Lingqian pulled me to the edge of the forest. I could see her panic, and couldn't help asking, "Why are you running? Could it be that your brother will harm you?"
I felt it was funny to say that, but Lingqian's expression was not right. More accurately, she looked like a frightened little deer.
"My brother sometimes acts like a madman."
As she turned back, when this statement was made, the atmosphere around us changed subtly. Vaguely, I could feel the changes in the air, and my gaze shifted from Lingqian to Lingyou.
The mysterious giant slammed its fists heavily on the ground, each blow producing a loud noise, and its roar was more terrifying than that of a lion.
Lingyou, wearing a Zhongshan suit, casually rolled up his sleeves, and I could clearly see strange patterns on his arms, resembling tattoos, but I wasn't sure. These patterns covered his entire forearm, and I was surprised to find that they bore somewhat of a resemblance to the symbols that Master Han had drawn.
"Sanqing Dao Guang, exorcising and subduing demons. Jiu Tian Lei Dong, retribution for the world, respectfully requesting the divine power of the nine heavens, to dispel all injustices and eradicate the evil spirit from heaven and earth, Thunder Law!"
He raised both hands, the palm of his right hand pressing on the back of his left hand. The thick fog covered the sky, but soon enough, the rumbling of thunder could be heard, and looking up, one could see bright flashes of lightning.
In Daoism, the Heavenly Thunder Lord is considered to be the incarnation of a deity and is also believed by some to be a figure who ascended after the Shang Dynasty. He controls the power of thunder and lightning, and thunder magic is considered the most powerful spell in Daoism. However, the practice of thunder magic is generally exclusive to major organizations and is kept as a secret within the sects. In short, someone who can control thunder magic can be considered a core disciple of a major sect.
I had heard from Qin Qianqiu before that Lingxuan was once a closed-door disciple of a senior figure in Quanzhen Taoism, and it seemed like that was indeed the case.
The thunder grew louder, and strong winds blew in from the distance, dispersing the thick fog above our heads. The giant seemed unsettled, emitting a low, ominous growl.
The dark clouds in the sky gathered more and more, and lightning traversed through the clouds. I had never seen such a phenomenon before, and I couldn't tell if it was due to Lingxuan calling forth the lightning or if it was a sign of the impending rainy season, signaling a change in the weather at the Great Black Mountain.
But deep down, I understood one thing maybe Lingxuan was right to take me away.
Lingxuan's hair was tousled by the strong wind, and the sound of thunder was intimidating. Fatty pulled Luoqiong back to my side and asked in a low voice, "What the hell is going on? How did it start thundering out of the blue?"
"It seems like Lingxuan is using magic to summon the thunder," I replied offhandedly.
"Is it for real? Is there such a thing in the world? My goodness, isn't this like something out of a movie? Don't tell me Sun Wukong will appear with a crack of thunder!" Fatty quipped.
At this point, Fatty, while making a sarcastic remark, also wasn't entirely wrong. For me, the so-called spells, summoning of lightning, and the like, were not entirely believable. Even the much-discussed extraordinary abilities of Zhang Baosheng a few years ago hadn't been as bizarre as this. If there were truly people who could summon lightning, wouldn't the government have arrested them for research purposes?
However, Lingxuan's actions appeared to be genuine. Lightning continued to spread and traverse within the cloud layer, creating a heavy atmosphere as if an invisible pressure had descended upon me.
"It's suffocating..." Fatty said just as the mysterious giant roared and charged straight at Lingxuan. At that moment, Lingxuan was totally unguarded, making it likely that the giant would successfully ambush him.
"Watch out, don't die..." I shouted, but at that very moment, lightning that had been brewing in the sky suddenly struck, and the bolt directly hit the body of the mysterious giant!
"So accurate! A sharpshooter!" Fatty exclaimed in surprise. Even I and Luoqiong were astonished. While it made sense that there would be signs of thunderstorms near the onset of the rainy season in the forest, the fact that the lightning had struck the mysterious giant with such precision left us all dumbfounded.
"He really can control lightning," Luoqiong said, swallowing hard, looking astonished.
The mysterious giant's whole body was wrapped in magnets, and the strike not only left a huge gap in the giant's head but also caused the lightning to flow along its body and spread to the ground on both sides, creating a huge electric arc, reminiscent of a scene from a science fiction movie.
The giant, despite taking a hit, didn't seem to have much of a problem. After a few roars, it charged at Lingxuan again. But just as it ran a few steps, a second bolt of lightning accurately struck it, nearly matching the power of the previous strike. The lightning carved another hole in the giant's body, and the explosion's sound, the flying debris, and the continuous flow of electric arcs on the ground made for a scene that would stay with me for the rest of my life.
"I fucking figured it out!" I cursed, garnering the attention of the people nearby. "There is an attraction between magnets and lightning. Fatty, do you remember what we learned in physics class? It seems like our teacher mentioned that during thunderstorms, carrying large magnets on the body would cause electric induction and be very dangerous. Do you remember that?"
Fatty scratched his head, looking like he didn't remember at all. Actually, I didn't remember it very clearly either, but I vaguely recollected that the magnets on the mysterious giant's body must have attracted the lightning, which possibly explained why the lightning kept hitting it. But then again, lightning striking at a certain time, that shouldn't be something a person could control. I had just felt like I had found the secret to Lingxuan's control of lightning, but now my mind was filled with doubts once again.
It's strange. The third lightning had already struck from the sky, and this time, the lightning completely shattered the head of the magnet. As I fixed my eyes on it, I saw a small head revealed under the heavy magnet, just as I had guessed. The outer layer of the mysterious giant was entirely made of something like armor, and the real body was inside the armor.
"Geofei Yao!" Lingqian, who was next to me, also saw what was inside the magnet and exclaimed in surprise.
"What did you say?" Fatty asked somewhat cluelessly.
"That's a Geofei Yao, but it's a confrontation now," Lingqian ignored the fatty and just tugged at my sleeve, looking at me in confusion.
"Geofei Yao is recorded in 'Mountain Wild Tales.' By the time of the Republic of China, it was generally classified into two types. One is Geofei Yao, and the other is just called Fei Yao. The difference is that one was first discovered in the Western Han Dynasty, while the other was discovered during the Ming Dynasty. Fei Yao can control the surrounding wind and generally floats in the sky. Its attacking desire is not too strong. Its body is covered with a layer of fur that is very valuable, has good warmth performance, and even has a certain wind resistance. However, the former, Geofei Yao, is even better. It was discovered during the Western Han Dynasty, and its size is about one-third of the Fei Yao discovered during the Ming Dynasty. It is quite small, a bit like the flying squirrels we see on TV. Its appearance is similar to Fei Yao, but its ability to control the wind is better. It can not only ensure its own long-term flight in the air but also control the surrounding rocks and trees. However, the remaining number is very small, and some people in the circle even feel that this Geofei Yao should have become extinct."
I explained in detail to Fatty, and I also had my own considerations. Generally speaking, it's very reasonable for Geofei Yao to protect itself by controlling the rocks. Still, the rocks cannot be connected for a long time. Once one of them is broken, it's easy for the entire formation to fall apart. But magnets are different. Magnets themselves have the characteristic of mutual attraction, which is more convenient for Geofei Yao to protect itself.
"It's this little thing."
Lingqian sneered, and as she waved her arms, it seemed like the fourth lightning was about to strike down from the sky. But at this moment, the small figure inside the armor made of magnets suddenly dashed out, then swiftly flew close to the ground, and in a blink, it disappeared into the dense woods.
"Quick, follow, don't let it get away!" Lingqian shouted, and the group of people chased after Geofei Yao into the forest.