Deafening thunder boomed in the high heavens, shaking the world.

Rolling dark clouds shattered and reformed. Eight pillars of blood-red light formed an Evil God’s light curtain, centered on the Royal Capital and covering the land.

Deep within the dark clouds, the void cracked open, and one after another, gray bolts of lightning struck down.

Below the cracked sky, the Evil God’s light curtain released an invisible force, pulling and guiding the existence from the other side of the void.

The Evil God—Gallero!

CRACK~

"RUMBLE!"

The gray lightning bolts intertwined, tearing a massive vortex into the sky.

At the center of the vortex, a four-headed, eight-armed figure rapidly coalesced.

WHOOSH!

SWISH!

VWOOM~!

Inside the Royal Capital, Sword Qi, Sword Gang, Spear Auras, and fist strikes were instantly and furiously unleashed, surging toward the sky in an attempt to disrupt the Evil God’s arrival.

RUMBLE~!

Thunder roared continuously as the vortex spun.

The terrifying power contained within the gray lightning shattered all the attacks with a single sweep.

The four-headed, eight-armed Evil God Avatar rapidly solidified.

"CRACKLE~"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!

With three thunderous booms, the illusory Evil God Avatar stepped out from the center of the vortex, becoming solid. It stood a hundred meters tall, its four heads and eight arms on display. As its tentacles writhed, it stood tall in the sky and roared with laughter.

"Hahaha... urk~"

"What’s going on!?"

The laughter abruptly turned to shock. The sound it made was a roar, but its meaning was clear in their minds.

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash! Those with the surname Yong will always be garbage! You summon a god, you summon a god, and *this* is how you have this god descend?"

"Useless trash!!"

Gallero roared in the sky. The terrifying power distorted the void and battered the air, creating ripple after ripple that swept out in all directions.

’This is... not even Fourth-Tier?’

Zhou Wanghai’s eyes went wide. "The avatar has descended, yes, but its aura is off. It hasn’t reached the Fourth Tier! It’s just short!"

"You see now?" Eternal Star retorted peevishly.

Zhou Wanghai ignored him, his eyes still wide. ’If it’s not Fourth-Tier, then this avatar’s threat is limited.’

Gu Zheng didn’t speak, his gaze fixed on the hundred-meter-tall Evil God Avatar standing high in the sky.

To be precise, he was looking at the arcs of gray lightning surrounding Gallero’s body.

"Is Gallero an Evil God who commands thunder?" Gu Zheng asked, his eyes still focused.

"No, but it does possess the power to command thunder—Yin Thunder, at that," Eternal Star replied quickly. "Master, are you thinking...?"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM~!

Eternal Star’s next words were drowned out by the violent thunder.

High above, Gallero, its rage boiling over, directed streaks of gray lightning to strike the ground below.

Its range covered the entire Royal Capital, but the strikes were most concentrated in the central city area.

The bolts of gray lightning tore through the void with terrifying destructive power, obliterating a skyscraper in a single hit, razing it to the ground and leaving a massive crater in its place.

Anyone hiding inside was instantly annihilated, turned to ash with not even bones left behind.

The experts from the Zhong Family and Yong Family within the Royal Capital, including the Earth Corpses, couldn’t withstand it either. Anyone who was hit was either torn to pieces on the spot or left charred black, their bodies mostly destroyed.

When someone died, their soul was extinguished along with them.

Yin Thunder was most adept at destroying Spirit Bodies and souls!

Gallero was furious.

Standing tall in the sky, it continuously struck down with bolt after bolt of Yin Thunder.

Gu Zheng took it all in. After a quick use of Telepathy to ask Zhou Wanghai and Eternal Star, his figure flickered and shot forward.

His path was straight and true, directly into the path of the sweeping Yin Thunder.

RUMBLE~!

A colossal boom shook the air.

A bolt of Yin Thunder passed through Gu Zheng. The terrifying power instantly invaded his body, attempting to destroy it.

But the moment it entered, it was swallowed whole, disappearing without a trace.

In its place, Gu Zheng’s physique was strengthened.

Thunder Storage!

The ability from this Source Fruit would last for a little less than half a day.

Right now, Gu Zheng was bathing in the Yin Thunder, his intention to test whether he could absorb it.

Gu Zheng was protected by the Substitute Death Paperman. If he truly couldn’t withstand the first bolt of Yin Thunder, he wouldn’t be injured.

The result was a complete success.

The Thunder Storage Source Fruit’s ability could absorb most types of lightning.

And Yin Thunder just happened to be one of them!

A bolt of Yin Thunder was completely absorbed. The resulting increase in power, while beneath the level of the Triad, left Gu Zheng feeling genuinely refreshed, his entire body feeling exceptionally clear.

"Master is mighty! Master is incredible!"

No one else saw it, but Zhou Wanghai and Eternal Star witnessed the moment Gu Zheng absorbed the Yin Thunder. Zhou Wanghai immediately cheered in excitement, pumping his fists and jumping up and down.

"..." The corner of Eternal Star’s mouth twitched. He couldn’t be bothered with Zhou Wanghai, but his own eyes were filled with shock.

’This is Yin Thunder!’

’And it’s Yin Thunder released by Gallero’s Evil God Avatar!’

The incomplete altars caused Gallero’s avatar to descend at less than the Fourth Tier.

But the Yin Thunder it controlled was extremely tyrannical; even someone at the King’s Body Realm would suffer if struck and would need to evade it.

But Gu Zheng, on the other hand, actually absorbed it!

The Yin Thunder that invaded his body, with its terrifying destructive power, was completely swallowed up.

’Is... is he even human?’

...

SWOOSH!

SWISH!

BOOM~!

In the Royal Capital, experts from the Zhong Family dodged the Yin Thunder as they soared into the sky, unleashing Sword Qi, Sword Qi, and Fist Seals to attack Gallero.

As for the Yong Family members, they were already retreating, fleeing out of the city.

Although there had been a mishap—four of the altars were destroyed, and the summoned Gallero hadn’t even reached the Fourth Tier—their plan was nevertheless complete. Following the steps, their part in this operation was now over.

The Zhong Family’s King’s Body had been lured out of the city.

Now that the Evil God Avatar had descended, that person was already hurrying back.

If they didn’t run now, they would all be left behind as sacrificial lambs.

BOOM BOOM BOOM~

High in the sky, Gallero shrieked, sending down bolt after bolt of gray lightning that smashed into the ground, destroying large swathes of buildings.