After returning to the Thunder Tribe with Lei Gang, Zhu Bufan felt quite emotional for a moment. No one could have foreseen that the war between the Thunder Tribe and the Electric Flash Tribe would conclude in such a way.

The mysterious Mr. Kou had brought the Electric Flash Tribe to the brink of collapse in an instant, what was even more terrifying was that he had not used any power at all. Merely through his movements, he achieved such an effect—conspiracy, sabotage, defection, division—with a series of strategies, the Electric Flash Tribe had been dealt a severe blow.

"Just not sure why he wanted to take down the Electric Flash Tribe so quickly. If he waited for the Electric Flash Tribe and the Thunder Tribe to be mutually exhausted before breaking the Electric Flash Tribe, then the Thunder Clan would be plunged into chaos once again."

Thinking of this, Zhu Bufan felt that he couldn't see through Mr. Kou, but the affairs of the Thunder Clan were something that Zhu Bufan had always avoided intervening in. Judging from the deeply furrowed brows of Lei Gang, it seemed that he too was puzzled by Mr. Kou's actions.

Upon returning to the Thunder Tribe, Zhu Bufan sequestered himself in his room to begin a closed-door cultivation, because, under any circumstance, only sufficient strength could dispel conspiracies, just as the ancestors had said: All scheming is no match for absolute power.

Time flew, and Zhu Bufan, who had been immersed in cultivation, had reached the realm of complete oneness with his surroundings, with the Primordial Qi coursing through his meridians, becoming ever more condensed and robust. With the aid of the Sealing Thunder Crystal, Zhu Bufan's cultivation could be described as achieving twice the result with half the effort.

When Zhu Bufan finally opened his eyes and left the room, Huo Ling, Wang Hui, and the master and servant Yue Lan had already been waiting outside. Looking at the soaring light in the distance, Zhu Bufan said to the crowd, "Thank you for waiting. Let's go."

Under the guidance of Lei Gang, Zhu Bufan and his party swiftly arrived at the location of the Earth Gate. Similar to the style of the first layer, the second layer's gate was also a circular stone podium, with a multitude of runes carved on it, and a pillar of light reaching into the clouds, signaling that the gate to the third layer had been opened.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are grateful for your help towards our Thunder Tribe in the past few days, especially for saving our Clan Leader. From now on, whenever you visit, you will be honored guests of the Thunder Tribe!" As he spoke, Lei Gang flicked his finger, and a stream of light flew towards Zhu Bufan.

"This is something sent by that fellow Shan Heng, it also comes from inside Thunder Lake. But this item is of little use to me as the Clan Leader, so I'll give it to you."

Upon opening his palm, Zhu Bufan discovered an orb—smooth and deep purple, semi-translucent, emitting a faint light. Within the depths of the orb, strands of pale yellow lightning continuously flickered.

"A special inner core?" Looking at the shimmering lightning inside, Zhu Bufan exclaimed in surprise.

"That's right, this is the Thunder Bright Pill. It was obtained by a powerful Clan Leader of the Electric Flash Tribe who hunted down a third rank Demon Beast that dwelt in the Thunder Lake. Since it is extremely rare, it has always been treasured. A few days ago, Shan Heng had it transferred to me, and today I will pass it on to you all."

"Clan Leader Lei, isn't this gift a little too extravagant? This is much more important than the Sealing Thunder Crystal or any such thing." Zhu Bufan smiled wryly while looking at the Thunder Bright Pill in his hands. He had personally experienced the power of a special inner core, and aside from his powerful Martial Arts, another reliance for challenging stronger enemies was his Poison Fire. The source of his Poison Fire was a mere first rank snake's Poison Fire Pill, so one could only imagine the allure of this third rank Thunder Bright Pill.

"Don't say that. Compared to the kindness you've shown to our Thunder Tribe, this item hardly counts as anything significant. The main thing is, by giving this to you, the Clan Leader can rest easy."

"Once absorbed, one could potentially inherit the power of the Thunder Bright within, but we of the Thunder Clan are born with our own Thunder Attribute Primordial Qi, and hence cannot inherit it. It would be wasted on us regardless, plus the Elders have their eyes set on it constantly, so it's better to give it to you and save the trouble!"

"Clan Leader Lei, that last sentence must be your real thought." Zhu Bufan chuckled, pocketed the Thunder Bright Pill, and after bowing to Lei Gang, said, "Then, Clan Leader Lei, we are heading to the third layer. Maybe if fate wills it, we'll come back."

"I, Lei Gang, have said that as long as our Thunder Tribe exists, you will always be our honored guests and this will never change!" Under the resonant voice of Lei Gang, Zhu Bufan and the others stepped into the white pillar of light.

The pure white light was so blinding that everyone couldn't keep their eyes open. It persisted for a while before it gradually faded away. When the light finally dissipated, Zhu Bufan and the others realized they were in the midst of a dense jungle. Having gotten used to the vast wasteland and lightning of the Thunder Marsh Layer, this expanse of greenery was simply refreshing to the soul.

"Is this the third layer, 'Thousand Forest Layer'?" Yue Lan softly marveled, looking at the endless sea of trees ahead. Although there were forests in the first layer of the tower, they were nothing compared to this place. The wood element spiritual energy here was rich, teeming with life's vigor. The occasional breeze made one wonder if they were truly inside the tower.

"Eh? Are these Red Lotus Fruits? And in such large quantities? And this is Moon Cage Flower? Millennium vine?" A quick glance and Wang Hui suddenly noticed several medicinal herbs around. Although their ranks weren't particularly high, at most around third rank, it was still enough to surprise both Zhu Bufan and Wang Hui.

"Who would have thought! The third layer is actually a treasury of medicinal herbs." Wang Hui chuckled heartily as he quickly gathered the herbs. He was worried about how to replenish their used up supplies at the Thunder Tribe where they refined elixirs. Zhu Bufan, too, wasn't slow; after collecting a few of the rarer herbs, they all began their journey onward.

"It's strange, logically speaking, not to mention third rank herbs, even second rank ones should be guarded by demon beasts. But we've collected quite a bit and have yet to see any trace of demon beasts. Why is that?" Zhu Bufan, using the Heavenly Pillar of the third layer as a guide, asked with a hint of curiosity.

"Actually, there's nothing strange about that." A flash of black light, and Emperor Yan's petite figure reappeared. People were no longer surprised by her sudden return to the form of a little girl.

"With the dense wood element spiritual energy here, there are bound to be many treasures of heaven and earth. Probably even fifth or sixth rank medicinal herbs are not uncommon. In a place like this, those herbs you have at most are low grade third rank. Naturally, they are no different from weeds to the creatures here. Who would waste time watching over a bunch of weeds if they had eaten their fill?"

Even though Emperor Yan spoke the truth, her words still made Zhu Bufan and Wang Hui feel rather embarrassed. After all, they had been overjoyed at the sight of so many second and third rank herbs, and Emperor Yan's words were akin to saying, 'You're rejoicing over a pile of useless weeds.'

Seeing their embarrassed looks, Huo Ling could not help but cover her mouth and giggle. As for Yue Lan and the Grand Steward, walking at the back, they had already burst into laughter.

"Compared to the Medicine King Garden of Divine Sword Peak, the wood element spiritual energy here seems much stronger. And given the years it has had to grow, it's certain there are many treasures of heaven and earth. But I never imagined the third layer would be such a place, much better than the Thunder Marsh Layer with its constant lightning."

"Hehe, silly girl, it's all the same. If you stay here for three months, you'd grow tired of all this greenery as well. Let's hurry to the Heavenly Pillar. We only have three days before the gate to the fourth layer opens. Once we reach the Heavenly Pillar, we can gather more herbs. When the gate opens, we'll move to the fourth layer. Opportunities like this are rare." Zhu Bufan prompted everyone while looking at the dense forest that seemed impenetrable.

Upon hearing Zhu Bufan's words, everyone nodded in agreement. A place brimming with wood element spiritual energy like this was indeed rare, and it usually nurtures a wealth of heavenly and earthly treasures. It would be a pity to pass it by without taking advantage.

"I'll head back first, remember to pick some fruit for me to eat!" Seeing that Zhu Bufan and the others had made their decision, Emperor Yan quickly returned to the interior of Emperor Yan's army, leaving as quickly as she had appeared.

"By the way, Miss Yue Lan, do you know any indigenous inhabitants that live on this third layer?" Once everyone was set on heading to the Heavenly Pillar and using the remaining time to look for herbs, Zhu Bufan turned to inquire of Yue Lan.

"The third layer of the Demon Burning Tower is known as the Thousand Forest Layer, and as you see, it's an endless sea of trees. The Medicine Clan lives on the second layer, but I don't know much about them either, just that they are extremely adept at using medicine and poison." Yue Lan's beautiful brows furrowed slightly as she spoke. Upright matters were simpler to deal with, but using poison was trickier – it's easier to dodge an open spear than to guard against a hidden arrow.

"We're just passing through without any intention of conflict. I imagine the people of the Medicine Clan wouldn't cause us trouble for no reason, right?" Sensing a tinge of unease in Yue Lan's tone, Zhu Bufan reassured.

"Let's hope so. Alas, we at the Lanyue Pavilion know very little about the Medicine Clan. Let's just hope they don't have malicious intentions. Otherwise, fighting against locals who are familiar with using poison in this dense jungle would put us at a serious disadvantage," responded the Grand Steward, shaking his head with a wry smile before speaking slowly.

"Eh?" No sooner had the Grand Steward finished speaking, everyone suddenly felt a weakness in their Qi Sea, followed by a wave of fatigue sweeping over them.

"Not good!" By the time everyone realized they'd been hit, it was too late. An immense weariness rapidly overtook them all, vision fading to black, and Zhu Bufan and his comrades fell to the ground in succession.

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