Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1391: 748: Refining Demon and Marking

Zhao Sheng’s pupils contracted as he watched Mountain Dragon Little Gold’s eyes fade into a void of pitch-black. A wave of tension gripped his heart; he had clearly failed to account for the true terrifying potency of the Tribulation Demon Thought.

With a sharp flick of his consciousness, the Purple Mansion Soul Sea erupted into towering waves. From the depths of that spiritual ocean, the scarred Five Thunder Ring slowly ascended to the surface.

A massive surge of Primordial Spirit Clear Light poured into the artifact, immediately triggering a series of five-colored ripples across its surface.

These ripples transformed into jagged strands of five-colored Thunder Threads. They tore through the vacuum of the Purple Mansion and vanished into the void in an instant.

Outside.

The moment a spark of lightning flickered at Zhao Sheng’s forehead, Mountain Dragon Little Gold let out a strangled groan, his vision becoming entirely consumed by darkness.

“I… I… can’t… hold it back… ahhh… my original… form is… breaking out…”

Little Gold fought desperately against his primal animal instincts. However, as the Demon Thought eroded his soul, he found himself losing the battle to maintain his sanity and suppress his rising desires.

Suddenly, the sound of popping joints echoed from his frame like exploding beans. His small body began to swell rapidly, much like an inflating balloon, while a sickly gray-black light pulsed from his skin.

A colossal, dark golden shadow manifested behind him, darkening at a visible rate as it sprouted a dense thicket of writhing tentacles. It appeared he was on the verge of being completely consumed by the madness of the Demon Thought.

This sudden escalation caught Zhao Sheng off guard. He hadn't expected the Demon Thought’s backlash to be so aggressive or for Little Gold to be such a fragile target for its corruption.

It was undeniable that Little Gold was the weakest link, making him the perfect host for the erosion.

“Zhao Xi, the Demon Thought has me pinned; I can’t help Little Gold right now. If you have a way to intervene, do it now! If not, you must flee! Once he loses control, you won’t be able to stop him! Get out of here!” At that critical juncture, Zhao Xuanjing managed to regain a moment of clarity, sending a frantic Divine Thought transmission to Zhao Sheng.

Zhao Sheng heard the warning but offered no verbal reply.

By then, the thunderous glow at his brow had already erupted, lashing out through the air to strike the top of Little Gold’s head.

Bang!

The five-colored lightning exploded outward, bathing Little Gold’s entire frame in brilliance and colliding violently with the swelling gray-black aura.

The impact was like heavenly thunder crashing into earthly fire, resulting in a burst of devastating destructive energy. Following a piercing shriek, the majority of the gray-black light was vaporized instantly.

The grotesque tentacles and extra eyes sprouting from Little Gold were also purged by the Five Elements Divine Thunder.

As a damaged Immortal Artifact, the Five Thunder Ring possessed terrifying power. Even a fraction of its Five Elements Divine Thunder was enough to deal catastrophic damage to Ghostly Evil Yin Demons and other manifestations of darkness.

Since the Demon Thought was essentially a manifestation of filth and shadow, it was naturally countered by the righteous power of lightning—especially the purest form of Five Elements Divine Thunder.

Little Gold felt his mind suddenly clear as the chaotic impulses receded. The Demon Thought that had nearly overwhelmed him seemed to shrink back in terror.

“Quickly, give me more! Can the power of thunder actually wipe out this Demon Thought?” Little Gold cried out in joy, struggling to keep his rampaging bloodline in check while eagerly demanding more assistance.

Zhao Sheng gave a silent nod. With a wave of his hand, he sent several beams of mana forward, pushing Zhao Xuanjing’s physical body hundreds of feet away. He then encased the body in layers of Purple Cloud Thunder Light to shield it from further corruption.

With that settled, Zhao Sheng performed a series of rapid hand seals. His forehead blazed with a blinding light as a silver-white ring slowly emerged, its surface crackling with arcs of five-colored lightning.

The moment the Five Thunder Ring manifested, an ancient and vast pressure saturated the area. The surrounding space fell into an eerie silence, appearing to fracture as dark seams opened in the void.

Veins bulged on Zhao Sheng’s face. His Divine Thought was being drained at an alarming rate, and his mana was pouring out like a broken dam.

“Five Thunder Ring… go!”

The silver-white artifact vanished before the command even finished echoing.

A heartbeat later, it reappeared directly above Little Gold, descending to encircle him perfectly.

Sizzle!

Strands of five-colored lightning fanned out, creating a shimmering, mist-like Thunder Pool in the blink of an eye.

“Zizizi…”

The moment the Demon Thought’s aura contacted the lightning, the reaction was as violent as water hitting boiling oil. The previously calm Five Elements Divine Thunder began to churn and boil, striking relentlessly at the Demon Thought as it tried to scatter.

Terrified, the Demon Thought began to burrow deep into Little Gold’s flesh, desperately trying to hide from the Divine Thunder’s annihilation.

“Fantastic!” Seeing the tide turn, Zhao Xuanjing’s anxiety vanished, and he couldn't help but shout in relief, feeling a great weight lifted from his shoulders.

“Ah… it doesn’t hurt… I don’t feel a thing! Woo woo, faster, give me more…” Despite his winces, Little Gold continued to cheer excitedly.

Zhao Sheng ignored them both, pouring every ounce of his focus into managing the Five Thunder Ring.

He had to carefully calibrate the intensity of the Five Elements Divine Thunder to ensure Little Gold wasn't harmed, all while enduring the agonizing strain of his rapidly depleting Divine Thought. He had to keep the ring suppressed to prevent it from entering a berserk state.

If the Five Thunder Ring lost control, not only would the three of them perish, but the entire Wolong Mountain Range would likely be leveled.

Suddenly, the Five Thunder Ring shuddered, as if it were waking from an eon of slumber or sensing a nearby threat.

The discharged lightning intensified, its colors becoming more vivid and blinding.

Zhao Sheng felt a wave of exhaustion hit him. The rate of his mana and Divine Thought consumption surged several times over, as if the Five Thunder Ring were forcibly drinking from his soul.

Even with his cultivation at the late stage of the Void Returning realm, wielding an Immortal Artifact was a task that pushed him to his absolute limits.

The Five Elements Divine Thunder seemed to find a fascinating new target. It began to surge actively into Little Gold’s body, relentlessly hunting down the path of the retreating Demon Thought.