Within the Thunder Abyss.

Qin Ming saw Qingyang the Old Demon awaken and accurately mention the name of the giant mountain before them, then promptly asked: "Old ghost, you know the Xiaolei Magnetic Divine Mountain too?"

"Hmm... I once saw it recorded in some Immortal City’s archives. It is said that the Thunder Marsh True Spirit Race in the Spirit Realm once owned a small piece, but such a large Thunder Magnetic Divine Mountain, this is the first I’ve seen. Truly an eye-opening experience..." Qingyang the Old Demon gazed at the scenes before him, filled with sighs and sentiments.

He then asked: "Friend Qin, upon finding this place, you must have acquired a method for capturing the Divine Mountain?"

Qin Ming nodded slightly and proceeded to recount the origins of the ’Spirit Object Chronicles’ he acquired from Vice Alliance Leader Zuo of the Loose Alliance.

"Since it’s courtesy of Integration Great Power... the Treasure Capturing Technique should be reliable. I do have another Secret Technique, but it would cause quite a commotion."

"Cloud Wanderer’s method of capturing treasures via a cauldron is more secure. Friend Qin should give it a try first. If it doesn’t work, old me can take over."

Qingyang the Old Demon pondered for a moment and said.

Qin Ming nodded. The Primordial Spirit within the Purple Mansion Spirit Platform raised a hand, summoning the green Spirit King Cauldron, which spun in the air and settled in the void before him.

Boom, crack!

Blue lightning arcs flashed, striking the Spirit King Cauldron, yet they caused no harm to it, showing its sturdiness.

Immediately, he waved his sleeve, and eighteen Tier Five Array Flags refined from the branches of the Seven Marvelous Treasure Tree followed a specific trajectory, enclosing the entire Thunder Magnetic Divine Mountain.

Qin Ming activated the Treasure Capturing Secret Technique, igniting this array.

Instantly.

The entire abyssal space burst with Spiritual Light, eighteen lightning pillars emitted from the Array Flags, converging upon the Spirit King Cauldron situated within the array.

The green Spirit Cauldron radiated treasure light, countless mysterious runes emerged, enlarging instantly into a giant cauldron of a hundred feet, towering in the void.

In the next moment.

The cauldron mouth faced the ten-thousand-foot Thunder Mountain, unleashing a force of heavenly suction and repulsion, erupting in a thousand-foot silver radiant light, illuminating across the Thunder Magnetic Divine Mountain.

Originally, the Divine Mountain surrounded by lightning fell into tranquility in an instant.

Qin Ming continued utilizing the Secret Technique to begin the grand array to refine and seize this Divine Mountain.

...

Half a year later.

In the endless abyss.

After day and night of casting and refining, Qin Ming had almost completely refined the ten-thousand-foot Thunder Magnetic Divine Mountain.

The massive blue mountain body was engraved densely with intricate runes by him, making it even more azure.

Rumble!!

Yet, at the crucial last step of Qin Ming’s secret technique array to capture the treasure, the Thunder Magnetic Divine Mountain actually birthed a thread of spirituality, desiring to escape his control.

The atmosphere within the subterranean Thunder World started to become chaotic.

Qin Ming’s expression changed; he did not expect this outcome.

The refinement of this Divine Mountain far exceeded his expectations.

He watched as the Thunder Magnetic Divine Mountain was about to escape his control...

If the cooked duck flies away, his effort would be entirely wasted.

Just as Qin Ming was at his wit’s end.

The Heaven-Devouring Rat beside him sniffed the air, its entire being suddenly awakened!

Its keen bloodline talent activated once again, seemingly detecting something else.

"Master, not far from the right of the Divine Mountain, hidden in the void, there lies a remarkable thing, presumably causing the sudden anomaly of the Thunder Magnetic Divine Mountain." The Heaven-Devouring Rat pointed with its small hand, quickly informing.

Upon hearing, Qin Ming also revealed a hint of surprise, "Oh? Is that so?"

He immediately cast a Divine Technique towards the location mentioned by the Heaven-Devouring Rat.

Crack!

A void fissure appeared, releasing a horrifying thunder attribute fluctuation from within, even more terrifying than the Thunder Magnetic Divine Mountain several times over.

A crack opened on Qin Ming’s forehead, revealing the Cyan Emperor’s Dharma Eye, casting cyan spiritual light inward.

Inside, there’s an essence composed of silver-blue thunder, resembling a Qilin Holy Beast.

Qin Ming’s heart shivered, clearly sensing the Thunder Magnetic Divine Mountain arising an autonomous consciousness due to this entity’s influence.

Yet, when he wished to seize this thunder-composed Sacred Beast, neither mana nor Divine Thought Power could approach, instantly dissolving upon contact...

The thunder power within this entity evidently transcended his control capacity.

For a moment, Qin Ming could only stare at this thunder beast.

His thoughts raced, recalling records within Cloud Wanderer’s ’Spirit Realm Treasures Record’.

After a while.

A spark of enlightenment flashed in Qin Ming’s mind. Recognizing the mysterious Heaven and Earth Spiritual Object before him, he couldn’t help but exclaim:

"Could this truly be the Innate Thunder Essence!! An extremity of the thunder attribute!"

"No wonder none of my measures work against it."

Upon hearing this, Qingyang the Old Demon was equally surprised: "What?! Innate Spiritual Object!"

"That’s truly incredible!!"

As Qin Ming faced difficulty, Qingyang the Old Demon volunteered: "Friend Qin, let old me give it a try."

Seeing he had a solution, Qin Ming nodded but still cautioned:

"Old ghost, do not push yourself too hard. After all, you’re in a soul state; the Innate Thunder Essence greatly restrains soul-type bodies. Handle it poorly, you’d face soul obliteration."

"Heh heh! Don’t worry, Friend Qin, old me has techniques." Qingyang the Old Demon spoken and then released the Blood Massacre Spiritual Treasure.

Afterwards.

His pitch-black soul body expanded mid-air, transforming into a demonic silhouette, a large hand waved toward the Innate Thunder Essence, countless black demonic qi chains contrarily restrained the originally restless thunder beast, forcibly constraining it.

Upon finishing this, he hastily shouted at Qin Ming:

"Friend Qin, now is the time. Quickly capture this innate thunder essence into the Spirit Cauldron."

Qin Ming immediately grasped the intention and once again cast spells toward the Spirit King Cauldron, activating eighteen Array Flags.

Buzz!

Along with a resonant humming vibration, the Spirit King Cauldron once again emitted a burst of emerald spiritual light, enveloping the innate thunder essence, and subsequently absorbed it into the cauldron in one go.

After completing all this, Qingyang the Old Demon, appearing greatly wounded, flew back into the Blood Massacre.

"It’s been a long time since I’ve exercised my divine techniques so intensely, almost broke this old man apart..."

Then.

Within the abyss, silver light flashed, and streams of silver-blue light continuously emerged from the Spirit King Cauldron, flowing into the Thunder Magnetic Divine Mountain.

In the void, the Array Power suddenly reached a pinnacle, and after the thunder in the entire abyss surged without pause for a while, it was all devoured and absorbed into the Spirit King Cauldron.

It felt at this moment as if all the thunder had returned to its origin.

Following closely.

The Ten Thousand Feet Thunder Magnetic Divine Mountain before Qin Ming began gradually shrinking under the capturing power of the Spirit Cauldron.

From ten thousand feet shrinking to a thousand, then to a hundred...

Until at last, the majestic divine mountain evolved into the size of a palm, captured by the Spirit King Cauldron.

"Cough, cough, cough! I didn’t expect this, Friend Qin. You’ve really accomplished it."

"Such a grand Thunder Magnetic Divine Mountain combined with an innate thunder essence is rare even in the Spirit Realm! Ha ha ha!" Qingyang the Old Demon couldn’t help but sigh.

Qin Ming was thrilled with his harvest of supreme treasures.

"After spending over half a year of painstaking efforts, I’ve finally obtained the Thunder Magnetic Divine Mountain. If the mountain were any larger, it might have been impossible to manage."

He took out a Spirit Recovery Pill and consumed it to restore the mana he had depleted earlier.

The prolonged and intense spellcasting was challenging even with his mana, equivalent to that of a Late-stage Divinity Transformation cultivator.

Fortunately, the process of capturing the divine mountain was extremely discreet, with no one noticing.

When Qin Ming took away the Thunder Magnetic Divine Mountain, the surrounding thunder world disappeared, leaving it deserted and serene.

After slightly recovering his mana, Qin Ming erased any traces of his presence to prevent leaving flaws.

Ensuring nothing was overlooked, he departed the area accompanied by the Heaven-Devouring Rat and Lan Bing Fairy...

Upon leaving, he ensured the tunnel excavated by the Heaven-Devouring Rat was completely sealed.

...

Half a day later.

On Black Obsidian Peak, an unexpected rift in the void suddenly appeared.

Qin Ming, riding the Ice Crystal Nether Sparrow, returned unnoticed to the entrance of his cave mansion.

The matters beneath the ring-shaped mountain range of the Red Flame Wilderness remain unknowable even if the Netherworld Sect discovers the abyss someday; they would never suspect it was his doing.

However, it will likely be several years before the Netherworld Sect penetrates through the Ink Crystal Wall Rock layers to reach the depths of the ring-shaped mountain range.

Qin Ming had been away for a considerable time, yet returned with numerous rewards, feeling quite pleased.

He promptly rewarded the Heaven-Devouring Rat and Lan Bing Fairy with some spiritual objects.

Upon returning to his cave mansion on Black Obsidian Peak, he found a number of Communication Talismans suspended in the Array Restriction outside, stuck as if fallen into a spider’s web.

Presumably, during his half-year absence, people from Qianji City had sought him.

It is common for cultivators to enter seclusion for years or decades, so they assumed Qin Ming was simply in retreat.

Thus, they left Sound Transmission Talismans, awaiting his emergence from seclusion.

After reviewing these Communication Talismans, Qin Ming discovered they were from several neighbor acquaintances, mostly seeking to trade spirit grass and spirit flowers.

Aside from Master Yaochen and others, there was a message from Baili Hui containing detailed updates on the latest positions of various factions in Thousand Mechanism Poison Swamp.

"This person’s quite thoughtful," Qin Ming remarked as he stored away the Communication Talismans.

Out of courtesy, Qin Ming visited each of those neighbors and exchanged some demon beast materials with them.

He also informed them that he had been retreating inside his cave mansion at Black Obsidian Peak all along.

...

Simultaneously.

In the ring-shaped mountain range of the Red Flame Wilderness.

Beneath the mining area, a Foundation Establishment Stage disciple of the Netherworld Sect was using a magical artifact to mine while enduring the poisonous rock layers.

Clang!!!

A crisp sound rang out.

The mining pick struck a hard object.

An unexpected burst of sparks and electrical light illuminated the front, and from within the rock layers, a mysterious azure color suddenly blossomed!

What followed revealed a portion of large, peculiar mineral.

The Netherworld Sect’s Foundation Establishment disciple, witnessing this scene, widened his pupils and breathed heavily, showing an extremely excited expression:

"This... this is..."

"Could it be... the very thing the Supreme Elder spoke of?!"

His hand trembled as he immediately took out the sect’s Secret Communication Talisman to send out the message.

Moments later.

The void rippled, and the figure of Venerable Nether Bone appeared before him.

His gaze immediately fell on the mineral, radiating an azure sheen.

"Hahaha! Truly, heaven favors my Netherworld Sect!"

...