Chapter 104: Primordial Annihilation Lightning

Winters Manor, Cole Residence.

By the time Ryan returned to his cultivation room, it was already past midnight.

Tonight had been full of unexpected twists and turns, with one problem after another arising when he least expected it. Now that he had finally returned to his own residence, he couldn’t help feeling a sense of relief.

After locking the door, Ryan walked to the window, sat down cross-legged, and took a moment to calm himself.

"First, let’s perform Creation on this Tier-2 Beast Core."

With that thought, he summoned the Boundless Creation Furnace.

SWISH!

A flash of light filled the cultivation room as the ancient furnace appeared before him.

Its bronze surface gleamed brilliantly, radiating a mysterious, ancient aura that seemed to have existed since time immemorial.

"Mira, use Advanced Creation to extract the Bloodline Essence Strand within this Beast Core."

As he spoke, Ryan retrieved a Tier-2 Beast Core from his spatial ring.

A powerful lightning energy emanated from the core, causing his eyes to narrow with anticipation. Without hesitation, he tossed it into the Boundless Creation Furnace.

SWISH!

The moment the Beast Core entered the furnace, gray mist surged downward, swirling into a vortex that engulfed it completely.

The lightning-attribute Beast Core seemed to disappear into an unfathomable sea. Only occasional flashes of bright red lightning emerged from within the mist before vanishing again.

"Understood, Master."

Mira’s voice rang out.

DING!

[Energy Value Insufficient.]

[Please continue to input, Host.]

[Current Energy Deficit: 235,874 Low-Grade Origin Stones.]

[Basic Information Analysis: Transformation Type, Lightning-Attribute Essence Strand. Its characteristics differ significantly from those of common lightning-attribute abilities. Preliminary analysis suggests that it may belong to an entirely new Bloodline type. However, the quantity of available Essence is insufficient to identify its specific ability.]

[Bloodline Grade Probability Analysis: C-Grade Ordinary: 10%. C-Grade Excellent: 30%. C-Grade Top Tier: 60%.]

"An energy deficit of 235,874 Low-Grade Origin Stones..."

Ryan’s expression tightened as he read the notification.

Although the amount wasn’t insignificant, he had already learned that the Boundless Creation Furnace’s demands could be substantial. Fortunately, he had prepared himself for such expenses.

He immediately circulated his Origin Energy, drawing a massive quantity of Low-Grade Origin Stones from his spatial ring before directing them into the furnace.

The number was exactly 235,874.

CHIRP!

As the Origin Stones entered the Boundless Creation Furnace, its bronze body suddenly erupted with brilliant light.

The entire furnace shone with dazzling radiance, illuminating the cultivation room and making its ancient surface appear even more extraordinary.

DING!

[Energy Value Sufficient.]

[Advanced Creation: Turning Waste into Treasure. Random Generation Initiated...]

[Output Probability: Bloodline Essence Drop: 99%. Mutated Unknown Type: 1%.]

"Excellent! It’s finally ready!"

Ryan’s eyes lit up as he stared at the Boundless Creation Furnace.

Despite his excitement, he couldn’t help feeling a little nervous.

After all, even if the furnace successfully produced a Bloodline Essence Drop, there was no guarantee that the resulting Bloodline would suit his needs.

Some Bloodlines might possess impressive grades yet offer limited offensive capabilities. Others might excel in specialized areas without providing much help in direct combat.

At present, what Ryan needed most was the ability to protect himself.

The mysterious Heavenly Eye he had encountered earlier had completely shattered his previous understanding of the world. Powerful beings existed far beyond his current level, and he had no idea when they might return.

Under such circumstances, a powerful offensive Bloodline that could rapidly increase his combat strength would be invaluable.

Unfortunately, acquiring one was easier said than done.

After selling the Tier-3 Black Flame Leopard, Ryan had initially felt that his financial situation had improved considerably. However, the appearance of the terrifying Heavenly Eye had forced him to spend 500,000 Low-Grade Origin Stones just to conceal himself and survive.

Worse still, Mira had advised him to maintain another reserve of approximately 500,000 Origin Stones in case a similar crisis occurred.

After accounting for everything, Ryan estimated that he had only about 670,000 Low-Grade Origin Stones available for other purposes.

Spending more than 230,000 on this single attempt meant sacrificing over a third of that amount, leaving him with less than 440,000.

The thought made his heart ache.

Nevertheless, he had little choice.

He had already committed himself to this attempt, and abandoning it now would accomplish nothing.

Ryan could only hope that the Boundless Creation Furnace would produce something truly worthwhile. Otherwise, his expensive trip to sell the Black Flame Leopard would have yielded far less than he had hoped.

After enduring so many twists, dangers, and unexpected expenses, he had finally gathered enough resources to perform Advanced Creation on the Tier-2 lightning-attribute Beast Core.

Now, everything depended on the result.

Ryan fixed his gaze on the furnace, eagerly awaiting the outcome.

Finally, the long-awaited notification sounded.

DING!

[Congratulations, Host!]

[Obtained: C-Grade Top-Tier Bloodline Essence Drop, Primordial Annihilation Lightning × 1.]

[Primordial Annihilation Lightning: Transformation Type, C-Grade Top-Tier Bloodline.]

[Passive Ability: Greatly increases movement speed and physical strength.]

[Active Ability: Transforms the host’s internal Origin Energy into Primordial Annihilation Lightning, allowing the host to unleash devastating lightning attacks against enemies.]

[Primordial Annihilation Lightning is a bright-red lightning attribute with the characteristic of annihilation, capable of destroying targets with terrifying destructive power. Enemies whose defenses are insufficient may be annihilated into green smoke upon contact.]

[Its nature is extremely yang and rigid, possessing astonishing explosive power.]

[It naturally restrains yin, evil, poisonous, and cold entities, as well as demons and ghosts. Its violent lightning energy can cause severe numbness and muscle spasms upon contact, damage the enemy’s nerves, and stiffen their movements. Targets with exceptional physical strength may partially mitigate these effects.]

PFFT!

A yellow Essence Drop shot out of the Boundless Creation Furnace and floated into midair.

It darted erratically around the cultivation room, crackling with violent lightning energy. Bright-red electrical arcs flickered across its surface, filling the surrounding space with an oppressive, destructive aura.

Ryan’s eyes widened.

"What?! A C-Grade Top-Tier Bloodline Essence Drop! Primordial Annihilation Lightning?!"

He stared at the floating Essence Drop in disbelief before his expression erupted into unrestrained joy.

"This is incredible! A C-Grade Top-Tier Bloodline!"

The result far exceeded his expectations.

Not only had the Boundless Creation Furnace successfully extracted a Bloodline Essence Drop, but it had also produced one with astonishing offensive potential.

The ability to increase his movement speed and physical strength while allowing him to unleash devastating lightning attacks was precisely the kind of power he needed.

More importantly, the Primordial Annihilation Lightning could be sealed within one of the Boundless Creation Slots, allowing him to obtain its power without having to rely on the Essence Drop’s unstable form.

For the first time since encountering the Heavenly Eye, Ryan felt that his efforts were finally paying off.

SWISH!

Suppressing his excitement, he immediately reached out with his right hand, attempting to seize the floating Essence Drop.

However, the Primordial Annihilation Lightning appeared to possess a degree of instinctive awareness.

SIZZLE!

The instant Ryan’s fingers approached, it abruptly darted sideways, narrowly evading his grasp.

"Huh? So fast?"

Ryan’s expression changed.

He hadn’t expected a Bloodline Essence Drop to be so difficult to capture.

Without hesitation, he flicked his fingers and launched three Spider Web Flying Shuttles toward it.

WHOOSH!

The three shuttles shot through the air, approaching the Essence Drop from above, the middle, and below, effectively surrounding it from three directions.

Yet, instead of retreating, the Primordial Annihilation Lightning suddenly turned around and charged straight toward them.

SIZZLE!

Bright-red lightning erupted from its surface.

In the blink of an eye, the three Spider Web Flying Shuttles disintegrated into wisps of smoke, vanishing before they could accomplish anything.

Ryan’s expression darkened.

He had underestimated the destructive power of this Bloodline Essence.

Although it possessed only rudimentary intelligence, its lightning energy was terrifyingly potent. Even his Spider Web Flying Shuttles couldn’t withstand a direct encounter with it.

Trying to capture it through brute force alone would clearly be difficult.

Fortunately, Ryan had already anticipated that the three shuttles might fail.

The moment he launched them, he moved.

Taking advantage of the brief distraction, he swiftly circled behind the Primordial Annihilation Lightning and reached for it with his right hand.

The Essence Drop possessed only rudimentary awareness, and its movements appeared to be guided primarily by instinct. Having determined that the Spider Web Flying Shuttles posed no real threat, it had rushed forward to destroy them without considering the possibility of a follow-up attack.

By the time it reacted to Ryan’s approach, his hand was already closing around it.

SIZZLE!

The instant his fingers made contact with the Primordial Annihilation Lightning, a violent struggle erupted in his palm.

A terrifying burning sensation shot through his hand, accompanied by intense numbness and spasms.

Ryan’s entire body convulsed violently.

His movements became stiff, his muscles spasmed uncontrollably, and the hair on his head stood on end as bright-red electrical arcs raced across his skin.

Thick smoke immediately rose from his right palm.

Wisps of green smoke curled toward the ceiling, accompanied by the unmistakable smell of burnt flesh.

Ryan’s expression changed drastically.

"Damn it!"

He had known that Primordial Annihilation Lightning possessed terrifying destructive power, but he hadn’t expected its effects to be so vicious even when he was merely trying to capture the Essence Drop.

The lightning wasn’t simply burning his flesh. Its energy was penetrating his defenses, interfering with his nerves and causing his muscles to seize up.

Before he could fully react, the phantom of his Overlord Body Battle Armor abruptly appeared around his body.

The defensive manifestation helped suppress some of the rising smoke, but it couldn’t completely stop the lightning from damaging his palm.

Its effects were simply too penetrating.

Even worse, the spasms interfered with Ryan’s movements so severely that his defensive manifestation had appeared with a noticeable delay.

The Overlord Body Battle Armor could mitigate some of the damage, but it was far from sufficient to neutralize the Primordial Annihilation Lightning’s power.

Ryan’s face turned pale as he endured the intense pain.

He had never imagined that a Bloodline Essence Drop could be so troublesome to handle.

The combination of burning damage, numbness, and violent muscle spasms made it exceptionally difficult to maintain his grip.

Yet he refused to let go.

If he released the Essence Drop now, he would have wasted more than 230,000 Low-Grade Origin Stones for nothing.

Worse still, the Essence Drop might escape before he could capture it again.

He couldn’t afford that.

Gritting his teeth, Ryan desperately circulated his Overlord Body Bloodline, forcing his body to endure the assault.

His right hand tightened around the struggling Essence Drop despite the excruciating pain.

He had already spent too much to give up now.

Time passed agonizingly slowly.

The Primordial Annihilation Lightning continued struggling, releasing successive bursts of electrical energy as it attempted to escape his grasp.

Ryan’s body trembled under the assault, and smoke continued rising from his palm.

Nevertheless, he stubbornly maintained his grip.

Eventually, the Essence Drop’s struggles began to weaken.

Its erratic movements gradually slowed, and the violent lightning arcs surrounding it diminished in intensity.

After a prolonged struggle, the Primordial Annihilation Lightning finally stopped resisting.

Ryan cautiously opened his right palm.

The yellow Bloodline Essence Drop lay quietly in the center of his hand, no longer darting around or attempting to escape.

Faint bright-red lightning flickered across its surface, while several tiny electrical arcs danced around it.

Although it had finally been subdued, the mysterious Essence Drop still radiated an intimidating aura.

Ryan exhaled slowly.

"That was more troublesome than I expected..."

He glanced at his injured palm, then shifted his attention back to the Essence Drop.

Despite the pain, he couldn’t suppress his excitement.

The effort had been worth it.

Now that the Essence Drop was under control, he could finally seal it within the Boundless Creation Furnace and obtain the power of Primordial Annihilation Lightning.

"Mira, I want to use a Boundless Creation Slot!"

Ryan immediately issued the command.

He didn’t intend to waste another second.

The terrifying encounter with the Heavenly Eye had completely changed his perspective. Before tonight, he had still believed that he could steadily improve his cultivation while gradually accumulating wealth and treasures.

Now, he understood that such a leisurely approach was no longer an option.

There were beings in this world capable of destroying everything he knew with a single attack.

His current strength was insignificant before them.

If he wanted to survive, protect his family, and eventually face the enemies pursuing the Boundless Creation Furnace, he needed to become stronger as quickly as possible.

Every moment mattered.

And the Primordial Annihilation Lightning was another step toward that goal.