When he first saw those十余 streaks of obsidian lightning, a profound tremor surged through the soul at the center of his brow, and an indescribable sense of danger settled upon his heart. Faced with this unprecedented crisis, Xiao Yan showed no hesitation. He withdrew his puppet, said nothing, and immediately turned, fleeing toward beyond the lightning pool. For that desperate figure being pursued by the dark lightning, he didn't recognize him and didn't intend to—clearly, the man wasn't a quiet, efficient type. But the dark lightning itself was even more formidable. Xiao Yan understood: with his own strength, if even a single point of contact with that dark lightning touched him, he would likely be obliterated entirely. "For heaven's sake, I don't have the ability to help you..." Feeling the terrifying pressure surging toward him from behind, Xiao Yan couldn't help but let out a string of curses. It was clear that the man intended to find a partner to jointly resist the black lightning, yet he clearly underestimated Xiao Yan. "Friend ahead..." As Xiao Yan was focused on sprinting forward, a sudden gust of wind echoed behind him, and then a ghostly figure materialized beside him. Just as he finished speaking, the figure stared in astonishment, exclaiming, "Five-star Domain Sovereign? You're not mistaken, are you? With such strength, you dare come to the Void Lightning Pool? Are you not mistaken at all..." Hearing this voice, Xiao Yan nearly fainted. After all his diligent cultivation, the man had not only summoned a whole series of complications but also openly dismissed his capabilities. With silver glimmers dancing beneath his feet, Xiao Yan surged forward with full force, seizing a fleeting opening. At the same time, he glanced sideways, catching a quick glimpse of the figure standing beside him. The figure's owner appeared to be of considerable age, with strands of pale hair scattered throughout his head. His robe was now half-ravaged, clearly shattered by the thunder. What struck Xiao Yan as particularly surprising, however, was that despite his evident disarray, the elder radiated a vibrant sense of energy—seeming almost unharmed by the cataclysmic, dark thunder that had engulfed the area behind him. "This old man is no ordinary person! Some hidden master who must have emerged from nowhere?" At that moment, a thought flashed swiftly through Xiao Yan's mind. Of course, anyone who dared venture into the thunder pool—something even Xiao Yan himself had hesitated to approach—must surely possess exceptional qualities. Moreover, the fact that he managed to catch up to Xiao Yan, who had been sprinting desperately for so long, clearly demonstrated that this elder's speed and strength far surpassed his own. Yet as for the seemingly disheveled elder's true origins, Xiao Yan now felt utterly indifferent—because he sensed that the dark thunderstorms behind him were drawing ever closer. "Are you serious? Are these creatures really that fast? Well, then, youngster—let me go ahead!" Aware of the situation, the disheveled elder naturally cried out, and as his space before him warped, he plunged into it, reappearing several kilometers away. "Old fool!" Seeing the elder vanish so suddenly, Xiao Yan was left speechless, and then erupted in rage. Though he raged, his pace did not slacken. Clenching his teeth, he felt his back tremble, and his bone wings extended, flapping vigorously—his speed surged instantly. In a few flashes, he reached the distant horizon, then plunged forward without turning back. Pushing his speed to its absolute limit, Xiao Yan gradually managed to shed the dark lightning that had been encircling him. Yet he still dared not linger too long. He glanced upward—there, the edge of the thunder pool had now come into view—and immediately accelerated once more, finally surging forth like a gust of wind, breaking through the ever-resonant thunder that had filled the area. "If I hadn't been worried that stepping in would cause this thunder pool to erupt, I'd have already eliminated those things," Xiao Yan said, his voice barely finishing when a strange sound suddenly exploded in his ears, startling him. He quickly lifted his head to see the previously disheveled old man now floating before him, eyes fixed intently on him. Upon seeing the elder, Xiao Yan couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth, though he suppressed his muttered complaints due to the old man's overwhelming presence. Shifting his tone, he asked, "What exactly are those things?" "Just a few thunder-beings with a bit of intelligence," the elder said, rolling his eyes. Hearing this, Xiao Yan's brows furrowed slightly, though he wasn't particularly surprised. Over time, the strange fire had developed its own intelligence, and given the unique terrain—thunder accumulating for countless years—having evolved into unusual creatures was no surprise at all. "The strength of this old man... even now, I can barely grasp a single aspect of it. He must be at least on par with my teacher or Elder Zhú Lí." Glancing at the elder before him, whose appearance was somewhat disheveled, a surprisingly profound sense of astonishment settled in his mind. He hadn't expected to encounter a super-strong contender of this caliber within this formless space. Yet, despite his impressive stature, this man—so constantly insisting he was mistaken—seemed rather lacking in character, nearly costing him his life. "Heh, youngster, I must say your strength isn't quite up to par, but your speed is quite commendable. I was actually planning to lend you a hand, only to find out you managed to escape on your own." The elder rubbed his hands and smiled warmly. "Just lucky," said Xiao Yan, his lips curling into a smile, though deep within, he quietly cursed the elder—was he really telling the truth, or was this all just another act?" "Young man, the creatures deep within the Thunder Pool are quite extraordinary—they are formed by condensed lightning energy, capable of directly absorbing it. When used for cultivation, they're truly beneficial. I see you're moving swiftly; why don't we go together and explore deeper?" the elder smiled. Hearing this, Xiao Yan chuckled dryly and quickly shook his head. "Deep inside? What a joke! Those black lightning bolts—just one strike could kill me. In the past, I didn't know much about them, so I managed to endure. But now that I know, I'd never dare step foot there again. Besides, I don't think this old man is very reliable. Working with him... I certainly don't want to get drawn into trouble again." "Are today's young people really losing their courage so fast?" the elder remarked, frowning slightly as Xiao Yan shook his head. "Still, meeting is fate. My name is Bao. I suppose you won't know it." "Bao?" "Xiao Yan thought for a moment and realized he indeed didn't know of this supreme powerhouse. It seemed the true elite of the Central Plains were truly quite reserved. 'Ah, how ignorant these young ones are...' The elder named Bao sighed deeply upon seeing Xiao Yan completely unfamiliar. The words he uttered only left Xiao Yan utterly at a loss. 'Hiss!' As Xiao Yan remained speechless, a sudden gust of wind burst from afar, carrying a clear, resonant voice that reached him even before the figure arrived: 'Xiao Yan, are you alright?' 'Hm? It's someone from the Tai Xu Ancient Dragon clan!' The elder Bao was momentarily startled upon seeing the figure approaching, then glanced at Xiao Yan with a look of surprise—strangely, he couldn't understand how a mere human like Xiao Yan had any connection with the ancient Tai Xu Dragon lineage. "Well then, since it's that way, I shall be off. The young man has done quite well, though still falls short of my expectations. He must put in more effort...” The elder seemed unwilling to see anyone else, so he waved at Xiao Yan and, before the latter could speak, turned and stirred a ripple of spatial waves, vanishing swiftly. "I encountered a few little surprises in the Thunder Pool, so I came out on my own," Xiao Yan smiled, not going into much detail about what had happened in the pool. Then, with a wave of his hand, he said, "My cultivation is nearly complete. Let's go back now." "Good—I've been staying here long enough that I'm starting to fade into the background!" Hearing this, Hei Qing was delighted and promptly nodded. Immediately, his body glowed brightly, and in a single blink, he transformed into a massive black dragon. Xiao Yan shifted slightly and soared up to join him, a dragon's imprint resonating through the air. The light surged into streaks of lightning, flashing forward with great speed, and in an instant, they vanished at the far edge of the void. "Xiao Yan... that name sounds familiar..." A murmured question, filled with curiosity, gently resonates through the void.