Yang Qingqing did not hesitate for long before cradling the giant bamboo shoot in her arms and stepping forward.

At the same time, the enormous Demon Soul shrouding her body quickly drifted away, merging into Chi Bear Elder·Silver Rope.

"Ziz~ zi..."

Du Yu watched as his revered master walked toward the Thunder Pool, listening to the crackling of purple lightning. He could not help but feel anxious in his heart.

"Wooo~~~" Suddenly Silver Rope let out a bear's howl, its sound echoing endlessly through the cave, even suppressing the violent crackling of the electricity!

Yang Qingqing stood firm at the edge of the Thunder Pool, gazing at the blinding electric arcs at her feet. She let out a deep breath.

After a few seconds, she lifted the hem of her skirt with one hand, daintily raising it, and a fair, jade-like foot slowly stepped forward, her toes lightly touching the pool's edge.

"Ziz~ zi!"

The instant Yang Qingqing stepped into the Thunder Pool, purple lightning instantly crawled all over her body!

The Demon Breath Battle Robe trembled frantically.

The constant buzzing sound made Du Yu's heart tremble with fear!

He was even afraid that his revered master would be shattered by this terrifying Thunder Pool!

"Wooo~~~" Silver Rope raised its head and howled once more.

Strangely, Yang Qingqing also jerked her head up, her figure frozen completely.

Even her fluttering long hair was suspended utterly in the air.

Her rigid figure made a stark contrast with the rampant coursing lightning.

Such a scene left Du Yu's mind reeling.

Du Yu could only see the woman's back, but at this moment, in Yang Qingqing's eyes, fine purple lightning was converging ceaselessly, electric radiance growing ever more dazzling and fierce.

"Master Qing will be all right, won't she, Little Fen Yang?" Du Yu held a hand to his face, peeking through his fingers to witness the Thunder Pool's searing brilliance, so bright it illuminated the entire cave.

At this moment, Du Yu panicked.

Master Qing was indeed powerful, but this was the Bamboo Shadow Thunder Pool, a Supreme Treasure of lightning left from ancient times!

Little Fen Yang said softly, "It should be all right. We still have Silver Rope~ Xiongxiong is very kind, he wouldn't just stand by and watch."

"Ah?" Waves of volatile force surged toward him, forcing Du Yu to retreat again and again.

Just then, everything in Yang Qingqing's vision transformed into a swirl of strange patterns.

Is that... is that a Chi Bear?

No, two of them.

Yang Qingqing's mouth opened slightly, lips trembling as electric currents danced between them.

Two small Chi Bears were frolicking and wrestling, seeming utterly carefree.

In this black-and-white, blurry world, their figures seemed fantastical, like dreams on the verge of shattering at any moment.

Suddenly, several long snakes appeared out of thin air, viciously snapping at the two Chi Bears!

The little Chi Bears immediately fought back, donning Bamboo Leaf Cloaks and each drawing a Bamboo Stick in hand…

For some reason, in this scene of the Chi Bears being ambushed, attacked, Yang Qingqing nevertheless felt a trace of warmth?

Peace, comfort, and hope.

Why?

Where do these feelings come from?

Yang Qingqing could not fathom it, and the vision in her eyes silently shattered.

Before she could come to herself, a gigantic Chi Bear appeared before her, like a small mountain.

Bamboo Leaf Cloak fluttering in the shifting winds, it moved in a graceful rhythm, suffused with a veiled beauty.

All around Yang Qingqing, there were also a series of blurry figures.

But these figures were far too indistinct, even their outlines blurred to the point of unrecognizability—she could not tell what kind of creatures they were at all.

Who are they?

Friend or foe, or perhaps my Demon Pets?

Just as Yang Qingqing strained to make out the surrounding beings, the blurry forms began to move!

The thunder sounded like the howls of a Jade Tiger, and also like thousands of horses thundering forth.

Piercing, shrill shrieks mixed with deep rumbling, opening up another world for Yang Qingqing, laying out a battlefield before her!?

The mighty Chi Bear roared in furious rage and charged ahead.

The blurry figures all around followed without fear of death, racing after it.

The immobilized Yang Qingqing, looking in the direction of the Chi Bear's charge, could only see that in this phantasmal world, the enemy surged forward like a tide.

In an instant, her group was swallowed up.

The indistinct figures were slaughtered again and again, roaring and also screaming, torn limb from limb, brutally dismembered.

No matter how blurred they were, in Yang Qingqing's senses they were still living beings of flesh and blood!

Gradually, a taste of utter despair welled up in her heart.

Waves of the enemy army pressed in, sweeping over the mountains and fields, trampling over the towering body of the Chi Bear, ultimately burying Yang Qingqing entirely.

Despair, reluctant longing, and resolve...

"Swish!"

Suddenly, Yang Qingqing seemed to hear a strange sound.

Trapped in the torrent, she strained her arms to push apart the rampaging, formless enemy, and through a gap between their bodies, she seemed to glimpse above the sky, a Fire Arrow shooting down in a blur!

Yang Qingqing's pupils contracted!

Red,

blazing, dazzling red...

In this shadowy world, where once only black and white existed, it was the first time she'd seen such vivid color.

Again the seething masses of the enemy submerged her, and yet her last sight was that Fire Arrow tearing through the heavens, splitting into countless arrows!

In that moment, the world was filled with brilliant red!

Fire Arrows in the sky?

No, a sky filled with fiery red birds.

Burning birds fell like rain, blotting out the sky and covering the earth!

The surging enemy horde, under the onslaught of uncountable birds, was pushed back, retreating again and again.

"Crack!" The Thunder Pool boomed with an explosion!

"Ah!" Yang Qingqing, who stood on the Thunder Pool's edge, was blasted away by the surging current, the bamboo shoot in her arms falling to the side.

Flying backwards, Yang Qingqing crashed hard against the ground, sliding back more than ten meters!

"Master Qing!" Du Yu's heart tightened as he rushed forward, seeing the purple lightning in the woman's eyes swiftly recede.

And in Yang Qingqing's blurred world…

There was likewise a phantom figure, in the torrent of enemies, parting piles of corpses to appear before her.

The figure was just as indistinct, but a pair of eyes burned with radiant, orange-red light.

Dazzling, scorching, fiery as a torch!

"Heh…ha… " Yang Qingqing was panting, her chest heaving violently.

As the purple lightning faded from her eyes, the pale figure in the Bamboo Shadow World and the young man now half-kneeling at her side merged entirely into one!

The blurred figure was gradually replaced by the clear image of Du Yu.

And that pair of orange-red eyes was replaced by Du Yu's gaze, full of worry.

"Master Qing?" Du Yu was at a loss, quickly turning to Silver Rope in the Thunder Pool, "Give me a Hollow Bamboo Shoot, quick, for healing…"

Du Yu's words came to an abrupt halt.

He only felt a gentle hand softly press to his cheek.

Startled, Du Yu looked down again, seeing only the complex emotions on Yang Qingqing's face.

The emotions revealed in her eyes had already surpassed what Du Yu could comprehend.

This is... what does it mean?

What did Master Qing see in the Thunder Pool?

In the distance, a furry head slowly emerged from the Thunder Pool, and at once, the massive Demon Soul swept forth, enveloping mentor and disciple.

"The West."

Du Yu: "What?"

Silver Rope: "Her and my tribesmen's fateful path lies in the West.

I saw the Tai Sui Bamboo, saw that long lost Tai Sui Thunder Bamboo..."

Du Yu: "The missing Tai Sui Thunder Bamboo?"

Back when he first entered the Bamboo Grove, Du Yu had brushed up on the relevant lore.

Originally, there had been sixty Tai Sui Bamboo Tribes in the Bamboo Grove, representing the sixty annual Tai Sui attendants on rotation.

But now, in modern times, only fifty-seven tribes remained within the Bamboo Grove.

One Tai Sui Earth Bamboo had been taken out of the Otherworld by a powerful Chi Bear.

Another Tai Sui Wind Bamboo had gone off to found its own home, establishing a new and smaller Bamboo Grove Realm.

And one Tai Sui Thunder Bamboo remained unaccounted for.

In the Thunder Pool, Silver Rope gazed silently at Yang Qingqing, its towering Demon Soul cloaking them both, delivering its message:

"This is a revelation from the heavens, also the calling of the Tai Sui Thunder Bamboo.

Humans, you and my people will eventually bring the lost bamboo back to our home."

Yang Qingqing braced herself on the ground and slowly stood up.

Her gaze drifted afar, looking to the fuzzy head in the Thunder Pool: "You say it's a revelation from the heavens."

"Yes, human."

Yang Qingqing: "Will the prophecy of the Bamboo Shadow Thunder Pool truly come to pass?"

Silver Rope was silent for a moment, then replied: "To this day, all of them have."

"Heh." Yang Qingqing let out a soft laugh, pressing a hand to her brow, massaging her temples with thumb and ring finger.

Seeing this, Silver Rope inquired, "Human, what revelation did the Bamboo Shadow Thunder Pool give you?"

For a while, the cave sank into silence.

Only the violent Thunder Pool crackled on, electric current flickering everywhere.

Though Silver Rope was an Elder with immense strength, it always treated Du Yu and Yang Qingqing with considerable respect.

Silver Rope pressed on, "Human, I hope you will tell me."

Yang Qingqing slowly stood up, and said quietly: "War."

"War?"

Yang Qingqing took a deep breath: "Yes, a war so desperate it brings despair."

Silver Rope watched her, replying silently: "The Bamboo Shadow Thunder Pool never writes fated endings for any living being.

It enlightens our wisdom and spirit, and guides our way forward.

Young human, no matter how hopeless that war seems to you…

Believe me, the Bamboo Shadow Thunder Pool is not defeating you; it is giving you hope, granting you direction."

Hope? Direction?

Yang Qingqing fought the urge to look at Du Yu, then nodded lightly after a brief silence.

Silver Rope: "Is that war connected to our Chi Bear Tribe?"

Yang Qingqing shook her head: "Sorry, I don't know; the vision was far too vague.

The only thing I'm sure of is that there was a powerful Chi Bear fighting at my side."

"On that point, I saw it too." Silver Rope looked at Yang Qingqing. "Human, pick up your bamboo shoot."

Yang Qingqing seemed to realize something and stepped towards the fallen bamboo shoot.

And Silver Rope's immense Demon Soul never ceased to cloak Yang Qingqing, "From this moment, do not let it out of your hands again."

Yang Qingqing bent down and hugged the bamboo shoot. As Silver Rope conveyed its message, the gigantic bamboo shoot in her arms slowly began to unfurl.

"Yawww?" Suddenly, a Chi Bear emerged.

It still seemed dazed—after being trapped inside the bamboo shoot for so long, it had no idea what had happened outside.

Only then did Du Yu realize: from the very start, Silver Rope had already entrusted the Chi Bear to Master Qing?

This Chi Bear was undoubtedly that same second-ranked on the Earth List, the one Yang Qingqing had taken a liking to.

Silver Rope: "Before you arrived, I led this clansmate through a baptism of thunder and lightning. It will greatly benefit his talent and growth potential."

Yang Qingqing: "Thank you. I will take good care of him."

Silver Rope's true form gradually submerged into the Thunder Pool: "I look forward to your futures.

The West.

Humans, remember your destiny, remember that Tai Sui Thunder Bamboo.

One day, in the West, your fateful meeting will come."

As Silver Rope's true form vanished, its vast Demon Soul turned to envelop Du Yu, bowing respectfully in farewell to the Burning Sun Golden Crow.

"Come with me." Yang Qingqing, repressing her turbulent feelings, let her gaze soften.

She reached out and stroked the Chi Bear's cheek with the back of her hand.

Sniff~

The Thunder Bamboo Chi Bear twitched its nose, sniffing her fingertips: "Yaww~"

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