Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 474 - 474 473 So That's How It Is

474: Chapter 473: So That’s How It Is 474: Chapter 473: So That’s How It Is He of course knew that these three Taiyi Daoists from the Guo Sect had ill intentions, having realized this since they first encountered each other inside the Blue Island Sacred Mountain.

The temptation of the Four Phases was truly a case of luring someone into a trap, otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence?

When the three of them chased after him from behind, he could keenly sense the killing intent amid the thunderclouds.

If it were accidental, why would they mobilize the thunder force so early?

Given the circumstances, he couldn’t be blamed for striking first.

Out at sea, where reasons are hard to justify, he certainly did not want to fall into the premeditated Thunder Formation of the trio.

Back to where the thunderclouds were, Lei Jun and that massive bird were still engaged in a fierce battle, having completely abandoned their divine powers and relying solely on a physical altercation, intense and brutally cruel.

Hou Niao didn’t intervene rashly, as his months-long acquaintance with the creature made him somewhat aware of its temperament; rash action on his part could spoil things.

However, his return did put some psychological pressure on the massive bird.

With its master gone and its fighting spirit absent, the notion of retreat began to take root in its mind.

But in a clash of the strong, the brave prevails; the moment it entertained the thought of retreating, it immediately fell into a disadvantageous position in what had been a stalemate.

The massive bird turned to flee, but its large body, which could hold its own in combat, was at a disadvantage in terms of speed.

Lei Jun finally got his chance, and several roars of thunder struck down.

With claws tearing and beak pecking, within moments, a rare Golden Core Stage giant bird was torn apart in the air by Lei Jun, its Demon Core becoming a supplement for Lei Jun.

Watching Lei Jun’s woeful yet proud demeanor, Hou Niao shook his head and smiled bitterly.

The vast world is full of wonders, and a defiant demon bird like this is destined to live a life of solitude.

Whether it can temper itself on the Lizhi Sea was still very much uncertain.

He had no intention to subjugate it, neither could he, nor was there a need.

Capturing it in a Spiritual Beast Bag would only rob it of its essence, turning it into something like that massive bird, devoid of the wildness that a demon bird should possess.

This battle was quite rewarding for him.

The possessions of three Natural Realm cultivators were not to be taken lightly, and most importantly, he found the same Body Skill, the Primordial Magnetic Body, in the Treasure Gourds of two of them.

This was no coincidence.

Having come to Blue Island and chosen to cultivate at the Blue Island Sacred Mountain, it was only natural that they would be related to the Primordial Magnetic force.

It was not surprising for two out of the three to have chosen the Primordial Magnetic Body Skill.

He pocketed them, planning to study them carefully when he had some spare time.

Now was not the moment, for he had more important matters to attend to.

On his way back, the movement of the thunder force became increasingly swift, still as straight as a line, sharp as a sword.

That was the purpose of his journey.

From the start of the Thunder Season in the Thunder Triangle to its shift towards Blue Island and finally back to the Thunder Triangle, completing a cycle within a year.

He too wanted to comprehend something during this cycle, to see if he could thereby break through the barriers in his Sea of Consciousness.

It wasn’t going smoothly.

Almost a year had passed, and the cycle was nearing its end, but his revelation had yet to arrive.

As he drew nearer and nearer to the coast, he could discern the final direction of the thunder force’s movement, right in the Thunder Triangle.

In other words, this return journey of the thunder force was a straight line from Blue Island to the Thunder Triangle, indirect in its return, direct in approach.

He did not know what mystery lay within it.

No matter how long the journey, there is always an end.

When Hou Niao returned to the Thunder Triangle after a year’s absence, he knew his pursuit of the thunder had failed.

Had his intuition been wrong?

Or had he missed something in the process?

He was still uncertain.

Upon arriving at the Thunder Triangle, Lei Jun became extremely excited, flapping its wings and crying loudly, circling the sky thrice.

Hou Niao knew this proud falcon was saying goodbye to him.

It seemed that it had obtained what it needed.

Following the same journey, chasing the same lightning, it achieved results through instinct, while he, relying on wisdom, got nothing…

Lei Jun left without a trace of reluctance, leaving Hou Niao all alone at the Thunder Triangle, feeling somewhat dispirited.

Over the years of cultivation, he had experienced many instances of toil without reward, but none of those had been enough to shatter his confidence; however, this time, if he missed the elusive intuition to ascend to the Upper Realm, when and where would the next opportunity arise?

This delay could be short in terms of years; he didn’t have an urgent need to advance for the sake of revenge or national enmity, but there was always a voice inside telling him, what would he miss if he was too late?

He was not one to give up easily, so amidst the thunderbolts within the Thunder Triangle, he began to reflect on his journey, pondering what he might have missed along the way.

Or perhaps, his intuition had been skewed.

First, he reassured himself that thunderbolts were indeed the key to breaking the barriers of his Sea of Consciousness!

This was no longer mere intuition; it was a certainty forged over more than two decades of cultivation.

Naturally, the Five Elements, Thunder Attribute!

Furthermore, he was certain that the impulse to break the barrier was still there and had not dissipated despite a year of chasing after the Thunder Trace; it was growing stronger instead.

If all this was correct, could it be that there was a problem with the direction of his enlightenment regarding thunderbolts?

Unrelated to the Thunder Trace?

Unrelated to Yuan Magnetic Mountain?

Unrelated to the inherent truth of the Heavenly Dao Thunderbolt?

After much thought, he still felt like he was overlooking something.

The inherent truth of the Heavenly Dao Thunderbolt?

That was an area he couldn’t explore, as he didn’t understand anything to begin with—how could he comprehend the profound mysteries of thunderbolts without a thorough understanding of the Five Elements?

And besides, was such a profound understanding of the Great Dao really necessary just to reach the Tongtian Realm?

Yuan Magnetic Mountain?

This journey had deepened his understanding of Primordial Magnetic Power, a major force behind the generation of thunderbolts; the Primordial Magnetic Force was omnipresent.

The Blue Island merely reflected it more directly—in truth, the entire Jinxiu Continent was a Primordial Magnetic Body, and so were the stars in the sky.

Yet he was unable to apply this understanding to the breakthrough of the barrier.

In his perception, it seemed like his Sea of Consciousness didn’t need such profound elements for resolution.

Months went by, and Hou Niao, stuck in the Thunder Triangle, spent days in deep contemplation, revisiting many of the skills and understandings documented by the cultivators of the three Guo Sects’ Taiyi Daoists, as well as their insights into ascending to the Upper Realm.

Finally, he understood why breaking the barrier of his Sea of Consciousness had been so difficult.

The biggest mistake he had made was assuming that the Heavenly Dao Thunderbolt he encountered in the Cold Well of the Yu Family was an opportunity, but for those in the Taiyi Sect, it was seen as the biggest obstacle to achieving enlightenment!

According to the Taiyi Sect, cultivators at the Low Realm of Thunder Cultivation should never come into contact with the Great Dao Thunderbolts.

While it might benefit their use of thunderbolts, it also adds a layer of the Great Dao’s constraints when attempting to ascend to a higher realm!

And cultivators in the Tongtian Realm do not have the ability to comprehend the Great Dao.

Thus, this additional layer of power becomes a shackle preventing further advancement.

To break this shackle, one could only hope for enlightenment in a higher realm.

To reach a higher realm, however, he was unable to break the constraints before him.

Because of his past eagerness to comprehend the essence of the Heavenly Dao Thunderbolt, he had cornered himself into a dead end.

Unable to break the barrier, he couldn’t ascend to the next realm; unable to ascend, he couldn’t break the barrier—a vicious cycle!

He finally understood what the so-called curse declared by the old ancestor of the Yu Family, Yu Shangque, actually meant.

It wasn’t really a curse, but rather the clear understanding from someone who had been there, knowing too well the dangers of prematurely encountering the Great Dao!