Chapter 517: Lightning World

“What are you all doing, crowding around here? Clear a path so Mu Xuan can get to the Saint Mountain.”

As the youths of the tenth branch were gazing at the Thunder Star Beast, Li Yang, with excitement and adoration, the elder, Baleng, approached and said in a deep voice.

Everyone present held Elder Baleng in great reverence. As soon as he spoke, the crowd parted to clear a path.

“Mu Xuan, the Saint Mountain is already open. Let’s go.”

The person walking over with Elder Baleng was none other than the Fire Emperor. He looked at Li Yang with a smile.

“Alright,” Li Yang nodded.

The group flew onward and soon arrived at another location.

“It’s Mu Xuan! Mu Xuan is here!”

Seven young Thunder Star Beasts were already gathered here. They began whispering amongst themselves the moment they saw Li Yang.

“The Saint Mountain is opening early this time. It must be because of Mu Xuan.”

“That’s right. Otherwise, we would’ve had to wait another month.”

The voices murmured one after another.

Li Yang paid no mind to the chatter around him, a flicker of anticipation undoubtedly stirring in his heart.

‘So, it’s finally time for the Saint Mountain.’

He had been curious before when Baleng mentioned the Saint Mountain, a place where the Thunder Star Beast clan could unlock their potential.

And of course, he was curious about the Thunder Punishment Talent that could be awakened in the Saint Mountain, which was said to grant a massive boost in power when unleashed.

The Fire Emperor stepped forward and announced, “Alright, everyone’s here. Let’s head to the Saint Mountain together.”

The Fire Emperor was the one in charge of this opening of the Saint Mountain.

As he led the way, the Fire Emperor began to explain, “The Saint Mountain is the most important sacred ground for our Thunder Star Beast clan, as you should all know. However, I will go over it with you all one more time.”

The Fire Emperor glanced at Li Yang. This explanation was mainly for his benefit.

“There is a peculiar energy within the Saint Mountain. Your task upon entering is to absorb as much of this energy as you can. The more you absorb, the stronger your awakened Thunder Punishment Talent will be.”

“Furthermore, the stronger your Thunder Punishment Talent, the faster you will be able to comprehend Laws—especially the Thunder Law!”

The Thunder Star Beast clan is born with an affinity for the Thunder Law, so their Thunder Punishment Talent is, in fact, most closely linked to it.

…

As the Fire Emperor explained in detail, Li Yang thought to himself, ‘Absorb the energy inside the Saint Mountain? The more I absorb, the stronger the awakened Thunder Punishment Talent will be?’

His curiosity about this Thunder Punishment Talent was now undoubtedly piqued even further.

Time flew by, and soon, Li Yang and the others were led to a specific location.

Before them stood a mountain peak, roughly three thousand meters high. The summit was shrouded in mist, obscuring any view of what lay within.

‘So this is the Saint Mountain of the Thunder Star Beast clan?’

This Saint Mountain had been left behind by the strongest expert in the history of the Thunder Star Beast clan.

An old man sat cross-legged before the enormous mountain peak. He looked incredibly ancient, like a stone statue, to the point that one could barely sense any signs of life from him.

“Elder Yan.” The Fire Emperor addressed the old man with surprising politeness. “These are the candidates selected to enter the Saint Mountain.”

Upon hearing the Fire Emperor, the statue-like Elder Yan finally stirred. His gaze swept over Li Yang and the other Thunder Star Beasts, lingering on Li Yang for several seconds.

“Mmm. Go in,” Elder Yan said.

WHUMMM…

A strange change rippled across the entire mountain. Li Yang could sense a trace of the energy emanating from it.

“Alright, the Saint Mountain is now open. I will transport you all inside.”

The Fire Emperor’s gaze fell upon Li Yang as he said, “Mu Xuan, the energy within the Saint Mountain will be absorbed naturally. There is no need to force it. Don’t feel any pressure. Just maintain a peaceful state of mind and absorb as much as you can.”

The other young Thunder Star Beasts showed no dissatisfaction at the special attention the Fire Emperor was giving him; in fact, they all felt it was perfectly normal.

It was no surprise. The strongest among them only had a high-grade Talent.

But Li Yang’s Talent was super-grade. And not just that, it was a Five Elements super-grade Talent! He was the greatest genius in the history of the Thunder Star Beast clan!

Faced with such a Talent, they couldn’t even muster a shred of jealousy toward Li Yang.

It would have felt strange to them if the Thunder Star Beast, Li Yang, *wasn’t* given special treatment.

“Understood.” Li Yang nodded in response to the Fire Emperor’s advice.

“Good.” The Fire Emperor said no more and waved his right hand.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

In an instant, the Thunder Star Beast, Li Yang, and the others vanished without a trace.

At the same time, a series of powerful consciousnesses descended upon the area.

“The Saint Mountain has finally opened!”

“I wonder if Mu Xuan will be able to fully awaken his Thunder Punishment Talent in the Saint Mountain!”

“If he does, his chances of becoming a Dominator in the future will soar!”

These consciousnesses conversed, their attention fixed on the scene.

…

SWISH!

Meanwhile, Li Yang’s form flickered and he reappeared in a new location.

RUMBLE!

Thunder roared all around him as bolts of lightning crashed down incessantly, creating what looked like a world made of electricity.

‘How can there be so much lightning?’ Li Yang wondered.

From the outside, the Saint Mountain had looked completely ordinary. He never expected to find a scene like this upon actually entering.

As he was thinking, Li Yang suddenly felt a layer of peculiar energy gather around him. Even without him actively trying to absorb it, the energy surged continuously into his body.

‘So this is the peculiar energy the Fire Emperor mentioned?’ the Thunder Star Beast, Li Yang, thought as he felt it out.

‘No time to waste. Time to start absorbing!’

He focused his mind and began to actively absorb the energy.

RUMBLE!

The moment Li Yang began to actively absorb it, the lightning in the area grew even more violent. Streams of energy radiated from the bolts of lightning, surging relentlessly toward Li Yang’s physical body!

Li Yang could only feel his entire body being enveloped by the vast, peculiar energy. Instead of pain, he felt a profound sense of comfort wash over his physical form.

Li Yang’s Thunder Star Beast avatar didn’t overthink it. He simply remained seated cross-legged, continuously absorbing the energy.

To be precise, he didn’t even need to try. The peculiar energy simply flooded into his body in countless streams!

The energy was incredibly dense. Looking down from high above, one would see that the countless bolts of lightning had actually formed a series of vortexes.

A massive vortex of countless lightning bolts converged and swirled above Li Yang’s head.

“A lightning vortex! That boy, Mu Xuan, truly didn’t disappoint us! He actually formed a lightning vortex!”

“This proves that Mu Xuan is capable of absorbing a massive amount of energy!”

“Haha! The formation of a lightning vortex basically means that Mu Xuan has a chance to fully awaken his Thunder Punishment Talent!”

“The heavens have blessed our Thunder Star Beast clan! Mu Xuan’s previously demonstrated Talent was already on par with the Cosmos’s current strongest genius, the human Li Yang. Once he awakens his Thunder Punishment Talent, he’ll definitely be stronger than the human Li Yang!”

“The strongest genius in the Cosmos will belong to our Thunder Star Beast clan!”

…

Seeing the lightning vortex form, the terrifying Thunder Star Beast entities watching over the Saint Mountain grew even more joyful and full of anticipation.