Yun Ji reacted quickly. Though the lightning did not seem to be aimed at her, she instinctively dodged.
Though she was a snake demon who had cultivated a Nascent Soul, she was still instinctively somewhat afraid of heavenly lightning. When it struck without warning, her first reaction was to flash away.
Yuan Gang was not slow to react either. He threw himself sideways, missed, and plunged down toward the base of the tower. Whether he could evade it or not, with lightning striking down, he still had to try.
At least he had time to dodge, because he was not the lightning's target. Someone else could not even think of dodging.
The instant Yuan Gang slammed into the middle of the tower, he hooked an arm over a higher step behind him to bleed off the force. Then he rolled all the way down, finally grabbing the step above and steadying himself. He looked up—and froze in shock.
Niu Youdao was unrecognizable, blackened from head to toe, standing on one leg with his arms slightly raised. He swayed on the brink of the tower's summit, as though his life hung by a thread, the last shred of his awareness seemingly trying to keep him upright.
Niu Youdao truly did want to steady himself, but his entire body felt as though it had been scorched by fire, inside and out. He wanted to put down his other foot and stand firm, but his body would not obey him—his thigh even less so.
He desperately wanted to use his arts to stabilize himself, to dispel and suppress the agony within him, but it seemed electricity was still coursing through his body. He was numb all over and could barely move.
Don't fall! Don't fall! Steady yourself!
That was what he thought, but