Chapter no.26 Lin Lingtian's attack

Lin Lai woke up to the sound of someone softly knocking on her bedroom door. She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes, trying to shake off the remnants of sleep. The room was dimly lit by the moonlight filtering in through the window, casting a soft glow on the furniture and the floor. As the door opened, she saw Zhongli standing in the doorway, his tall frame silhouetted by the light from the hallway.

"Zhongli, what are you doing here?" Lin Lai asked, her voice laced with confusion. Zhongli's hair was messy, and his clothes were rumpled as if he had just woken up as well.

"I couldn't sleep, and I heard noises coming from here. I just wanted to check on you and make sure you were okay," Zhongli replied, his voice gentle and caring.

Tears welled up in Lin Lai's eyes as she looked at him. "I hated that sickness. It made me feel weak." Lin Lai's voice was filled with emotion as she spoke, her hands clenched into fists.

"There is no shame in being weak and thanks for the martial art. It helped me a lot." Zhongli's words were soothing, and they helped to calm Lin Lai down.

"I was going to give it to you anyway. You are a part of this team, and a team is just as strong as the parts that make it." Lin Lai's words caused Zhongli to smile.

"Well, so what is so important that it is bothering you, enough to make the great leader tear up?" Zhongli asked, his voice filled with concern.

"No, it's nothing." Lin Lai's voice was barely above a whisper as she spoke.

Zhongli narrowed his eyes as he came closer. "You know you can tell me, you don't have to carry around the burden. We are all in this together." Zhongli's words were filled with sincerity, and they made Lin Lai feel better.

Lin Lai smiled and placed her hand on Zhongli's arm. "Thanks, I needed that."

Suddenly, a piercing sound began to echo throughout everything, causing everyone to fall to the floor in pain as the sound seemingly distorted reality. The sound was so loud that it felt like it was coming from everywhere at once, and it was so intense that it made Lin Lai and Zhongli's ears ring.

(Whoosh) The door slammed open as the Bowman puppeteered a few humanoid puppets to carry him. With a few moves of his fingers, Lin Lai and Zhongli were caught up in threads made up of spiritual Qi as he quickly tried to get them out of the room.

Zhongli gritted his teeth as he looked up to see a giant row of talismans outside the room. The symbols etched on the talismans seemed to pulse with a dark energy, and the sight of them made Zhongli's skin crawl.

Zhongli channeled spiritual Qi into his arm as it began to be covered in an ethereal armor. "Ashura Technique: Cross Shock." Zhongli lashed out, causing a wave of spiritual Qi to destroy the room they were staying in and hit the wall of talismans outside, destroying many of them.

"What's happening?!" Zhongli shouted as they jumped into an open cornfield. The fresh air and the sound of the rustling corn stalks helped to clear his head and make him feel better. He could feel his body regaining strength.

Lin Lai and Zhongli stood in the open field, their faces etched with frustration and confusion. "We are being attacked!" Lin Lai exclaimed, her voice filled with urgency.

"Attacked by what, no, better yet attacked by who?" Zhongli shouted, his voice laced with frustration.

"We were attacked by a lot of body paralysis talismans and as for the who part, that remains unsolved," Lin Lai answered, her eyes scanning the area for any signs of danger.

Just then, the Bowman appeared, his puppets carrying him as he nodded in agreement. "Let me answer the who part," a voice called out from above.

The trio turned to see a man standing on the chimney of the house they had been staying in. The man had slick-back hair and a pale complexion, and as he smiled, an aura of absolute power began to radiate out from him. His hair contorted into the shape of clouds, and Lin Lai clicked her tongue in recognition.

"He is a manifestation realm expert like me," she said, her voice laced with worry.

Zhongli felt his heart drop as he realized the gravity of the situation. He looked up at the man and saw that he was opening his completely black mouth. A small spiritual orb formed before it shot out in a beam of blue heading directly for the paralyzed Lin Lai, Zhongli, and the Bowman.

The trio braced themselves for impact, but at the last second, Zhongli summoned his ethereal armor and shielded them from the blast. The impact was still intense, and they were sent flying backwards, but they were alive.

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Yang Xinhai sat cross-legged on top of a towering stone pillar, deep in meditation. The sun beat down on him, casting a warm glow on his face as he focused on increasing his chances of a breakthrough. Suddenly, he opened his eyes as he felt a surge of power coming from the south. He could sense a battle between the manifestation of wills over this world, and he knew that he had to be a part of it.

Looking down from his vantage point, Yang Xinhai saw two twin brothers working tirelessly on the ground below. They were writing down an intricate inscription array that he couldn't even begin to comprehend. These two weaklings were attempting to destroy this place, and if they succeeded, he would finally be free.

As Yang Xinhai surveyed the scene, he let out a loud exclamation, "Come out now while I am in a good mood!" The two brothers looked at each other in confusion, wondering if this man had finally lost it.

A voice called out from the darkness, "Hahaha, I don't want any trouble." A hooded figure emerged, the smell of fresh blood heavy on him. "Your injured?!" one of the twins exclaimed as he noticed the holes covering the man's abdomen.

"Ha, it's nothing. This is the price I had to pay for escaping that monster," the hooded figure replied, a hint of pain in his voice.

Yang Xinhai's eyes narrowed as he smiled, "Monster? Tell me, how do I compare to that monster?" He unleashed his aura, targeting the hooded man and bringing him to his knees. The hooded figure coughed up blood before answering, "Just like you."

Satisfied with the answer, Yang Xinhai retracted his aura and asked the hooded figure, "What do you want from me?" The hooded figure took out a scroll and replied, "This is the phantom steps of the Abyssal Society. You can have it if you help me." Yang Xinhai raised an eyebrow, "And what's stopping me from just taking it?" The hooded figure smiled, "I have a technique that allows me to track down an opponent I fought. If you save me now, I can get you to that monster and you can kill it. A mountain can't have two tigers in it, can it?"

Yang Xinhai's smile grew wider as he ordered one of the twins, "Go help this unfortunate man." The twin reluctantly complied, and as he tended to the hooded figure's wounds, Yang Xinhai knew that he now had a valuable ally in his quest to defeat the monster.