Struck by Lightning

Southern Heaven Continent, Great Ming Dynasty.

Divine Firmament Mountain Range, a famous range of mountains where tales of immortals and gods had been passed down.

Legend had it that deep in the Divine Firmament Mountain Range stood a sect known as the Divine Firmament Dao Sect.

The immortals in the mountains could fly through the skies and burrow underground, move mountains and overturn seas. They were capable of anything, looking down upon the entire Southern Heaven Continent as the years changed and the tides rose and fell...

"Rumble!"

The night was pitch-black, and dark clouds covered the sky.

The Lunar Star and the countless stars had long since disappeared.

From time to time, the clouds churned in the void, sending out muffled peals of thunder like a giant beast growling softly...

Now and then, silver serpents streaked across the sky, tearing through the darkness and lighting up the world.

Countless silver serpents twisted through the air and crashed down onto this remote path in the Divine Firmament Mountain Range, unleashing a terrifying roar.

Beside the ancient mountain road, a tree was struck by lightning and burst into crackling flames...

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

A torrential downpour cascaded from the heavens like a waterfall.

Before the flames could spread, the downpour fell and snuffed them out.

The muddy dirt road had long since been submerged. Li Yunjing lay in the rain, mud covering his entire body.

"Damn it! I actually got struck by lightning!"

"Three years after transmigrating here, I've weathered countless hardships and finally obtained a Qi Refining Manual. I'd only just set foot on the road to immortality."

"I was lucky enough to find the location of the Divine Firmament Dao Sect, and I was about to join the sect and cultivate eternal life."

"Who would've thought I'd die before I even got started? Am I really going to die in this damn ditch?"

Li Yunjing complained weakly, his eyes vacant as despair showed on his face.

His clothes and the bundle he carried had already been reduced to ashes the moment the lightning struck.

His body was charred black, as if he had been tossed into a furnace and burned like a lump of charcoal.

Even the torrential rain seemed unable to wash away the blackened wounds on his body.

On closer inspection, the silver lightning had left a series of terrifying gashes across Li Yunjing's body.

Bright red blood trickled from the wounds, mingling with the rainwater and slowly flowing away.

Li Yunjing's condition was growing worse by the moment.

His flesh, bones, internal organs, and meridians all seemed to have been injured.

His head was submerged in the water, making it difficult even to breathe.

His severe injuries left him unable to move his body. He couldn't even roll over to uncover his mouth and nose.

"Maybe that wretched heaven didn't strike me dead, but instead wants me to drown in this tiny ditch?"

Li Yunjing sneered, seeming to accept his fate as he lay there, unable to move.

But the fury in his heart was burning fiercely!

How unfair!

This was unbearably unfair!

At the thought of how he was going to die, Li Yunjing nearly went mad with hatred!

He had the cultivation technique needed to begin training, and he had endured countless hardships to find the location of the legendary immortal sect.

Everything had been moving in the right direction, yet now he was going to die...

The great highs and lows of life had left even someone as strong-willed as Li Yunjing in despair.

"Clip-clop, clip-clop..."

He didn't know how much time had passed. Li Yunjing's consciousness was already growing hazy when the sound of hoofbeats suddenly reached his ears...

Maybe I'm just imagining things!

At last, he couldn't hold on any longer and passed out completely, no longer able to sense anything around him.

What Li Yunjing didn't know was that the lightning bolt hadn't taken his life.

Instead, its power was coursing through his body, strengthening every one of his cells and transforming him from within...

"Miss, there's a dead man up ahead!"

An elderly voice rang out. Three carriages came into view in the distance, slowly making their way along the dirt road.

On either side of the convoy rode ten black-armored knights, a team of twenty in all, protecting the carriages.

Each carriage had a driver sitting atop the bench, guiding the horses.

At that moment, an old man in a green robe and straw rain cape came to the first carriage. He spoke softly through the curtain.

This carriage was exceptionally luxurious. Four tall horses pulled it, and even on the muddy road, it rolled smoothly with hardly a bump.

That was thanks both to the driver's skill and to the carriage's comfort.

The four tall, glossy black horses were magnificent. Neither the rain nor the thunder frightened them; they steadily followed the driver's directions.

The front and rear pairs of wheels were nine feet in diameter. They were studded with rivets and wrapped in leather.

Gold and agate adorned the carriage. Silk curtains covered its windows and doors, concealing the interior completely.

"Pat, pat!"

Rain struck the carriage and ran down its silky door and window curtains.

The rain didn't soak the curtains, nor did it seep into the carriage.

Clearly, the fabric was waterproof.

Meanwhile, not a drop of rain fell on the old man standing outside the carriage.

Within a foot of him, some invisible force seemed to keep the rain at bay, leaving him completely untouched.

"Is that so? Steward Li, go take a look."

A cool female voice came from inside the carriage.

Her voice was calm and unruffled, as if the sight of a "dead man" lying in the road had not moved her at all.

"Yes, Miss!"

Steward Li moved in a flash, like a wisp of green smoke, and appeared beside Li Yunjing ten yards away.

He lightly kicked Li Yunjing, turning him over. Steward Li frowned slightly. The man still had a breath left in him. That was troublesome...

"Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop!"

The carriage did not stop. It continued forward in orderly fashion.

The two ranks of knights were cold as frost and made no sound.

They were an elite, strictly disciplined cavalry unit. Apart from protecting the master inside the carriage, they paid no attention to anything outside.

When Steward Li failed to reply for some time, the woman inside the carriage asked softly again, "What happened?"

Her voice was gentle, yet it carried clearly through the downpour without the slightest hindrance.

"Alas, Miss, this man was struck by lightning, but he still has a breath left."

Steward Li sighed. His young miss was a kind-hearted person.

This fellow was incredibly lucky to have kept his life.

Unfortunately, he was going to cause the old man trouble again...

"Since there's still a chance to save him, then save him."

The cool voice of the woman in the carriage held a hint of cheer, as if she knew the old man was reluctant.

"There's no other choice. Yu San, Yu Si, come here and carry this fellow into the last carriage."

Steward Li shook his head slightly, looked toward the ten guards beside him, and beckoned two of them over.

"Yes, Steward Li!"

Yu San and Yu Si didn't dare delay. They dismounted and darted over to Li Yunjing like hares.