The sensation of Primordial Qi flowing through her meridians brought Yue Lan an all-encompassing sense of well-being. Regaining her strength filled Yue Lan's heart with joy. Though she didn't show much of it outwardly, she was deeply worried during the time her Primordial Qi was suppressed. How would she cope if she couldn't restore the flow of Primordial Qi? Especially since she had never heard of Zhu Bufan's unique technique for suppressing it. Given that Zhu Bufan was a downright 'malicious scoundrel', Yue Lan naturally couldn't take his word at face value.

Seeing Yue Lan's cultivation restored, the Grand Steward, Liú, also heaved a sigh of relief. His anxious heart finally settled. Yue Lan's recovery was the best outcome. Otherwise, he would have been willing to fight Zhu Bufan to the death to force him to lift the suppression. Thankfully, Zhu Bufan hadn't deceived him again.

"Now that Miss Yue Lan's cultivation has been restored, can you tell us how exactly we can get to the gateway to the Third Layer?" Seeing Yue Lan happily moving her limbs, having completely forgotten everything else, Huo Ling, standing to the side, suddenly spoke up with indifference.

Hearing Huo Ling's words, Yue Lan swiftly turned her head to meet Huo Ling's gaze. Not only did Huo Ling surpass her in appearance and temperament, but at such a young age, she had also reached the Bone Forging First Heaven Realm, weighing heavily on Yue Lan's heart. Competitiveness is a woman's nature, especially for the more beautiful ones. Seeing Huo Ling excelling in two areas that female cultivators care most about naturally placed immense pressure on the typically proud Yue Lan.

However, Yue Lan wasn't disheartened by Huo Ling. Instead, her competitive spirit was further ignited. With a gracefully slight smile, Yue Lan said to her: "This must be sister Huo Ling, right? Don't worry; the gateway to the Second Layer will only officially open after the gate on the First Layer closes. This means that from the time the gate on the First Layer closes, we still have five days to use."

"Look." Yue Lan pointed to the distant with her slender jade finger and said to everyone: "That huge columnar shadow in the distance is known as the 'Heavenly Pillar.' The gate to the Second Layer is right beneath that Heavenly Pillar. If we travel at a normal pace, it should take no more than a day to reach the Heavenly Pillar. However..."

"However, what?" Yue Lan paused for dramatic effect, just like during an auction, engaging the listener's curiosity with each turning point. At this, Wang Hui couldn't help but interject with a question.

A hint of a smile played on Yue Lan's lips; she was clearly pleased with Wang Hui's expression. Glancing at Zhu Bufan and Huo Ling who remained unflappable, Yue Lan's eyes twinkled for a moment before continuing: "However, the Thunder Clan's villages are all centered around the Heavenly Pillar. So, to reach the Heavenly Pillar, we must inevitably come into contact with the Thunder Clan. Considering their xenophobia, a fierce battle seems inevitable."

"Even ordinary people within the Thunder Clan have far stronger physiques than cultivators, not to mention the strong ones among the clan. Additionally, people of the Thunder Clan are adept at Thunder Control. If we can avoid a head-on conflict, we must at all costs. If we do encounter a fight, we must disengage as quickly as possible and avoid getting entangled!" As Yue Lan said this, the expression on her face turned very solemn, clearly showing her considerable wariness of the Thunder Clan.

Yue Lan's caution infected the others, especially the Grand Steward, Liú, who knew well the Thunder Clan's fearsomeness. He frowned as if his face had withered like a dried chrysanthemum, giving Zhu Bufan an urge to punch him hard.

After collectively adjusting their Qi, the group of six, including Emperor Yan, headed towards the Second Layer's Heavenly Pillar. Seeing Emperor Yan, this delicate-looking young girl keeping up effortlessly with the rest, or rather, moving even faster than Yue Lan, left her utterly astounded.

Along the way, numerous Thunder Pillars kept descending, forcing the group to stay alert and dodge while traveling. Even though their movement techniques were swift, their advance was still greatly hindered.

The intensity of the lightning surprisingly drained a substantial amount of their Primordial Qi. Though they dodged the lightning, they dared not weaken the protective layer of Qi around them. Better safe than sorry—with the Qi Layer intact, even an accidental lightning strike wouldn't cause severe damage. So, after half a day, aside from Emperor Yan who remained calm and untroubled, the other five were somewhat fatigued. Consequently, they decided to rest momentarily at a Mushroom Stone before proceeding.

Fortunately, these Lingzhi-like Mushroom Stones were not uncommon in the Thunder Marsh Layer, and the group of six quickly found one and hastily made their way over. It wasn't until they were under the Mushroom Stone that they all finally relaxed.

"Who would have thought the power of Thunder Marsh's lightning could be so formidable. Looking at this, it seems we will have already expended quite a bit upon reaching the outskirts of the Heavenly Pillar," said the Grand Steward, Liú, frowning as he observed the relentless barrage of Thunder Pillars descending.

"Grand Steward Liú... do you mean to say that even you have never personally come to this Second Layer before?" Upon sensing that Grand Steward Liú seemed caught off-guard by the formidable power of the Second Layer's lightning, Zhu Bufan quickly questioned him.

"Yes, the young miss and I are also here for the first time on this Thunder Marsh Layer, and our knowledge about these layers has all been understood from the Demon King," Grand Steward Liú candidly responded to Zhu Bufan's query.

"Demon King? Who is this Demon King?" Hearing Grand Steward Liú admit that he and Yue Lan were also first-timers to the Thunder Marsh Layer, Zhu Bufan became somewhat concerned. However, this concern was overshadowed by the Demon King mentioned by Grand Steward Liú.

"The Demon King is the master of the fifth layer of the Demon Burning Tower and is also the true ruler of the first five layers. Regarding the Demon King, this old man is not qualified to comment. If we all have the fortune to reach the fifth layer, then naturally you will be able to meet the Demon King." Speaking of the Demon King, a near-fanatical reverence suddenly appeared on Grand Steward Liu's face. This was not simple worship, but the expression of someone who had come to revere the Demon King as a deity in their faith.

"What is the background of this Demon King that even Grand Steward Liu holds such reverence, and Yue Lan as well? Upon mention of the Demon King, their expressions change," Upon noticing the changes in expressions of both Grand Steward Liu and Yue Lan, Zhu Bufan began to ponder quietly.

'Boom'

"Roar!!!"

A massive thunderous sound and the roar of a demon beast came from afar. Even the dense lightning strikes couldn't mask this earth-shattering noise. Upon hearing this tremendous sound, Zhu Bufan and the others looked at each other for a moment and then flew towards the direction of the sound without prior agreement.

As they neared, the sound became clearer. The angry shouts of humans and the continuous roar of a demon beast kept coming. Finally, the group saw the source of the sounds.

The source of the noise was from three people battling a demon beast. The trio attacking the demon beast were dressed like wild men, merely wrapping animal hides around their loins. They all had dazzling blue hair and well-built bodies, brimming with explosive power. Their sturdy chests bore a lightning-shaped yellow symbol, unmistakably marking them as members of the Thunder Clan Yue Lan had mentioned.

The one assaulted by the three members of the Thunder Clan was a colossal centipede! The girth of the centipede's body was as thick as two people hugging. Its segments were shrouded in a purple-blue luminescent shell which, even from a distance, clearly indicated its incredible hardness. The centipede's body was buried underground, with only about two meters visible on the surface, and the length beneath was unknown. However, given the thickness of the centipede, the buried length must not be short.

The centipede's head was triangular and significantly larger than its body. A pair of sharp and sinister eyes looked as though they could see through one's thoughts, filled with malice. Most peculiar of all, each time the Thunder Clan members attacked the centipede, bizarre runes would burst forth from the body of the creature.

Beside the centipede, two bodies without heads lay. However, judging by their attire and the unique symbols on their chests, these corpses were undoubtedly also people of the Thunder Clan and must have been killed by this blue-shelled centipede.

"Spell-headed centipede? How could there be such an evil beast here?" Seeing the massive blue centipede, Emperor Yan seemed quite surprised, while Zhu Bufan quickly asked: "Emperor Yan, do you recognize this demon beast?"

"Yes, well, to be precise, it cannot be called a demon beast, because it is... Let's first help those people from the Thunder Clan. They won't last long, this Spell-headed Centipede is extremely powerful, and those three guys from the Thunder Clan, at best, are only at the upper level of Bone Forging Realm. They are no match for this cunning creature!" Perhaps due to the complicated origins of the Spell-headed Centipede, Emperor Yan first said to the group.

Hearing Emperor Yan's words, Zhu Bufan, Huo Ling, and Wang Hui did not hesitate to rush toward the Spell-headed Centipede, while Yue Lan and Grand Steward Liu seemed undecided about rescuing the Thunder Clan members. As they hesitated, Zhu Bufan and the others had already reached the centipede's side.

"Heavenly Tyrant Mixed Element Sword! Blood Slaughter Triple Waves!"

Like raging waves breaking in succession, a surge of blood-colored Sword Qi burst forth, heading straight toward the Spell-headed Centipede. Confronted by this surprise attack, the Spell-headed Centipede let out a hiss as the blue spells on its body shone even brighter. A barely visible Light Screen appeared instantaneously simultaneously with the spells, successfully blocking Zhu Bufan's Blood Slaughter Triple Waves.

However, although Zhu Bufan's attack was blocked, it bought time for the beleaguered Thunder Clan members to regroup. After a brief adjustment, the three members of the Thunder Clan didn't have time to question where Zhu Bufan and his companions had come from and launched an attack on the Spell-headed Centipede.

"Three Thousand Thunder Tribulations! Heavenly Thunder Spear!"

The three Thunder Clan members clenched their hands, and the dispersed lightning around quickly surged toward their palms. In no time at all, three Lightning Spears were formed. With roaring cries, the three Thunder Clan members thrust out their Lightning Spears toward the Spell-headed Centipede's massive head, with three streaks of light aiming at the giant creature.

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