Chapter 14: The Death of Lei Bingye

Lei Bingye slowly opened his eyes. Lei Dong and Lei Cong stepped forward, calling out, "Uncle Lei Bingye!"

Looking at Lei Dong, Lei Cong, and Lei Qiaoer, Lei Bingye wore a faint smile on his face and said tremblingly, "It's you children!"

Upon seeing this, Lei Qiaoer could not help but shed a few tears.

Lei Dong squatted down in front of Lei Bingye, gripped his hand tightly, and asked, "Uncle Lei Bingye, how did you end up like this?"

Unable to move his body, head, or eyes, Lei Bingye could only stare straight ahead as he replied, "That is a long story. I am already down to my last breath. As a member of the Lei family, I simply refused to let the *Nine Chapters of the Divine Thunder* vanish forever, which is why I have held on all this time. Now that you are here, I can finally rest in peace!"

Lei Qiaoer lowered her head and sobbed softly. Lei Dong held Lei Bingye's hand tightly, while Lei Cong squatted directly in front of him.

Lei Bingye continued, "You must be Lei Cong. You've grown up so much!"

Lei Cong nodded and said, "Uncle Lei Bingye, don't speak anymore. We will take you back right now. My father and the City Lord will surely save you!"

Lei Bingye refused, saying, "Thank you for your kind intentions, nephew Lei Cong. My time is near. I shall impart the *Nine Chapters of the Divine Thunder* to you. You must remember to pass it down hereafter!"

Having transmitted the incantations of the *Nine Chapters of the Divine Thunder* to Lei Cong, Lei Bingye added, "Thunder Winged Dragon, from now on, you shall follow my nephew Lei Cong and serve him as you have served me."

The Thunder Winged Dragon let out a low roar and pressed its head gently against Lei Bingye's body.

Lei Bingye continued, "My wish is fulfilled. It is time for me to go."

"Wait a moment, Uncle Lei Bingye! Can you tell me whether my parents are truly dead or alive?" Lei Dong grasped Lei Bingye's hand tightly, but Lei Bingye had already breathed his last.

The *Nine Chapters of the Thunder God* had been passed on to Lei Cong, and both Lei Dong and Lei Qiaoer had memorized them as well. From this day forward, the direct bloodline of the Divine Thunder descendants had ended, leaving Lei Dong, Lei Cong, and Lei Qiaoer as its inheritors. As for the Thunder Winged Dragon, bound by Lei Bingye's final behest, it naturally submitted to Lei Cong's command.

"To think that the Thunder Winged Dragon was only swallowing green thunder in order to sustain Uncle Lei Bingye's life!" Lei Dong, Lei Cong, and Lei Qiaoer finally realized the truth. Yet, if Lei Dong's parents had never attacked anyone, where could they have possibly gone?

Lei Qiaoer spoke up, "Didn't a group of outsiders also come earlier under Father's generous reward? Where did they go?"

It turned out that Lei Qiaoer's previous "however" referred to the fact that although they had already recruited a batch of outsiders, those people had vanished just the same. Raising their heads to gaze at the fathomless abyss before them, they wondered where this place was and whether those disappearances were connected to it.

"Now that we know the beginning and the end, let's head back!" Just as everyone turned around to walk toward the narrow cliffside path, Mao Xuanzi's eyes suddenly rolled back, his pupils turning completely blank, and his entire body plunged toward the scorching magma at the bottom of the unfathomable abyss. Han Tianyue leaped forward and grabbed Mao Xuanzi; Fang Zhe caught Han Tianyue; Lei Dong grabbed Fang Zhe; and Lei Cong and Lei Qiaoer grabbed Lei Dong. Meanwhile, Feng Shang stood frozen in place, watching them dangling like that over the terrifying abyss, his heart seemingly paralyzed by some unseen force, unable to move a muscle.

Not only Feng Shang, but the others as well—though holding tightly onto one another—felt their hearts gripped as if by an invisible hand, just like Feng Shang.

Just as everyone was frozen in this posture, a colossal dragon entirely covered in flowing magma surged upward from the scorching lava, lunging toward Mao Xuanzi with its jaws wide open. Terrified by the red dragon's might, Han Tianyue involuntarily loosened his grip.

After the fire dragon opened its jaws and swallowed Mao Xuanzi whole, it turned and plunged back into the blazing magma.

Watching Mao Xuanzi vanish before their eyes, the paralysis gripping their hearts finally lifted. They scrambled up onto the cliffside path and peered down at the scorching lava below. "Mao Xuanzi!"

After Mao Xuanzi was swallowed by the fire dragon, Han Tianyue tried to rush forward to save him, but Fang Zhe stepped up to block his path.

Han Tianyue shouted frantically, struggling against him, "Mao Xuanzi! Mao Xuanzi!"

Fang Zhe stared hard at Han Tianyue and yelled, "Han Tianyue, if you rush in there like this, you will surely die! We must plan this carefully!"

Han Tianyue looked back at Fang Zhe and said, "How am I supposed to report this to the Crown Prince?"

Fang Zhe said with utmost seriousness, "Mao Xuanzi possesses the attribute of extreme heat, and there is still a fire dragon egg inside his body. Perhaps that fire dragon rushed out because it sensed the fire dragon egg within him. Since the fire dragon egg and Mao Xuanzi share the same origin and destiny, I believe he will be safe!"

As for Mao Xuanzi himself, after his body and mind had been violently shaken, causing his eyes to go blank and sending him tumbling down the abyssal cliff, he had been swallowed by the fire dragon. There, deep within the beast, he had regained consciousness. Looking around the belly of the fire dragon, that sense of uncanny familiarity grew stronger and stronger.

At that exact moment, two shadowy figures drifted out from within the fire dragon's belly. Glancing at the newly awakened Mao Xuanzi, one of them stepped forward, waved a hand, and Mao Xuanzi lapsed into unconsciousness once more.

"He is indeed the son of the Fire God," one of the shadowy figures remarked.

"Seeing that the fire dragon egg inside him still shows no sign of hatching, let us lend him a hand. Consider it repaying a favor to the Fire God," the other shadow said, walking up to Mao Xuanzi. With a wave of his hand, Mao Xuanzi's entire body turned glowing red, echoing his fiery red hair, and began to radiate intense, scorching flames.

"Wait!" At that moment, the first shadow stepped closer, inspected Mao Xuanzi's body, and said, "The power within him is not purely fiery power!"

The shadow who had just infused Mao Xuanzi with heat stepped forward and exclaimed, "He has actually absorbed *that* power!"

"What should we do now?" the other shadow asked.

"No matter. Once we repay the Fire God's favor, we shall no longer meddle in these affairs!" The two figures channeled their energy simultaneously. The fire dragon egg inside Mao Xuanzi cracked open, and a tiny serpent crawled out from within him.

"Very well, send him back to those foolish youths!"

Naturally, Han Tianyue and the others knew nothing of this. Just as they arrived back at the cave of the Fire Thunder Tomb, the fire dragon soared upward from the magma once again. Startled, Han Tianyue and his companions wondered what the creature intended to do and hastily retreated toward the cave entrance.

However, the fire dragon's speed was terrifyingly fast. Before they could even turn around, the dragon loomed directly above them, opening its massive, fiery maw.

With a dull thud, Mao Xuanzi dropped heavily onto the cave threshold, and in an instant, the fire dragon vanished.

Watching the fire dragon depart, Han Tianyue and the others breathed a collective sigh of relief. They rushed over to Mao Xuanzi's side, only to see a tiny serpent poking its head out from beside him.