Chapter 453 - 435: Authority of Thunder Enhanced

As the text before him wavered, Su Yu’s consciousness instantly sank into a vision.

High above the heavens, a Thunder Pool surged.

Towering white jade pillars, holding up the heavens, shone with a dazzling divine light, illuminating the world.

Amidst a series of rumbles, two majestic and handsome gods battled within a White Jade Hall.

One of them was wreathed in lightning and held a Thunder Spear. With every swing of his weapon, vast amounts of Thunder Slime would erupt from the nearby Thunder Pool, threatening to destroy the world as it resounded through the hall.

His opponent was a female-looking deity. A blood-red divine halo spun behind her. She was clad in armor forged from white Divine Bone, its surface covered in spikes that pierced the very heavens!

Every clash between the two deities produced a world-shattering boom. They toppled several of the heaven-propping jade pillars, and the impact caused the earth far below to quake, collapse, and roar.

After an unknown period of fighting, the lightning-wreathed god proved no match for his opponent. He sustained more injuries until the female deity finally tore off one of his arms.

The vision shattered like a reflection on water, and Su Yu’s consciousness returned to his body.

[Acquired an additional 6% completion for the Authority of Thunder. Authority Traits and accompanying Divine Law have been upgraded.]

[Authority]: Thunder (Completion: 9.1%)

[Authority Traits]: Thunder is the might of the heavens, meting out punishment in their stead! As the host has grasped a minuscule amount of the Authority of Thunder, your resistance to Thunder Power is permanently increased by 40%, and your affinity for the Thunder Law is increased by 40%.

[Accompanying Divine Law]: Thunder Summoning! The host may communicate with heaven and earth to forcibly induce cataclysmic weather, drawing down furious thunder from the highest heavens to deliver three strikes of divine punishment!

[If Authority completion exceeds 10%, the host will acquire a new Divine Law.]

Su Yu opened his eyes and quickly reviewed the latest information on his Authority. A flicker of joy crossed his face.

’Just 1% more and I’ll break through to 10% completion. I’ll be able to unlock a new Divine Law then. I can’t wait.’

’I wonder what kind of Divine Law I’ll get?’

’The Authority Traits have been upgraded again, too. Now my resistance to Thunder Power and my affinity for the Thunder Law are both at 40%!’

’This affinity for the law isn’t very useful right now, mainly because I don’t practice any thunder-related Cultivation Techniques.’

’The only things that come close are the second Breaking Limit’s "Rushing Thunder" and the third Breaking Limit’s "Celestial Thunder Step," both derived from the Seven Fiends Thunder Collapse Step.’

’Still, with the increased resistance, I can probably store more Thunder Power in my body. That means I’ll be able to use Celestial Thunder Step more often!’

’These hidden boosts might seem minor, but they’re actually incredibly useful.’

’For example, right now I can only use Celestial Thunder Step a dozen or so times, whether I’m chasing someone or running for my life. But with more Thunder Power, I could definitely use it more than twenty times!’

’With the speed of Celestial Thunder Step, being able to use it over twenty times means I could completely overwhelm any enemy in the Muscle Forging Realm!’

’I’d even have a speed advantage against Profound Bone Realm enemies, as long as they aren’t the type that specializes in speed.’

’And finally, there’s Thunder Summoning. I can now use it three times, giving me an extra use of my trump card.’

’As long as they don’t have a special artifact like an Array Plate, no enemy in the Muscle Forging Realm can withstand a single strike, even with prior defenses. Feng Han last night was a perfect example. He was still severely injured after just one hit.’

Su Yu’s mind raced, considering his future combat strategies.

’Now that I have more uses, I can just hit my enemies with a bolt of celestial thunder right from the start to weaken them significantly!’

...

As Su Yu seized more of the Authority of Thunder, the skies over the Northern Liang Province changed once more.

RUMBLE...

Incessant thunderclaps echoed over Liangzhou, causing countless Black Lotus Sect followers to tremble and fall to their knees in constant prayer.

"Calm your anger, O Divine One! Calm your anger..."

"Merciful Mother Black Lotus, grant us release from the cycle of rebirth..."

"The mortal world is a prison, our flesh and blood a cage..."

At the highest point of Liangzhou Prefecture, on the top floor of the cloud-piercing Celestial Observation Tower.

An old man in a moon-white robe gazed at the dark thunderclouds in the distance, his expression grave as he muttered to himself,

"Which deity could possibly be stripping away the Authority of Thunder time and again! Don’t tell me... *that one* has awoken as well?"

He pondered for a long while before finally muttering, "No matter who it is. Anyone who doesn’t dare show their face is nothing but a common thief."

...

「Black Stone City, Eastern Border, Wild Fox Inn.」

The Merciful Saintess was kneeling respectfully on the floor. Before her, a Divine Statue of Mother Black Lotus was enshrined on a table.

The Divine Statue began to hum, and an ethereal female voice emanated from it.

"For your incompetent investigation, you will forfeit half a year’s stipend. Within three months, you are to bring the one who summons thunder into the Holy Sect. If he refuses to join, kill him without mercy! Should you fail in this task, you will be stripped of your status as a Saintess!"

The Merciful Saintess remained prostrate, her soft chest pressed flat against the floor, not daring to move an inch.

Only after the Divine Statue’s aura and voice had completely faded did she cautiously rise. She picked up the statue and stored it within a jade pendant on her chest.

The moment the Divine Statue vanished, the Merciful Saintess instantly reverted to her lofty, cold demeanor. In her mind, however, she was cursing up a storm.

’Fuck!’

’Who the hell do you think you are, running your mouth at me!’

’Just one slip-up and you take half a year’s pay? Are you insane, you dogshit bitch?’

’Half a year’s stipend!’

As a Saintess, her stipend was substantial. Losing half a year of it meant forfeiting a huge amount of Martial Arts Resources, which would even impact her cultivation for the next six months.

’Fuck, I really want to stomp you, you bitch, under my heel, rip your clothes off, and just crush you!’

’This setback is just going to let that bitch Miaoyin get even further ahead of me!’

After her silent tirade, she sat back down, propped her chin on one hand, and began to think.

’Why was my goddess so furious? Could losing the Profound Thunder Disc really have such dire consequences?’

’Damn it. Feng Han was one thing; he was weak. But Ghost Face has always been so reliable. How could he have failed?’

’How could a nobody like Su Yu possibly cause Ghost Face to fail?’

’Does he have a backer?’

The thought startled the Merciful Saintess.

’For that kid to have been divinely gifted with Thunder Summoning, he must be highly valued by the deity backing him... maybe he’s even a God’s Child?’

Her chest rose and fell slightly as she grew more alarmed the more she thought about it.

’Damn it, no wonder that bitch Miaoyin didn’t fight me for this assignment! She must have realized something was off from the start!’

’This Su Yu is no simple character. He could very well be a God’s Child, and the deity backing him must be incredibly powerful. How else could they contend with my goddess?’

’Damn it all! How could I have been so careless? I sent Ghost Face right to him. Wasn’t that just sending a sheep into the tiger’s den?’

’If he really is a God’s Child, there’s probably some old monster acting as his guardian.’

HISS...

’Not just Divine Storage Realm... it would have to be an old fossil at the Martial Arts Grandmaster level!’

Beneath her veil, the Merciful Saintess’s red lips parted slightly. The situation felt perilous, yet she also felt a thrill of excitement.

’If this Su Yu really is the child of an Evil God, and I manage to capture him and grind him under my heel...’

The mere thought of such a scene made the Merciful Saintess tremble with excitement. She squeezed her legs together, her chest rising and falling.

’A God’s Child... I’ve never had the pleasure of stepping on one of those before...’

’Looks like I’ll have to plan this very carefully. I absolutely must capture Su Yu. But how do I lure away that old fossil backing him?’

’I refuse to believe that some Grandmaster-level fossil would stick by his side constantly. That’s impossible, even if he is a God’s Child.’

After a long period of contemplation, a sharp glint flashed in the Saintess’s eyes. ’I have an idea! Su Yu, just you wait. You’ll be kneeling obediently at my feet soon enough!’