Tang Lan took out the map given by Prince Snowstar.
"Before heading to the Extreme North, let's go treasure hunting first."
Tang Hao and the other two naturally had no objections.
Comparing it with the map Tang Lan bought in town, they determined the direction and set off.
Among the four of them, three cultivated the Nine Yang Divine Skill, and one had the Ice Phoenix Martial Soul.
The freezing environment was nothing to them; dressed in light clothing, they sped along effortlessly.
After traveling for a full day and night, they arrived "near" the marked location.
The distance to the Thunderclap Hellvine? Anywhere from 1 to 1000 kilometers.
That was the rough estimation.
The surroundings were a vast expanse of white with no landmarks in sight.
The only clue on the map was a single line: "Directly beneath the thunderclouds lies the Thunderclap Hellvine."
For ordinary people, this would mean waiting for a thunderstorm.
But who was Tang Lan?
The Master of Plants!
He immediately activated the Blue Silver Life Domain.
Despite being at the edge of the Extreme North, patches of Blue Silver Grass had still managed to take root stubbornly beneath the snow.
They looked weak and withered, but they were still alive, weren't they?
A flood of information surged back to him.
With ease, he pinpointed the region where thunderstorms raged year-round.
The four of them rushed over.
Using his spiritual power to scan the area, Tang Lan soon discovered a "Lightning Pool."
The lightning within it seemed almost liquid, forming a pool with a diameter of 400 meters.
The surrounding terrain was littered with craters of various sizes—evidence of relentless lightning strikes.
At the center of it all stood a purple-blue plant, segmented like bamboo yet curling like a vine.
The lightning in the pool overflowed from its body.
This was the Thunderclap Hellvine!
Judging by its length—around two meters—its age was approximately twenty thousand years.
Perfect timing.
The Thunderclap Hellvine had a weakness.
Once it reached a certain point, the Destruction Lightning it condensed became too intense.
If it exceeded its control, it could self-destruct at any moment.
This self-destruction window lay between twenty to fifty thousand years.
Tang Lan extended his spiritual power, attempting to connect with the Thunderclap Hellvine.
But its response?
A bolt of purple-blue lightning struck straight at him!
Tang Lan, with his danger intuition, could have dodged easily.
But he didn't move.
Golden light flashed, and the lightning dissipated.
The Indestructible Vajra Body automatically activated, shielding him.
Tang Lan assessed the strength of the strike.
He concluded that just relying on the Indestructible Vajra Body wouldn't be enough to withstand the continuous attacks from a twenty-thousand-year-old Thunderclap Hellvine.
He couldn't help but marvel—as expected of Ultimate Lightning, its destructive power was terrifying.
"Boom——"
A golden radiance burst forth—Indestructible Vajra Divine Skill, activated!
"You guys wait here for a bit."
Tang Lan stepped into the Lightning Pool.
The liquid-like lightning crashed against him like ocean waves, carrying an aura of utter destruction.
Yet, it couldn't shake him in the slightest.
It couldn't even slow his steps as he steadily approached the Thunderclap Hellvine.
The Thunderclap Hellvine panicked!
The sky suddenly darkened.
Clusters of purple-blue lightning spheres surged into the air, each containing destruction on the scale of a volcanic eruption.
They rained down densely upon Tang Lan.
Water Bing'er and Oscar watched in horror!
However—
After the lightning storm subsided…
Tang Lan stood there, completely unscathed, his hair not even ruffled, stepping within a hundred meters of the Thunderclap Hellvine.
The Indestructible Vajra Divine Skill was just that unyielding!
The Thunderclap Hellvine stopped attacking.
Even the Lightning Pool itself began to contract rapidly.
It condensed into plasma-like lightning, which clung to the Hellvine's surface.
Then—
It transformed into a towering Thunder Dragon, over ten meters tall, radiating a power so fearsome it made hearts tremble!
But the Thunder Dragon did not attack.
Instead, it stared down at Tang Lan, as if warning him not to approach any further.
Yet Tang Lan acted as though he hadn't noticed at all, stepping forward without hesitation.
At the fifty-meter mark—
The Thunder Dragon, carrying apocalyptic might, roared and dove down!
"Rumble——"
A devastating thunderstorm erupted, its echoes lingering for an eternity.
The impact even triggered avalanches in the distance, affecting an area spanning hundreds of kilometers.
Tang Hao had to activate his Clear Sky Protective Barrier, shielding the shivering Water Bing'er and Oscar.
That previous strike?
Just witnessing it made them tremble!
It was too terrifying!
However—
When the dust settled…
Tang Lan still stood there, bathed in golden light, completely unharmed.
He was already in front of the Thunderclap Hellvine, one hand gripping its main body—
Ready to uproot it at any moment.
Tang Hao's eyes gleamed.
Was the Indestructible Vajra Divine Skill really this unyielding?
He had been cultivating it himself, and with the help of the Fire-Eyed Spring, he was close to reaching the beginner level.
This miraculous technique rivals even the Grand Sumeru Hammer.
Only a place like the Divine Realm could possibly possess such a skill.
This further solidified his belief in Tang Lan's "Dragon God Benevolence Inheritance."
In the distance—
Tang Lan gripped the Thunderclap Hellvine in his left hand while conjuring a Thunderflame Clear Sky Hammer in his right, slamming it into the ground.
"Can we talk now?"
"If not, no worries—I'll just slaughter you and turn you into my spirit ring."
Thunderclap Hellvine: "…."
You're literally holding my lifeline—how the hell can I say no?
This time, Tang Lan easily established a mental link.
「Thunderclap Hellvine: Human, what exactly do you want?」
「Tang Lan: You attacked me first, didn't you? Apologize to me first!」
「Thunderclap Hellvine: ???」
Are you serious right now, human?!
Tang Lan tightened his grip slightly, lifting the Thunderclap Hellvine a full centimeter off the ground.
Frightened, it immediately apologized!
「Thunderclap Hellvine: I'm sorry! I was wrong! Please don't pull me up—I'll die!」
Hmm…
This Thunderclap Hellvine had a decent personality, not the kind to stubbornly refuse and break rather than bend.
A good start.
Tang Lan's brow glowed as a spiritual light sphere fused into the Thunderclap Hellvine.
Inside it was information about:
The benefits of becoming a spirit soul,His Fate God Inheritance,A chance to ascend to the Divine Realm for eternal life—
A perfectly packaged sales pitch.
Then, he activated the Life Mark, letting it experience the potential firsthand.
"Old man, show it a spirit soul."
Tang Hao didn't even need to act.
His Ironback Dragon Spirit Soul and Giant Strength Ape Spirit Soul came out on their own, standing ten meters away, staring at the Thunderclap Hellvine like curious onlookers.
They looked like spectators who had never seen something this exciting before.
After this one-two combo, the Thunderclap Hellvine understood.
「Thunderclap Hellvine: Human, you want me to become your spirit soul?」
「Tang Lan: Yes. What do you think?」
The Thunderclap Hellvine fell silent for a few seconds.
Tang Lan could sense unwillingness, hesitation, and confusion—
But no anger or fear.
Living in this godforsaken place, the Thunderclap Hellvine had little interaction with the outside world.
It didn't have the deep-rooted belief that soul beasts and humans were mortal enemies.
On the contrary—
At twenty thousand years old, it could explode at any moment.
Tang Lan had appeared at the perfect time, offering it a chance at eternal life.
This was a great deal!
The only issue was…
It had worked so hard to reach twenty thousand years—was it really worth giving up now?
Tang Lan knew—it was time to bring out the big guns.
「Tang Lan: I can help you increase your cultivation safely—even a million years isn't impossible.」
The Thunderclap Hellvine's coiled vines instantly shot straight up!
「Thunderclap Hellvine: Really?! You're not lying to me?!」
「Tang Lan: I can prove it to you right now.」
「Thunderclap Hellvine: Alright! Do it!」
"Pssh——"
(End of Chapter)