Chapter 54: Capturing the Thunder Beast, An Ordinary Corpse
Chapter 54 – Capturing the Thunder Beast, An Ordinary Corpse
Listening to Chen Changsheng’s words, A-Man had no idea what he was planning.
However, A-Man rarely concerned herself with such matters; her heart only ever held room for one thing.
……
Time trickled away, and several months vanished in the blink of an eye.
One day, just as A’Li slowly concluded his breathing cycle, Chen Changsheng walked over with a mysterious air, cradling an object in his arms.
“Have you mastered the Vertical Golden Light?”
Faced with Chen Changsheng’s inquiry, A’Li answered honestly.
“Sir, the Vertical Golden Light is firmly within my grasp.”
“Good. Follow me.”
With a wave of his hand, he signaled A’Li to fall in step.
Though doubt clouded his mind, A’Li dutifully followed.
As they ventured deeper, A’Li sensed a chilling familiarity in their path.
“Sir, are we heading to the Water-Moon Cave?”
“Indeed. Is there a problem?”
Hearing such a frank admission, A’Li’s blood boiled with sudden fervor.
“Sir, is it time to strike the Thunder Beast?”
“I will return at once to rally the warriors.”
“The Wu Clan has tempered its blades for ten years, all for this very day.”
He pivoted to sprint back to the village, but Chen Changsheng firmly grasped his shoulder.
“Why rouse the village? This task requires only the two of us.”
A’Li paused, utterly bewildered.
He stared at Chen Changsheng, unable to process the command.
For a decade, Chen Changsheng had guided the Wu Clan’s cultivation, passing down intricate battle formations and killing arts.
The entire tribe believed he was forging them into a weapon to slaughter the Thunder Beast.
Yet now, he claimed two men were sufficient for the task.
What, then, was the purpose of their ten years of blood and sweat?
Reading the profound unwillingness on A’Li’s face, Chen Changsheng sighed.
“Banish that sour look. The Wu Clan’s decade of preparation serves a far heavier purpose.”
“Would I bare my ultimate blade for a mere solitary Thunder Beast?”
A glimmer of realization finally pierced A’Li’s gloom.
“Sir, do you plot a grander scheme?”
“Naturally. Once we execute the Thunder Beast in the Water-Moon Cave, do you believe its ancestral lineage will simply let us walk away?”
“Today’s undertaking is not merely the opening of the plan, but the turning of the most vital key.”
“If the outcome falls short of my calculations, we must immediately flee into the mountains.”
A’Li struck his broad chest with a resounding thud.
“Sir, rest assured. I will burn my lifeblood to see your will done.”
“There is no need for your lifeblood. Just keep your mouth shut.”
With a flick of his sleeves, Chen Changsheng resumed his march toward the Water-Moon Cave.
……
The Water-Moon Cave.
Standing on the very earth where he had been chased away a decade ago, Chen Changsheng settled his Qi and painted a mask of groveling sycophancy over his features.
“The human, Chen Changsheng, brings forth a supreme treasure in tribute!”
His sonorous voice echoed through the damp cavern, prompting a massive, terrifying head to emerge from the darkness.
Recognizing the mortal insect from a decade past, the Thunder Beast unleashed a deafening roar.
“Mortal! You dare tread upon my domain again? Do you truly believe I will not rend your flesh?”
Meeting the beast’s wrath, Chen Changsheng trembled, a perfect portrait of terror.
“Great Thunder Beast, forgive this lowly one’s intrusion! I have come solely to repay your boundless mercy in sparing my life ten years ago.”
“Three years ago, the Heavens blessed me with a fragment of immortal stone.”
“Alas, my destiny is far too shallow to comprehend its profound Dao. Thus, I have journeyed here to offer it to your magnificence.”
He whipped away a black shroud, revealing a boulder the size of a millstone, offering it forward with both hands.
The Thunder Beast blinked.
Peering down at the offering, immense confusion swirled in the beast’s ancient eyes.
No matter how it swept the rock with its Divine Sense, it appeared to be nothing more than mundane granite.
But if it was truly a common stone, what was the mortal playing at?
Was this an attempt at humiliation?
Unable to untangle the human’s scheme, the Thunder Beast lowered its massive snout, sniffing the rock before tentatively dragging its rough tongue across the surface.
The beast froze.
It was undeniably an ordinary stone!
It carried no toxins, no hidden Qi, no insidious Gu.
It merely tasted of bitter weeds and damp soil.
“Insolent wretch!”
“This is a worthless piece of rubble! You dare make a fool of me?!”
The crushing Pressure slammed into Chen Changsheng, forcing his knees to buckle. The stone slipped from his grasp, crashing heavily onto the earth.
“Great one, please peer deeper!”
“Upon its discovery, it radiated a brilliant five-colored aura! I swear upon my Dao, the essence of immortal metal pulses within its core!”
“My cultivation is simply too wretched to shatter its shell, hence my tribute to your supreme might.”
“Still spouting lies? Begone!”
A violent gale erupted from the beast’s nostrils, sending Chen Changsheng tumbling backward. Sensing the killing intent rising, Chen Changsheng grabbed A’Li and hastily retreated.
Only when their auras had faded into the distant woods did the Thunder Beast cast a lingering, skeptical gaze toward the fallen boulder.
Slowly, its massive tongue uncoiled, wrapping around the stone and dragging it into its cavernous maw.
Its jaws ground with bone-crushing force, reducing the stone to dust, yet not a single sliver of ‘immortal metal’ grazed its palate.
It swallowed the bitter grit.
Glaring toward the path the mortals had fled, the Thunder Beast let out a low, rumbling sneer.
“Ignorant insects. The Thunder Beast lineage consumes divine iron and deep earth ores. Our flesh is an absolute ward against a myriad of poisons.”
“Whatever pitiful trap you attempted to lay, you lack the fangs to pierce my skin.”
“Once my affairs in this grotto are concluded, I shall harvest your entire clan.”
Dismissing the encounter, the Thunder Beast turned to retreat into the shadows of the cave.
But as its massive claw lifted, a terrifying stillness seized its marrow. Its body locked entirely in place.
Boom!
The behemoth collapsed heavily against the stone floor. From the shadows of the tree line, two silhouettes quietly re-emerged.
Chen Changsheng and A’Li had returned.
“Great Thunder Beast, have you fallen ill?”
“Audacious wretch! You dare show your face again? I will shatter your soul!”
The beast roared its empty threats from the dirt. Ignoring the clamor, Chen Changsheng calmly drew a fractured blade from his robes and channeled his Qi.
Squelch!
The rusted edge of the Xuanwu Sword plunged deep into the beast’s thick hide. Yet, the Thunder Beast felt no sting of pain, only an absolute, terrifying numbness.
Observing the lack of resistance, Chen Changsheng let out a breath and offered a mild, detached smile.
“It seems the paralysis has fully taken hold. Good. My mind is at ease.”
With the methodical steps of a mortician inspecting a corpse, Chen Changsheng approached. He traced the curvature of its scales, then carelessly knocked his knuckles against its fearsome fangs.
His eyes were completely devoid of fear, filled only with a cold, dissecting curiosity. Such blatant disrespect burned the noble creature to its very core.
“Mortal filth… if your filthy hands stroke my flesh once more, I will slaughter your entire…”
Slap!
A sharp, ringing backhand from Chen Changsheng cut off the beast’s vow.
The strike carried little physical weight, but the profound indignity of the blow struck deeper than any blade.
“Why all this noise?” Chen Changsheng murmured, his tone as dusty and dry as an old scroll. “Can you not see I am carefully calculating how to dismantle your corpse?”
“Your howling disrupts my focus.”
The Thunder Beast fell utterly silent.
It stared at the human, fundamentally unable to comprehend such shameless audacity.
……