340: Chapter 340 Terrifying Thunder Pattern

Stepping through the gates of the Chixiao Thunder Hall felt like passing through a layer of sticky water film.

Before them was not the brightly lit hall they had imagined, but a long, wide passage that stretched downward as if without end.

The walls on both sides were riddled with honeycomb-like small holes, from which arcs of electricity darted out like small snakes from time to time.

The walls were made of a dark material, indistinguishable as stone or metal, covered in twisted patterns resembling ghostly charms that flickered with light, casting the entire passage in alternating brightness and shadow.

The air was thick with the violent aura of thunder and lightning; even a single breath felt tingly and numb.

Quite a few people had entered, but in this exceptionally large passage, they still appeared sparse and scattered.

Everyone automatically dispersed upon entering, some walking alone and others in small groups, keeping their distance from each other as they warily eyed the walls and the erratic arcs of lightning. The atmosphere was tense and filled with mutual suspicion.

Ye Tian, Bai Ling, and Bai Shaoyi trailed slightly behind.

Ye Tian was in no hurry to catch up to Li Xuanxiao, Bei Minghong, the Ghost Girl, and the others. Instead, he circulated his cultivation to withstand the increasing pressure of the lightning while carefully observing the patterns on the walls and the path of the darting electricity.

"Senior Brother Ye, there's something wrong with this passage," Bai Ling said in a low voice, her brow furrowed. "My senses can't extend even ten feet before being disrupted by those lightning patterns. I can't scout ahead."

She practiced an ice-attribute Cultivation Technique, which was heavily countered here. A thin layer of ice had already formed over her body to resist the environment.

"Mhm, it's not just our senses being interfered with." Ye Tian's gaze rested on a spot on the right wall where the patterns were slightly sparser, where two arcs of lightning had just crossed.

Strangely, after the lightning passed, the lightning fluctuations in that area seemed to "weaken" for an extremely brief moment. "This passage itself might be a giant sieve.

If we just rush in blindly, we might run into trouble."

No sooner had he spoken than something happened about a hundred yards ahead!

Five individuals dressed in the robes of some minor School—with cultivations around the sixth or seventh level of the True Martial Realm—perhaps in their haste to find treasure or overconfident in their movement techniques, attempted to dash through an area where the lightning was particularly dense in the middle of the passage.

But the moment their bodies brushed past a certain section of the wall, dozens of small holes on that surface suddenly flared with a blinding light!

"Chi chi chi!"

Dozens of terrifying bolts of lightning, as thick as the opening of a bowl and twisted together like a fishing net, erupted without warning, completely enveloping those three people!

The lightning was blinding, and the sound was deafening.

"No!"

The short-lived scream cut off abruptly. As the lightning dissipated, only five charred, smoking masses that were barely recognizable as human remained, along with several completely ruined weapons and Magic Treasures.

The stench of burnt flesh filled the air.

"Sss!"

Everyone following behind sucked in a breath of cold air simultaneously, stopping in their tracks, their faces turning pale with fright.

Those three people didn't even have a chance to crush their life-saving jade pendants! This passage was far more dangerous than they had imagined!

"It's a chain-triggered thunder Formation!" Feng Xuan said.

He stopped a short distance away with several Disciples of the Liuli Xuan Sect, the Jade Slip in his hand glowing as if he were rapidly calculating something.

"These patterns on the walls aren't just for show; they are part of the Formation. The darting lightning is just the surface; the real killing moves are hidden within the patterns.

We must find a safe path, or... have the ability to brute-force our way through."

These words weighed heavily on everyone's hearts. Find a safe path?

This passage was bottomless, and the patterns were ever-changing. How were they supposed to find one?

And brute-force it?

It wasn't as if they hadn't seen the power of that lightning net just now.

If they were caught in that thing, even several lives wouldn't be enough.

"Senior Brother Feng, have you discovered anything?" Ye Tian asked.

He knew Feng Xuan was knowledgeable and talented. Although he wasn't as proficient in the Dao of Formations as Dongfang Xinghe of Tianji Peak, he was still better than Ye Tian.

Feng Xuan's brow was tightly knit as he shook his head. "This Formation is too complex and unpredictable. It's connected to the ley lines of the entire Thunder Hall, drawing upon the power of lightning from heaven and earth. It can't be broken in a short time.

I can only barely see that the places where the patterns are more stable might be 'channels' for energy flow rather than 'burst points.' They might be a bit safer, but only slightly..."

Just then, a disdainful cold snort came from ahead.

Nangong Chi was seen leading the members of the Nangong Family. He glanced at the five charred corpses without a change in expression, as if he were looking at dead ants.

He raised his hand and cast a hand seal onto a follower beside him who was holding a diamond-shaped shield.

The shield immediately erupted with light, transforming into an oval-shaped crimson-gold barrier that enveloped the members of the Nangong Family.

"A mere Formation thinks it can block the path of my Nangong Family? Keep close!"

Nangong Chi gave a low shout and, disregarding everything, pushed the crimson-gold barrier forward, charging straight down the middle of the passage!

The route he chose was an area where the lightning was relatively sparse, but the patterns on the walls fluctuated in brightness.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Sure enough, as they rushed past certain spots, lightning erupted from the walls again, slamming hard against the crimson-gold barrier, causing it to shake violently and flash wildly.

But that bronze shield was clearly extraordinary. Coupled with Nangong Chi's own thick True Essence, it actually managed to withstand several hits. Although their speed slowed, they continued to push inward.

"It's the High Grade Profound Rank blazing sun heart-protecting shield! And the Nangong Family's 'Heaven Incinerating Manual'!" a knowledgeable Cultivator whispered in shock, their eyes filled with both envy and helplessness.

This was the foundation of a great Family; they had many treasures.

On the other side, Zhao Mao of the Tianhu Gate rolled his eyes. He clearly didn't have a defensive treasure of the Nangong Family's caliber.

He scanned the passage and suddenly fixed his gaze on a small group of four Loose Cultivators with cultivations at the fifth or sixth level of the True Martial Realm.

His lips curled into a cruel smile as he shot a look at a thin, sinister-looking accomplice beside him.

The thin man understood and quietly took out a dull grey leather pouch, blowing gently toward the four Loose Cultivators.

A cloud of colorless, odorless light-grey powder silently dispersed into the air, drifting toward the four Loose Cultivators.

The four Loose Cultivators were nervously looking for a path, trying to find a safe place to walk, when they suddenly felt an itch in their noses. Then, their heads began to spin, and the flow of power within their bodies became inexplicably chaotic. An uncontrollable surge of irritability and fear welled up within them.

"What's happening? My power is a bit haywire..." one person's expression changed.

"Not good! It's Mind-Confusing Powder! Someone is playing dirty!" another, who knew a bit about poisons, cried out in horror.

But it was too late.

Their minds gradually became unstable, and their perception of environmental changes dropped to a minimum.

One of them slipped and accidentally stepped on a floor tile that was a slightly different color.

"Weng!"

On the walls on both sides, several previously quiet patterns suddenly erupted with a blinding glare!

"Quick, dodge!" The poison-savvy Loose Cultivator's eyes turned red as he lunged to the side without thinking.

But this was the moment Zhao Mao had been waiting for!

A murderous light flashed in his eyes as he suddenly struck out with a palm. A tiger-claw-shaped palm wind blasted toward the Loose Cultivator who was trying to dodge, forcefully pushing him back to his original position!

"Zhao Mao! I'll f*ck your ancestors!"

The desperate voice was swallowed by the violent thunder.

Four bolts of lightning struck down in a cross, instantly engulfing the four Loose Cultivators.

After the lightning faded, there were four more charred corpses.

Meanwhile, Zhao Mao and his group took advantage of the lightning burst—which briefly diverted the Formation's energy—and dashed through the area at full speed, quickly catching up to the Nangong Family's team ahead.

They were actually using other people's lives as bait to create a flaw in the Formation's fluctuations to slip through!

Such a cruel and despicable act made the hair of many people behind them stand on end, their hearts turning cold, yet they dared not speak out.

This was the cruel world of cultivation; if you weren't ruthless enough, you would die.

Ye Tian coldly glanced at the receding backs of Zhao Mao and his group without saying a word.

Survival of the fittest was something he had long since grown accustomed to.

He looked at Feng Xuan. "Senior Brother Feng, have you found anything else?"

Feng Xuan's expression was also ugly, clearly despising Zhao Mao.

He said in a heavy voice, "This Formation... doesn't seem to be entirely static.

Just now, when Zhao Mao used those lives to trigger the lightning, I vaguely felt that after the energy burst, there was an extremely short process of 'backfilling' toward the burst point.

If we can accurately predict where and when the lightning will strike, we might be able to find a gap to pass through safely in that split second of 'backfilling.'

But this requires an exceptionally precise sense of energy flow, and it's too dangerous. Even the slightest error would mean death."