Chapter 41: Chapter 41 Mirage Ends-I
Jiang Lei saw the villagers going back, but he didn't forget the reason for his visit.
Fiery wings burst to life on Jiang Lei's back as he soared into the sky. He has already sensed the aura fluctuations here, and he knows very well that in a place like this, if there is any aura fluctuations, it must be the barrier.
After flying for some minutes, until he reached a certain point and came to a stop in the midair.
He muttered to himself, "Yes, this should be the place. I can sense the fluctuations in aura here is the biggest."
"However, it looks like that this barrier is invisible."
Jiang Lei's eyes scanned his surroundings, searching for any sign of the concealed barrier that Wu Xiu had mentioned. Despite his keen senses, he couldn't detect it with his eyes alone.
Frowning in concentration, he extended his consciousness, reaching out to the invisible barrier in an attempt to discern its presence through his spiritual perception.
"There it is, the barrier. It's hiding well."
Jiang Lei faced the invisible barrier and concentrated on its location. He gathered his energy into his clenched fist, ready to launch an attack. With a sudden burst of power, he thrust his fist forward, releasing a torrent of energy that surged through the air.
The invisible barrier absorbed the full force of his attack, resulting in a powerful collision.
"BOOM!"
A resounding boom echoed through the area as the shockwave expanded outward. The impact pushed Jiang Lei back several steps, causing him to almost loose his balance in the sky.
He took a moment to catch his breath and wiped away the beads of sweat from his forehead. Despite the initial setback, Jiang Lei remained resolute. The invisible barrier had withstood his initial assault, but he didn't use his full strength.
Jiang Lei examined the invisible barrier before him. "This barrier seems more formidable than Wu Xiu mentioned, but it's still within my capacity."
He summoned his unique fiery sword, crafted from his High Level - Fire and Power talent, Jiang Lei raised it. But he didn't notice, that, this time, there was a mysterious red mark etched upon the blade, burning with the Intense fire.
With all his might, he swung the fiery sword, channeling both his power and fire talents into the attack. The energy surged around him, causing the surroundings to quake as if an earthquake.
Then, the sword struck the invisible barrier with an earth-shattering !
"BOOOOM!"
The deafening sound echoed through the area, reverberating for miles around. The clash sent shockwaves rippling through the air, creating a deafening CRACK! As Jiang Lei's attack collided with the barrier, visible cracks appeared in the previously impervious shield, emitting a series of SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! sounds.
Jiang Lei's eyes shined with hope as he witnessed the barrier finally showing signs of weakness.
Jiang Lei gazed at the barrier with confidence now, his excitement evident in his eyes. "This barrier is nothing more than that," he muttered, a hint of a smile forming on his face. Seeing the cracks appear filled him with hope.
However, as he continued to watch, his smile quickly faded. The cracks that had given him hope suddenly sealed themselves, leaving the barrier as solid as ever. Jiang Lei's astonishment was apparent on his face.
The barrier's ability to mend itself caught him off guard.
Jiang Lei stared in disbelief at the barrier. He muttered in frustration, "What the hell, this barrier can heal itself too?"
His initial plan was to attack at the barrier with his full strength untill it breaks. But witnessing the barrier's astonishingly rapid recovery shattered his hopes. He had used all his strength in that last attack, and the barrier showed no sign of permanent damage.
Jiang Lei knew he lacked the power needed to shatter this formidable obstacle. Even if he had the strength, his energy reserves were insufficient to sustain such an attack.
He assessed the situation, his gaze fixed upon the barrier that enveloped his entire field of vision.
It covered the skies and the earth, extending as far as he could see. There seemed to be no end to it.
Jiang Lei's heart sank as he realized the enormity of the challenge before him.
He closed his eyes, and waves of scorching energy swirled around him, filled with fiery energy, ignited his body in flames. His eyes blazed like fire, and the air around him grew hot, making the ground burn beneath him.
A swirling sea of energy encircled him, like a fiery storm.
A sword appeared behind his back, and then, two, three, four, five, one after another sword appeared, untill ten fiery swords appeared behind him.
These swords were just like the one he held. These swords were so strong that they could defeat many foundation establishment cultivators in an instant.
"Break!" The words resonated with an otherworldly power as he launched his attack, all ten swords following his lead.
"BOOOM!""BOOOM!""BOOOM!"
The ground quaked beneath him as the earth absorbed the shockwaves of his strikes. A colossal wave of dust and debris surged into the sky, shrouding the battlefield in a thick haze.
The impact was so powerful that it felt as though the very earth itself had been shaken to its core.
When the dust finally began to settle, Jiang Lei lay on the scorched ground, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath.
His gaze were fixed on the barrier, he had poured every ounce of his strength into that assault, and yet the barrier remained unscathed, it's enigmatic surface unharmed by his assault.
Jiang Lei, lying on the scorched ground, cursed under his breath. "Damm! That Wu Xiu was a fool," he muttered. He clenched his fists in frustration as he realized the harsh truth. "This barrier's strength increases with the cultivator's power. She was daydreaming to think she could break free."
He cast a resentful gaze toward the seemingly impenetrable barrier. Jiang Lei had pushed himself to the limit, exhausting every ounce of his strength. He hadn't held back anything, unleashing his most powerful attack, but it had been in vain.
There was not even a single wisp of energy left in his body, but the barrier wasn't even showed a mark unlike before when it was cracked, It wasn't because his attack had been weak; in fact, it was powerful enough to kill a Core Formation Stage master if careless.
But this barrier had absorbed his last assault and it increased its strength exponentially.
Jiang Lei's frustration turned to anger. He couldn't believe that he is caged in this hopeless trial, he had a bright future but now all this has brought him to almost tears.
Jiang Lei's frustration over his inability to break the barrier was suddenly interrupted by an unusual sensation in his stomach. Alarmed, he immediately delved into his own body to investigate the cause.
Inside, he discovered the blood-red pearl, which had been hidden within his sea of energy, now darting about as if it was in a state of panick.
This strange activity within his body had caused the anomaly in his body.
Jiang Lei's patience wore thin, and he couldn't contain his anger. "If you dare to move once more, I'll break you the moment you come out!" he shouted directing his frustration towards the mysterious pearl.
To his surprise, the pearl, which had been darting restlessly, suddenly halted and began to tremble. It seemed frightened by Jiang Lei's stern words. This unexpected reaction from the pearl left Jiang Lei puzzled. He hadn't expected it to respond this way.
Before, he could react, the pearl again went back to his dantian, still trembling.
Jiang Lei :-
He looked at the pitiful pearl now quivering within his empty dantian, he couldn't understand if he should laugh or cry.
"Why are you behaving like I have done some wrong with you?, it is you who has entered my body without my permission, it is me who is wronged, not you."
But seeing that the pearl again stopped it's activity, he didn't waste his time, he quickly brought back his consciousness out of his body, and sitting cross legged, he started absorbing the thin energy around him.
But Jiang Lei's attempts to cultivation in this barren place was met with disappointment.
The energy in this place is incredibly thin, making it nearly impossible for him to absorb enough to replenish his depleted reserves.
At this rate, it seemed it would take him at least a month to fully restore his sea of energy.
Overwhelmed by the mounting frustration, he couldn't help but question "Why is this happening to me? I've always helped others in my past life. The previous owner of this body was innocent too. So why am I suffering?" So why is this misfortune befalling him?"
"Wait, it all started after I killed those monsters in the forest!"
"Is it because of that?"
Fury coursed through him as he shouted to the sky, "God, are you blind? It was clearly them who wanted to kill me. I was only defending myself!"
"Wait until I become as strong as you, I'll see you then."
In the midst of his outburst, something extraordinary occurred. The crimson pearl emerged from within him, startling Jiang Lei.
Before he could react, the pearl began absorbing the energy around him, and then it was channeled into Jiang Lei's body.
Jiang Lei was so shocked that he almost forgot everything about his current situation.
However, Jiang Lei swiftly regained his composure. He seized the opportunity, absorbing the abundant energy and transforming it into his strength.
....
Meanwhile when Jiang Lei was cultivating, he didn't know that village was in turmoil, everyone was outside, all were looking at the sky with fright, their legs were shaking because of cold or maybe unknown, but no one went back to their house.
Huang Xian, his teeth chattering, stammered, "Wha... what is this?"
Chen Liang, his voice shaky from both the cold and fear, replied, "Hua... Huang Xian, it looks like the g-goddess wants us to die, no one can save us. There's no... no escape."
A young man, his words stammering with anxiety, asked urgently, "Wh-where is Lord J-Jiang? Only he can s-save us now."
Zhang Hao, his voice trembling with sorrow, said, "N-no one can save us, L-look at the size of that... whatever it is. N-no one can stand against it."
Tears welled up in Xiao'er's eyes as he cried out, his voice stammering, "M-mother, I'm so s-scared. Are we really g-going to die here?"
Xiao Gang and Chen Ying held Xiao'er close, their voices faltering, their hearts heavy with concern. Chen Ying whispered soothingly, "D-don't worry, dear. Mom is here. N-nothing will happen to you. P-please don't cry."
The atmosphere was filled with despair as they faced the approaching threat, their only hope resting on the shoulders of Lord Jiang.
...
Jiang Lei, still unaware of the turmoil unfolding in the village, slowly opened his eyes. They sparkled momentarily with a dark crimson glow before returning to their deep blue hue. His gaze shifted to the crimson pearl, which seemed to be dancing around him like an eager child seeking attention.
Curious, he extended his hand toward the pearl, but before he could touch it, the pearl shot toward his forehead and vanished back into his body. Jiang Lei was taken aback. "What the... who told you to go back? Come out!" he called out, but the pearl remained elusive, showing no signs of reemerging.
With a resigned sigh, he stood up, intending to return to the village. However, as he rose to his feet, an unsettling change occurred. The sky above him darkened abruptly, as if day had instantly turned into night.
Jiang Lei, raised his head to look at the sky, he muttered with a sense of terror into his voice, "What the heck is this!"
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone