Thunder Method

“Heavenly Wound Five-Thunder Infinite Legion, drive the lightning and shake the heavens and earth!!”

Accompanied by a deafening clap of thunder, five bolts of violet lightning descended from the sky, crashing violently onto the roof of a palace.

The magnificent hall was enveloped in violet lightning, and in moments, it was reduced to a pile of charcoal.

Back when they were in the middle of an all-out war with the Zuowandao, he had happened to leave. This was Li Huowang’s first time witnessing the true might of the Great Liang State Preceptor.

The pile of charcoal that had once been a palace began to collapse under the weight of the roof tiles. From amidst the falling black debris, a figure scrambled out, trying to flee. It was a young eunuch, barely alive, his charred face filled with despair.

But just as he stepped onto the cracked flagstones of the square, the Great Liang State Preceptor descended from the sky, Starry Ladder Sword in hand, landing directly in front of him.

The young eunuch stuttered, trying to say something, but his body twisted in an uncanny motion, dodging a rift that flew in from behind.

When he saw Li Huowang, his face twisted into a ferocious grin, spine sword in hand, and his expression contorted with rage, the eunuch suddenly smiled. “Oh, it’s you. No wonder things got interesting. Hey, not a bad job this time. If I ever get a chance, I’ll treat you to a meal.”

Li Huowang raised his sword and swung it at him again, then shouted towards Huangfu Tiangong, “State Preceptor! Don’t believe a word this Zuowandao says!! He’s trying to drive a wedge between us!!”

But Huangfu Tiangong was abnormally cold, his gaze fixed intently on the Dice. “Do you truly believe the Great Liang Imperial Palace is a place you can come and go as you please? Your death is upon you today!”

The young eunuch peeled off his face, revealing a die with its pips constantly shifting. “Death is death. Everyone has to die, sooner or later. But well~ Hehehe~ My work here is already done.”

With that, the Dice looked at Li Huowang. “Hongzhong ah, Hongzhong. You really think you found me? I let you find me. Every step you took was on my board.”

“Save it! I kill Zuowandao for a living! I’ve seen this trick a thousand times! Who’s Hongzhong? You can’t fool me!” Li Huowang charged, sword in hand.

Instead of dodging, the Dice lunged at Li Huowang, opening his chest wide to meet the blade. With a wet shlick, the bloody sword pierced out through his back.

Because they were so close, Li Huowang could even smell the charcoal on the Dice’s body.

“Die!” Li Huowang shoved the hilt, pushing the Dice backward. He bared his teeth and bit down hard on the Dice’s face, tearing off a huge chunk of skin and flesh.

Then, gripping the handle with both hands, he jerked the sword upwards, cleaving the Dice’s upper body in two.

Panting heavily, Li Huowang stared at the corpse on the ground, his grip on the sword trembling slightly.

Before he could even process what had just happened, a bone-chilling voice whispered in his ear. “Child…”

“Danyangzi is back?” The moment he lost focus, the three-flower-crowned Danyangzi flickered before his eyes.

“No! This is fake! The Dice isn’t dead! He’s latched onto me!” As the thought struck, Li Huowang pulled out the Purple-Tasseled Sword and stabbed it into his own body, frantically searching.

“Hehehe, Hongzhong. Nice moves. You’re quite the rascal, aren’t you?” Li Huowang’s mouth began to speak of its own accord.

“You want my body? Fine! Take it!” Li Huowang pulled a hook from his torture kit, dug it into his own collarbone, and yanked hard.

“Hiss— Hongzhong, take it easy. You’re really hurting me.”

Compared to Li Huowang’s attempt to drive the Dice out with pain, the Great Liang State Preceptor’s method was much more straightforward and brutal.

“Clouds race! Waters stir! Dark thunder! Dragon-piercing rain! Immortal fire, heed this command! Heavenly thunder, save with urgency!!”

Thunder began to roll and gather above Li Huowang’s head. The State Preceptor showed no sign of holding back, fully intent on striking down both Li Huowang and the Dice together.

Seeing that Huangfu Tiangong was serious, the Dice didn’t dare gamble. The corpse with its upper body split in two suddenly stood up on its own and bolted for the east gate, and the voice whispering in Li Huowang’s ear vanished completely.

As the little eunuch’s legs pumped frantically, the two halves of the Dice’s head bobbed up and down like fruit on a tree, one left, one right.

Its two half-mouths began to speak, one word at a time. “Ahh, you old bastard. You’re really going through with it? Don’t forget, you wouldn’t be in that position without me having a hand in it.”

Sensing Li Huowang’s gaze, Huangfu Tiangong said lightly, “Same as what he told you. It’s all lies. Don’t fall for the Zuowandao’s tricks.”

With that, he began his ritual, gripping the Starry Ladder Sword. A great wind howled across the sky, and thunder rolled.

CRACK! A bolt of violet lightning struck down. This time, it hit. Not only was the Dice’s upper body split in two, but his lower body was cleaved as well. He had been vertically split clean down the middle.

But even then, the uncanny Dice was still moving. His two halves, left and right, bounded high into the air, going their separate ways.

The Great Liang State Preceptor ignored the left half, summoning another strike of heavenly lightning to relentlessly pummel the right half.

Seeing this, Li Huowang sped up to chase after the other half. He wasn’t about to let the Dice escape now.

“Ah, Hongzhong, you’re here? I went to Fengyang Tower a while back. Their specialty, Imperial Crisp, was absolutely divine, tsk tsk tsk. You absolutely have to take Bai Lingmiao to try it next time.”

“DIE!” Li Huowang swung his spine sword with all his might, sending a rift slashing diagonally towards the Dice.

The half-bodied Dice twisted, dodging it easily. “You’re not doing it right, you know? If you’d made that crack a little bigger, I could have escaped all the way to Great Qi. If that happened, you’d have wasted all your effort, wouldn’t you?”

The moment he finished speaking, he let out a sharp cry of pain and collapsed, unable to get up, feeling an unbearable pain in his chest.

“Ah, why did you have to use that Ao-Jing madman’s trick again? If I’m in pain, so are you! Honestly, I just hate sparring with people like you.”

Trembling, the Dice stood up, using his one good eye to stare at Huowang, who was shoving his own rib into his own chest.

“What? You don’t actually think you can kill me, do you? Even with only half of me, you can’t.”

“How would I know without trying? And I don’t need to kill you. I just need to hold you right here!” The headless body of Peng Longteng slowly materialized beside Li Huowang.

Just as they were about to clash, a dark golden arrow suddenly appeared on the Dice’s head, sending him flying.

As the Dice slammed heavily to the ground, the gale that had been chasing him finally caught up, nearly blowing Li Huowang off his feet.

Then, five more arrows flew in from all directions, nailing the Dice firmly to the ground. “Daring to run rampant in the palace in broad daylight? Do you really think Great Liang has no one left? Hmm?”