The area where the thick black clouds had gathered wasn't exactly at the heart of Thunderclap Gorge, but Yun Yibai and Yang Wudi still had to travel a fair distance to reach it.
Though it seemed far away at first glance, in truth, it was much closer than it looked.
Thunderclap Gorge was vast, and the only reason they could see the dark clouds so clearly was that they were already fairly close. From other directions, this phenomenon wouldn't be visible at all.
As the two made their way deeper into the gorge, the ground beneath them trembled from the frequent strikes of lightning, and the air was thick with an oppressive pressure that stirred unease. Though their expressions were grim, both Yun Yibai and Yang Wudi couldn't hide the curiosity in their eyes.
In fact, shortly after they had begun moving, that very same thick black cloud in the distance had already started unleashing bolt after bolt of lightning.
Boom!
A thick bolt of lightning suddenly came crashing down, aimed directly at Yang Wudi. But he showed not the slightest trace of panic. Before the lightning could even strike, he had already silently formed a solid soul power shield around himself. The bolt exploded against the barrier with dazzling sparks but failed to harm him in the slightest.
"Ah, how annoying."
"These lightning strikes are getting fiercer. Looks like we're getting closer to whatever's hidden beneath those dark clouds." Yang Wudi stared at the stormy skies, speaking as if that powerful bolt had never happened.
Hearing this, Yun Yibai frowned slightly, a hint of doubt surfacing in his heart.
"But the closer we get, the more soul beasts we're running into. Isn't that strange?"
"In such dangerous conditions, shouldn't those lesser, not-fully-sentient beasts be trying to avoid this area?"
Along the way, they had encountered multiple lightning-type soul beasts—even some with cultivation levels over ten thousand years. A few thousand-year-old beasts had also appeared.
These beasts were the reason their pace had slowed down.
"Hahaha." Yang Wudi chuckled at his remark.
"Yibai, I'll admit, you're one of the smartest youngsters I've ever met. You see farther and deeper than we old folks on many things."
"But some things—like soul power—can't be understood through cleverness alone."
"These things require experience. Life experience."
Yang Wudi continued, "The reason those soul beasts aren't fleeing is because their instincts are drawing them toward that place. Something there is telling them that the potential reward outweighs the risk."
"That means there's likely either a high-level soul beast, a beast with a rare bloodline, or maybe even a heavenly treasure. Who knows—maybe we'll stumble upon an immortal-grade herb."
"These soul beasts are headed there because they want to devour whatever mysterious power lies ahead."
"Well, let's go check it out. Who knows—we might just play fisherman and let them fight it out while we reap the rewards. With me here, we can afford to sit back and watch."
Some time later...
ROAR!
MOOOO!
KEEEEEE!
...
From a distance, they could already hear waves of soul beast calls echoing across the gorge.
"Judging by those cries, quite a number of soul beasts have already gathered! They're posturing—trying to intimidate each other." Yang Wudi's eyes gleamed sharply.
"It really does seem like a significant number have arrived."
"But what in the world could it be—struck by lightning again and again, yet still coveted by all these soul beasts?"
"Well, we'll find out soon enough. Kid, not far now. Hurry up." He reminded Yun Yibai to pick up the pace.
"Yes, Senior."
In truth, they were already quite close.
The place where the dark clouds discharged their lightning turned out to be a valley nestled within Thunderclap Gorge. But once Yun Yibai and Yang Wudi arrived at its edge, they discovered something remarkable: the gorge actually contained a naturally formed Lightning-Conducting Valley. The lightning here was even denser and more violent than anything they had encountered thus far.
"A naturally formed lightning convergence zone!" Yun Yibai couldn't help but exclaim. Their Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had a similar place, but it was man-made, designed to help clan members train.
Yang Wudi led Yun Yibai to a hidden spot on higher ground overlooking the valley.
"There's the Thunder Eagle, the Iron-Hoofed Rhino, the Swift Thunder Howl Wolf, the Rampaging Electric Rock Leopard, the Purple-Crested Thunder Python..." Yang Wudi murmured, identifying soul beasts he recognized. Of course, there were some he didn't recognize at all.
Suddenly, Yang Wudi's gaze locked onto one massive beast in particular.
"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon! Well now... what a surprise."
"Judging by its size, it's probably between twenty thousand and thirty thousand years old. Kid, interested in that soul ring?"
He casually asked, then turned his attention elsewhere.
Yun Yibai smiled. For his fifth soul ring, he would not settle for less.
His target was a soul beast between thirty and forty thousand years old. He had no intention of lowering his standards.
"So many soul beasts—most of them Ten-Thousand-Year level... Tsk tsk, there's going to be a good show later."
"Let's see what exactly is drawing all this thunder and beastly attention."
Then, they saw it.
It was a purple-red vine, rooted in the valley floor. What was visible already extended over ten meters, and that was just the part above ground—more of it was likely hidden beneath the valley surface.
Zzzzt...
A subtle crackling noise filled the air.
But this crackle was different from the sound of thunder from the skies. It was finer, almost delicate—but radiated a sense of danger.
"What soul beast is that?" Yang Wudi muttered.
"A plant-type soul beast?"
He had no recollection of ever encountering such a creature.
As he pondered, another bolt of thunder came crashing down from the thick clouds—
—striking the plant directly, with pinpoint precision.
Whoosh!
After absorbing the lightning, the vine lashed its body violently through the air, slicing the wind with a sharp, whistling sound.
"Yibai, do you recognize that soul beast? You're from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan—you should be more familiar with lightning-type creatures than I am."
But Yang Wudi had no idea that Yun Yibai was already stunned.
Yes—stunned.
"Hey! Kid, snap out of it!"
"Judging from your expression, you seem to know what that plant soul beast is!"
"A purple-red body, surrounded by lightning, with violet thunder energy... If I'm not mistaken, this must be the Thunderhowl Hellvine mentioned in the ancient texts of my clan!" Yun Yibai finally snapped out of his daze and spoke solemnly.
"This soul beast is known to very few. Even I only found references to it because I loved reading as a child and came across some obscure records in old books."