Chapter 142: Lightning Elementalist

Lei En shook off those four transcendants shortly, then caught up with the Thunderblade Leopard.

Seeing his appearance, the Thunderblade Leopard let out a resentful roar, could only trigger a rapid sprint and continue to flee.

Lei En was very patient, knowing it could barely hold on, victory already in sight.

On the first day it took him four or five hours to catch the Thunderblade Leopard once; as its stamina waned, each escape distance grew shorter, speed slower, and the time needed to catch it dropped to just one or two hours.

Following this trend, it could at most endure one more day.

Another day and night passed.

This chase-and-torture game had reached the fourth day.

The winter morning sun warmed his back, and Lei En felt in good spirits; from dawn till now he had seen the Thunderblade Leopard three times in a row.

Near noon, in an open area not far from a mountain peak's summit.

Lei En met his prey again.

The Thunderblade Leopard lay listlessly on a rock, gazing at him from a hundred meters away.

After several days of high‑intensity running without a single proper rest or chance to eat, its body had thinned dramatically, its fur dulled, eyes bloodshot, fatigue to the extreme.

Lei En did not rush to strike, but cautiously observed the surroundings.

This demon leopard was very cunning, and his caution was not misplaced.

He opened his Soul Eye several times, found no traps; the Thunderblade Leopard's mental state was indeed poor, the Element in its soul remained, but it no longer shone as brightly as in previous days.

This was a sign of soul weakness.

Lei En stepped forward; the Thunderblade Leopard let out a low growl, lacking much intimidation, it struggled to rise, glared at Lei En with hatred, then turned to flee again.

However this time, Lei En did not intend to let it go.

"The game is over."

Lei En thought that, and immediately launched a charge.

Before the first charge ended, he forced another charge, maintaining high speed; after three thrusts he was already behind the Thunderblade Leopard.

At this point the Thunderblade Leopard had activated "Rapid Sprint"; sensing danger, its fur stood on end, and it instinctively tried to bolt forward.

But its stamina was at a low point, its reactions slowed considerably.

At the crucial moment, the Leopard's limbs went limp and failed to create distance from Lei En.

Lei En had anticipated this; he did not cast a spell, simply reached out and grabbed the Leopard's tail.

The thick tail entered his hand, and the Thorn Electric Armor sparked lightning that ran along his arm to his whole body, causing intermittent numbness.

Fortunately, the Leopard's soul was weak at this moment, so the Thorn Electric Armor's power was insufficient.

Lei En endured the electric shock, held the tail with both hands, used one foot as a fulcrum, and flung the entire Thunderblade Leopard upward, hurling it forcefully.

Boom!

The Thunderblade Leopard was thrown onto the stone it had just been resting on, emitting a loud bang.

Its Thorn Electric Armor was shattered by the massive force, the current flashed away, and countless bones inside were broken; when it rolled onto the ground it opened its mouth and spewed a gush of fresh blood.

Severely wounded, the Thunderblade Leopard's ferocity surged.

Its eyes filled with madness, it no longer thought of fleeing, let out a low growl, and the surrounding air crackled with a spray of sparks; dozens of finger‑thick lightning bolts interwove into a net, astonishingly powerful.

Boom.

Enveloped by the current, the Thunderblade Leopard burst forth at a speed faster than before, charging at Lei En, ready for a death‑defying strike.

Lei En was unflinching; he slapped the dragonhide strap, drawing his warhammer.

At the same time, a fierce energy exploded outward.

Arcane Explosion!

The high‑speed Thunderblade Leopard collided with Lei En's vicinity, instantly swept by the Arcane Explosion's shockwave, its body stalled, the external current was suppressed, revealing its true form.

Lei En took a big step, and the warhammer swung a phantom blade.

Hoo!

With a terrifying whoosh, the warhammer pierced the lightning and struck the Thunderblade Leopard's head dead‑on.

Seventh‑level power— even a legendary cultivator would not dare to withstand it; the Leopard's Thorn Electric Armor cracked like an eggshell, shattered instantly.

The warhammer brushed its top lightly, then stopped.

Boom, a crisp sound.

The Thunderblade Leopard shivered all over, its eyes lost their spark, the surrounding current vanished, the warhammer's released cold formed ice, solid and falling, turning it into a frozen corpse.

Its head appeared intact externally, but inside its brain was a mushy, putrid mess, dead beyond death.

Lei En smiled with satisfaction at his masterpiece; he acted so because crushing the Leopard's head would make soul capture difficult.

He immediately took a pure violet soul stone from the leather pouch at his waist and pressed it onto the Leopard's head.

This soul stone was the one the Longhaired Lady had bestowed with the True Will of Truth, of astonishing quality, inherently valuable, capable of containing demonic souls for many years, far superior to any soul stone on the market.

Soul stones naturally attract all kinds of souls.

A few seconds later, the Leopard's soul was drawn out, the stone filled, its violet gem tinged with a hint of blue, occasionally showing a demonic soul.

"Success."

Lei En held the soul stone before his eyes, examining it carefully.

A demon leopard's soul form swam within the stone; deep in the demonic soul, five Element runes displayed one by one, exactly as he had seen before, none missing.

"Lightning Affinity!"

Lei En's gaze fell on that blue‑violet Element rune, his heart rejoiced, at last he had obtained it.

Of course, besides Lightning Affinity, the other Elements were also fine, enough to compensate for his speed weakness.

Lei En grew impatient.

He looked at the Leopard's corpse, its fur whole and of excellent quality; if taken back to the city it could fetch a good price.

"First find a place to fuse the demon soul, then come back to handle it."

Lei En turned and left, crossed over the mountain peak and found a hidden stone wall on the mid‑slope, hid beneath it, and sat cross‑legged to adjust his condition.

He rested quietly for two or three hours, and his stamina and spiritual energy both recovered to their peak.

Lei En pressed the soul stone to his brow; soon, Thunderblade Leopard's demon soul pierced into his brain and entered his own soul.

The World Tree began to tremble.

The demon soul appeared at the tree's roots, climbed up the trunk, and in just a few minutes reached the height of three branches.

During the previous Soul Transformation ceremony, Lei En's soul was torn and reassembled, undergoing metamorphosis; the three demon souls previously fused had fully merged into his soul, becoming part of himself, indistinguishable.

Therefore, Thunderblade Leopard's demon soul faced no obstruction.

Lei En was not surprised; after each Soul Transformation ceremony, the first demon soul to fuse is always the smoothest, almost never failing.

In meditation, Thunderblade Leopard's demon soul continued to ascend.

It quickly surpassed the height of three branches, and under Lei En's control finally halted at a higher point, the demon soul turning into soul energy, and new branches sprouted from the trunk.

The new branches extended outward, growing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The World Tree also expanded rapidly.

After a dozen minutes, the branches reached their limit, five leaf buds appeared, and within a few breaths they grew into full leaves.

Each leaf bore clear Element runes.

Lightning Affinity, Swift, Rapid Run, Strength, Thorny Lightning Armor!

The instant the fusion completed, Lei En's whole body trembled lightly, bolts of lightning coursed over his skin, and when he opened his eyes, a flash of blue‑purple glimmer lit the depths of his pupils, then vanished.

Standing up from beneath the stone wall, Lei En felt his own change; his frame had thinned slightly, and his lines appeared more harmonious and graceful.

His steps became light!

His bodily reactions quickened!

Even though before he had a phone gyroscope's aid and a Willpower of Truth that let him precisely track every shift of his own body and think swiftly, his senses were empty; his body always lagged half a beat, unable to respond to thoughts in time, like network latency.

Now, that feeling has vanished.

It's as if a heavy shackles were removed, or a haste spell were applied; every motion, whether walking or running, became swift and agile.

Strength, Defense and Speed reached a balance.

The balance isn't perfect, because Speed still lags far behind Strength and Defense.

But Lei En was already very satisfied.

All of this is the benefit of the Swift Element; it not only boosts movement speed, but also makes his agility improve within a small range.

"Third‑level Swift is still a common Element, with great room for enhancement."

Lei En estimates that when Swift reaches fourth level, it should become a rare Element.

And Rapid Run is currently at second level.

This Element lasts only five minutes, can be triggered once every half hour, but its effect is astonishing, boosting speed by more than double, useful in both combat and escape.

First‑level Strength is merely a marginal gain, only nudging the Strength bar up a few ticks.

Lei En found that strengthening Strength to seventh level is far harder than the super‑rare Element Steel Body; it must be the ceiling of his own soul, and unless his class rank rises a few more levels, further enhancement is almost impossible.

What he values most is still Lightning Affinity.

In his perception, the sky, earth, trees, air… everywhere drifted an elemental energy, omnipresent; Lei En could not describe it in words, and the energy felt ethereal, seemingly containing violent power.

When he concentrates, he can exert influence over them.

"It must be Lightning Element."

Lei En had an insight, extended his hand, and strands of electric arcs flickered between his fingers, crackling with thunder.

Without casting a spell, he could control elemental energy—that's the function of an Affinity‑type Element.

If he masters Lightning spells, their power will be amplified, and he will have higher resistance to enemies' Lightning spells.

This is the foundation of all Elementalists in the Law Seal school.

"I have Lightning Affinity; if I fuse a few more Lightning spells later, I can double as a Lightning Elementalist."

Lei En chuckled a few times.

He suddenly thought the idea was good: if an enemy treats him as a pure Elementalist and rushes in, then when they're within sight, he can reveal his war hammer.

Hehe…

Such a surprise, few people could tolerate.

The final Element, Thorny Lightning Armor, is a rare‑grade protective spell, based on Lightning Affinity, so it can only be cast on oneself.

Lei En studied it briefly and found the spell to be an excellent supplement to Steel Body.

Thorny Lightning Armor offers decent defense against physical attacks; it adds an extra layer outside Steel Body, reflecting lightning upon impact with respectable power and a paralyzing effect.

Lei En thought, anyone who gets paralyzed near him could surely have their head smashed with a single hammer.

"While you're paralyzed, I'll take your life!"

Moreover, Thorny Lightning Armor is an instant‑cast spell; once released, it persists like a constant spell, staying as long as his spiritual energy isn't depleted.

Armor‑type protective spells generally cling to the skin and only manifest when struck.

Compared with various spell shields, spell armor's defense may be slightly weaker but more targeted. For example, Elemental Armor has mediocre defense yet greatly boosts resistance to all kinds of spells.

The concealment of armor is also an advantage.

The two protective spells cannot be combined; Lei En prefers armor because shields interfere with close combat.

Lei En, satisfied, clenched his fist.

The first Lightning Affinity in hand also boosted his speed; this fusion raised his electric charge by nearly ten ticks, pushing the overall increase past 30%, more than doubling his power!

"Fourth-level Wizard now, still must keep striving."

Lei En was still basking in the joy of leveling up when he looked up and saw a black spot in the sky.

It was a red‑eyed eagle.

Lei En ignored it, started running up the mountain, and in a few minutes returned to the Thunder Blade Leopard's corpse; the ice had already melted.

He drew the Azure Sky Song and began gathering the spoils.

Skillfully he pried off two sharp fangs, then cut open the belly and stripped the hide; these were the two most valuable items on the Thunder Blade Leopard.

Just as he was halfway through, the wilderness hunter they had met earlier climbed the mountain with three companions.

They did not rush forward, but watched from afar beneath a tree.

This is an unwritten rule among field hunters: when others are gathering spoils, keep a certain distance to avoid misunderstandings.

Their eyes were full of amazement, and also a hint of resentment.

The strength of this Thunder Blade Leopard is top‑tier among Mid-stage monsters, comparable to a fifth‑ or sixth‑level Transcendent; their four‑person squad ventured into the mountain to hunt, but they had little confidence.

As a result, just after seeing the Thunder Blade Leopard, they were killed by others first.

Being able to slay a powerful Swift‑Shadow Thunder Blade Leopard alone is certainly not something an ordinary Transcendent can do; even if they were resentful, they would not dare to provoke it lightly.

Seeing Lei En completely strip the Thunder Blade Leopard's skin, the wilderness hunter shook his head and whispered, "Let's go, we'll return."

He was in a bad mood, but didn't want to cause trouble.

"Wait a moment."

A voice suddenly rang out; the wilderness hunter turned his head and saw the Transcendent who had killed the Thunder Blade Leopard, who took a few strides and stopped just beyond ten meters.

"What a fast speed…"

The hunter's pupils contracted briefly, and he asked warily, "Sir, do you have business with us?"

Lei En gave the hunter a slight nod, but his gaze fell on the ranger in the party.

The fourth‑rank ranger was a man in his thirties, clad in fine leather armor, with two one‑handed swords, a coil of rope, and a satchel full of tools at his waist.

"Do you know me?" Lei En stared at him and asked.

The other three looked at the ranger, who shook his head bewildered, scratched his head and replied, "I don't know you, who are you?"

"Nice acting," Lei En sneered, "I advise you to tell the truth."

As he spoke, he stepped forward toward the ranger.

All four tensed, raising their weapons; the wilderness hunter nocked an arrow, aimed at Lei En, and said gravely, "Sir, if you come any closer, don't blame us for being impolite."

(End of Chapter)