บท 39: Thunder King's Judgment.
Lei Qiang did not pursue the fact that Liang Chen had brushed aside his question, his eyes landing on the lotus in front of him. His eyes gleamed and he swallowed a mouthful of saliva, but he quickly shook his head, his worried eyes turning to Liang Chen.
"But what about you?"
Liang Chen had told him to flee, he had not said anything about himself fleeing. Was he planning on staying? Here, in this hell where everyone was his enemy? Had it not been for the fact that the other groups were shocked by his sudden burst of strength, the two of them would have already been drowned in attacks. Facing his question, a bitter smile appeared on Liang Chen's face as he picked up the lotus, which was a little larger than his palm.
"Even if I were to throw this lotus at them, they would worry that I have done something to it, so they likely won't just let me leave. Because of that, there is something I am going to do. Don't worry, I won't die here, not yet, not before I have killed those I must kill."
Liang Chen had, in fact, told a little lie just now. It wasn't that they would worry that he had done something to it, it was that they would realize he had done something to it and chase him. The moment Liang Chen had gotten close to the lotus, his instincts went into overdrive, shouting and screaming, clawing at the inside of his mind.
Liang Chen managed to ignore his instincts, as he was certain that if he were to do anything to this lotus, the remaining survivors would swarm him and kill him. It was a shame, but this lotus was not something he could have, this entire trip had been in vain. But even if he thought that, it seemed like he was not allowed to have it that easy.
The moment he got close to the lotus, the lightning energy within it started to automatically enter his body, attracted by his Lightning Seed and all the other lightning energy within his body. If the others were to see the lotus, they would quickly realize that some of the lightning energy within it had vanished. And since Liang Chen was one of the few that had touched the lotus, as well as the fact that he had the lightning element, it would not take a lot of guessing to realize that it was he who had absorbed the missing lightning energy.
Lei Qiang had no idea what he could say in this situation. He knew that Liang Chen was right, this lotus was not something they could have, this trip was nothing but a disaster for them. And seeing Liang Chen's determined eyes, he knew that there was no changing his mind. In the end, he decided to stand up and stretch out his hand, giving Liang Chen a wide smile.
"Very well. Once you get out of here, come to find me in Eternal Stream city, we can share some drinks, I would love to hear about where you came from, a bit more in-depth this time."
He found Liang Chen to be somewhat similar to him, he was a person that would be a good friend. Lei Qiang's words also implied what he planned to do after fleeing this place, leaving the Mystic's Hidden realm and returning home. Liang Chen also put on a smile, stretching out his free hand, the both of them shaking hands.
"That sounds nice, let's do that."
After shaking hands, Lei Qiang gave Liang Chen one last long look before he turned away and started running, fleeing with all his might, turning back to look at Liang Chen twice as he ran. No one chased Lei Qiang, so he quickly managed to leave the area, fleeing to freedom. Liang Chen on the other hand, faced the group of people that were greedily eyeing him and the lotus, casually sitting down and waiting.
After waiting for close to 15 minutes, a large explosion rocked the area, the crab Demonic beast finally collapsing to the ground, its spiraling shell shattered. Tian Shentu and Zhao Daiyun had lost many people, but their groups were still the strongest in the area, so when they walked over with heavy breaths, everyone made way for them, silently cursing themselves for not making a move on Liang Chen earlier. Tian Shentu and Zhao Daiyun stopped a short distance away from Liang Chen, glancing at the lotus in his hand before they stretched out their hands and spoke simultaneously.
"Kid, hand over that lotus and allow us to extract the energy you have absorbed from it. If you do that, we will let you leave alive."
Their words left Liang Chen no quarter, gave him only a single way out. The energy extracted from the lotus had gone straight to his Lightning Seed and Ascended Tower, extracting it would require them to shatter both of those things, completely crippling him in the process. Facing all the people that were greedily looking at him and had probably already sentenced him to death, Liang Chen found that his mind turned crystal clear, a light laughter ringing out from his mouth as he stood up.
"Just look at the lot of you. A single Two-Petaled Elemental Lotus is born, and all of you are ready to kill and betray everyone around you, just for a chance to touch the lotus, it is laughable."
It was truly laughable how easily all of these people were willing to kill and betray others, despite knowing that they were probably never going to even get close to the lotus. Tian Shentu only let out a cold snort after hearing Liang Chen's laughter.
"Don't try to lecture us kid, you did exactly the same."
They had not seen how Liang Chen had reached the lotus, but it was clear that he had killed several people to acquire it, there were even two corpses on the ground right next to the boulder he stood on. Faced with Tian Shentu's cold snort, Liang Chen gave a slight shake of his head, narrowing his eyes slightly as he glanced at some of the people that were hiding in the crowd.
"No, I only killed those who wanted to kill me, the rest I let go. I won't deny that I am bad, but I am not even close to as bad as the rest of you, who killed everyone in sight. I even saw some of you specifically target others so that you could kill and rob them."
Liang Chen did not consider himself a good person. He had decided to kill people like Qing Lan Yong and the bandits, bad people who remorselessly ruined the lives of others, often innocent people. But that did not change what he did. He killed people, he ended lives and probably tore families apart. Just like those he killed, he could be considered a monster. Even more so when he thought about how easily his body absorbed Demonic beast blood and even their Demon Crystal, even his body was slowly changing to becoming more monstrous.
Tian Shentu and Zhao Daiyun seemed to be wary of each other and the remaining people, so while it looked like their patience was reaching its end, none of them made a move, they simply crossed their arms in front of their chest and spoke to Liang Chen.
"Kid, whatever you are trying to say, just get it over with and hand over the lotus and the absorbed energy."
They were not only worried about the remaining people but also worried that Liang Chen would ruin the lotus if they acted rashly. So since Liang Chen seemed to be the chatty type, they decided to take advantage of the situation to stealthily restore their energy. Liang Chen had plans of his own, so he did not reject the offer of Tian Shentu, a faint sneer appearing on his face as he questioned them.
"You won't let me go until I hand over the lotus and let you extract the energy that I absorbed from it? Even if doing so will cripple me?"
If they crippled him right here, his body would lose the Qi that protected it. Not only would the pressure of this hidden realm completely crush him, but the ever-present lightning in this area would also roast him, quickly killing him. Extracting the energy was the same as giving him a death sentence. This time it was Zhao Daiyun who let out a snort, causing Liang Chen to wonder if the people who came from the superpower sects were fond of snorting like this when talking to others.
"So what? You shouldn't have absorbed something that wasn't yours. If you truly want to curse something, curse your own bad luck that caused you to be so unlucky that you were close to the lotus as it was born, you just had a bad roll of the dice."
Zhao Daiyun's words reminded Liang Chen of the words that the bandit leader had told him when they were trying to rob him inside the city. His slight sneer vanished, turning into a faint smirk as he looked at Tian Shentu and Zhao Daiyun. Since he was standing atop the boulder, it gave the impression that he was looking down upon them, that they were beneath him.
"A bad roll of the dice, huh? I seem to be getting those a lot, it's quite annoying. But let me tell you this, I refuse to let someone else roll the dice for me. I will roll it, I will choose what it lands on."
Liang Chen was tired of getting bad rolls, tired of others blaming things on good or bad rolls of the dice. He would grab the dice, he would decide his own actions and outcomes, his fate was his and his alone to decide. If he were to succeed or fail, it would not be because of the roll of a dice, it would be because of his own hard work, or lack thereof. Tian Shentu did not like how it felt like Liang Chen was looking down on them, so he stamped his foot slightly and started to speak out in an annoyed voice.
"Kid, my patience..."
Tian Shentu was not able to finish his words, the laughter of Liang Chen interrupting him. Liang Chen held the lotus high with his right hand while using his left hand to point at the crowd in front of him, the smirk on his face turning into a grin that held a hint of insanity.
"Look at the lot of you. You can't wait to tear me apart, even though I have never met or harmed any of you before. Monsters, scum, and trash, that is all I see around me right now. None of you deserve this lotus, so let it all vanish, like ash on the wind."
The moment Liang Chen finished his sentence in a strangely calm fashion, a horrifying sense of danger flooded Tian Shentu and Zhao Daiyun, making them feel like they were facing the god of death. They did not bother thinking about the reason, they simply shouted out a desperate order at the top of their lungs, pulling out talismans and flags from their interspatial rings.
"Defensive formation, NOW!"
But it was already too late, Liang Chen had bought all the time he needed. The air all around him lit up, crackling with tiny arcs of crimson lightning. The lotus in his hand trembled fiercely as if it was releasing a cry towards the high heavens. A loud booming sound rang out, drowning out everything else. The sky split apart, crimson bolts of lightning flashing across the heavens and dying the earth red.
This was what Liang Chen had decided on doing the moment he let Lei Qiang flee, to call upon the lightning that resided within the sky of this hidden realm. Not the azure lightning that filled every inch of this land, but the crimson lightning that resided even higher than the azure lightning, maybe even lightning that resided higher than that.
But he could not do it on his own, he was too weak to call upon enough lightning, he needed a conduit, something to amplify his own calling power. And wasn't this Elemental Lotus just perfect for that?
He sent almost all of his energy and mind into the lotus, then stretching out towards the heavens, past the clouds, higher than ever before. And the heavens responded to his call, sending forth furious bolts of lightning to punish those he had deemed monsters.
But the lotus was still only a Two-Petaled Elemental Lotus, the lightning within it was also of the azure variety, so there was no way for Liang Chen to actually control the crimson lightning that he summoned, he could only let it wreak havoc, just like when he used it to kill the snake.
But the bolts of lightning that answered his call this time were far thicker than the one from back then, there were also far more of them, the entire sky covered in them. Tian Shentu and Zhao Daiyun sent Liang Chen a horrified gaze, terrified at what he had brought. They immediately knew that their defensive formations were useless in this situation, so they swiped their interspatial rings and took out a talisman that looked like a pair of transparent wings.
Before Liang Chen got to see what the talismans would do, the bolts of lightning descended down onto the earth. The rain evaporated, the stones melted, the people who still remained were blown apart upon being struck by the furious lightning. The Thunder King had proclaimed his judgement, and the punishment was death.
Liang Chen was not able to see what became of Tian Shentu and Zhao Daiyun, a single dreadful bolt of violet lightning descending from the sky. The crimson bolts of lightning gave the violet bolt plenty of space, it was like a king descending to the earth. And the place where the violet lightning was headed was precisely the lotus that Liang Chen was holding.
There was no way for Liang Chen to react, the bolt of lightning traveled far faster than any speed he had ever seen, any speed he was able to imagine. By the time he noticed it, it had already arrived by him. The lotus turned to ash before it was even struck but the lightning, the ash sticking to Liang Chen's body and entering it through the cracks in his flesh.
The lightning struck Liang Chen's body and the world instantly turned dark, not even giving him time for a single thought or blink. The crimson bolts of lightning quickly started to dwindle, leaving behind only a ruined landscape covered in body parts and ash. The only sound present within this hellish landscape was the faint beating of a heart.
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ShiranuiShukumei
ShiranuiShukumei Holy hell, three chapters in one day! I guess that shows what i can do when the imagination is flowing and i am sustaining myself on pure fucking caffeine.
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