Chapter 167: Lightning Spirit [PART 3]
The elemental spirits bowed in unison as they intoned with reverence, "We greet the Lightning Spirit."
From her majestic lightning throne, Li Yao acknowledged them with merely a glance. Yet that single look carried such tremendous pressure that the spirits felt themselves instinctively tensing, as if facing an ancient predator.
"We are all spirits, how is the difference so huge?" they wondered collectively, their essence trembling slightly. "Is this the might of a mutated element spirit?"
For countless years, these elemental spirits had served as the world’s guardians. Throughout those ages, the world had never formed a mutated element spirit due to the immense energy cost. When they sensed the emergence of a new lightning spirit, and from a human, no less, they had rushed to investigate.
They had expected to find some lucky kid. Instead, they discovered a being whose strength matched their own despite their centuries of nurturing by the world itself. They had come thinking of teaching the new kid who was in charge but now it had turned to paying respects.
The Fire Spirit stepped forward, flames dancing across its humanoid form. "We apologize for disturbing the Lightning Spirit," it said, thinking privately that showing respect was the wisest course of action at the moment. Unlike them, this human-turned-spirit possessed the ability to cultivate independently, without relying on the world’s energy donations. Antagonizing such a being would be dangerously foolish.
"When we sensed your awakening, we came to pay our respects," the Fire Spirit added.
Li Yao just looked at them with her cold glance. "Is that so?" she asked, her voice carrying.
"That’s right!" the other spirits quickly affirmed, bowing deeper in synchronized movement.
The Fire Spirit spoke with barely contained eagerness. "Lightning Spirit, since you’re tired, why not let us deal with that person for you?"
The others nodded vigorously. "That’s right, no need to bother with such insignificant beings," they echoed.
Li Yao studied them silently, wondering if spirits were typically this welcoming to newcomers.
[Probably not,] the Empress’s voice echoed within her consciousness. [They’re likely intimidated by your power. If you were weaker, they’d be looking down on you instead.]
Li Yao found this reasoning sensible. Her attention drifted to her transformed body, hands unconsciously moving to her more mature chest. She thought it was almost on the same level as the empress. She pondered whether she should maintain this form permanently. Would her senior brother prefer this appearance? It’s commonly said that men like—
"Umm... Lightning Spirit?" the Fire Spirit interrupted nervously, shifting uncomfortably.
Suddenly realizing what she’d been doing, Li Yao quickly dropped her hands and reassumed her regal demeanor, straightening on her throne with renewed dignity.
Within Li Yao’s spiritual sea, the Empress could only sigh deeply. When she had witnessed Li Yao bathed in world energy and physically matured, she had briefly hoped the girl’s mental faculties might similarly advance. Clearly, she had been overly optimistic.
"What did I expect?" the Empress thought to herself.
...
The soul clone trembled with growing anxiety as he assessed the situation. Five elemental spirits stood arrayed against him. The elemental spirits were quite dangerous. Not only did they possess tremendous power but also the rare ability to inflict physical damage directly upon souls.
Their presence explained everything about Li Yao’s unusual capabilities; she had been a spirit all along, which accounted for her inexplicable power to manipulate world energy and force his silence earlier.
"If these five spirits united their strength," he calculated, "they might pose a genuine threat even to my original body." Add to that equation a prodigy like Li Yao and the Righteous Alliance, and you have yourself a recipe for disaster. Though formidable, he wasn’t invincible. He needed to revise his plans some more.
"No need!" Li Yao declared, her voice regaining its commanding presence after her momentary distraction. She adjusted her posture on the ornate throne, her expression hardening as she focused entirely on the soul clone. "He dares to threaten my husband, so I’ll deal with him myself."
"Husband?" the Cult Leader silently questioned, confusion momentarily replacing his fear. "Wasn’t it ’senior brother’ just moments ago?" Despite his bewilderment, he maintained his silence, unwilling to provoke further escalation. Though merely a soul clone, its creation had required considerable resources and energy—a loss he preferred to avoid.
"Sect Master, there seems to be a misunderstanding," he spoke cautiously, attempting to defuse the situation.
"What misunderstanding?"
The clone’s eyes widened in shock. Li Yao now stood directly before him, having crossed the distance between them without any perceptible movement. Not even his heightened spiritual senses had detected her approach.
"Can’t even talk, huh? I knew you were just making excuses," Li Yao taunted, her hand descending toward his form. Despite his desperate efforts, the Cult Leader remained completely immobilized, trapped by an invisible force that rendered escape impossible.
"How is this possible?" he thought frantically as her hand grew increasingly massive in his perception, looming ever closer.
When her palm finally pressed against him, the weight behind it felt like an entire mountain range bearing down on him. World pressure intensified around him, compressing his soul painfully. Then, without warning, lightning erupted from her fingertips, coursing directly into his soul.
Agony unlike anything he had experienced in centuries of cultivation shredded through his consciousness. His screams echoed across the battlefield as lightning penetrated the very core of his being. The energy resembled tribulation lightning in its purity and destructive potential. How could any mortal wield such power? Was the Lightning Spirit truly this formidable?
Even the other elemental spirits watched in awe, their forms shifting uneasily at this display of raw dominance.
"Dammit," the soul clone finally rasped, his voice fragmented by pain, "a man can be killed but not humiliated! Just end me already!"
Though he lamented the impending loss of a valuable soul clone, the humiliation had become unbearable—death would at least preserve some vestige of dignity.
"No," Li Yao replied, "that would be too easy."
Her smile gradually transformed into something deeply unsettling—an expression of almost trancelike cruelty. "You’re the reason why senior brother and I aren’t married. Aren’t you going to pay for that?"
The Cult Leader’s confusion deepened further. "What? Didn’t she just call him her husband? And what could this possibly have to do with me? We’ve never even met before today."
As if reading his thoughts, Li Yao simply shook her head. "From your eyes, I can tell you don’t want to repent," she observed coldly. "Then I’ll have to make you."
The lightning intensified exponentially, drawing renewed screams from the soul clone. The cries seemed to delight Li Yao as she cupped her cheeks in macabre enjoyment.
"Ah, your screams are so cute," she cooed, increasing the pressure further. "Scream more for me."
The five elemental spirits watched nervously, swallowing uncomfortably at the spectacle. The lightning elemental truly possessed terrifying cruelty, capable of torturing a soul with such cruelty without even batting an eye.
The brutal process continued unabated throughout the night, Li Yao’s merciless lightning never relenting, never diminishing in intensity. Only when morning light crept across the horizon did the torment finally end—not through mercy, but because nothing remained of the soul clone but disintegrating spiritual particles scattering into nothingness.
...
Author’s Corner
For anyone wondering why I said heightened perception for the soul clone and not divine sense, it’s because it was suppressed by Li Yao earlier and has shrunk considerably. The reason he couldn’t keep up with her speed was mainly because he couldn’t use it. It’s not that she’s suddenly overwhelmingly fast, it’s just the enemy has grown weaker.
Spirits can mobilize some world energy. I’ll explain later in the ’final’ fight.
The second volume is about to end, do you have any name suggestions for the volume?