Piercing

The spot on its flank where it was struck showed a patch of charred, web-like patterns beneath its deep purple mane, like a tree trunk struck by lightning, the cracks spreading outwards from the wound.

Even stranger, wisps of white mist continuously rose from the wound, as if its flesh and blood were being scorched and evaporated from within by some intense heat.

Hee-haw!!!!

The Purple Thunder Demonic Steed let out a pained and furious neigh!

It had never experienced an attack like this.

Not simple lightning damage, not a conventional Soul Skill strike!

The moment that strange, eerie blue lightning struck, it felt as if the very source of lightning within its body had been thrown into chaos. The purple lightning, which it prided itself on and was born with, now seemed suppressed by something of a higher order, its circulation sluggish, its reactions dulled!

Its deep purple beast eyes stared fixedly at the small human figure not far away.

This human had killed its mate.

This human also used lightning.

And his lightning was nobler than its own.

This realization made the Purple Thunder Demonic Steed's rage burn even fiercer!

BOOM!!!

Purple lightning erupted all over its body! No longer the tentative arcs of before, but a full-power burst! Deep purple lightning surged wildly from every strand of its mane, every inch of its skin, like a volcanic eruption, engulfing its entire body in a ball of violent electrical light!

This was the life essence lightning of a three-thousand-year-old lightning-attribute Soul Beast!

The ball of lightning converged on its horn, compressing, refining, compressing again, refining again! The purple lightning pillar, once as thick as an arm, gradually became narrower and deeper through repeated compression, almost ink-purple!

This was the full-power strike of three thousand years of cultivation!

The Purple Thunder Demonic Steed pawed the ground, its furious strength plowing four deep furrows. It lowered its head, aiming its horn, which had gathered all its lightning power, at Chen Li's heart!

Then!

Charge!

Its speed was astonishing! The full burst of a three-thousand-year Soul Beast turned it into a dark purple afterimage within a mere few dozen meters!

That horn, like a spear forged by the God of Thunder himself, carried an aura of absolute destruction as it lunged straight for Chen Li's chest!

Chen Li stood his ground.

A drop of cold sweat slowly trickled down his forehead.

A level twenty Soul Grand Master, facing the desperate, all-out attack of a three-thousand-year lightning-attribute Soul Beast alone! This gap was not easily bridged by willpower alone.

His body screamed at him to dodge, every nerve screaming a warning.

But!

"I won't... give up like this!"

Chen Li's eyes underwent a drastic change in that instant.

No longer the calm observer, no longer the calculating hunter! But madness.

The ferocity that erupted from the deepest part of his soul when pushed to the brink, with nowhere left to retreat, disregarding all consequences!

He didn't dodge!

He didn't even adopt a defensive stance!

He simply condensed all his lightning Soul Power into his right arm. The blue-white lightning pulsed violently in his palm, like a wild beast about to break free!

Is he seeking death?!

A flicker of shock flashed in the Purple Thunder Demonic Steed's beast eyes, quickly replaced by even more savage excitement!

It didn't know what this human was planning, but it knew! Once this strike landed, no defense would matter!

It wanted to shatter this human's heart under its horn!

Zzzt!!!!

The crackling sound of lightning tearing through the air!

The dark purple horn, with its destructive power, pierced straight through Chen Li's chest!

Thwack!!

A dull piercing sound!

The Purple Thunder Demonic Steed's entire body passed through Chen Li's! The horn entered through his chest and exited his back, bringing with it a spray of shocking blood mist!

A horrifying, fist-sized hole, piercing through from front to back, appeared on Chen Li's body!

The Purple Thunder Demonic Steed, carried by inertia, charged another ten meters before finally stopping, its four hooves screeching against the ground. It panted heavily, white steam puffing from its nostrils, the purple lightning all over its body significantly dimmer due to the consumption of this attack.

But it didn't look back.

It had already felt the sensation of piercing a heart.

That detestable human was dead.

It slowly turned its body, wanting to see with its own eyes the tragic state of the murderer of its mate, lying on the ground!

Then, its beastly pupils suddenly contracted!

Chen Li was still standing!

The human with a gaping hole in his chest was somehow still standing in place!

No! That's not right!

The Purple Thunder Demonic Steed stared intently at the bloody hole in Chen Li's chest, finally seeing the truth!

It wasn't a bloody hole at all!

It was a mass of blue-white lightning that was wildly flickering!

Chen Li looked down at the spot on his chest where the Purple Thunder Demonic Steed's horn had pierced him. The flesh there had indeed vanished, replaced by a pure energy body made of lightning. The blue-white electric light was rapidly circulating and reforming, gradually filling back in the torn flesh bit by bit.

"Elementalization..." Chen Li murmured softly, a weak smile pulling at the corner of his lips. "It really is a decent life-saving technique."

This was one of the most incredible abilities granted to him by the Rumble-Rumble Fruit! The moment he suffered a fatal physical attack, he could transform the injured area into lightning, allowing the attack to pass straight through his body without causing real damage.

Of course, this move also consumed a tremendous amount of energy. The Soul Power within him had fallen to less than thirty percent.

But!

It was enough.

Before the Purple Thunder Demonic Steed could recover from its shock at being unable to kill him, it felt a weight land on its back!

It reared its head violently!

That detestable human had, at some point, leaped onto its back and was now riding steadily behind its neck!

"You're caught by me," Chen Li's voice came from above its head, calm yet laced with a slight pant, and terrifyingly cold.

The Purple Thunder Demonic Steed struggled frantically! The purple lightning all over its body erupted again, attempting to shake the human off its back and electrocute him into charcoal! It leaped and thrashed wildly, rolling on the ground!

But Chen Li's left hand gripped its neck mane tightly, his entire body like a persistent leech, refusing to let go!

Simultaneously, his right hand was raised high.

In his palm, a purple lightning, so deep it was almost demonic, was furiously condensing!

It was the light of his first Soul Ring!!

"First Soul Skill!!!!"

Chen Li's voice boomed like thunder!

"Lightning Strike · Law Breaker!!!!"

BOOM!!!!

The intensely condensed purple lightning erupted from his palm!

It wasn't a surge, nor a spray, nor any conventionally understood release.

It was a pierce! Or rather, a piercing.

The purple lightning wasn't earth-shatteringly thick, nor did it possess an all-encompassing, violent momentum. It was a thread of purple light, as fine as a hair!

Yet, it was sharp enough to cut through all defensive rules!