Chapter 26 – Roar Through the Storm: Bai Hu’s Southern Hunt

[System Log: Sub-Mission – Southward Expansion Activated]

Squad Leader: Bai Hu, the White Tiger of Thunder

Assigned Beasts: 19

Objective: Explore and secure Sector S-2

Region Status: Thunderclap Ridge – Stormbound Highlands

Hazards: Unstable thunderfields, rampaging storm beasts, elemental interference

Bonus Objectives:

– Locate the Eye of the Storm

– Defeat a rogue Thunder Sovereign Beast

– Acquire a Storm Qi Condensation Crystal

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The sky above Sector S-2 was in constant uproar.

Thunder rumbled without pause, and jagged peaks rose like the teeth of some fallen titan, each crackling with raw elemental energy. Lightning lanced down every few breaths—some hitting rocks, others striking at intruding beasts.

Bai Hu stood proud, his white fur streaked with blue energy. Around him prowled his elite strike squad: thunderhorn gazelles, storm leopards, sky vipers, and a pair of electric boars with glowing tusks.

> "This storm isn't chaos," Bai Hu muttered. "It's a throne waiting to be claimed."

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They pressed forward, navigating broken cliffs and shattered stone. Storm Qi grew thicker the deeper they ventured—until they reached a plateau crowned by a massive obelisk of lightning-forged obsidian.

At its base: bones.

Dozens. Scorched, twisted, ancient.

> [System Alert – Thunder Relic Detected]

Name: Pillar of the Roaring Sky

Status: Sealed

Potential Trigger: Thunder-Blooded Beast with Emperor Lineage

Bai Hu growled low, stepping forward.

His claws touched the stone. The sky split.

> [System Alert – Trial Site Initiated]

Trial Name: Wrath of the Storm Emperor

Objective: Overcome the projection of a fallen Thunder Sovereign

Time Limit: Until storm convergence ends

Warning: Victory may alter bloodline resonance permanently

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From the lightning came a colossal figure—a spectral tiger wreathed in stormclouds, its roar splitting boulders, its eyes endless and cruel.

Trial Boss: Storm Emperor's Echo

Rank: Peak Earth Grade (Legacy Projection)

Traits: Chain Lightning Pounce, Thunder Howl, Sovereign Suppression Aura

> "If you are my heir, prove it," the echo rumbled.

Bai Hu bared his fangs.

> "I bow to no echo. I become the storm."

Then he charged.

---

The battle lit the skies.

Each blow sent arcs of lightning in all directions. Bai Hu's squad fought to stay clear—dodging blasts, distracting storm motes, and guiding energy into lightning catch-totems they planted during approach.

The Echo struck with divine power—but Bai Hu struck with truth.

Each roar amplified his Qi. Each leap brought him closer. Until, finally, Bai Hu unleashed his Sky-Sundering Claw, imbued with both his inner Qi and a strand of ancient tiger will.

> CRACK—KRA-KOOM!

The Storm Echo shattered into a rain of sparks.

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> [System Log – Mission Success!]

Sector S-2 Secured

Relic Activated: Pillar of the Roaring Sky

Rewards Obtained:

– Storm Qi Condensation Crystal x2

– Thunderhide Cloak (Epic Beast Equipment)

– Bloodline Trait: Echo of the Storm Emperor (Dormant)

– Artifact Fragment: Fang of the Four Divine Beasts (1/4)

Territory Beast Count: 396 / 1000

Southward Zone Affinity: +150% Thunder Qi

Bai Hu's Loyalty Level: Deepened – Now recognized as "Heir of the Southern Thunderline"

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As the last thunder faded, Bai Hu sat atop the blackened pillar, tail flicking in pride.

> "The South does not yield," he whispered. "It kneels."

He looked skyward.

> "Tian... we are not just claiming land. We're reclaiming our legends."

Lightning danced across his fur as he turned, leading his squad back toward the heart of the Azure Dragon's domain.