Thunderous booms echoed again and again.
Countless bolts of lightning struck out, instantly wrapping Evan Lin, Kevin Qin, and Harvey Li as they soared upward.
Kevin Qin's expression changed sharply. A huge qi phantom suddenly condensed around him, and the phantom stretched out a hand, grabbing toward Harvey Li in mid-air.
Harvey Li was already petrified with fear; he only managed to muster a heavy qi barrier in time.
The first lightning bolt detonated instantly on Kevin Qin's phantom, shredding it in a flash.
The phantom formed by his strength wasn't even as strong as the weakest lightning strike!
Below, Yvette Ye and the others' faces changed in unison. In that moment, even with their Moonshade status, they felt utterly insignificant.
Not to mention the terrifying bolts coming fast behind them, thick as giant pythons!
"Get down!"
Evan Lin's expression turned stern as he darted forward, dodging a lightning strike. In a flash, he reached Harvey Li's side. Without hesitation, he stomped on Harvey's head, kicking him straight toward the ground.
With a whoosh, Harvey Li plummeted like a falling ball, barely dodging the lightning bolts that almost intercepted him mid-air. Luckily, Evan Lin's kick was strong enough and Harvey dropped fast enough to narrowly escape disaster.
"Watch out!"
Yvette Ye's expression suddenly changed. Seeing snake-like lightning converging toward Evan Lin, her heart raced wildly.
Kevin Qin, whose phantom had just been destroyed, staggered. Seeing lightning heading for Evan Lin, he instinctively rushed that way.
But along the way, several lightning snakes intercepted him, their killing intent deep and oppressive.
A moment's carelessness, and Kevin Qin was struck by lightning. His qi defenses were instantly destroyed, and he dropped like a cut kite, crashing to the ground.
Elsewhere, surrounded by lightning from all directions, Evan Lin twisted and maneuvered, using his qi to assist his descent, continuing to fall.
All these lightning bolts were infused with spiritual qi, clearly triggered by the pocket world's formation.
Evan Lin had no intention of taking them head-on. Though these bolts weren't as strong as Heavenly Tribulation, he had just arrived and was focused on conserving strength.
Unexpectedly, just as Evan Lin was about to land, five bolts of lightning suddenly appeared behind him—ghostly blue, they struck him in an instant.
Driven by tremendous force, Evan Lin was slammed into the ground.
"Evan Lin!"
Yvette Ye's face changed, and the Moonshade operatives rushed over to him.
Kevin Qin struggled to stand up. He'd only been hit by a single lightning bolt, but now his internal organs ached terribly, as if he might die at any moment.
He was helped over to Evan Lin.
Harvey Li had it even worse. Though he'd protected himself with qi, Evan Lin's kick had driven his head straight into the ground.
Jenna Jiang ran over and pulled him out of the grass.
The group gathered around Evan Lin. They'd just watched those five lightning bolts slam into him, and now their gazes toward him had changed.
"Are you alright?"
Yvette Ye rushed over and helped Evan Lin up from the ground.
"I'm fine."
Evan Lin coughed once, shook his head, and looked up at the sky.
Now, all three had landed, and the sky had returned to normal—still blue, with unmoving clouds.
The terrifying lightning and killing aura from moments ago had vanished, as if they'd never existed.
"Thanks."
Kevin Qin walked over, face pale, looking at Evan Lin with sincere gratitude.
Evan Lin nodded without saying anything. Truthfully, when those five lightning bolts struck, he was startled—they'd appeared behind him without him noticing.
He expected to be injured, but when the lightning actually hit, he was surprised as all five bolts gathered at his left hand.
There was no pain, nor any sign of injury.
Instead, the five qi-filled lightning bolts were quietly swallowed up by the Left-Hand Dragon.
Evan Lin examined the Left-Hand Dragon on his arm, but saw nothing unusual. It still looked dormant, not awakened.
"In a place like this, any violation of its rules can trigger unimaginable changes," Kevin Qin said, taking a deep breath, still shaken. "If it weren't for you, Hanbin and I might not have made it out just now."
He spoke while still coughing.
Everyone saw Evan Lin take five lightning strikes and still look perfectly fine. Though surprised, they figured he must have some protective artifact keeping him safe.
"Really, thank you for just now."
Another Moonshade operative stepped forward, looking at Evan Lin and speaking from the heart.
"That moment, we were all scared stiff. Honestly, it's a bit embarrassing to admit."
Someone else looked awkward.
Moonshade members were supposed to be true elites, favored by heaven, but inside this pocket world, they felt utterly powerless.
Especially in that situation just now—they couldn't even muster the thought of running away.
Heaven's might—truly terrifying.
Harvey Li was helped over by Jenna Jiang. Despite having taken a kick from Evan Lin, he still had to offer his thanks.
"You really shouldn't act so recklessly. If we'd managed to jump up and check our surroundings, we would have done it already," Jenna Jiang scolded.
"It was careless of me," Harvey Li admitted, dirt-streaked and embarrassed. "Oh, right—when I got kicked into the ground, I found this."
As he spoke, he pulled something out of his pocket.
Everyone looked at Harvey Li's hand and saw a red string, which was attached to a battered old bell.
The bell was damaged, its surface showing holes, and looked completely useless.
"It's a scattered artifact left here."
Kevin Qin glanced at it and explained, "In a place like this, many corners hide artifacts."
"Some artifacts have long been broken, but some are still usable. So every time you enter a place like this, you might find all sorts of treasures."