Chapter 6: Exchange (Part 1)

Guo Shier was horrified and exclaimed, “Damn, what is this thing?” That head formed from lightning was truly terrifying—its electric flashes gave it a lifelike appearance, clearly indicating it belonged to a powerful being.
Eagle Demon said, “It’s a human! It’s a human face!”
The head emerged from the Thunder Pool, allowing everyone to see its full form. It was indeed a human head, with the shoulders still submerged beneath the pool. It opened its mouth wide and swallowed Shiqini in one gulp. Monochini roared, “Delusion!” and immediately launched an attack.
Using Lightning Strike, Monochini’s sacrificial artifact was a silver talisman—a large thunder talisman. Somehow, he had transformed it into a sacrificial artifact.
He unleashed a series of thunderbolts that crashed down on that lightning-formed head.
Yan Ruodai also took action. Using her own sacrificial artifact, a long magic staff, she began frantically absorbing the lightning from the Thunder Pool. This staff was known as the Silver Thunder Staff and was also a fairly famous sacrificial artifact.
Shi Yanxilong shot a string of blue beads into the Thunder Pool. He chanted spells and shouted, “Blast! Blast! Blast!”
With loud explosions, an extremely cold aura spread out. It was unclear what those blue beads were, but upon exploding, they released countless tiny bursts of cold air, instantly dropping the temperature of the Thunder Pool to extreme levels—yet it had little effect on that lightning-formed head.
The lightning head opened its mouth wide and spat out a massive current at Monochini, instantly drowning him.
Juehuxi Miluo retreated in terror. Guo Shier and the others sitting on the altar were all shaken, their eyes filled with fear.
Yan Ruodai shouted, “Retreat quickly!”
Ling Zhenren reached out into the air, and a giant hand made of virtual talismans suddenly appeared, glowing with a yellowish light. It plunged into the thunderstorm and forcibly pulled Monochini out. Sitting atop the altar, he also shouted loudly, “Retreat! Go back now!”
Monochini screamed, “Shi! Shi!”
Among them, Ling Zhenren was the strongest. Though quiet, his power surpassed that of everyone else.
The group of professionals quickly moved away from the Thunder Pool, looking at each other in confusion. Only Monochini kept shouting, determined to charge forward and fight, but Ling Zhenren stopped him. He said, “Don’t be impulsive. Let’s discuss this before continuing.”
Yan Ruodai said, “Shiqini has a thunder bottle; it should be able to hold off for a while.”

Guo Shier was secretly surprised—so many top professional experts couldn’t handle Lei Tan. He wondered what level the altar in Lei Tan was, given its terrifying power. With a deafening explosion, a figure flew out. Monochini rushed forward and caught Shiqini as he fell, asking anxiously, “How are you? How are you?” Shiqini looked depressed and said, “I had to explode the thunder bottle to get out. It’s too powerful; there’s no way to go down.” Monochini asked, “Shi, are you injured?” Shiqini shrugged indifferently, “It’s fine, don’t worry. Just the thunder bottle is destroyed. The altar needs to be repaired, but it’s not a big problem.” He patted Monochini’s shoulder. Monochini nodded and said, “Don’t take such risks again! I almost died of worry!” Everyone present seemed a bit uneasy—the two of them were too reckless. Everyone’s gaze turned toward Lei Tan. Ling Zhenren stared at it for a long time before saying, “I wonder how many altars are beneath Lei Tan? All those spirits just now were formed by lightning… If only we could bring them to our own altar…” He didn’t finish, but his words were tempting. Yan Ruodai said, “Our strength isn’t enough! We can’t capture that spirit.” Feng Xilong said calmly, “Over the years, countless professionals have tried without success. I’m withdrawing…” He shook his head repeatedly. Shi Yanxilong also said, “Yes, I’m not confident either. I’m withdrawing.” With the two top experts from the Gu Xi Long family withdrawing, everyone snapped out of it—Lei Tan was unconquerable. Juehu Miluo said, “I agree. Let’s give up.” Being the weakest in the group, he simply chose to withdraw. Shiqini showed a disappointed look and said, “Sigh, I didn’t expect it to be this difficult. Well! When my strength improves, I’ll definitely come and take this altar!” Monochini nodded firmly, “Then… I’ll come with you!” Zhou Xiaoling whispered, “It’s really touching…” Guo Shier shuddered and said, “Mm, touching…” He looked at Zhou Xiaoling speechlessly. Ying Mo and Luo Zhan kept their heads down, lost in thought. Juehu Miluo said, “Let’s go down.” He retracted the altar, and Guo Shier and the others landed on the ground. By then, Lei Tan had gradually calmed down, and that huge thunder bag was slowly sinking back into it.

Yan Ruodai said, “It’s calm now! Let’s go take a look.” It’s common sense that as long as the Thunder Pool remains calm, there’s no danger—so long as one doesn’t try to go in, it’s safe.
The group returned to the edge of the Thunder Pool.
Guo Shier walked to the edge but didn’t dare get too close. He stopped about five meters away and carefully observed this miraculous pool.
A faint buzzing sound and crackling arc noises could be heard. The surface of the pool had a light blue hue, just like water—no wonder it was called the Thunder Pool. Yan Ruodai explained, “This is electric thunder slurry, a very good type of thunder-related material.”
Guo Shier couldn’t help but smile bitterly. In his past life, he had never seen such a thing; it seemed truly amazing—thunder that resembled water.
Several top professionals stared at the Thunder Pool in silence, each pondering in their hearts. Since no one had ever discovered before that there was a thunder-type soul inside the pool, they were all deeply tempted. Everyone knew that if a thunder-type soul could be captured and made the main sacrificial spirit of a altar, it would mean a huge boost in strength. It would be false to say they weren’t tempted.
Guo Shier whispered, “I wonder how many layers the altar below has?”
Juehu Miluo replied calmly, “At least seven layers of sacrificial altars. Even if this person perishes, their soul can survive relying on the altar, though their physical body will be completely destroyed… It’s unclear who defeated them…”
“Seven layers?”
Guo Shier was utterly stunned. That was terrifying. He knew Li Ran had six layers of altars, which already made him one of the best among top professionals. He had never seen a more skilled expert than Li Ran.
Zhou Xiaoling said, “So amazing!”
Bao Chengyong stared greedily at the Thunder Pool. After a while, he shook his head and said, “There’s nothing we can do! It’s a pity…”
Ling Zhenren said, “At most seven layers—probably not even that. I guess it’s five layers.” The others nodded in agreement, leaving Juehu Miluo feeling embarrassed, as he had the weakest strength among them, with only two layers of sacrificial altars. He smiled bitterly and said, “Maybe. It’s just speculation.”
After discussing it, they still couldn’t come up with a solution, mainly because they couldn’t break through the Thunder Pool. If they could enter, they would have many ways to subdue the altar, but with the barrier of the pool, they were at a loss.
Bao Chengyong said, “I urgently need a piece of Bai Long wood. Does anyone have it? I’ll trade something for it!” He had come here to trade items and didn’t have many expectations regarding the Thunder Pool, knowing it wasn’t something he could subdue.

Feng Xilong remained silent, standing quietly aside. He hadn’t participated in the earlier battle either. He said, “I have Bai Long Wood. What do you have to exchange it for?”
Bao Chengyong was overjoyed. “What do you need?”
Feng Xilong replied, “I need the souls of two Level 15 Aberrant Talisman Beasts. Do you have any?”
Bao Chengyong immediately looked troubled. “Are you joking?”
Feng Xilong said calmly, “I’m not joking!”
Bao Chengyong’s mouse-like mustaches twitched in anger. He said, “The souls of Level 15 Aberrant Talisman Beasts… few people here have them. Even if they did… they wouldn’t offer them for trade!”
Feng Xilong smiled faintly and said, “It’s you who wants to exchange. I don’t mind!”
Bao Chengyong waved his hand. “No sincerity. Who else has Bai Long Wood…?” The other party’s demand was too high, making it impossible for him to trade. Moreover, he knew deep down that Feng Xilong had no intention of trading at all; otherwise, he wouldn’t have set such a high condition. Level 15 Aberrant Talisman Beasts were beyond his control even—he needed help. Aberrant Beasts and Mutated Talisman Beasts were two different things.
Yan Ruodai said, “Bao Chengyong, Bai Long Wood isn’t easy to find.”
Bao Chengyong smiled bitterly. “I know it’s hard to find. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come to the Xiao Lei Realm to look for someone to trade with.”
Feng Xilong said, “Bao Chengyong, if you do one thing for me, I can give you this piece of Bai Long Wood.”
Bao Chengyong asked suspiciously, “What task? Tell me.” He knew it wouldn’t be easy—there were no such good deals in the world—so he was very cautious.
Feng Xilong leaned in and whispered a few words. Bao Chengyong’s expression changed drastically. He shook his head repeatedly. “No, no, no! I want to live a few more years. I won’t go… I won’t!”
Feng Xilong said, “Then forget it.”
Bao Chengyong was furious. Finally, someone had Bai Long Wood, but they demanded something he couldn’t accept. If it were just once, it might have been okay, but the second time the demands became even more outrageous. He grumbled, “I’ll just look for it myself. Damn it, the Gu Xilong family is full of people who refuse to suffer losses. They always want to get an advantage. If they don’t, they think they’ll die!”
The others were also trading with each other. Guo Shier felt a slight stir in his heart. He said, “I have An Luo Stone here. Which senior is willing to exchange it? I need Tai Hao Pure Gold, Shining Spirit Wood, and Yellow Yan Earth.” He had already collected Hidden Talisman Water, Yin Cocoon Silk, Purple Talisman Fire, and Sealing Spirit Jade. He only needed three more materials to gather everything needed to construct a Virtual Form Altar.
A group of top professionals turned to look at Guo Shier in surprise.

Guo Shier felt a tingling in his scalp. He tried his best to stay calm, wearing a smile as he asked, “Is there anyone willing to trade?”
Anluo Stone is very useful—not only as material for constructing altars but also as a great material for making sacrificial treasures. It is one of the most essential materials for super professionals.
Juehu Miluo said, “Shier, why trade here? You have Anluo Stone; you can go back to your clan to trade!”