Chapter 414: 60 Layers of BUFF Glowing Zongzi

While Old Wang was exchanging barbs, thousands of miles away on the vast ocean...

A terrifying *ghost-level* sea demon was wreaking havoc on the sea surface, raging in fury. It was a monstrous squid, stretching twenty to thirty meters long, its eight tentacles thrashing the tranquil sea like whips.

Boom!

Waves surged violently as fierce winds howled around. Several unfortunate ships nearby were instantly tossed into the air by the monstrous waves, their crew and cargo plummeting into the sea like scattered dumplings, screaming in terror.

These poor souls were merely unlucky bystanders—the sea demon’s true target wasn’t them. It had been dozing on the seabed when it suddenly sensed a provocation from a fellow sea demon, one seemingly as powerful as itself. This sent the squid into a frenzy.

This area was its territory, where it had ruled for decades. Sea demons had strict territorial rules—encroaching on claimed waters was a blatant challenge.

Sea demons were shrewd. If the intruder was far stronger, the original occupant would slip away unnoticed. If the intruder was weaker, the occupant would still proceed with caution, as a weaker being daring to encroach either had powerful backing or was hiding its true strength, requiring cautious observation.

But when the intruder seemed evenly matched, it was a direct challenge—a fight for dominance over the territory.

Even just to uphold its dignity as a great sea demon, it had to respond. Of course, avoiding a fight was preferable. So, without hesitation, it stirred the waves, putting on a show of force, hoping the intruder would reassess and retreat.

Yet, this show of force drew deadly consequences.

A strange laugh echoed, followed by two words spoken in ancient sea tongue, laced with contempt: "Trash."

The squid stiffened, realizing the intruder’s presence had vanished the moment it surfaced. It widened its eyes, looking upward—only to see a terrifying Nineheaded Dragon, Hykula, circling above the sea. Then, an overwhelming dragon-level pressure crashed down upon it.

Dragon-level?

The squid nearly lost its nerve. The intruder had clearly concealed its true strength. But to accurately gauge its *ghost-level* power and mimic a matching aura to lure it out...

Nineheaded Dragon Hykula! It had been played for a fool!

As a sea demon that had lived through Hykula’s era, it knew all too well—Hykula had once been the near-mythic terror of the seas!

Boom!

Hykula ignored its whimpers of surrender, diving down from the sky. The squid’s visage contorted in terror. Despite the dragon-level pressure, it managed a feeble struggle.

It spewed a cloud of ink, creating a barrier between itself and Hykula, then bolted for the depths. But before it could dive far, Hykula tore through the ink, plunging into the water and striking with its claws.

Bang!

The massive dragon’s entry sent even more terrifying waves across the surface. In the next instant, the squid—its head already pierced—was yanked from the depths in Hykula’s claw.

"Not a single worthy opponent!" Hykula sneered. The squid’s guts were admirable, but it was far too weak to be any fun.

Just then, Hykula sensed a distant summons.

The NineEyes Heavenly Soul Orb—that little human, Wang Feng. Had he finally learned the orb’s purpose?

Hykula’s multiple heads grinned simultaneously, momentarily distracted. The squid, seizing the chance, thrashed wildly. A *ghost-level* sea demon wasn’t done fighting, even with a pierced skull. It tried to escape back into the sea—but then, one of Hykula’s heads swooped down.

Boom!

A blast of searing white flames instantly roasted the thirty-meter-long squid.

Disappointing.

Hykula’s eyes gleamed with scorn as it took a bite. The flavor exploded across its tongues, and all nine heads dove in, tearing apart the squid’s eight tentacles and head with a single rip. In moments, the once-dominant sea demon was reduced to a meal.

……………

On the platform, Gule stared dumbfounded as the convergence point of the thunder rapidly ascended. Suddenly, the thunder dissipated—he knew Wang Feng must have already reached the first turn platform of the Path to Heaven.

The Path to Heaven...

Only then did Gule snap back to reality, closing his gaping mouth before slumping back.

The first turn of the Path to Heaven, reaching the peak—this was his teacher's limit. Yet, it had been accomplished by a Holy Sanctuary disciple at Tiger Peak.

Gazing at the dense dark clouds overhead, he couldn't help but laugh. This seemingly unfair challenge match—who exactly was it unfair to? Things were getting more and more interesting.

It wasn’t just Gule who was baffled. Those halfway up the mountain were also puzzled, eagerly waiting and chattering excitedly.

Whether it was the other four members of Old Wang Squad or the four from Sakuman Holy Sanctuary, they had all long since returned to the halfway point to wait. But why hadn’t those two come down yet?

From the halfway point, they couldn’t see what was happening above, but judging by the thunderous roars from the mountain, the two must still be climbing higher.

"Judging by the time, this already feels like it’s surpassed Gule’s limit..."

"It must be Senior Brother Gule attempting to challenge the fifth turn of the Thunder Path. After the Dragon City expedition, many Holy Sanctuary disciples have made great progress. Senior Brother Gule has been in seclusion since his return—maybe he’s testing his limits on the fifth turn, or even reaching the peak this time!"

"Heavens, does this mean our Sakuman Holy Sanctuary will finally have a Ghost-level master?!"

The Sakuman disciples were both shocked and overjoyed. Reaching Ghost-level before graduating from the Holy Sanctuary was a rare event in its entire history. In the current era, only the 'latecomer' Hei Wukai had touched this threshold—though merely touching it, temporarily unleashing Ghost-level combat power without a true breakthrough—yet he was already called a fifty-year genius, standing alongside Long Feixue. But if Gule could ascend to the fifth turn of Thunder Cliff and break through to Ghost-level...

Even Reik Miller couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement. If Gule truly broke through, not only would it shut the naysayers up, but it would also strengthen and raise the Vis Clan’s standing in the League of Blades.

"Where are your brains?" Winnie scoffed, showing no courtesy to these self-absorbed people. "You all say this has already surpassed Gule’s limit—so it obviously can’t be him!"

"Then could it be Wang Feng?" Reik Miller smiled. He despised Winnie’s bratty behavior—disrespectful and lacking any sense of propriety. Yet, he didn’t dare lose his temper with her. Though the Vis Clan held status in the parliament, it paled in comparison to the Lee family’s influence, and he was just a minor figure in the clan.

"Seriously? You even need to ask? Of course it’s our Old Wang!" Winnie rolled her eyes. She wasn’t just backing her own team out of loyalty—it was because of her firsthand experience and genuine understanding...

Unlike Wu Di and Kela’s blindly trusting admiration for Wang Feng, she was one of the people closest to him. As someone from the Lee family, having spent half a year with him... Winnie was undoubtedly the first in this world to 'discover' that there was something off about Old Wang. Though she didn’t fully grasp many of his crazy schemes and secrets, the fact that even the Lee family’s little hellion deferred to him—did anyone really think it was just some natural kingly aura?

Wang Feng was, without a doubt, the most impressive young man Winnie Lee had ever met. And the fact that someone so extraordinary could remain so low-key was the happy accident that made them click.

"Don’t believe me? Let’s make a bet!" Winnie declared with absolute confidence. If Old Wang said he could do it, then he could. "Loser loses a body part—dare you?"

"Haha, let’s just wish him luck together." Reik Miller chuckled, declining to rise to it. How could he, as an elder, stoop to making such a childish and rude bet with a junior? Besides, the stakes sounded... weirdly disturbing.

…………

Old Wang climbed steadily. Reaching the first turn platform hadn’t been as effortless as Gule imagined—after all, Gule couldn’t see the details within the dark clouds and could only speculate.

Yi Long (One Dragon) was still in peak condition, but Wang Feng was already panting. The pressure from the thunder was overwhelming, distracting him. Moreover, his earlier attempt to snatch a chance encounter within the thunderclouds had yielded nothing tangible.

He had heard Thunder Dragon say that opportunities were born within the thunderclouds, forged by lightning. Lightning Pearls were the most common of these, but they didn’t necessarily appear only at these heights. With luck, even the thunderclouds along the five turns of the Thunder Path below could spawn one—though the process was far slower, perhaps taking centuries for a single pearl to coalesce by chance. On the Path to Heaven, however, due to the different intensity of the thunder, Lightning Pearls were relatively more common. With good fortune, one might appear every three to five years, or perhaps a decade or two.

Experts capable of traversing the first turn of the Path to Heaven were rare but not nonexistent. Thus, Sakuman Holy Sanctuary and the Vis Clan sent their elites every five years to explore and harvest any Lightning Pearls that might have formed. The last time, Thunder Dragon had been lucky—two years before his ascent, the Vis Clan had just retrieved a pearl from the first turn, so they hadn’t expected another so soon. Otherwise, why would they have agreed to let him attempt the climb? Yet, against all odds, another pearl had formed in those two years—Thunder Dragon's sheer luck.

Wang Feng had carefully searched earlier. With the Insect God species’ perception, there was no chance of missing anything. There were no Lightning Pearls on the first turn of the Path to Heaven—he’d have to climb higher...

Taking a deep breath, Wang Feng looked toward the second turn, where the thunder raged like a raging ocean. It wasn’t just dark clouds anymore—the entire space was crackling with lightning! Compared to the first turn he’d just traversed, the intensity was unimaginably greater.

Yi Long could probably endure it, but he himself was likely in trouble. Even if Yi Long weakened 90% of the force and the Heavenly Soul Pearl suppressed another 90%, the remaining fraction would still be more than he could handle...

But he had to try!

Old Wang paused briefly to digest the power he had just absorbed. Now powered up, he raised his hand and fired off a dozen exorcism spells in rapid succession!

Trueso's lightning resistance, Makaka's devouring exploration, Cardin's witchcraft insulation, Hegvis's thunder tribulation guide...

Every lightning-related buff Old Wang could think of, Wang Feng slapped on a dozen in one go. Then came the spell formations—Heavenly Thunder Five-Element Severance Formation, Hexagram Thunder Magnetic Pole Formation... Who cared if they were only effective against peers? He threw them all on first!

Thirty layers inside, thirty layers outside—Old Wang wrapped himself up like a glowing cocoon, glowing like a disco ball in full swing!

Prepared, Old Wang snapped his fingers. Both the spell formations and exorcism spells had time limits—no time to lose. "Charge!"

There were no dark clouds here. In the terrifying sea of flashing lightning, the surroundings were blindingly bright. Electricity snaked along the winding path, spreading and multiplying on the ground. Lightning bolts as thick as tree trunks occasionally arced dozens of meters through the air with a crackling roar.

Yitiao was clearly struggling more than it had been during the first rotation. It was still devouring, but the higher they climbed, the stronger the surrounding thunder became. Yitiao had grown cautious, passively absorbing and digesting rather than actively devouring the lightning.

If even Yitiao was struggling, Old Wang was in even worse shape. The moment he stepped onto the path, his entire body went numb with a jolt, shaking like a leaf in a storm. He gritted his teeth and held on.

This rotation had only a hundred steps. With the surroundings so bright, the top was clearly visible, but Old Wang’s goal wasn’t to reach the summit.

He wasn’t here for training—he was here for the Thunder Pearls. As he climbed, his insect-god eyes stayed active, observing and sensing every detail of the lightning in the space around him.

Twenty steps... thirty steps... fifty steps. Before he knew it, he had already covered half of this segment of the Heavenly Path.

There!

A flash of golden light flickered in Old Wang’s golden eyes, and his face lit up with joy.

Holy crap, the second round was way tougher than the first! After all, while a few thunder mages could handle the first rotation, almost nobody could handle the second. With no one able to traverse it, no one could collect the Thunder Pearls here—who knew how long they'd been ripening on this stretch of the Heavenly Path?

"Yitiao!" Old Wang called out.

Yitiao was primed and ready. It hadn’t fully digested all the lightning it had devoured, saving a significant portion for this final strike.

Suddenly, it opened its mouth wide, and a black energy beam lanced upward.

Black Hole Cannon!

KABOOM!

The massive black beam tore through reality itself. Amid the sea of lightning, a pitch-black void cracked open, sucking in massive amounts of thunder and vanishing without a trace. Old Wang's face split into a grin. Just like treasures born from the spirit realm, these pearls grew in a pocket dimension, only revealing themselves when fully matured.

This was only possible because he had Yitiao. Few others could both tear through space and clearly sense the presence of the Thunder Pearls.

The void wouldn’t stay open for long, but Old Wang was prepared. With a wave of his hand, his immense soul force formed a ghostly skeletal claw that reached into the ruptured space—Void Ghost Hand!

Old Wang fished around, finally grabbing something. With a firm yank, he pulled it out.

Once in his hand, Old Wang took a look—success!

Thunder Pearls—and not just one, but three! Talk about hitting the jackpot.

Old Wang was overjoyed, and Yitiao beside him was practically drooling with anticipation. Thunder Pearls, born from lightning, contained the purest and most concentrated thunder energy. And...

As soon as the three Thunder Pearls emerged, they instantly formed a protective barrier around Old Wang. While it didn't nullify the surrounding thunder "bombardment," it cut the damage by at least ninety percent. Even without Yitiao’s help, he could withstand it now.

With the Thunder Pearls secured—three of them, no less—there was no need to climb further.

Wang Feng tossed one straight into Yitiao’s mouth. The little guy's excited look immediately turned calculating as it silently stared at the two remaining pearls in Wang Feng’s hand.

"One for you, one for me," Old Wang chuckled, instantly recognizing the creature's thoughts. "The last one's for the blue-skinned bald guy!"

……………

Gule had been waiting, inexplicably feeling a hint of worry... Wang Feng was too confident. His unorthodox methods might be impressive, but clearing the first rotation was one thing—yet he hadn’t come back down, clearly pushing further. That was territory only the world’s top-tier Thunder Mages could tread. No matter how capable Wang Feng was...

Lost in thought, Gule suddenly noticed a surge of lightning on the first rotation’s Ascension Path. The epicenter of the lightning convergence was steadily descending.

He’s back!

Gule stood up, a smile on his face. Facing someone who dared to step into the same realm as his master, any competitive thoughts had long faded. There was no disappointment—only witnessing a miracle.

If Wang Feng dared to enter, he must have had the confidence to return. Gule had never doubted that. Besides, the thunder in those dark clouds never let up, the rumbling echoing endlessly. But then... huh?

As Wang Feng strolled out leisurely, something in his hand caught Gule’s eye, making his eyes narrow slightly.

A Thunder Orb!

He... actually obtained one?

Gule’s expression went from smiling to stunned, then to sheer disbelief, his mouth hanging open.

Honestly, even Gule, who lacked firsthand experience, knew less about this place than Thunder Dragon. Without the strength to walk the Ascension Path, his master wouldn’t have shared details. In his mind—and in the collective tales of the Vesper tribe—this treasure was something only those with immense luck could obtain. He had braved the Thunder Path countless times without ever encountering one, yet Wang Feng got it on his first try...

"Got lucky," Wang Feng grinned, casually tossing an orb toward Gule. "Well? Convinced now?"

Gule froze. He’s really giving it to me?

Truth be told, Thunder Orbs appeared roughly once every seven or eight years on average. As unique, heaven-sent treasures, high-ranking members of the League of Blades occasionally requested one, and certain influential figures would buy them through unrefusable connections. Currently, the entire Vesper tribe only had about seven or eight in reserve. Gule knew even fewer—just that his master had one, the clan leader had one, and a handful like the High Priest possessed the rest. Even Agule, the Vesper prodigy who had reached Karida’s level a decade ago and broken through to ghost level before turning forty, still didn’t own one.

Something so precious... When Wang Feng had joked about betting one earlier, Gule assumed it was just talk. Even if Wang Feng miraculously obtained one, surely he wouldn’t hand it over for a mere wager. Yet...

He scrambled to catch it. This was his first time holding one. The pure thunder energy within the violet sphere was unmistakable. With this, he felt that—if he wished—he could even break through to ghost level.

Gule caressed it longingly before gritting his teeth and offering it back. "I admit defeat wholeheartedly, but this thing..."

Wang Feng glared. "What? Who are you disrespecting here? I said it’s yours, so it’s yours."

"Wang Feng, do you realize how valuable this Thunder Orb is?" Gule suspected Wang Feng didn’t grasp its worth.

"Is anything more valuable than my word?" Wang Feng laughed heartily. "Stop waffling. A real man stands by his promises. If you refuse again, you’re insulting me!"

Gule was taken aback, shaking his head with a wry smile. "You’re forcing me to join Rose, aren’t you?"

Wang Feng grinned, throwing an arm around Gule’s shoulders. "Buddy, fate brought us together. Trust me, a new era is coming. And with your temperament, you’ll be a thousand times better off at Rose than stuck here. Just look at that deputy captain of yours—tch tch, what kind of people do you surround yourself with..."

"I’m part of Ye Dun’s faction."

"Hah! Ye Dun’s not your kind of people. I know how to read people—you just avoid confrontation. Besides, you warned us multiple times along the way. I respect that! And don’t worry about excuses. You lost a bet to me—this Thunder Orb is proof. Who’d dare force you to break your word?"

Gule didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Seizing the moment, Wang Feng launched into his pitch. With Old Wang’s way with words, he could make nonsense sound plausible—and when he actually had a point, he could raise the dead with his words.