Chapter 474

Chapter 474: Jun Ruolan’s Proposal

“Alright, tell me what secrets lie within Thunder Falls Valley’s treasure area.”

Ye Yun’s voice remained calm as he sat cross-legged, a faint smile on his lips.

Jun Ruolan and the disciple exchanged glances before she spoke slowly. “You’ve likely heard Thunder Falls Valley was shaped by millennia of thunder strikes, its original mountain range reduced to its current form. Many assume the mountains were pulverized into dust, leaving only the valley behind. But that’s incorrect.”

Ye Yun nodded. He’d read similar accounts in texts and heard tales from others.

Jun Ruolan continued, “If you believe that, you’re mistaken. The original mountains weren’t destroyed. Every stone and speck of dust was refined by thunder over thousands of years, compressed relentlessly until the valley became smooth as glass. Even ancestors at the pinnacle of the Nascent Soul stage can’t breach its outer walls. The raging thunder above deters all entry—no one enters unless the valley itself opens periodically.”

Ye Yun frowned. “Periodically? Yet everyone knew the exact date of this opening.”

“Signs emerge a year before each opening,” Jun Ruolan explained. “Past patterns allow precise predictions.”

Ye Yun muttered an acknowledgment, his face betraying awe. The idea that Thunder Falls Valley was forged through such relentless compression defied imagination.

“If the outer walls are unbreakable,” Ye Yun pressed, “what of the valley’s interior?” He recalled retrieving the space crystal from beneath Jue Chen’s sands.

“Equally indestructible. No spiritual weapon—not even an Immortal artifact—can pierce it.” Jun Ruolan paused, then added, “What you’ve seen—rivers of earth, sands from stone—are illusions crafted by the valley’s spatial arrays.”

Ye Yun narrowed his eyes. This explained the sudden shifts in terrain, like the verdant landscape surrounding them and the thunder-summoning tree.

“Enough background,” Ye Yun said. “What treasures lie here?”

Jun Ruolan smiled. “Few hold real value. Thunder Wood and Ice Spirit Herbs are prized, but my Misty Sect cares little for such trifles.”

Ye Yun snorted. “Then why come? Sightseeing? Shopping for cosmetics?”

“To temper our cultivation through the valley’s thunder,” she replied evenly.

“And that requires partnering with me?” Ye Yun’s skepticism dripped from each word.

Jun Ruolan hesitated. “There’s… another purpose.”

“Which is?”

“The laws of thunder.” Her voice hardened with emphasis.

Ye Yun raised an eyebrow. “Lightning Element Law?”

“No. The laws of thunder—what we call the mysteries of thunder. Master them, and heaven’s thunder bends to your will.” A rare flicker of passion colored her tone.

“How differs this from Lightning Element Law?”

“The Lightning Element Law governs all electric phenomena—a broad principle. The mysteries of thunder are a primal force, a divine art requiring no Thunder Spirit Qi or mastery of lightning. Grasp it, and thunder obeys.”

Ye Yun’s breath hitched. Such power would render his Thundercloud Lightning Sword obsolete. “So that tree…” He gestured at the distant giant crowned with lightning. “It holds these mysteries?”

The Misty Sect disciple cut in, “Only by breaking its array can we—”

Jun Ruolan silenced him with a glare. “The mysteries coalesce into a crystal—the Thunder Seed—forged by millennia of strikes. It alone allows comprehension.”

Ye Yun laughed. “And if we find this seed?”

“It’s mine,” Jun Ruolan stated. “I’ll compensate you.”

“With what? Riches matching the power to command heaven’s wrath?”

“One million top-grade spirit stones.”

Ye Yun’s mirth vanished. “A joke?”

“Your Cleansing Immortal Heart Technique stalls at the Foundation Establishment pinnacle. Advancing to Golden Core demands vast spiritual energy—a million stones might suffice… barely.” Her words laid bare intimate knowledge of his cultivation.

“A million… insufficient?” Ye Yun whispered.

Jun Ruolan met his stare, silent as stone.