Volume One: The Celestial Cloud Palace Chapter Forty-Three: The Thunder Talisman

Chapter Forty-Three: The Thunder Talisman

Ten figures soared like immortals through clouds and mist, gazing down at a dazzling array of treasures glowing with celestial light. At that moment, everyone was stunned.

The Cloudmere Treasury truly lived up to its reputation! This beautiful landscape was not used to nurture exotic beasts, but to store thousands of magical weapons!

And to prevent any mishaps, every treasure in the vault had been imbued with an invisibility and transposition spell. In other words, they were not housed in this world, but placed in a parallel dimension. The reason why Zhou Hao and the others could see them now was that this parallel dimension was none other than the spiritual realm—the spiritual world of this hidden paradise!

It was unimaginable! It was one thing for living beings to exist in the spiritual world, but for an entire realm of space and time to possess a spiritual world was utterly bewildering. Yet this was the truth.

Every object has two parallel timespaces, even air! One is called the material timespace, which can be touched physically—like the flesh of an immortal. The other is the spiritual timespace, intangible, sensed only by the mind and spirit.

Thus, the main feature of the invisibility transposition spell is that when an object fully enters the spiritual timespace, a new question arises—if the object is material, how can it exist in the spiritual world?

The answer lies in the aforementioned transposition spell… It's difficult to master, for its invention was precisely to solve this problem!

"Let's go down and pick our treasures!" Yu Nan was delighted, taking Zhou Hao's hand and flying toward the ground.

Watching the two figures disappear hand in hand, the others felt a sudden inexplicable sense of loss, but quickly followed suit, for there was no time to linger in sentiment.

"Wait a minute, we're in a state of soul projection—how can we touch the actual treasures?" Zhou Hao asked, puzzled.

"Let's try!" Yu Nan replied, eyeing a golden sword thrust into the grass.

Zhou Hao nodded, reached out, and to his surprise, grasped the hilt. This only deepened his confusion—had he misunderstood?

"Exactly!" Yu Nan said, seeing Zhou Hao's puzzled face. "Our state now isn't soul projection—it's primordial spirit projection! As everyone knows, the primordial spirit is the third medium between soul and flesh. Its greatest characteristic is that it dominates both material and spiritual timespaces, unbound by rules, transcending both. Generally, only those who reach a certain level in cultivation can project their primordial spirit. With our current strength, it shouldn't be possible."

"So since our primordial spirits are projected, and not by our own doing, the reason must lie in this realm," Zhou Hao continued.

"If the primordial spirit can touch material objects, let's hurry and choose our treasures!"

The next moment, a grand and fervent "sweep" began.

"Heh heh, this banana leaf fan is mine!" A plump figure landed atop a peak, grabbing a magical treasure.

"Whoosh!" With a gentle wave of the fan, a violent wind erupted, mist billowed. Were this not the spiritual realm, mountains and rivers would surely have been destroyed.

"How boring! The timespace here restricts the banana leaf fan's power, so its might can't be known at all!" Cao Shuang sighed, hugging a fan twice his height. Nothing in the scene changed; the wind vanished far away, unable to even break a blade of grass.

Elsewhere, Cheng Yan and Nangong Ying found suitable treasures: a black halberd and an ancient silver-gray blade. While searching, they kept a watchful eye on Zhou Hao and Yu Nan; Zhou Hao was now a target marked for death in their eyes.

Su Qing, known as the Ice Goddess, found a treasure fit for her—a lotus platform, entirely blue and beautiful, seemingly crafted from rare jade.

Xiao Shanshan, clever and lively, was actively searching for her ideal treasure but made little progress. At that moment, Cheng Yan noticed her alone.

"Junior sister, why aren't you with senior sister? Have you found your treasure?" Cheng Yan asked knowingly.

"Hmph, you're here to mock me, aren't you? Senior sister has Zhou Hao now—why would she care about me? So what if I haven't found a treasure? At least I don't need to cheat to advance!" Xiao Shanshan looked at Cheng Yan with disdain.

"Xiao Shanshan, what nonsense are you spouting?" Cheng Yan hadn't expected such words from her and felt a twinge of guilt.

But one couldn't blame Xiao Shanshan; everyone knew Cheng Yan's cultivation was mediocre, and he would never make the top ten on his own. The only explanation for his success was cheating!

"I’m just saying what I want. Believe what you like—I couldn't care less!" Xiao Shanshan turned away, ignoring Cheng Yan.

"Stop! Xiao Shanshan, I am your senior brother—how can you treat me like this?" Cheng Yan shouted angrily at the petite figure ahead.

Xiao Shanshan didn't even pause or respond. Cheng Yan's anger boiled—he never expected a mere girl to be so insolent, and he clenched his fists in secret.

"Zhou Hao, look! This bracelet suits me perfectly—don't I look beautiful with it?" Yu Nan found a string of vermilion beads, glowing with joy like a little girl.

"Oh! Impressive, my senior sister! The bracelet is made of Firecloud Jade! You really know your treasures!" Zhou Hao exclaimed, recognizing the material.

"Of course! Firecloud Jade absorbs all the fires of heaven and earth—a rare treasure, worthy of my fair wrist!" Yu Nan boasted, showing off her delicate hand.

Zhou Hao was speechless… This girl was truly vain!

"Alright, we've each picked two treasures. Let's go find the last one!" Yu Nan said.

"Okay. I saw lightning flashing on that mountain ahead—there must be something good. Let's check it out!" Zhou Hao soared on his sword, looking dashing.

"Wait for me!" Yu Nan called after him.

The mountain rose high, shrouded in clouds, with dark thunderclouds midway up, lightning blazing.

As they approached, they found that the lightning came from a rhombic stone embedded in the cliff, crystalline and clear, marked with a golden bolt.

"Could it be… the Thunder Talisman?" Yu Nan murmured, covering her lips in disbelief.

"Thunder Talisman? What's that?" Zhou Hao scratched his head, unfamiliar with the term.

"I suppose you've heard of the Palm Lightning spell?" Yu Nan replied with a question.

"Of course! Even my master can't use it—I'm sure only the palace lord can perform it," Zhou Hao said.

"Exactly! Only immortals of the highest rank or above can forge a Thunder Talisman, so only the palace lord can wield it," Yu Nan nodded.

"So… to cast Palm Lightning, one must first forge a Thunder Talisman? But you say this rhombic stone is the Thunder Talisman? How can it exist separately? Can a talisman condensed from an immortal's power be extracted like this?"

Yu Nan shook her head, "I don't know. The Thunder Talisman should be a mark condensed in an immortal's palm. How it appears here, I can't say."

"Then… if I take it, can I use Palm Lightning?" Zhou Hao rubbed his hands, not caring how the stone came to be.

"Try it! If you can wield Palm Lightning, you'll astonish everyone at the Immortal Palace Gathering!" Yu Nan encouraged him.

Lightning flashed, silver serpents danced, the rhombic stone unleashed thunder fierce enough to shatter the earth. Zhou Hao was unafraid, for he wore something reassuring on his right hand.

Silkworm Silk Gloves!

These gloves were miraculous. Without them, Zhou Hao would never have survived his battle with the Sun Shark—indeed, they saved his life, and remained intact. Zhou Hao doubted any ordinary immortal could craft such gloves, for Silkworm Silk was a treasure among treasures. Only a great sect or a king of immortals could create such a marvel!

Yet it made Zhou Hao wonder—how did his master Yun Fang come to possess Silkworm Silk Gloves?

Lightning crackled, brilliance blazed, Zhou Hao gripped the stone tightly as it shook violently, almost as if alive, trying to escape his grasp.

Thunder roared, bolts split the sky, chains of lightning appeared in the space around Zhou Hao, threatening to electrocute him. The gloves protected his right hand, but the rest of his body was defenseless. Soon, he was bound by lightning chains, his body scorched black.

"Zhou Hao!" Yu Nan cried in alarm, rushing to help.

"Don't come! I can subdue it. Stay back, or you'll be hurt!" Zhou Hao endured the pain, urging Yu Nan to stay away.

"I believe in you! I’ll wait for you!" Yu Nan, tears threatening, relaxed slightly at his words.

"Merge!"

The stone in his palm kept discharging, lightning chains wrapping around Zhou Hao, shredding his clothes, burning his skin, threatening to break his bones. Yet his hands pressed together in a gesture of unity, golden light blazing from his palms.

At that moment, Zhou Hao was enveloped in an unparalleled radiance—ten suns circled him, as if a solar deity had descended.

"Is that the power of the Great Sun Palm…?" Yu Nan whispered, watching the brilliant figure in the sky.

After a long while, the light faded. Zhou Hao, clad in white, floated clearly in the air. Eyes closed, unharmed, all his wounds vanished. His right hand, however, was raised high.

A torrent of lightning erupted from his palm, clouds darkening the heavens, bolts stretched for a thousand miles, raging through the realm. Though nothing was destroyed, the sheer force was overwhelming.

"Return!"

Zhou Hao opened his eyes, clenched his fist, and the lightning vanished instantly. When he and Yu Nan landed, the other disciples were speechless—how powerful had Zhou Hao become? That was the might of heaven!

Lightning! The dread of cultivators, the punishment of heaven for those who defy fate. Why are high-level cultivators so few? Ninety-nine percent are destroyed by heavenly lightning tribulations! Few dare to touch the domain of lightning—for to cultivate it is to court death.

Three hours passed quickly. The ten disciples each found three treasures, and the Cloudmere Immortal arrived as promised to escort them back to the Cloudmere Palace.

When they returned to the Sword Training Square, they found it was already dusk. Each went back to rest, preparing for tomorrow's crucial battle.

Yun Fang’s immortal mountain, inside the bamboo house.

"My good disciple, you leave me speechless!" Upon learning Zhou Hao had obtained a Thunder Talisman, Yun Fang was so excited he almost knelt.

"Master, where will we go for the Immortal Palace Gathering tomorrow?" Zhou Hao asked.

"Heh heh, the usual place," Yun Fang stroked his beard with a smile.

"The usual place? You mean… there?"