Chapter Seventy-One: Holding Thunder and Lightning, Like a God

The Celestial Master's Way excelled at wielding thunder and lightning, with profound mastery of formations. Elder Jiang, lightning crackling in his left palm and formation grasped in his right, seemed as mighty as a god of war reborn. Within the realm of grandmasters, his ranking was near the top; ordinary grandmasters were no match for him.

Amidst the dazzling golden radiance, thunder flashed relentlessly. The true strength of the Celestial Master's Way lay in its ancient lineage, stretching back into history, possibly with ties to the School of Diplomacy among the Hundred Schools of Thought. The more primal the formation, the greater its capacity to harness the might of heaven and earth.

As the grand formation activated, Qin Huishi retreated down the corridor. Passing Xu Changming, she hesitated, but ultimately grabbed him, steering them both away from the formation. Even she dared not confront the edge of the Heavenly Gang Thunder Formation, jointly deployed by five internal force grandmasters.

If Jiang Yu did not fall, blood would inevitably flow in Huating today. That gaze, like a deity or demon, became etched deeply in Qin Huishi’s memory. Even when faced with Gu Changsheng, she had never felt such awe—not that Gu Changsheng lacked the capability, but he always adhered to the principle of “all things humble and gentle, the Dao is simplicity,” making him easy to get along with and never imposing any pressure. Yet, should he truly rage, none under heaven could withstand the blow of an earth immortal.

Boom!

The upper floors of Huating Tower trembled gently. Jiang Yu strolled hands behind his back within the formation, surrounded by surging lightning—almost forming the most powerful spherical electric field. He looked up, his gaze seemingly piercing the endless golden radiance, settling upon Elder Jiang. The bullet graze on his cheek stood out starkly.

“If you had encountered me three months ago, perhaps I would have needed to reveal all my cards to break this formation.”

Jiang Yu smiled faintly; rather than hollow negotiations, he preferred to let fists determine status. At the heart of the formation, lightning twisted and curled like serpents, filling every inch of space. An ordinary grandmaster would have perished on the spot. Unfortunately for Elder Jiang, he faced an ancient cultivator.

“Under heaven’s might, all beings are equal!”

Elder Jiang stood proudly, thunder exploding in his hands—a display akin to immortality.

Once Jiang Yu deduced the principles of the Heavenly Gang Thunder Formation, he shook his head and laughed, dismissive. Heaven’s might? These lightning bolts were merely artificial, crafted by practitioners using materials for their rituals—man-made thunder. Compared to true divine thunder, their power was worlds apart.

Like a math prodigy confronted with elementary school problems, the initial novelty faded after finding the solution, leaving only boredom.

“Is this your ultimate trump card?”

Jiang Yu walked leisurely through the electric storm, as if strolling through an empty realm. The lightning coursed past him, as if courtiers bowing to their king, faintly expressing a will to submit.

“Boy, taste my divine power of heaven and earth!”

Elder Jiang spread his hands, lightning within the formation coalescing into a massive dragon, crashing down with overwhelming force. Jiang Yu remained motionless, seemingly intent on taking the blow head-on.

“Good!”

With a soft cry, Elder Jiang unleashed thunder like the roaring Yangtze, surging forth. This strike, a union of five internal force grandmasters and the formation, changed the very color of heaven and earth.

Even Jiang Yu sensed a trace of true heavenly thunder—this power, ordinary masters would surely be unable to withstand.

No matter how formidable, they were still confined to mortal flesh; faced with firearms or this very lightning, their lives were at risk.

Jiang Yu raised his head, calmly watching the oncoming storm of lightning. Under Elder Jiang’s horrified gaze, he casually beckoned, gathering all the lightning into his hand like rivers returning to the sea. The lethal thunder within the formation had been effortlessly seized by his opponent.

“A mere parlor trick—I thought you might have something truly astonishing.”

With a casual squeeze, Jiang Yu scattered the lightning in all directions.

“Any other trump cards? Bring them out, or else today, your lives are forfeit.”

Not only Elder Jiang, but the other four internal force grandmasters were stunned. The famed Heavenly Gang Thunder Formation of the Celestial Master's Way could not even touch the corner of a youth’s robe? If ordinary people had set the formation, it might be understandable—but these were five grandmasters, whose expertise in formations had reached its peak.

“How is this possible?”

Elder Jiang seemed to witness the most unimaginable event of his life, stumbling backward. He had been certain that his strike would kill a major power.

What now? Even after unleashing his greatest strength, he had not even breached the opponent’s defenses. The lightning he relied upon was docile before that man—so much so, they felt as if, with a single command from Jiang Yu, all the lightning might turn against them.

“Zheng Tianming challenged my physical strength, Shen Wan’an my swordsmanship, and now you test me with formations and thunder?”

Jiang Yu’s smile was ambiguous, his gaze deep and cold as the eternal void, almost inhuman, devoid of emotion.

Elder Jiang’s heart trembled. “What manner of being are you?”

“What am I?” Jiang Yu’s smile faded, as if musing to himself. “Soon, you will know.”

With that, a waxy yellow bead appeared in Jiang Yu’s hand, covered in intricate runes; within the jade orb, thunder seemed to swirl.

“A paltry little formation dares claim heaven’s might?”

Jiang Yu grasped the Thunder-Confused Jade, speaking serenely: “Today, let me show you what heaven’s might truly is!”

Elder Jiang’s heartbeat quickened; since ascending to grandmaster, his body had changed, granting him a sense for danger—this intuition had saved him from death more than once.

Now, his heart pounded fiercely, an unprecedented sense of crisis flooding his being.

At that moment, the five heard a soft command:

“Thunder, come!”

A thousand fathoms of thunder poured down from the heavens.

Suddenly, lightning was born from the void, heaven’s might pressed upon the world.

Jiang Yu gripped thunder itself!

...

Huating Tower, their final stop. After viewing the sunset over the Yujiang River, Jiang Shaoqi and his party planned to return to Yuncheng.

But something was amiss today. Just as they were about to enter, the security at the door stopped them, informing them the entertainment tower was closed and not receiving visitors.

“What’s going on?” Jiang Shaoqi asked, displeased, turning to a man beside him.

The man, Li Yang, was a local from Yu Zhou—a friend in Jiang Shaoqi’s circle, from a moderately wealthy family. Their trip to Yu Zhou was largely due to having acquaintances here, allowing them to explore more places.

Li Yang frowned. “I have no idea. It was fine yesterday—why aren’t they receiving guests today?”

Jiang Ziyue smiled gently. “It’s alright, let’s just pick another spot.”

Second aunt pursed her lips. “What’s this about? Waste of energy. I’d rather be at the spa.”

Li Yang was mortified; yesterday, he’d promised everything would go smoothly.

Suddenly, inspiration struck. “Wait, why didn’t I think of it? The tower next door is paired with Huating as the Twin Towers of Yujiang, just not open to the public. But I have a friend who works there—he can take us up. The view’s no different from Huating.”

Taking out his phone, Li Yang made a call, exchanging a few words before smiling and gesturing ‘ok’ to the group.

“Let’s go. The next tower’s view is just as good.”

Relieved, Li Yang regained his composure.

Soon, a young man in a suit hurried out. When he saw Jiang Ziyue, a hint of amazement flashed in his eyes—such beauty.

He smiled politely. “Come with me. But you’ll need to leave with me before I finish my shift. By then, you’ll have seen enough.”

Following the young man, they took the elevator up to the top floor.

Noticing Jiang Ziyue lost in thought, Zheng Xuan waved her hand playfully. “Ziyue, are you thinking about Jiang Yu again?”

“Huh? No, of course not.” Startled, Jiang Ziyue pinched Zheng Xuan’s soft arm. “You little rascal, always spouting nonsense.”

Zheng Xuan gave her a long look. She’d already tried to counsel Ziyue countless times, but the silly girl insisted that Jiang Yu would one day appear before everyone, high and mighty.

Faced with such fanciful intuition, Zheng Xuan had long since stopped trying.

“By the way, what happened at Huating Tower next door today?”

Li Yang asked curiously.

The young man thought for a moment, then whispered, “I’m not sure myself. Some gossipy colleagues say an important figure is coming to Huating—Chairman Xu Changming went to greet them personally. Probably related to the mass ban incident.”

Jiang Shaoqi asked, “What ban?”

The young man was surprised. “Wow, don’t you read the news on your phones?”

The Jiang family exchanged looks; they rarely browsed their phones, especially while traveling in Yujiang—they barely had time to play, let alone check the news.

“So what happened?”

Jiang Ziyue’s interest was piqued.

The young man smiled. “Today, the entertainment industry was rocked—nearly seventy celebrities and reporters were banned; the paparazzi are in uproar, and news is everywhere. Second-rate stars, famous singers—almost eighty people now. No telling how long this ban will last.”

The group was dumbfounded.

As they spoke, they reached the top floor in the elevator—this vantage point offered a clear view of Huating Tower opposite.

Almost as soon as they stepped out,

they saw seven or eight bolts of lightning plummet from the sky onto Huating Tower.

Amidst a storm of thunder, a vague silhouette could be glimpsed,

holding lightning in his hand, like a god descending from heaven.