Supreme Dragon Lord

Tang Le paused his cultivation. Seeing that Long Chen wasn’t practicing either, he couldn’t help but feel curious. He walked over and asked, "Brother Long, what are you doing just standing there? Why aren’t you cultivating?"

"I have been," Long Chen replied. "It’s just that these Wind Thunder Crystals are useless to me."

"Hm? Useless?" Upon hearing this, Tang Le frowned. "How is that possible? We’ve all been using the Wind Thunder Crystals to cultivate, and they’ve significantly improved our strength. Their effects are clearly visible, so how could they not work for you?"

Long Xin, Chu Lingjun, and Lei Shishi also looked at Long Chen, completely baffled. Just as Tang Le had said, the Wind Thunder Crystals had certainly worked for them. So why were they ineffective on Long Chen?

Long Chen was equally perplexed. "I’ve already consumed a large number of Wind Thunder Crystals, but they had absolutely no effect," he explained. With that, he waved his hand, and another pile of Wind Thunder Crystals appeared before him. He then began to absorb them. However, even after he had absorbed every last crystal, his aura didn’t change in the slightest.

Witnessing this, Tang Le and the others all wore solemn expressions. They were utterly baffled by this strange phenomenon. Logically, something like this shouldn’t happen.

Just then, an incredibly powerful force erupted in their midst. The pressure descended upon them like Mount Tai, and everyone felt their bodies sink under the immense weight. Fortunately, they managed to circulate their energy just in time to defend themselves, thus avoiding the full impact.

After they recovered, Long Chen and the others finally noticed the Bloodthirsty Bat. At that moment, an extremely potent energy was radiating from its body. Its frame expanded rapidly, returning to its previously massive and imposing size in the blink of an eye. Its current aura, however, was much stronger than before, and streaks of the Power of Thunder now flickered across its body. It felt as though its entire being was brimming with strength; its power had increased significantly.

Once it retracted its aura, the space around them slowly returned to calm.

"Master!" the Bloodthirsty Bat cried, flying over to Long Chen. "I’ve successfully broken through."

"Excellent." Long Chen nodded with satisfaction. For him, the stronger the Bloodthirsty Bat became, the better.

Receiving Long Chen’s approval, the smile on the Bloodthirsty Bat’s face grew even wider.

Long Chen slowly asked, "With the Wind Thunder Crystals we have now, is it enough to open the passage to the Fourth Layer?"

The Bloodthirsty Bat glanced over their supply and replied, "It’s almost enough, but to be on the safe side, it would be best to collect some more. Besides, these Wind Thunder Crystals help everyone’s cultivation. The more, the better; we can never have too many."

"Alright," Long Chen nodded, then instructed the bat, "Lead us to the next spot."

"Yes, Master!" The Bloodthirsty Bat nodded at the command and immediately led the group to the next location.

Under the Bloodthirsty Bat’s guidance, Long Chen and his companions swept through the area like harvesters, gathering a massive amount of Wind Thunder Crystals into their Storage Rings. After they had finished, Long Chen slowly addressed the group, "Since everyone is well-prepared, it’s time for us to clear this level as quickly as possible."

"No problem!" everyone present chorused, nodding in agreement with the decision.

From then on, Long Chen and the others stopped searching for Wind Thunder Crystals. Enduring the buffeting wind and thunder, they headed straight for the passage to the Fourth Layer.

A mighty howl assailed them. The terrifying wind and thunder, like sharp Qi Blades, caused immense damage wherever they passed. The hard mountain face was scarred with marks left behind by the slicing gusts. Everywhere the storm touched was left in utter disarray.

Along the way, Long Chen’s group proceeded with caution. Aside from the occasional blast of fierce wind and thunder, they didn’t face any significant danger.

Just as they thought they could proceed smoothly to the Fourth Layer, a tempest of wind and thunder erupted before them.

BOOM!

In the sky above, terrifying bolts of lightning flashed incessantly, and thunderclaps echoed one after another. The horrific Power of Thunder descended from the heavens, pulverizing even the solid mountain rock. Amidst this fearsome storm, the canyon had become a dead end.

The distance to the other side was a full hundred meters, and the most dangerous part of that gap was the center. Terrifying storms and lightning bolts continuously rained down into that area.

Long Chen’s party cautiously approached and noticed a group of people gathered in the center, desperately defending against the thunderstorm from above.

At that moment, He Luo, Xue Wuying, and Xu Huanhuan were leading their followers in resisting the storm’s assault. They were surrounded by a dense barrage of lightning, putting them under immense strain. Fortunately, they had worked together to set up a defensive Formation, but it had a fatal flaw—it only allowed them to defend their current position.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Countless lightning strikes slammed into the Defensive Barrier. Many were terrified by the awesome power, their faces instantly turning deathly pale, unsure how to cope.

He Luo, Xue Wuying, and Xu Huanhuan also wore grave expressions. For the moment, they couldn’t think of a way to overcome the danger.

Damn this thing! It’s far more troublesome than I ever expected, He Luo thought, his gaze dark as he stared at the raging storm, his fists clenched tightly.

Xue Wuying’s expression was equally grim. The passage to the Fourth Layer was within reach, yet they had been unexpectedly trapped by the wind and thunder for a long time, unable to break the stalemate.

Every move they made was being clearly observed by Long Chen through his Divine Demon Eye.

"Those people are trapped in the middle, which gives us an opportunity to pass," Long Chen said to Lei Shishi and the others. "We’ll circle around from below them. Let them act as a shield against the ravine’s wind and thunder. That way, our risk will be reduced to a minimum."

Hearing Long Chen’s words, everyone present nodded in full agreement with his plan.

Seeing this, Long Chen said calmly, "In that case, let’s get moving."