Chapter Seventy-three: Breaking Through the Encirclement (Part Two)

Among all magical arts, lightning magic is unmatched in speed. Unless one can anticipate its path or disrupt the trajectory beforehand, once the spell is cast, it is destined to strike true. Not even Ling Mo, formidable as he was, could defy this rule. All he could do was rely on his superhuman physique, darting madly in tight circles, weaving and feinting to mislead the black clouds about where their lightning should descend, thus evading the overwhelming net of electricity.

He feinted left and right, his body flickering from one spot to another. In a blink, he would leap left, then in the next instant, slide right, so swiftly that afterimages seemed to trail behind him. Even with the guidance of the Star Mark, less than a tenth of the lightning bolts found their mark.

Katherine, however, had it rough. She felt as though she’d been thrown into an industrial washing machine, tossed and spun so violently that not only was her stomach churning, but the air in her lungs was nearly wrung out. If not for the devoured magic heart she’d just swallowed, which ceaselessly funneled energy to repair her battered organs, she would likely have died from internal bleeding. Yet these torments were mere nuisances compared to the real test: the bolts they failed to dodge.

Crack! Sizzle!

Serpentine arcs of lightning lashed Ling Mo’s skin, searing one charred mark after another. At their centers, the burns were pitch black, the edges twisted and raw, resembling tiny, gaping infant mouths—disturbingly organic. Though these wounds would heal themselves in two or three seconds, it was the first time Katherine had seen her seemingly invincible master injured. Her heart clenched with worry, and the residual current conducted through to her left her on the brink of ecstasy and agony.

Ling Mo charged forward in great strides. The lightning had caused him only superficial wounds, not slowing him in the least. As he pushed deeper, the black clouds above, unable to halt his advance, rolled downward, revealing their true form—a giant figure of blue crystal, standing in Ling Mo’s path.

The giant was composed entirely of a sapphire crystal, cloaked in black, with a massive golden bracer on its left wrist. Six antennae-like spines jutted from its back, and a diamond-shaped blue gem adorned its chest, radiating an extravagant brilliance.

The moment it appeared, Katherine heard the familiar roar of fireballs again. Larger and fiercer than before, a dozen or more came hurtling from the horizon, sealing off every possible escape. At the same time, the blue crystal giant, evidently wary of Ling Mo, wasted no time probing for weaknesses. It unleashed its full might, chanting in a deep, archaic voice:

“Endless! Energy and life!”

From every direction, dozens of orbs of blue lightning converged on the crystal giant. Ling Mo lashed out with his legs, smashing aside two enormous fireballs as he carried Katherine through the barrage. But he had no time to stop the giant from absorbing the lightning orbs. With each orb consumed, the blue skin of the giant gleamed ever brighter, until, having absorbed them all, it shone with a radiance that could not be gazed upon directly.

Ling Mo muttered a curse under his breath, set Katherine down, and stamped once on the ground. In that instant, his body swelled to several times its original size. He stooped forward, shielding Katherine beneath his broad back. As he completed the motion, the crystal giant acted again.

Raising its left hand to the sky, all its gathered light poured into the golden bracer. Chanting an ancient incantation, it fired a beam of golden light into the heavens.

“This sky shall be filled with lightning!”

The golden ray flickered within the thick black clouds, and then, incalculable bolts of lightning cascaded down, each as thick as a bowl at the thinnest, and as wide as two men’s embrace at the largest. The deluge of lightning washed the land in a blinding white, scouring everything within dozens of meters. Katherine shrank beneath the “umbrella” of Ling Mo’s body, wide-eyed as countless bolts struck the earth and battered his back with thunderous blasts. In moments, her eyes filled with tears.

Sensing her distress, Ling Mo grinned and said nonchalantly, “Don’t be fooled by how impressive that bastard Nerbay seems right now. When this lightning storm ends, I’ll crush its head like an egg. If I weren’t worried this attack might hurt you, it’d already be nothing but dust by now!”

With his enlarged body, his voice took on a deep, resonant timbre. Katherine sniffed and managed a smile. “I know. I believe in you, Master. You’re the strongest of all.”

Because he could not move while shielding Katherine, even the fireballs—once unable to touch Ling Mo—joined in, pounding his back with violent explosions. From afar, the scene in a sea of fire and lightning was like a myth brought to life: a giant, shielding a girl with his own body—a tableau of overwhelming romance.

“User ‘Life Is For Romance’ gifts the streamer ten Meteor Fire Rains! Message: Sister Katherine, you’re so lucky! This scene is more romantic than anything in the movies!”

“User ‘Man’s World’ gifts the streamer ten Meteor Fire Rains! Message: For Teacher Ling, there’s nothing but respect. I’m speechless!”

“User ‘Cutest in the World’ gifts the streamer ten Meteor Fire Rains! Message: Ahhh! Why did this happen to Sister Katherine? If it were me, I’d be happy to be electrocuted right there!”

“User ‘Wealth Knows No Bounds’ gifts the streamer eleven Meteor Fire Rains! Message: Does a bitch like you deserve this? If it were you, Teacher Ling would probably just hold you up to block the thunderstorm!”

“Supreme Gold User ‘Ferryman of the Styx’ mutes ‘Cutest in the World’ and ‘Wealth Knows No Bounds’ for twelve hours! Message: Watch the show! Must you bicker even in a scene like this? Are you that bored?”

“Supreme Gold User ‘Skyward Guardian’ extends the mute for ‘Cutest in the World’ and ‘Wealth Knows No Bounds’ by twelve more hours! Message: Focus! The point is, Teacher Ling is tanking sixth-tier magic and dozens of fifth-tier spells with his body. That kind of defense is the real spectacle!”

“Supreme Gold User ‘Nature’s Guardian’ extends the mute for ‘Cutest in the World’ and ‘Wealth Knows No Bounds’ by twelve more hours! Message: I’d love to get a tissue sample from Teacher Ling! Just a fingernail would do! I honestly don’t know what class of magical beast his body should be ranked as!”

And so on.

The thunderous downpour of lightning finally ceased. Though it lasted only ten seconds, to Katherine it felt like an eternity. Only when the storm was utterly silent did Ling Mo slowly straighten and step forward. Katherine caught sight of his back, and clapped a hand to her mouth in horror: his back was a patchwork of scorched black flesh and deep red muscle, mingled with charred remnants—a gruesome sight. Though his prodigious healing was already at work, these wounds would not be so quickly mended.

Nerbay’s crystal eyes betrayed no emotion. It had likely anticipated this outcome before its attack, and now, though its golden bracer was dim and its form weary, it began to blur at the edges, its outline dissolving into ghostly shadows—just like the precursor to a Shadow Wolf’s teleportation. Electric spirals wreathed its claws as it prepared for a final desperate strike.

But it was too late.

Ling Mo allowed no opening. In an instant, he was upon Nerbay, his left elbow driving deep into Nerbay’s abdomen, his right hand seizing the creature’s shadowy head and yanking it out of the subspace it was phasing into. He gripped Nerbay’s throat and lifted it high.

Nerbay’s lips moved, reciting yet another spell. It fought with all its might to bring its electrified claws to Ling Mo’s face, hoping to inflict the smallest wound. But Ling Mo’s palm flared with crimson flame, first igniting Nerbay’s throat, then engulfing its entire body.

In a violent explosion, Nerbay’s neck snapped, its head burned to ash in the fire, the remainder of its crystal body crashing to the ground in countless shards, dissolving into pale blue energy that seeped into the earth. The fight ended so swiftly that, had Nerbay’s black hooded cloak not remained on the ground, Katherine might have believed the battle was nothing but a dream.

Seeing the cloak, Ling Mo stepped over, scooped it up, shook it out, and smiled in satisfaction. Turning to Katherine, he said, “Luck’s on our side today. I must have finished it quickly enough—Nerbay didn’t have time to reclaim this cloak. It’s a rare treasure, and it’s yours now.”

Katherine was puzzled, gazing up at the giant Ling Mo. “This time? What do you mean, ‘this time’? Has this Nerbay creature been killed by you before?”

“It’s not a magical beast,” Ling Mo replied, shaking his head. Though the battle was over, he remained in giant form. He reached out, carefully lifted Katherine, and set her on his shoulder. “It’s a ‘spirit’—not the kind from the Elven race, but an elemental, a thunder spirit, a conceptual being. As long as its master lives, it can be killed any number of times. It will always reform and revive after a while.”

(P.S.: Tomorrow, this novel will be featured on the front page of Qidian’s six-frequency recommendations—a major opportunity! Starting tomorrow, I’ll try to update as much as possible. Please, dear readers, give me your support and help my dream reach the top recommendations! Vote for me—I thank you all!)