Chapter Fifteen: Thunder Shakes a Hundred Miles

Wang Zhenling’s current predicament has naturally put those who depend on him in a dire situation. While he himself remains composed, his followers, including Wang Hu, are restless and anxious, wishing to offer counsel yet unsure of what to say. Some have even begun to waver, contemplating abandoning Wang Zhenling to avoid being implicated, though they find it difficult to make such a decision. Wang Zhenling has treated them well, and in this era, loyalty is paramount; to betray him now would surely invite public scorn and ruin their prospects for the future.

This same dilemma traps Wang Zhenling as well. It is precisely because he cannot lightly betray Chen Bushi that he has fallen into this impasse. Yet, despite Wang Zhenling’s steadfast stance, the Chen clan of Hezhong may not necessarily extend a helping hand. Great powers often weigh gains against losses—what piece on the board cannot be sacrificed? It is unlikely they would risk a direct confrontation with the current Emperor for the sake of Wang Zhenling.

Wang Zhenling was well aware of this before he made his choice. Nevertheless, he acts as if he knows nothing at all. As if unaware that he has offended the Emperor’s envoy and faces the threat of death at any moment, he remains calm and composed, hiding in the County Commandant’s office and appearing as though he is diligently studying. This, to some extent, brings a measure of relief to Wang Hu and Zhu He.

Little do they know, at this very moment, Wang Zhenling is frantically draining the official fortune gathered by the county court. Previously, he had been as cautious as a thief, fearing detection and leaving no traces. Now, however, he is wantonly devouring vast amounts of this energy. It is as if a burglar has suddenly turned into a brazen robber. With such a massive disturbance, how could others fail to notice? Yet, everyone avoids Wang Zhenling as if he were a plague god. No one dares to come near him, and even those who notice him guzzling the official aura choose to feign ignorance. Even the Magistrate of Danling County, upon learning of this, merely remarked to himself, “This is the behavior of one at the end of his rope, acting in defiance of the natural order.” He assumed Wang Zhenling had realized he was doomed and had simply given up on himself. He could not have known that Wang Zhenling was not sitting idle, but was instead executing his own plan—a final preparation to break from his cocoon and emerge as a butterfly.

That very night, while reading, Wang Zhenling came across the passage: “The fiefs of the feudal lords shall not exceed a hundred miles, just as the thunder shakes a hundred miles, bringing rain to the same extent. Thunder is the yang within the yin, representing the feudal lords. Compared to the Emperor, the lords are yin; facing south to bestow rewards and punishments is the way of yang, imitating the thunder...”

His heart trembled involuntarily, and suddenly, many previously incomprehensible points regarding the *Great Tai-Chu Dragon-Tiger Elixir Thunder Technique* became clear. All at once, he did not know why, but his entire body shook. His primordial spirit, which had been gestating, suddenly shone with brilliant light. The energies of the sun and moon, which he had been collecting and storing, began to clash and rub against each other, spontaneously reacting and circulating. As his internal energy flowed faster and faster, it surged through his meridians like a rising tide. He could not help but let out a long, resonant roar that echoed through the darkness, traveling across the entire Jiaode District and even beyond.

Wang Zhenling remained blissfully unaware of the commotion he caused, for after the roar, his breathing through nose and mouth ceased entirely, transitioning into internal breath. In that instant, he entered a state of profound stillness, his primordial spirit illuminated. His consciousness expanded into a brilliant expanse, and the first of the Nine Heavens—the Lunar Palace—suddenly coalesced. His primordial spirit sat enthroned within the Lunar Palace, seemingly establishing an immediate connection with the moon outside; a beam of light descended directly from the celestial orb.

At this moment, Wang Zhenling swallowed the Heaven-Piercing Lotus Seed. Under the radiance of the Lunar Palace, the seed, originally as hard as iron, transformed into a point of light and ascended into his spiritual altar. With a thunderous boom, his divine chamber was opened. As the chamber took shape, his primordial spirit solidified completely, casting its light. With this sudden insight, Wang Zhenling forged the entire divine chamber in one breath, reaching the state of "Divine Germination" in the Out-of-Body stage.

Though his primordial spirit had previously been tempered to a strength rivaling that of a master at the Divine Germination stage, the chamber remained incomplete, denying him true entry to the stage. Now, with the Lunar Palace forged and his spirit radiating light, the newly formed chamber expanded his spiritual altar to five inches—far exceeding the one-inch chamber of ordinary masters. This was the true power of the Lunar Palace.

Yet, its power did not end there. As the chamber was forged and the light fell, it veiled all traces of his cultivation, just as clouds in the sky might obscure the moon. It masked his spirit and chamber entirely, allowing only the brilliance of the spirit to spill out and paint the clouds in iridescent colors. A beam of light erupted from his thatched hut, illuminating the horizon with colorful splendor.

“This display still seems a bit lacking,” Wang Zhenling murmured with a strange smile. He opened his mouth and let out another long, rolling roar, like thunder, echoing further and further into the distance.

“What... what is this?” Wang Hu and the others, startled by the noise, rushed out of their rooms and were left stunned by the sight.

The disturbance was so great that it did not only shock Wang Hu at the Commandant’s office; half of the Danling County city was shaken. The clan leader, Wang An, had just finished arranging the family’s affairs and inspecting the gate defenses in Jiaode District before finally returning home to sleep. As a diligent patriarch, he had much to worry about, and though he did not rise at dawn and sleep at night, he was not far off. He had just drifted off to sleep when the roar jolted him awake. He instinctively threw on his robes and stepped out into the courtyard.

He was not the only one awakened. As Wang An stepped out, he saw many others emerging, looking toward the source of the commotion. Strangely, despite the massive noise in the dead of night, not a single dog barked. From afar, they saw light emanating from that direction, shimmering with colorful rays as if some great treasure had been unearthed.

Many of the Wang clan members were suspicious and fearful. “What is this commotion? It seems to be coming from the direction of the county court...”

“The clan leader is here! The clan leader is here!” Seeing him arrive, the crowd immediately felt as if they had found their pillar of strength.