Chapter 37: The World-Shaking Thunder
The sky darkened abruptly, as if a storm was brewing. The wind died down, a suffocating silence descending upon the town.
Thunderclouds gathered above Changling County, their rumbling echoing ominously.
Inside the county magistrate’s residence…
A middle-aged man put down his brush and hurried out of his study. Looking at the churning thunderclouds in the distance, his face paled with alarm.
“What’s happening?!”
This celestial phenomenon was sudden, strange, and unprecedented!
“Magistrate Tang! It seems a rare storm is approaching!” An elderly official rushed over.
“Quickly order everyone to prepare for flooding! Make sure no houses are damaged by the rainwater.”
Magistrate Tang’s expression turned grim. He flicked his sleeve and commanded, “Tell everyone in the county to return to their homes. No one is to wander outside.”
Officials rushed to and fro, relaying his orders. The entire magistrate’s residence was in a frenzy of activity.
But Tang’s gaze kept returning to the horizon, his eyes fixed on the menacing thunderclouds, flickering with lightning. His expression was filled with unease.
Was it his imagination?
These thunderclouds…
Why weren’t they dissipating? It was as if they were gathering power.
The lightning within the dark clouds seemed to shift from azure to purple, and for a moment, he saw a shadowy dragon coiling within them. Fear gripped his heart, and he shouted in alarm, “Send officers to evacuate the residents beneath those thunderclouds!”
A catastrophic disaster was about to befall Changling!
…
The restaurant was crowded with people seeking shelter from the rain.
Conversations buzzed around him, everyone complaining about the sudden storm, punctuated by the occasional drunken shout.
In a corner by the window sat a solitary figure, clad in a straw raincoat, his back straight, his brow furrowed, an air of a reclusive master surrounding him.
But his gaze was fixed on the flashing thunderclouds above, his fingers constantly moving as he performed divination calculations.
“A celestial phenomenon, a sign of impending doom. Azure thunder, purple lightning, a display of heavenly might. These thunderclouds are not natural, but a calamity sent from the heavens… Could it be that an unworldly demon is lurking in Changling County, its power so terrifying that even the heavens must intervene?”
“I’ve heard many rumors since arriving in this county, tales of evil spirits wreaking havoc, causing deaths. Could these thunderclouds be—”
“Wait!”
He quickly took out a palm-sized compass, but his hand trembled, unable to hold it steady.
“Why is my Eight Trigrams Compass shaking so violently? And the soul-seeking needle… it’s spinning wildly?!”
This compass was no ordinary object. It could detect the presence of evil, sense changes in the wind and clouds. He had used it to find countless ghosts.
But now…
It was spinning erratically, as if possessed!
His face turned pale, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
“How is this possible? How is this possible?! The Eight Trigrams Compass has never failed me. It can pinpoint the location of any evil spirit or ghost. But now… could this Changling County truly be a demonic lair, harboring all the terrifying monsters in the world?!”
His heart trembled as he looked up, his gaze sweeping over the patrons, farmers, and waiters in the restaurant, guided by the compass needle.
A waiter carrying a wine flask happened to walk past, glancing at him curiously.
The man in the straw raincoat felt a chill run down his spine, as if he were sitting on pins and needles!
“This is bad! Have I stumbled into a demonic nest… Is this my destined tribulation?!”
He swallowed hard, pushing himself up from the table with trembling legs.
A cracking sound reached his ears.
His face paled as he looked down at the compass in his hand. Cracks were spreading across its surface!
An indescribable fear gripped his heart, and he no longer hesitated.
“This place… this Changling County is truly terrifying! I must leave!!”
…
Inside an inn across the street…
A black-haired girl, about twelve or thirteen years old, stood by the window. Her delicate face was framed by braids, her azure Daoist robe giving her an ethereal aura.
But her expression was unusually serious for her age.
She watched as the man in the straw raincoat ran through the rain, his figure disappearing into the distance.
“That Hu Sang Daoist is quite renowned, skilled in martial arts and divination. But even he is fleeing in terror, not daring to stay even for a moment despite the heavy rain.”
“Great-grandfather sent me here on a journey. Could this be the trial he intended for me?”
Looking up at the thunderclouds churning in the sky…
Her face turned pale.
Even though she was considered a prodigy, the most talented in her clan for generations, her cultivation already remarkable at such a young age, she still felt incredibly small and insignificant before this display of heavenly might, like an ant. It was as if she could be reduced to ashes in an instant.
“This place… i-is it too dangerous for a trial?”
The girl hugged herself, her body trembling uncontrollably.
She…
Also wanted to flee like that Hu Sang Daoist.
But her limbs were frozen stiff, and she couldn’t even move her feet.
She could only watch helplessly as lightning flashed across the sky, each thunderclap shaking her heart, almost breaking her spirit. The light in her eyes dimmed.
With her limited experience, she couldn’t comprehend what was happening, what this terrifying spectacle meant.
…
Meanwhile…
Lin Tianlu rushed to the backyard, gathering the clothes drying on the rack.
“Why did it start raining so suddenly, without any warning?!”
He grumbled, carrying the clothes back to the house.
But out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mao Ruoyu clutching a chair, her face pale, her steps unsteady.
“Madam Mao?!”
He quickly dropped the clothes and rushed to her side. “Are you feeling unwell again?”
“I don’t know… I just feel anxious and short of breath, as if something bad is about to happen.” Mao Ruoyu shook her head weakly.
Lin Tianlu frowned, then scooped her up in his arms, ignoring the soft sensation, and hurried towards the door.
“S-Sir?”
“We should see a doctor. If you ignore it, a minor illness could turn serious.”
But as they reached the door, a torrential downpour had begun.
“This is troublesome!”
Lin Tianlu’s eyes narrowed as he glanced at the dark sky.
The thunderclaps seemed particularly annoying now.
He took off his robe and covered Mao Ruoyu with it, then activated the recently learned Roaming Dragon Phantom Steps, preparing to rush to the clinic.
At that moment, the thunderclouds above had turned a dark purple, a shadowy dragon seemingly taking shape within them, a world-ending disaster. Even a trace of its aura was enough to silence the entire Changling County. The rumbling thunder sounded even louder now.
“Shut the hell up!”
Lin Tianlu suddenly cursed.
Seeing the woman in his arms frowning with each thunderclap, almost fainting, he felt a surge of anger. “Stop that damn noise! Why now, of all times?! You’re disturbing the sick and disrupting the peace! Just find a tree to strike and get it over with!”
“…”
The earth-shattering thunder seemed to pause for a moment.
Lin Tianlu exhaled angrily and continued running, his figure flickering through the deserted streets.
The dark clouds churned like a raging sea. A bolt of purple-black lightning, as if sensing its target, pierced through the clouds, its world-ending power descending upon Lin Tianlu’s head!
But just as the lightning was about to strike, its terrifying force abruptly halted. The bolt of lightning changed direction and struck Lin Tianlu’s mansion instead, shaking the ground violently.
At the same time, a surge of sword energy erupted, its clear and resonant hum piercing the sky, dispersing the dark clouds that had shrouded the heavens. The storm gradually subsided.
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