Chapter 141: A Single Glance Spans an Eternity

"What are these?"

Su Ye stood frozen on the earth, his eyes fixed and unblinking, reflecting the two ancient characters for "Thunder City." In his mind, something seemed to be calling out to him. He felt an inextricable connection to this city, as if he could sense it beating like a heart.

To his eyes, everything around him underwent a cataclysmic transformation. The rising sun he had just witnessed suddenly retreated, plunging the world into darkness, and shadows of people began to appear on the city walls where none had stood before. Before he could discern their features, he saw them retreating, shifting, and constantly changing. All around him, time itself began to flow backward.

"Is this... a bloody battle?"

Suddenly, Su Ye saw Gu sorcerers and warriors in strange attire appearing on the ramparts, locked in a fierce, bloody conflict. A mysterious woman appeared, her eyes like the gaze of a colossal shadow. With a single leap, she scaled the walls. A massive, phantom thunder-eagle manifested behind her, and with a crackle of lightning that seemed to emanate from her own body, she annihilated the enemies on the wall in an instant.

Time continued to reverse. The figures that followed were ancient armored soldiers and war commanders, waving flags inscribed with archaic symbols. Then, the entire Thunder City blossomed into a scene of prosperity: endless streams of old men, women, children, and warriors moved through the streets. Some of these phantoms passed directly through Su Ye’s body; he felt as if he were touching the people of the past—a contact like the gentle ripple of water that then drifted away.

"Could all of this be the Thunder City of the past?"

Before his eyes, the city continued to shift. Suddenly, the ramparts began to collapse, the walls crumbled, the earth cracked open, and everything vanished at a frantic pace.

Boom!

It was as if he were witnessing an era from ten thousand years ago, when this place was nothing but a barren wasteland.

At this very moment, Su Ye was unaware that his entire body was emitting a brilliant, radiant light. Elder Beifei, standing nearby, gasped in alarm. At first, he feared Su Ye was about to unleash his internal energy—a dangerous thing to do in such a place.

"Su Ye, you... what? What is this aura?"

Su Ye’s body was surrounded by a glow similar to the Aurora Borealis, extending a meter out and continuing to expand. The surrounding Gu sorcerers were stunned. This was not the kind of radiance produced by circulating internal energy; they couldn't detect any fluctuations of energy from him at all.

Wu Yan exclaimed in surprise, "Has he entered some kind of profound state? This light is clearly the hallmark of a treasure."

"But he is a living person! How could he be a treasure? And—Su Ye, Su Ye? What is wrong with you?" Wu Bozhong called out anxiously.

Elder Beifei stopped him, his old face etched with authority. "Do not disturb him—this Su Ye is no simple man!"

Within ten minutes, the light had spread five or six meters around him, yet Su Ye showed no signs of waking from his deep, mysterious trance. This strange scene quickly drew the attention of various factions. While others might have been merely curious, Su Ye’s display the previous night, where he stood fearless before the "Wrath of the Gu King," had already made him the focal point of all the powers present.

Among them were two other tribes of Gu sorcerers, as well as Miao Quan, the sorcerer from the Futian Peak settlement who had fled the night before; he had regrouped his warriors and appeared at a corner of the city wall. Having witnessed Su Ye’s terrifying power, they watched from afar with expressions of dread.

There was another group, composed entirely of elderly men dressed in ancient Han robes. They belonged to the most primitive faction of Thunder City, calling themselves the "City Guardians." Their most striking feature was a lightning bolt tattooed prominently across their faces, stretching from their eyebrows to their cheekbones. When they closed their eyes, the two lightning tattoos would align.

The elders among them muttered from afar, "Is this the one called Su Ye? What exactly is he doing?"

"Look at his eyes. He is staring at the two characters for 'Thunder City.' It seems he has gained some insight from these ancient words! Could the legend of our ancestors be true?"

The City Guardians exchanged glances. They remembered the records of their predecessors, which spoke of a legendary figure—a mute woman who had once unified the entire Thunder City. In her writings, she had deeply praised the two characters for "Thunder City," claiming that she had exhausted her destiny and could not fathom the secrets hidden within them.

"Regardless, have all the City Guardians stand ready! We must keep a constant watch on this boy; we cannot afford to be unprepared!"

"Yes."

As the various major factions had agreed to meet here today, more and more warriors arrived. The city walls, the gatehouses, the corridors, and the wide thoroughfares were soon crowded with people. By now, the aurora surrounding Su Ye had expanded to thirty meters, becoming a unique spectacle within the city.

From the massive ancient fortress, several figures slowly emerged. Though they tried to remain inconspicuous, they immediately drew the gaze of many warriors.

In the center was a defiant, arrogant young man. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with a handsome face that betrayed no emotion, as if he had suppressed all his feelings. If Su Ye were to open his eyes, he would surely recognize him: it was Ye Lingyun, who had not yet made an appearance.

Standing beside Ye Lingyun was an elderly woman. She appeared harmless, but the aura she emitted was deeply unsettling, like staring at a motionless venomous snake; though it did not move, its presence filled one with profound fear. This was Luo Gui, the grandmother of Yu Zhisha, who had taken away Su Ye’s six thunder meridians years ago.

"So this is Su Ye? He has changed quite a bit from what he looked like back then," Luo Gui croaked, her murky eyes filled with deep hatred.

"It is him. This man has regrown his thunder meridians and cultivated a special technique. Four months ago, he was a useless piece of trash, but now he is at the third level of the Qi Gathering Realm. Even an average seventh-level practitioner would be no match for him," Ye Lingyun said coolly, his tone tinged with arrogance, as if he felt only someone like Su Ye was barely qualified to be his rival.

Luo Gui scoffed, "If I had known he would hurt my Zhisha, I should never have spared his life back then!"

"The Yu family not killing him is also a mystery to me. 'Cutting weeds without removing the roots' is hardly your style," Ye Lingyun remarked, his eyes still fixed on Su Ye.

Luo Gui lowered her voice. "Regardless, he was fostered by the Jiang family. That family has an extraordinary background. Unless it is a matter of life and death, we should not make them our enemies."

"A bunch of cowards! Even now, the Jiangs dare not show their faces. Once we successfully open the second level of Thunder City and heal Zhisha, I will capture Su Ye and let her kill him with her own hands," Ye Lingyun declared.

He had taken Yu Zhisha into the sea with him, but with his abilities, he was in no danger. Upon returning to shore, he had followed intelligence to find Luo Gui. Currently, Yu Zhisha was recovering at their base, and today was meant to be the day they negotiated with the various factions on how to reasonably open the second layer of the city. They had not expected to run into this scene with Su Ye.

"If we want revenge, why wait for the future?"

Luo Gui flipped her body with surprising agility for her age, leaping from the fortress down to the street. Her sudden movement stood out amidst the stunned crowd. She called out coldly, "Everyone, we came here today to discuss how to open the second gate. The time has arrived. Why are you still delaying? Do I need to invite you one by one?"

The various factions snapped back to reality. It was true; even if Su Ye was emitting light, it was likely just some form of enlightenment. What was there to see? Discussing the grand task was far more important.

"Ambassador Luo is right. Let's go in!" Several factions began to move.

However, Elder Beifei did not move. Seeing him stand still, Wu Yan, Wu Bozhong, and the others remained where they were.

Luo Gui sneered, her voice rasping, "What? Do you intend not to participate?"

"Hahaha, of course we intend to participate! But we have urgent matters to attend to. We have been discussing this for years and haven't opened the second layer yet! Why the rush?" Elder Beifei chuckled. His words caused many to stop in their tracks.

Ye Lingyun, up on the fortress, laughed out loud. "Are you afraid to go in? You’re so eager to wait for Su Ye—is he that important to you? Are you trying to use his hands to wipe out your enemies?"

Beifei’s gaze darkened, shooting straight toward Ye Lingyun. He had not expected his thoughts to be so easily seen through. Indeed, if he were to go in for the meeting, he had to have Su Ye with him. If Su Ye were not by his side, his plan would fall through. Thus, he had to wait for him and ensure he came to no harm.

"Hahaha, what ignorant junior speaks! We discuss it over and over, yet what solution have you ever found? Luo Gui, you brought six thunder meridians back then, but you couldn't even shake the true gate of Thunder City. Today, you rely on a couple more Thunder-Attracting Pearls? What a joke!" Elder Beifei retorted.

Among the factions present, few were here for the first time. Most had their own agendas, and the oldest practitioners had lived here for a century without ever setting foot in the second layer. Every few years, a new batch of people would come, only to end in the same disappointment.

"Elder Beifei is right. Actually, there isn't much to discuss. Don't you have the Thunder-Attracting Pearls? Just go try! Perhaps you tried last night and couldn't open the gate, eh?"

"Exactly! Old woman Luo, stop acting tough. I know you have a grudge against this boy. You want us to go in so you can take the chance to eliminate him, don't you? Don't forget, today is the day of the 'Gu King's Blade-Grinding.'"

Luo Gui was momentarily speechless. It was true; they had tried time and again, only to fail. But she could not let the others turn against her. She shouted, "Times have changed! We now have a Spirit-Listening Master. You should know the capabilities of a Spirit-Listening Master. With him here, opening the gate of Thunder City will be as easy as turning over one's palm. Are you certain you don't want to participate?"

The various factions wavered. A Spirit-Listening Master was indeed capable of finding any treasure.

Ye Lingyun said proudly, "I can open the gate, but I need two Thunder-Attracting Pearls and a fresh thunder meridian! Once I open the gate, we take sixty percent of what is inside—you can split the remaining forty percent among yourselves!"

"What? Your family wants sixty percent? This..." Everyone was shocked, and many expressed disbelief.

"Fine! Whoever opens the gate today takes sixty percent—but tell me, where are we supposed to find the Thunder-Attracting Pearls and the thunder meridian you mentioned?" Unexpectedly, everyone agreed. They all had their own plans; once inside, who would actually adhere to a sixty-forty split? Whoever had the biggest fist would take the lion's share!

Ye Lingyun’s gaze suddenly fell upon Su Ye, and he pointed a finger. "The thunder meridian is right on him! With his meridian, I can definitely open the gate of Thunder City!"

Just then, in the eyes of all present, Su Ye suddenly opened his eyes.

The aurora surrounding him instantly vanished into his body. His hair stood on end, and his eyes emitted beams of light. He had completely transformed into a different person. With a sudden step forward, he thrust both hands toward the two characters "Thunder City" on the gatehouse!

Boom—

A surging wave of light roared out, striking the gate directly.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

In that instant, the tightly sealed gate of Thunder City began to move...