Chapter 44: Golden Thunder Physique

Li Xuan furrowed his brows deeply, lifting his gaze to the desolate sky with a helpless sigh. He could not allow his personal desires to bring about the complete annihilation of the entire Azure Leaf Tribe.

If the Li family wished to rise to prominence, they could pursue other avenues; it would merely take a little longer. Compared to squandering the future of the entire Azure Leaf Tribe, that price was far more acceptable.

With a stern and resolute tone, Li Xuan declared, "There is no why. This matter ends here, and no more needs to be said!"

Ning Xuan stared blankly, as if suddenly realizing something. She nudged Old Black and urged, "Old Black, go check on Yuezhi quickly. She has been talking about you every single day lately!"

Hearing this, Old Black’s weathered face flushed crimson, and he looked hesitantly toward Li Xuan.

Li Xuan waved his hand, signaling for Old Black to leave.

A smile blossomed across Ning Xuan’s pale face. She cradled the infant carefully in her arms, looking down at him with maternal tenderness as she murmured, "Little one, you must live on well. Your mother will forsake everything for your sake."

Ning Xuan handed the baby over to Li Xuan and said, "Young Master Li, if there is anything else, please speak your mind. I can bear it!"

Li Xuan wore a heavy expression. After a long silence, he finally spoke, "If my calculations are correct, the Black Obsidian Mystic Thunder mineral veins possess an extremely strong penetrating quality and intense radioactive energy, which is why you..."

Words failed Li Xuan as his throat tightened, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. What was done was already done; only by halting the extraction and refining of the Black Obsidian Mystic Thunder, coupled with targeted treatment, could the members of the Azure Leaf Tribe be saved.

Ning Xuan nodded slightly, her pale hand gently stroking the infant's tender, rosy cheek. A faint, strained smile touched her lips as she said, "Even so, you still do not wish to give up. The devastating power unleashed by the Repeating Zhuge Crossbow is too great a temptation—it is something that can help you protect the Li family."

Li Xuan nodded, neither confirming nor denying, his heart heavy with self-blame and guilt.

Ning Xuan smiled faintly and said, "The wheels of history will eventually roll over the traces of time, and those who perish are destined to be the weak. History will not remember the Azure Leaf Tribe, but the rise of the Li family will be a magnificent and indelible stroke in the annals of the Holy Moon Imperial Court, destined to shine brilliantly. Therefore..."

Biting her lower lip with her pearly white teeth, Ning Xuan spoke with unshakeable resolve, "I have no regrets, but I beg you to take in my Can'er. I will spend the remainder of my life serving the Li family!"

A wave of confusion washed over Li Xuan’s mind, and he firmly refused, "Sister Ning Xuan, absolutely not! The child is so young, how can he be separated from you..."

Before Li Xuan could finish, Ning Xuan dropped to her knees with a heavy thud, pleading tearfully, "Young Master Li is the great benefactor of our Azure Leaf Tribe. Only you can lead the next generation of our tribe out of this enclosed space. To lend you our strength, the entire Azure Leaf Tribe will not take a single step back!"

While Li Xuan and Ning Xuan were speaking, the tribespeople had gathered spontaneously. The young mothers, holding their children close, fell to their knees one after another.

Li Xuan felt the world spin before his eyes, his blood surging hot within his veins.

"We beg Young Master Li to grant our tribe's request!"

The members of the Azure Leaf Tribe had long since cast aside thoughts of their own safety, willing to die from the radiation if it came to that.

Tears welled up in Li Xuan's eyes. As he hurried forward to help Ning Xuan to her feet, he shouted aloud, "Please rise, my sisters. I, Li Xuan, am unworthy of such devotion."

At that moment, Elder Yue Wu walked over with trembling steps, saying with deep emotion, "Young Master Li, I implore you to take pity on the heartfelt sincerity of the Azure Leaf Tribe and grant the request of my people. We elders can no longer be counted upon, but the next generation must find a way out."

Elder Yue Wu’s knees shook, and he slowly lowered himself to the ground.

Li Xuan immediately supported Elder Yue Wu. Swallowing hard to force down the unceasing tears spilling from his eyes, his voice choked with emotion as he said, "Alright, I promise you!"

Old Black pushed through the crowd, tears swirling in his fierce eyes. Looking at Li Xuan, he cried out, "Brother Li Xuan, Yuezhi is fading fast!"

Hearing this, Li Xuan rushed quickly with Old Black toward Elder Yue Wu's dwelling.

Yuezhi’s face was severely aged, her skin covered in deep wrinkles and her hair sparse—she looked no different from an eighty-year-old woman.

"Yuezhi?!"

Li Xuan could hardly believe his eyes and immediately stepped forward to examine her.

He felt a terrifying wave of scorching heat surging toward him like a tidal wave. Had it not been for the protective barrier of the *Qingnang Codex*, his vital energy and blood would undoubtedly have been violently churned by that searing thermal force.

"Brother Li Xuan?"

Old Black licked his cracked lips, wishing desperately that he could take Yuezhi's suffering upon himself.

Li Xuan slammed a fierce blow across his own face, then immediately ordered, "Old Black, gather the tribespeople to brew the medicine. Do not spare any precious herbs!"

However, Elder Yue Wu intervened, "Old Black, stay and guard Young Master Li. I will handle the arrangements!"

Under Elder Yue Wu's command, the tribespeople worked in an orderly fashion, and within the span of an hour, the rich fragrance of medicinal herbs began to drift through the air.

At this moment, Li Xuan also began the arduous process of treating Yuezhi.

He slowly channeled his primordial energy, letting the watery ripples flow through Yuezhi’s meridians. Although the healing speed of the *Qingnang Codex* was astonishingly swift, Yuezhi’s bloodline had suffered severe damage, and the slightest misstep could instantly cost her her life.

Ah!

Yuezhi let out a miserable scream. Listening to it, Old Black felt as though his heart was being torn to shreds, yet he could only stand by and watch helplessly.

A torrent of primordial energy erupted from Li Xuan, his palms lifting Yuezhi into mid-air. At the same time, his figure danced nimbly as silver needles flashed and pierced consecutively, temporarily sealing Yuezhi's major meridians.

Li Xuan circulated the techniques of the *Qingnang Codex*, gently dredging Yuezhi’s blocked bloodlines and igniting her will to survive.

"Heaven and earth established, wind and thunder interacting, water and fire complementing..."

Within her withered blood vessels, a wisp of vibrant, spring-like life force rippled forth. As it nourished her bloodlines, her dormant vital energy began to flow once more—though fragile, it was brimming with nascent vitality.

Suddenly, a thunderclap roared. In a flash of lightning and flint, an astonishing burst of energy erupted, not only shattering the burgeoning life force but also violently jarring Li Xuan’s internal energy, causing him to cough up a mouthful of blood.

Old Black immediately stepped forward, attempting to infuse his own primordial energy, but Li Xuan forcefully repelled him, shouting, "Do not come closer!"

By now, Li Xuan could no longer afford any distractions. Forming seals with both palms, strands of primordial inscriptions danced from his fingertips and imprinted themselves onto Yuezhi’s skin.

Roar!

With a fierce roar, Li Xuan leaped into the air. His palm shadows fluttered as he struck Yuezhi one palm after another—a full eighty-one strikes that completely enveloped her in a blinding burst of primordial light.

Whoosh!

The air rippled violently, and the surrounding primordial energy rushed toward Yuezhi like a surging tide.

Straining to keep even breathing, Li Xuan shouted at the top of his lungs to Old Black, "Yin and Yang intertwine!"

Old Black hesitated for a fraction of a second, but Li Xuan shoved him directly toward Yuezhi while chanting a incantation aloud.

Old Black instantly understood. Pressing both palms against Yuezhi’s back, he poured his boundless primordial energy endlessly into her body.

While controlling the Spirit-Gathering Primordial Array, Li Xuan attempted to open the *Holy Emperor Qinglian Canon*. Risking the terrifying danger of his soul fracturing, he finally forced open that thick page.

Instantly, golden, glowing scriptures flew out from Li Xuan’s body, merging into Old Black and transforming into pure life force that poured straight into Yuezhi.

In a split second, Old Black and Yuezhi were enveloped in a golden radiance, their bloodlines fusing as Yin and Yang harmonized.

Simultaneously, thunder roared within their bodies, their bloodlines swelling to the point where they were in constant danger of bursting apart.

Li Xuan realized that the radiation of the Black Obsidian Mystic Thunder could not simply be drawn out; it had already penetrated deep into their bones and marrow.

However, cracks began to appear across the skin of both Old Black and Yuezhi, and blood soon stained them crimson.

It was already impossible for Li Xuan to seal them using the 'Nine Yang Soul-Returning Needles'. The only remaining option was to allow the Black Obsidian Mystic Thunder to coexist and grow with them, refining their bodies into a Thunder-Resonant Bloodline.

Transforming his primordial energy into thunder, Li Xuan guided and refined the radiation of the Black Obsidian Mystic Thunder.

"Old Black, Yuezhi, I am passing down a body-tempering technique to you both. Cultivate it according to the chant immediately!"

Forming seals with his palms, Li Xuan transmitted the body-tempering technique into their bodies, employing the Wind-Walking Art to overlay them with the reinforcement of rumbling thunder.

"Hold fast to the primal source, embrace simplicity through the profound spirit—a single spark of thunder!"

Drink!

With a soft shout from Li Xuan, a rolling surge of primordial energy whistled out like wind blades, piercing through both of their bodies while the *Qingnang Codex* spun, wreathed in wisps of white halo.

As the thunder entered their bodies and was tempered by the physical cultivation art, the Black Obsidian Mystic Thunder integrated smoothly into their bloodlines, stirring their vital energy into a cluster of golden brilliance.

Under the interaction of the golden light and the Black Obsidian Mystic Thunder, the two forces slowly began to merge.

Suddenly, a massive, overwhelming wave of force surged outward, directly blasting Li Xuan backward through the air.

Puff!

Li Xuan spat out a mouthful of blood, his entire body shuddering with a chill as if needles were pricking his back. Those eyes, resembling the flowers of the Other Shore, gazed once more into the depths of his soul.

Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Li Xuan roared, "Get lost!"

Disregarding his own safety, he forcibly charged back in and circulated the *Qingnang Codex* once more, pitting wind and thunder against one another to refine the Black Obsidian Mystic Thunder.

The primordial light blazed fiercely, and the erupting energy ripples stirred up wave after wave of shockwaves.

Li Xuan's skin was scorched, and only after making sure that the two of them were completely safe did he finally retreat.

Puff!

Li Xuan vomited another mouthful of blood, his face deathly pale as he watched Old Black and Yuezhi.

"Young Master Li! You..."

Elder Yue Wu supported Li Xuan, his face etched with grief as he asked, "Are you alright?"

Li Xuan waved his hand weakly. "I will be fine once I rest!"

"Old Black and Yuezhi should be out of danger now. They are undergoing a transformation; we just need to wait for them!"

Though Li Xuan claimed he was fine, thunderous roars echoed from within the dwelling, and the blinding light was so intense that one could barely open their eyes, keeping everyone's hearts suspended in anxiety.

Boom!

With a deafening explosion, the dwelling was instantly flattened to the ground. The dazzling, blinding light suddenly receded, plunging directly into the bodies of Old Black and Yuezhi as rumbling thunder and continuous muffled echoes shook the earth.

Li Xuan looked toward Old Black and Yuezhi, a wide grin spreading across his face as he declared, "Mission accomplished!"

Old Black and Yuezhi opened their eyes simultaneously. Their pupils were serene and clear, and an aura of thunder leaked outward, astonishing everyone present.

Old Black’s complexion was rosy, and a faint golden halo shimmered across his skin—he had undergone a complete rebirth.

Yuezhi, too, now had a head of golden hair. Her eyes, once a distinct black and white, now shone with a golden glow, and her wrinkled skin radiated divine brilliance, making her look like a goddess descended from above.

Elder Yue Wu looked at Li Xuan in shock and asked, "Young Master Li, what is the meaning of this?"

Old Black and Yuezhi held hands tightly, glowing with vitality.

Li Xuan smiled faintly and said, "Perhaps this is the will of heaven! Old Black, why don't you explain it to Elder Yue Wu?"

Old Black chuckled awkwardly, but Yuezhi, more articulate, stepped forward and explained everything in detail.

"Young Master Li, please accept this bow from this old man!"

Tears welled up in Elder Yue Wu's turbid eyes, but Li Xuan caught him by the arm, preventing him from kneeling. "This matter started because of me, and naturally it should end because of me. Consider this a blessing in disguise; Old Black and Yuezhi have been reborn, forging the Golden Thunder-Resonant Body. From this day forward, the Azure Leaf Tribe will also be able to embark on the path of cultivation."

"The Golden Thunder-Resonant Body?!"

Elder Yue Wu muttered to himself as if struck by lightning. His body swayed involuntarily as he asked, "Young Master Li, are your words true?"

Li Xuan nodded and motioned for Old Black to demonstrate.

Whoosh!

Old Black let out a soft whistle that sounded like rolling thunder. His vital energy surged, wreathed in wisps of golden halo that condensed into dazzling golden lightning. The tyrannical primordial energy pressed down on the air, producing a series of sharp sonic booms.

Tears of joy streaming down his face, Elder Yue Wu repeated over and over, "Good, good, good..."

Meanwhile, Yuezhi appeared even more ethereal and refined, her every movement radiating the aura of a powerful expert. Turning to look at Old Black, the two of them dropped to their knees together and said, "Brother Li Xuan, I don't know how to express my gratitude..."

Li Xuan pulled them both up. "Is this you asking me to act as your matchmaker? Isn't it a bit too early to be kowtowing to me as your wedding officiant now?"

Li Xuan's words brought hearty laughter from the crowd, while Old Black and Yuezhi blushed fiercely, wishing they could find a crack in the ground to hide in.

"Alright, the matter is not yet over. With so many people injured, I still need to find a way to resolve that, don't I?"

Just as he finished speaking, darkness engulfed Li Xuan's vision, and he collapsed backward onto the ground.