Chapter 1263: Thunder Pool (II)

Li Zhouwei lifted the curtain and entered the carriage. A small brazier occupied the center, and there was only a single cushioned seat behind it. The simplicity was entirely unlike the style of the Dragon Clan.

He was very familiar with the furnishings inside the carriage and lit the brazier with practiced ease. With a mix of anticipation and melancholy, he waited for a while as the carriage leapt into the air.

The attendant spoke quietly, "Please wait a moment, young master. My lady is above the Profound Celestial Thunder Pool of the Lie Sea and will arrive at once."

Li Zhouwei responded softly and watched the drifting clouds outside the window gradually turn gray. The carriage beneath him jolted sharply, as if landing somewhere, and then sped forward.

Thunder grew ever denser on both sides, and the color of the dark clouds deepened further. They plunged into the depths of the clouds and came to an abrupt halt, revealing a wholly different scene before his eyes.

He saw a circular pool of a purple white hue, filled with dense purple white thunder liquid that stretched beyond sight. Purple lightning continuously fell from above and crashed into the pool. Though the force was immense, the thunder liquid below seemed forged of iron quintessence as it only faintly rippled.

Around the pool lay a band of dark green ground about ten meters wide, bearing the luster of copper and iron and covered with thunder patterns. A group of white robed female attendants waited quietly at the edge.

Li Zhouwei stepped down. The attendant handed the carriage over to others who came to receive it, then gestured slightly as she said respectfully, "Young master, please follow me."

Li Zhouwei walked forward as the shore beneath his feet trembled faintly with each descent of heavenly thunder. After walking for a while, the attendant smiled and said, "This place is formed from devouring thunder. The metal around the pool is the remains of a grotto heaven, and the thunder liquid was also poured out from within that grotto heaven. It is called Listening Thunder Water. It is as firm as dark iron, neither consumed nor dispersed. When still it makes no sound, yet it is thunder.

"Thirty six Profound Thunders and twelve Celestial Thunders circle above the thunder pool. Upon entering this place, one cannot fly. I also ask that you do not take out any metal objects. Even if a dharma artifact is taken out, you must not point it toward the heavens, or forty eight bolts of thunder will fall and take a life."

Li Zhouwei nodded in understanding. Fortunately, the Yuan'e he wore was soft armor without any sharp edges. He followed the attendant forward as dark clouds gradually obscured everything behind them, until he saw a break along the pool's edge where the purple white thunder liquid did not spill but stood upright like a solid mass.

The attendant stepped onto the thunder pool with a ringing clang, standing directly upon the thunder liquid. Li Zhouwei followed her, finding it indeed as solid as iron and stone. At the center of the thunder pool stood a small silver white palace. Li Zhouwei raised his brows to look and saw a figure leaning against the pavilion above.

The woman wore purple white plumage, with a high nose bridge, willow-like brows, and apricot eyes. Her long hair was coiled behind her and fastened with a silver white hairpin, while the remaining black hair cascaded like a waterfall beside the pavilion window.

Purple aura filled her eyes, and her purple white feathered robe trembled as if breathing. A faintly gleaming purple white disc shimmered behind her. She merely sat there, yet she shone with dazzling brilliance within his spiritual sense, as if a terrifying yet serene thunder refined to the utmost was compressed within that body.

Li Zhouwei drew a deep breath and bowed as if pushing over a golden mountain and toppling jade pillars, speaking with ringing clarity, "I am Li Zhouwei of Moongaze. I pay my respects to you, my lady."

The woman smiled lightly and said, "Minghuang has come."

The woman within the Thunder Pool was none other than Li Qinghong!

Li Zhouwei slowly let out a breath of relief. The woman descended from the pavilion and helped him up. Li Zhouwei's voice was slightly hoarse as he replied, "The old elder is still worried about you, believing that great calamity must have befallen you within the grotto heaven. He grows more anxious with each passing day. To think that your thunder has already been accomplished and you now command an entire sea. When I return to report this to the elder, he will surely weep with joy."

Although he had already guessed before coming that this was related to Li Qinghong, Li Zhouwei did not dare harbor too much hope. Even after seeing her in person, he still wondered whether this was truly her soul. But now only relief remained in his heart.

Li Qinghong showed a hint of concern and said softly, "Some matters are not suited to be written on paper, for fear of inviting disaster. It is even worse to extend one's reach onto land. When Dingjiao encountered the fox back then, he still had to go through you in the Eastern Sea. A letter could not be sent...

"As for me, my situation is even more special, involving many matters of Dragon Monarchs devouring thunder. It cannot be exposed, nor is it suitable for me to leave this sea..."

Li Zhouwei saluted. "Now that I know you are safe, there is only relief. Only now do I know that you were able to escape danger. Thanks to your intervention, though I fear it may have caused you some inconvenience and delayed your affairs..."

Since Li Qinghong had voiced such concerns, her stance was likely already very close to that of the Dragon Clan. Knowing that she was safe and had even acted to save Li Ximing was already the best possible outcome. Li Zhouwei absolutely did not wish to burden her further, and by addressing her repeatedly as my lady, he clearly expressed his attitude toward the Dragon Clan.

Yet there was even more gratitude and joy in his heart. "My family member had only just entered the Purple Mansion Realm and understood nothing. The Daoist Master was not one inclined to manage matters, and after being plotted against repeatedly, nearly fell in the Eastern Sea. It was only thanks to you that he was saved..."

Li Qinghong gently shook her head and replied with a smile, "Ximing reaching the Purple Mansion Realm is far more impressive than me. He did not disappoint expectations. Whether it is me or the elder back home, we should both thank him. We all came this far step by step through blood and tears. With him, those sacrifices will not have been in vain.

"If he had failed to grit through that crucial mental barrier in one breath, there would be no room for maneuvers today. Besides, you always underestimate him."

Li Qinghong smiled gently and invited him into the pavilion to sit within the Profound Celestial Thunder Pool. Her pale purple apricot eyes blinked slightly as she spoke, "The Dao of Thunder Steering and Cloud Dwelling. Many cultivators fell in the grotto heaven of Thundercloud Temple. Thunder Island of the Southern Sea, the Xi Family[1] of the Northern Sea, the Dharma Dao of the Western Sky Plateau, those of Jiangnan and Jiangbei, of Zhao, Yan, Wu, and Yue. Each and every one of these were Dao lineages spread by the Dragon Clan over a thousand years...

"My cultivation method comes from Lingyanzi. Back then, he too was selected by the Dragon Clan to enter. It was originally promised to the Purple Smoke Gate, but he gave it to my family in advance, and from then on this destiny fell upon me. This method in my family involves Changxiao and Purple Smoke, and now it has manifested again through Changxiao and Purple Smoke..."

The white robed attendant who had led him in earlier brought over a jade pot. Li Qinghong waved her slender hand to stop her. The eyes that had always been full of heroic spirit now had a trace of gentleness as she said, "It can no longer be explained clearly. Looking back on it all, perhaps I was born with the fate of devouring thunder."

1. Family of Xi Zikang. ☜