Chapter 722: Blockade of Thunder Monarch Hall
Max felt the immediate spike of hostility. The young man glared at Arlen and the others with open disdain, as though their mere presence was an offense. His hair, streaked with faint blue lightning, seemed to spark slightly as his emotions flared.
Arlen held his ground, his voice even but guarded. "Nothing. Just exploring the region," he replied coolly.
"Exploring the region?" Gyser scoffed, his sneer deepening. He spread his arms theatrically as though addressing a crowd. "For your information, our young master is currently also exploring the deeper areas of the Berserk Lightning Region. And we—" he motioned to the group of Thunder Monarch disciples clustered behind him, "—are gatekeeping. So I’m afraid I can’t let you and your people go any further past this point."
Max stood there, his eyes narrowed into slits as sparks of faint blue lightning crackled around his fingertips, his senses stretched taut like a bowstring.
He didn’t miss the way Gyser’s eyes flicked briefly toward the barren plains behind them—the same direction Max intended to go—and his instincts whispered that his guess was correct: the Thunder Monarch Hall was likely here for the same reason as he was—to hunt for lightning essence stones.
Such treasures, born in a place of endless storms, would be invaluable to anyone cultivating the lightning path, and Max knew well that in the Middle Domain, even "exploring" was rarely just exploration.
Arlen took a single step forward, his jaw clenched, his own aura subtly surging in the charged atmosphere. His voice was cold as steel when he snapped at Gyser.
"This isn’t your Thunder Monarch Hall where you can swagger around doing as you please." His words cut the air like a blade, and the sneer that twisted his lips spoke volumes about his opinion of their rivals.
It was no secret that tension had been growing between the Great Ruler Empire and the Thunder Monarch Hall in recent years. Reports of bullying and harassment by Thunder Monarch members were becoming disturbingly common.