Chapter 394: A Thunder Drum for My Wife

By the time Damian’s group reached the central area of Raijin no Tani, the valley had become far more crowded.

Hundreds of cultivators were scattered across the surrounding cliffs, stone platforms, and ancient pathways.

Most of them were thunder cultivators.

Some sat cross-legged beneath the storm clouds, allowing faint bolts of lightning to strike their bodies while circulating cultivation arts.

Others meditated near tall stone pillars covered in old inscriptions.

At the center of everything stood an enormous wooden shrine reinforced with dark metal, its roof constantly illuminated by flashes of lightning.

RUMBLE!

Another thunderclap shook the valley.

Damian looked around and whistled softly. "Damn... this place is packed."

Ren nodded. "This is the main Raijin Shrine."

Aiko smiled. "People travel from all over the region just to cultivate here."

Damian glanced toward the cultivators sitting beneath the storm. "Just for enlightenment?"

Ren shook his head. "Not only that."

That immediately got Damian’s attention.

Ren pointed toward the shrine. "According to local legend, this valley once belonged to an ancient thunder cultivator named Raijin."

Damian’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

"Of course his name was literally Raijin."

Ren continued, "Nobody knows exactly how powerful he was, but older records describe him as someone who stood above nearly every thunder cultivator of his era."

Aiko added excitedly, "Some stories even say people worshipped him like a god."

Damian crossed his arms. "And let me guess. He disappeared mysteriously."

Aiko blinked. "How did you know?"

Damian coughed. "Excellent intuition."

Miona gave him a flat stare.

Ren continued before she could say anything. "Before Raijin disappeared, it’s said that he left behind one of his personal belongings somewhere inside the valley."

Damian’s eyes sharpened. "A personal belonging?"

Ren nodded. "That’s what the legend claims."

Damian leaned forward slightly. "What kind?"

Ren simply shrugged. "No one knows."

Damian frowned.

Ren glanced toward the storm-covered mountains. "Some say it was a weapon. Others believe it was part of his cultivation inheritance. There are even stories claiming it was something he carried with him every day."

Aiko leaned closer. "That’s why so many people keep coming back here."

Damian looked toward the shrine again.

Aiko continued, "Every few decades, something strange happens."

She pointed toward the storm clouds above. "The storms suddenly become much stronger, ancient formations appear for a short time, or lightning starts striking places that are normally completely safe."

Ren nodded. "Whenever that happens, people start believing Raijin’s treasure is about to reveal itself."

Damian slowly grinned. Now this was finally getting interesting.

Stories like this rarely existed without something valuable hiding behind them.

He glanced toward the deeper part of the valley, his smile growing more shameless by the second.

"Raika, oh Raika... just how lucky are you? You haven’t even joined me yet, and I’m already preparing a souvenir for you. Hehe..."

Damian was still grinning when Aiko suddenly added, "There’s one more version of the legend."

His attention immediately snapped back to her.

Aiko looked toward the distant shrine. "Some people believe the item Raijin left behind was one of his Thunder Drums."

Damian froze. "...Thunder Drum?"

Aiko nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. According to the oldest stories, Raijin carried several drums behind him."

She lifted both hands and mimicked striking something in the air. "They say every time he struck one, heavenly lightning would descend."

Damian stared at her, and for once, he didn’t immediately make a joke. His gaze slowly shifted back toward the distant shrine.

"Raijin... Thunder Drums..."

The resemblance was a little too familiar.

The Raijin he knew from his previous world was also often depicted with drums used to summon thunder and lightning.

At first, Damian had assumed the Japanese-style names, architecture, food, and customs throughout Sakura territory were just some strange coincidence.

But now, he was starting to seriously wonder if someone from Japan had transmigrated here thousands of years ago and left their influence behind.

Still, after thinking about it for a moment, Damian simply shrugged.

"Well... even if that’s true, so what? As long as I can get something useful out of it, that’s good enough for me."

Ren then continued, "Of course, nobody has actually seen the drum."

Aiko nodded. "Some people think the entire story is exaggerated."

Ren pointed toward the mountain peaks surrounding the shrine. "But whenever those strange thunder phenomena happen, there are sometimes reports of a deep drumming sound coming from somewhere inside the valley."

His gaze shifted toward the depths of the shrine. "And no one has ever figured out where it comes from."

Damian’s expression changed again. "Drumming? You mean an actual drum sound, not just thunder?"

Ren nodded. "Exactly. It was a deep, rhythmic sound, almost like someone beating a drum. Something like..."

He suddenly stopped, unsure how to describe it properly. However, just a second later...

DUM... DUM... DUM...

Ren immediately smiled upon hearing the sound. "Yes! That’s it! That’s exactly the sound I heard earlier!"

However, right after saying that, both he and Aiko suddenly froze.

Wait a minute. Where did that drumming sound come from?

The siblings quickly looked around, but there was no one nearby playing a drum. That could only mean one thing.

The sound was really coming from inside!

Damian’s grin immediately widened as he stepped forward. "Hehe... Perfect! To think the legend is actually true! What a wonderful surprise!"

Ren immediately frowned. "Wait. If that really is the legendary drum, then going deeper now could be extremely dangerous."

Aiko nodded quickly. "Brother’s right. The inner valley has unstable lightning fields. Even Golden Core cultivators can die there."

Damian waved them off. "Relax. Didn’t I already tell you? We’re strong."

Ren gave him a flat look. "That doesn’t make lightning less dangerous."

Damian laughed. "Fair point."

He glanced toward Serina and Miona. "Still, I’m not bringing everyone."

Miona raised an eyebrow.

Damian pointed toward her and Serina. "You two are water cultivators. This place is basically the opposite of ideal for you."

Serina smiled calmly. "Reasonable."

Miona clicked her tongue. "I could still handle it."

"I know." Damian nodded. "But there’s no reason to make things harder."

Then he turned toward Cassandra. "You’re coming with me."

Cassandra’s crimson eyes immediately lit up. "Hehe... finally."

Ren frowned again. "Just the two of you?"

Damian grinned. "More than enough."

He looked toward the deeper valley, where another faint sound echoed.

DUM... DUM...

Damian’s smile widened. "Alright, Cassandra. Let’s go find that drum."