Chapter 131: Thunder City

Should the Thunder-Guiding Bead be taken out now?

Although Su Ye did not yet understand the specific purpose of the Thunder-Guiding Bead, he followed the instructions of the Miao Ba Gu-shaman and brought it out.

Hum—

The moment it was revealed, the entire Thunder-Guiding Bead emitted a brilliant glow, making it extremely conspicuous in the darkness of the night.

"There is another Thunder-Guiding Bead?"

Su Ye suddenly looked ahead. On the first floating bamboo raft, a similar light was shining. A martial artist was clutching a strange bead that was identical to his.

Clearly, the other martial artists had noticed as well. Surprised that there could be two such beads, they began to whisper among themselves.

Miao Ba’s expression sank, and he barked, "Now that we are on the Gu River, stop talking! And do not look into the water!"

All the martial artists immediately clamped their mouths shut.

However, it was unlikely that many would heed the warning not to look into the water. Driven by curiosity, most of them subconsciously cast a glance toward the riverbed.

Su Ye was no exception. As a martial artist, one could not evade danger; one had to face it head-on. He looked around at the river. The current was sluggish, and they seemed to be drifting slowly around a massive mountain.

Whether due to the darkness or something hidden beneath the surface, it was impossible to see the bottom of the river here.

Curiously, despite the murky, opaque water, bubbles would occasionally churn to the surface, as if something were thrashing about deep below.

"There is something down there!" Gang Jin, who was nearby, mouthed silently.

The Gu-shaman named Miao Quan, who was also nearby, snorted coldly and said, "Those are nothing but water ghosts and masterless Gu insects. Once they see their reflection in your eyes, they will pounce and bite. If you aren't afraid of death, keep looking!"

At this, no one dared to look again.

Yet, everyone felt a sense of unease. As they drifted along the river, things suddenly changed. A white mist seemed to be hovering just above the surface, constantly sweeping across the water.

The Thunder-Guiding Bead in Su Ye’s hand began to tremble slowly. He distinctly felt something calling out to the bead—or perhaps the bead was searching for a path, a path leading home.

"Get ready—once enough Gu insects have gathered below, they will guide us in breaking through the illusory ancient array," Miao Ba shouted suddenly. More and more Gu insects were converging in the water.

Only then did the people realize that their long drift down the river was intended to lure these Gu insects.

Gradually, everyone seemed to fall under an illusion. They saw the river ahead begin to twist and distort. Even without trying to discern it, one could smell the overwhelmingly thick scent of Gu insects.

Swoosh!

Just then, a flash of light cut through the air, and a flying blade shot directly toward Su Ye.

"Watch out!" Ouyang Yunfeng, who was beside him, shouted.

Su Ye had been on high alert, keeping a close watch on the water, but he had not expected an attack from the second group. He recoiled sharply, narrowly dodging the blade, which caused his bamboo raft to sway violently.

Plop—

"Ah—" As Su Ye pulled back, the flying blade whizzed past and struck a martial artist from the Jiu family in the chest. With a scream, the man tumbled into the water.

Immediately, blood surged into the river, drawing a massive swarm of Gu insects.

"Who? Who killed him?"

"Who is responsible? How dare you!"

The martial artists cursed in fury, looking around vigilantly. But in the dim light, they could only discern the general direction; it was impossible to tell who had launched the attack.

Just as Su Ye retreated and struggled to steady himself, he noticed the Miao family martial artist who was steering his raft move. The man had clearly been prepared; he kicked out viciously at Su Ye’s hand.

Whoosh!

A gust of wind swept up, nearly flipping the entire bamboo raft.

With a loud thud, the Thunder-Guiding Bead was kicked out of Su Ye’s hand. Furious, Su Ye flipped his body and struck the Miao family martial artist with a punch, shouting, "Your Miao family is despicable and shameless!"

Boom—

With a single blow, the martial artist was sent flying, and with a splash, he plunged into the river.

"Damn it!"

"Attack! Feed them all to the Gu!" No one knew who had shouted, but suddenly, fighting erupted in several places at once.

Ignoring them, Su Ye saw his bead sinking into the water. He lunged to the side and dove headlong into the river, his hand emitting a surge of energy to sweep the bead toward him.

"Come back to me—"

Boom! Boom!

At that moment, everyone seemed to be struck by a powerful force, and many fell into the water. For a time, shouts and curses filled the air.

As Su Ye grabbed the bead, his head suddenly hummed. He felt as though he had entered a strange state, as if passing through layers of thin fog.

With his ears buzzing, he surged up from the depths and broke through the surface.

When he saw the scene before him, he froze.

Before him lay an ocean!

"What? How can there be an ocean?"

Su Ye’s pupils contracted. Even in the darkness, he was certain this was a sea; at the very least, the surface was so vast it felt infinite.

How could this be?

But he knew this was not the time to ponder his location. He had fallen into the water during a heated battle, and he was undoubtedly still in great danger.

He scanned his surroundings and saw many others surfacing. Like him, they were gasping in shock, clearly stunned by their location.

"Where is this?"

"Are we in the middle of the ocean? Could the legends be true? Brother, brother, where are you?"

Hearing this, Su Ye recalled the first time he had seen the Thunder-Guiding Bead; he had witnessed a vast, stormy sea within it. That shocking sight was still fresh in his memory.

Had they already arrived at Thunder City?

If this was Thunder City, then was the city located within this ocean?

Su Ye looked up. Just then, a bolt of heavenly lightning tore through the pitch-black night sky. With a thunderous roar, it illuminated the horizon, widening everyone’s view and revealing the far distance.

There, in the middle of the pitch-black sea, lay a massive island, and upon that island stood a colossal white city.

It was an incomparably ancient city, its entire structure bleached white, as if no one had visited it for millennia.

In the midst of the dark sea, it emerged like a primordial, gargantuan beast.

"It’s Thunder City—" The voice belonged to Miao Ba, who was floating nearby.

He seemed to have encountered the most exciting thing imaginable, laughing manically, "Hahaha, it really is Thunder City. The legend is true! We’ve reached Thunder City!"

The light from the lightning faded, but in that moment of chaos, everyone had seen it clearly.

It was indeed a city!

Su Ye felt a profound shock. Many things had become clear; they had entered some special zone while on the Gu River. This place might not even be part of China anymore.

Just like the forbidden grounds of his own family, this was a unique existence that did not belong to the mortal realm.

It was more like the illusory realms recorded in ancient texts.

"Liu Ying—Liu Ying—" Knowing this was Thunder City, Su Ye didn't dwell on it further and immediately began to search for her.

"Su Ye, hurry! I’m here—" In the darkness, Jiang Liuying’s weak voice called out.

But as she cried out, she seemed to be ambushed, and she erupted in rage: "You scoundrel, you want to kill me!"

Bang, bang, bang!

Nearby, the waves churned as a fight broke out.

Su Ye immediately channeled his internal energy, slammed his palm onto the water, and, standing atop the waves, charged toward the noise...