Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

Northwest of Ancient Moon City, a thousand miles away.

Here stands a medium-sized mountain range called Thunder Mountain. Thunder Mountain appears extraordinarily calm on usual days, but often under a clear blue sky, sudden lightning and thunder emerge, possibly giving the mountain its name.

Of course, Thunder Mountain is most famous not for these celestial anomalies, but for a special place within the mountains. It’s said that a powerful Heavenly Rank expert had once passed away here, and due to practicing an extraordinarily mighty Thunder Attribute Technique, the Thunder King Valley came to be.

Only those who have reached the Heavenly Rank Realm can earn the honorable title of ”King.” Since the valley within Thunder Mountain is named Thunder King Valley, it might really be the legacy of a Thunder Attribute Heavenly Rank expert.

However, the Thunder King Valley is perennially shrouded in thunder and lightning, and any human cultivator or powerful Vein Demon attempting to enter the valley can be instantly obliterated by the power of the thunder, comparable to a Heavenly Tribulation, leaving no trace behind.

Yet, despite such dangers, a considerable number of cultivators still venture to Thunder King Valley in search of treasures. Though they dare not venture too close, there are times when luck favors them, allowing them to find valuable items on the outskirts, such as the piece of Thunder Wood acquired by Yang Wanliu.

Due to the power of Yang Wanliu’s Thunder Wood, the number of human cultivators coming to Thunder Mountain in search of treasures has suddenly increased manyfold, all eager to see if they can have luck similar to that of the Yang Family’s princely heir.

Boom!

Deep within Thunder Mountain, an arm-thick silver lightning suddenly boomed, violently severing a large tree, shocking a nearby Spirit Vein Realm cultivator, who scrambled away in panic, gazing at the thunderous valley in the distance with fear in his heart.

”Why is the range of the Thunder King Valley’s lightning growing larger?”

Some seasoned treasure-seeking cultivators did not mind the pale-faced Spirit Vein Realm cultivator but frowned as they looked toward the mysterious distant valley and the silver lightning continuously descending from the sky.

Because they all knew that the Thunder King Valley’s lightning range never used to be so vast. If that lightning had struck anything other than a tree, someone could have perished unexpectedly today.

This scene prompted many to instinctively withdraw far away, just as the lightning around the Thunder King Valley suddenly became more violent, making them realize the wisdom of their actions.

Rumble!

As they retreated several dozen meters, their initial shock faded, only to find fresh fear creeping in, as the ground beneath them seemed to tremble, akin to an earthquake.

”Look, what is that?”

Some sharp-eyed cultivators, despite their alarm, first noticed something amiss, and one of them pointed toward the Thunder King Valley.

”It seems... like a stele?!”

Other Meridian Refining Masters with powerful Power of Soul abilities looked keenly, their sensing ability naturally stronger. Yet even with the surrounding lightning, they weren’t too sure.

In front of the distant Thunder King Valley, a tall stele appeared to be emerging from the ground. The ground shaking earlier was evidently caused by the stele breaking through the earth.

”The stele seems to have some words inscribed on it!”

The same elderly Meridian Refining Master with a strong Power of Soul squinted at the stele, which hadn’t yet completely emerged, but he could vaguely see two large characters on it.

”Thunder? Unite?”

Like the elder, some sharp-eyed observers also glimpsed the two characters on the top of the stele. Some low-level cultivators took out Thousand-mile Mirrors from their storage bags for a clearer view.

While the character for Thunder was understandable, the character for Unite was perplexing. This sudden occurrence at Thunder King Valley had never been seen before, drawing everyone’s unwavering gaze to the stele, anxious to decipher the inscription, possibly the key to entering Thunder King Valley.

Boom!

After about ten breaths, the stele, towering several meters high, finally fully emerged from the ground. Both the powerful-souled Meridian Refining Masters and the low-level cultivators with Thousand-mile Mirrors could see the large inscription clearly now, numbering eight characters in all.

”Four Orders of Thunder King, unite to unveil!”

One of the elders murmured, appearing to have deciphered the script on the stele, reciting it aloud, which snapped the others out of their earlier daze.

”Four Orders of Thunder King? Unite to unveil? Does it mean to enter Thunder King Valley, four Thunder King Tokens must be gathered? But what exactly are these Thunder King Tokens?”

A loquacious middle-aged man posed several questions, but no one answered as everyone’s minds were preoccupied with studying those eight characters.

But this middle-aged man also voiced everyone’s doubts; they believed that the stele in front of the Thunder King Valley wouldn’t appear for no reason. Something must have happened. Could it be that the Thunder King Valley, which no one has been able to enter for hundreds of years, was about to experience some kind of change?

”Perhaps, we can change our way of thinking!”

None could answer the middle-aged man’s questions, but a moment later, the elder Meridian Refining Master with formidable soul power spoke with a hint of implication.

”What is Elder Fu’s insight?”

It seemed that many among the people recognized this elder, knowing him to be a genuine Earth Rank Low-Level Meridian Refining Master, whose cultivation was at the peak of the Qi Seeking Realm, and his fame around Thunder Mountain was not small.

”Think about it, why has this Thunder King Valley been silent for so many years, and now there’s such a change, what’s the reason?”

The Earth Rank Low-Level Meridian Refining Master known as Elder Fu did not directly answer but instead posed a question, leaving the people thoughtful but yet to understand fully.

”The mystery here is probably to be speculated from those eight words. The so-called Four Orders of Thunder King, combined, open it. Is it because someone has already found the four Thunder King Tokens that this Thunder King Valley has changed?”

The look on Elder Fu’s face appeared slightly smug, seemingly enjoying the spotlight, and as soon as he spoke, everyone’s eyes lit up, simultaneously turning to observe those around them with some peculiarity.

”Among us, has anyone found the Thunder King Token? Or perhaps some unusual iron or wooden tokens?”

Elder Fu also glanced around, but as soon as he asked the question, he knew it was a bit foolish. If someone had indeed found the Thunder King Token, they wouldn’t take it out for public scrutiny, as keeping quiet and amassing a fortune is a well-understood principle.

However, when Elder Fu saw the expressions and looks of the people around, he knew he was overthinking it, for none showed signs of vigilance, indicating that none of the people present possessed the so-called Four Orders of Thunder King, at least not among them.

”Indeed, those Thunder King Tokens might not necessarily be near Thunder King Valley or even within Thunder Mountain!”

Elder Fu chuckled self-deprecatingly, assuming that since the person might be a former Thunder Attribute Heavenly Rank Third Realm powerhouse, their means were far beyond what these Earth-rank cultivators could imagine.

The Thunder King Tokens were certainly hidden in some unknown places, possibly discovered by accident or, if found, remained as items whose significance was unknown to the finder.

They could be stashed away in a cabinet, cherished as a mundane item, or even taken out for appraisal or auctioned off for a high price.

”As I speculate, now that the Thunder King Valley stele is apparent, those who obtained the four Thunder King Tokens might sense it. Soon, the Thunder King Valley could truly open, but what treasures lie within?”

There was a glimmer in the eyes of Elder Fu. To be frank, they were only trying their luck at the periphery, and finding something like Thunder Wood was already considered thanks to ancestral virtue.

Such valuable things scattered on the outskirts of Thunder King Valley—then, how formidable would the real treasures inside be? Thinking of this, the eyes of everyone around lit up.

Though the stele proclaims that the Thunder King Valley opens with the Four Orders of Thunder King combined, as long as they could enter the Valley, it wasn’t as though they didn’t stand a chance. By relying on their skills, they might find some heaven-defying treasures.

After Elder Fu’s speculation, none of the cultivators present left; they stayed waiting for the person with the Thunder King Tokens to arrive, hoping to get a share of the treasures.

......

A few dozen miles to the northeast of Thunder Mountain, a figure in blue attire swiftly approached from afar, but at a certain moment, he halted, seemingly sensing something.

Whoosh!

This person swiped his hand across his waist, and a nondescript iron token appeared in his palm. The little ”thunder” character on the token bore a similarity to the one in Yun Xiao’s possession.

”This thing is indeed related to Thunder King Valley!”

Sensing a faint aura emanating from the iron token, the blue-clad figure’s gaze abruptly turned towards the southwest, in the direction where Thunder Mountain lay.

Perhaps when this blue-clad figure obtained the token, he didn’t know its exact function, but just at that moment, he suddenly felt a slight change in the token.

The source of this change was precisely from the southwest direction—Thunder Mountain, where the renowned Thunder King Valley was located. Previously, no one had been able to truly enter the valley. As for what lay within, it was a complete mystery.

”The relics of a Heavenly Rank Third Realm expert, I wonder what kind of valuable things are inside?”

Thinking of the reputation of Thunder King Valley externally, a trace of excitement flashed in the eyes of the blue-clad figure. He then placed the token back into his Waist Storage and with a slight movement, quickly disappeared into the distance ahead.