Rumble~
On top of a tall mountain, from South to North, from West to East, four cliffs stood! These cliffs were eternally shrouded by dark clouds with rumbling thunders striking them at any given moment.
But the way these bucket-sized lightning bolts slammed into the four cliffs was akin to lightning dragons. They struck them and then returned back to the clouds to begin the cycle anew!
From afar, it looked like a nest of lightning dragons roaming around the cliffs!
“Is this Thunder Swarm Mountain?” Zhuo Fan asked as he watched the spectacle.
The Four Scheming Demons nodded with a pained face having vividly recalled the torment they had to endure inside. Violent Demon found it difficult to even speak, “We’ve been stuck in there for sixty-odd years, having lightning pass through us every second of every day! If it weren’t for that dumbass leaving a hole behind, we might still be in there. Those were the worst years ever, waaah…”
Violent Demon cried as he pointed at the cliffs. The other demons were also tearing up.
Li Jingtian’s face twitched. He used to feel sad and bitter as well, but when the four described it, he felt disgusted instead.
[Didn’t someone just save you? Why aren’t you seeing him in a good light? Do such people even exist, that would even call their rescuer a dumbass?]
Zhuo Fan stood unflinching in the face of those crocodile tears. His eyes ever shined as he gazed at the cliffs, “He isn’t a dumbass at all. In fact, he didn’t poke a hole in the barrier out of carelessness!”
“Eh? He let them go on purpose?” Li Jingtian cried.
Zhuo Fan nodded, “This barrier may be fitting this place, raised on top of this natural array, but it is very intricately and painstakingly placed to leave almost no loopholes. That cliff, for example, is one such hole. Only an erudite could see it! “
“What, on purpose? Then how come we didn’t see anyone when we got out?” The four stopped crying on the spot and looked at each other baffled.
They looked inwardly for an answer, but there didn’t seem to be anyone on friendly terms with them besides those in the sect. Who could be so kind as to let them out?
Scratching his nose, Zhuo Fan smiled, “He must’ve done it for his own reasons. But he never would’ve imagined he helped me instead! Ha-ha-ha… Don’t dwell on it. What’s crucial is that we set up an array and bait Gu Santong inside!”
“This 6th-grade array is slightly damaged. Once I fix it, its power will double!” Zhuo Fan pointed at the cliff.
Li Jingtian nodded and frowned, “Steward Zhuo, are you sure the kid will enter? What if he sees the array and waits for us outside instead? We won’t be able to hold on then!”
“No worries. Others will hesitate while he will jump straight in. Because he is the Invincible Scamp, undefeated throughout his life. He never suffered defeat which makes him cocky. And cockiness leads to neglect! I believe there’s not a best Radiant Stage sucker out there as this Gu Santong!” Zhuo Fan cackled with confidence.
Li Jingtian gave a thumbs up, “Steward Zhuo sees through everyone. My admiration for you knows no bounds!”
“Enough sucking up to me! I am certain he’ll go in, but I can’t gauge his power, making success uncertain. But with this natural 6th-grade array and with us controlling it, success will be ours. Otherwise…” Zhuo Fan frowned and sighed.
Four Scheming Demons jumped over and shouted, “What do you need us to do?”
“Your job is to go in the array and distract Gu Santong!”
“No way! We have had enough of this array. Even in the Demon Scheming Sect, everyone was against us controlling arrays! That’s blatant discrimination!” The four demons demanded fairness.
Zhuo Fan’s face darkened.
[You damn idiots! Of course no one will let you. They were afraid you’d go messing it all up and you’ll go farther than mere discrimination against them.] His face was solemn, “I’m also discriminating against you. But don’t you dare friggin’ meddle with the array as I work on it. And you’d better listen to every one of my orders when Gu Santong gets inside and give your all while doing it. Or else…”
Zhuo Fan’s finger moved, sending the four demons shivering into bobbing their heads.
Then, they instantly switched to an aggrieved expression and kicked the stones at their feet in dissent. [Why is everyone hell bent against us? We are four demonic heroes, what’s not to like?]
Li Jingtian laughed wryly at the four’s lonely figures. Zhuo Fan didn’t know if he should laugh or cry at these buffoon’s antics!
…
Three days came and went, soon revealing Gu Santong landing at the foot of Thunder Swarm Mountain. But the mountain was different than before, its black clouds gone.
It was a particularly sunny afternoon, with birds singing on this barren Thunder Swarm Mountain. Only the occasional flickers on the rocks bore testament this place was once flooded with lightning.
But Gu Santong saw none of that. He only sniffed and shouted, “You bastards have taken advantage of my trust and good nature. Get the hell out right now! I don’t have much time to waste here. If you don’t go out to get me ingredients I’ll be bitter all my life. Who knows when I will get to eat so many good ingredients?
“Listen up. I know you’re on that mountain. Get out right now! I am pressed for time so I will forgo your transgression! Don’t make me come after you, or you’ll be sorry…” Gu Santong’s childish voice reverberated for miles.
But no reply came from the mountain.
Gu Santong was pissed, “Fine, have it your way. It’s on you! See how I’ll put you in your place once I get my hands on you!”
With a loud sound, Gu Santong charged straight into Thunder Swarm Mountain’s center. But just as he arrived in between the four cliffs and wiggled his nose in search of their location, a fierce gale blew!
Black clouds started rolling in swiftly, submerging the cliffs in darkness. Then, peals of lightning flashed within the dark clouds, surrounding Gu Santong in the middle.
Gu Santong’s eyes widened and cried, “An Array?”
Zhuo Fan and Li Jingtian hid in the tallest and shortest cliffs’ caves, controlling the array. They snorted at Gu Santong’s shock again and again.
[He-he-he, Invincible Scamp, your day has come!]
Rumble!
A thunderous sound came from above and a lightning dragon spiraled around the four cliffs, setting up the barrier to seal in even a Radiant Stage expert.
Gu Santong shuddered and frowned. He covered his ears and cursed, “You bastards, is it not enough you set up an array, but did it have to be a thunder one?”
Zhuo Fan and Li Jingtian cracked up.
[Ha-ha-ha, only thunder can keep you little freak in check, who is scared of it!]
“Elder Li, this is just the start. But be careful, the lightning may have a heavy impact on him but I don’t want to kill him. I want him alive!” Zhuo Fan transmitted words to Li Jingtian.
Li Jingtian nodded and laughed, “I got it, Steward Zhuo. We can’t have those ingredients go to waste. I know what to do!”
The two changed hand signs as they laughed.
Rumble!
With another loud sound, hundreds of lightning fell from the sky straight for Gu Santong.
Boom~
With a cacophony of explosions, Gu Santong’s frail figure slammed into the ground, kicking up dust.
Zhuo Fan stopped, worried for his safety as he shouted, “Wait, why isn’t he resisting? You’re telling me lightning is fatal for him? That’s bad. I don’t want him dead!”
“Steward Zhuo, should I go take a look?” Li Jingtian suggested.
Zhuo Fan hesitated. When the dust cleared, the two saw something incredulous. A huge hole in which Gu Santong was slammed.
But the child in question was unscathed, covering his ears and raining curses. His face was filled with loathing but otherwise, not a scratch on him.
“No way! Lightning should be his weakness!” Zhuo Fan was incredulous and shouted, “Abominable Four Scheming Demons, keep him busy and show me how he handles the lightning. Elder Li, raise the power!”
“Understood!”
The four shouted and the demons gave a creepy snicker as they shot for Gu Santong in a series of afterimages. Li Jingtian and Zhuo Fan were shifting through the hand signs.
Hi-hi-hi…
Hearing their jeer, Gu Santong sniffed and looked at the afterimages with loathing, “I knew you were messing around here. I could smell you a mile away! Shut down the array! I hate lightning the most!”
“He-he-he, lightning is the little monster’s bane. We won’t stop it so what are you gonna do about it?” Violent Demon laughed, his afterimage shifting to Gu Santong to land a punch.
But Gu Santong still held his ears and stood unmoving, despite his mouth spitting out endless curses.
Then Violent Demon’s face sank as he held his hand and cussed, “Goddammit! The kid’s hard as a rock. My hand almost got ruined!”
Rumble!
Just then, thousands of lightning struck Gu Santong…