Chapter 1081: Cannonade on the Deity

Lei En stared at the passage high in the sky.

The passage slowly widened, becoming ever more solid, as if a massive hole had been opened in the sky, visible from any spot in the Storm Plane simply by looking up.

Beyond the hole, the deity grew clearer; faintly one could see the other end of the passage linking to a world riddled with volcanoes and flames, where a towering black fortress sat among the mountains—Manuo, the divine kingdom on the 303rd level of the Abyss's "Sulfur Hell"!

The deity's terrifying pressure enveloped the entire plane.

At that moment, every creature in the Storm Plane felt the god's aura, looking up at the sky with trembling souls.

Only atop the Storm Summit could one see, near the deity‑descending hole, the silhouette of a human.

Manuo had already begun entering the passage, breaking from the bottomless Abyss into the Storm Plane.

His gaze fell, and he saw Lei En.

One mortal, one deity, eyes locked!

Boom—

Lei En felt his head as if struck, his mind trembling violently, his thoughts blank; even with the protection of Truth Willpower, his soul still took the blow.

It was an attack from the deity; any other mortal would likely have died on the spot.

But Lei En endured.

He sensed raw malice, plus lofty contempt and arrogance, as if he were merely an ant in the deity's eyes. The gap between deity and mortal dwarfed even the gap between humans and ants; even though he was the emperor of Ao Rui En Se, backed by divine support, in Manuo's eyes he was still just a larger ant.

Yet Lei En did not shift his gaze, staring straight at Manuo, his face showing no fear.

Anger flared in the eyes of the Cloud Giant God.

He fixed his stare on Lei En, his massive pupils like two swirling cloud‑mist vortices, resembling two unfathomable bottomless pits that could devour everything.

Lei En inhaled deeply, his body swelling to over fifty meters tall.

Level 20 power, infinite fury!

Titanium‑Extreme Golden Body, Titan Giant divine power, Immortal Battle Soul!

Energy Furnace, Nine‑Ring Magic Siphon, Nine‑Ring Rainbow Light Cloak, Time Acceleration!

In a single breath, Lei En pushed his strength to the limit, simultaneously activating the Thunder God's Hammer's attached "Thunder God's Fury", donning Thunder Battle Armor, the four primary Elements of Thunder taking effect, lightning Elements within thousands of meters boiling and filling the sky, coalescing outside his body into terrifying streams of current.

This is the Storm Plane!

Across the Ai Lun E Si world, no place concentrates Lightning Elements more than the Storm Plane; every Lightning Spell cast here gains at least fifty percent more potency, often several times greater.

Lei En held a hammer in one hand and a sword in the other.

The war hammer and great sword flashed with terrifying electric light; even amid Manuo's divine power surge, his presence could not be ignored, like a reef in a raging sea, drawing all eyes.

The many giants atop the Storm Summit gazed up at Lei En, their eyes sparkling with wonder.

Especially the storm giants, even more astonished, saw Lei En's form identical to a Titan Giant, towering over Elder Suo Li Mu by more than double, his body surrounded by lightning, reminding them of the "Sky and Lightning God" An He Luo Zi!

"Hm?"

A gasp of surprise echoed in the high sky.

Manuo, crossing the passage, furrowed his brows; his face could not hide the oddity and a hint of lingering apprehension.

Having dwelled long in the bottomless Abyss, he had spent these years scheming the Storm Plane, paying little heed to the Prime Material Plane, so he had only heard of Lei En, not truly known him.

This mortal emperor stirred unpleasant memories in him.

An He Luo Zi…

The one who died over ten thousand years ago, yet in life had suppressed himself for a lifetime, stealing his own glory and power, repeatedly leaving him in disgrace, forced to flee the Giant Empire and hide in the bottomless Abyss for so many years—his brother he despised to the bone!

Manuo saw An He Luo Zi's shadow in Lei En.

At once, the hidden shadow in his heart sprouted, hatred filling his chest, causing his fury to blaze fiercely, devouring his reason.

"Mortal, you should not appear before me."

Manuo adjusted his posture within the passage, sparing no expense of divine power, and extended his right hand.

Thus, he need not fully descend into the Storm Plane; his palm could reach in ahead, crushing the annoying mortal.

To the eyes of those in the Storm Plane, a colossal hand descended from the heavens, blotting out the sky, bearing immense power as it struck down.

This was an attack no mortal could withstand.

Under the giant palm, Lei En was like a tiny insect, likely to be crushed into dust at a single touch.

Yet Lei En showed no intention to dodge.

The people atop the Storm Summit grew anxious, wondering how a mortal could oppose a deity. A Xina and Ma Li Wu Si shouted, urging Lei En to step aside; other giants and Extreme Warriors were also horrified, but before they could speak, the sky suddenly darkened.

The Star Destroyer's main cannon fired!

Four Empire‑class Star Destroyers delayed charging, synchronizing again with the Augustus's main cannon, and at the forty‑fifth second launched their attack.

One annihilation beam, four Star Destroyer cannons.

Five massive beams merged into a light column a hundred meters wide, shooting straight upward like a sword piercing the heavens.

During the forty‑five seconds of main‑cannon charging, five Star Destroyers fired Thunder Spear Missiles at the fastest rate, ten volleys in succession; the Empire‑class Star Destroyer's magazines emptied, and the Augustus's magazines discharged half, totaling nearly ten thousand Thunder Spear Missiles.

All missiles launched together, soaring toward the high‑altitude passage while adjusting speed to synchronize.

Simultaneously, 256 twin‑mounted Electric Light Cannons fired 512 Electric Light Cannon rounds!

Manuo's focus was on Lei En, and for a moment he was unaware; he had never considered that his descent into the Storm Plane might be attacked. The Storm Plane hosts no deities, only mortals, and how could mortals threaten a deity?

This completely exceeded his comprehension.

When Manuo sensed danger, the Star Destroyer's main cannon had already fired into the void passage, infinite white light flooding his vision, blinding him.

Over ten thousand Thunder Spear Missiles and 512 Electric Light Cannon rounds surged into the passage in that single second.

Boom—

The sky that had just darkened lit up instantly!

A second sun appeared high in the Storm Plane, its glare flashing into the eyes of every creature, who instinctively raised a hand to shield their eyes or turned away.

A earth‑shaking, thunderous explosion reverberated through the entire plane.

Ah!

From the Storm Apex and the people for hundreds of li around, a painful cry was heard—familiar, because they had just heard it: it was Manuo, yet it shocked them, for Manuo seemed injured!

The crowd forced themselves to endure the blinding light and looked up at the sky.

The deity‑forged passage shuddered violently, countless energies boiling within it; void, lightning, and divine power mingled, spawning terrifying clashes and explosions. Dozens of massive fissures sprouted from the passage's edge like spiderwebs, spreading in all directions, reaching hundreds of li away, as if a huge chunk of the sky had collapsed.

The passage gradually became unsustainable, teetering on the brink of collapse.

Manuo is injured!

His jaw was blasted into a deep cavity, the wound tearing through his neck up to his chest, a sight that chilled the heart. Besides the gravest injuries, his divine body was damaged in many places, all caused by the recent explosions, splashing golden divine blood.

The people were first shocked, then turned to terror.

Because Manuo did not retreat.

He stared intently at Lei En beyond the passage, eyes spewing raging flames, ignoring his own wounds and the collapsing passage, and continued to force his descent.

Finally, the tip of Manuo's right hand breached the plane's boundary.

Boom!

His entire right hand passed the obstruction, reaching into the Storm Plane toward Lei En; divine power erupted from his hand, sealing the space within thousands of meters.

The divine aura of the massive palm could suffocate a mortal, its might comparable to a Ten-ring Spell!

Lei En still neither dodged nor evaded.

His gaze locked onto Manuo's right hand, and he hurled the long‑charged Thunder God's Hammer; this hammer contained his greatest power, raising its weight to the limit of one million pounds.

The war hammer transformed into a bolt of lightning, racing toward the divine right hand.

At the same time, 512 Electric Light Cannon rounds sped up from below; the twin turrets of five Star Destroyers recharged and launched a second synchronized volley, converging on a single point.

A thunderous boom.

Over five hundred Electric Light Cannon rounds, each equivalent to a Nine-ring Technique, exploded simultaneously in an instant.

Manuo's right hand was blown off‑center; divine power mitigated most of the blast's damage, yet his five fingers and back of the hand were still scorched by lightning, and his motion toward Lei En stalled. In that brief pause, the Thunder God's Hammer struck!

After the Titan divine power amplified it, the war hammer stretched over twenty meters, its head more than five meters wide. Though still far smaller than Manuo's right hand, it weighed a million pounds, infused with all of Lei En's power, and flew at lightning speed, its might beyond imagination.

The Thunder God's Hammer solidly struck Manuo's right hand.

Snap!

The massive palm flipped backward, its palm now facing Manuo himself; a crisp crack sounded at the wrist, and three fingers snapped off.

All ten fingers linked to the heart, Manuo let out a wail.

But before he could react, Lei En's attack arrived again.

Lei En gripped the Dragon‑Slaying Sword in both hands; before hurling the Thunder God's Hammer, he had been channeling lightning into the massive blade. The heavy blade's two rows of Titan runes glowed brighter, and at the moment Manuo's palm was grievously wounded and he lost consciousness, Lei En sliced with a single swing.

Dimensional Slash!

He dared not approach, risking his own body, so he chose the ranged Dimensional Slash.

This Dimensional Slash was accompanied by a Thunder Slash.

A hundred‑meter bolt of lightning instantly spanned a kilometer, materializing from the void into a seemingly illusory yet razor‑sharp blade that cut Manuo's wrist.

His palm had just been fractured by the Thunder God's Hammer, his divine shield pierced by the Electric Light Cannon, and the Dimensional Slash precisely struck the broken spot.

The light flashed and vanished.

Manuo's right hand was severed; the wrist's cut was smooth as a mirror, revealing bone and vessels, and golden divine blood gushed out, raining down from the sky.

Ah…

A cry of agony echoed across the Storm Plane.

The excruciating pain of the severed hand made Manuo instinctively retract his arm; this retraction pulled his body back beyond the plane. To breach the plane again or to reconstruct his palm would require divine power, and the latter would consume even more.

He stared at Lei En, his fury turning into hatred, and beyond that hatred lay a deep sense of humiliation!

As a deity, he could not believe a mortal had severed his right hand.

If this were spread today, he would never be able to hold his head up before other deities; looking through history's many gods, few examples are more shameful.

Revenge!

Only by killing this mortal, with his blood and soul, can the disgrace be cleansed!

Manuo's mind held only that thought.

He strained to keep the passage stable, about to force another descent, his gaze sweeping over the Star Destroyers atop the Storm Apex; five massive cannons aimed at him, lightning flashes growing brighter, clearly recharging and about to fire again.

There were also countless flying cannon shells, thousands already patrolling outside the passage, seeking a chance to trigger an explosion.

Most importantly, Lei En caught the returning Thunder God's Hammer.

He wielded the war hammer and the great sword simultaneously, standing aloft.

Manuo's mind again conjured the figure of An Heluo Zi, the mighty deity who had left a psychological scar, as if standing behind the mortal before him, delivering a cold mockery.

His whole body throbbed faintly.

Not only the recent wounds, but also the many lessons An Heluo Zi had left years ago reminded him not to act rashly!

An Heluo Zi…

Manuo whispered a faint, vague sound, yet the giants of the Storm Apex heard it.

He regained his composure, his eyes flickering briefly.

Then he made a heartfelt choice.

Manuo turned and fled, quickly withdrawing from the passage. He had not truly entered the Storm Plane, so he was not bound by its limits; his figure swiftly left the Storm Plane, the suffocating divine aura between heaven and earth receding like a tide, and the passage closed.

Before he fully departed, he glanced back at Lei En, his expression complex.

He didn't even utter a harsh word.

As the deity left, the terrible pressure overhead vanished, and everyone exhaled, as if a massive stone had been lifted from their chests.

Huh…

Lei En also relaxed.

To be honest, if Mano forced his descent, he wasn't sure he could definitely stop it; there were only two fallback options: first, flee back to the Prime Material Plane immediately, and second, have the God of Magic intervene.

Last night, he communicated with the God of Magic, praying that the deity would watch from the shadows and, if the situation turned dire, rescue him once.

Fortunately, Mano was scared off.

Lei En remotely halted the Star Destroyer's main cannon from charging, glanced at the Thunder Spear Missiles cruising in the sky—missiles already launched could not be retrieved, yet they could not be wasted. He thought for a moment, and several thousand Thunder Spear Missiles changed course, scattering in all directions, soaring out from the summit of the storm and diving straight down, swooping toward the wind‑elemental creature nests and tribes on the ground, then detonating.

Amid the successive explosions, Lei En landed amid the ruins in the Storm Temple—a place that had once been a palace, just now smashed down by something that fell from the sky.

In the ruins lay a massive gray‑blue claw!

(End of chapter)