Chapter 417 - 394: I Have a Move: Heavenly Thunder Descent

In the square on Cyan Feather Mountain, the thirty-foot-tall Gu Peng stood proudly.

He held a long spear that was even taller than he was. The massive weapon was an icy, iron-gray color, and at a glance, it looked like a twisted line of gray light, tearing an abyss into the vast sky above Cyan Feather Mountain.

The abyss was impossible to look at. A single glance would shake one’s very soul, creating the terrifying sensation of being pulled into its depths.

A weapon of this caliber would make one’s heart pound as if it were something forbidden, even if it wasn’t wielded by a Celestial Pride like Gu Peng—even if it just existed on its own.

The entire square on Cyan Feather Mountain suddenly fell into an eerie silence. The phantom of the City God stood high above the northern part of the city, gazing down at Cyan Feather Mountain.

After the City God had spoken—"This is the Great Zhou World, after all. I ask that Gu, the Celestial Pride, act with caution"—Gu Peng merely snorted, then fell into a wordless silence.

It was unclear if he was agreeing or showing disdain. Perhaps he simply knew words were useless and that it was better to wait.

Wait for what?

Without a doubt, he was waiting for Song Zhao to respond.

Everyone knew that Song Zhao was on Cyan Feather Mountain. If she failed to respond after Gu Peng had caused such a massive commotion, no one would believe she was simply unaware of his arrival. They would only think she was running, cowering, and afraid to fight!

The silence in the square persisted, but the cultivators, who had been scattered across the area, were now quietly on the move.

As if by unspoken agreement, they all quietly made their way to the edges of the square, trying to put some distance between themselves and Gu Peng.

The silence was merely superficial. Beneath the calm, a turbulent undercurrent was surging.

More and more cultivators gathered at the edges of the square, and spiritual messages began to fly thick and fast between them.

"Song Zhao still hasn’t appeared? Surely she’s not too scared to come out?"

"Our City God just exchanged a move with that Gu Peng. Who won and who lost? I couldn’t make heads or tails of it."

"Gu Peng... it looked like he wasn’t at a disadvantage..."

"Bah! What nonsense are you spouting? Didn’t you see our City God remind him that this is the Great Zhou World? He told Gu Peng to act with caution, and Gu Peng shut right up, didn’t he?"

"Exactly! If this weren’t Great Zhou, do you think Gu Peng would have stayed quiet?"

"Stop talking him up and putting ourselves down!"

"Then why hasn’t Song Zhao appeared?"

...

Indeed, why hadn’t Song Zhao appeared?

When Gu Peng first began his wait, everyone was patient. Gu Peng himself was patient, too.

A quarter of an hour passed. Gu Peng remained still in the center of the square, his giant, spear-wielding hand steady and unmoving.

But at the edge of the square, the spiritual messages exchanged between the gathered cultivators grew increasingly frequent.

Even more cultivators were continuously arriving to watch from the periphery. Guangling City was a top-tier State City with an immense population of cultivators. The area around Cyan Feather Mountain, in particular, was home to either cultivators or the wealthy and powerful.

After Gu Peng caused such a stir, anyone with a shred of confidence in their own abilities wanted to come watch the spectacle.

To witness a battle between Celestial Prides was worth the risk of being caught in the aftershocks of the fight.

Mixed in among the crowd were even some members of the Demon Race.

Although the Nine Provinces were the domain of the Human Race, and members of the Demon Race were often hunted down, Great Demons in particular tended to live in the wilderness, finding it extremely difficult to enter cities.

But that didn’t mean cities were completely devoid of them. For various reasons, some members of the Demon Race could be found in the city; a few could even coexist openly and peacefully with the Human Race.

This open atmosphere was something only found in major cities, and it was considered a sign of the might of Great Zhou.

Now, humans and demons mingled, all waiting for Song Zhao to appear.

But a quarter of an hour went by, and Song Zhao still hadn’t appeared.

Half an hour passed, and there was still no sign of Song Zhao.

A subtle commotion grew more and more obvious among the human cultivators, while some from the Demon Race held their heads high, looking pleased with themselves.

Yun Chong quietly sent a spiritual message to Liu Siye, urging him, "Have you sent the message? Has Fairy Song responded?"

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Liu Siye’s forehead as he sent a spiritual message in reply. "I sent it long ago, but... but for some reason, the message won’t go through. I fear Fairy Song has set up an additional array in her immortal cave, one that’s blocking all outside communication!"

What was to be done?

Yun Chong stomped his foot in anxiety. "No matter what, keep trying to send the message! Or... ring the bell!" he urged.

Liu Siye’s face paled. "How could we do such a thing?" he blurted out.

The so-called "ringing of the bell" was a forced communication method used by the Cyan Feather Mountain Steward Hall on the various immortal caves.

Some cultivators, deep in seclusion, would forget to renew the lease on their cave. Long after their time was up, they would still refuse to leave. But the Cyan Feather Mountain Steward Hall wasn’t a charity; they couldn’t allow such people to cultivate indefinitely, consuming the mountain’s Vitality for free.

Thus, every immortal cave was equipped with an array that could forcibly seal off its Vitality. Once the Steward Hall decided to ring the bell, the Vitality in the targeted cave would be completely sealed within moments, and the incessant chimes of the Awakening Bell would sound within.

Under the assault of these chimes, no matter how deeply engrossed a cultivator was in their cultivation, they would inevitably be interrupted.

The consequences of such an interruption ranged from minor—losing one’s cultivation state—to severe, such as suffering a True Qi backlash or even falling into the Demon Realm. In short, any number of dire consequences were possible.

But it couldn’t be helped. Who told you to dare default on a debt to the Court?

For someone so disrespectful of the rules, any punishment they received was considered justified.

Liu Siye’s expression grew grim. He had almost spoken aloud again, barely managing to stop the words before they escaped his lips. Instead, he sent an angry spiritual message back: "Chief Historian Yun, watch what you say! You should think this through!"