Infinite Awakening: My Exp Doubles Everyday-Chapter 166: Lightning Spirit [PART 2]

The Cult Leader floated down to the area of impact, surveying the destruction with calculating eyes. "Did I go too far?" he wondered, examining the MASSIVE crater formed by his dark palm technique. The ground had cratered inward, stone and earth pulverized under the overwhelming pressure.

Movement caught his attention—something at the center of the devastation. It was Li Yao, standing amidst the rubble. Though her clothes were torn and dust clung to her form, she appeared remarkably unharmed. Her posture remained defiant, showing no signs of the terror he had expected to instill.

The soul clone descended from his elevated position, hovering before Li Yao with an air of casual superiority. "Your body is quite tough," he acknowledged, mild surprise coloring his tone. "But you’re still nowhere near being able to compete with me."

As he spoke, dark palms identical to the first began materializing in the sky above them, their shadows casting an eerie twilight across the battlefield. Each spectral hand pulsed with concentrated energy, poised to strike at his command.

"Give up," the man said.

Li Yao offered no verbal response. Instead, lightning began crackling around her body—first a single spark, then another, until electrical energy danced across her form like living static. The air around her charged with power.

She raised her face to meet his gaze, her eyes reflecting the lightning that now enveloped her completely. Her transformation into her elemental form completed, power radiating from her in tangible waves.

"That’s a cute trick you’ve got there," she said with casual dismissal.

The Cult Leader glanced upward at his dark palms, then behind him, confusion momentarily crossing his features. What cute trick? Was she seeing the same overwhelming force he had summoned? He wondered briefly if he had struck her too hard, causing her mind to fracture.

Before he could articulate this thought, Li Yao’s voice came from behind him, her back now pressed against his. "Time for round two," she announced, the excitement in her voice unmistakable.

The soul clone’s lips curved into a smile. "It seems I’ve underestimated you," he admitted. "I’ll go all out from now on."

In the next second, both combatants vanished from sight. Their disappearance was followed almost immediately by thunderous shockwaves that spread throughout the area, powerful enough to make the surrounding mountains tremble. Air displaced violently with each collision, trees bending and stones cracking under the pressure.

Li Yao’s sword connected with the man’s shoulder, but failed to penetrate as dark energy converged instantly at the point of contact. She realized that the Cult Leader was truly formidable—even in her elemental form, she couldn’t gain a decisive advantage. His mastery over darkness was exceptional, effectively nullifying her lightning element’s superiority. Unless she possessed mastery over light, breaching his defenses would remain extremely challenging.

The leader threw another palm attack that sent her flying backward, but she recovered with remarkable agility, twisting mid-air to avoid his follow-up strike. Her movements were fluid and precise, each dodge calculated with extraordinary spatial awareness.

The Cult Leader studied her with growing interest. Was this girl one of them—one of those battle junkies who lived solely for combat? The Wuming Cult had several such individuals, but she existed on an entirely different level. Behind her innocent exterior lurked a combat demon whose true nature emerged in battle.

A smile played across his lips. She possessed the qualifications to become a Cult Leader herself. Though she aligned with the orthodox faction, he detected a hint of darkness within her—carefully concealed, but impossible to hide from his experienced perception. During their exchange, he had glimpsed something. It was like the abyss staring back at him. What was someone of her nature doing playing house in some insignificant sect?

If she joined the Wuming Cult, with her extraordinary talent, the unorthodox faction might finally produce an expert capable of challenging THEM... He recalled her mentioning someone earlier—perhaps the reason she remained tethered to such a limiting environment?

He chuckled to himself as he blocked another of her lightning-enhanced strikes. To think that even someone like her could maintain mortal attachments. The world truly contained endless wonders.

"If I remember correctly, I think you mentioned having a... senior brother," he spoke aloud, observing carefully as Li Yao froze mid-attack.

"What did you just say?" she asked, her voice suddenly cold.

The man’s smile widened. His guess had been correct—she genuinely cared for this person. "Join my Wuming Cult, and I’ll ensure your senior brother’s safety," he offered smoothly, confidence coating every word.

...

The Cult Leader’s confidence swelled as he watched Li Yao’s reaction. She would definitely agree, he thought. There was no way a person like her could truly belong among those self-righteous orthodox faction bastards. He studied her with an expectant gaze, already envisioning her induction into the Wuming Cult’s ranks.

But something unexpected happened. Li Yao’s face darkened, her expression shifting to something that made him wonder if he had gravely miscalculated. The lightning that had been crackling violently around her form suddenly ceased completely. For a fleeting moment, he mistook this for acceptance.

Then Li Yao’s eyes rose to meet his, and his assumption shattered instantly. Her gaze had transformed to a deep, electric blue that pierced through his very essence. Despite lacking a physical body, the soul clone felt an involuntary shiver run through his spiritual form. What was that look? It resembled nothing so much as a vicious predator assessing its prey before the kill.

"You dare to threaten me with senior brother?" she spoke, her voice devoid of any inflection—no emotion, no rise or fall, just a terrible flatness that somehow carried more menace than any shouted threat.

"Wait! There seems to be a misunderstanding," he attempted to explain, but she cut him off before he could continue.

"Shut it!" The command struck him with such force that his mouth snapped closed involuntarily. What was happening? How could mere words carry such authority?

An immense pressure began building around the area, bearing down on his soul with crushing intensity. Even his divine sense suffered interference, its range shrinking rapidly as if being forcibly contained.

Lightning began crackling, not around Li Yao as before, but directly from the heavens themselves. Storm clouds gathered with unnatural speed, swirling in ominous patterns directly above them. The very air grew heavy, like the moment before a catastrophic storm breaks.

Li Yao’s form began to change, her appearance shifting until she resembled a middle-aged woman of extraordinary beauty—even more breathtaking than her original form. Her hair transformed to a deep sapphire blue, flowing like liquid lightning around her shoulders. Behind her, a magnificent throne materialized, crafted of blue and silver metal etched with intricate lightning patterns. She settled upon it with regal grace, gazing down at him with those terrible blue eyes.

"What’s happening? Who am I? Where am I?" The Cult Leader’s thoughts scattered in confusion, his carefully maintained composure crumbling.

The earth beneath them began to move, trembling violently as if awakening from ancient slumber. From the cracked ground rose a colossal figure—a giant formed entirely of living stone and soil, its features rough yet clearly defined. It emanated an aura remarkably similar to Li Yao’s, though distinctly earthen in nature.

"An earth spirit?" the soul clone whispered in disbelief.

But the revelations continued unfolding. More entities emerged—a being of flowing metal whose surface reflected the world like a mirror; a fluid humanoid whose body rippled like the deepest ocean; a figure composed entirely of brilliant flame that somehow maintained perfect human shape; and a towering form of intertwined branches and leaves, pulsing with the essence of life itself.

These elemental spirits gathered, positioning themselves around Li Yao’s throne while completely ignoring the soul clone’s presence. As one, they turned toward her and bowed with formal respect.

"We greet the Lightning Spirit," they intoned in unison, their voices resonating with the world itself.

At that moment, all color drained from the soul clone’s face as the full implications of what he was witnessing dawned on him. His earlier confidence evaporated completely.

"I’m cooked,"