Chapter 28: Lord of Heavenly Thunder

Chu Jie glanced around. Here, the Nine Heavens Gale was even more violent, yet the surrounding plants showed not the slightest sign of damage.

Liang Bo walked over and tugged at one of the plants, but he couldn't tear it apart.

"No need to break it," Chu Jie said. "These plants have absorbed something from the depths of the Abyss of Gods and Demons—they've become as sharp as blades."

"We must act with utmost caution. And Liang Bo, don't get ahead of yourself. That magic sword is only yours if we make it out of the Abyss alive."

Liang Bo nodded at once, as did the others, their faces alight with excitement.

A few days later, Duan Kun brought another set of battle formation techniques for Chu Jie to use in training.

Within this third terrace, figures could now be seen coming and going. Yet in this dark city, a single wrong look could mean death, so for all these days, no one had bothered with Chu Jie and his companions.

"Faster! Faster!" Chu Jie stood with his hands clasped behind him, his gaze cold and imperious as he urged his ragtag brothers on.

"Let your breath flow deep, spiral through your body, gather your strength until it becomes energy—repeat!" Whenever he saw someone lagging, Luo Huang would send a wave of energy over and then dash forward again.

Each brother bore a massive boulder on his shoulders, fresh blood streaking down their bodies. After more than half a month, they had grown far stronger than when they'd first set foot on the lower terrace.

"From now on, you are the elite of our stronghold! I name you the Mad Dog Battalion!"

Chu Jie's eyes swept over them like lightning. "You must fight like mad dogs! Give your all like mad dogs! Carve out a glorious future for yourselves!"

His booming voice roused them. Spurred on by his encouragement, the group charged forward as if possessed.

Chu Jie's training was strict and methodical: running in the morning, combat practice in the afternoon.

And their opponent was none other than Chu Jie himself.

Each time, ten would charge at him like tigers and leopards.

"Ha! Boss, watch my Windcut Palm!"

"Hmph! Heaven-Shaking Kick!"

Chu Jie stood his ground. He used no spiritual power, relying solely on the strength of his body to face them.

Bang!

"Liang Bo, your punch is too weak!" Chu Jie caught Liang Bo and sent him flying.

"Chen Long, your angle lacks ferocity!" With a kick, Chu Jie launched Chen Long into the air. As his leg struck, a surge of energy subtly altered Chen Long's constitution.

"Wang Lang, that palm is too soft!"

"Li Sha, watch closely—like this!"

The sounds of blows landing rang out incessantly as Chu Jie battered them one after another, sending bodies flying, then immediately offering pointers.

Many days passed in this way. At first, the group resisted, but seeing how quickly Liang Bo progressed, the Mad Dog Battalion soon clamored for Chu Jie's guidance every day.

"Boss! Boss! Something strange up ahead!" During a bout of sparring, one of the brothers rushed over breathlessly.

Chu Jie halted the training. "What happened?"

Gasping, the brother reported, "Boss, two groups are fighting up ahead!"

Chu Jie strode forward, and sure enough, about five hundred meters away, two factions were locked in a fierce battle.

Neither side was particularly strong—around the sixth or seventh layer of the Body Gale Realm, with leaders only at the second or third layer of the Spirit Convergence Realm. Clearly, they were fighting over something.

More than fifty men clashed in a gory melee. Sword flashes exploded in all directions, shattering boulders and sending shards flying through the air.

"What are they fighting over?" Chu Jie frowned.

Chen Long hunkered down beside him. "Black Crystals, what else?"

"Black Crystals?" Chu Jie echoed.

Liang Bo, standing on the other side, explained, "The Black Crystals in the Abyss of Gods and Demons are quite different from those outside. Here, instead of spiritual energy, they're filled with poisonous vapors."

"How can Black Crystals contain poison?" Luo Huang asked, perplexed.

Liang Bo, evidently well-versed in the ways of the abyss, elaborated, "Although some Black Crystals here do contain spiritual energy, a small portion hide rare herbs or fragments of weapons."

Chen Long chimed in, "The deeper you go, the higher the chance of finding treasures inside. That's why the big bosses and lone wanderers all risk coming here."

"Then why do so few from the outer city come to excavate?" Chu Jie pressed.

Liang Bo curled his lip. "Boss, you don't know. Bloodslaughter City is a city of darkness—a cage, really. For ten thousand miles in all directions, it's nothing but desert. No one can escape. We wretches dig up the Black Crystals, but we still have to hand them over to the outer city folks for a pittance."

"Couldn't we use the treasures inside ourselves?" Chu Jie asked.

Chen Long answered, "The Black Crystals are sharp as swords. Without a special artifact to open them, you could destroy whatever's inside."

Chu Jie nodded, his gaze shifting back to the battle, which was drawing to a bloody close. The stench of death thickened the air, and the ground was strewn with rubble and corpses.

Fewer than twenty men remained standing, all glaring at each other with wild eyes.

Luo Huang watched closely. In one man's hand was a Black Crystal the size of a head, gleaming within—surely containing some precious treasure.

Boom!

Suddenly, a thunderclap split the air. An old Taoist descended from the sky, riding wisps of smoke. Lightning crackled from his withered hand, unleashing a sea of thunder below.

"Heavenly Thunder Lord! How dare you ambush us—" someone cursed from the battlefield.

"Hmph! I was simply waiting to reap the spoils from your fight," the old man laughed wildly.

Heavenly Thunder Lord's strength was at the fourth layer of the Spirit Convergence Realm. The leaders below were already wounded, so in moments, his thundering assault shredded both groups to pieces.

Drifting to the ground, he snatched up the Black Crystal, greed lighting his face as he murmured, "Treasure! What a treasure!"

Suddenly, his gaze fell upon Chu Jie and his companions, watching from the sidelines.

His eyes turned icy cold. With a skeletal finger, he pointed, and a barrage of lightning shot toward them.

"Dodge!" Chu Jie shouted, flashing to one side just in time to evade the thunderbolt.