Chapter 74

Li Mang is a madman, but he is not the only one. Chi You, the Yanhuang Ninth and Eighth Groups, all took action one after another, braving the rain and thunder to rush into the forest.

"Huh, what are these people doing? Madmen!" Li Mang, hiding behind, cursed. On such a rainy day with continuous lightning, even staying at home felt suffocating, yet these people were desperately rushing into the forest, their behavior truly incomprehensible.

However, despite his curses, Li Mang also noticed some strange phenomena. After these groups entered the forest, they went crazy, competing to delve deeper, as if they were rushing to find something.

"Could there be some treasure inside?" Li Mang's eyebrows shot up, his heart feeling like it was being clawed by a cat. After some thought, he gritted his teeth and followed.

The rain was heavy, and the thunder was loud, so even though Li Mang closely followed them, they could not detect him. The several groups moved forward in unison under this eerie atmosphere.

The forest paths were already difficult to navigate, let alone with the torrential rain and the pitch-black night. Each step was a struggle. Fortunately, they were not ordinary humans; they used the lightning to their advantage, plunging deeper with heads down, and their speed was surprisingly fast. They could leap lightly by stepping on tree trunks and weeds, each displaying remarkable lightness of foot. Only Li Mang struggled to keep up.

"Crack... Boom!"

"Ah!" A bolt of lightning struck near a group of people, and one unfortunate individual was hit by a bolt, screaming and then falling silent.

"..." At that moment, everyone stopped, eyeing the increasingly dense lightning in the sky with trepidation. Some strong individuals could indeed avoid or even directly confront the lightning, but they were not among them. If struck, it would mean certain death.

Li Mang, who was trailing behind, was also terrified. Among the groups, his strength was the weakest. To say he was not afraid of the lightning in the sky would make him blush.

"..." These people are risking their lives! They are actually still going in. Li Mang exclaimed in his heart, touching the deer skin belt tied around his waist, and gritted his teeth to follow. At this point, he could only pray that the deer skin would bring him good luck, at least to avoid being struck by lightning. If he turned back now, he would feel不甘 (unwilling).

At the heart of Tianmen Mountain, a giant snake coiled atop a large tree, its head raised, seemingly challenging the heavens.

This giant snake was very peculiar, about five meters long, with a body as thick as a bowl, and its scales were like crystal. At that moment, it was emitting a gentle white light, making it hard to spot. Moreover, this was not an ordinary snake; it had two claws in front, sharp like a dragon's, with scales and armor, showing signs of transforming into a dragon.

At that moment, it was shedding its skin, and a layer of transparent, crystal-like scales had already been shed halfway, revealing a pair of claws forming underneath.

"Yellow-grade Crystal Python!" The man in black murmured, showing his first sign of surprise. His voice, besides being sinister, had an additional note of excitement, his eyes burning with intensity.

"It's a Crystal Python about to evolve into a Xuan-grade Dragon," Cheng Wei also identified it.

"Is it really a snake transforming into a dragon... incredible." From the words and tone, it was not hard to tell that this was Li Mang, the country bumpkin, speaking. According to legend, snakes would climb to the treetops to transform into dragons and fly into the sky. Various stories of snakes transforming into dragons were widely known in the secular world, and this was the only knowledge Li Mang had. But he had only heard these stories before; he never thought he would witness it firsthand, which made him slightly excited.

No one moved; they just lay in various hiding spots, waiting quietly. The Crystal Python had not yet begun its tribulation. If they rushed forward rashly, they would not only anger it but also be struck by the lightning above.

However, after the tribulation, the Crystal Dragon would be very weak, making it the best time to capture it. Both the Yanhuang and Chi You were waiting quietly. When the Crystal Dragon completed its tribulation, it would be the moment of bloodshed.

Li Mang did not have high hopes. Among those present, he was the weakest. Unrealistic thoughts could be fatal. With the mindset of watching a blockbuster, he kept his distance.

"Swish..." The Crystal Python's skin fell from the treetop, landing on the roots with a crisp sound, indicating that the Crystal Dragon had completed its shedding.

"Crack..." A bolt of lightning immediately struck from the sky, accurately hitting the newly shed Crystal Dragon.

"Roar!" The Crystal Dragon, which had been defying the heavens, let out a heart-wrenching scream, its body stiffening. Already very weak, it became even more feeble, hanging limply on the treetop. Under the vast heavenly power, it had to lower its proud head.

Despite this, Li Mang was already extremely impressed. The power of that bolt of lightning was immense, yet a small dragon could directly withstand it with its body, which was truly astonishing.

"Crack... Boom!" The second, more powerful bolt of lightning struck after half an hour, not only scorching the Crystal Dragon's surface but also causing nearby trees to suffer. The powerful shockwave forced those hiding around to retreat, their faces showing shock.

"My God, it's still not dead!" Li Mang, while retreating, exclaimed, his eyes fixed on the front, his gaze flickering with the intention to seize the opportunity.

If he could capture this dragon as a pet, it would certainly be a great help. But the people in front, who were eyeing it greedily, discouraged him. It seemed he was not the only one with this idea; their eyes were all red, and he could only hope to take advantage of the chaos later.

The third and final bolt of lightning took a longer time to form, about an hour, before it finally struck. The massive explosion temporarily deafened Li Mang, leaving him unable to hear anything. He only saw the Crystal Dragon, after being struck, completely limp on the treetop, losing all its previous luster, its state unknown.

Those hiding nearby also suffered, despite having retreated. They severely underestimated the power of the final bolt of lightning. Experts like Cheng Wei, the sinister man in black, and the hunchbacked old man were unharmed, just slightly uncomfortable. However, some weaker individuals were injured to varying degrees. Li Mang's head was dizzy, and his ears were completely deaf, taking a while to gradually recover his hearing.

"Hmph!"

Cheng Wei and the sinister man simultaneously snorted, their feet touching the ground, and their bodies floated toward the tree where the Crystal Dragon was. In a true sense, this was not flying but using lightness of foot, needing to step on branches to avoid falling.

However, their speed was incredibly fast, light as a swallow, and they reached the tree where the Crystal Dragon was in a few leaps. But they did not rush to seize the Crystal Dragon; instead, they stood on the branches, facing each other. Whoever rushed forward would be pushed down by those below.

"Yanhuang Ninth Group, Cheng Wei!"

"Chi You, Evil Son Mo Ao!"

Both revealed each other's identities, showing that they were not ordinary figures in the Yanhuang and Chi You. Otherwise, who would know their names?

With a clang, a soft sword appeared in Mo Ao's hand, while Cheng Wei did not use any weapon. He lightly stepped on a branch, using his lightness of foot to charge at Mo Ao.

Despite being in the air, the two moved as if on the ground, exchanging ten rounds of combat without a clear winner. Their lightness of foot made Li Mang very envious.

The battle on the tree was intense, and those on the ground, who had been stunned by the third bolt of lightning, gradually regained their senses and began to engage in fierce combat in the darkness.

...

PS: This is yesterday's guaranteed update. For every 300 votes, an additional chapter will be added, and it's almost there.

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