Swallowing the Stars: Starting with Panlong

Chapter 70: The Domain of Thunder

He Lingruo knelt on one knee, her spear supporting her swaying body. Her combat uniform was stained with blood, and the deepest wound on her back was still oozing blood. Her face was as white as paper, and her breathing was rapid and disordered. But she did not fall—she gritted her teeth, staring intently at the three martial artists in front of her, her eyes showing no fear, only a stubborn determination.

"Senior sister, step back!" Lin Yun's voice came from behind.

Without hesitation, He Lingruo retracted her spear and leaped back several meters, leaning against Lin Yun. Her legs were trembling, and each breath aggravated her wounds, bringing waves of pain. But she forced herself to stand, not wanting to distract Lin Yun.

The gray-eyed man looked at Lin Yun, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Your mental energy is almost depleted, isn't it? The throwing knife's speed has already been halved. What else can you use to fight me?"

Lin Yun did not answer. His mental energy was indeed almost depleted—the twelve throwing knives wobbled precariously in the air, their speed greatly reduced, and even maintaining flight became difficult. His body had also reached its limit; the wounds on his left arm and right leg were still bleeding, and his combat uniform was riddled with tears. But he still stood, his hand gripping the battle knife remaining steady.

"Last chance." The gray-eyed man raised his hand, the remaining SS-class throwing knives swirling around him. "Hand over your spatial ring, and I'll let you die a quick death."

Lin Yun looked at him, his eyes calm as still water. It wasn't resignation, nor despair, but a strange clarity. On the verge of life and death, all distracting thoughts vanished, leaving only the purest fighting instinct.

He didn't answer. He closed his eyes.

The gray-eyed man, assuming he had resigned himself to his fate, sneered, "You're asking for it."

More than a dozen SS-series throwing knives were launched simultaneously.

At the same time, three warriors rushed up, their swords slashing at Lin Yun from three directions.

At that very moment, Lin Yun's consciousness sank into the depths of his soul.

In the Panlong World, in the grove behind Ernst Academy, his other body sat cross-legged on a blue stone. Moonlight shone like water, and his entire body was covered in azure dragon scales. Dragon horns, dragon tail, and sharp claws—his perception in dragon form was enhanced to the limit. The laws and elements of heaven and earth flowed slowly through his senses like seven colorful rivers.

Fragments of lightning-based laws flickered in his consciousness, like stars, swirling, colliding, and merging deep within his soul. He had cultivated lightning magic for many years in the Panlong World and practiced the Nine-Fold Lightning Blade for several months in the Swallowed Star World. The accumulation from these two worlds was like two great rivers, flowing independently. He had been searching for an opportunity, a narrow passage where the two rivers could converge.

Now, the pass has appeared.

In the face of life and death, in the midst of despair, he held nothing back, no longer held back. His soul was completely unleashed at this moment, and insights from two worlds collided violently deep within his consciousness.

It wasn't the confluence of rivers, but the breaching of a flood dam.

In the world of Swallowed Star, his body was undergoing the same transformation. His cells were frantically absorbing cosmic energy, and his genetic energy surged within him, roaring like thunder dragons through his meridians. The Ninefold Thunder Blade technique he had cultivated for months—from the first to the fifth level—was being reinterpreted in this moment. It wasn't technique, it was law. It wasn't force exertion, it was lightning itself.

He once thought that the ultimate technique of the Ninefold Thunder Blade was simply to exert seven times the force, to make the blade faster and more powerful. But now he understood that was merely the surface. The true essence of the Thunder God's Ninefold Thunder Blade wasn't about exerting force, but about using force to touch the very nature of lightning. When your blade reaches its peak speed, when your power is stacked to its limit, you can touch that threshold—the realm.

field.

Currently, only one person on Earth possesses a Domain—the world's strongest being, "Hong." Even Thor only comprehended his Domain during the battle against the Golden Horned Beast, under Hong's guidance and pressure!

That is power beyond the celestial level; generally, only cosmic-level powerhouses begin to comprehend a domain. Ordinary people need to comprehend it step by step, from the rudimentary form of a domain to the first-level domain, the second-level domain... until the ninth-level domain, before they can even touch the threshold of the laws. It is a long and arduous path, one that countless geniuses cannot complete even after a lifetime of effort.

But Lin Yun took a completely different path.

In the Panlong world, he was already comprehending the laws. He had touched upon the thresholds of speed, explosiveness, and resonance of the six profound mysteries of the lightning law. And in the Swallowed Star world, the power-generating techniques of the Nine-Fold Lightning Blade were precisely a projection of these profound mysteries of the laws in another world. When he merged his insights from the two worlds, he skipped the process of accumulating domains and directly touched upon the essence of domains.

It is not the prototype of a domain, but a true and complete domain of lightning. And taking another step will be to truly step into the threshold of the laws!

He opened his eyes.

The throwing knife was already in front of him.

Lin Yun brandished his battle sword.

That strike was silent. Not because it was silent, but because the sound was beyond the range of human hearing. The instant the blade tore through the air, a bolt of purple lightning burst forth from the blade, illuminating the entire battlefield as if it were daytime.

That wasn't the technique of unleashing the power of the Ninefold Thunder Blade—that was real lightning, the most primal and purest power between heaven and earth. Lightning exploded from the blade, like a giant purple dragon roaring forward. But Lin Yun knew this wasn't magic, not mental power, not even genetic energy. It was a completely new power, a feeling he had never experienced before, a feeling of being one with heaven and earth.

In that instant, he "saw" everything around him—not with his eyes, nor with his mental powers, but in a deeper, more essential way. Within a radius of several hundred meters, every speck of dust, every wisp of wind, every movement of air was clearly presented in his consciousness. Not images, not data, but an intuition—he knew where they were, where they were going, and what their relationship was to his knife.

This is the domain.

Within his domain, he reigns supreme. His blade can appear anywhere, and his lightning can pierce any obstacle. The speed, strength, and skill of his enemies are diminished within his domain, while each of his attacks is amplified.

A dozen SS-grade throwing knives were reduced to dust in the lightning. They weren't knocked away, nor were they deflected; they were directly torn apart by the energy of the lightning. The metal fragments melted and evaporated in the lightning, leaving not even a trace. The gray-eyed man's pupils suddenly contracted. He desperately tried to control the remaining throwing knives to defend, but Lin Yun's knives were too fast. So fast that he couldn't even see the blade's light; he could only see a purple lightning bolt streaking across the battlefield.

"boom!"

Lin Yun's first strike landed on the chest of the warrior at the forefront. Without the Black God Set, he was just an ordinary peak-level advanced War God warrior. The moment the sword struck, lightning exploded from his chest, sending him flying. He spat out blood and crashed heavily to the ground, where he lay motionless.

One fatal blow.

The second martial artist tried to retreat, but Lin Yun was far faster. In the instant he grasped the lightning domain, not only did his swordsmanship break through, but his movement technique also truly reached the realm of intent, and he was only one step away from grasping the wind domain!

A flash of lightning, and the battle blade had already struck his shoulder. The sound of bones shattering was clearly audible. The warrior let out a scream, his body convulsing as he collapsed. The lightning burned a large hole in his combat uniform, and blood gushed from the wound.

The third martial artist turned and ran. He took three steps—Lin Yun's blade slashed into him from behind, and lightning exploded on his body. He collapsed to the ground, his body charred black, motionless.

Three martial artists, three breaths later, all died.

The gray-eyed man's expression changed drastically. He frantically manipulated his throwing knives to attack, but Lin Yun didn't dodge at all. His battle sword flashed, lightning crackled, and the SS-grade throwing knives shattered in the lightning, none of them able to get close to Lin Yun's body.

"Impossible...this is impossible..." The gray-eyed man's voice trembled. "What kind of power is this? This isn't the God of War..."

He was a peak-level advanced war god mentalist, clad in the Black God Suit, and virtually invincible on Earth. However, the power Lin Yun displayed had already surpassed the realm of an advanced war god.

"Have you broken through to the level of a War God?!" The gray-eyed man's eyes were filled with fear.

Lin Yun did not answer. His body transformed into a streak of purple lightning, instantly appearing before the gray-eyed man. His battle blade slashed down, unleashing a burst of lightning that struck the man's chest.

The Black God Suit blocked the blade. Lin Yun's sword couldn't cut through the armor, forged with ancient civilization technology, but lightning penetrated the armor and entered the gray-eyed man's body. It wasn't a physical impact, but the energy of the lightning—the current raged through his internal organs, scorching his meridians and shattering his cells. The Black God Suit could defend against physical attacks and energy attacks, but it couldn't isolate the power of a domain. Within the lightning domain, Lin Yun's lightning ignored all defenses.

"Ah—" The gray-eyed man screamed in agony, his body convulsing violently. Blood seeped from his seven orifices, and he collapsed to the ground as if struck by lightning, his eyes rolling back and his breathing gradually ceasing.

The Black God suit was intact, but the person inside was dead.

The last intermediate-level War God mentalist was terrified and turned to run. But he was too slow—Lin Yun caught up from behind and slashed him in the back. Lightning exploded, and his body flew out as if hit by a truck, crashing into the rocks. Blood gushed from his mouth, and he slid limply to the ground, motionless.

The battlefield fell silent.

All six people died.

Lin Yun stood there, panting heavily. His body was covered in wounds, and blood seeped from the holes in his combat uniform, dripping onto the ground. His mental energy was almost exhausted, and his body was at its limit. But he still stood there.

He looked down at the battle sword in his hand. Purple lightning still lingered on the blade, flickering slightly, as if breathing. The ground within dozens of meters around him was covered in charred marks—the imprints of the lightning.

This is a domain. Not a skill, not power, but a state of being—a resonance between humanity and the universe. Within his domain, he is the master. Lightning obeys his call, and space submits to his will. He is no longer fighting alone; the entire world is fighting for him.

He Lingruo leaned against the reef, looking at Lin Yun with disbelief in her eyes. She had just witnessed everything—the purple lightning, the speed and power that surpassed human limits. She had trained for ten years and seen countless geniuses, but she had never seen such power.

"Lin Yun...you..." She opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.

"Domain," Lin Yun said, "Domain of Thunder."

He Lingruo's pupils contracted slightly. A domain—that was a power possessed only by the world's strongest being, "Hong." She had heard of it, but had never seen it. Now, she had seen it with her own eyes.

"You...you've broken through to the planetary level?" Her voice trembled slightly.

"Not yet." Lin Yun shook his head. "But I've just gained some insight and need time to consolidate it. Moreover, my physical fitness and mental strength haven't caught up yet, and I'm still one step away from truly reaching the planetary level."

But that step is not far off.

Lin Yun turned and walked towards the corpses. He crouched down and stripped the Black God Armor off the gray-eyed man. This armor, a relic of an ancient civilization, was priceless; there were only a handful on the entire Earth. He then examined the corpses of the other two mentalists, stripping them of their Black God Armor as well. The three martial artists didn't have the Black God Armor, but their combat uniforms and weapons were also high-grade, which Lin Yun took as well.

He put all the spoils into his spatial ring and then returned to He Lingruo's side.

"Senior sister, can we walk now?"

"I can." He Lingruo gritted her teeth and stood up, supporting herself with her spear. Her body swayed slightly, but she steadied herself.

Lin Yun took out all the remaining medical supplies from his backpack and re-treated He Lingruo's wounds. Then he gave himself a quick bandage. After doing all this, he glanced at the six corpses lying on the ground.

"What will they do?" He Lingruo asked.

"Don't worry about it," Lin Yun said. "This is the wilderness; the monsters will be dealt with."

He helped He Lingruo walk along the coastline.

After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped and glanced back at the battlefield. Traces of lightning still flickered faintly in the air, like marks left by his domain.

Today is August 8th. It's his eighth day on the Australian continent.

He comprehended the Domain of Thunder.

It's just one step away from reaching the planetary level.

Lin Yun turned around, helped He Lingruo up, and disappeared into the mist.