163: Chapter 163 Thunder Dao True Body

As the Wave Breaker docked, the morning sun was rising.

Principal Gongsun had long been waiting at the dock with the enforcement team.

Seeing the Cultivators from Sakura Country tied together in a string, his brow furrowed into a knot: "You caused such a huge commotion, aren't you afraid of their 'Onmyōryō' holding you accountable?"

"They struck first."

Zhang Wen tossed the Deep Sea Thunder Flood Dragon inner core to Lu Yan behind him.

"This is a trophy intercepted from them; according to the rules, it should belong to the representative team."

Principal Gongsun took the inspection report handed over by an enforcement team member.

His gaze paused on the words "using living human sacrifices for the Flood Dragon Summoning Formation," and his expression softened slightly.

"Fine, I will negotiate this matter with Sakura Country. You all go back and rest first. There is a multinational video conference this afternoon; the representative teams from Eagle Country and Polar Bear Country are coming over to 'communicate'."

"Communicate? I'm afraid they're coming to probe our bottom line."

Xiao Zhan sneered, rubbing his fists as he walked toward the dormitory.

"It's just as well; let them witness our prowess."

Zhang Wen was not in a hurry to go back.

He was still short 36,550 points on his System panel.

He opened the task list, and the newly refreshed task clearly read:

[Participate in the multinational exchange meeting and suppress the Eagle Country representatives in the tactical debate. Reward: points +50,000, team coordination +5%.]

"Perfect."

He turned and walked toward the data room; he had to first figure out the tactical weaknesses of the Eagle Country Aegis Squad—although the System data was comprehensive, on-the-spot debates required more targeted examples.

The afternoon meeting was held in the circular conference room on the top floor of the Alliance building.

In the holographic projection, the Eagle Country captain, Kevin, was puffing on a cigar.

Behind him stood two team members wearing black combat suits, the Aegis emblem on their arms gleaming with a metallic luster.

"Captain Zhang Wen, I've heard much about you."

Kevin exhaled a smoke ring, causing the holographic projection to ripple.

"I heard you just dealt with a Deep Sea Thunder Flood Dragon? What a coincidence, our Aegis Bureau also captured an 'Electric Ray Behemoth' in the Atlantic last week. The energy purity of its inner core is 30% higher than that of a Thunder Flood Dragon."

The boasting in these words could not be hidden.

The Nine Palaces copper coins at Su Qing's fingertips spun rapidly.

She whispered, "He is probing our reserves of spiritual materials."

Zhang Wen did not reply.

He pulled up the combat footage from Black Reef Bay—specifically cutting to the moment the Thunder Flood Dragon's horn shattered.

Purple-gold Lightning Radiance exploded in the holographic projection.

"Captain Kevin might not know that the horn of a Deep Sea Thunder Flood Dragon contains the 'Thunder Dao Origin'. This kind of energy..."

He paused and looked at the technical officer behind the other party.

"Does your Electric Ray Behemoth have it?"

The technical officer's expression changed slightly, and he subconsciously glanced at Kevin.

Zhang Wen caught this detail and understood immediately—the System data was indeed correct; the Electric Ray Behemoth of Eagle Country was just an ordinary mutated creature and did not have any Origin energy at all.

[Detected that the opponent's tactical probe failed. Points +20,000.]

Kevin's cigar burned to the end.

He crushed the butt and changed the subject: "I heard the Secret Realm of the Shattered Archipelago is about to open. We propose that all countries form teams to explore it. How about that?"

"Forming teams is fine."

Zhang Wen leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingertips on the table.

"But the areas must be allocated according to strength. The Dragon Country representative team's results in the points tournament should grant us priority in selection, right?"

The captain of the Polar Bear Country suddenly spoke, his stiff Chinese carrying shards of ice: "Our 'Ice Seal Domain' is more useful in the Secret Realm; we should choose."

"Not necessarily."

Zhang Wen pulled up the simulation data from the Illusion Valley, which clearly recorded the defensive loopholes of the Polar Bear Country team members under Thunder Element attacks.

"Your team's Ice Seal Domain doesn't seem very good at dealing with high-frequency Lightning Radiance?"

[Tactical suppression +1, points +15,000.]

The atmosphere in the conference room instantly froze.

Kevin looked at Zhang Wen's confident gaze and suddenly laughed.

"Captain Zhang Wen is indeed formidable. It seems Dragon Country has come prepared this time."

He raised his hand to signal the technical officer.

"Then we will go by the points; Dragon Country chooses first."

[Task completed. Total points +50,000. Current points: 1,013,450.]

[Team coordination: 75%.]

As the System prompt sounded, a weight lifted from Zhang Wen's heart.

He looked at Su Qing beside him.

She happened to look up, and the red light on her rusted sword resonated gently with the Lightning Radiance at the tip of his spear—during the debate just now, the Nine Palaces copper coins Su Qing had quietly passed to him showed "auspicious," giving him quite a bit of confidence.

After the meeting ended, Zhang Wen went straight to the System shop and exchanged for the thunder source crystal core without hesitation.

When that purple-gold crystal appeared in his palm, the sky-splitting startling thunder spear suddenly trembled violently.

The patterns on the spear body slithered like living creatures, greedily absorbing the energy of the crystal core.

[sky-splitting startling thunder spear is evolving... Current progress: 70%... 85%... 100%!]

[Evolution complete. Unlocked new ability: Thunder Dao True Body (can briefly Incarnate into lightning, immune to physical attacks).]

Zhang Wen could feel that an ancient will seemed to have been added to the spear body, completely merging with his Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder.

He tried to activate Thunder Dao True Body.

His entire body was instantly enveloped in Lightning Radiance.

He transformed into a human-shaped lightning bolt, and when he dashed through the corridor, he actually passed through the stone wall.

"This power..."

He stopped in the center of the training ground.

When the Lightning Radiance dissipated, the bronze patterns on the sky-splitting startling thunder spear had completely lit up, almost overlapping with the spear shadow of the ancient remnant soul.

[Detected that the host's strength has significantly increased. Triggered side quest: Go to the Dragon Country Forbidden Ground "Thunder Marsh," absorb the Origin Thunder Power, and unlock the final form of the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder, "Myriad Phenomena Return to Ruin Thunder."]

Zhang Wen looked at the Thunder Marsh map on the task panel.

It was the legendary birthplace of the ancient Thunder God, shrouded in thunderstorms all year round; no one had ever been able to penetrate its core.

"Going to be busy again."

He smiled and turned to find his teammates—the terrain of Thunder Marsh was treacherous, perfect for testing team coordination.

At this moment, Chu Yao's vines suddenly reached in from outside the window, the tip curling around a note.

On it was her elegant handwriting: "There is a 'Thunder Spirit' deep in the Thunder Marsh, which is good for the Young Flood Dragon. Bring it along."

Zhang Wen looked toward the direction of the spirit pond.

The Deep Sea Thunder Flood Dragon cub was curled up in a corner, the Lightning Radiance on its horn so faint it was almost invisible.

He remembered the focus Chu Yao had when she treated the Young Flood Dragon earlier.

He folded the note and put it into his Storage Pouch.

Three days later, at the edge of the Thunder Marsh.

Lu Yan carried a huge backpack stuffed with spiritual materials that resisted thunderstorms; Su Qing's rusted sword was wrapped in insulating Flood Dragon skin; Xiao Zhan's Overlord Body was covered in Flood Dragon scale armor; Murong Wu's Star Orbit formed a protective shield above her head; Ye Chen's black fog merged into the thunderstorm, on guard at all times; Chu Yao held the spiritual jade box containing the Young Flood Dragon, and vines wove into a green net around her.

Zhang Wen stood in the most intense part of the thunderstorm, the sky-splitting startling thunder spear pointing straight to the sky: "Are you ready?"

"Let's go!" everyone responded in unison.

The moment they stepped into the Thunder Marsh, the thunder filling the sky seemed to have found a vent, smashing crazily toward this team.

Zhang Wen activated Thunder Dao True Body, clearing the way at the very front.

The sky-splitting startling thunder spear swept out a safe zone, and his teammates followed closely behind, their coordination so tacit that it was as if they had practiced thousands of times.

[Team coordination: 80%! Stage task completed. Reward: Fusion skill "Shared Brilliance - Heaven Propping" unlocked.]

As the System prompt sounded, Zhang Wen happened to split a bucket-thick heavenly thunder.

He looked back at his teammates.

Seven figures were covering each other in the thunderstorm; Su Qing's fire and his thunder intertwined into a net; Lu Yan's Vajra Body protected the flank; Murong Wu's Star Orbit guided everyone to avoid the thunder eyes...

"Is this Shared Brilliance - Heaven Propping?"

A warm current surged in his heart.

When the sky-splitting startling thunder spear swung out again, his teammates' spiritual power actually gathered along the Lightning Radiance, condensing into a hundred-zhang giant spear in mid-air, forcibly piercing through the clouds of the Thunder Marsh.

Deep within the clouds, an aged voice rang out with a gratified smile: "Finally... someone has been able to split this Thunder Marsh."

Zhang Wen looked up.

In the core area of the thunderstorm, a basketball-sized golden thunder bead was actually floating, with countless Thunder Element Laws circulating around it—that was the Origin of the Myriad Phenomena Return to Ruin Thunder!

And below the thunder bead, a golden giant Flood Dragon phantom, similar to the Deep Sea Thunder Flood Dragon cub, slowly opened its eyes, looked at the spiritual jade box in Chu Yao's arms, and let out a gentle Dragon roar.

Chu Yao's vines suddenly shook violently.

She looked at the golden giant Flood Dragon, then at Zhang Wen, a trace of complexity flashing in her eyes: "So... the Young Flood Dragon's kin is here."

Zhang Wen gripped the sky-splitting startling thunder spear tightly, knowing that the real test had only just begun.

The secrets deep within the Thunder Marsh, the Origins of the Young Flood Dragon, and the truth of the ancient spiritual war that the System had always kept hidden... all would be revealed one by one in this land of thunder.