At this moment, the entire underground palace began to shake violently. Ding Fan immediately joined Ye Ningbing, obviously intending to protect her, since he was still unclear about what might happen next.

However, Ding Fan knew that the formation set by Li Zong was not likely a dangerous one, otherwise, he wouldn't have brought the two divine warrior girls here. Ding Fan could tell that this formation evidently took a lot of effort and was not something that could be easily set up. It was extremely complex, clearly beyond Ding Fan's current ability to arrange such a formation.

Ding Fan found himself benefiting from someone else's hard work.

Ding Fan estimated that even for Li Zong, setting up this formation was a highly complex task, especially since gathering that many Nascent Souls wasn't easy.

After the underground palace shook for a while, bolts of True Heavenly Thunder began striking down from above the round platform in the hall. Witnessing this scene, Ding Fan couldn't help but be stunned, not expecting so many heavenly thunders to continually crash down. By now, Li Zong was already beyond dead.

At this moment, Ding Fan's Red Rock Celestial Stone was still connected to the formation. He realized that the formation Li Zong set up evidently required something stronger than those eight Nascent Souls. This was Ding Fan's deduction based on his limited knowledge of formations. Therefore, he did not recover the Red Rock Celestial Stone, even though Li Zong was already inside the imprisonment array formation. Ding Fan wasn't fully confident, so he left the Red Rock Celestial Stone there.

Not long later, within the round platform a massive amount of True Heavenly Thunder was continuously crashing down. If Ding Fan were outside, he would see that the entire sky over Thunder Abyss was now gathered with thunderclouds, presenting a terrifying scene outside, with lightning and thunder as if the end of the world had arrived.

Now, Ding Fan stood with Ye Ningbing and the others. He opened his Divine Sense to cautiously observe the surroundings. Soon, he noticed some very frightening changes outside. He resumed scanning his surroundings carefully, understanding the need for caution here in Thunder Abyss—a place extremely dangerous, and knowing that the cultivators in Thunder Abyss were formidable, not something ordinary cultivators could handle.

After all, those coming to explore treasures in such a perilous place as Thunder Abyss clearly showed their power was no trivial matter.

Ding Fan, after his observations, noticed quite a few cultivators were watching this area. Though aware of the attention, few dared to approach due to the strange phenomena in Thunder Abyss that made many cultivators extremely cautious.

Within the underground palace, Ding Fan could visibly see the large amount of True Heavenly Thunder on the space above the round platform, understanding that all these energies were being trapped and continuously condensed here.

Seeing this scene, Ding Fan obviously realized what Li Zong wanted to refine—it was surely related to the True Heavenly Thunder.

"That Li Zong said he wanted to refine Pure Thunder Pills."

At this moment, a divine warrior girl spoke to Ding Fan, almost as if talking to herself.

"Pure Thunder Pill?"

Ding Fan exclaimed in shock, clearly not expecting this.

He didn't anticipate that Li Zong intended to refine Pure Thunder Pills. Known to be exceedingly rare and valuable treasures in the Cultivation World, Pure Thunder Pills are formed naturally under specific conditions during thunderstorms. The probability of forming a Thunder Pill is extremely low, perhaps appearing only once in several decades in the Cultivation World.

Even rare Thunder Pills are not easy to obtain for the average cultivator. It goes without saying how precious and rare heavenly thunders are, especially those inside Thunder Abyss, which are evidently far more powerful than those outside. Ding Fan had a bit of admiration for Li Zong, as Li Zong's idea was indeed astonishing. Few could ever think of refining Thunder Pills from Heavenly Thunders in Thunder Abyss. Such Pills would evidently surpass regular Thunder Pills by a great margin.

Even so, realizing such a plan was not easily done. However, Ding Fan truly did not expect Li Zong to have successfully researched a formation to gather True Heavenly Thunder together.

Evidently, Ding Fan could already perceive with Divine Sense that there was a nascent form of a Thunder Pill gradually forming above the round platform in the hall! It was simply unbelievable!

Ding Fan had already circulated True Qi, guarding Ningbing and others precisely, aware that this was evidently the first time refining heavenly thunder and whether it would succeed was unknown, as was the potential danger.

Soon after, the eight Nascent Souls in the hall were completely drained, indicating that their energies were now wholly concentrated on the space above the round platform.

Seeing this scene, Ding Fan couldn't help but feel tempted, evidently realizing that calling it the Pure Thunder Pill was not an overstatement, as it far surpassed ordinary Thunder Pills.

Now Ding Fan noticed that a bit of energy seemed to be escaping from the Red Rock Celestial Stone, evidently being entirely absorbed by the forming Thunder Pill.

No knowing how much time had passed, the nascent form of the Thunder Pill became increasingly solid under the continuous bombardment of True Heavenly Thunder, clearly soon forming into a complete Thunder Pill.

BOOM...

Then suddenly, the underground palace shook violently again. Ding Fan promptly unleashed more True Qi, firmly protecting Ye Ningbing and the others. Falling small stones were evidently unable to harm them.

Ding Fan released his Divine Sense to scan the surroundings, his brow slightly furrowing as he discovered a disturbing phenomenon. A part of the underground palace had started to collapse.

Moreover, the collapsed area is still expanding; Ding Fan clearly understands that it won't be long before the place where he and the others are located will also collapse. However, at this moment, Ding Fan looks towards the Pure Thunder Pill, knowing that a little more time is needed for completion. Leaving now would be such a pity.

Then, Ding Fan said to everyone:

"Everyone, protect yourselves; I'm setting up a formation to try and maintain safety here."

Upon hearing Ding Fan's words, everyone nodded in agreement. Unexpectedly, the two young divine warriors earnestly said:

"Brother Ding Fan, we believe in you. The Pure Thunder Pill is clearly on the brink of completion. We won't leave."

"Yes, we won't leave."

At this moment, He Qianyao, upon hearing the words of the two divine warriors, said resolutely:

"Indeed, this Thunder Pill is a rare opportunity that we must not miss. We will definitely persist!"

"Don't worry about me, Ding Fan. I can manage."

At this moment, Ye Ningbing also spoke to Ding Fan, her eyes filled with trust.

Ding Fan nodded at everyone and then took out some Spirit Stones to start setting up a formation within the hall. Although he thought his formation couldn't compare to Li Zong's, it was decent enough; Ding Fan could manage simpler formations. He started laying down a stabilization formation.

Though the formation was somewhat challenging, Ding Fan managed to set it up.

Once the formation was complete, Ding Fan and the others began to wait for the Thunder Pill, hoping it would finish soon. Clearly, not only Ding Fan knew that the Thunder Pill was a treasure; He Qianyao and the others also understood that this was such a rare opportunity. It wouldn't make sense to leave now; it would be regrettable.

Ye Ningbing might not fully grasp how precious the Thunder Pill was, but she was obviously supportive of Ding Fan. Since Ding Fan valued it, she was more than willing to support him.

Additionally, Ye Ningbing could tell from everyone's expressions that this Thunder Pill was definitely not something ordinary.

Not long after, suddenly a brilliant strong light flooded the hall, prompting Ding Fan and others to cover their eyes with their hands. After a brief moment, they finally saw a fist-sized orb flickering with cold light, floating in mid-air. The aura surrounding the cold light orb was exceedingly sharp, making it impossible for ordinary cultivators to approach.

At this moment, Ding Fan and the others slowly approached the orb, knowing that it was unmistakably the Pure Thunder Pill.

With a mixture of shock and delight, Ding Fan didn't expect the Thunder Pill to actually be complete; it was stunning. To know how precious such a Thunder Pill is — in the entire Cultivation World, it's very rare.

He Qianyao and others were also deeply moved by the sight, not expecting that Li Zong could refine such an item. Ding Fan felt a bit sorry for Li Zong; being capable of refining the Thunder Pill suggested an even more valuable array refinement. It's a pity his character was flawed, or he wouldn't have perished in his own formation.

Ding Fan knew that had Li Zong been of good character, the Cultivation World would have gained another remarkable formation master. Regrettable...

But fortunately, the Thunder Pill was finished now. Ding Fan felt a bit sad for Li Zong, having no choice but to claim the Pure Thunder Pill for himself...

As everyone slowly approached the Pure Thunder Pill, they found that certain places closer to it were guarded by an incredibly strong force. Except for Ding Fan, He Qianyao and others felt a tremendous pressure, causing them to halt abruptly. Persistent approach to the Pure Thunder Pill seemed dangerous.

At this moment, He Qianyao and the others could only watch as Ding Fan was the only one who continued moving toward the Pure Thunder Pill. After a moment, Ding Fan noticed their reaction and said:

"Everyone, don't get too close. Be careful; we don't know what will happen next."

Upon hearing Ding Fan's words, everyone released their True Yuan, growing more cautious. Ding Fan was right; being the first time encountering this item, none of them knew what might transpire next.

Then Ding Fan began to slowly approach the Pure Thunder Pill. When he was about one meter away, he suddenly felt some resistance and the presence of something mysterious.