“If there’s no 8th-grade ingredient, then all of this is a lie cooked up by all of you!” Gu Santong eyed each one with suspicion.

Violent Demon was frantic, “You fist leveled everything in a hundred miles! That ingredient is dust by now…”

“Bullshit!”

Gu Santong cursed, “An 8th-grade ingredient is a worldly treasure, possessing spirituality. If you could think of burrowing underground at a crucial moment, then so could it!”

“T-then it must’ve fled!” Wimp Demon whimpered.

Gu Santong snorted, “More bullshit! My nose can pick up its scent even a thousand meters below. How the hell can it escape my notice?”

“T-t-then…” It was Sly Demon’s turn to take the stands and patch the growing hole in the lie. But he stuttered so greatly, none of his words made sense, despite how much his eyes showed he wanted to.

Gu Santong snorted, eyeing them with thick bloodthirst, “Humph, without the 8th-grade ingredient all you’ve said so far was a big fat lie. You are the ones who set up the lightning array!”

They were all nervous now and chilled to the bone.

“Hold on!”

Zhuo Fan shouted with a pained face, “The 8th-grade ingredient is indeed real. It truly wanted to flee but I managed to grab it just as the lightning array crumbled. You didn’t pick up its scent because I placed it in my ring!”

Zhuo Fan’s hand revealed a glowing ingredient. The sweet smell it released worked to sooth everyone’s weary minds!

Gu Santong was dumbstruck. The 8th-grade ingredient was real.

Even if he didn’t believe Zhuo Fan, he now had no choice but to. The proof was incontestable!

The six’s reason for rushing into the array held strong. What they did in the array, only they knew, and no matter how they explained it, Gu Santong would never find the truth.

But now, he no longer cared.

With an 8th-grade ingredient in hand, what’s the big problem being trapped in an array by them? This compensation was enough if he even had to go through a second array.

Licking his dry lips, Gu Santong scratched his head in embarrassment, “Ops, I’ve been wrong about you, guys. You really gave it all for my sake. Then, is this 8th-grade ingredient mine?”

Zhuo Fan was silent, having to go through great difficulty to squeeze a nod.

Gu Santong then took it and threw the ingredient into his mouth and started chomping, “In fact, even if you did set the array up, it’s all water under the bridge. If every array has an 8th-grade ingredient, I’d jump in head first, ha-ha-ha…”

“Rest easy, our efforts weren’t for nothing!” Zhuo Fan smiled, but was crying inside. His heart bled with every chomp!

He got that 8th-grade ingredient from Drifting Flowers Edifice’s Hundred Pill Meeting, and only the one. He was keeping it for a special occasion, alright? Who’d have thought it’d be wasted on Gu Santong to calm his anger? But it was either that or his life!

This was Zhuo Fan’s first time losing out to such an extent.

While Gu Santong was gorging himself with the ingredient, Li Jingtian slipped next to him and patted him, “It’s only a worldly possession, Steward Zhuo! Only by being alive will you get to have more of them!”

“Yeah, I never knew Steward Zhuo had an 8th-grade ingredient. What’s more, Steward Zhuo loves us so much, he gave it up. We are touched!” The Four Scheming Demons sniffed.

Zhuo Fan glared instead, “Shut it, I’ve made an investment in you and I expect you to pay me back ten fold at the least! We’ll first placate the devil then we’ll think of something later!”

“Yes!” They all nodded obediently. Especially the four demons, who looked at him with just a hint of respect. Unlike before when there was only fear…

Rumble!

A sudden thunderous noise traveled for thousands of miles.

Zhuo Fan frowned and looked around, “Isn’t Thunder Swarm Mountain flattened? Where is that noise coming from?”

“Maybe it’s a real thunderstorm!” Li Jingtian scratched his beard.

But Zhuo Fan shook his head, “Unlikely. The kid’s two fists silenced everything in a hundred miles, even removing clouds. So where’s this lightning coming from without any clouds around?”

Li Jingtian found Zhuo Fan’s explanation to be reasonable.

“Steward Zhuo, look, something’s off with the kid. Did you poison the 8th-grade ingredient?” Sly Demon shouted and pointed at Gu Santong.

Zhuo Fan saw Gu Santong covering his ears and crouching his shivering body. Even his most delicious treat, the 8th-grade ingredient, laid half-eaten on the ground.

Violent Demon cried in joy, “Steward Zhuo, you’re amazing, of ultimate cunningness to have dealt with the kid. Tell us, how did you poison him? Our plans have always been foiled by that godlike nose…”

“Knock it off, I didn’t do anything!”

Zhuo Fan glared at them then turned to Gu Santong, “It doesn’t look like somethings wrong with the kid. So it must be his mental state!”

“Eh?”

Li Jingtian raised an eyebrow, but after a bit of mulling he cried, “It’s fear. How come the great Gu Santong actually knows fear?”

“What?” Zhuo Fan was startled and Li Jingtian explained, “When I was teaching brats in Regent Estate, I was very strict. So much so, some weak minded ones caved in just at my voice alone, taking the same posture as he is now. I’d usually go on and kick out anyone I’ve seen behaving like this. Without guts, I was not going to waste time on them!”

“You’re saying… he’s scared? But what could drive such fear into this little monster?” Zhuo Fan’s heart was perturbed as well.

Rumble!

The thunder only grew in intensity and Zhuo Fan looked startled at the sky.

Then a bolt flashed out of the blue and the sky darkened as black as night, as if a huge hand swept over the area. Next, purple lightning began to fall nonstop.

Each place they hit was turned to dust, wafting everywhere.

Zhuo Fan’s eyes widened, and cried, “Lightning Canyon!”

Correct, this was one of the continent’s three danger zones, Lightning Canyon! It was the place Zhuo Fan had been aiming for all this time, the Heavenly Emperor’s remnant!

Long Jiu once told him about it and has been preparing himself since. But having met with one strange and unavoidable event after another, he had to put them on hold.

And now…

With a flash, the Thunder Skylark’s egg appeared in his hand. His eyes looked at this flickering egg with a bitter face.

He felt regret, [Why haven’t I hatched this egg the moment I got here? Now that Thunder Swarm Mountain is gone, how do I do it?]

But even if he had, the chick wouldn’t be of any use in the Lightning Canyon!

[If only I hatched it sooner. It would’ve matured after a few years.] It was as if fate dictated it was not his time to enter Lightning Canyon!

Watching the purple lightning falling from the clouds, Zhuo Fan sighed and flew away from them, “Let’s go!”

The other five were quick to follow!

They all heard of the notorious Lightning Canyon’s danger. Going in was suicide! The best way is to get out of here following Zhuo Fan!

Luckily, Lightning Canyon just showed up and their speed was more than enough to get them in the clear.

But they flew for a bit and Zhuo Fan looked back all of a sudden, “Where’s the brat, Gu Santong?”

He found that the bold and powerful Invincible Scamp was reacting like any child would in this situation. He was shivering and closing his ears, losing all reason out of fear.

“Ha-ha-ha, the kid is afraid of lightning! Where’d all that fierce attitude go?” Violent Demon mocked.

The other demons joined him, but Zhuo Fan was pausing in thought. Then, he exclaimed, “I get it. He isn’t afraid of lightning, but afraid of purple lightning. We were wrong from the start! “

“Hi-hi-hi, Steward Zhuo, you’re kidding. Who on earth isn’t afraid of purple lightning? Even those Sect Leaders of ours would bolt at the sight of it!” Violent Demon laughed.

Shaking his head, Zhuo Fan’s eyes were fixed on Gu Santong, “This kid is different. The others had the bravery to run, but the kid is lacking even that. Just what is his connection with Lightning Canyon?”

Zhuo Fan suddenly said, “Elder Li, you and the demons leave. I’m getting him out!”

“No, Steward Zhuo!” Li Jingtian was anxious, “Lightning Canyon is about to descend and you’ll be soon crushed to death. You can’t risk it!”

“Yeah, Steward Zhuo, let that punk die for all we care! Wasn’t he almighty? Let’s see him handle purple lighting for a change!” Violent Demon spat and the demons nodded.

The four demons had been nothing but trouble so far, but ever since Zhuo Fan saved their lives by paying an 8th-grade ingredient, their view changed. They held Zhuo Fan with favor, albeit slightly.

Zhuo Fan was gratified but his mind was made, “Elder Li, if anything happens to me, take care of these four. Don’t let them turn the clan upside down!”

Zhuo Fan shot for Gu Santong.

“Steward Zhuo!”

Li Jingtian shouted, but all he could see was his vanishing figure among the purple lightning.

Gnashing his teeth, he eyed the demons and flew away, “Let’s go!”

“What about Steward Zhuo?”

“He’ll be back!” Li Jingtian’s eyes were firm…