The Abyss Orde

"I was right—it really is connected to the Abyss Order..."

Venti frowned as he watched the uninvited guests.

"They..." Lu Chen's gaze fixed on the towering Abyss Herald, who was silently watching the spot where the Thunder Manifestation had vanished.

"They've been waiting here for a long time." Lu Chen recalled how they had controlled various elemental creatures—their motives were becoming clearer, confirming his earlier suspicions step by step.

However, the Abyss Order couldn't see them inside the secret realm. The Abyss Herald stood unmoving, while the Abyss Mages gathered around the place where the Thunder Manifestation disappeared, searching the area.

In the external view, the Thunder Manifestation they had been controlling seemed to vanish instantly, likely transported to another world by some unknown force.

The so-called "secret realm" was accessible only from Lu Chen's current world.

While the two were speaking, the Thunder Manifestation high in the sky suddenly struck.

In a blink, the figure wreathed in thunder and overflowing with pressure appeared right in front of them.

The electrical current in the air grew terrifying. Its electrified wings slashed down toward them.

Lu Chen and Venti dodged quickly. Lu Chen pushed off with his toes and retreated in a flash, while Venti turned into a breeze and swept behind the Thunder Manifestation.

The ground where they had just stood was now scorched black and crackling.

"Let's deal with this thing first!" Venti's voice echoed.

"Got it!" Lu Chen gritted his teeth, enduring the numbing voltage, and drew the Lion's Roar. He leapt toward the Thunder Manifestation.

With a flap of its wings, a cage of lightning suddenly fell onto Lu Chen's path.

With a low shout, he summoned the Jade Shield. The Electro attack slammed into the solid Geo element, causing the shield to flicker rapidly and grow thinner.

By the time he broke free from the lightning cage, the Thunder Manifestation had already moved again—its speed was astonishing.

This version of the Thunder Manifestation, bound by the Abyss Order, was also wrapped in a twisted black aura. Already born of resentment, it had become even more violent.

It flapped its wings nonstop, summoning bolts of lightning throughout the secret realm. They crashed down from above, making every step a struggle.

Lu Chen weaved through the endless storm. Although the Jade Shield blocked some of the damage, its limits were clear—he avoided anything he could rather than endure it.

His eyes locked onto the flickering Thunder Manifestation, waiting for the right moment. In his hand, the Lion's Roar gathered both Cryo and Pyro energies.

"Go all out—we end this fast!" Venti said in a firm voice.

Lu Chen nodded immediately. Both of them were suspicious of the Abyss Order's motives and eager to uncover the truth.

As soon as Venti finished speaking, a brisk breeze swept across the entire secret realm, forming a vast wind field.

The Anemo energy clashed with the dense, oppressive Electro aura, spreading rapidly as the electric noise in the realm grew louder and louder.

The Lion's Roar in Lu Chen's hands glowed with an intense fusion of ice and fire as he continued charging power.

He locked onto a spot where a faint purple shadow flickered in the air—

In a flash, Lu Chen raised his sword overhead.

A powerful wave of sword energy surged toward the Thunder Manifestation's reappearing figure.

Cryo and Pyro collided in the wind field, reacting violently. The explosion swept across the target and expanded outward at an incredible scale.

The sword strike crashed down like a tidal wave, blanketing the area. The Thunder Manifestation had no time to evade.

A shrill, violent sound echoed again and again through the secret realm. After landing the blow, Lu Chen didn't let up—he launched forward like a cannonball, stomping down so hard that cracks split the ground beneath his feet.

In the next instant, he was in front of the Thunder Manifestation—faster than its teleportation.

With the wind field still reacting, another devastating slash imbued with dual elemental power struck. The Thunder Manifestation's cries faltered, and Lu Chen sensed a clear drop in Electro concentration within the realm.

Venti ceased his support and followed up immediately. An arrow sliced through the air, lifting the Thunder Manifestation higher. Caught in a chaotic gale that could tear anything apart, it spun uncontrollably.

With its movements disabled, the creature's threat was drastically reduced.

"Great control!" Lu Chen called out.

He manipulated Anemo to rise above the Thunder Manifestation, raining down strike after strike.

After a final slash, the thunderstorm in the secret realm began to fade.

The Thunder Manifestation grew weaker, unable even to open its wings. It thrashed in mid-air like a broken puppet.

Lu Chen rushed up and stared into the creature's purple, eye-like core.

"Kapatcir! Tell me—what's going on?"

"Why did the Abyss Order bind you? What are they planning?"

He left the questions hanging, but the Thunder Manifestation gave no reply—only faint crackling echoed through the realm.

"It's lost its mind... it's no use," said Venti, now back in human form, with a sigh.

Lu Chen looked at the Thunder Manifestation, still struggling—its aura flickering between rage and sorrow—and exhaled deeply.

This thunderbird, once native to Tsurumi Island, had been driven mad by pain, wreaking havoc across the region. It was ultimately slain and sealed by Raiden Shogun herself.

After its seal was broken during the war, the resentment left behind became the creature now known as Thunder Manifestation.

No intelligence. No memory. Only pure, primal rage.

There was nothing left to ask...

Lu Chen sighed again, looking at it. The blade in his hand lit up once more.

"Rest now..."

[Thunder Manifestation defeated. Electro anomaly resolved.]

[Achievement Unlocked: Dispersed Resentment]

[Reward: 1,000 Primogems and 1,000,000 real-world currency]

Lu Chen silently walked over to the treasure chest and looked around.

Outside the secret realm, the valley gradually became clearer. The sunset over Qinglai Island slowly faded.

The Abyss Order hadn't left. They still stood at the place where the Thunder Manifestation had vanished. A few Abyss Mages whispered among themselves.

Lu Chen caught fragments of their words—

"Re...cord..."

"Otherworld..."

"Prince... Your High..."

Venti quietly stepped beside him and gently nudged him with his elbow.

"The secret realm's about to vanish. Get ready—we should go."

Lu Chen nodded, opened a space-time rift, and concealed both himself and Venti within it.

Outside the valley, the action team had cleared out all remaining Electro creatures. Now that the anomaly was resolved, the dangerous static currents had disappeared, and the dark clouds overhead began to lift.

There were many injured. Wang Qi supported a teammate and glanced uncertainly toward a spot in the valley.

"Strange... is it really over just like that...?"

Captain Gu smacked him on the shoulder. "What? You wanted more? That walking lightning storm nearly cooked us!"

Wang Qi laughed and shook his head. "No, just... it felt like everything ended a bit too suddenly, considering how bad it got earlier..."

Captain Gu paused, then said, "We'll collect the data and let the analysts figure it out. For now, we head back and rest."

"Alright!"

As the task force chatted, Lu Chen and Venti silently left the valley...

...and headed for the next anomaly.