Chapter 209: Chapter 197: Thunder Cage

Furious lightning, like a deluge from a broken dam, surged from all directions and slammed into the Separation Fire Shield.

The Crimson Gold Light Curtain trembled violently, flickering like a candle flame in a storm that could be extinguished at any moment.

But by the time the lightning dissipated, the Crimson Gold Light Curtain had not shattered. It had managed to endure.

Anton’s eyes flickered.

The power of that last lightning bolt was roughly equivalent to a full-force strike from someone at the Legendary Tier, far exceeding the normal lightning strikes in Wulei Valley.

’Was it because those seven pillars of light caused some kind of change in Wulei Valley, drastically increasing the power of the lightning?’

He looked up at the sky.

The massive vortex above, formed where the seven pillars of light had torn through the clouds, was now slowly rotating.

Violet-blue arcs of electricity danced along the vortex’s edge, like countless venomous snakes slithering through the leaden clouds.

In the very center of the vortex, a mass of deep, violet-black lightning was gathering. Each pulsation distorted the surrounding air and emitted a low hum.

Just a few seconds later, another violet-black bolt of lightning crashed down, striking at both Anton and the Earth Element Giant Spirit.

Anton waved his hand, and a beam of sword light shot through the air, tearing through and shredding the violet-black lightning. Dispersed arcs of electricity scattered in all directions, leaving a scorched scent in the air.

"What in the world is going on?"

Anton scanned his surroundings as numerous speculations surfaced in his mind.

Without hesitation, the sword light converged, enveloping his body once more and transforming into a streak of light that shot toward the location where the first pillar of lightning had risen.

In the blink of an eye, Anton was over a thousand meters away.

He casually directed his sword light to shred another bolt of lightning, his gaze falling on something not far away.

A solid black metal pillar stood in an open area, buried deep in the ground, with only about three meters of its length exposed.

The pillar’s surface was covered in dense, hair-thin, strange lines that appeared to be some form of writing.

Atop the pillar was an embedded, fist-sized, violet-black Crystal Stone. Arcs of electricity danced within it, and each flash was accompanied by a low hum, resonating with the rotation of the vortex in the sky.

With a flicker of understanding, Anton’s sword light shot out again as he rushed toward the location of the second pillar of light.

Sure enough, he found a second pillar on the southwestern side of the valley.

Then the third, the fourth...

With the stone forest at their center, the seven pillars formed a giant ring, enclosing an area of several square kilometers.

At last, Anton confirmed the origin of these things.

Thunder Prison Pillars!

An extremely ancient magical item.

Their history was said to be even more ancient than that of the Dragon Race.

The method for crafting them had long been lost, and the number still in existence could be counted on one hand. Each one was an incredibly precious magical artifact.

They had only one core function.

To guide lightning energy and confine it within a specific area.

A single Thunder Prison Pillar could only do so much, but with six or more arranged in a specific formation, they could form a "Thunder Cage."

In the ancient runic system, the number seven represented both "cycle" and "cage."

Seven Thunder Prison Pillars could form a complete cycle, sealing off an area. They created a special resonance between them that gathered all the lightning energy within the area and guided it in a specific direction.

’So it really is a Thunder Cage.’

Anton looked up at the vortex, a vague hypothesis already forming in his mind.

A Thunder Cage was typically used for two purposes.

First, it could serve as an energy node for a large-scale array.

In some massive arrays, Thunder Prison Pillars could guide and store natural lightning energy, providing a continuous source of power for the array.

This application was most often seen in large-scale city defense systems.

Second, it could act as a "Lightning Protection Field."

In areas with frequent lightning strikes, a Thunder Cage could divert the lightning energy from a specific zone to the outside, providing a safe environment for buildings, mines, or residents within the cage.

Neither of these purposes had anything to do with combat or killing enemies.

But now, the Thunder Cage combined with Wulei Valley’s unique ecosystem had produced a strange reaction, turning it into a terrifying trap that could both imprison and kill its targets.

It was gathering all the lightning energy in the valley into the cage, continuously guiding and compressing it toward the sky.

The lightning, which was originally ordinary, had skyrocketed in power under the resonant effect of the Thunder Cage. It had now reached the level of a full-power strike from a Legendary Powerhouse.

’The question is, who set this trap?’

Anton narrowed his eyes.

His trip to Wulei Valley today had been on a whim. It was impossible for anyone to have predicted his movements and set a trap specifically for him.

Ruling that out, the answer was obvious.

Anton looked at the distant Earth Element Giant Spirit, which was also fending off the lightning, and was momentarily speechless.

’After all that, I was just an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire.’

The Earth Element Giant Spirit was a Legendary creature in its own right, and it possessed a supreme treasure like the Earth Element Origin Crystal. Any powerful faction would covet it.

However, the Earth Element Giant Spirit was simply too powerful. Even if an ordinary faction discovered its whereabouts, they could only stare helplessly.

Only a handful of first-rate or even top-tier factions had the ability to set a trap of this caliber in an attempt to imprison or even kill a Legendary creature.

Furthermore, the placement, angle, and depth of the seven Thunder Prison Pillars had clearly been precisely calculated. This indicated that whoever set the trap had an intimate knowledge of Wulei Valley’s topography and lightning distribution—a feat that couldn’t have been accomplished overnight.

’It seems someone set their sights on this Earth Element Giant Spirit before I did.’

As Anton was pondering this, a deafening roar echoed from the direction of the stone forest.

He turned to look and saw the Earth Element Giant Spirit charging frantically to the northeast, attempting to break out of the Thunder Cage.

However, just as it was about to break free, the nearest Thunder Prison Pillar suddenly flared with blinding light.

BOOM!

Violet-white lightning poured from the pillar like a waterfall, forming a whip as thick as a roof beam that viciously lashed the Earth Element Giant Spirit.

Wherever the lightning whip struck, large chunks of the rocky layer on the Earth Element Giant Spirit’s body peeled away, revealing a scorched black core underneath. The shattered stones disintegrated into fine powder in the intense heat, scattered by the ensuing shockwave.

It let out a pained roar as its massive body was sent flying sideways. It crashed heavily to the ground, rolling several times before managing to come to a stop.

The runes on the Thunder Prison Pillar flared brightly for an instant before returning to their original luminescence, as if nothing had happened.

The Earth Element Giant Spirit struggled to its feet, its dark yellow eyes filled with rage and savagery. But it no longer dared to attempt another breakout, and could only roar as it defended against the lightning descending from the sky.

Anton witnessed this scene, completely unsurprised.

There were only two ways to break a Thunder Cage.

The first was to destroy the Thunder Prison Pillars.

The destruction of even one of the seven pillars would cause the entire Thunder Cage to collapse instantly.

This was the most direct method.

However, once the Thunder Cage was formed, the Thunder Prison Pillars became one with the entire reserve of lightning energy in Wulei Valley.

To destroy a pillar, a single attack would have to possess power greater than the sum total of all the lightning energy in Wulei Valley.

Otherwise, any attack landing on a pillar would be neutralized and annihilated by that unimaginably vast energy, rendering it useless.

To achieve that, perhaps only a Saint would have a chance.

It was hopeless for anyone at the Legendary Tier.

The other method was to wait.

The Thunder Cage was not a perpetual motion machine.

While the lightning energy in Wulei Valley was abundant, it was not infinite.

Every bolt of lightning that struck consumed some of Wulei Valley’s energy.

Once the lightning energy in Wulei Valley dropped to a certain level, the resonant effect of the seven pillars would weaken, and the Thunder Cage would deactivate.

Anton wasn’t sure how long that process would take.

But he wasn’t worried.

He had a Profound Artifact-level Sword Pill and multiple defensive Magical Artifacts.

More importantly, he had Void One Yuan Life Qi.

This Wood Attribute recovery Divine Technique, while not usable for direct combat, could rapidly heal his injuries at critical moments.

Combined with the vast number of Magical Power-restoring Pills in his Qiankun Bag, he was confident he could hold out until the Thunder Cage collapsed on its own.

Not to mention, the Earth Element Giant Spirit was taking half of the lightning strikes.

Wait a minute.

A thought suddenly flashed through Anton’s mind.

’One way to accelerate the refinement of Pill Poison is to draw the Power of Thunder Tribulation into the body, using an external force to shatter and break down the Pill Poison to make it easier to absorb.’

He had considered this method before but had never found a suitable way to do it.

The lightning from a normal thunderstorm or induced by an ordinary array was far too weak.

But the lightning here in Wulei Valley...

’Although it can’t compare to the true Power of Thunder Tribulation, it’s already far beyond the scope of ordinary lightning.’

’Perhaps it’s worth a try?’

Anton glanced up at the thunderclouds, his mind quickly made up.

’Even if I fail, the worst that can happen is I get a little injured.’

’But if it works, this is a golden opportunity to rapidly raise my Cultivation Level.’

Anton no longer hesitated. He immediately dispersed his sword light, retracted the Separation Fire Shield, and dropped all his defenses, allowing the lightning from the sky to crash down upon him.

In an instant, excruciating pain erupted, as if every inch of his flesh, muscle, and bone was being seared by a scorching fire.

Anton’s brow furrowed. Gritting his teeth against the intense pain, he guided the lightning power surging through his body to crash deep into his Dantian.

Inside his Dantian, the Golden Core floated motionlessly. A five-colored, smoke-like mist shrouded the surface of the Pill Body, thick and stagnant.

The moment the lightning power slammed into the Pill Poison, the five-colored mist trembled violently.

The Pill Poison, which had been so stable it was nearly solid, suddenly loosened under the impact of the lightning. A small portion of it broke off and dissipated into mist.

Joy surged in Anton’s heart. He seized the opportunity to swarm the wisp of Pill Poison with his Magical Power, and in an instant, refined it into new Magical Power.

’It’s working!’

’Although it’s not as effective as the true Power of Thunder Tribulation, this lightning can definitely shake the Pill Poison and speed up its refinement!’

Overjoyed, Anton no longer hesitated. He continued to guide the lightning power into his Dantian, slamming it against the Pill Poison again and again.

With each impact, a small amount of Pill Poison broke away from the misty mass and dissipated, only to be swiftly refined into new Magical Power.

As time passed, the Magical Power in his Dantian began to increase at a visible rate.

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