Above the void, the scene shifted once more. The scroll painting vanished, yet the nine thunder beasts remained.
They were vivid and lifelike, as if they were actual thunder beasts, spiraling across the sky.
"It worked. It really worked."
"Congratulations, Young Master."
Upon seeing this, the members of the Huangfu Heavenly Clan instinctively looked toward Huangfu Jiangxing.
After all, they all knew that if this treasure were to be claimed, it would belong to none other than Huangfu Jiangxing. The future heights of the Huangfu Heavenly Clan would depend entirely on him.
"Speaking of which, we have that Chu Feng to thank."
"Otherwise, we truly would never have discovered this treasure."
The Yellow-Bearded Elder, however, offered a different reflection. He felt somewhat fortunate — fortunate that Chu Feng had seen through the thunder ball. Otherwise, they could never have obtained this treasure.
"So what if he discovered it? He handed it over obediently, didn't he? Besides, without us, could he have possibly completed the refinement of so many formations on his own?"
"If the refinement hadn't been completed, how could the pieces have been assembled? How could these thunder beasts have been brought into the world?" Huangfu Jiangxing said coldly, his expression displeased.
Sensing the shift in mood, the Yellow-Bearded Elder quickly spoke up: "The Young Master speaks truly. However, how should the Young Master go about conquering this treasure?"
"What do you think, Elder?" Huangfu Jiangxing asked.
"In my estimation, it would require absorbing those nine thunder beasts into one's body."
"But I also feel that those nine thunder beasts will not be easy to deal with," the Yellow-Bearded Elder said.
Hearing this, Huangfu Jiangxing furrowed his brow slightly. "There's danger?"
"That is possible."
"Young Master, please hold off for now. Allow me to lead the clansmen in probing the situation first."
Having said this, the Yellow-Bearded Elder issued orders to the crowd, commanding several elders present to set up a formation alongside him.
Nine-colored thunder erupted from the bodies of the Huangfu clan members and ultimately converged into a colossal thunder sword that hurtled straight toward the nine thunder beasts above the void.
However, the moment it entered the void, the nine thunder beasts seemed to sense the threat and simultaneously unleashed nine-colored thunder of their own, striking at the thunder sword.
Although the nine-colored thunder had long since filled the Ancient Bloodline Tower, that was merely a display of power — impressive in appearance but lacking true substance.
The thunder released by the thunder beasts, however, was something else entirely. It was a genuine offensive force.
The two streams of nine-colored thunder collided.
It was as if true thunder fought against false.
In an instant— The sky shook and the earth trembled. The victor had been decided.
Not only did the thunder sword crumble to pieces, but every person who had participated in the formation was left gravely injured, the Yellow-Bearded Elder included.
The injuries were uniform — regardless of cultivation realm, everyone had suffered the same degree of burns.
This equal treatment only served to further demonstrate just how formidable those nine thunder beasts were.
"How can this be? Was it the wrong approach?" Huangfu Jiangxing looked to the Yellow-Bearded Elder.
There was not a shred of concern in his eyes — only his own panic. After all, he wanted this treasure. In the current situation, how was he supposed to claim it?
"Young Master, this treasure is truly extraordinary. A brute-force approach is absolutely out of the question."
The Yellow-Bearded Elder, despite having already sustained severe injuries, still reported the situation to Huangfu Jiangxing.
"Then what do we do?" Huangfu Jiangxing asked.
"I don't know." The Yellow-Bearded Elder shook his head.
Outside the Ancient Bloodline Tower, the onlookers were equally stunned.
They had assumed the treasure was already in the Huangfu Heavenly Clan's grasp, yet who would have thought that the object they had painstakingly assembled possessed actual lethal power?
"My Lord, what is going on?"
The powerful members of the Huangfu Heavenly Clan outside the tower all looked toward Huangfu Zhantian.
"Why are you asking me? It's your first time seeing something like this — do you think it isn't mine as well?" Huangfu Zhantian glared viciously at the crowd, and they actually found his words to be quite reasonable. This was indeed the first time the Huangfu Heavenly Clan had encountered a situation like this.
"Huangfu Shangwu, you go in."
"Don't launch any attacks. Enter directly."
Inside the tower, Huangfu Jiangxing looked toward Huangfu Shangwu behind him.