Chapter 452

Chapter 452: Restrictions and Sword Script

The Heart of Immortals and Demons absorbed spiritual energy at an incredible speed, further amplified by the Little Absorption Technique.

Ye Yun merely pressed his palm against the cliff wall, and the pure Thunder Spirit Qi rushed into his body, completely devoured by the Heart of Immortals and Demons without a trace left.

Drawing from past experience, Ye Yun remained patient. Once the Heart absorbed enough energy, it would refine it into purer spiritual energy, directly boosting his cultivation level.

Ye Yun’s physique and meridians far surpassed those of ordinary Foundation Establishment stage cultivators. His true qi had little room for growth unless he reached the pinnacle of the Foundation Establishment stage or advanced to the Golden Core stage.

Improving through condensing true qi was nearly futile. Only by refining exotic spiritual energies like Thunder Spirit Qi, Fire Spirit Qi, and Ice Spirit Qi could he make real progress.

The Heart of Immortals and Demons acted like a bottomless pit, greedily swallowing ninety percent of the Thunder Spirit Qi. In return, it produced a single strand of pure, potent spiritual energy.

Time flew by, and over half an hour passed in a blink. While the Heart absorbed energy autonomously, Ye Yun cracked his eyes open, watching for the valley’s lightning restrictions to reform.

*Zzzzz!*

At the valley entrance, purple-blue lightning seeped from the cliff walls, weaving into a dense web that crept toward the center.

Though Thunder Spirit Qi still flowed into Ye Yun’s palm, the Heart showed no sign of returning energy. Time, however, was scarce. Despite his mastery of the Lightning Element Law and affinity for Thunder Spirit Qi, the restrictions’ power dwarfed his own. A single touch could cripple or kill him.

Ye Yun withdrew his mystical power and retreated one zhang into the valley, studying the restrictions that even Nascent Soul stage experts couldn’t breach.

*Zzzzz!*

The lightning spread swiftly, interlacing into a chaotic, ever-shifting web that sealed the valley. Each strand seemed random yet interconnected, defying logic.

Ye Yun froze. The web felt hauntingly familiar—each thread insignificant alone but vital as a whole.

*Boom!*

Thunder echoed from all directions as the valley sealed. The sky lit with crackling bolts, and Thunder Spirit Qi flooded Thunder Falls Valley like a raging tide.

“Intertwined yet fragmented,” Ye Yun muttered, watching the final threads fuse into a colossal web. “This… it’s identical to the Sword of the Thunder God’s incomplete manual!”

The realization struck like a comet. If the fourth form of the Thundercloud Lightning Sword mirrored these restrictions, deciphering the web’s patterns could unlock it.

Ye Yun closed his eyes, etching every detail into his memory. To an observer, he’d have appeared engulfed in a tempest—electric snakes writhing around him, thunder drowning his silhouette. Yet he stood unfazed, serene amid the chaos.

A full day passed. Had others not rushed deeper into the valley, his vulnerable state might have invited disaster.

When Ye Yun finally opened his eyes, they gleamed with exhilaration. A day immersed in the storm had granted him unparalleled insight—no place rivaled Thunder Falls Valley for communing with Thunder Spirit Qi.

Ye Yun stared at the web-like lightning bolts for an entire day. To his surprise, he gained fresh insights into the fourth form of the Thundercloud Lightning Sword—the Sword of the Thunder God. The partial scripture fragment revealed numerous profound mysteries. Though he hadn’t fully reconstructed the Sword of the Thunder God, his progress far exceeded previous attempts.

"The Sword of the Thunder God is truly miraculous! Had I not witnessed these restrictions forming, I’d never have unlocked the secrets of this fragment," Ye Yun muttered excitedly.

Standing motionless in the thunderstorm for a day, he’d comprehended most of the sword technique’s incomplete scripture—something even he hadn’t anticipated. Only through recognizing similarities between the valley entrance’s restrictions and the sword technique had this breakthrough occurred.

As the surrounding thunderstorm gradually thinned, Ye Yun felt the surging Thunder Spirit Qi within him, his lips curling into a faint smile.

Now observing Thunder Falls Valley’s landscape, he saw only patterned lightning flashes amidst endless rumbling. No lifeforms could thrive in this lightning-scorched realm.

Within several hundred zhang of the valley entrance, no living creatures remained. The stone ground had been polished mirror-smooth by millennia of thunderous bombardment.

Amidst flashing lightning and roaring thunder, Ye Yun attempted to extend his mental intent but found it limited to five zhang—useless compared to normal vision.

The hundred-mile-wide valley saw most cultivators flocking to its central depths. Though lightning struck more densely there, miraculous plants survived the eternal thunder—treasures worthy of being called heavenly materials and earthly treasures.

The outer regions lay completely deserted. After walking several li, Ye Yun still encountered no one.

His mastery of Lightning Element Laws and profound Thunder Spirit Qi cultivation granted him natural affinity with the valley’s lightning. To him, the deadly thunder felt no different from ordinary air. Here, he moved freely like fish in water.

"Weren’t spatial magical arrays supposed to be everywhere here? Why haven’t I found any after walking an hour?" Ye Yun surveyed the still-stormy surroundings.

"Natural spatial arrays centered on thunder won’t be easily detected. You might already be inside one," whispered the Ancestor of the Sword Path.

The Ancestor had remained silent earlier, fearing his Nascent Soul-stage cultivation might attract Divine Thunder. Yet when Ye Yun entered, no heavenly punishment came—not when absorbing cliff wall’s Thunder Spirit Qi, nor while deciphering sword techniques in the storm. Even through the Thunder Sound Metamorphosis Ring into Soul Turning Tower, no lightning struck.

Still, the Ancestor remained cautious. Whether protected by Ye Yun or too spiritually diminished to register, the valley’s thunder showed no reaction to his presence.

"This isn’t natural. My spatial law comprehension shouldn’t fail me," Ye Yun insisted, scanning the area.

The Ancestor stayed silent. Having grasped five laws—especially Lightning and Spatial—Ye Yun’s sensitivity surpassed even late Golden Core experts from Great Qin Empire sects. His pure understanding touched the Dao’s simplicity itself; no spatial array could escape his detection.

Ye Yun accelerated. With no arrays or people in the periphery, all hundreds of entrants must have rushed deeper where denser thunder protected greater treasures.

How wondrous—a place of destruction teeming with life!

As lightning doubled in intensity compared to the entrance, Ye Yun finally spotted human figures ahead.

"Identify yourself!"

A shout halted Ye Yun’s approach. He slowed but continued walking.

"Halt! This is Flying Star Sect territory. Trespassers die." A sword-wielding man in his twenties blocked the path.

Flying Star Sect? Ye Yun recalled—wasn’t Jue Chen, that rude bidder from Alchemy Cauldron Building, their young master?

"Ah, Flying Star friends! I’m acquainted with Young Master Jue Chen. Is he present?" Ye Yun smiled slyly.

The man hesitated. "You know our Young Master? Who are you?"

Approaching leisurely, Ye Yun answered: "Ye Yun of Divine Grace Palace’s Absolute Heart Peak, disciple of Tian Yunzi. We nearly became sworn brothers after meeting in the capital."

The man in blue eased his vigilance, sheathed his sword, and clasped his fists. "So you’re a disciple of Tian Yunzi from the Divine Grace Palace. My apologies for the earlier disrespect."

Ye Yun waved his hand with a grin. "No harm done. Brother Jue Chen and I are as close as siblings. Meeting in Thunder Falls Valley is fate itself. Since this valley’s dangers require real effort to survive ten days, let’s travel together."

The blue-robed man frowned slightly as Ye Yun approached. "Brother Ye Yun, it’s not that we refuse company. But we’ve urgent matters here with uncertain duration. Let’s regroup after we settle our affairs."

Ye Yun raised an eyebrow. "What matters? Jue Chen’s business is mine. When he instantly bonded with me years ago and invited me to Flying Star Sect, I nearly accepted. Only my prior vow to Master Tian Yunzi stopped me. Still regret it sometimes."

The man blinked in disbelief. "When did you meet our young master? Even with his recommendation, joining Flying Star Sect requires passing strict trials."

Ye Yun scratched his nose. "Two years back? Memory’s fuzzy. Just ask if you need help."

The man’s face hardened. "Who are you, mocking me? Haven’t you heard of Wan Yingheng, Flying Star Sect’s Stargazer?"

Ye Yun smiled innocently. "Given my brotherhood with Jue Chen, why would I mock his subordinate?"

Wan Yingheng’s sword gleamed as he pointed it. "Our young master emerged from five-year seclusion merely eighteen months ago. How could you’ve met him two years past?"

Ye Yun chuckled, rubbing his nose. "Must’ve misremembered. Terrible memory, forgive me."

Wan Yingheng sneered. "Useless memories deserve a useless head. Let me remedy that."

"Boring! You saw through me." Ye Yun grinned. "But Jue Chen truly is my friend. Call him out – we’re practically family." He kept advancing.

"Stop!" Wan Yingheng’s sword hummed with energy. "Next step brings death."

"Too late for warnings." Ye Yun laughed, vanishing from sight – only a remnant shadow remained.

Wan Yingheng felt sudden coldness. He channeled true qi into his sword, unleashing a sword arc forward. Futile.

This was Thunder Falls Valley, where Thunder Spirit Qi reigned. Ye Yun’s Illusory Thunderlight Escape made him lightning incarnate. The sword strike hit empty air ten zhang away, scattering against thunder.

An icy hand gripped Wan Yingheng’s shoulder, freezing his true qi. "Friends don’t kill friends offering help." Ye Yun’s voice behind him chilled to the bone. "I’ll have words with Jue Chen about this hospitality."

The Divine Grace Palace disciple’s power overwhelmed Wan Yingheng’s seventh-level Foundation Establishment cultivation, moving undetected across multiple zhang.

"What treasure is Flying Star Sect hunting here?" Ye Yun asked cheerfully. "Struggling? I’ll help! Jue Chen would surely share with me."

"N-nothing! Just resting here. The thunder’s stronger than the valley’s edges," Wan Yingheng stammered, teeth chattering.

"Insulting my intelligence?" Ye Yun’s chuckle turned dangerous. Coldness coalesced into Ice Needles piercing Wan Yingheng’s meridians, threatening to shatter them.

"No! Please!" he panicked.

"Where’s Jue Chen? What treasure?" Ye Yun’s whisper froze his soul.

"Young master’s breaking the spatial array ahead! Some treasure inside – I don’t know details!"

"Easy, wasn’t it?" Ye Yun withdrew the needles. "Truth is, Jue Chen lost to me at auction, swore to kill me. Now I’ll return the favor."

*Thud!*

A palm strike sealed Wan Yingheng’s body with Ice Spirit Qi – harmless, but immobilizing for two hours.

Advancing, Ye Yun encountered rippling emptiness.

"Spatial magical array. Just as I thought."

He reached toward the shimmering barrier.