Chapter Six: Heavenly Thunder Strikes the Summit

"Great God of Bloodline Warlocks, your servant Brown obeys your summons!"

"Rise."

Watching the young white man kneeling on the ground, Li Yang felt a flash of helplessness in his eyes. He truly struggled to adapt to these Western titles; they felt far too theatrical. Yet, when in Rome, he had to accept them.

"Brown, the current voltage of this electrical device no longer meets my needs. Do you have a way to build a device that can regulate voltage?"

"A device to regulate voltage?"

Upon hearing this, a flicker of confusion crossed the young man's face. If the voltage wasn't enough, shouldn't he be asking for more? Why switch to regulation?

"I intend to draw upon natural lightning, but the voltage of lightning in nature is too high—it is currently unsuitable for my cultivation."

Seeing the confusion in the young man's eyes, Li Yang did not hold back and stated his intentions directly.

"Forgive me, Your Grace, but the energy of natural lightning is far too powerful. There is currently no transformer capable of withstanding such immense energy. Furthermore, drawing down lightning from nature is incredibly dangerous! I believe you should reconsider."

"I only require the natural lightning to be attenuated. Can you not even achieve that?"

Glancing at the young man on the ground with dissatisfaction, Li Yang’s tone grew heavier.

"If it is only a matter of attenuating the lightning, the furnace beside you can already do that."

Hearing the displeasure in Li Yang’s voice, the young man’s heart skipped a beat, and cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead. He realized then that he was no longer facing his former boss, but a true god; his duty was to assist in solving problems, not to dictate how they should be handled.

"It is that simple?"

"Your Grace, attenuating lightning energy is not actually difficult. The difficulty lies in precise control and containment. If you merely wish to weaken it, there are many ways to achieve that," the young man carefully explained.

"Then let me try."

*Zzzzt... Clang, clang, clang... Rumble... Crackle...*

Li Yang reached into the void and pulled out the Chisel of the Thunder God. Pale blue electric arcs flickered across his body as he struck the chisel with the hammer. Instantly, the winds churned, black clouds gathered, and the sound of thunder resonated through the heavens.

"Oh my God! Is that a divine artifact?"

Looking at the hammer and chisel covered in lightning patterns in Li Yang's hands, Lucian and the young man were struck with awe.

*CRACK!*

*Awooo... Argh...*

As they stood in a daze, a silver-white bolt of electricity suddenly descended from thin air. The atrium was instantly flooded with flickering light, and the static in the air hissed and popped. Lucian, the young man, and the others felt their bodies go numb, arcs of electricity dancing across their skin. They convulsed uncontrollably, transforming into brown-black werewolves, collapsing to the ground with wisps of acrid smoke rising from their bodies.

"You all, get out and stay there!"

Frowning at the werewolves on the ground, Li Yang moved his mind; several golden tentacles sprouted from his back, flinging the group out of the atrium. He hadn't expected the static within the atrium to accidentally attract a lightning strike. If he weren't careful and accidentally let Lucian and his men be struck to death, it would be a major disaster.

*Clang!*

Turning back, he pushed open the lid of the alchemy furnace and climbed inside. Li Yang formed a seal with his hands, two archaic lightning sigils flashing in his eyes as he channeled the Chisel of the Thunder God.

*Rumble... Crackle... Zzzzt...*

A bolt of silver-white lightning was immediately drawn down, slamming fiercely into the alchemy furnace.

*Ugh... Hhh...*

The moment the lightning struck, Li Yang’s entire body went numb. He let out a muffled groan as his muscles convulsed; his hair stood on end, sparkling with silver-white arcs. The current coursing through his body felt like liquid fire burning him. Enduring the agony, veins bulged on his forehead as he circulated his internal *Qi* and blood, guiding the electricity to flow rapidly through his body, attempting to refine the energy.

...

Meanwhile, in the machine room within the sewers, Lucian and a dozen werewolf scientists watched the scene in the atrium, all of them left completely dumbfounded.

Above the atrium, dark clouds gathered, and silver-white bolts of lightning descended frantically, striking the oddly shaped furnace at the center. Throughout the underground space, lightning particles were converging wildly. One could even see with the naked eye the dense arcs of electricity in the air. Centered on the furnace, the entire underground atrium seemed to behave like a rapidly expanding vortex of lightning.

"This... Oh my God, quick... quick, shut down all the instruments!"

Seeing the sparks flying from the panels beside him, the young man shouted in alarm, scrambling to unplug the equipment. He had no desire to experience the sensation of electrocution again; the residual terror from the earlier shock still haunted him.

"This is truly incredible—to be able to command the power of heaven and earth! Converging electromagnetic fields out of thin air."

"Praise the great Lord of Bloodline Warlocks! You are the origin of bloodlines, the master of thunder! You are—"

Unlike the shock and fear felt by the others, the remaining werewolf scientists, led by Lucian, knelt on the ground and began to pray loudly. At this moment, they were like the most devout believers, sparing no effort to praise Li Yang’s greatness.

...

Yet, they were unaware that the "great god" they praised was currently in serious trouble.

Li Yang had not anticipated that the lightning drawn by the Chisel of the Thunder God would spiral out of control. Because he had spent so long in this atrium using electricity for cultivation, the air was already saturated with dense static.

Furthermore, Li Yang had not yet refined the Chisel; he was using it crudely. As for controlling the lightning, truth be told, he had only just begun practicing the "General Principles of Thunder Arts." He could barely draw it down, but controlling it was entirely unrealistic.

This atrium, filled with electromagnetic force, had effectively become a lightning-attracting array. The thundercloud he had drawn down had locked onto it, and it was a case of "inviting the god was easy, but sending him away was hard."

Li Yang wanted to withdraw, but that wasn't an option. If he had his magic power, this bit of lightning would be nothing—he was a man who had dared to withstand the Tribulation of Lightning—but without his power, if he went out now, he would have to endure it with his physical body alone. He would become a living target; even if he didn't die, he would be crippled!

As the lightning continued to strike, feeling the increasingly dense lightning energy within him, a bitter smile tugged at Li Yang’s lips. The energy was pouring in faster than he could refine it. He was forced to passively accept it, unable to move, struggling only to maintain the circulation of his *Qi* and blood. If the equilibrium were broken, the energy would explode inside him, turning his organs to charred ash. To put his situation in one phrase: he was "riding a tiger, unable to dismount."

But if he let the energy continue to accumulate, he would eventually be blown apart by the sheer electrical load. For a moment, Li Yang was caught in a dilemma.

*Zzzzt... Sizzle...*

Soon, the lightning flickering around Li Yang shifted from blue to silver-white. His jade-like skin began to char under the burning electricity, emitting the scent of scorched flesh. Focusing intently on the lightning energy stagnating in his blood, Li Yang gritted his teeth, determined to stabilize the flow.

*Rumble... Crackle... Zzzzt...*

Just then, another bolt of lightning descended, smashing into the furnace.

*Ugh...*

Li Yang let out a groan, black smoke rising from the top of his head. His body convulsed violently, his meridians filled with a sensation of bursting pain, and his muscles went into spasms as faint, reddish smoke escaped his mouth.

"No, if this continues, I won't be able to hold on!"

Li Yang knew he couldn't wait any longer. His muscles were becoming paralyzed; if he waited, his body would cease to respond to his will.

Driven by desperation, Li Yang steeled himself and channeled the massive surge of lightning energy directly toward the seal on his *Dantian*.

*Rumble... Crack... Pfft...*

With a violent shock, Li Yang shuddered, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He had clearly sustained significant internal injuries.

"It's working..."

Though injured, Li Yang was pleasantly surprised. A tiny, nearly invisible crack had appeared on the seal over his *Dantian*. If one didn't look closely, it would be impossible to notice.

Small as it was, the crack gave Li Yang infinite motivation. Truth be told, having his magic power sealed was the reason his strength had plummeted and why he had been hiding in this atrium. If he could shatter this seal, his power would quickly return to its peak.

As for the loss of his legs, it didn't actually have much impact on him. After all, the Six-Winged Golden Centipede was a creature of a hundred legs; how could the loss of two legs significantly reduce his power?

With this motivation, Li Yang pulled a *Peiyuan* Pill from his dimensional space and swallowed it. Using the medicinal power to protect his internal organs, his *Qi* and blood began to boil violently, carrying the lightning energy with it to launch a fierce assault on the seal.

*Boom... Boom... Boom...*

Accompanying the thunder within his body, the color of the seal on his *Dantian* began to dim, yet the cracks refused to widen.

"Then let the lightning come even more fiercely!"

At this, Li Yang hardened his heart. His charred face twisted into a fierce expression. He raised the Chisel of the Thunder God, surged his *Qi* and blood with all his might, and struck down.

*Clang, clang, clang...*

*Rumble... Boom... Crackle... CRACK... Rumble...*

Driven by the Chisel, the dark clouds in the sky churned violently, contracting to form a massive supercell. Within the atrium, electromagnetism turned chaotic, and dense sparks filled the air. The electrical devices instantly detonated, turning the entire space into a sea of fire.

*Rumble...*

A silver-white pillar of lightning descended from the sky, slamming into the furnace with such force that it was lifted from the ground and then slammed back down hard.

"Pfft... Break for me!"

Feeling the violent energy surging into his body, Li Yang’s eyes lit up with lightning. Blue-purple archaic sigils converged on his brow, protecting his consciousness. His *Qi* and blood, like tidal waves, wrapped around the violent energy and slammed into his *Dantian*.

*Rumble... CRACK...*

With a crisp sound echoing from the depths of his soul, a tide of golden magic power erupted from his *Dantian*, instantly dispersing the lightning energy within his body.

Li Yang’s cells, like sponges, greedily drank in the nectar-like magic power, and his body was instantly revitalized with vigorous life force.

*Clang...*

"Ah! Hahaha..."

Feeling the endless surge of magic power flowing like waves within him, Li Yang let out a roar. He kicked the furnace lid aside and leaped out. Standing atop the alchemy furnace, he threw his head back and laughed, his voice echoing to the heavens.

...

"Oh... my God! This..."

In the machine room, the group watched in stunned silence as Li Yang, charred and blackened, leaped from the furnace. A pillar of golden light erupted from his body, shooting into the sky and dispersing the storm clouds above.

Their vocabularies were far too limited to describe such a shocking scene. A charred figure standing in a sea of fire, a massive pillar of golden light rising from him to stir the winds of heaven, his voice echoing like a giant god—it was deafening and overwhelming.