.

Dozens of bolts of lightning struck simultaneously, and even though he was at the Dragon Realm, he dared not take them head-on with his physical body.

"Come!"

Zhang Zhen placed his feet on the top of the dragon's head and suddenly spread his arms out.

The dragon's blood and energy erupted without reservation, and the crimson dragon roared to the sky, its massive body coiling around him. Its tail swept across, and its claws reached out, constantly colliding with the sky full of lightning.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Thunder and dragon roars intertwined.

With each collision, a blinding light would illuminate the sky. Black lightning shattered one after another, and the scales on the blood dragon's body continued to crumble.

Zhang Zhen continued to advance through the sea of ​​thunder.

A bolt of lightning pierced through the dragon's defenses and struck his left shoulder heavily. The protective dragon scales shattered instantly, the flesh on his shoulder turned charred black, and his entire left arm drooped down.

Another bolt of lightning struck his back.

Zhang Zhen's body trembled, and he spat out blood. The Qi and Blood Dragon within his body dimmed slightly.

The Thunder King stood in the center of the sea of ​​thunder, his four vertical pupils coldly staring at him.

His Heavenly Burial Lightning didn't just destroy the physical body. Each bolt of lightning that entered his body buried a portion of his life force. If he were to be struck by ten more bolts, Zhang Zhen's life force would likely be extinguished.

Chang Chen, however, continued to forge ahead despite the thunder.

The dragon's blood and qi circulated wildly between his five internal organs, forcing the invading thunderous energy into his left arm little by little, causing his entire arm to quickly turn charred black.

As he approached the Burial Thunder Demon King, Zhang Zhen suddenly raised his charred left arm and grabbed the Burial Thunder that was striking him head-on.

He clenched his fingers, letting the black lightning tear through his palm, but his eyes flashed with a fierce killing intent.

"The dragon that soars too high will regret it!"

boom!

Zhang Zhen's internal energy and blood suddenly ignited.

The previously dull blood dragon solidified once more, even sprouting a pair of crimson horns on its head. Its raging dragon might burst through the sea of ​​lightning, causing the Heaven-Burial Lightning within a hundred-foot radius to simultaneously dissipate outwards.

Dragon appears!

Its vital energy transforms into a dragon, overwhelming all beasts.

Zhang Zhen took a step to cover the last fifty feet, and his right fist, carrying the entire blood dragon, slammed heavily into the face of the Thunder Burial Ghost King.

boom!

Half of the Thunder King's face exploded open.

The four-zhang-tall ghostly body flew out horizontally, carving a furrow hundreds of zhang long in the earth. Along the way, rocks and thunder corpses were all smashed to pieces.

But soon, the sound of bones grinding together came from the end of the deep ditch.

The Thunder King supported himself with one hand and stood up.

Half of its head had disappeared, but the wound contained no brain matter, only viscous black energy and constantly flickering lightning. The scattered Yin energy rapidly flowed back, and the broken bones and flesh regrowed at a visible speed.

In the blink of an eye, that charred face had returned to normal.

"very good."

The Thunder King stretched his neck and let out a low laugh.

"That punch is finally getting interesting."

Zhang Zhen stood a hundred feet away, his chest heaving violently.

The forced burning of his vital energy had already placed a tremendous burden on his internal organs. The lightning strikes in his left arm were also relentlessly eroding his flesh; if the battle wasn't ended quickly, his injuries would only worsen.

The Thunder King clearly saw this.

It raised its arms, and the dark red ghost heart in its chest pounded violently.

In an instant, the thunderous energy in the heavens and earth was drawn in, transforming into streams of black energy that converged towards the Thunder King.

Countless black wisps gathered behind the Ghost King, coalescing into a ghostly figure hundreds of feet tall. Thunderclouds hovered above the ghost's head, and it stood a mountain of corpses. Its two scarlet eyes alone resembled two blood moons.

Zhang Zhen's expression changed drastically.

"It is using the power of heaven and earth's thunder and lightning to restore its strength!"

Ignoring his injured left arm, he charged forward again.

"Don't even think about it!"

The Crimson Dragon Spear reformed.

Zhang Zhen held the gun with his right arm, his qi and blood dragon coiling around the gun barrel, and thrust it with all his might toward the dark red ghost heart in the chest of the Thunder Burial Ghost King.

The Thunder King's four eyes darted around, and a hundred-foot-tall ghostly figure raised its hand in response.

A gigantic hand formed from the Heavenly Thunder descended from the sky and collided head-on with the Crimson Dragon Spear.

Boom!

The entire world seemed to have been divided in two.

On one side was a roaring dragon formed from crimson blood and qi.

On the other side was a sky-covering ghost hand formed from pitch-black, dark lightning.

Zhang Zhen's feet sank into the ground, his bones cracking and popping. The crimson dragon spear was bent little by little under the weight, his hands tearing open and blood dripping down the shaft.

The Thunder King also took a half step back.

The demonic heart in its chest flickered incessantly, clearly indicating that maintaining this giant thunder hand also required a significant amount of its own essence.

Just as the two sides were locked in a stalemate, a clear and melodious cry of a golden crow suddenly came from afar.

-

Immediately afterwards, a dark red lightning bolt shot into the sky.

The thunderous energy converging towards the Thunder King was drawn by another force, and a portion of it changed direction, surging towards the place where the golden crow cried.

The expression on the Thunder King's face changed for the first time.

Its four vertical pupils rotated simultaneously, piercing through the layers of red mist and looking into the distance.

There, hordes of thunder beasts were falling.

A young figure flew through the raging flames, his body wreathed in golden flames and dark red lightning, with a three-legged golden crow circling above his head, constantly devouring the Heavenly Burial Lightning that originally belonged to the Ghost King.

"Who are you……"

The voice of the Thunder King suddenly turned cold.

It could clearly sense that the lightning energy it had dispersed into the bodies of the lightning corpses and lightning beasts was being continuously taken away by that young man.

"How dare you steal my Thunderous Aura!"

The Thunder King suddenly withdrew his giant thunder hand and turned to kill Lu Chen.

The pressure suddenly disappeared, but Zhang Zhen did not back down.

He gripped the bent crimson dragon spear tightly with both hands, and the dragon-infused energy within him erupted once more. The crimson dragon coiled around the spear suddenly burst forth, its massive body wrapping around the waist and limbs of the Thunder Burial Ghost King.

"Your opponent is me!"

Zhang Zhen shattered the rocks with his feet and pulled his arms back sharply.

The crimson dragon let out a deafening roar, its body taut like chains. The Thunder King, who had just taken a step, was forcibly dragged back to its original position.

"Get out of here!"

The Thunder King's four eyes blazed with lightning.

The thousands of burial thunderbolts within its body erupted simultaneously, instantly shattering the scales of the blood dragon coiled around its body. Zhang Zhen was also dragged forward dozens of feet by this force, leaving two deep trenches in the ground with his feet.

His arms were torn open, blood flowing down the gun barrel, and the cracking sound of bones breaking could be heard from his charred left arm.

But Zhang Zhen did not stop and continued to charge towards the Thunder King.

Lu Chen stepped over a fallen ancient tree and accelerated once more.

"Thousands of thunders will kill you!"

The Thunder King, caught between the two, pressed down with all four of his hands at the same time.

Rumble!

Countless black lightning bolts descended from the sky, pouring down wildly towards where Lu Chen was.

Looking into the distance, only a sea of ​​black lightning remained between heaven and earth. The mountains, ancient trees, and crimson mist were all swallowed up by the sea of ​​lightning, and Lu Chen's figure disappeared in an instant.

"Lu Chen!"

Luo Yun and the others' expressions changed drastically.

Bai Xiuwu instinctively took two steps forward, but was forced back by the aftershocks emanating from the edge of the sea of ​​lightning. A mere wisp of electricity struck the black gold heavy sword, yet it made his arms go numb.

"Don't go over there!"

Gu Chenfeng grabbed Bai Xiuwu.

"With this level of lightning energy, getting close means certain death!"

Xiao Jinghong didn't speak, but stared intently into the depths of Lei Hai.

Although the place was engulfed by countless thunderbolts, a glimmer of golden light never went out.

After the lightning dissipated, Lu Chen remained standing in the same spot.

His body shone with golden light like glass, while dark red lightning patterns lit up along his limbs and bones. Countless bolts of heavenly lightning struck his golden body, but instead of tearing him apart, they were drawn in by the lightning patterns and continued to drill into his body.

The Thunder Prison Demon-Subduing Golden Body is fully activated!

Lu Chen's body seemed to transform into a real hell of lightning.

Each bolt of Heavenly Thunder that invaded his body was suppressed, torn apart, burned, and refined within the Thunder Prison. The remaining power circulated along the dark red lightning patterns and instead merged into Lu Chen's flesh and bones.

However, the Heavenly Burial Thunder unleashed by the Ghost King at full power is far beyond what ordinary thunder beasts can achieve.

After dozens of bolts of lightning struck, cracks began to appear on the golden light surrounding Lu Chen's body. The dark red lightning patterns became scorching hot and shiny, and his internal organs felt as if they were being bombarded by countless heavy hammers. Blood gradually spilled from Lu Chen's mouth and nose.

Upon witnessing this scene, the Thunder King's four vertical pupils once again revealed a chilling aura.

"Do you think you can swallow the thunder of this king?"

"I'll burst your body!"

Its demonic heart beat again in its chest.

More heavenly lightning bolts fell from the clouds.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The sea of ​​lightning continued to shrink inward, and the ground beneath Lu Chen's feet collapsed layer by layer. The golden light on his body shattered and then reformed, only to be torn apart again by even more violent lightning.

Lu Chen's body seemed to have been completely crushed by the thunder.

But the Thunder King discovered that his steps were still moving forward.

The distance between the two sides continued to shrink.

Fifty zhang, thirty zhang, ten zhang...

The contempt in the eyes of the Thunder King gradually disappeared.

Lu Chen stared at the Ghost King, a sinister smile creeping onto his lips.

"My turn!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Thunder Prison Demon-Subduing Golden Body trembled violently.

The thousands of thunderbolts suppressed within his body erupted simultaneously, transforming into a terrifying force that surged forth from his legs.

boom!

The rock beneath Lu Chen's feet shattered completely.

His figure instantly covered the last ten feet, like a streak of crimson-gold lightning piercing through the sea of ​​thunder, heading straight for the Thunder Burial Ghost King.

"court death!"

The Thunder King was furious.

It raised its right hand, its five jet-black claws wrapped in lightning paste, and slammed down hard towards Lu Chen's head.

As the ghostly claw descended, the sky seemed to collapse.

Lu Chen held the Jin Yang Blade horizontally, using both hands to block the ghost claws.

clang!

The piercing clang of metal echoed across the battlefield.

The Ember Sun Blade bent violently, and Lu Chen's feet instantly sank into the ground. The Ghost King's immense force passed through the blade and struck the Thunder Prison Demon-Subduing Golden Body, causing a series of cracking sounds from his entire body.

Immediately afterwards, all the Burial Thunder in the Ghost Claws erupted.

Black lightning engulfed Lu Chen's body.

The golden light on his body flickered erratically from the impact, but the Thunder Prison pattern on his chest suddenly lit up. The lightning that had invaded his body was forcibly absorbed into it, causing the lightning on his ghost claws to dim at a visible speed.

For the first time, the Thunder King showed a look of astonishment: "Who exactly are you?"

Lu Chen raised his head, a slow smile playing on his blood-stained lips:

"Borrow your thunder—"

"Sending you on your way!"

The golden crow's energy and blood within his body suddenly burst into flames.

Golden Crow Burns Blood!

Boom!

Lu Chen's heart pounded like a war drum.

At this moment, the Golden Crow's vital energy transformed into crimson flames, and its power surged forth from his limbs and bones. The originally bent Ember Sun Blade was straightened little by little, and the huge ghostly claw pressing down on the blade was also lifted up.

The Thunder King wanted to increase his power, but a dragon's roar suddenly came from behind him.

Zhang Zhen gripped the Blood Dragon Spear with both hands and stabbed it into the Ghost King's spine from behind.

puff!

The spearhead pierced through the ghost's body, exiting from its chest.

The blood dragon coiled on the spear burrowed into the body of the Thunder Burial Ghost King through the wound, transforming into countless crimson chains that tightly bound the dark red ghost heart in his chest cavity.

"Got you!"

Blood gushed from Zhang Zhen's mouth, but his arms suddenly ripped outwards.

The Qi and Blood Dragon exerted their power simultaneously.

The charred bone armor on the chest of the Thunder Demon King was forcibly torn open, completely exposing its dark red demonic heart to Lu Chen.

"Lu Chen!"

"Now!"

Sensing the threat of death, the Thunder King went completely mad, its four hands simultaneously grabbing at the blood and qi chains in front of its chest. The sea of ​​lightning also began to collapse towards the Ghost Heart, attempting a desperate final strike.

"No!"

"I will never be suppressed by you again!"

The dark red demon's heart continued to swell.

Cracks spread from the Ghost King's chest throughout his body, and the lightning emanating from the cracks grew increasingly dazzling. The mere aura emanating from them caused the internal organs of those in the distance to tremble.

Zhang Zhen gripped the dragon spear tightly and roared at Lu Chen.

"quick!"

Lu Chen planted his feet on the ground and leaped into the air.

He released all the lightning suppressed within the Thunder Prison, and dark red lightning flowed along his limbs into the Ember Sun Blade. The Golden Crow's blood and energy burned fiercely on the blade, condensing into a three-legged Golden Crow with wings spanning dozens of feet.

All power converges into a single strike.

Lu Chen was in mid-air, gripping the Jin Yang Blade with both hands, and slashed down at the dark red ghost heart that had expanded to its limit.

"Golden Crow—Subduing Demons!"

Boo!

The three-legged golden crow swooped down.

All the thunder in the world disappeared briefly at that moment.

A crimson-gold blade flashed across the chest of the Thunder Burial Ghost King, and a thin line appeared on the surface of his dark red ghost heart. The next moment, the entire ghost heart, along with its internal Yin energy, shattered from the center.

"impossible……"

"Absolutely impossible..."

The Thunder King's four vertical pupils contracted violently.

Lu Chen's Jin Yang Blade pressed down again.

The blade cleaved through the ghost's heart, completely piercing the chest of the Thunder Burial Ghost King. The three-legged golden crow followed closely behind the blade's light, rushing into the opening, its crimson-gold flames instantly engulfing the Ghost King's Yin energy.

Boom!

A blinding golden light erupted from the body of the Thunder King, and countless black lightning bolts transformed into torrents, all surging into the Thunder Prison pattern on Lu Chen's chest.

Cracks reappeared on the surface of the gold statue.

Lu Chen bled from his mouth and nose, but he did not retreat.

He imprisoned himself, locking away the Ghost King's last remaining thunderous energy within his body. The Fourfold Demon-Subduing Force circulated wildly, combined with the Golden Crow Blazing Fire, layer by layer eroding the Ghost King's remaining will within him.

The Thunder King's massive body continued to crumble, and the lightning in its four vertical pupils quickly extinguished. The hundred-foot-tall ghostly figure that covered the sky dissipated, turning into countless black wisps of smoke, which were swallowed whole by the three-legged golden crow.

Zhang Zhen drew his blood-red dragon spear and staggered back several steps.

Losing its support, the Thunder King slowly knelt down, its four-zhang-tall body collapsing to its knees. It still tried to reach out and grab Lu Chen, but its arm turned to charred ashes halfway through.

boom!

The enormous ghostly body collapsed completely.

Crimson flames spread from his chest to his limbs, burning away the remaining ghostly energy.

As the Thunder King fell, the black and red thunderclouds in the sky suddenly solidified.

In the mountains and forests, the Thunder Corpses and Thunder Beasts, who were engaged in a frenzied battle, simultaneously stopped. The red light in their eyes went out, and their massive bodies collapsed one after another.

The horde of ghosts covering the mountains and plains seemed to have had their souls ripped out; hundreds and thousands of thunder corpses knelt down at the same time, and then turned into charred remains.

The black thunderclouds that shrouded Mount Chixia slowly parted.

A ray of long-awaited sunlight pierced through the clouds, falling upon the ravaged mountains and forests, and illuminating the young figure on the Ghost King's corpse.

Lu Chen stood next to the Thunder King, with the Ember Sun Blade stuck in front of him.

His golden light had dimmed, his skin was covered with tiny cracks, and dark red lightning continued to roar within his body.

Everyone stared at the figure, dumbfounded.

A moment later, Bai Xiuwu was the first to come to his senses.

He carried the heavily gleaming, cracked black sword, his voice hoarse.

"He really..."

"Slay the Demon King?!"