161: Chapter 161 Ancient Remnant Soul

Zhang Wen was studying the point tasks on his System panel when Lu Yan leaned over, a half-eaten pastry hanging from his mouth, and nudged him with his bronze-colored elbow.

"Zhang Wen, want to increase the difficulty tomorrow? I heard Dragon Country has a 'Phantom Formation Valley' where the illusions can simulate the Moves of contestants from various countries. It's perfect for testing the waters."

"Phantom Formation Valley?"

Zhang Wen looked up, and the System panel suddenly popped up a notification: [Potential combat scenario detected. Enter the Phantom Formation Valley and complete a '10-match simulated winning streak' to receive 5,000 points.]

"Sure," he nodded, his fingertips scrolling through the System mall until his gaze landed on a 'Phantom-Breaking Pill'—priced at 10,000 points, it could keep one's Divine Soul clear within an illusion. It seemed this Phantom Formation Valley was trickier than imagined; he needed to prepare in advance.

At dawn the next day, the eight of them stood at the entrance of the Phantom Formation Valley. The valley entrance was filled with a pale purple mist, and the rock walls were carved with flowing runes; this was the 'Thousand-Face Phantom Formation' that Dragon Country had modified using an ancient Formation.

"After entering, you will be randomly matched with opponent Clones. Remember, do not be deceived by the illusions," Principal Gongsun's voice came from outside the barrier. "Each person has three chances to 'break the Formation.' If you fail three times, you will be automatically teleported out."

Zhang Wen stepped into the mist first, and the runes beneath his feet instantly lit up. [Phantom Formation activation detected. Automatically matching the first opponent: Sakura Country Onmyōryō · Abe no Seimei (Clone).]

The mist before him suddenly dissipated, and he found himself standing in a courtyard filled with falling cherry blossoms. Abe no Seimei, dressed in hunting robes, clapped his hands and smiled at him, a Nine-Tailed Fox pattern painted on the folding fan in his hand. "Zhang Wen-kun, I have heard much about you."

"Onmyōdō?" Zhang Wen summoned the sky-splitting startling thunder spear. The Lightning Radiance at the spear tip caused the surrounding cherry blossoms to explode one after another. "Perfect, let me see what you've got."

Abe no Seimei lightly waved his folding fan, and a massive Shikigami Formation appeared on the ground. A three-headed, six-armed Yaksha crawled out from the Formation, its green face and fangs bared as its ghostly hands reached for Zhang Wen's throat. "Shikigami · Yaksha Strangling." His voice carried a smile, as if victory was already within his grasp.

[Onmyōdō attack detected. Triggering Domain characteristic 'Ten Thousand Laws Attract Lightning.']

The lightning mark on Zhang Wen's left arm lit up, and the Nine Heavens Thunder Prison instantly expanded. As soon as the Yaksha's ghostly hands entered the thunder Domain, they were locked onto by Divine Thought, followed immediately by a Tribulation Thunder striking down with precision, causing the Yaksha to smoke. "Your Shikigami is quite adept at attracting lightning."

Abe no Seimei's smile stiffened, and his folding fan suddenly pointed behind Zhang Wen. "Watch your back."

Zhang Wen didn't even turn his head. He backhanded the sky-splitting startling thunder spear, piercing through a phantom image—it was the Onmyōdō 'Oboro Clone.'

"Small tricks like this are already written in the data."

He stepped forward, and the second Move of the Instant Prison Thunder Sound Spear, 'Thunderstorm,' suddenly erupted. Lightning points filled the sky like a torrential rain, shattering the entire courtyard illusion.

[Clone Abe no Seimei defeated. Current winning streak: 1, points +5000.]

The mist gathered again. Just as Zhang Wen steadied himself, he heard Su Qing's voice from the left: "Zhang Wen, help me out!"

He looked toward the sound and saw Su Qing being besieged by a group of Eagle Country S.H.I.E.L.D. Clones, the red light on her rusted sword flickering precariously. "Coming!"

Just as Zhang Wen was about to rush over, a System alert sounded in his mind: [Warning! Mental interference detected; this is currently an illusionary inducement!]

He slammed on the brakes, and sure enough, he saw the corner of 'Su Qing's' mouth curl into a cold sneer that didn't belong to her. The surrounding S.H.I.E.L.D. Clones suddenly turned into black mist—it was Ye Chen's illusion!

"Fast reaction." Ye Chen's voice came from the right. The real him was thrusting his sword forward, the blade wrapped in Sakura Country 'Curse Seals.' Clearly, this illusion could fuse techniques from multiple countries, making it even trickier than actual combat.

Zhang Wen didn't retreat but advanced instead. The sky-splitting startling thunder spear collided with the opponent's blade, and the Lightning Radiance spread along the sword, actually shattering the Curse Seals inch by inch.

"Instant Prison Thunder Sound Spear · Third Move: Thunder Lock!" Several lightning chains flew out, precisely binding Ye Chen's wrists, the true intent of annihilation and barrier-breaking rendering his black mist defense completely ineffective.

[Clone Ye Chen defeated. Current winning streak: 2, points +5000.]

Over the next three hours, Zhang Wen broke through seven more levels in the Phantom Formation Valley. From Eagle Country's 'Quantum Cannon' to Polar Bear Country's 'Ice-Sealing Domain,' System data and practical experience cross-verified each other, deepening his understanding of various countries' techniques.

When the ninth Clone—Murong Wu's Star Domain—collapsed within the thunder prison, the notification finally sounded:

[9-match simulated winning streak achieved. Hidden level unlocked: Ancient Spirit War Remnant Soul (Thunder Element).]

The mist churned violently, and a phantom figure clad in bronze armor appeared before Zhang Wen. The long spear in its hand was shockingly similar to the sky-splitting startling thunder spear, and the Lightning Radiance surrounding it was more ancient and violent than his Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder.

"Junior, your lightning... is still lacking."

The Remnant Soul spoke, its voice sounding as if it came from the distant past. With a wave of its long spear, a gray lightning dragon roared out—this was 'Nirvana Lightning' carrying an aura of deathly silence, completely different from Zhang Wen's Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder.

Zhang Wen's pupils constricted; he finally understood why the System had set this as the final level.

The Nirvana Lightning did not contain destruction, but termination. His thunder Domain was corroded the moment it made contact, and his Divine Thought lock was rendered completely ineffective!

[Warning! Unknown Thunder Element energy detected. Suggest using 'Phantom-Breaking Pill'!]

Zhang Wen swallowed the Medicinal Pill without hesitation. His clear Divine Soul allowed him to instantly capture the key: although the opponent's lightning was strong, it lacked a trace of 'vitality.'

It was just like the Legacy that had been severed after the Ancient Spirit War—it had power, but no possibility of evolution.

"Perhaps, but my lightning can split the past!"

Zhang Wen mobilized all of his Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder and the 'Thunder Element Spiritual Vein affinity' rewarded by the System. For the first time, patterns similar to the bronze armor appeared on the sky-splitting startling thunder spear—it was the aura of the thunder source crystal core resonating!

"Instant Prison Thunder Sound Spear · Profound Truth: Dao of Thunder Reincarnation!"

The instant the Lightning Radiance collided with the Nirvana Lightning, Zhang Wen seemed to see fragments of the Ancient Spirit War: countless Thunder Element Cultivators using their bodies to block the broken Spiritual Veins, their lightning resonating with the earth, eventually transforming into the thunder source of today...

"So that's how it is..." The phantom figure of the Remnant Soul revealed a relieved smile. The bronze spear turned into a streak of light and merged into the sky-splitting startling thunder spear. "Your path is wider than ours."

[Final level complete. 10-match simulated winning streak achieved! Reward points +50000.]

When Zhang Wen walked out of the Phantom Formation Valley, the setting sun was painting the sky red. Lu Yan, Su Qing, and the others had long been waiting outside, each of them bearing injuries; clearly, they had also experienced hard-fought battles.

"Zhang Wen, why are you only coming out now?" Lu Yan handed him a piece of roasted meat. "The most any of us won was five matches. You got a 10-match winning streak... are you even human?"

Zhang Wen took the roasted meat. The sky-splitting startling thunder spear trembled slightly in his hand, and the patterns on the spear body were clearer than before. He looked toward the distant horizon, where the outline of the Shattered Archipelago could be vaguely seen.

[Team coordination: 58%. 22% remaining to reach the 80% goal.]

[Current points: 163450. 836550 remaining until the thunder source crystal core.]

The numbers on the System panel were jumping, but the corners of Zhang Wen's mouth curled into a smile. Although eighty-seven days was short, he knew that as long as this lightning did not stop, no matter how difficult the road ahead was, he could split it open.

Just then, Chu Yao's vines suddenly pointed toward the east, where a speedboat disguised as a fishing boat was leaving the shore, the Sakura Country family crest printed on its sail.

"They've gone to the East Sea," Chu Yao whispered, the vines at her fingertips trembling slightly. "They might be going to find... the Deep Sea Thunder Flood Dragon."

Zhang Wen tightened his grip on the sky-splitting startling thunder spear, the Lightning Radiance flashing and disappearing at the spear tip.

"Perfect, saves us a trip."