Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Palace of the Thunder Ancestor

Beyond the dense forest, a vast expanse stretched out, blanketed in snow for miles, and upon it stood a colossal palace. At this moment, outside the palace, a crowd had gathered, so dense one could not discern their numbers nor their identities. They gazed up at the thirteen imposing stone statues arrayed before the palace.

Each statue radiated an endless aura of the Dao, and cultivators sat cross-legged, drawing in this aura to refine their arts. Those who walked among them raised their heads, looking skyward.

Above the palace, mist coiled, obscuring any trace of sun, moon, or stars; only layered thunderclouds swirled, lightning flickering within, as thunder dragons roiled, their forms manifesting amidst the clouds.

This palace seemed almost detached from the world. Entering its grounds felt as if one were cut off from heaven and earth, utterly isolated from the outside.

"Look, doesn't that statue resemble the beast we encountered earlier?" Xu Zhong pointed to a statue of a beast standing proud against the wind, and the others followed his gesture.

Indeed, they saw a statue of the same creature. An unnamed aura flowed across it, connecting sky and underworld, its presence eternal, as though it had become one with the land.

"It doesn't quite seem the same," Yun Yong squinted, then shook his head. "It makes no sense that it would arrive before us, and even if it were faster, why would it turn into a statue here to ambush us?"

Each of them was a cultivator of the Guarding One realm, not worth the ambush of a higher realm practitioner.

They carefully avoided those cultivating nearby, each protected by their own arts. Sword cultivators, for instance, were encircled by flying swords, soaring through the air, their sword aura whistling like wind, converging with starlight, ready to strike at any who dared approach.

Others had scrolls suspended behind them, containing vast oceans, with countless dragons dancing within the painted sky—so powerful that merely glimpsing them instilled awe. The scrolls truly held a great river and myriad dragons.

Some had gourds floating above their heads, seated upon mats woven from the hide of mythical beasts.

They meditated upon the Dao hidden within the statues, while Xu Zhong and his companions turned their gaze to the great cauldron before the palace. From its mouth surged a blue-violet mist, innate energy swirling, and within, pills had gained sentience, transforming into plump, palm-sized children swimming in the innate energy.

"Shall we take a closer look?" Yun Yong asked, seeing Xu Zhong’s excitement.

Xu Zhong nodded vigorously and led the way.

...

Each cultivator guarded themselves in their own manner.

They paused before the beast statue, observing closely. Its aura flowed from its eyes—one on each side of its waist. One bright, one dark; one righteous, one evil; yet the beast itself embodied the union of opposites.

The Dao’s resonance here was subtle and mysterious.

Xu Zhong and his companions did not possess the conflicting forces needed to harmonize with this aura, so, confirming the statue was lifeless, they soon moved on.

Yet Xu Zhong felt uneasy—he had witnessed statues come to life before.

"These statues are not powerful individually; even if they wished to employ mysterious arts, they lack the means," he murmured.

Though they emanated Dao resonance, it was more about rhythm than true Dao. They could not pass on the Dao, nor could they turn cultivators into their followers.

Among the statues were the Four Fiends, the Four Symbols, the Yellow Dragon, the Qilin, the True Phoenix, and the True Vermilion Bird.

---

"How did it sneak in here?" Yun Yong asked with curiosity, eyeing the beast statue.

Of the thirteen, this creature was the weakest, its bloodline inferior to the others, as though it had been forced into their ranks.

"Who knows? Perhaps it’s just good at flattery," Tang Yuan replied offhandedly.

They continued onward.

Xu Zhong glanced back inexplicably at the beast statue.

Above it stood the statue of Chaos, lifelike and almost perfectly scaled. The others—Taowu and Qiongqi—were similarly detailed.

When they reached the statue of Taotie, Tang Yuan stopped, unable to move forward. The aura emanating from Taotie resonated with something deep within him, stirring his heart. He turned to the others, "I’ll stay here to meditate upon Taotie’s Dao. Find me before you leave."

Xu Zhong and Yun Yong nodded, then departed.

As he left, Xu Zhong glanced back once more. This time, he seemed to see the Taotie statue stir, its eyes opening and meeting his gaze.

He had sensed this before, but only now did it seem confirmed.

Yun Yong noticed his unease. "What’s wrong?"

Xu Zhong hesitated, "I think the Taotie statue just moved."

Yun Yong frowned, remained silent, and patted Xu Zhong’s shoulder, urging him onward.

They pressed forward, and after a few steps, a white tiger appeared before them.

Its brilliance was dazzling, a metallic aura swirling about it. Most of the sword cultivators surrounded the white tiger, meditating upon the Dao it possessed.

Xu Zhong sensed the aura; it far surpassed that of the white tiger divine egg in Tianyong City.

"My Bright Roar technique needs this metallic aura," Fang Yuan said, glancing at the others. "I’ll meditate here and refine the aura. You go on without me."

They nodded.

Xu Zhong continued ahead.

Behind him, it felt as if an eye had opened, its gaze fixed upon him. His scalp tingled; he looked to Yun Yong.

Yun Yong merely shook his head, having felt nothing. "Perhaps you’re imagining it."

Xu Zhong could only hope he was mistaken. He did not wish to relive the disaster of the Jade Tower.

They pressed onward.

The further they walked, the more they felt the innate energy swirling between the Azure Dragon and Yellow Dragon statues.

They did not linger, for the true concentration of innate energy was at the cauldron and the palace complex beyond.

Passing between the dragons, they soon reached the open ground where the cauldron stood.

Besides the cauldron, there was an altar.

---

Suddenly, Xu Zhong felt the cauldron in his storage pouch tremble. He pressed it down with his hand, then gazed in curiosity at the great cauldron before him.

This cauldron seemed to possess the power to mold the world, its light subdued, yet a haze of Dao aura lingered upon its surface, manifesting as purple mist. Merely breathing it in brought a sense of transcendence, let alone absorbing its innate energy directly.

Xu Zhong sat cross-legged like the other cultivators near the cauldron, his violet jade gourd hovering above to shield him, while a shroud of true water flowed around his body.

He circulated his cultivation method, and instantly the innate energy flowed through him like water, his whole body aglow, his five stars shining brilliantly. Within, the gods of the five elements became more tangible, their faces slowly taking on his own features.

His apertures lit up rapidly, each becoming a tiny Xu Zhong, busily channeling the innate energy.

"How can I command the five stars?" Xu Zhong pondered.

With all five stars opened and the Guarding One realm achieved, he needed to form the Golden Core and forge the True Fire.

Only by refining the Golden Core could he produce the True Fire.

He examined himself inwardly—his body, apertures dense as stars, like a lush canopy, and his meridians pillars upholding the heavens. The starlight of his mana flowed down these pillars, transforming within the five stars.

Ultimately, his mana gathered in his dantian, surging, as acquired energy continually changed within.

"Why not use the dantian as the foundation, the soil for the Golden Core?" Xu Zhong visualized a great tree in his mind.

Its roots sunk into his dantian, the five stars its thickest branches, the meridians countless twigs, connecting leaves formed by apertures.

As his thoughts expanded and his visualization grew, the system seemed to perfect itself, and Xu Zhong felt ready to realize it.

But then he abruptly awoke.

The divine pillars within his mind trembled in unison, emitting spiritual light to shield his heart.

The demon aspect sealed within the pillars shook its head and sighed.

Just now, Xu Zhong had been stirred by a special power, which the demon aspect considered an opportune moment.

Upon awakening, Xu Zhong was filled with dread, his robe soaked in cold sweat.

"Was it the World Tree influencing me? Or the Thunder Ancestor?" he wondered. Before his introspection, he had never experienced such thoughts, nor had such notions ever arisen. Only when he conceived the idea of forming the Golden Core did these thoughts emerge.

"Why was I unaffected in previous cultivation, but now I am?"

He sensed the changes within.

Energy linked his whole body, seemingly without issue.

He cycled his mana repeatedly—once, twice, ten times, twenty.

Finally, on the thirty-sixth cycle, he noticed something.

Within the hidden fire star, runic imprints had been embedded, though he knew not when.

He cautiously examined the imprints, and upon touching them, a stream of innate energy flowed forth.

In the next moment, a fragrance spread from within, radiant mist flowing from his apertures and pores.

At that instant, Xu Zhong felt as though he had abandoned his corporeal body, weightless, experiencing a unique sensation of returning to innate nature.

Through the runic imprint, he sensed a consciousness within the palace—a consciousness belonging to the Thunder Ancestor.

And in that moment, the Thunder Ancestor’s consciousness seemed to awaken.