The Terrifying Power of the Thunder Domain

Before obtaining the giant race units, the practical value of the Titan King's lordship ability had plummeted by 80%. The only beneficiary was Haotian himself. As the favored child of the Thunder's primal laws, his attacks within the thunder domain were amplified tenfold, turning a high-level thunder spell into something with the destructive potential of a forbidden curse.

However, as a lord, he rarely needed to engage in battle. It wasn't as if he would accompany the Royal Griffin Knights on hunts or attacks against the Grey Dwarf Kingdom. Such endeavors were unnecessary. The Royal Griffin Knights were more than capable without him. His personal participation would merely be a display of prowess.

"But then again…" Haotian mused, "Considering the ultimate unit building upgrade blueprints, I suppose I could make an exception. Regular battles don't require my presence, but the Dragonfall Canyon might be a different story."

The necromantic forces in Dragonfall Canyon were formidable. Even with the aid of a few undead dragons from his territory, overturning the canyon would be difficult, even with ten more undead dragons. In this scenario, Haotian's involvement became crucial. After all, he wouldn't truly die; his core building could resurrect him. With him in the fray, he could wear down the canyon's bosses through sheer attrition.

"Looks like I'll need to acquire the Thunder Domain's arcane essence," Haotian decided. The Thunder Domain, priced at two million gold coins, was slightly superior to ordinary domains but still fell short of top-tier domains like Time or Space. Initially, Haotian had disregarded it, saving for a top-tier domain instead. But with the Titan King's support, the Thunder Domain could become incredibly powerful. A tenfold increase in attack power meant that, upon reaching the pinnacle of the saint rank, a single thunder punch could unleash semi-divine power. Who wouldn't be daunted by that?

With this in mind, Haotian resolutely entered the Professional Skill Tower. Spending two million lord gold coins, he successfully acquired the Thunder Domain's arcane essence. Immediately, countless bolts of thunder materialized around him in the void, all golden in color, exuding an aura of nobility. Each bolt struck Haotian precisely, yet left him unharmed. He soon calmed his mind, his consciousness immersing in the essence of the Thunder Domain.

It was more of a reception than an epiphany. Haotian merely needed to stay calm and receive it, akin to data transfer via a cable. No need for deep understanding or study; the transmitted domain essence seemed innately his, effortlessly grasped and mastered.

Golden thunderbolts continuously hammered Haotian. As time passed, a purple aura began to envelop him, expanding in diameter until it covered a radius of several kilometers. Haotian opened his eyes, lightning flickering within his golden irises, more potent than ordinary purple lightning.

Standing up, Haotian flicked his finger, sending a purple bolt of lightning that swelled from arm-width to barrel-width in an instant. Upon striking the ground, it left a charred crater tens of meters wide. Testing his Thunder Domain, Haotian observed as countless purple bolts manifested within the purple aura, raining down like a storm, creating craters of various sizes on the ground. The entire area, several kilometers in radius, resembled a missile-struck battlefield, not a patch left untouched.

Another thunderstorm descended, and with a deafening crash, a crater kilometers in diameter formed at Haotian's feet, the soil within turned to gas by the thunder's might. This power far surpassed forbidden curses.

"Impressive," Haotian remarked. "But to truly gauge its strength, I need a saint-level opponent. Perhaps tomorrow, I'll visit Dragonfall Canyon and test it on the Dread King."

Unwilling to risk his own undead dragons, Haotian preferred using the saint-level undead of Dragonfall Canyon as his test subjects. Less sentiment, more practicality. With his decision made, Haotian left the Professional Skill Tower, the immense crater he had created soon restoring itself to its original state, flat and endless.

"It's late," Haotian noted, looking at the dark night sky. It had been daytime when he entered the tower, yet night had fallen by the time he emerged. The mesmerizing process of mastering the Thunder Domain had made him lose track of time. 

Outside, the Royal Griffin Knights and Ancient Treants had returned from their hunt, the knights resting and the treants blending into the forest. Notably, the treants required no food. Upon returning, they transformed into trees, standing throughout the territory. The area thrived on the rich life and natural magic exuded by the Ancient War Tree and the Elven Spring, their nourishment. Additionally, they absorbed the earth's power, aiding their recovery and strengthening.

Haotian heard the voices of Sophia and the maid Sally from the brightly lit courtyard of the city hall. They seemed to be getting along well. However, he turned towards the Dragon Tomb instead, opening the heavy bronze door and stepping inside.

Soon, he buried ten dragon corpses, their tombstones revealing their life details. Five had been mid-saint rank, three high-saint rank, and two at the saint rank pinnacle, each over 130 meters long, just shy of the Zombie Dragon King.

The lord system's prompt followed:

"You have buried ten dragon corpses. You can summon them as bone dragons or zombie dragons. A fragment of a foreign soul consciousness has been detected and integrated into a dragon corpse. You may proceed with the summoning."