Eternal Thief

Ace's heart palpitated when he saw the silver lightning bolt descend, he could sense a dreadful power of destruction and despair from it. 

After his last heavenly punishment, he was now quite sensitive toward the power of despair, and he could sense it was ten times more potent and destructive than white despair thunder. 

A purple round-shield with mysterious blue runes appeared in Ace's hand, this was exactly the cherished national treasure of Leap Kingdom that Ace stole a few weeks ago. Lightning Shield, a 7-star runic treasure!

Truth be told, he wasn't optimistic anymore about this shield could withstand the heavenly lightning after he sensed the power of the lightning bolt, but it was still far better than taking it head-on. 

Even though Ace wasn't able to move from the earthen altar, like everyone because of supreme force but to his delight he was able to move his hands, they weren't restricted like last time anymore! 

Just as he moved the Lighting Shield upward to shield himself from the lightning bolt, it didn't flash on him like he imagined, its target was none other than the orb guardian standing ten meters away from it! 

'Bang…' 

The silver despair thunder landed directly on the orb's guardian bald head. 

'Grrrr….'

The orb guardian made anguish shrills as cracks emerged on its body while it try to use all its power to free itself from the bind, but alas, all it can do was just stand and feel the overwhelming despair. 

Ace's heart sank when he saw the orb guardian at the peak of Qi river core stage being tortured by silver despair thunder, he could feel the overwhelming power of despair while standing ten meters away from the orb guardian. 

To his astonishment, the orb guardian manage to survive the thunderbolt, but its aura was too fragile, and it wasn't vigorous like before, emerald fluid was coming out from its orifices. 

If Ace attacked it by using his sword skill now, he could easily kill this orb guardian! 

However, it seemed he won't need to do anything because anything thunderbolt descend after orb guardian survived the first one, and it was even more powerful than before! 

'Boom…' 

The silver thunderbolt landed on the orb guardian's charred head again, this time the guardian's head exploded the moment the thunderbolt landed on it and followed by its head, the whole body explode like watermelon! 

Ace's forehead was beaded with sweat as he witnessed the orb guardian's gruesome end. He swallowed hard as he looked upward, the pitch-black vortex looked like a large eyeball. 

The lighting was condensing right in the very center of it, and he knew the real heavenly punishment was going to start very soon! 

But before this, many small thunderbolts flashed and fell. Their targets were naturally all the living beings or anything that can hinder Ace's punishment in a nine-mile radius! 

Thousands of golems turned into pills of rocks and mud as large charred craters appeared all over the volcano. Not a single golem was spare, the entire army was obliterated! 

Just a few miles away from the volcano, nine humans witness this destructive scene with ashen, dreadful faces filled with absolute despaired. 

Even though six of them were Qi river core cultivators, they managed to survive the one slaughter of golems these past few weeks because of their powerful means, though in front of this mysterious lightning, they felt like ants! 

All of them tried their best to move by using every secret trump card in their possession but failed, that supreme pressure just won't let them budge. They could only helplessly watch the silver thunderbolt descend. 

"Sigh... I don't even know how I die, how ironic, this must be legendary f1…" Lan mumbled as he saw silver light blind his eyes.

Afterward, a torturous force started to wreak havoc inside his body and mind, and soon enough he lost his consciousness, feeling nothing but despair and utter helplessness. 

A glorious Craft Elder of Pill Flame Organization who ruled the industry of pills in middle lands for three hundred years died because of one poor judgment and greed!

No one was spared, no matter how much they struggled, cussed, and begged all of them met their ends just like Lan, even someone from a powerful family, Alvin who had a bright future ahead wasn't escaped the inevitable.

However, one person managed to remain alive despite being struck by heavenly thunder and that was none other than the crown prince, Marc! 

Marc's face was exempt of all colors as a gray cracked Qi shield hover above his head. He looked at his sword maids' charred corpses with deep despair and resentment. 

Those two sisters were with him since he was a five-year-old child, and they all grow up together. Those two were his childhood friends and absolute-loyal subordinates who he trusted with his life, most importantly they were also his…lovers!

But now he was forced to watch them die right in front of his eyes while being completely helpless and even his own life was in jeopardy. If not for this gray Qi which he cultivated with the help of that same treasure which was in the treasury stolen by Ace, he would be also dead right now! 

With bloodshot eyes filled with deep hatred, he gazed toward the inky vortex which was like an emotionless eyeball, and roared with resentment, "We have no enmity with you, but you still wanted to kill us, and you won't even dare to show your face! I, the prince of Crimson Sword Empire and the son of Crimson Sword Emperor, Marc Crimson, challenge you to come forth and face me in an honorable duel!" 

Alas, nobody replied to his challenge, in the eye of high-heaven it was just the plight of an ant who was just the slightest bigger than those ants who it just crushed a moment ago, nothing more nothing less. 

Just as expected, another lighting flash and a more powerful silver thunderbolt exploded toward Marc. 

"You cowardly bas…AHHHHHHH…" Before Marc could complete his curse, the thunderbolt easily penetrate the gray Qi shield this time and landed on his head. 

Marc cried in pain as he felt endless torture before his mind broke and his eyes lost their luster.

One of the most talented youngsters of high-level lands who has also an enormous secret and a mysterious 'role' unbeknown to the man himself, died helplessly without knowing who killed him so effortlessly and ruthlessly.     

---

Inside the volcano, Ace doesn't know all the big shots after him, were already dead, and just for this exact reason, he lured them here. However, he doesn't care at this moment because the vortex was fully lit with silver light as if it was fully charged. 

"System arrange twenty healing pills and twenty Qi recover pills in my thief's space where I can quickly find them!" He quickly ordered as he held the Lighting Shield tightly. He knew this would not be an easy ride. 

====

[Grade-1 Healing Pills]

{Price: 1,000TP, Per Pill}

{Total Amount: 10}

{Total Price: 10,000}

--- 

[Grade-1 Heaven Qi Recovery Pills] 

{Price: 500TP, Per Pill}

{Total Amount: 10}

{Total Price: 5,000}

--- 

[The purchase has been successful!]

{15,000TP has been deducted}

---

[Thief Point(s): 2,273,400]

---

[The pills have been delivered and arranged inside the thief's space.]

====

Ace didn't have time to check the grade-1 pills because a huge silver thunderbolt like a lance shot toward Ace, and it was a hundred meters wide and almost seemed corporeal! 

He saw nothing like this before, and the feeling of danger and despair it was giving off was off the charts. He quickly poured all the Qi inside the lightning shield and even used the wristband silver shield as well. 

The blue runes on the lightning shield instantly lit up like raging fire after Ace used his Qi and a blue transparent barrier covered Ace. 

'Bang…Boom…'

Deafening sounds of lightning collision rang inside the volcano. 

The lance made of silver thunderbolt instantly penetrated the blue barrier formed by the lightning shield, but the density of lighting lessened a bit because of it. 

However, the difference was so minor it wasn't even called a change and when the thunderbolt landed directly on the second silver shield; it was also shattered and only the lightning shield remained between Ace and silver thunderbolt.   

Ace felt like hit by an enormous hammer when the collision happened, and he was nearly crushed by the weight, but his body was much stronger than the others, so he managed to hold on. 

This time the lightning shield manage to hold off the thunder lance, but only for mere seconds before it started to crumble because of the pressure and destructive force of heavenly thunder. 

The moment the lighting shield shattered there was nothing between it and Ace anymore, and it directly penetrated Ace armed and from it, the hundred-meter-long thunder lance submerged Ace entirely, he was like a human-lightning pole. 

Ace bit his teeth so hard they almost shattered, but he endured the torturous pain because the dark void started to absorb the silver despair thunder, like a bottomless abyss!