Chapter Fifty-Six: The Lightning Spear

Wang Qi gripped his waist, gestured toward Li Mu, and cackled darkly. The sinister laughter rose and fell with his body, so triumphant it made others uneasy. Spectators below the platform couldn’t bear the sight. “Hey, whoever you are—if you want to fight, then fight! Why stand there?”

“Is he losing his mind? He’s nearly in the top hundred, but now he’s grinning like a fool.”

“Ah, Li Mu’s luck has surely soured this time. That Thunderburst technique isn’t something ordinary people can endure.”

Li Mu fixed his gaze on Wang Qi. Outwardly calm, his heart churned. He could not afford to lose this battle.

The eerie laughter suddenly ceased. A flash of white lightning shot from Wang Qi’s hand, streaking toward Li Mu.

Crack! Crack!

The lightning exploded overhead, splintering into countless bolts, like myriad electric dragons twisting and writhing, ceaselessly roaming the air. In a blink, much of the platform was flooded with blinding white light, and Li Mu’s figure vanished from sight.

Thunderburst, depending on the cultivator’s power, could create a field of lightning, subjecting any foe within to endless strikes.

But Li Mu was prepared. At that very instant, he summoned his armor, enveloping himself completely.

Moments later, the lightning faded.

All the spectators below widened their eyes. They had seen similar scenes before: Wang Qi’s opponents usually ended up battered, their bodies collapsing onto the platform.

But this time, nothing of the sort happened. A round, earthen cocoon sat unmoving atop the platform.

“As expected, Earth Armor Technique. That gourd is impressive,” said the sect master of Jade Spirit Gate, stroking his beard with approval.

Madam Wang nodded along.

Wang Qi snorted. “You think mere armor can stop me?”

He readied another attack, but suddenly, a vine shot out from within the armor, coiling around Wang Qi’s leg.

Wang Qi somehow produced a green sword, slashing fiercely and severing the vine.

“Windborne Sword!”

The blade trembled, sending a streak of sword-light several meters long toward the armor.

Boom! The armor was pierced, leaving a hole.

Before Wang Qi could gloat, soil from all around rushed in, quickly sealing the gap, returning the armor to its former state.

Just then, a purple flame entwined itself around the returning Windborne Sword.

Sizzle, sizzle—the Windborne Sword, though a superior treasure, began to glow red under the purple fire, gradually melting and falling apart.

Wang Qi reacted swiftly. Sensing danger, he halted the sword’s return; it spun in the air and plunged again into the armor.

The melting blade, now ablaze with purple flames, crashed against the armor, transforming it into a sea of fire. In moments, the armor glowed crimson.

“You brought this upon yourself,” Wang Qi raved. “Thunderburst!”

Another bolt of lightning followed the green sword.

He thought such a fierce assault would expose Li Mu’s weakness, deplete his strength.

But to his frustration, the earth armor was unyielding. Even earth cultivators couldn’t craft such formidable protection.

Despite the fire, sword, and thunder attack, the armor retracted, growing thicker and stronger.

The armor remained undefeated, Wang Qi’s efforts fruitless.

The spectacle stunned everyone. The audience below was transfixed, unable to look away.

When the armor persisted, a thunderous cheer erupted. “Amazing!”

“Damn, I thought he was finished!”

“Gods, that armor—when will I have such a treasure?”

“Wang Qi’s pride is getting crushed. His Thunderburst can’t touch Li Mu; he might lose.” The cultivator who spoke stopped abruptly as Wang Qi’s furious glare swept over him.

On the platform, Madam Wang’s brows gradually relaxed.

The Jade Spirit Gate master smiled at Tu Xi, “Tu Master, do you think Gu Rong can defeat Li Mu?”

Tu Xi refused to argue, replying stiffly, “Such powerful armor? I say it’s mostly Wang Qi holding back.”

“No, Wang Qi is using his full strength. In my view, it’s the gourd—a top-tier artifact. Only top-tier magical treasures can produce effects beyond one’s level.”

Tie Hai of Eastwater Sect shook his head and whispered, “How did Li Mu acquire such a treasure? If he forged it himself, he’s truly limitless.”

All the cultivators agreed. Anyone capable of crafting top-tier treasures was highly sought after in any realm.

Wang Qi stared at the armor, his sinister laughter returning. “Heh heh, impressive indeed. You truly have skill—delightful.”

Within the armor, Li Mu was far from relaxed. To maintain its strength, he’d poured half his true power into the Fire Gourd, something he’d never done before.

The battle had only begun, yet he’d already spent half his energy—exhausting.

He swallowed a restorative pill.

Wang Qi fell silent, casting a spell that conjured a pale shield before him, protecting his body.

The Lightning Shield—a common defensive spell among cultivators of the Five Elements Lightning Art, similar in principle to Earth Armor but unique in its own ways.

Next, Wang Qi slowly produced a peculiar staff.

At each end were spheres, divided into three sections and connected by a line. Nothing seemed extraordinary about it.

“Lightning Conductor Staff,” Li Mu murmured. His spiritual sense quickly identified it as the trump card mentioned in the jade slip—Wang Qi’s hidden weapon.

“What’s he planning? I’ve never seen it used.”

“What can that staff do? I don’t get it.” The cultivators below were puzzled.

Wang Qi tossed the Lightning Conductor Staff skyward.

With a few clangs, the staff’s ends linked, forming a triangular frame.

Activating a spell, lightning suddenly descended from the sky.

Its force was immense, like an enraged dragon summoned forth, striking the staff.

Lightning raged, the dragon’s energy scattering. A blurry bolt appeared, rapidly forming atop the staff.

A single glance drew one in, as if the viewer might be sucked into the phenomenon.

“What spell is this? I’ve never heard of one that manipulates lightning so!”

Hearing the discussion above, Madam Wang’s brows furrowed once more, her eyes fixed fiercely on the armor.

“Take this!” Wang Qi cackled, crazed. “Lightning Spear!”

Boom!

Lightning erupted, launching a thick yellow bolt, a meter wide and dozens of meters long, solid and powerful.

The lightning spear, encircled by electric light and dancing in the wind, caused the platform itself to tremble under its force.

Lightning Spear!

Like an enraged dragon, it shot straight for the armor.

Before the spear, the earth armor seemed as defenseless as a newborn, facing the wrath of the dragon head-on.