"What... What exactly happened here? How is this possible?" Witnessing the strange phenomenon before him, even Lei Gang halted in his steps, not to mention the other warriors of the Thunder Clan. They had never seen such a scene at Thunder Lake.

Above a gigantic lake, lightning struck incessantly, illuminating the surroundings with the brightness of daytime. The 'water' in the lake was whipped into the air, forming twisting columns resembling rising flood dragons. Entwined with electric arcs, these serpentine waters seemed eerily mysterious.

"Thunder Lake has never experienced such a fierce storm. Why has such a violent storm suddenly erupted?" Staring at the now unrecognizable Thunder Lake in the distance, Lei Gang's brows furrowed tight. The intense currents bursting from the lake formed electric arcs that filled the surrounding air, making even someone like Lei Gang from the Thunder Clan hesitant to approach.

"It looks like our plan to watch the Thunderbird collect Sealing Thunder Crystals today is going down the drain." Watching the devastating storm, Zhu Bufan couldn't help but lament that the power of nature was the most fearsome force, no matter where.

At that moment, Zhu Bufan caught sight of a dark figure sweeping across the stormy Thunder Lake. Astonished to see a figure traversing the destructive tempest, he was momentarily stunned.

"There's something inside there?" Similarly, not only did Zhu Bufan see the figure, but Huo Ling also spotted movement within Thunder Lake. Once spoken, the crowd exploded into commotion.

"Impossible! In such an intense storm, not even the Thunderbird could survive, let alone other creatures. Do you see those purple-black lightning bolts? That's Yin Thunder, many times stronger than ordinary thunder. No creature can touch it and still live!" Lei Gang shook his head, clearly disagreeing with Zhu Bufan and Huo Ling's claim of seeing a creature in Thunder Lake.

"Idiot blockhead, why don't you take a look for yourself? If that shadow isn't a living creature, could it possibly be dead?" Unimpressed by Lei Gang's words, Emperor Yan pointed in Thunder Lake's direction and addressed Lei Gang.

Following the direction pointed out by Emperor Yan, Lei Gang quickly turned his head towards Thunder Lake. This time, he and the warriors of the Thunder Tribe clearly saw an active black silhouette within the lake, maneuvering across the lake's surface despite the harsh environment.

"This... Could my eyes be deceiving me? But... this seems like a bird flying inside?" Closely discerning the fleeting figure, Lei Gang's heart skipped a beat. Then, a bolt of lightning, as thick as an ancient tree, crashed down from the sky, and its searing light illuminated the surrounds as bright as the sun.

The massive Thunder Pillar struck down, splitting the swirling 'water' of the lake, and the wonderfully bizarre scene, resembling thousands of ascending dragons, instantly collapsed as if struck by celestial punishment. After all the water tornadoes were dispersed, within the dazzling light, a figure slowly became clear.

As the blinding luminance gradually faded, everyone could finally see clearly the figure that was freely navigating Thunder Lake amidst the raging storm.

The figure navigating Thunder Lake was an enormous bird, appearing much like a giant rooster in flight, with feathers in three colors.

The plumage under its chest and wings was a shiny light yellow. The feathers on the back of its head and along the edges of its wings were emerald green, while those at the crown of its head were deep blue. The feathers on its scissor-like, sleek tail were also light yellow, with two tufts of emerald feathers at the tips.

The bird's beak, talons, and hooked claws at its wingtips were all a deep blue. Within its fist-sized, pitch-black eyes shone an intelligent gleam. Under the illumination of the Thunder Light, the three-colored feathers seemed extraordinarily smooth.

"The Thunder Spiritual Beast, embodying the pride of Golden Thunder, why does it exist in such a place?" Just as everyone was shocked by the beast before them, which resembled a majestic rooster, the immature, childlike voice of Emperor Yan came, not loud yet like a great bell awakening all present.

"Is that the Thunder Spiritual Beast, 'Mighty and Proud'?" Huo Ling quickly turned to look at Emperor Yan, who by now had a serious expression and stared intently at the giant bird, continuing, "Resembling the Nine Heavens Phoenix Bird, with Three-Colored Divine Feathers, embodying the symbol of heaven and earth's Golden Thunder, absorbing the purple Qi of the universe, no doubt, seeing that it can move freely amidst such fierce thunderstorms, it must be 'Mighty and Proud', indeed. Legend has it that 'Mighty and Proud' is the transformation of Radiant Thunder above the Nine Heavens, capable of commanding thunder from the nine skies and nine lands; a true Emperor among thunder, the master of the Thousand Thunder Bright Sea."

"Unexpectedly, thou are so well-informed of my origins; these days people mostly only know my name, 'Mighty and Proud', yet know very little of my beginnings, not to mention the Thousand Thunder Bright Sea. Thy companion is a young girl, but thy soul is not so; pray tell, who art thou?" A voice imbued with both steadiness and endless wisdom echoed through the air, instantly overpowering all sounds of thunder, and as everyone heard this majestic voice, they quickly turned to look at Emperor Yan.

"The master of thunderclaps and ruler over myriad thunders, your existence indeed can be called legendary. While other pieces of information are somewhat obscure, they are by no means secrets too difficult to unearth for me," replied Emperor Yan to 'Mighty and Proud's query, as confident as ever, though her tone lacked her usual haughty arrogance. After all, the Spiritual Beast 'Mighty and Proud' existed since ancient times; its strength is unimaginable.

"Since thou dost not wish to speak, I shall not compel thee; my presence here today is merely to pursue and slay a Nine-Ringed Red Belly which happens to pass by this place, not to cross paths with thee. You may go," 'Mighty and Proud' said indifferently to the crowd, not caring that Emperor Yan had not revealed how she knew of 'Mighty and Proud's origins.

"Nine-Ringed Red Belly? A Sixth Rank snake-type Demon Beast, the Nine-Ringed Red Belly entered here as well?" Upon hearing 'Mighty and Proud's words, Emperor Yan's eyebrows furrowed immediately. Known for its bloodlust, the Nine-Ringed Red Belly's presence would mean a bloodbath on this floor. The Nine-Ringed Red Belly was truly terrifying; unlike 'Mighty and Proud', where you could reason, with a brutal Demon Beast like the Nine-Ringed Red Belly, you could only talk with your fists.

"I have indeed been tracking the scent of blood left by the Nine-Ringed Red Belly here, alas, upon arriving, the creature hid its Qi, eluding my senses. Nonetheless, you need not fear too much; the Nine-Ringed Red Belly was already gravely wounded and has fled. Once it kills again, I shall surely detect its scent," 'Mighty and Proud' reassured everyone upon hearing Emperor Yan's words, then silently dived into Thunder Lake and disappeared without a trace. With 'Mighty and Proud' entering Thunder Lake, everyone knew that collecting Sealing Thunder Crystals was impossible; who would dare to gather stones right above 'Mighty and Proud's head?

"I never thought... I never thought that in my lifetime, I, the Clan Leader, would personally witness the mythological Thunder Beast 'Mighty and Proud'. Just this fact alone is worth more than a lifetime for me, Lei Gang! But little sister, I'm surprised at how much you know, you even startled the Clan Leader!" Recollecting 'Mighty and Proud's majestic figure, Lei Gang couldn't help shaking his head in admiration. Indeed, seeing something of legend in one's lifetime would provoke such a reaction from anyone.

"The thunder-controlling ability of 'Mighty and Proud' is unparalleled among all Spiritual Beasts, thus it is known as the Thunder Spiritual Beast. While its immense strength is indeed hard to fathom, claiming it's a being from legends might be an exaggeration. Also, big guy, let me warn you, I am not some little sister!! Understand? If you continue to call me that, I'll extinguish you!" By the end, Emperor Yan was visibly irritated, but Lei Gang and others merely laughed loudly, obviously not taking her words seriously. Only Zhu Bufan wore a bitter smile because he knew that Emperor Yan was speaking the truth.

"Hahaha, young brother, little sister is truly amusing. Alas, with 'Mighty and Proud' inside Thunder Lake, we cannot possibly collect Sealing Thunder Crystals. Let's return."

"Wait, Thunder Clan Leader." Just as Lei Gang was about to lead his guards back, Zhu Bufan spoke up: "Thunder Clan Leader, you go ahead and return first. I'd like to stay and have a look around; it gets too boring always being inside the Thunder Tribe."

"I'll stay and look around, too." No sooner had Zhu Bufan finished than Huo Ling also expressed her wish to stay, and it goes without saying for Emperor Yan; even if Zhu Bufan did not speak up, Emperor Yan would have insisted on staying. Seeing that the three of them had no immediate intention of returning to the Tribe, Lei Gang pondered for a moment before speaking: "The Clan Leader must return to the Tribe to deal with affairs, so I cannot accompany you. If you wish to wander around Thunder Lake, I will not stop you, but remember, do not get too close; even we of the Thunder Clan cannot withstand the Thunder Power there. Oh, do you need the Clan Leader to assign guards to accompany you?"

"No need, Thunder Clan Leader. We're just strolling around; no need to trouble the warriors of the Thunder Clan." Zhu Bufan quickly shook his head in refusal after hearing Lei Gang's offer to leave guards behind. Lei Gang had previously been ambushed and was still recovering from his injuries; it would be safer for more people to stick together. Plus, since they were just casually walking around and not incognito, why would they need guards?

Lei Gang glanced at Zhu Bufan, then at Huo Ling, suddenly appearing to have an epiphany. Observing Lei Gang's reaction, Zhu Bufan knew he had been misunderstood. Just as he was about to clarify, Lei Gang patted Zhu Bufan's shoulder and whispered, "Rest assured, young brother, the Clan Leader understands. Take your time exploring and return when you wish. But that girl is quite cold; you'll need to put in extra effort. Alright, that's settled then!" With that, Lei Gang speedily departed with his guards, leaving Zhu Bufan staring dumbfounded at his retreating figure, thinking, "Why did the big guy go off on that tangent? Who would want to court amidst unceasing thunder and lightning?"

While Zhu Bufan was mulling over this, Lei Gang had vanished with his people. Huo Ling began to walk along the outskirts of Thunder Lake, observing the lake that could be dubbed a wonder of ages. Suddenly, the lake's surface churned with large waves, and a dark figure burst forth, streaking toward the distance. Seeing 'Mighty and Proud' emerge from Thunder Lake, the thought occurred simultaneously to all three: the Nine-Ringed Red Belly had shown itself!

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